Be Broncho Fit!

The Importance of a Warm-Up

We all know that exercise is a great way to improve health and increase physical fitness. A very important component of a workout session is the warm-up. Do you perform a warm-up before exercising? If not, here are a few reasons to begin warming up before every workout.

Performing a warm-up before exercising provides many benefits, including:

-increased blood flow to working muscles

-prevention of injury due to increased elasticity of muscles

-joint lubrication and increased range of motion (ROM) of joints

-increased flexibility of tendons and ligaments, and

-a gradual increase in energy production which limits lactic acid buildup

A warm-up should last around 5-10 minutes. But this number may vary due to factors such as environment (cold weather, for example). One must determine for himself or herself how long his or her warm-up should be.

So, what should a warm-up consist of? A warm-up should include dynamic movement that focuses on major muscle groups. A good warm-up consists of movements that increase heart rate and range of motion in joints.  Here are some good warm-up movements to perform to prepare yourself for exercise:

-Body Weight Squat

Begin with feet forward, hip-width apart, standing tall, straight back, and neutral head. Lower into a squat position keeping hips and butt back. Make sure knees stay behind toes. Return to start. Repeat.

 

 

 

-Alternating Lunges

Begin with feet hip-width apart and feet forward. Step forward with the right foot and lower left knee as far as you can without touching the ground. Be sure to keep right knee behind toes. Push weight through front heel. Return to start and repeat with left leg.

 

 

 

-Jumping Jacks

Begin with feet forward and hip-width apart. Bring arms above head as you jump feet out more than shoulder-width apart. Return to start. Repeat.

 

 

 

 

-High Knees

This move is simply a jog in place, only you will bring your knees no higher than the hip. Activate arms as shown.

 

 

 

 

-Arm Swings

Begin with arms straight out from shoulders. Swing arms in as if to hug yourself. Keep elbows soft. Swing arms back out and repeat.

 

 

 

 

Remember: A warm-up is important when it comes to safety during exercise. You can be creative with your movements, just keep in mind that the warm-up will not be as intense as your actual workout. Try it, and see what a warm-up can do for your workout!

 

Pictures from: running.competitor.com

missfitnesslife.com

womenshealthmag.com

empowernetwork.com

activephysioclinic.com

 

By Hannah Miller ~Blogistics~

 

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Buddy Broncho

Why is water important?

Thinking of ways to change your water intake? Purchase a water jug and keep it with you throughout the day. Also, crystal light and flavored water help make it easier to drink as well. If you are anything like me, drinking water is a difficult task at times. But after realizing the benefits of drinking water, hopefully you will convert to a water drinking lifestyle because it is essential to our health. Here are a few reasons to drink water:

1.  Drinking Water Helps Maintain the Balance of Body Fluids. Your body is composed of about 65-70% water. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature.

2.  Water Can Help Control and burn Calories. For years, dieters have been drinking lots of water as a weight loss strategy. While water doesn’t have any magical effect on weight loss, substituting it for higher calorie beverages can certainly help.

3.  Water Helps Energize Muscles. Cells that don’t maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes weaken, which can result in muscle fatigue especially during exercising. When muscle cells don’t have adequate fluids, they don’t work as well and performance can suffer.

The ACSM guidelines recommend that people drink about 17 ounces of fluid about two hours before exercise. During exercise, they recommend that people start drinking fluids early, and drink them at regular intervals to replace fluids lost by sweating.

4. Water Helps Your Kidneys. Body fluids transport waste products in and out of cells. The main toxin in the body is blood urea nitrogen, a water-soluble waste that is able to pass through the kidneys to be excreted in the urine, explains Guest.

When you’re getting enough fluids, urine flows freely, is light in color and free of odor. When your body is not getting enough fluids, urine concentration, color, and odor increases because the kidneys trap extra fluid for bodily functions.

5.  Water Helps Maintain Normal Bowel Function. Plenty hydration keeps things flowing along your gastrointestinal tract and prevents constipation

 

Ade Amuda

Blogistics

 

http://www.webmd.com/

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Buddy Broncho

Why do I have to stretch?

Flexibility is needed to perform everyday activities with relative ease. To get out of bed, bending in hard to reach areas, lift children, or sweep the floor. Flexibility tends to deteriorate with age, often due to a sedentary (inactive) lifestyle. This blog is to help motivate and educate you to stretch on a daily basis so that physical activities can become easier to perform on a daily basis.
There is scientific evidence that the incidence of injury decreases when people include flexibility training in their routines due to the enhanced ability to move unimpeded through a wider range of motion (ROM). The following are some of the major benefits of flexibility training:
• Reduces stress in the exercising muscles and releases tension developed during the workout.
• Assists with posture by balancing the tension placed across the joint by the muscles that cross it. Proper posture minimizes stress and maximizes the strength of all joint movements.
• Reduces the risk of injury during exercise and daily activities because muscles are more flexible.
• Improves performance of everyday activities as well as performance in exercise and sport.
As with all other components of the workout, flexibility training should be based on the FITT formula.

There are two types of stretching which are named static and dynamic. Here is a description and example of each:
Static: This method of flexibility training involves taking a specific joint or set of joints through a ROM to a comfortable end point (at least15- 20 seconds), resting for approximately 20 seconds, and then repeating the stretch two to three times.

 

Dynamic: This method of flexibility training uses increasingly active movements through the full ROM of a joint. The exercise begins at a slow pace and gradually increases in speed and intensity. This method of stretching is best performed before exercise or activity that is movement based, like tennis or hiking.

Source:  Human Kinetics

Ade Amuda

Blogistics

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Buddy Broncho

5 Reasons to Meal Prep

You’ve heard it time and time again: Prepare your meals ahead of time. In case you haven’t heard it, ladies and gentlemen prepare your meals ahead of time! Meal Prep. is a very efficient way to track what you’re eating throughout the day and to avoid eating for convenience. It’s easy as heck to run by the Drive-thru and grab a couple of Double Cheeseburgers (hold the pickles). On the other hand if you already have your delicious, nutritious meal within arms reach, what are the chances you’re going to toss that and instead scarf down some Taco Bell?

The ultimate design of any meal plan is to get the greatest benefits from our food in order to better our health and to reach our personal fitness goals. Intelligent meal planning will transform your body into a fat-burning machine, and I’m going to give you a couple of tips to include in your own well educated meal plan.
 1. Plan your meals ahead of time.
Sound familiar? Meal Prep will allow you to pick all of your food sources that you need, so that you may stay on a time schedule of when you eat. Also, you have food with you at all times. That sounds wonderful doesn’t it?

2. Eat every 2-3 hours.
As mentioned early, the goal is to transform our bodies into fat-burning machines and machines need fuel to run properly. Eating every 2-3 hours will increase your metabolism by feeding muscle and not allowing your body to starve.

3. Drink water.
Water is roughly 75% of our body’s composition, and water is the driving force behind all metabolic reactions occurring inside our body. The body is constantly losing water from sweating, any type of physical exertion, and even from breathing so we must always consciously make an effort to replace the water we are losing.

4. Eat Protein First.
Always eat protein first and with EVERY MEAL. Protein is slow to break down and distribute throughout our body, therefore it will give you that sense of being full. Use that to carry you through to the next meal.

5. Be consistent.
The more consistent you are with both your diet and meal times, the better your body will function. If you eat lunch at 12pm every day, then your body will eventually become accustom to being feed at 12pm every day. Even better, your body will metabolize the meal from earlier faster so that it can prepare itself to refuel. Pretty neat huh? A higher metabolism results in digesting and fulfilling nutrient needs faster, a higher level of energy, and burning calories at a faster rate!

In summary, prepare your meals ahead of time so that you may avoid eating junk, and instead fuel your body to burn fat and to perform optimally.

Bobby Moore

Blogistics

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Buddy Broncho

Tips for How to Stay Motivated to Exercise

Everyone knows how good it feels to be at their peak performance level and having that “I’m on top of the world” feeling. But then, you plateau, and making it to those boot camps or running after work seems to be extremely hard. Here are seven tips that will help you find that perfect concoction to stay motivated while working out.

  1. The early bird gets the worm. Rise to the occasion; wake up an hour or two earlier to get that workout in before work or school. Make it the first thing you do in the morning so you won’t keep putting it off.
  2. Bribe yourself. Who said bribery was a bad thing? Set a goal and don’t forget to reward yourself. Be proud of yourself, you deserve that new bikini or power tool!
  3.  Get a buddy. Make your workout a social event. Whether catching up on the latest gossip, making it a competition, or just having someone there to count your sets, a workout buddy is beneficial. Chances are, you will hold each other accountable whenever one of you is getting a little less motivated.
  4. Switch it up. Think fun and shake things up a little. Having the same workout routine can get boring sometimes. Go out on a limb and sign up for that belly dancing class. Who knows? You may enjoy it.
  5. Keep a log. Look at how far you’ve come and how much you’ve improved or accomplished. You know you look good and feel great, but now you have those results to prove it!
  6. Tune in. Keep your iPod fresh. Download that new song that you’re addicted too and don’t be afraid to put it on repeat or shuffle.
  7. Find a quote. There are numerous motivational quotes all over the internet. Find one that fits and inspires you. Post it in your locker, in your car, on your mirror, or make it your background on your computer or phone. This quote should not only motivate you to get in the gym, but brighten your day and keep you confident in your abilities to conquer anything.

Christine Burns

Blogistics!

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Buddy Broncho

Build Your Confidence in the Gym

The UCO Wellness Center is a great facility and has plenty of equipment to get that much needed workout in for the day. However, this is a college campus and let’s face it, we all look at others while working out and judge whatever it is they are doing or how they look. For example, “Why is he grunting so loud?”, “I want to look like that.”, or “Are you suppose to be barefoot in here?” Whatever the case may be, there are four easy and simple steps to build your confidence in the gym.

1.     Focus on YOU. It’s easy to get distracted and not push yourself whenever there are others in the gym or you’re doing a solo workout, but try and limit your distractions. Before walking into the gym, remind yourself of your personal goals and what you want to accomplish in the gym for that day and stick to it. Next, don’t be afraid to plug in and tune out. Find that radio station, playlist, or song, put those ear buds in, and crank it up! Go into the gym with the mindset that you are the only one in the gym.

2.     Use that machine. There are numerous workout machines throughout the Wellness Center and yes, they too can be intimidating. The machines may look like it will have your body parts tangled in .03 seconds, but take the time to figure it out. The majority of the machines have descriptions and pictures of how to perform the exercise, along with showing what muscles are being used.

3.     Look the part. Everyone has that one (or more) outfit that they know they look good in. Don’t be afraid to replicate this “swagger” at the gym. Invest in a decent pair of gym clothes and shoes. You don’t want to look like you’re squeezing into your middle school P.E. clothes or wearing your dads XXXL shorts. Another key point in looking the part is maintaining a good posture. Whenever you walk into the gym with your head high and shoulders back, it screams confidence!

4.     Use those mirrors to your advantage. Yes, they are there for individuals to look at themselves while working out in order to maintain or critique technique, but that’s not all. Check yourself out! Flex, pose it up, take pictures to track progress, whatever the case may be, use them. Referring back to rule one, focus on you. Who cares what others think about you or your body. Get to the gym and accomplish YOUR goals.

Christine Burns

Blogistics!

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Buddy Broncho

Lower Stress with Physical Activity

I love getting my daily dose of physical activity because it is so good for my body, but more importantly because it is medicine for my mind. Physical activity is one of the best stress relievers there is. I have found that during the times in my life when I have experienced the most stress is when my physical activity levels have decreased. I have generally had a higher tolerance to stress, and had a better overall quality of life when I have made time to incorporate some type of exercise or physical activity into my life.

Here are three ways that getting active, or exercising can reduce stress:

  1. Physical activity increases the production of the neurotransmitters in your brain called endorphins that make you feel good. These chemicals have been known to create a positive feeling of well-being that can be referred to as a “runners’ high”.
  2. When you are concentrated on a fast-paced activity like volleyball, or a strenuous hike in the mountains, you are likely to let the worries of the day start to dissipate from your mind while your brain is focusing more on your movements and what you are doing. This helps you to begin to relax, and start to see the hurdles in your day as very small irritations.
  3. Regular exercise can help lower the symptoms anxiety and depression while also boosting self-confidence. For example, physical activity helps improve sleep which in turn reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. This can give you a positive sense of control over your body and your life.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Casey Robertson

Blogisitcs

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Buddy Broncho

Water and Exercise

I recently spoke to an individual who would like to improve her fitness level, but also hates drinking water. This got me thinking that perhaps she is unaware of the benefits of water in exercise, and that she may not be alone.

We all probably know that our bodies cannot survive without water, and that it is recommended that we drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, but what about for exercise?

  • Water helps regulate our body temperature during heat stress and exercise, and it also helps lubricate our joints and vital organs.
  • Water consumption is actually essential to the process that helps our body produce energy during exercise.
  • Water consumption plays such a vital part in exercise that it is important before, during, and after exercise.

It is beneficial to drink plenty of water before exercise to ensure that when we begin sweating we can easily replenish our fluid levels to help prevent dehydration and optimize performance.

  • Sweating during exercise is the body’s way of getting rid of the excess heat, and trying to cool down.
  •  We all lose water through sweat at different rates depending on our body composition, the environment, and the intensity of the exercise.
  • Because muscle holds more water than fat, someone with more body fat may need to replace water lost at a different rate than someone with more muscle.

Water consumption is extremely important when exercising in extreme heat because you must replenish water more rapidly and more often. If the body does not get the fluid replacement it needs during physical activity, then dehydration can occur quickly. If dehydration occurs during exercise we can begin to feel tired, dizzy, have chills or experience nausea ultimately reducing the quality of our workout. At this point, the only option is to let our bodies recuperate and restore what we have lost. Drinking water after exercise is an ideal way to help the body recover and replenish any water volume lost through sweating.

Casey Robertson

Blogistics

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Buddy Broncho
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