Cardio and Weightlifting. Why Both?

Good Evening readers!

So, besides my morning 25 curlups, minute of pushups and song's worth of jogging... I do a little bit of random evening exercise. Or at least, that's my resolution. So far I've done it... twice. Once was back stretches, and the other time was weightlifting. Nothing serious because I don't have big weights, but I felt it and that's what matters.

Some people only focus their energy on one thing - bulking up or only cardio. I like to do both because it's important to not only have stamina but also strength. Both are important for different things.

Here are a couple reasons to incorporate Strength Training AND Cardio into your routines:

• You Don't Have to Do the Same Amount of Each OneThat's right, you can do one round of cardio and four of strength training. So long as what you do fits with your goals. Most people who exercise five times a week either do 2 days of one and 3 of the other or they do both in each session and divide it by minutes.

• “Resistance Training will Improve Fatigue Resistance and Efficiency in Energy Use When You Run" - Rich Velasquez
  This means you won't get tired as quickly and it may help you learn how to pace yourself.

• Only Doing Cardio to Lose Weight Causes You to Burn Less Calories
  Muscle mass helps burn calories and gives you a higher metabolism. If you don't build any muscle mass, you won't get the full benefit of the cardio you've been working on.
  
• Some Strength Training Doubles as Cardio
  Kettleball Exercises, for Example, are great for both strength and stamina.
  
• Cardio Improves Overall Health and Fitness in Ways Strength Training Falls ShortSo if you keep at both of them, you'll get all of the benefits that you need!
  
• Strength Training Helps you to Improve Form and Stability
  Both of these things are important for your cardio workouts, as they help reduce the chance of injury.

Remember to keep your workouts in balance! Not all things will work for all people, but general principles can span all body types. It's also recommended to do stretches and incorporate things like yoga but that is a subject for another post at another time.

-Alex

The Importance of Hydration

I've been continuing my 25 curlups, jogging and half-pushups every morning before I do anything. It's been pretty helpful for my self-confidence because I've noticed a slightly firmer stomach after a week.

I need to look up how to do a proper pushup though. I'll continue using the half-pushup but I need to know how to do it correctly. Otherwise I could injure myself later on.

As for hydration, getting this Thermos water bottle has done wonders for me. I'm usually used to a camelbak but I left it in another city and hadn't been able to drink much since.

I managed to get a couple glasses of water in almost every day, but that wasn't cutting it.

You should aim to get as many ounces in your body as half your weight. More if you do work or exercise that makes you sweat. I technically need to get about 57 ounces per day. I was getting maybe 16.

My water bottle holds 24 ounces of water. If I drink even one of those a day, I'm already better off than I was.

That's what I've started doing. I hope to gradually increase the amount of water I drink each day so that eventually I will consume at least 60 oz a day total. 

Now, the reason this is such a thing is because Hydration is very important. If you do not get enough water, you can become severely dehydrated. 

Dehydration can cause some of the following symptoms:

1. Headaches. Dehydration is one of the leading causes of headaches, right next to sleep deprivation. A lot of times people feel instantly better after taking an NSAID, but that's not because of the pain reliever, which takes about 15 or more minutes to begin working. The relief comes from the liquid you use to take the pill. It is a sign you need to increase your water intake.
   
2. Dizziness. That's right, that annoying feeling you have that you aren't steady even though you're sitting down? That can be from not having enough water. In fact, confusion is also a symptom. If you're taking a test, those two symptoms are reason enough to hydrate beforehand and bring a water bottle with you if you can.
   
3. Constipation. This one seems kind of obvious, but a lot of people don't even notice when they are constipated because it may take form as aches and pains in your lower abdominal region and only will make it seem like you just don't need to go that much. In all honesty, you could be severely backed up. This lessens appetite and leads to many other problems. You need to drink up.

Those are just three reasons to hydrate. There are many more signs and symptoms including irritability and fatigue. Now, some positive effects of being properly hydrated include:

• More Energy - Even though it has no calories, it boosts your body's energy by replenishing the water that makes up nearly 60% of your composition.
• Weight Loss - When your body is dehydrated, your cells hoard water. Because of that fluid retention, you gain weight. When you are hydrated, that water is released. Water also helps keep your food intake in check by reducing your hunger and filling your stomach.
• Better Physical Performance - When doing an athletic activity, you lose a lot of water through sweat. Losing even 2% starts to make a large difference in your ability to continue and thrive in that activity. By drinking water, you stay at an optimal level.
• Higher Cognitive Performance - Dehydration causes a wild assortment of disruptions in mental function. Hydration ensures that your mind works at its peak. It is not just dizziness and confusion that occurs, but it can also effect your ability to perform mathematical calculations and your visual perception.
• Glowing Skin - If none of the above was enough to get you on the hydration bandwagon, maybe this will. By drinking water, you are also hydrating your skin. The more you drink, the healthier and more beautiful your skin will look AND feel.

With Love,

-Alex

Happy New Year!

Happy New year you guys! Guess who's back?
Yes, I will be trying to post more.
Silly resolutions, right?

Well it actually stems from this really cool thing called a happiness project. And my fiance and I are BOTH doing it. So I actually have a fitness partner for once. He wants to do evening exercise because it will help keep him energized after work so we're going to be trying that.

That being said, most mornings I'm going to try to do 25 curlups, a song's worth of jogging in place, and a few half pushups. Those are the pushups where you have your knees on the ground instead of our feet. I have weak arms. Soon that will be changed.

I'm not just going to post progress here, either. Though that will be a thing, too.

I want to provide a bit more for all of you in terms of content, so I'll be doing posts on things like hydration, stretching, and techniques.

Love you all!
-Alex

P.s. I published a book last year in August, if you want to check it out, it's at this link - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MSBAK9K/