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The Fitness Files
Tips and Tricks to Keep You Fit

December 1, 2001

Exercise Is Good For The Body and Mind

Scientists have found evidence that physical exercise can help reduce stress, relieve depression, and maybe even make you smarter.

According to an article in ACE Fitness Matters, a major study at Duke University has linked lower levels of depression in severely depressed people to exercise. Researchers found that the group who exercised regularly were able to achieve the identical benefits to the group who took anti-depression medication, but did not exercise.

Researchers have also found that working out seems to stimulate the mind the same way as puzzles, quizzes and brainteasers. Scrutinized since the early 1980's, the link between exercise and the mind remains a mystery. Scientists theorize that physical exercise increases production of serotonin, a brain chemical that helps control mood and mental clarity. Other experts feel that the answer might be as simple as a healthier heart that's able to pump more blood to the brain.

Either way, it's clear that exercise is good for the body and mind. So if you're not already working out, be smart and start today.

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November 20, 2001

Energizing Breath

Before exercise, use the power of Deep Breathing to energize the body.

1. Sit quietly in a comfortable position, back and neck straight, mouth closed, while you breathe through your nose.
2. For the first few breaths, pay attention to the flow without trying to affect it in any way.
3. Follow the inhalation as it flows through your nose and fills your lungs. Feel it energize your entire body.
4. Allow your abdomen to relax and expand slightly, drawing in even more air and energy.
5. Continue the in breath, allowing your chest to fill and expand as well. The total inhalation should be done for a count of about four.
6. Without pausing, begin the exhalation, allowing first the chest to empty, then your abdomen. Let all the day's tensions, stress, and negativity flow from you along with your breath.
7. At the end of the exhalation phase, gently pull your stomach up and in, expelling more air, increasing your lung capacity, and then inhale. The total exhalation should be done for a count of eight, or twice as long as the in breath.

The body can live weeks without food, days without water, but can't survive more than a few minutes without life giving oxygen. The practice of Deep Breathing gives us energy and improves metabolic function. It increases our oxygen intake and expiration of carbon dioxide (waste product), helping to cleanse and detoxify our bodies. The next time you feel a little run down, before a workout or any time, try doing five to ten Deep Breaths to help boost your energy level.

November 10, 2001

Burn the Fat

If I do enough sit-ups or other abdominal work, will I get a flat stomach?

No. The reason you don't have a flat stomach has nothing to do with how many sit-ups you do. You also need to do more cardio or aerobic work, burning lots of fat, as well as teaching your body to be a better fat burner. Then those rock-hard abs from doing all those crunches will finally be visible.

Advice found on this website is meant for informational purposes only, and should not be considered medical advice for dealing with a given problem. Always use common sense when exercising, and see your doctor for any, and all serious medical conditions.