HIIT on a bike

If you haven’t been living under a rock, I’m sure you have heard of High Intensity Interval Training – otherwise known as HIIT. It seems like it’s the workout that everyone is talking about. A HIIT workout requires you to do short and intensive workouts. Think 30 seconds of all out activity.  These workouts are proven to help massively improve people’s aerobic fitness and muscle mass. Not only that, but because the exercises you are doing are high intensity you can complete them faster – which gives you more time to go to brunch!

Doing HIIT on a bike can be challenging. Not everyone wants to jump around but a lot of people want to do a HIIT workout on a stationary bike. I got you covered. Here is an idea.  Remember to warm up (including stretches) before you start.

30 Second Bursts

Easy to explain, you get on your bike and after a minute cycling at your own pace, go as fast (and as hard) as you can for 30 seconds.

Once the 30 seconds are up go back to your normal pace (this is your rest) for 60 seconds, then do 30 seconds all-out pedaling again.

Repeat this process four times – this will be considered as one interval.

To complete the exercise, do three intervals with a four-minute easy pedaling between each one to cool down.

If you’re finding it too easy/difficult then adjust the rest period by 30 seconds – 30 second rest for difficulty/90 seconds rest for ease.

In Health, Jessica Bailey

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Mesothelioma Awareness Day 2017

In honor of Mesothelioma awareness day, today, September 26th, I thought I'd dedicate my post to my grandfather who was affected by this disease. He ended up passing from this disease when I was a little girl. I didn't understand Mesothelioma at first so I thought I'd share what I do know with you.  Here are some facts you should know

The word mesothelioma may not be familiar to most people, of course it is a big word and it is not an everyday word. But would there be any one who has not heard about cancer?

Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that occur within the layers of cells that line the internal organs, these organ lining isknown as mesothelium. The term mesothelioma is derived from ‘mesothelium’ which is the tissue that line the stomach, heart, lungs, liver and other organs. The mesothelium serves as a protective cover for most of these internal organs.

Mesothelioma can also be called the tumor of the tissue. When it is cancerous, it is called malignant mesothelioma, and just mesothelioma when it is not malignant. It is a rare but serious disease.

CAUSES

There are quite a number of causes for this condition, but the leading cause of mesothelioma is prolonged exposure to asbestos. It has been shown by the interaction with patients that each one that has been diagnosed with the disease has come in contact with asbestos at some point.  Results from the medical laboratories have shown that the inhalation of tiny asbestos fibers, is the precursor for the chain of processes, both physical and metabolic, that lead to the condition. The mouth and the nose are the two paths of entry of mesothelioma causing particles.

TYPES

In general terms, there are three types of mesothelioma

Pleura Mesothelioma.  This is the most common form of the disease and statistics have shown that it around 70% of mesothelioma a cases are of the pleura type. It is called Pleura because it occurs in the lining of the lungs known as the pleura.

Pericardial Mesothelioma. This form of the disease is not too common it occur in the pericardium, this is the lining covering the heart.

Peritoneal mesothelioma. This is also a less common form of the disease, it occurs in the peritoneum, which is the abdominal lining.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS INCLUDE:

• Shortness of breath.

• Uneventful weight loss

• Pains around the chest wall or abdominal region

• Fever

• Night sweating

• Constipation or vomiting.

• Fatigue

• Wheezing or coughing

TREATMENT

Once the disease has been diagnosed, a patient has a number of treatment options which include:

• Surgery 

• Radiation

• Chemotherapy

FACTS

• In March 2009, the International Agency for Researchon Cancer, confirmed that exposure to asbestos is the leading cause of mesothelioma and all other forms of asbestos cause the disease.

• Signs and symptoms may not appear until 20 – 30 years after exposure.

• The disease does not spread to other parts of the body, like bones or the brain.

• The duration of exposure to asbestos which could cause mesothelioma can be short, one to four months in some cases.

PREVENTION: the disease can be prevented by limiting exposure to asbestos and asbestos containing material, if your spouse is asbestos, run away, but if its just a name, please hold on tight.

For more info about Mesothelioma click here. 

How long should you foam roll each body part for?

Foam rolling is a great way to relieve muscle tension and help get those painful "knots" out of tight muscles. When using the foam roller hold pressure on any sensitive areas for at least 20-30 seconds, or until you feel the tension lessen and the muscle start to relax. Once this occurs, you can then move on to the next tender area. On particularly sensitive areas you may need to lessen the pressure applied by the foam roller and hold the tender spot for a longer duration - generally up to 90 seconds.

The goal of foam rolling is to reduce tension in the muscles. Foam rolling can be quite uncomfortable, especially on certain areas such as the IT Band, so focus on breathing and trying to relax as much as possible when on tender areas. It’s easy to rush, but remember you have to give the brain time to tell the muscles to relax.

Where to Donate for Hurricane Relief

Hurricane Irma created a mess, and I couldn't stop watching the news last weekend. I have very close friends in Miami and my GrandMother lives in Marco Island. They all are safe and evacuated so that was a relief but seeing them stressed about their home was heartbreaking. It made me want to donate again to hurricane relief. Because there are SO MANY "charities" to donate to, I thought I'd do some research. Here is what I found.

Picking a place to donate to Hurricane victims is difficult. Scammers often try to take advantage of disasters. And there are many real charities that, despite their promising names and flashy websites, do very little to help anyone.

If you want to give with confidence, then the best thing to do is to give to established charities that meet standards

The charities that most deserve your donations at this time are those that actually are in a position to help on the ground.

Here are some places I recommend you donate to:

Best Friends

Unicef

Red Cross

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Do You Warm Up?

I understand you might be pressed for time and want to skip your warm-up and jump right into your workout. It sounds like a great idea but is it?  No, a warm up won't get you flat abs but it has a very important place in your workout routine.  

Why warm up?  Here are a few good reasons.

Warming up before you work out will..

1. Increase the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles, which prevents you from getting out of breath to early or too easily
2. Improve coordination and reaction times
3. Reduce the chance of injury by allowing your muscles and joints to move through a greater range of motion easily (and safely)
4. Lubricate your joints for easier (and less painful) movement
5. Help mentally prepare you for the workout ahead, giving you a few minutes to get "pumped up" for a great workout!

I suggest you warm up before EVERY workout. Yes, even yoga! I'm not saying you have to spend 20 minutes rolling out and preparing your body for exercise. It doesn't have to take a lot of time since 5-10 minutes is typically all you need to get your body ready for working out. You should spend more time warming up for very intense workouts though.

What should I do to warm up?  A warm up can be a lower intensity version of the activity you're about to do, or it can be something different.  A proper warm up gradually raises your heart rate and gets your muscles primed for activity. Want a quick video to help you warm up? Check out this Easy 5-Minute Mobilty Warm-Up from WebMD

Do you ever skimp on your warm-up? If so, why?

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