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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 1993)
The Student Health Center Newsletter TV Well NOW page3 Make water a vart of vour workout routine By Karltt Sandell If exercise is an important part of you life, proper fluid intake can improve you work outs significantly Fluid replacement helps you body cool down after exercise; it allows broken-down tis sue to filter out of your body and it restores the fluid to joints which cushion your movements. An inactive person may feel that because she does not exercise dai ly, she should not need as much water. This is not true. An inactive person should drink around 8 glasses of water everyday. This may seem like a lot of water; however, constant hydration is essential. Without an adequate supple of water our bodies can not function at their opti mal levels Sixty percent of our body weight consists of water. Most of our water is stored in our cells while the rest circulates within our blood stream. Water in our blood contains oxygen-carrying red blood cells, food, vitamins and minerals that our cells need to survive When the body is low on water every cell is affected When this occurs the body has a difficult time cooling down which creates an increase in core temperature The blood begias to thicken, and the ability to elimi nate waste is affected These conditions have a detrimental affect on physical per formance whether we are sitting in class or running 5 miles. Being in a heated area also puts added stress on the body, so it is important to keep vour body replenished to avoid boa I illness such as heat stroke or heat exhaus tion Exercise in the heat puls tremendous strain on your body If you are planning to exercise for a prolonged amount of timi in a hot environment, it is important that your body is well-hydrated before and during your workout If your body has depleted your water supply, you may suffer from heat stroke. Heat stroke is the sudden involuntary nsc in oouy tem perature caused by the inabil ity of the tempera turn-regulating cells in the brain to increase the body's mech- . anisms to use up heat I Symptoms of heat stroke I are burning lungs, short ened breath, parched mouth, blurred vision, nau sea, irrational thinking, and clammy or dry skin If your body temperature continues to nse after these- symptoms occur, you might become unconscious or even die. Heat stroke is very serious and most often the person experiencing it requires medical help immediately. If you or someone you know is experiencing heat stroke, one wa to help cool the btxJy is to apply cool tow els to the abdomen and head until medic.' help arrives. Heat exhaustion, although not as seri ous as heat stroke, is equally important to recognize and avoid. Heat exhaustion is also caused by loss of water in your body Unlike heat stroke, heat exhaustion occur when the cells m your body become unable to give up water, and your blotni volume drops Symptoms are sluggish ness. muscle tightness, loss of appetite, > weakness headaches, and even depres sion These are all signals that your rbody is dehydrated It your body continues to go without fluids, you may go into shock Because heat exhaustion incurs gradually, it is much easier to avoid The key is to si mol v keep your Nnlv well hydrated at all times, especial ly during exercise, i How much should we dnnk? We know that water helps protect our bodies and that it is important to drink water before. during and alter exercising Thinking water before Wj exercise delays the development of dehydra tion, increases sweating and creates less ofa rise in the body s core temperature Experts recommend that you drink 13 to 20 ounces of water 10 to 20 minutes before exercise, especially it you plan to be in a heated environment f Unfortunately, drinking water right before exercising is not gisxl enough As you I exercise vour txxlv rapidly loses water through exhalation and perspiration which increases your hxlv's rxsxls tor flu id replacement It is most effective to dnnk K-u ounces of water every 10-13 min utes during exercise This will give your i body proper circulatory flow which in return enables your NhJv to perform effi dcntly. After exercise it is important to replenish your body periodically through out the rest »>t the day. This will relieve muscle tightness and fatigue I lave you noticed the sudden explosion of carbohydrate drinks such as "Power Burst" or "Galorade" on the market these days’ Some studies now show that these dnnks can provide adequate fluid and energy restoration during prolonged exer cise such as long distance running or cycling. Mindv Millard-Stafford. from Sports Medicine, explains, "carbohydrate drinks delay fatigue by raising blood glu cose levels and provide an energy source during exercise performed under different environmental conditions ' I he variety of drinks on the market today make it diffi cult to determine which of them provides the best source of energy I xperts suggi*st that a moderately concentrated carbohy drate drink of s-H percent during exercise will help stabilize our body's performance It the carbohydrate concentration exceeds 12 percent, our b<sites can no longer absorb it This causes nausea and will result in a decrease in performance It you plan to exercise tor an extended period of time and are considering replenishing your hodv with a carbohydrate drink, make sure the carbohydrate balance does not exceed N percent Fluid replacement is vital Water helps reduce dehydration which can lead to heat exhaustion or even heat stroke V\ ater is the primary source that makes our bodies function properly. Your bode requires continuous hydration l>rmk up! Don't let these fitness fables foil your exercise efforts By Retire' Schmidt In the nineties so much technology and information is available that often times answers to common questions contradict or seem confusing to even a well-informed health nut. The following are some common myths regarding diet and exercise. • Myth: No pain, no gain. When you experience pain w hile exer cising, you are being given a signal by your body that something is simply not right and that you should slow or stop the activity. Pain indicates that your stress load is too high Pat Tanning, former Sprint and Hurdle Coach at the University of Oregon, says. "It's like your target heart rate If vou go above your maximum heart rate, vou are not enhancing your workout, you are putting your body at a stress level that could ultimately become a disadvantage which could lead to injury • Myth. More exercise is always better When muscles are put under stress. they need time to regenerate so that they can build upon themselves to become stronger. This regeneration period varies for each individual but usually falls into the approximate range of 24-4# hours. If muscles are overused they become broken down so much that they don't have the ability to repair and grow. By giving ample time for regeneration, you allow your muscles to function at their optimal levels During this rest, your muscles rid themselves of waste’s and repair muscle fibers. One important thing to remember is that everybody is different in their phys ical and biochemical make-up and that their workout abilities will therefore also be different. • Myth: You can burn fat after you've worked out 20 minutes When you exercise, your body begias bv burning glucose storage in your mus cits for energy Around 20 minutes into an exercise activity, your body slows down on its use of glycogen storage and begins to rely more on fat storage for fuel This reserves the remaining supplies of glycogen in the muscles True, at some point fat becomes the major contributor, but factors involving such things as inten sity and duration do not equal a magical time factor, such as twenty minutes Your physical condition is also a factor: as your body becomes more trained, it relies on fat storage sooner • Myth: Women who lift weights will "get big " When we walk, into a gym or weight lifting class we are introduced with the idea that weight-lifting will make us bulk up Although we can gain muscle mass through weight-lifting, it doesn't have to happen Weight-lifting is good in that it builds muscle strength and endurance One factor that we should keep in mind is that women only possess around ten per cent ot the level of testosterone lh.it men do The testosterone hormone is responsi ble tor muscle over development Wh.it will occur in women with regular weight lifting schedules will be improved muscle strength, shape, and tone Ihc volume and intensity ot the workout along with personal factors, such as body physique, will ultimately decide what effects weight training has on the body, for male or female lifters • Myth Aerobics classes are only for women Men can and do benefit greatly from aerobics classes Aerobics classes provide a well-balanced program, and help you improve cardiovascular condition, muscle fitness, flexibility, and coordination, whether you are male or female Also adding to the benefits are the various types of aerobics classes available Turn to MYTHS, page 4 Get creative with cross-training By Tracy Anudson There it is. that dreaded SUirmaster tlut you meet even' day for forty-five minutes. The thought of stepping on it for the eight-hundredth time makes you sick to your stomach. But you need to workout, so you push the start button and enter into your own world. The time ticks slowly as you stare down at those blinking red dots; you're thinking to yourself how much you hate this and how you're ready to give exercise up all together. But wait! There is a solution to this tremendous bore dom, and that's cross-training Cross-training is a combina tion of several different types of exercise put into a weekly work out. To work the entire body every day or every time you exercise is not an easy or realistic goal That is where cross-train mg steps in Bv cross-training you may work each par! of the bodv weekly Here is an example of an advanced program Monday: one hour of step aerobics with upper body weight work Tuesday: Stairmaster for forty minutes and stationary bike for twenty with added back and chest weight work Wednesday: running and lower body weight lifting Thursday: High impact aerobics Friday: bike riding and extra abdominal work. Saturday: rest. Sunday: play tennis or some sort of team sport. This is just an example of how you can com bined different activities in a weekly workout. This variety can help you stay motivated and obtain a positive attitude towards working out Exercise is essential for living a healthy life According to the American College of Sports Med icine, we need to exercise a mini mum of three times a week for at least twenty minutes. This helps maintain body weight and also can give you cardiovascular ben efits Cross-training limits jar ring and over use of the same joints and muscles This is important because your muscles nix’d rest in between workouts to rebuild the broken-down tissue In designing your own cross training program, you have to take into consideration that your program is not going to be identi cal to your best friend's, and that it is not set in stone You must find out what you enjoy doing and do those things. If you can not stand to run, then don't run That's exactly how the vicious cycle of dreading your workout begins. Pick new and different activities once in a while like rock climbing or hiking. Always keep in mind that there are no limitations to what you can do to exercise. Get creative and get going! For more fitness ideas, drop by the Health Education office at the Student Health Center. EXCESSIVE Continued from page 1 brittle, thin, and easily frac tured. Younger women who have lost some ot their bone mass due to amenorrhea and a lack of estrogen will be affected by osteoporosis scxiner than those who have maintained a healthy and adequate level of bone mass. Our level of fitness means very little without a healthy body. Even though we may look great in our cut-offs, swimsuits, or birthday suits, we won't get very far with fractured or weakened bones. If hormonal dysfunctions and a reduction in bone mass seems like a fair price to pay for a great body, think again. After all, instead of spending hours on the track or the stairmaster and putting cer tain aspects of your health at risk, you could be exercising frequently yet moderately while still receiving the maxi mum physical benefits. According to the Ameri can College ot Sports Medi cine (ACSMi, twenty to sixty minutes of aerobic exercise three to five days a week is adequate in maintaining a good level of health. For those of you wanting to do the bare minimum, the ACSM states that even twelve min utes of aerobic activity three to five times a week produces some benefits, although a minimum of twenty minutes is preferred. For all of you exercise maniacs, however, simply go by the higher num bers in these recommenda tions so that you may receive maximum health and fitness benefits without bring at a high risk for injury. Consis tent exercise at reasonable levels will be very effective in maintaining a respectable lev el of fitness while enabling your body to remain healthy and strong for years to come.
