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When to Start Swimming Lessons for Kids

Jack collins — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 14:50:02 +0000

If you have a pool at home, you may wonder what the right age is for your kids to start swimming lessons so they can enjoy the water and be safe. The answer depends on how old your kids are and what you mean by swimming lessons.

Early Swim Lessons Benefits

Infant and toddler aquatic programs are very popular for both parents and kids. They are a good way to teach your kids to enjoy being in the water and teach kids and parents about how to be safe around the water. However, these types of programs may not decrease your child’s risk of drowning and are not a substitute for adult supervision and safety in the water, although some small studies have found that “some drowning prevention skills can be learned” by these younger children.

How Young Is Too Young?

It’s never too early to get your child in the pool, just understand that they won’t learn to swim at first ⏤ especially if they aren’t even old enough to remember it. While it’s perfectly okay to acclimate infants as young as 6- to 9-months-old to the water, the American Association of Pediatrics recommends starting kids at age one. Studies have shown that there are myriad benefits to bringing infants into the pool, including helping their balance and coordination, building muscle, and improving their sleeping. Although remember, infants under the age of one shouldn’t stay in the water for more than thirty minutes and even less if they’re cold.

Start With Parent-Child Lessons

For the most part, parent-child classes are like bath time, just in a larger tub of water. Many people take them to the local YMCA, and they won’t include anything you couldn’t do on your own in any pool. But if signing up for a class is the only way you’ll have access to water, it’s worth it. Classes generally run 30 minutes each and last 3-4 weeks. For infants, they mostly involve zooming your baby around the shallow end, holding them on their backs in the water, and sprinkling water on their heads. For toddlers, expect to sing songs and play games, learn to kick, jump in from the pool deck, and swim after toys. Naturally, the parent will be holding the child the entire time, and again, the goal is less about formal instruction and more about water acclimation. So don’t expect them to start swimming like Katie Ledecky right out of the gate ⏤ just work on getting them more relaxed. Also, don’t forget the swim diapers.

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The 4 Essential Components of an Effective Fitness Program (S.A.F.E.)

Valentine Oliver — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 16:04:19 +0000

Starting a fitness program isn’t as half difficult as keeping up with the program you’ve started. This article would help you understand the 4 important components that are needed for a fitness program to be effective.

1.Sustainability

A good fitness plan is one that you can do for a very long time and without sustainability, this can’t be possible.

One of the reasons why you’ve gained back the weight since the last diet(s) you’ve tried is simply because you were doomed since Day 1.

Here’s why: Most diets explicitly tell you which foods are “allowed” and “not allowed”. Some call for the avoidance of perfectly tolerable and nutritious foods like: fruit, diary, grains, and pasta. And to top it off, most of the foods on most diets’ banned list consists of your favourite foods like: pizza

To top it off, most of the foods on most diets’ banned list consists of your favourite foods (and drinks) like: pizza, doughnuts, ice cream, chips, and cookies.

Quick question- Can you see yourself going on a diet that eliminates these foods? Chances are, you probably said heck no! So why bother yourself. Too many restrictions become stressful in the long run.

Can you see yourself going on a diet that eliminates the foods above? If you’re like me, you responded “Heck no!”. So don’t do it. Why set yourself up for failure from the get-go? If you are hesitant about giving up something (or a few somethings), this is an indicator that the plan will not be sustainable. Too many restrictions become stressful long term.

Sometimes less is just more. At the end of the day, the best diet for long-term adherence is the one that includes the healthier versions of foods you love to eat. When it comes to training, the best workout regimen is the one that you enjoy and you’ll actually do on a regular basis.

2.Accountability

Starting a weight loss program requires willpower but what actually keeps it going is totally dependent on how accountable you are. Ever wonder why sometimes you just want to go home after a long day’s work instead of hitting the gym? Well that’s because willpower is a form of mental energy that runs outs the more you use it.

Having a coach and a positive fitness community can take you a lot further than just doing things all by yourself. More importantly, it allows you to preserve your mental energy. This allows you to give your willpower a rest by literally outsourcing self-control to someone else. This is the magical thing about accountability — it doesn’t all have to come from you.

Instead of feeling forced to do things you don’t necessarily want to do (negative self-talk), you’re allowing other people to help keep you in check.

3.Flexibility

Your fitness plan should revolve around YOU, not the other way round. One major reason why people fail in their quest for a better fitness life is because of the lack of consistency. And the lack of consistency is simply caused by unrealistic goals and expectations. The frequency that you work out, the foods that you eat, and the number of meals that you have should all be based around your lifestyle and personal preferences, not someone else’s.

It’s likely people struggle with consistency because the routine they’ve been prescribed is inflexible.

Set goals for your fitness and nutrition that are realistic, achievable, and coincide with your lifestyle and schedule. And most importantly, allow yourself some flexibility when you’re not able to achieve everything.

4.Efficiency

If your fitness program isn’t productive, then what’s the whole point of starting it in the first place? To make sure this doesn’t happen, everything you do should based around your lifestyle. Fitness should not take up too much of your time. What you want to do is figure out the Minimal Effective Dose (MED) that will get you to where you need to be. Essentially, the MED is simply the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome. Anything beyond the MED isn’t necessary.

For instance, in terms of training, the most time any Average Joe or Jane needs to spend in the gym is 3-4 days a week for about 45-60 minutes. That’s it. Your workout schedule is not supposed to take over your life, it’s supposed to fit into it.

Conclusion

There you go. The only 4 components that you actually need in a fitness program. With all these intact, you can be assured of a successful fitness journey.

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For Athletes: 5 Ways To Keep Your Fitness Levels Up

Valentine Oliver — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 04:00:05 +0000

For an athlete, you might start to feel panicky when you realize that you’re not fit enough for an upcoming event or when your fitness levels just start going down all of a sudden. You begin to notice that you can’t run the normal distance you used to run or that you can’t spend the amount of time you used to spend during a workout session.
So many factors can influence your fitness levels and that’s why you need to take certain measures to prevent yourself from being in one of these really uncomfortable situations. Here are 5 tips that will help you keep your fitness levels right up there, where you want them:

1. Have enough sleep time

Every professional athlete knows better than to tamper with their sleeping hours. If there’s any other thing you should take serious apart from your workouts, it should be your sleep time. Naturally, the human body was designed to have at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily, but for athletes, it should be more. Having inadequate sleep has a lot of negative effects on your fitness levels.

2. Have enough sex

If your fitness levels are going down though you train so hard on a daily basis, then the problem is most likely to be psychological or emotional. Doctors have discovered that one of the main reasons why athletes complain about their fitness levels is because they’ve been affected psychologically or emotionally.

Sex on its own has been proven to be one of the best ways to deal with such problems. So don’t listen to the fitness myth that tells you that sex is bad for athletes. On the contrary, sex is actually beneficial for every athlete out there.

3. Have fun

Humor like they say, is one of the best natural medicines. Spend time with your family and friends. Play games, dance, just do anything that makes you happy and boosts your mood. This helps you psychologically. Don’t make that mistake of making your life all about your fitness and your career. Sometimes little healthy distractions are actually good for you.

4. Get a workout buddy

It is true that sometimes to attain your fitness goals, you need to work alone. But there are other times when you need someone to push and carry you along. That’s what training partners are meant for. They’re meant to motivate and challenge you to do better.

5. Keep a healthy diet

Diet and exercise work hand in hand. As an athlete you must know that your output will be a direct reflection of what you take into your system. This why it is very important to be careful with your diets. Have regular consultations with a dietitian that can make a proper meal plan for you and make sure you stick to this meal plan.

Conclusion

Every athlete needs to live a healthy lifestyle to encourage consistency in their performance. This has a lot more to do with other factors than just working out regularly; it also has to do with what you eat, how you relax and how well you manage stress.

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Top 3 Core Training Exercises Guaranteed To Increase Balance and Flexibility

Sally Njie — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 08:59:44 +0000

To perform efficient movements across a host of activities and tasks, we need to be able to maintain control of our body’s positioning. Balance in the body increases our ability to maintain control of a particular body position whilst performing any task with minimal postural sway. Balance exercises focus on strengthening your core muscles which regulate all balance and stability in the body. Athletes, bodybuilders and fitness enthusiast all need to train their core muscles to not only improve balance during athletic and bodybuilding movements. So if you’ve been feeling a bit wobbly lately, try these core training exercises for better balance.

Hip Twist

Start by sitting comfortably with your abdominal muscles contracted and your legs lifted to a balanced position. Place your hands on the floor, facing forward. Lifting your head, lengthen your spine and stretch your legs away from you, making sure to engage your abs. Inhale deeply and point your toes. Circle your legs clockwise ten times and switch to anti-clockwise. Lastly, lower your legs several inches down and rotate ten more times on each side.

Walking Heel Toe

This is a pretty simple but very effective movement. In a standing position, make sure your spine and back bones are properly aligned and your abdominal muscles contracted. Now walk very slowly in a straight line, placing the foot infront so that the heel of the front foot touches the toes of the rear foot. With time, you will gradually get used to it, then feel free to close your eyes.

Single Leg Balance on Pillow

You will need a small pillow or cushion for this one. Start by standing on the pillow on one leg and try maintaining your balance for at least one minute. As you improve gradually, try closing your eyes or adding more pillows.

Balance exercises should be initially performed for 5 minutes a day and progressed to 10-15 minutes or longer, provided they do not cause major discomfort. Ensure that your environment is safe and prevent serious injury in-case you lose your balance and fall.

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Thanksgiving workout tips

Ida S. — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 18:48:19 +0000

It is really hard to keep your weight in check with holidays like thanksgiving where there is a lot of food, a lot of fatty food for that matter. And then there is the long distance traveling to spend it with family, which can be very stressful and can lead to stress eating. You have to cut down on your workout time cause there is just not enough space for it during the holiday. You can’t avoid it but you can reverse the effects with some intense workout. You’ll have to workout at least five times a week, do more reps and sets but it can be done.

Prisoner’s Bulgarian split squat.

To do the prisoner’s Bulgarian split squat, get in a lunge position an place your rear foot on a bench behind you with your toes pushing into the bench. Lace your fingers behind your head as if you are a surrendering prisoner. Keeping your chest up, squat down until your back knee is nearly on the floor. Drive through the heel of your front foot to return to your original position. Repeat 8 to 15 times.

Renegade row.

To do the renegade row, get into a push up position with a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other. Perform a push up then shift your weight and row one dumbbell to your side at the top of the push up. Repeat it 8 to 15 times.

Burpee.

To do the burpee, squat down and plant your hands on the floor, shoot your legs back into a push up position then hop your feet back up to your hands and jump as high as you can with your arms extended. Repeat this 8 to 15 times as well.

Single-leg RDL.

To do the single leg rdl, grasp a dumbbell in your right hand and hold it in front of your body. Push your hips back and raise your right leg behind you as you reach the dumbbell towards your left foot. Keep your lower back in it’s natural arch then extend your hips to get back to your original position. Repeat 8 to 15 times.

Bulgarian split squat to press.

To do the Bulgarian split squat to press, hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level with your palms facing each other. Get into a lunge position and place your right foot on a bench behind you, with your toes pushing into the box. Squat down until your back knee is nearly on the floor then drive through the heel of your front foot to return to the starting position, then press the dumbbells straight overhead. Repeat it 8 to 15 times and you are good to go.

You can’t avoid thanksgiving, you don’t even have to but you can always fix the damage after.

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Three benefits of nuts to your health

Joshua Smith — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 19:35:19 +0000

There are very many different nuts including; almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, peanuts, groundnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, brazil nuts, etc. All of these provide benefits to our health.

Nuts are hardened seeds of plants which have many benefits to our health.

Although they were considered unhealthy not too long ago, more and more evidence is surfacing that they indeed have many benefits to our health.

It is recommended to take at least 1.5 ounces or 42 grams of nuts every day.

1. Nuts can help prevent constipation, gas and bloating

Constipation happens when food is stuck and cannot move smoothly or properly through the digestive system. It gets stuck in the intestines so no more food can be digested causing your belly to swell.

This can be prevented by eating nuts which are rich with a nutrient called fiber.

Fiber is mostly not digested by the digestive system, but it prevents constipation by moving through the digestive system smoothing out the walls of the intestine so food can pass through without any difficulties.

Bloating is happens when gas (either swallowed or released from bacteria in the stomach) trapped in the digestive system causes the belly to swell because food is stuck and cannot move. Again fiber in nuts smoothens out the digestive system so food can move easily and gas is easily removed.

2. Nuts can boost the immune system

Nuts have high levels of vitamin E, vitamin B, and magnesium which are important components of the immune system.

3. Nuts can help prevent cardiovascular diseases

In a recent study, nuts were shown to be beneficial to those who were especially at risk of heart and other cardiovascular diseases.

This is because they contain an amino acid called L-arginine, which has been proven to decompress blood vessels, making them more flexible and less prone to blood clots that could block blood flow.

Nuts are the largest source of L-arginine in nature and they have also been proven to contain healthy fats that the heart uses, increasing blood vessel performance and reducing irregular heartbeats.

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Four dangers of extreme exercise to your health

Joshua Smith — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 18:08:56 +0000

Exercise is a series of physical actions in order to fine tune the body and although it is generally regarded as a good and healthful thing, it can have some harmful effects on our health if done extremely, some of which can be very devastating and irreversible.

This is great news for those of us who do not have the time or the will to exercise.

Exercise is considered extreme and harmful when the negative effects of that exercise exceeds the positive ones.

Increasing studies have shown that in fact, little exercise is better than rigorous, intensive exercise as the body is moving and performing at just the right pace to burn off sugars and excess calories in the blood and get the heart beat to just the right pace to strengthen heart muscles.

At more rigorous paces of exercise, the body is overdoing everything and the harmful effects of these are just the same as in one who sits at home and does nothing.

Below is a list of four harmful effects of extreme exercise to your health.

1. Exercise can cause severe stress

When one exercises, the stress hormone cortisol is released, and when one is under stress, his quality of life is lower and he is usually moody all the time and gaining weight as he eats more.

2. Exercise may lead to insomnia and other sleep disorders

When one exercises, hormones are released into the body that keep the mind and body active and alert, and because of this, the body and the mind are restless and cannot sleep.

This is also the reason why when one sleeps close to his bedtime or within two hours of the time he exercised, he cannot easily fall asleep because the hormones must first be gotten rid of.

3. Weakened Immune system

When one exercises, the body is exhausted and fatigued, and is depleted of nutrients and energy so there is nothing left for the immune system to use to fight an infection and to protect the body.

4. Heart and Cardiovascular failure

This is the most common type of dangers of extreme exercise; Once in a while, we hear news of an athlete collapsing while training or competing, as a result of the heart being overworked.

In a particular study, a high number of marathon runners were shown to have muscle scarring in their heart muscles because of the extreme exercises they were doing which was putting extreme stress on their heart muscles causing them to wear and tear.

In long and extreme exercises, the body uses all its energy quickly; but because you are still going, the body has to go on and hence it is forced to run empty.

So yes it is good for you to exercise but just make sure that you do not turn it into a fad.

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Three harmful effects of Stress on our health

Joshua Smith — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 14:02:35 +0000

Stress is part of our everyday lives. It is as a result of our minds and our bodies being overworked; our minds and bodies usually reacts to this workload in the form of stress; a way for the body to ‘let out steam.’

It is also a natural phenomenon that has evolved over millions of years in man, to protect us from danger; a state in which the body is in a heightened state of alert to defend itself. As a result, stress is called the ‘flight or fight’ response. Some Symptoms of stress are fear, anger and anxiety.

Although stress is a natural phenomenon, and it indeed has some benefits, it also has some harmful and very destructive effects to our bodily, emotional and mental well-being and over long period of time, is more harmful than it is beneficial.

It is generally advised to avoid being stressed meaning that you do not get yourself worked up over everything, always try to be in a happy and joyful mood, and keeping a cool head on you.

Do not allow yourself to become easily annoyed, angered or sad because all these could lead to stress.

1. Stress can make you fat

When you are under stress, you tend to eat more; you suddenly become hungry and grab whatever you can, to put into your mouth, Thereby adding more fats your body and increasing your weight.

A hormone called cortisol is released when you are under stress primarily raise blood pressure and blood sugar so that you can run or fight when facing danger. But this hormone also triggers hunger pangs so you eat more when you are under stress.

This cortisol has also been proven to have a direct effect on fat tissues as well, increasing their size so you have a greater store in your body.

2. Stress can cause heart attacks

Heart attack is when the heart stops beating momentarily or over a longer period, or if the heart is malfunctioning and not working the way it should.

When you are under stress, numerous hormones are released into the blood and the body to stimulate different organs to prepare you for action if the need arises. These hormones compresses blood vessels and stimulate the heart to pump more blood to different organs through already constricted blood vessels. This action repeated many times over a life time damages heart muscles and can lead to heart muscle failure and a heart attack.

3. Stress causes you to have sleep disorders

Because of the hormones released during stress, the body is in a hyper state of alertness; so if you are stressed close to your bedtime, because of these hormones, you will find it very difficult to sleep. This is why when you are stressed, you usually cannot sleep easily and quickly.

Also because these hormones are not immediately broken down even after you are stressed but linger in the blood for quite a while, their effects continue; so even if you were stressed a long time before your bedtime you will not be able to sleep easily afterwards.

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Three reasons why alcohol is not good for you

Joshua Smith — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 12:57:45 +0000

Alcohol abuse is a major problem around the world today, responsible for millions of deaths, directly and indirectly, and many more injuries incidents and accidents.

It is a substance that was discovered in ancient times by fermentation of grapes into wine and is a component of most beverages today.

Alcohol induces a feeling of being high.

Alcohol can be easily abused by taking in excessive amounts all at once, but it is generally safe if the right amount is taken the right way.

The recommended amount of alcohol to drink for men is between three to four units a day (which is a pint and a half of beer), and between two to three units of beer (which is a pint of beer) for women. Pregnant women or those trying to conceive should not drink alcohol at all.

1. It affects our Immune system

Alcohol causes nutrients which are vital for cell regeneration not to be digested properly and quickly so the immune system cannot make enough new cells and repairs to fight an infection. It also hampers the actions of certain white blood cells in our immune system called killer white cells who destroy pathogens in our body and deal with cancer cells.

As a result, drinkers are more susceptible to illnesses such as cancers and this is why regular drinkers catch colds and flus more frequently than others.

2. Reduces reaction times and attention span

Alcohol clouds your mind and judgement so that you are not able to think properly and clearly. It also reduces our alertness and increases the amount of time we take to process an information in order to respond to it. This can be fatal in certain situations where you do not have the luxury of time to think much about it but rather need to react instinctively and instantly.

In many cases, the failure to do this results in death, such as in road accidents and indeed very tragic ones like the famous death of Princess Diana where it is alleged her driver was drunk.

3. Disrupts natural sleep patterns

When we sleep, we start at the first stage called the rapid eye movement or REM then into the deep phase and then back again to REM over and over again. But with alcohol in your system, the first REM stage of sleep is skipped right into the deep phase. The repeated cycles of REM and deep phase is also reduced to only three or four making the sleep shorter. That is why drinkers usually wake up just a few hours after going to bed.

The repair work which the body does in the deep phase of sleep is also inhibited by the presence of alcohol in the body.

So you should avoid alcohol since it is not an essential food or nutrient the body needs or take it in very small amounts.

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Four benefits of having sex to your health

Joshua Smith — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 08:46:40 +0000

Sex is the mating ritual between a man and a woman and is usually a very enjoyable activity, causing incredible sensations of joy and pleasure for both partners. In addition to the great pleasure derived from sex, it also has great benefits to our health with the added advantage of being relatively simple to perform, and requiring not too much effort in comparison to many other health activities. Read on to find out more on the top four benefits of having sex:

1. Having sex improves our immune system

When we have sex, a certain antibody called immunoglobulin A (IgA) in our immune system is produced greatly. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) fights off pathogens before they get the chance to affect the body. They are the body’s first line of defense and prevent the need (if possible) for the body to fully activate all of its defense systems. This is the reason why people who have sex regularly do not fall sick very often.

2. Having sex reduces the chances of heart diseases

Sex causes the heart to beat just fast enough to exercise the heart muscles, thereby building them and making them stronger.

Sex also helps keep the levels of testosterone and estrogen balance which is crucial for heart health.

It has been proven in one study that a man who has sex at least twice a week, has a fifty percent lower chance of developing heart disease.

3. Sex helps with weight-loss

This might come as a surprise to you, but if you think it through, it does make sense. All the movements and actions performed in sex take a lot of energy and that translates to a lot of calories being burnt off. As much as two hundred to seven hundred calories can be burnt off during one session of sex. Sex is another form of exercise

4. Sex makes you sleep better

After having sex, the hormone prolactin is released which makes us sleepy. It is the reason why people after making love, usually end up sleeping together.

This is especially effective for people with sleep disorders or with anxiety or stress, that will not let them sleep.

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