Pay Attention to Pain and Soreness After Exersice

When any workout or specific exercise causes you pain, pay attention. Knowing how to react can help you avoid a serious injury. Over Training can cause several types of pain including:

 

Muscle Soreness

When you use muscles you have not used for a while or try a new exercise or training technique, it is normal to feel a dull ache of soreness in the muscles that were trained. This pain is caused by very small tears in the fibers of the connective tissues in your body--the ligaments that connect bones to other bones, and the tendons that connect muscles to bones. Each time you work out with weights, you cause this "damage"--these tiny tears in your muscles; they need ample resting time to rebuild and become even stronger and more firm.

Pain During or Just After a Workout

During a workout, repeated contractions cause lactic and other acids, as well as proteins and hormones, to build up in muscle tissue. This can cause pain even without injury. But if you experience a sharp, continuous pain, or pain accompanied by a burning sensation, stop lifting and get it checked.

Cramps

These happen when muscles, often in the calves or feet, knot up in intense contractions. Cramps occur most commonly in endurance sports like cycling and running, where the athlete loses a lot of fluids through sweating. This is why it's very important to stay well-hydrated during exercise. If you do get cramps, the best way to stop them is to gently stretch the cramped muscle.

Injury

When working out with weights you need to be in full control of both the weights and your own body as it lifts and uses the weights. Careless weightlifting can result in injury. Not warming up, attempting to lift too heavy a weight, using momentum or jerky movements, letting the weights drop, not using correct form, or forgetting to stretch or cool-down after your workout can indeed result in injury.

The following injuries can occur as a result of carelessness:

1.Tendonitis: This is inflammation of the tendon and can occur if you begin your first set with too heavy a weight and/or are not properly warmed-up. Rest is the best treatment for this painful injury.

2.Fascia injuries: Can occur if you suddenly jerk or pull the weight. Fascia is basically the packaging tissue of muscle. When fascia is torn, it becomes inflamed and the pain is severe. The injury should be treated with cold packs and wrapped with an ace bandage.

3.Ligament injuries: Can occur when people use momentum and jerk the weight to accomplish a lift. This injury is treated by using cold packs and rest.

4.Sprains or muscle tears: Are uncommon if you warm-up, stretch, and cool-down properly and implement the safety precautions and principles we teach.

Any time you do have inflammation or swelling, use the R.I.C.E method of reducing damage and speeding healing. For injuries, R.I.C.E. is nice.

1. Rest: When you are hurt, stop your workout immediately and take weight off the affected area.

2. Ice: Wrap ice in a towel and hold it against the injury for 10 to 20 minutes, three or four times a day until the acute injury diminishes.

3. Compress: Wrap the injured area in a snug, but not tight, elastic bandage.

4. Elevate: Raise the injured limb and rest it on a pillow to reduce swelling.

Strength training provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. However, when enjoying this great form of exercise, be sure to pay attention to pain and soreness so that your program is not only effective, but safe as well.

Alcohol and Its Effects on the Body

If a person is serious about losing weight as well as gaining muscle weight, it is important to keep in mind the effects of alcohol on their body.

Moderation is usually considered as having 1-2 drinks per day. If the aim is building muscle, it likely that moderation will not do much harm, and may even have some health benefits such as increased HDL. However, excessive alcohol consumption will compromise the results you'll get from a diet plan and training program. Hangovers tend to be result from dehydration; alcohol dehydrates the body since it draws water from the cells and increases water loss through the kidneys. For example running requires water within the body to keep you cool. If lack the proper hydration you are risking over heating such as heat exhaustion, muscle cramps, or even heat stroke.

Alcohol consumption hinders the body from the absorption of the proper nutrients for muscle growth during weight lifting. Alcohol tends to suppress the body's ability to burn fat. The main reason is that oxidation of the alcohol takes top priority over the oxidation of other macronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, and fats. In other words, while your body is busy metabolizing alcohol it cannot properly utilize the fats, carbohydrate and protein. As long as the alcohol is in your system, your body will simply convert most of the calories you normally eat into body fat.

Due to alcohol beverages being high in calories, some people may think it's a good way to gain weight. However, due to the lack of nutritional value it provides, it just isn't worth it if you are serious about seeing good results and your health.

Motivation to Get Moving!

Staying motivated to lose weight and exercise is tough and the hardest part is usually getting started in the first place. I hear most of my clients say "I'm just not motivated". We make plans to exercise but when it comes time to doing it, we find a hundred of other things we suddenly must do. So, why does exercise seem great until we actually have to do it? If a lack of motivation is what's hampering you then maybe we need to figure out just what motivation is.

What Is Motivation?

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines motivation as "that which gives purpose and direction to behavior." By that definition, we're looking for something to drive us to exercise, something to get us moving. So where can we get that something? For some people, like athletes, it may come from the desire to compete and to win. For others, it may come from a desire to be healthy or live longer for their kids. For most, losing weight is often the goal. The problem with motivation is that many of us believe it's something that will come to us if we wait long enough, that someday we'll wake up and finally want to exercise. We would be better off by realizing that motivation is something we create, not something we wait for.

Is it Possible to Get Excited about Exercise?

When do you get excited about exercise? For me, it's usually right after I've made the decision to do it at some future time. Just deciding to exercise makes me feel good almost like I've already done something. The problem happens when it comes time to follow through and my motivation has suddenly disappeared. If that sounds like you, maybe it's time to focus your attention on what's important. Deciding to exercise is important, but it's what you do to follow through that really matters.

Redefining Motivation

I believe motivation comes from different places; something we create for ourselves. Use the following elements to create your own motivation, and you'll find that exercising will be easier.

Goals

You already know that the first step in motivating yourself in having something to work for. It doesn't matter whether that's a weight loss goal or a goal to run a marathon. You can set as many goals as you like, whenever you like. Set daily short goals, weekly goals, or even hourly goals. Always having something to work for, big or small, is just one way to keep you going.

Having Fun

If you're like me, you sometimes get tired of being so mature all the time -- of all the obligations and responsibilities you have. Exercise often sounds like just another duty. We forget that moving our bodies can actually be fun. Making time for unstructured, free-flowing movement can help you lighten up a little. I highly recommend taking a stroll, jumping in a big pile of leaves or challenging your loved one to a wrestling match.

Reward Yourself

For me, motivation happens almost instantly whenever I reward myself. It might be something small, like a leisurely trip to the bookstore, or something big, like a massage.

Make motivation easier by eliminating your excuses before they happen. But, most of all, realize that this motivation thing gets easier with practice. When you exercise consistently, you gradually fill your motivational stores as you understand what makes you tick and what gets you moving. The more you practice, the better you'll get. You'll realize your actions are what generate that feeling you've been searching for -- motivation.