Should We Run with Music? The Pros and Cons
In any race or on any running path, you often see more runners wearing headphones than not. Unplugged purists think being aware of your surroundings is an elemental part of the sport, but a growing subculture of runners wouldn't dream of taking a single step without their motivating playlists, but the clash between headphone lovers and haters continues.
PARAGON ARE BACK!
Paragon are back! Refreshed and raring to go!
If you’ve fallen out of your fitness routine this holiday season, you’re not alone.
The holidays are often a time of indulgence, summer parties, holidays, food and alcohol, we slip in to relax mode and skip our fitness routine. Before we know it, a couple of weeks or more have passed and no exercise! Ahhhh! It can be a challenge to stay on track with diet and exercise over the summer, after all we did work hard to get our bodies bikini ready. But now with the kids back to school and Christmas is on the horizon we have another focus and goal to work towards.
Tonight we return to Chase Meadows Community Centre, Warwick.
Circuits 6-7pm PAYG £5
Zumba 7-8pm PAYG £5
All fitness levels welcome! If you are new to our classes, feel nervous but want to give it a go, don’t worry, we give alternative option to exercises and lower intensity aerobic options in all our classes.
Why not bring along a friend and start your fitness regime with Paragon, together.
We look forward to catching up with you all and welcoming newbies!
ZumbaThon Charity Event 4th June 2017
Why You Feel Nauseated During A Workout
Unfortunately, exercise-induced nausea is a real thing—here's why (and how to deal). In this age of tough bootcamp workouts and high-intensity interval training, feeling like you want to vomit has become an increasingly common aspect of a serious sweat session. If you ever (or often) find yourself dealing with queasiness as the result of a challenging workout, know this: You're not alone; exercise-induced nausea is a real thing—and it can really get in the way of the post-sweat pride you should be feeling.
Why Crawling Is Important At Any Age
You’ve probably noticed that crawling has recently been coming up a lot more in fitness websites and magazines. Perhaps you’ve seen someone crawling around at the gym, and you’ve wondered, “What in the world is that person doing?” If you’re lucky, you work with us at Paragon where we already include crawling in your warm-ups or training sessions.
Why Competition Works
Challenge yourself and discover your full ability to achieve …
It’s a time of year when competition pops up everywhere, from a game of football in the park to official cycling and running events. What makes competition, in any setting, helpful at reaching fitness goals? The right mix of motivating factors
Why We May Still Feel Insecure Even After Getting In Shape
Pedalled by big business, the media and cultural expectations, we are all sold the same image of happiness: lean, toned and beautiful. When we see thin celebrities, fitness models and social media influences looking blissful and perfect, it’s hard not to equate being fit with success. This is only perpetuated by ads for fad workouts and weight-loss supplements, showcasing confident and beautiful “afters” as proof of their supposed efficacy.
Why Is It Important To Wear Proper Shoes For Running Or Working Out?
Whether your workout involves running, walking, sports or gym equipment, a decent sport shoe is a must. Injury caused by inappropriate shoes can needlessly derail your fitness or weight loss attempt. Investing in a quality shoe can help you to prevent foot and ankle damage, and make your workout a more pleasant and comfortable experience. If you take your running (and your health) seriously, you should invest in a pair of shoes meant for the running gait and the specific biomechanics of a runner.
The Science Behind Falling Out Of Shape
If you've worked hard to get in shape, the last thing you want is for your fitness gains to disappear. But if you skip your workouts for just two weeks, that's exactly what might happen, at least on some level. While people who are in shape can generally regain their fit physique easier than those who are starting from scratch, it may sound somewhat surprising that your body can fall so quickly out of shape. The phrase "use it or lose it" applies when it comes to your muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness and more.
Christmas health & Fitness
The Christmas holiday period is typically extremely busy and can also be extremely indulgent with everyone gorging themselves on a sumptuous Christmas dinner and enjoying plenty of holiday hospitality with family and friends. In short, health and fitness is not generally found at the top of Santa's naughty or nice list.
Yes, Christmas is a time of celebration, and often excess, frequently resulting in firm New Year’s resolutions to get fit and lose weight, so it’s not surprising that many people struggle to maintain a healthy focus in December. If your fitness takes a back seat at this time of year, you’ll probably identify with some of the following problems:
o I’m too busy with Christmas preparations to fit exercise into my day.
o I get invited to loads of indulgent Christmas parties.
o I love Christmas but I know I overdo the eating and drinking.
o In January, I always have to try and make amends for the effects of the festivities.
If any of those phrases ring a few bells, these tips can help you. To enjoy the Christmas celebrations and maintain a healthy focus, simply follow our festive fitness guide which includes:
o Maintenance exercise routines.
o Time efficient exercise strategies.
o Calorie saving ideas.
So that when the festive season draws to a close, you don’t have a mountain to climb to get back in shape.
Keeping your fitness routine going
One of the hardest things to do when your time is in short supply is to maintain an exercise routine. If you usually exercise a few times a week, the extra demands on your time can mean that something has to give. However, reduced training doesn’t mean that your fitness levels have to plummet. Research has shown that a couple of weeks of maintenance training can result in minimal or even no fitness losses.
Indeed, in certain cases performance can actually improve after a short period of reduced training because the body has the opportunity to recharge and rebuild. Hence on returning to full training, you can find that you have renewed vigour and enthusiasm for your sessions. If you enjoy regular workouts, try the following tips for effective maintenance training:
Commit to stay fit
Simply plan, inform and execute. Plan in some shorter and/or less frequent exercise sessions. Explain to your friends and family the changes you’re making, but also the importance of keeping your fitness going, and then put your plan into action.
A little exercise is better than nothing
Accept that your workouts will be shorter but also realize that they can still provide training benefits.
For example:
o If you usually enjoy several jogging or running sessions, cutting your training time by half will still keep you fit.
o Instead of completing two or three sets of each resistance training exercise, reduce it to one or two sets. Your session will take less time but you’re still exercising the same muscles, so your strength won’t disappear.
Quality over quantity
If your typical training week includes some more challenging sessions, it is important to maintain them. Instead of interspersing them with recovery workouts where you exercise lightly, focus on every session being high quality. You can then omit the easier sessions, which will save time. A recovery session now becomes a rest day. The key to success with this strategy is to make sure you don’t let up on the quality of each workout. That way you are keeping your ‘fitness edge’ that you’ve worked hard to achieve.
Time-saving exercise
In addition to focusing on maintenance training, you can also employ strategies within your workouts that save time. An additional benefit of some time-saving strategies is that the quality of your training session also improves.
Resistance training workouts
A typical session with weights in the gym involves completing two or more sets of a range of exercises, with a recovery period of anything between 30 seconds and several minutes between each set. This recovery period is an essential component of your training, but it is time during the festive season that you can ill afford to spare. Instead of relaxing and recovering between sets, for a change, try carrying out complementary exercises during the recoveries, for example: alternating between the following muscles:
o Chest and upper back .
o Biceps and triceps.
o Abdominals and lower back.
o Quadriceps and hamstrings (front and back of legs).
Cardiovascular (CV) workouts
Every workout should include a thorough warm-up and cool-down so there is no opportunity to save time there. However, in the main body of your session, there is an opportunity to reduce the duration but still get calorie burning and quality training benefits. Instead of doing a ‘steady-state’ CV session, try a few of the following time saving alternatives.
Five minutes brisk followed with five minutes easy
Whether you’re jogging outdoors or working out on a piece of gym equipment, alternate faster efforts with equal time recoveries. You get a greater training effect than just a steady workout and so you can cut your session time down yet still remain fit.
A short, intense time-trial
Again, any piece of gym equipment can be used, or walking, jogging or running outside. Decide on a time or distance that you’re going to exercise for and then after your warm-up, really go for it against the clock. It’s tough – but great training and a shorter session brings as many benefits as your usual longer workout. Always remember to include a thorough cool-down afterwards.
Hill training programs
For a change, select a hill training program, vary the resistance on the rower, cross-trainer or bike, or simply put more effort in on the hills for your outdoor training. This way you are substituting more quality for steady-state training, so a shorter workout brings greater benefits.
Simple calorie swaps and savers
Christmas is always a challenge to keep your calorie intake at normal levels but with a little planning you can still enjoy all the festivities and keep the calories in check. Simply try the three calorie saving ideas below to keep your weight under control at Christmas...
Watch the home measures
If you only get three glasses of wine out of a bottle, your 80 calories a glass shoots up to 160 calories a glass, so stick to standard measures if you can.
Christmas trimmings
Standard potions of stuffing, combined with other trimmings such as bacon, sausage and sauce can easily total over 500 calories. Just sticking to stuffing and using the roasting juices as gravy will slash those calories by half.
Christmas puddings
Christmas pudding and mince pies are delicious – and also high in calories. However, when smothered in brandy butter or double cream, the calories go through the roof. Try some crème fraiche or yogurt as an alternative and you cut out fat and save calories.
Christmas all wrapped up
Most people will struggle with limited time and tempting fare at this time of year but with a little planning, the festive season can be enjoyed and healthy. By training smartly and following a few sensible eating strategies, you can maintain your fitness, balance out your calories and arrive at the New Year in good shape. Complements of the season and enjoy your exercise
How Long Does It Take To Get Out Of Shape?
Everyone, regardless of their commitment to fitness, is guilty of missing the occasional workout. Skipping the odd session isn’t going to affect your fitness or body composition. But what happens when one missed workout turns into three or four? What happens when work, injury or loss of motivation cause you to give up on training altogether?
Fading fitness
Word It Right And Talk Yourself Fit
Our language, the words we use and the way in which we speak (and write) them, can have a lasting impact on our current and future behaviour. Not only the words we say to others, but more important, our own self-talk can predict our success. Consider the two following sentences:
- “I choose to eat better because I want to feel energetic and live a long, healthy life.”
- “I should stop eating chocolate at night. It just ends up on my belly as a muffin top.”
Which one is more likely ultimately result in healthy living?
The Importance of Core Strength
It may seem simple, and it is, but your core is at the centre of your body -- which is why it was bestowed its great and descriptive name. The core encompasses the abdomen, hips, back, and chest, and is made up of twenty-nine pairs of muscles. For example, you’ve got the abdominal muscles, such as the transverse abdominals and your oblique’s filling out your core up in the front. Then, you’ve got muscles like the Para spinal that support the spine and are extremely important for core function and strength
Running In The Dark
Doctors Urged To "Prescribe Exercise" To Combat Obesity Crisis
Can Exercising By The Sea Be Better For Us?
Exercise by the sea be better for us?
Just as the northern hemisphere moves steadily right into Autumn the University of Exeter announce their research right into the health benefits of living, as well as working out, by the seaside. In Victorian Britain several people made sure that the beach was a healthy area to be – this was the time that lots of little towns and communities, such as Bournemouth as well as Brighton, were turned into seaside resorts.
The new research study aims to figure out if working out by the sea really is a lot better for us than exercises in other places, and also a lot more notably, to see if we bottle this result to assist those inland. The emphasis of the research checks out the impact of environments on workout strength. Previous studies have actually shown that people work out more difficult when their moods are lifted, as well as also that environment has a positive effect on mood.
To do a few of the study, subjects are exercising in research laboratories which have numerous exterior video landscapes predicted into the wall surface, along with the sounds of the beach also. In among the researches the wellness impact of exercising in blue and also watery atmospheres is examined. This mostly includes the beachfront. We do not understand is they played the noises of the brass bands playing ‘Tiddely-om-pom-pom!“.
Why? Of course, even if it can be proved that the beach makes people exercise harder as well as much more intensively, the large concern is why? What is it regarding the sound of the sea that makes us work harder? Is it the brighter light, the odour of the salt, the audio of the waves, or simply that being by the beach restores satisfied youth memories, which by itself raises mood?
Do people who have actually never been to the beachfront before workout harder by the sea?
Calm mind? The studies have actually revealed so much that the sound and also vision of the sea seems to have a soothing effect.
‘Exactly what we’re locating, if anything, is a whole lot much less activity in the human brain when the sea is being revealed [contrasted to green spaces], which tells us that it’s potentially much less demanding as well as a lot more acquainted to the core person.’ – Dr Mathew White, lead researcher.
Recently an additional research showed that people obeying the seaside were healthier compared to those living inland. Maybe component of this happiness is triggered by good health? The main factor could possibly be exercising outdoors, instead compared to by the sea especially.
‘We’ve been contacted by countries with quite tiny coastlines, such as Germany and Switzerland that are very worried. Are they losing out on health and wellness benefits?’ says Dr White.
The Swiss do appear to be an energetic nation, outdoor living is much more typical compared to it is in the UK where the research study is being executed. Possibly in Switzerland individuals are much more active when they see ice-covered hills and also known the sound of cow bells?
The study concluded that “Although individual degree coastal proximity impacts for basic wellness and psychological health and wellness were tiny, their cumulative influence at the neighbourhood degree might be purposeful for policy makers“.
The research study is definitely appealing. Exactly how the findings will certainly be applied to make culture much healthier and healthier is unclear though.
How to exercise by the sea The study checked out the impacts of atmosphere on cycling efficiency only. Check out some preferred ways to work out at the beachfront:
- Swimming
- Surfing
- Wind surfing
- Kayaking
- Running
- Cycling
- Beach football
- Beach volleyball
What workout do you want to do at the seaside?
By John A. Glover-Kind