Your exercise tip – try drinking more water.
We all know that we should be keeping fluids up to our body to keep healthy, but what is the physiological reason we need them?
Our body is trying to constantly maintain the optimum levels of function and health, called homeostasis. Having water in the body is an essential part of this process. Water is used in the body to regulate and maintain these levels, and is involved in all the functions and systems that go on. It is essential to transporting nutrients around the body, hydrating our vital organs and the removal of toxins from the body (just to name a few).
It is recommended that you drink up to 2 litres (or 8 cups) each day, because we do constantly lose it and have no storage capacity. If you are exercising, you may need even more.
Your health tip – Servings versus portions – what is the difference?
When it comes to food terminology, a common interchange is between portion size and serving size. Most people would not differentiate, but on the calorie scene, it can be quite a difference.
A portion of food is an amount that you choose to serve yourself, and can be of no specific size or measure. This means that it can contain as little or as many calories as you like. A serving size is a universal measure of a food product or item used to specify calories and nutrient values as well as servings per packet.
Be careful – serving sizes are not necessarily an indication of the serving sizes as per the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Manufacturers can change the sizes to their interpretation.
Exercise of the week – The overhead bar press (supported)
This week we are looking at an exercise that is a good resistance exercise for the shoulders and the upper back, as well as having an influence on the torso muscle integrity. This is a good exercise for those who need to strengthen their ability to lift objects above their head height safely. Tips for the overhead bar press are:
- Begin with a light weight, even starting with a broom stick, to ensure you have the technique correct. As you become more confident, slowly increase the resistance.
- Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up. At the top of the movement, don’t fully straighten the elbows.
- This is not an exercise for those with issues relating to an unstable or injured shoulder girdle.
- If it hurts, stop.
Your life tip
Use and enjoy your imagination.
This week’s wise words
“The more you move, the stronger you will grow.”
Ha Jin
Have a great week and keep healthy in 2017. David.