5 Ways Strength Training Does More than Banish Bingo Wings

With spring coming up, you might be eyeing up your strappy tops with just a little bit of dread. No one likes to show off their dreaded bingo wings, so what do you do? You need to take your fitness into your own hands and get those arms the tone they need. As well as toning your arms, strength training has multiple benefits to your wellbeing, so if you need more motivation, here’s why you need to strength train (and LOVE every minute of it):

 

1. You Can Preserve Muscle Mass During Weight Loss: Wellness writer Leanne Beattie notes, ‘According to a University of Michigan research study, at least 25% to 30% of weight lost by dieting alone is not fat but lean tissue, muscle, bone and water. However, strength training helps dieters preserve muscle mass while still losing weight…Starting in their twenties, most people (especially women) lose half a pound of muscle every year if they aren’t strength training to preserve it. After age 60, this rate of loss doubles. But regular strength training can preserve muscle throughout the lifespan, and rebuild the muscle lost.’

 

2. You Can Eat More Without Gaining Weight: ‘Since muscle is active tissue (unlike fat, which is inert), it requires energy to maintain,’ says Beattie. ‘The more muscle you have, the more you can eat without gaining weight. Strength training can provide up to a 15% increase in metabolic rate, which is helpful for weight loss and long-term weight control. For every additional pound of muscle you gain, your body will burn about 50 more calories each day. A study by Wayne Westcott, PhD, from the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, showed that a woman who strength trains two or three times a week for eight weeks gains 1.75 lbs of muscle and loses 3.5 lbs of fat. And Johns Hopkins researchers found that while aerobic exercise burns more calories at the time you are exercising, your metabolism returns to normal about 30 minutes after you finish your workout. Individuals who perform strength training, however, elevate their metabolisms (burn more calories) for two hours after their workouts end.’

 

3. You Can Increase Your Bone Density: Beattie details, ‘A study conducted by Miriam E. Nelson, PhD of TuftsUniversity found that strength training increases both muscle mass and bone density. Dr. Nelson’s research showed that women who lifted weights did not lose any bone density throughout the study, and actually gained an average of 1% more bone mass in the hip and spine. Non-exercising women lost 2% to 2.5% of bone mass during the same period of time. Another University of Arizona study showed a 3% increase in spine and hip bone mineral density after an 18-month strength training program among women, ages 28 to 39.’

 

4. You Can Reduce Your Depression: ‘In a study of 32 men and women who suffered from chronic depression, Nalin Singh, MD and Tufts University associates divided the individuals into two groups,’ Beattie outlines. ‘They directed half to perform strength training while the other half received health information. After three months, 14 of the 16 members who lifted weights felt better and no longer met the criteria for depression. A Harvard study also showed that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counselling alone.’

 

5. You Can Prevent Diabetes: Beattie explains, ‘Research shows that strength training can increase glucose utilization in the body by 23% in just four months. As muscles contract and relax during exercise, they use sugar for energy. To meet this energy need, your body uses sugar supplies in your blood, reducing your blood sugar levels.’

Categories: banish, bingo wings, bone density, bone mass, gaining weight, lifted weights, muscle mass, preserve muscle, Strength Training, Weight Loss

Could Testosterone Therapy Help You Feel Younger as You Age?

There are many enticing prospects with testosterone therapy. Not only does the therapy enhance your sexual health with a boosted libido and bags of energy, but other areas of your wellbeing can also improve thanks to testosterone’s ability to increase your muscle mass and sharpen your memory and concentration. Put it that way, and testosterone therapy seems like the ultimate formula for your anti-ageing wellness, but testosterone’s benefits in preventing age-related decline aren’t as clear as they may seem. So what do we know, and not know, about using testosterone therapy for normal ageing.

 

Men produce testosterone primarily in the testicles. This hormone helps to maintain your bone density, fat distribution, muscle strength and mass, red blood cell production, sex drive and sperm production. Your testosterone production peaks during your teenage years and early adulthood and, as you get older, these levels gradually decline – typically by about 1% every year after you reach your 30s. It is important to determine in older men if a low testosterone level is simply due to the decline of normal aging or if it is due to a disease, such as hypogonadism. This occurs when your body is unable to produce normal amounts of testosterone, be it due to a problem with the testicles or with the pituitary gland that controls the testicles. If you have this disease, testosterone replacement therapy can improve the signs and symptoms of low testosterone.

 

Some people assume that a naturally declining testosterone level causes the signs and symptoms of ageing, but this isn’t necessarily the case. As a man, you can experience many signs and symptoms of ageing, only some of which occur as a result of lower testosterone levels. The signs of ageing related to waning testosterone include:

 

• Changes in sexual function: You might find that your sexual desire is reduced, you have fewer spontaneous erections — such as during sleep — and you’re less fertile.


• Changes in sleep patterns: Sometimes low testosterone can cause you to experience insomnia or other sleep disturbances.


• Physical changes: There are various possible physical changes when your testosterone levels decrease. You might have more body fat than you used to, less muscle bulk and strength or decreased bone density. It’s also possible to have swollen and tender breasts (which is known as gynecomastia), hot flashes, hair loss and less energy.


• Emotional changes: With lower testosterone levels, you can feel less motivated or self-confident, have trouble concentrating or remembering things and/or be sad or depressed.

 

So where does testosterone therapy come in? While testosterone therapy has been shown to help reverse the effects of hypogonadism, it remains unclear as to whether testosterone therapy would have any benefit for older men who are otherwise healthy. Some men believe that taking medications containing testosterone help them to feel younger and more vigorous, but few studies have been undertaken in this area, meaning that we do not know whether this feeling of youth is anything more than a placebo effect. Plus, the research that has been done has come back with mixed results. For example, in one study healthy men who took testosterone medications increased muscle mass but didn’t gain strength.

 

Moreover, there are risks to take into account when considering testosterone therapy:

• Sleep apnoea: This is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts, and testosterone therapy is thought to contribute to this.


• Polycythemia: This is a condition in which testosterone therapy encourages your body to make too many red blood cells, which can increase your risk of heart disease


• Acne or other skin reactions


• Benign prostatic hyperplasia: Testosterone therapy can stimulate non-cancerous growth of your prostate, and even stimulate growth of existing prostate cancer.


• Enlarged breasts


• Limited sperm production or testicle shrinkage

 

If you wonder whether testosterone therapy might be right for you, talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits.

Categories: anti-ageing, bone density, Feel Younger, muscle mass, older men, red blood, Risks, sperm production, testosterone level, testosterone levels, testosterone therapy

The Birth Control Injection: How it Works and Side Effects

It’s important to take control of your sexual health and wellness, but the more obvious choices, such as the Pill, don’t always appeal to some women. If you have trouble swallowing pills or you won’t remember to take the Pill at the same time every day, you might like to consider protecting your wellbeing against unwanted pregnancies by using the birth control injection. While medical or other conditions – including blood clots, certain types of cancers, certain types of migraine headaches, unexplained vaginal bleeding and suspected pregnancy – make the use of the injection less effective or more risky, the birth control injection can be a great option for those unable to follow a birth control routine, and it’s even safe for breastfeeding mothers.

 

However, before you rush out for your prescription, you need to know a little bit more about the birth control injection. The injection works as a long-acting form of progesterone, a hormone that is naturally manufactured in your ovaries. Once every three months, you will be given the injection in your arm or buttocks, and this prevents you from becoming pregnant. The progesterone works to prevent the ovulation process, or the release of your egg during your monthly cycle. If you don’t ovulate, you cannot get pregnant because there is no egg to be fertilised.

 

As birth control methods go, the birth control injection is very effective – with a success rate of about 97%. Over the course of a year, fewer than three out of 100 typical couples who use the birth control injection every the months will have an accidental pregnancy. In general, how well each type of birth control method works depends on a lot of things, including your individual health concerns and on how accurately you use the contraceptive. When it comes to the birth control method specifically, your risk of getting pregnant increases if you wait longer than three months to receive your next injection.

 

Unfortunately, the birth control injection will not protect you against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – only condoms or complete abstinence are able to offer this kind of protection. In fact, research has shown that the birth control injection may possibly increase your risk of getting certain STIs, although as to why this is, scientists aren’t entirely sure. Nonetheless, if you choose the birth control injection as your method of contraception, you will also need to use condoms to protect against STIs. If you’re in a committed relationship and you want to stop using condoms, you and your partner should both get tested for STIs and get the all-clear from a doctor.

 

There are some possible side effects to the birth control injection, albeit some more common than others. Many young women will find that their periods change when they start having birth control injections. The other, less common side effects include irregular or no menstrual periods, depression, weight gain, headaches, and breast tenderness. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is potentially unsafe to use the long-acting progesterone injection, as studies have linked it to a loss of bone density in women, although your bone density may recover when you stop getting the injection. However, doctors aren’t sure as to how this happens, so if you are considering the injection as a method of birth control, consult your doctor and make sure you get enough calcium in your diet to prevent any bone loss. You may find a decrease in fertility for up to a year after you stop getting the birth control injection. However, this fertility decrease is not permanent and most women can get pregnant once they stop getting the injection.

Categories: birth, Birth Control, bone density, control, control injection, control method, Injection, long acting, Side Effects, STIs, The Injection

The Eight Osteoporosis Facts that Every Woman Needs to Know

Osteoporosis is a major concern, especially for women over the age of 50. However, this disease can be deadly, and so it is essential you make yourself aware about eight important facts related to osteoporosis, no matter your age.

 

1. You need to discuss bone health with your doctor: Even if you’re still in your 20s or 30s, you should be concerned about bone wellness as the earlier you start, the easier it will be to prevent osteoporosis.

 

2. Smoking does more to your wellbeing than causing cancer: Smoking can make your bones become thinner, which increases your risk of fractures and, in turn, osteoporosis.

 

3. Exercise is essential for good bone health: If you get the recommended levels of exercise, you can reduce your risk of osteoporosis. However, overdoing it will put too much strain on your bones, so consult a doctor or look online for the best plan for you. Weight training and muscle bearing exercises can help prevent the loss of bone mass, while aerobic exercises strengthen your bones and connect tissues.

 

4. Calcium is not just for kids: You may be concerned about the fat content in milk, but this is all in vain. Milk actually aids weight loss as well as improving your bone density, so eat three dairy products a day, or drink two glasses of milk, to get your recommended 1200mg of calcium.

 

5. Be wary of menopause: As soon as your body reaches menopause, it stops producing oestrogen. As this hormone is vital for strong and healthy bones, you need to strengthen and maintain them while you still can.

 

6. Medicines can help, but watch out for side effects: Raloxifene, Biphosphonates and Calcitoni are great osteoporosis treatments, but Raloxifene has been known to worsen hot flashes in post-menopausal women and Biphosphonates can give you runny or constipated stomach.

 

7. It’s good to have heavy bones: The higher your bone density, the less risk you have of osteoporosis, so get a test to find out your risk factor. It is quick, non-invasive and absolutely painless.

 

8. There’s no quick fix or magic cure: As it stands, there’s no reliable cure for osteoporosis. This means that prevention is your best bet.

Categories: bone, bone density, bone health, bones, calcium, exercise, nbsp, osteoporosis, osteoporosis nbsp, risk

Which Supplements Are Vital for Your Bones, Baby and Belly?

Nutrition is vital to female wellness, whether you’re working on the wellbeing of your bones, belly or future baby. The good news is, with a healthy, balanced diet you’re already getting everything you need, says Women’s Health Nutrition Expert and Registered Dietitian Keri Glassman : ‘We get a wide variety of nutrients from eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, often in perfect proportions. We rarely over or under do it.’

 

Still, sometimes you need a little extra nutrient power here and there, and that’s where supplements come in. You might need to take certain vitamins or minerals if you’re unwell, pregnant or a vegetarian, or as an insurance policy for those times you eat a bag of doughnuts for breakfast instead of your usual whole-wheat toast. According to Glassman, ‘When considering supplements, women need to think bones, babies, and bellies. Sufficient bone density is needed to prevent osteoporosis, an adequate store of folate is essential for fertility and foetal development, and a healthy waistline lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. Women must also load up on the nutrients that are essential to prevent chronic diseases in the future.’

 

Bones – As you were told as a kid, calcium is vital for keeping bones strong, but your need for it doesn’t stop just because you’ve stopped growing. Mary Ellen Camire, PhD, a nutrition professor at the University of Maine at Orono, explains, ‘Women start losing bone density in their twenties. Calcium is your single best defence, and you should start taking it now.’

 

Babies – If you’re pregnant, folate is absolutely essential. A deficiency in this B vitamin can lead to serious complications, such as your baby being born prematurely or with neural tube defects. Taking 600mg of folate when pregnant can reduce your baby’s chances of neural tube defects by 72-100%!

 

Belly – As the most studied and most active antioxidant in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) may help reduce your waistline by fighting weight-causing free radicals. Plus, the antioxidant properties of green tea work to lower your cholesterol (which reduces your heart disease risk) and may help prevent the development and growth of skin tumors.

Categories: Baby, bone density, bones, calcium, Chronic Diseases, folate, green tea, nbsp, neural tube, Supplements, tube defects, Women

Five Mega Benefits of Resistance Training for Women

Only 16% of women undertake regular resistance or strength training, but that means the rest of you are missing out. Adding resistance to your workout helps you to improve your fitness levels, strength and tone, and you don’t have to worry about turning into Arnie overnight – you don’t have enough testosterone to get big and bulky! Still don’t believe me? Here are five things that resistance training can help you to do.

 

1. Maintain your weight. Though you may think it’s all about aerobic exercise for weight loss wellness, strength training increases your metabolic rate, because it increases your lean muscle mass. This means that your body will continue to burn calories – even when you’re sitting down and watching Game of Thrones.

 

2. Improve your posture. Do you spend all day sitting in front of a computer? You’re not slouching home from work because you’ve had a hard day – your desk is making you do that. Sitting all day tightens the muscles on the front of your body, which pulls your chest and shoulders down and your head forward. However, resistance training – especially when focused on your trapezius (the web of fibres that extend across your shoulder blades) – helps to strengthen your core as well as your upper back.

 

3. Increase your bone density. Your bones tend to become more thin and brittle as you age, which puts your wellbeing at risk for osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. However, research shows that regular strength training will increase your bone density and prevent these diseases – especially if you throw in a glass of milk now and then.

 

4. Look better. Whether you hate your bingo wings or your saggy bum, resistance training can help to reshape and tone problem areas. Working on your chest area can make your bust look perkier, while core-toning moves will contribute to shrinking inches from your waist.

 

5. Make your life easier. Don’t you want to feel strong and capable on a day-to-day basis? If you have stronger muscles, you’ll be better equipped for anything life throws at you. Lugging shopping home from the supermarket? Not a problem. Handbag full of stuff? Easy peasy. Boyfriend challenge you to an arm wrestle? Why not! Ok, you may not win that one, but at least it will last longer than 10 seconds this time!

Categories: bone density, posture, Weight Loss

Osteoporosis And How To Identify It

Osteoporosis is a major problem for the health of your bones. Unfortunately most people don’t know very much about it. This can leave people very vulnerable to it, as without good knowledge of the disease it can be very dangerous to us. So what exactly do you need to know about osteoporosis? Well we’ve got all the information here to give you an idea about this issue that can be seriously detrimental to your wellness.

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease which causes low bone mass and micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue. This makes bones naturally more fragile and more prone to fractures. The density of bone minerals is the determinant of bone strength. By measuring bone mineral density, it is possible to predict the risk of fracture for people with osteoporosis.

It’s important to catch osteoporosis early to get the best possible treatment. To detect the presence of early osteoporosis, the mineral content of bone has to be measured. It helps predict the sites that are at risk of fracture, and monitor the course of disease and response to therapy.

Bone mineral content is defined as the amount of bone mineral divided by the bone-scanned area. The density of yours bones and bone mineral content are also interdependent. Difference in bone mineral content can reflect a difference in either bone size or bone density. Having a naturally smaller skeleton may result in a low bone mineral content.

If you’re worried about having osteoporosis the best idea is to have regular check-ups with your doctor to make sure you aren’t at risk. Osteoporosis can affect anyone at any time so it’s best to stay cautious and educate yourself to the risk factors.

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Osteoporosis And How To Identify It

Categories: bone density, minerals, osteoporosis