Frequently asked questions about physical activity
Physical activity as a common practice to prevent disease, control weight and improve self-esteem is surrounded by popular beliefs that in many cases are used as excuses to not exercise.
In this series of questions and answers you will find truths about one of the most important healthy behaviors: Physical exercise.
Is it important to practice sports or physical activity?
Yes, and a lot. Practicing exercise and daily physical activity can help prevent or delay the development of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. It also improves mood, stimulates mental agility, alleviates depression, helps manage stress and improves our ability to relate to others.
How long do you have to stretch before you exercise?
It depends on the requirement of the exercise to be performed. For most people, light preheating such as jogging or walking is enough to lubricate joints and increase body temperature so that muscles are ready for action.
You can stretch slightly after 5 or 10 minutes of preheating. If you have little time, stop the stretch after exercise, when muscles are more receptive. Stretch the main muscle groups – ligaments, triceps, and quadriceps – for one minute each, with three repetitions. Stretching the entire body will take you 10 to 15 minutes.
How important are stretches at the end of the routine?
They are very important, they affect muscle recovery, in your flexibility, and this affects your range of movement in the long term. But always stretch at the end, when your muscles are hot, never at first because you can injure yourself and decrease your strength.
Exercises to have a smaller waist?
There are no exercises to reduce the waist, waistline is reduced with proper diet and cardiovascular, also has a lot to do with genetics, there are people who are genetically more curvilinear than others. It depends on the type of body. Also happens that often abuses of the abdominals especially of the exercises for the obliques, the lateral ones, they develop this area and therefore the waist widens.
Does yoga and pilates count as cardiovascular exercise?
No, yoga and pilates do not count as cardiovascular, it is closer to an exercise of strength because they exert constant pressure on the muscles, but do not raise the heart rate enough to consider it a cardio.
Should I always keep the same type of physical activity?
It is good to vary activity, you can change the exercises you do, the schedule and the amount of time. Alternate exercises like walking, running, taking aerobics classes, weight training, yoga, pilates, a sport or others. Loosening a little in one area and concentrating on another can give you new impetus when you get bored or have a hard time getting around.
How often should I do physical activity?
The ideal frequency is as many days as you can, 20 or 30 minutes a day, together or spread out in small sessions. If you lack time, you have exercises for five minutes, three, four or five times a day; Increases progressively.
Do I have to see a doctor before I start practicing physical activity?
It is especially advisable for lazymen over the age of forty, women over the age of fifty, those suffering from chronic illness and those who have any doubts about their health.
Does physical activity involve effort?
Yes, and relates to the intensity with which the activity is performed. Children and adolescents require moderate to vigorous activity. For adults, however, not any level of effort is advisable from a healthy perspective. In this case, it is suggested that it be moderate, i.e., that the heart rate is not increased beyond 85% of the theoretical maximum heart rate: (220 – age in years) x 0.85.
Do you have to prepare to start doing physical activity?
Do not. Physical activity is always necessary. The main thing is to fulfill it according to the level of physical fitness of each individual. It should be taken into account that, if the person has been less active, it is essential that he initiate it progressively and that an adequate medical check-up is carried out.
Does the muscle turn into fat if I do not work it?
No, but unused muscle mass does decrease, so it is possible for fat to increase if you stop exercising. It is best to maintain a frequent training program.
What is the best way to burn fat?
Movement is synonymous with fat burning. As soon as you get active your body will begin to burn more calories and fat. The more intense the work, the more calories and fats you will burn during exercise and even after you are done.
If you find it difficult to exercise, try with intervals: interweave easy efforts with difficult ones. For example, you can jog for two minutes, run 30 seconds, and repeat the sequence several times. You will also burn more calories and fats during and after the dumbbells if you do an intense session with short breaks between repetitions.
To start burning fat, do I have to exercise for a certain time?
No. The body is always burning fats and carbohydrates. The amount you burn depends on the activity. When you start the workout, you will begin to burn more carbohydrates than fat. But once the body gets accustomed to the demands of exercise it will begin to use more fat as fuel because it is a source of energy that is depleted less quickly than hydrates. As your fitness improves, your body will burn fats better, both during exercise and at rest. This allows for more effort for longer without running out.
Can you burn localized fat? How?
The fat does not burn in a localized way, unfortunately one can’t choose where to lower, the body metabolizes fat everywhere, by genetics there are people that increase more in some areas than others, little by little you will go down equitably, which you can To do is to strengthen specific areas with the weights, so I always tell them that the weights are their allies because they help to sculpt the body.
Which fat burners do you recommend?
More than a trademark that will always have contraindications I prefer to recommend more natural burners like green tea, caffeine, carnitine, omega3, are supplements that complement and work synergistically, some are fat-releasing, others are transporters and others increase the Calorie expenditure thus allowing you to oxidize more fat.
Will weights make me look like I’ve gained weight?
No, weight training gives firmness to the muscles and allows the development of new fibers. Achieving significant muscle growth requires a lot of discipline and strong bodybuilding sessions coupled with an appropriate diet.
In any case the modifications in the corporal appearance are oriented to better form of the lines and greater hardness, never towards an appearance of fat.
The more strength and muscular endurance you have, the more you can exercise to improve your heart health or burn fat. Have at least 8 to 12 repetitions for the major muscle groups -muscles, shoulders, arms, back-to three times a week: begin with light weight with 8 or 12 repetitions. Over time it will be necessary to increase the weight as the muscles become stronger and will need a greater stimulus to keep improving.
After the first few weeks of general training you can move on to a weight training program like the one proposed in the beginner’s routine.
Why does it take so long to reach a good physical condition and lose so quickly when leaving the exercise?
That is not true. The physical improvements that result from the exercise are maintained for a while, they must spend two or three weeks of total inactivity before they start to get lost. The important thing is not to be discouraged if you quit your training a few days ago, it simply decreases the intensity a little and returns to action. Remember that any activity is positive and better than inactivity.
People who suffer from hernias, can we exercise?
Depends, you should consult your doctor.
What is the best time of day to exercise?
Anyone. The important thing is to exercise regularly. Find the time and activity that is most comfortable for you and maintain them.
Can exercise change the shape of my body?
Exercise can change shape to a certain extent but it does not work miracles. The best plan is to improve what you have, according to your contexture you can combine weights with aerobics to achieve a more sculpted figure. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the changes do not happen overnight.
I have trouble starting, how do I do it?
Start with 5 minutes of activity, once the body gets moving, it will ask for more. For starters, have a light activity like walking, biking, dancing, and swimming, taking low impact gym classes or yoga.
Choose the activity you prefer and look for that activity to meet these three conditions: progressive (start small), fun (you like) and possible (not interfere with your life).
If you still do not cheer yourself up, try taking active decisions such as climbing the ladder instead of waiting for the elevator, walking if your destination is less than 10 blocks away, taking a longer walk with the dog or washing the car more often. Do not forget that everything counts as an exercise.
Why do you take weight when you start fitness and how long does it take to see the results?
To see meaningful results you must wait 12 weeks, this is a process, you may see that the balance does not vary as much, it is because you are doing weights, progressively strengthens muscle mass, accelerates your metabolism, burns more calories and loses fat gradually, Fat takes up twice as much space as muscle, a kilo of fat and a kilo of muscle are both a kilo, but the muscle takes up half the space, so if you lose a kilo of fat but gain a kilo of muscle the weight does not Varies but your size decreases and that is the most important, not so much the number of the scale as you have the clothes and how you feel.
How many times should I train each muscle a week?
One or two is more than enough, you must wait 72 hours to work the same muscle. When you train injuries occurs in the muscle fibers, and you should give your body time to recover.
Supplements to gain muscle mass?
Branched chain amino acids (BCAA), glutamine, creatine and Whey Protein, with these four you can increase the increase of muscle mass. But the most important thing is to eat well, enough protein, carbohydrate and heavy training.
What type of protein is recommended to increase muscle mass?
When you are looking to increase muscle mass you should try to have variety in your diet especially as the proteins, each one brings a distinct benefit, beef, chicken, eggs, fish, protein shakes (isolate whey protein) before and after training.
How to improve muscle aches after training?
First of all make sure to do your stretches, second you can supplement with L Glutamine, this amino acid affects recovery and relieves pain. You can alternate showers of cold and hot water, but understand that the pain is normal, when you train intense micro-tears of the muscle fibers occur, that’s why it hurts, the body what it does is that by overcompensation make them stronger to support future workouts , That’s why the muscle becomes stronger and hypertrophied.
What muscle do you have to exercise daily?
The muscle of willpower lol lie, every day a different muscle, for example: on Mondays you do quadriceps and adductors, Tuesday you do shoulder and triceps, Wednesday you do back and biceps, Thursday you do femoris and glutes, Friday or Saturday you do chest , Abdominal is one day and another is not.
How to strengthen ABS?
Doing abs three or four times a week, stimulate both the upper, middle and lower, especially exercises that work the entire abdominal rectus.
Does spinning reduce muscle mass in the legs?
On the contrary, it over-stimulates the quadricep, it is a bicycle with resistance. Rather, those who want to reduce their legs’ size will steer them away from spinning and I recommend that they do more jogging, intervals or walk on the incline treadmill.
Do people suffering from varicose veins and circulation problems in their legs need to train?
Yes, but following the recommendations of your doctor or esthetician, the cardiovascular is great for improving circulation.
How many calories should you take daily?
It depends on your metabolism, your person, level of physical activity, sex and goals, each body is different, and in my book I teach you how to calculate your requirements based on your needs.
How many calories is recommended to burn a day when exercising?
Depends, but generally at least 500 calories, take into account that if you burn 3500 calories a week you lose half a kilo of fat, always when you take care of your food. If you burn between 500 and 800 between cardiovascular and free weights.
How to consume whey protein if you want to lose weight?
One in the morning, and taking it on the days you do weights.
What’s the best time to get on the scale and weigh yourself?
In the morning you hardly wake up, without having eaten and without clothes. Do not do it daily because the weight fluctuates a lot, the level of hydration, consumed sodium, exercise, hormonal cycle, everything can affect the weight even up to two kilos. Do it every 7 or 15 days, the same day at the same time.
Tips for gaining weight in a healthy way?
I invite you to read a detailed article that I wrote about this, the most important is food, increase your calories, take care of protein and carbohydrate intake, if you do not consume enough of them you will not increase, eat quality food to increase Mass and non-fat, it trains very heavy, that can only happen of 10 to 12 repetitions, minimizes the cardiovascular.
What drinks do you recommend to accompany your meals?
Water is the first choice, but some cold infusion like Jamaica flower with lemon or natural cold tea with lemon, green tea, with stevia. Do not accompany meals with juices!
What do you think of soy milk?
I do not recommend it, soy is high in anti-nutrients, can raise estrogen, makes you more prone to thyroid problems, collides with male hormones in men, in women makes them more prone to breast cancer, endometriosis, The only soy I recommend is the fermented milk, and the isolated protein is not.
How to improve cellulite?
The first thing to fight cellulite is to take care of your food, stay away from processed products and added sodium, increase natural foods like green vegetables, lean proteins, nuts and seeds, eat fruits in the morning, avoid canned and sausage The famous turkey ham that is so high in sodium. Make weights because they improve the tone and appearance of the skin plus a good cardiovascular routine that allows you to burn more fat, drink lots of water, dehydration makes cellulite worse, completely avoid sugar and refined flour, do not use things Very tight and finish your baths always with cold water.
How many cups of coffee do you recommend to take daily?
Not more than 3. The coffee in its measure helps to give energy, accelerate metabolism, burn more fat and provides antioxidants, but in excess raises cortisol, and this hormone increases insulin and abdominal fat.
Should I have breakfast before going to the gym? How long should you wait after breakfast to train?
If you are going to do weights you have to eat because strength training is anaerobic, the main fuel is glycogen, carbohydrate stored in the muscle. Try to eat some complex carbohydrate like oats, with some protein. Wait an hour to go to the gym.
What do you think of the moringa?
Supplementation with it can be beneficial, it is high in protein vitamins and antioxidants, improves and raises defenses, lowers cholesterol and rejuvenates.
Do people who are diabetic, can have a fit lifestyle?
Of course! Always following the recommendations of your endocrine and nutritionist. Exercise helps a lot to regulate blood glucose levels. Feeding as you know is crucial, and getting your relevant checkups before and after exercise.
How to take care of hands so that they do not fall when lifting weights?
Using training gloves and moisturizing cream, there is no other.