Sports Activites

Team sports and work-outs at the gym are not only fun, they also give you the chance to add to your exercise quota for the week, and therefore reach your self-improvement goals that much faster.   The benefits of taking part in specific sports and of working out are given below:

 

Badminton: aerobic; improves joint flexibility, stamina, leg and shoulder tone and strength; 30-40 minutes continuous play burns up around 200-800 calories.

 

Golf: improves arm, shoulder and leg tone, and strength (you walk four to five miles when you do a round of golf).

 

Jogging: aerobic; improves stamina, leg strength and tone; an hour’s jogging burns up 200-350 calories. If you think that jogging or running will suit your new active way of life, take the standard precautions before you start: check with your doctor and, as with all aerobic exercise, increase the pace gradually; always wear the right trainers (and support bandages if your joints are weak).

 

Tennis: aerobic; boosts stamina and suppleness; strengthens and tones your shoulders, forearms, calves and thighs; play energetically (ideally twice a week) for an hour and you will burn up around 300-400 calories.

 

Brisk walking: aerobic; strengthens and tones your legs.

 

Cycling: aerobic; strengthens and tones your legs.

 

Skipping: aerobic; boosts stamina, strength and leg tone. Start by doing 3 skipping sets for 30 seconds a time with a 5-minute break after each set; build up to skipping for 2 minutes with a 10-minute break and also increase the repetitions.

 

Rebounding: aerobic; swimming is one of the fastest (and best) ways to boost overall fitness, muscle tone, joint flexibility, and relaxation. Do 4 lengths of a 25 m/25 yard pool, rest for a minute and build endurance by reducing rest time and increasing swim time; within a fortnight you will be noticeably fitter and firmer; an hour’s breaststroke burns between 500-800 calories.

 

Football: aerobic; improves stamina; strengthens and tones your legs; an hour’s play burns up around 250-1000 calories.

 

Boxing: tones and strengthens your chest, shoulders, and arms; an hour’s boxing burns up around 400-600 calories.

 

Volleyball: aerobic; improves stamina; tones and strengthens the whole body, especially your legs and arms; mobilizes joints; an hour’s play burns up 200-600 calories.

 

Squash: as above; an hour’s play burns up 400-1000 calories.

 

Judo: is a body contact sport and one of the major martial arts. It requires a good deal of strength, agility, and physical courage. 

 

 

 

Your body cannot “store” fitness, so once you have started you have to keep exercising regularly. Make your routine flexible: if you think it is going to be hard to maintain, don’t choose an activity that requires good weather or a long detour from your office or home.

 

What you wear on your feet is crucial to your performance and to the benefits you will get from exercise. Good sports shops will give advice on the right trainers to wear for different activities, but cross-trainers – designed to be worn for most sports – are probably your best investment because they are good all-rounders. Bare feet (and something comfortable such as leggings and a T-shirt) are fine when you are doing the exercises outlined above.

 

You will lose weight if you limit your food intake, but not as quickly or as evenly as you would if you combined a balanced weight-loss diet with regular exercise. Exercise increases your metabolism, and, if you want to lose weight more quickly, you need to exercise in conjunction with dieting.

 

Exercise is the last thing you feel like doing when you are pre-menstrual. But if you do push yourself now, you will feel more relaxed and relieve the symptoms. If you cannot face an aerobics class, go for a swim: this will ease pre-menstrual cramp and put you in a better mood.

 

 

Go on, be brave. Strip to your under-wear, stand in front of a mirror and have a good look at your body. Take your time and be tough but realistic. You may have disliked your thighs since you were 16 – and they will probably never be those of a super-model – but if you look hard enough you might just find that they are not as bad as you have always thought they were, and that improving them is not going to be that hard after all.

 

Note down all the things that irk you (and that you can do something about) as well as those that you like or do not mind. Then go through your list of dislikes, ticking the things that you really want to do something about. Also, make a mental note to start appreciating your good points: the more you focus on them the less you will notice the not-so-good zones.

 

Now, add a set of action points under the problem zones you have listed. If you want to firm up your arms for that sleeveless sundress you have been unable to wear for a decade of summers, make notes like this:

Flabby Upper Arms

·        Do Basic Exercises

·        Check Diet

·        Exfoliate, Moisturize.

Finally, add your goal(s) and your deadline to the top of the list and put it somewhere where you are going to see it frequently.

 

Whenever you remember – while sitting at your desk or relaxing in the evening – move your ankles around in a clockwise motion 10 times, then repeat anti-clockwise.

 

To firm up flabby arms, add this exercise to your daily exercise routine, or spend five minutes doing it twice a day. Sit on a chair holding your hands in loose fists, and, with your arms extended out behind, make downwards punching movements backwards and forwards.