Showing posts with label PHYSICAL ACTIVITY - SPORT. Show all posts

What are the benefits of hiking?.. Cardiovascular boost. Muscle power. Enhanced endurance. Weight management

walking long distances:

Hiking offers a wealth of benefits, extending far beyond simply enjoying the beauty of nature. Here are some of the key advantages you can reap from hitting the trails:

Physical Fitness:

- Cardiovascular boost:

Hiking strengthens your heart and improves blood circulation, reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

- Muscle power:

It strengthens your legs, core, and upper body, depending on the terrain and incline.

- Enhanced endurance:

Regular hiking increases your stamina and lung capacity, allowing you to go further and last longer.

- Weight management:

Hiking burns calories efficiently, aiding in weight control and promoting a healthy metabolism.

Mental Wellness:

- Stress relief:

Immersing yourself in nature reduces stress hormones and promotes relaxation, improving overall well-being.

- Mood booster:

Hiking releases endorphins, natural mood elevators that leave you feeling happy and energized.

- Improved focus:

The rhythmic nature of walking and the scenic surroundings enhance mental clarity and focus.

- Reduced anxiety:

Spending time in nature lowers anxiety levels and promotes calmness.

Social Connection:

- Bonding with others:

Hiking with friends or family fosters social connection and strengthens relationships.

- Meeting new people:

Group hikes or joining hiking clubs offer opportunities to meet like-minded individuals and build new friendships.

- Teamwork and communication:

Challenging hikes can encourage teamwork and communication, especially when navigating difficult terrain.

Personal Growth:

- Sense of accomplishment:

Reaching the summit or completing a challenging trail provides a sense of achievement and boosts self-confidence.

- Connection to nature:

Hiking fosters a deeper appreciation for the environment and encourages mindful outdoor experiences.

- Stress management skills:

Dealing with physical challenges on the trail translates to better coping skills for everyday stressors.

- Enhanced creativity and problem-solving:

Navigating unfamiliar terrain and adapting to changing situations can stimulate creativity and problem-solving skills.

Remember:

The benefits of hiking are numerous and cater to everyone, regardless of age, fitness level, or experience. Choose trails that suit your abilities and gradually increase difficulty as you gain confidence. Embrace the adventure, explore new sights, and reap the rich rewards that hiking offers for both your body and mind.

So, lace up your boots, embrace the fresh air, and start reaping the amazing benefits of hitting the trails!

WHY INTEGRATE SPORT INTO YOUR HYGIENE OF LIFE?

To be healthy, it is recommended to do 30 minutes of physical exercise a day. Between the often sustained pace imposed by work and family life, it is not always easy to reach this daily half hour...

Improve your health:

Although it is synonymous with drudgery for some, physical activity has many virtues on our health.

It has positive effects on the cardiovascular system:

By regularly practicing a moderate physical activity such as running or swimming, you allow a better dilation of the blood vessels leading to a decrease in blood pressure. So your resting heart rate is lower. The risk of cardiovascular accidents and hypertension is then much lower.

It contributes to the loss or maintenance of weight:

When you exercise, you burn calories. The more intense the exercise, the greater the number of calories burned. Training several times a week will, in the long term, increase your muscle mass and, coupled with a healthy diet, reduce your fat mass. Sport will allow you to tone up, firm up and refine yourself.

It limits the appearance of osteoporosis and sarcopenia:

Sport improves endurance, coordination and strength. It also has beneficial effects on the skeleton: in particular, it helps prevent the onset of osteoporosis in the elderly. Regular practice also helps reduce sarcopenia*, by limiting muscle wasting.

In addition to staying fit and active, sports practice therefore increases life expectancy.

Psychological benefits:

If you exercise 3 times a week, for at least 20 minutes per session, you allow your body to release endorphins, dopamine and serotonin.

These hormones work against stress and anxiety and improve your mood. This is why a feeling of fullness can be felt at the end of an intensive sports session. As a result, you also act on the quality of your sleep: good physical fatigue will relax you and your sleep will be more restorative.

This concentrate of positive waves therefore considerably improves your daily well-being!

socialize:

We advise you to train with someone because it can be a source of motivation: it will be more difficult to cancel a planned session with a friend, it will become a social obligation. Also, if one of you is unmotivated, the other can pull it up. You will then learn to surpass yourself and strengthen your self-esteem.

In general, practicing a sport indoors or in a club will encourage you to meet other athletes and therefore promote social ties.

Our advice for having the right reflexes:

First of all, it is important to clarify that doing physical exercise does not necessarily mean practicing an intense sports activity. Indeed, small efforts are also a form of exercise. In addition, it is quite possible to split your 30 minutes of physical exercise into 10-minute increments.

Do not hesitate to seize all the opportunities of everyday life to move more. Here are some good reflexes to cultivate:

Get moving before starting the day: to get the day off to a good start, you can get up a little earlier and practice a brisk walking activity, run or do some gym exercises.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator:

Opt for walking or cycling: whether it's to go shopping, get to work, pick up your children from school... try to leave your car in the garage and opt for a less expensive means of transport. sedentary.

Go for a walk:

in addition to changing your mind, walks have the merit of doing your body good. On vacation by the sea, prefer a walk by the water to a tan on the towel and in the mountains, opt for hiking or snowshoeing!

Practice a sports activity:

if you want to start a sports activity, the easiest way is to block a time slot in the week; you will be sure to keep your good resolutions. You can opt for a sport in a club or for a sport that you can practice individually (fitness exercises, exercise bike, etc.). Choose the activity most conducive to your development.

SPORTS NUTRITION: SHOULD WE ELIMINATE FATS?

What is the interest of lipids for the athlete?

An athlete can expend up to three times more energy than a person at rest. His diet is important since it provides him, in particular, with three macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates and lipids.

Carbohydrates are the main fuel for muscle, but lipids should not be neglected, especially during intense long-term efforts. With regular training, the place of lipids takes on its full importance because they save glycogen reserves over a longer period of time.

Beyond the energy role, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids are among the main constituents of cell membranes.

Finally, various scientific studies have highlighted the involvement of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in cardiovascular balance1.

What are the different types of lipids and which ones should be preferred?

There are two main families of lipids: saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids.

fatty acid

Unsaturated fatty acids (Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9) are to be preferred because they have important roles in different physiological functions. As an indication, the intakes of essential fatty acids are among the most deficient in the French population, whatever the age groups (even if adolescents remain the most affected): nearly 100% of French people have insufficient intakes of omega 32.

Furthermore, our current consumption habits are characterized by an imbalance between Omega 6 and Omega 3 and 9 intakes. While 60 to 70% of French people do not have adequate Omega 6 intakes, the Omega 6 / omega 3 is inadequate for over 98% of children and 96% of adults. Omega 9 intakes are also insufficient for 95% of children and 90% of adults2.

Be sure to diversify your edible oils to favor those that are richer in Omega 3 and Omega 9 and include certain foods such as fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, etc.) in your menus. Wild South Pacific fish oil supplements can also help you meet your daily Omega 3 needs.

WHAT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR SENIORS?

INSERM recommends that seniors have a minimum of 30 minutes of sustained exercise per day, five times a week. If starting a sports practice is not considered in the same way at 60 as at 30, starting or resuming physical activity has certain benefits, both physically and psychologically. However, this implies being vigilant and aware of your physical condition and choosing a sport adapted to your possibilities.

What are the benefits for seniors?

There is no age to start practicing physical activity. At any age, sport can have many beneficial effects on well-being and health. For seniors in particular, regular physical activity can have several benefits:

Preserve your joint mobility and flexibility: soliciting your joints regularly contributes to maintaining joint flexibility and comfort.

Improve cardiac performance: physical effort stimulates the heart and also contributes to better oxygenation of the muscles.

Maintain muscle strength: with age and physical inactivity, muscle strength decreases.

Preserve your respiratory capacity: endurance sports, in particular, can have a positive influence on the capacity of the lungs, and breathing.

Keeping a social bond: sport, practiced in a group or in a club, helps to cultivate a social life. For people prone to stress or depression, sport can also be associated with a relaxation practice, such as sophrology, meditation...

Advice before starting

Beyond the age of 50, it is necessary to take a few precautions if you want to start or resume physical activity:

Carry out a medical check-up with a health professional in order to determine the sports adapted to your physical condition. In particular, he will assess your cardiovascular condition and will be able to calculate your recovery capacity with you.

The recovery capacity corresponds to the limit of pulsations per minute not to be exceeded during the practice of a physical activity. Beyond that, the heart races. It is calculated as follows:

220 heartbeats per minute – the patient's age. For example, if the patient is 57 years old: 220 – 57 = 163 beats per minute, not to be exceeded.

Start gradually, one or two sessions per week at a moderate pace to start, then increase the frequency and intensity according to your possibilities.

Be consistent in order to get results and avoid injury.

Remember to hydrate before, during and after each session: 1 liter of water per hour of sports activity.

What sports do you prefer?

If there is no medical contraindication to the practice of certain sports in particular, it is nevertheless recommended that seniors favor gentle physical activities and endurance, such as:

Walking: 30 minutes of brisk walking a day helps maintain good health.

Swimming: known to be a very complete sport, it works on muscle strength, as well as coordination and endurance. Aqua-gym, a physical activity also practiced in water, can be recommended for seniors.

Cycling: regular cycling can have many benefits, particularly at the cardiac and respiratory level. It also helps to work on your balance and coordination.

Tai Chi or yoga: these gentle practices work on your balance and flexibility and can be complementary to endurance practices. They also help to free the mind and work on the breath.

SPIRULINA, ALLY TO THE SPORTSMAN

Named spirulina because of its spiral shape, this microscopic blue-green algae is particularly interesting for athletes because it is a remarkable source of nutrients and micronutrients.

Nutrient-rich micro-algae

This microscopic blue-green algae has been living in warm, alkaline waters for over three billion years.

Spirulina is composed of more than 67% protein, 14% carbohydrates and 7% lipids and is also a natural concentrate of vitamins, minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, boron, selenium, zinc, chromium... ), amino acids (including the 8 essential amino acids) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (gamma-linolenic acid). Spirulina is also one of the best known sources of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.

The practice of a regular sports activity induces an increase in energy and nutritional needs which are not always compensated by food. Therefore, supplementation with spirulina can be interesting because it is rich in proteins and micronutrients.

Note its high protein content (vegetable origin) which contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass and promotes the maintenance of normal bones. The consumption of spirulina is particularly recommended during recovery after exercise, or during training phases or a bodybuilding program.

Finally, this seaweed has antioxidant properties that act against the free radicals responsible for the aging of cells in the body and which accumulate abundantly during intense physical effort. A study published in 2010 shows that spirulina would increase its antioxidant defenses and reduce fatigue1.

Spirulina from LESCUYER Laboratory

Guaranteed to be of very high quality, the spirulina from the LESCUYER Laboratory is grown at altitude, in a preserved place to guarantee the absence of all contaminants, in particular heavy metals. This site also has ideal photosynthesis and drying conditions to produce top quality spirulina on a regular basis throughout the year!

ESSENTIAL PLANTS FOR SPORTSMEN

Whether it is to replenish energy, preserve the joints, manage the stress of a competition or even drain the body, plants are real assets for the athlete. Discover our selection of essential plants!

Refuel energy

Improving your sports performance starts with good nutritional intake, sufficient hydration, and quality sleep, but not only. Some plants are presented as a revitalizer that gives the body a significant “boost”.

Ginseng is particularly interesting in case of physical fatigue. The rhizomes of red ginseng or eleutherococcus (also called Siberian ginseng), help maintain energy and vitality.

Manage the stress of competitions

Everyone reacts differently to stress. This psychological state is particularly present during a sports competition and can, in some cases, become very disabling and reduce our performance. Stress is not uncontrollable!

Studies have shown that a plant, rhodiola rosea, promotes well-being, intellectual performance, psychomotor functioning, quality of sleep as well as more stable motivation and mood. This is largely due to its adaptogenic properties, that is to say the ability to counterbalance the harmful effects of physical or psychological stress.

These beneficial effects on mental functions may prove to be particularly interesting during competition before events in all disciplines that intensely require cognitive abilities (tennis, climbing; team sports such as rugby, handball, basketball; sailing …).

Preserve the joints

The practice of certain sports regularly solicits the joints and sometimes puts them to the test. To support them, the harpagophytum and the boswellia form a powerful duo! These 2 plants are traditionally used to help maintain joint mobility and flexibility.

Another must-have for athletes, the turmeric rhizome is thick and fleshy orange in color, rich in curcuminoids. It participates in the proper functioning of many major functions of the body and helps in particular to protect the joints and maintain their flexibility.

Drain the body

To ensure optimum metabolic functioning during the practice of a sporting activity, the liver is one of the organs that are particularly stressed. It performs three essential metabolic functions:

Digestive function: the liver secretes bile.

Purification function: the liver filters the blood.

Synthesis and storage function: the liver notably plays a central role in the metabolism of carbohydrates.

The liver filters, sorts and neutralizes toxins and waste which are then sent to the kidneys to be eliminated. Milk thistle and birch are two plants that act in a targeted manner on these two organs of elimination. Milk thistle contributes to the protection of the liver and birch supports the elimination functions of the kidney.

It is generally advisable to drain your body in spring and autumn so that it is more resistant to external aggressions.