• Flexibility, The forgotten fitness component
• January 2003, Holiday nutritional habits
• Cardiovascular Exercise: How to utilize aerobic training to tweak your fitness program, Phase II
• Cardiovascular Exercise: How to utilize aerobic training to tweak your fitness program, Phase I

Flexibility, The forgotten fitness component

The five components that define fitness are muscular strength, muscular endurance, body composition, cardiovascular condition, and flexibility. Of the five components, the one most commonly overlooked is flexibility.
In this month’s article I will inform you of the benefits of maintaining good flexibility, and provide some guidelines to help you incorporate stretching into your fitness program.

BENEFITS OF FLEXIBILITY

Better physical performance
A flexible joint is able to move through a greater range of motion and is able to produce more energy.

Reduced muscle soreness
Studies have shown that stretching reduces muscle soreness after exercise.

Improved Posture
Stretching improves muscular balance and helps realign the body’s soft tissue.

Reduced Low back pain
Flexibility in the hamstrings and pelvic area reduces tension in the low back.

Increased blood and nutrient supply
Stretching will increase tissue temperature and aid in nutrient transport.

Reduced risk of injury
Flexible tissue is less likely to exceed maximum range of motion.

The following stretches can be incorporated into your fitness program after warming up, prior to exercising and after exercising.(see attached diagrams). 

• Side Quadriceps Stretch
• Sitting Toe Touch
• Forward Lunge (Fencer)
• Supine Knee Flex
• Butterfly
• Step Stretch
• Spinal Twist (Pretzel)
• Cross Arm In Front of Chest
• Arms Straight Up Above Head (Pillar)
• Straight Arms Behind Back
• Look Right and Left
• Flexion and Extension

January 2003

Well the holiday season is over and it's now time to implement your new year's resolutions. Hopefully that involves an exercise program and healthier eating habits.

Many of us indulge a little too much during the holidays and need to rid ourselves of some unwanted unhealthy weight gain.  If you fall into this category, then this month's article will be of special interest to you. This month I will provide 7 nutritional habits for you to incorporate into your health and fitness program.

Rule 1	Always eat breakfast. Eating breakfast sparks your metabolic furnace and sets the pace for the day. This leads to RULE 2.
Rule 2	Eat frequently. Include small meals every 3 to 4 hours. Each time you eat you increase your body temperature and metabolic rate. Smaller meals are more easily digested and result in better nutrient metabolism.
Rule 3	Avoid refined flour and simple sugars. Foods high in sugars and refined flour cause high blood sugar levels and insulin spikes. Insulin spikes result in increased fat storage and inconsistent energy levels.
Rule 4	Avoid foods high in fat. One gram of fat contains 9 calories compared to 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate or protein.
Rule 5	Eat a high fiber diet including fruits and vegetables. Fibrous foods aid in digestion, cleanse the large intestine, and curb hunger.
Rule 6	Drink plenty of water. Water acts as a catalyst for all the body's chemical reactions including the absorption of nutrients. Water also cleanses the body of toxin, and curbs hunger.
Rule 7	Never diet! That's right, never diet! A diet is nothing more than a temporary fix. Instead, work on developing better eating habits that will help you long-term.

Sample food choices:

Protein	Carbohydrates	Fibrous Carbohydrates
lean cuts of beef	sweet potatoes	broccoli
chicken breast	oatmeal	spinach
turkey breast	whole grain bread	cauliflower
egg whites	rice	fruits
fish	potatoes	string beans
cottage cheese	whole wheat pastas	asparagus

Follow these 7 habits and you will begin to look, feel and perform better. A final note, healthy women come in all sizes. The key is maintaining that healthy woman lifestyle.

Good luck,

Vic Tringali
Great American Fitness

November 2002
Cardiovascular Exercise: How to utilize aerobic training to tweak your fitness program, Phase II.

Last month we discussed the benefits of a strength training program and I designed a beginning program (Phase I) to get you started. Hopefully, you have followed it with some consistency and are ready to move on to Phase II.

In this month's section, I will explain to you some of the many benefits of cardiovascular (aerobic) training and design a program to add to your strength training program.

One of the great advantages to cardiovascular exercise is that you don't have to learn any special technique or form like you did with strength training. The biggest challenge you will face will be making cardiovascular exercise a priority. Here is some information that may motivate you to do just that.

Cardiovascular exercise decreases blood pressure, increases HDL (good) cholesterol, decreases LDL (bad) cholesterol, helps decrease body fat, increases blood flow, increases heart and lung function, and decreases tension and anxiety. These benefits combined reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 20-60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 3-5 times per week at 50%-85% of your maximum heart rate. What I would recommend to those of you who are just beginning a cardiovascular program is 15-20 minutes performed 3 times per week at 50% of your maximum heart rate (I will explain how to determine your training heart rate later in the article). For those of you who are already doing cardiovascular exercise, you can increase to 60% of maximum heart rate for as many as 5 sessions per week for as long as 45 minutes per session. Keep in mind, that the CV program is supplemental to the strength training program and too much cardio can actually stop or reverse your overall progress. Recent evidence suggests that more than 45 minute of CV exercise can eat away at muscle tissue. This is what you don't want to happen. Your muscle is your calorie-burning furnace. Therefore, be consistent with your cardio program, but keep it in check.

CV program guide
	Frequency	Duration	Intensity Level
Beginner	3x	15-20 min	50%MHR
Intermediate (more than 6 months consistent)	3-5x	20-45 min	50-60%MHR
Determining maximum and training heart rate using the Karvonen formula.
RHR = resting heart rate = your pulse at rest
MHR = maximum heart rate = 220 - age
HRR = heart rate reserve = MHR - RHR
Once you have determined your HRR you can calculate your THR (training heart rate)
(HRR * .50) + RHR = THR .50 represents intensity level 50%
Here's an example using a 40 yr old woman with a resting pulse of 70
MHR = 220-40 = 180
RHR = 70
HRR = 180 -70 =110
THR = (110)* .50 + 70 =125
Choosing your cardiovascular activity
Here are some examples of activities that will provide a good cardiovascular workout: bicycling walking jogging stepper machines eliptical machines swimming Keep in mind that whichever activity you choose, your heart rate should be elevated to 50% or more for the duration of the exercise.   Phase II Strength Training For Phase II of the strength training program, I have prescribed a few changes During this phase you will follow the program 3 times per week on non-consecutive days. The workload has been increased slightly and the rest time between sets has been decreased. You should now start using weights that are challenging. Choose a weight that allows you to perform the prescribed number of repetitions slowly and meticulously. If you can perform more than the prescribed number of repetitions, you may increase the weights, but be sure to increase in very small increments.   Exercise  repetitions  sets  rest period Bench press 8-12  3-4 1.5 min. Lat pulls  8-12  3-4 1.5 min. Shoulder press  8-12  3-4 1.5 min. Leg press  10-15 3-4 2 min. Hip Abduction  10-15 3-4 1.5 min. Follow this program with the addition of the cardiovascular training program for the next 4 weeks. Look for more information on health and fitness from FemmePharma next month and every month... Vic Tringali Great American Health and Fitness For FemmePharma, Inc. Inquiries should be directed to: info@FemmePharmainc.com

Cardiovascular Exercise: How to utilize aerobic training to tweak your fitness program, Phase I.

FemmePharma is pleased to introduce its Women's Health and Fitness Segment. Each month visit the web page for information that will positively influence your overall sense of well being; brought to you by the Company that has made women's health its mission.

Research has demonstrated that as women age they lose muscle mass and bone density, After menopause, these losses are accelerated. The results are a lower metabolic rate due to less muscle and a weak, brittle bone structure that is susceptible to fractures. Currently, half of women over the age of 62 suffer from osteoporosis.

However, there is a prescription for women that can prevent such a problem from arising. That's correct. A simple prescription can increase muscle strength, increase muscle density, increase bone strength and density, increase connective tissue strength, and increase resting metabolic rate. The side effects include: firmer, tighter, and trimmer appearance and an overall improvement in self-image. In addition, expect to have more energy.

Now that I have piqued your curiosity, I will give you a hint. Women of all age groups use this formula to improve their health and appearance. You can follow a simple plan and you can start as soon as your physician gives you her/his blessing.

The prescription is WEIGHT-TRAINING. Yes, weight-training can do wonders for a woman's health and appearance, and it is time for you to begin to reap the benefits. It is very simple to get started.

Before beginning any exercise program please check with your physician to be sure that there are no underlying health conditions that might interfere with your ability to successfully undertake such a program.

		I have outlined below a low-intensity, beginning weight-training program that concentrates on the most important areas of the body to train (hips, thighs, back, chest, and shoulders). Use weights that are challenging, but do not be too ambitious! If this is the first time you are doing weight-training you may want to begin with 5 lb. or 10 lb. weights.

Phase I
Exercise	sets	reps	rest
Bench press	2-3	10-15	2 min.
Lat pulls	2-3	10-15	2 min.
Shoulder press	2-3	10-15	2 min.
Leg press	3	10-15	3 min.
Hip Abduction	2-3	10-15	2 min.

*** Follow this program twice per week on non-consecutive days for the first three weeks.

Regardless of your age or level of fitness, I would encourage you to include weight-training in your fitness program. It is a great prescription for looking, feeling, and performing better...that is, if you can deal with the side effects.

Look for more information on health and fitness from FemmePharma next month and every month...

Vic Tringali
Great American Health and Fitness
For FemmePharma, Inc.

Inquiries should be directed to: info@FemmePharmainc.com