If you’re not exactly sure what moderate exercise intensity is supposed to feel like, you’re not alone.  Many people don’t truly understand how exercise intensity is measured.  Today, I’ll remedy that by teaching you why it is important to exercise at a certain intensity and how to measure it, so that you can get the most out of your workouts.

Here is the Karvonen formula as I promised: (MHR-RHR)*intensity)+ RHR = Target Heart Rate

Announcement: Being Healthy for Busy People, my audio show, is a Podcast Awards finalist! Thank you to everyone who nominated my show.  I am very excited about being a finalist!  Daily voting will begin on November 13th and will run till November 30th.  If you have time, please go and vote for my podcast under Health/Fitness as many days as you can!  Thank you!

If you haven’t yet, please subscribe through iTunes.

References used while researching this show are sparkpeople.com, Mayo Clinic, and about.com.

So, today my goal is to put those concerns to rest and convince you to weight train because weight training is an essential part of any exercise program and should not be left out.  So, sit back and enjoy the show!

If you haven’t yet, please subscribe through iTunes.

Photo by Neeta Lind via Flickr

Many people decide to start a weight training routine every day. But many are not sure how to go about it. They don’t have any idea where to start. They are not sure how often to train, how much to lift, how many sets, etc.

That’s why I am dedicating this episode to helping you safely and effectively start a weight training program.

While researching this show, I referenced The New Wellness Encyclopedia.

The video podcast for this week is:

1. Going Bananas!

The blog posts for this week are:

1. Cholesterol: Wage the War Without Meds!
2. You Can Eat Dessert!

If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review.  It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners.  Thanks for listening, everyone!

You decided that it is time to start lifting weights, so you joined a gym.  Now you are not sure where to start.  Some of your friends say that free weights are the only way to go, while others only use the machines.  So, which should you choose?

For years now a heated debate has raged over just this question and both sides have arguments with merit.  Both free weights and resistance machines build strength.  However, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

What are the advantages of using free weights?
There are many good reasons why free weights might work better for you than resistance machines.  Here are some of the advantages:

1. More versatile: You can work practically any muscle through almost any angle and range of motion, which is great for coming up with an enormous variety of exercises.
2. Less bulky and cheaper: Machines tend to be expensive and bulky.  A basic set of dumbbells and barbells, on the other hand, take up a lot less space and won’t hurt your pocketbook as much.  In fact, a simple pair of adjustable dumbbells is enough to allow you to perform an impressive array of strength training exercises.
3. Improves balance and coordination: Unlike a machine, lifting free weights requires balance and coordination because there is nothing to guide your movement.  Your muscles not only have to work to lift the weights, they have to work to keep the weights stable as well.
4. Recruits more muscle groups: While machines isolate specific muscles, free weights use more muscles for each exercise because they require additional muscles for stabilization.  As a result, lifting free weights may promote quicker and better strength gains, since more muscles are worked with each exercise and in slightly different ways.

What are the disadvantages of using free weights?
Even though free weights have many advantages, they also have some disadvantages.

1. May require a spotter: With light weights you should be fine, but safely lifting heavy weights requires a spotter.
2. More potential for injuries: Weights sometimes slip while being picked up, exercised with or put away, potentially resulting in injury.
3. Proper technique is essential: It is important to learn how to lift free weights correctly to prevent strain or injury.  And it takes time to master lifting techniques, especially if you will be lifting heavy weights.  If that is your goal, consider hiring an exercise specialist to show you how to lift properly and to work with you on several occasions to insure that you have the technique mastered.

What are the advantages of resistance machines?
Machines definitely have their place in the strength training world.  Here are some of their advantages:

1. Easy to use: Machines guide your movements, which makes it easier to learn to use them properly. They can also be adjusted quickly and easily.
2. Safer: Weights are held in place by stacks.  That reduces, but doesn’t eliminate the risk of injury due to improper form.  It also eliminates the chance of injury due to a dropped weight.
3. Muscles are isolated more efficiently: Machines allow you to target specific muscles through their full range of motion without using other muscle groups for stabilization.

What are the disadvantages of resistance machines?
Of course, machines do have some disadvantages as well:

1. Not functional to everyday movements: Machines target specific muscles, while in our day-to-day activities we use multiple muscle groups together.
2. Some machines don’t fit: Some machines might not fit all body sizes.
3. Need a variety of machines: You need multiple machines to workout all your muscles and obtain a good workout.  That can take up a lot of space.
4. Expensive: Machines cost a lot, which means that to get access to most of them, you need a gym membership.

So, which one should I choose?
Safety is the number one priority when lifting weights.  So, if you are new to lifting, a recreational athlete or an elderly person, you should probably stick to machines for most of your exercises.  They are safer.

However, if you lift weights regularly, the best thing to do is to incorporate both free weights and resistance machines into your workout.  The different styles of exercise equipment challenge your muscles in different ways.

The bottom line
There truly is no right answer for everyone.  You should use whatever equipment is available to you that you can use safely and comfortably because both free weights and resistance machine will get you stronger.  The important thing is that you lift weights!

When most of us think of someone with high blood pressure (hypertension), we automatically think of an overweight, middle aged executive, that is wound up really tight and explodes at the slightest provocation. So, anyone that doesn’t fit that image feels pretty safe. But unfortunately, hypertension can occur in anyone, even in children.

In this week’s show, I discuss what blood pressure is, why you should care what yours is and what you can do to prevent or combat high blood pressure.

Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, Mayo Clinic and American Heart Association.

This week, I was interviewed by iProng magazine. Here is the web version and a direct link to the even higher quality PDF version. So, go check it out and learn more about me!

The Blog Posts for this week are:

1. Got Lactose Intolerance?
2. This Spud’s For You!

If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review. It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners. Thanks for listening, everyone!