Avoiding injuries while running on the treadmill

Over the years people have come up with many different ways to increase their cardio but one method that has stayed the same is the treadmill. I see it all the time people will be on their for hours at a time killing themselves only to find out the next day that they can’t even walk because their knees are bothering them. Trust me I’ve been there and done it but I want to help you. Below I will give you some ways to avoid injuries while using a treadmill.

One of the key essential things that people don’t realize when they are running on a treadmill is their posture. Having good posture is essential for proper muscle conditioning. It is important that your body is in a natural position and that your joints are not overextended which would make them under more stress than they should be.

Another key thing that will help you avoid injuries is to minimize your impact while running. It is ideal that people who run on the treadmill should rotate their pelvis with each stride. This way it allows your hip to be pulled back with your leg allowing rotation for the entire lower body. This method allows your body to absorb most of the shock when your feet hit the belt. Also it is important to make sure that your stride is quick and short.

Furthermore, you should listen to your body when running on a treadmill. People often think “if I run on a treadmill I will lose a bunch a of weight” so this thought will drive people to push their body farther than they should and can cause strained muscles or shin splints. It is important when first starting off that you start slow and moderately increase the speed to get your body used to working out. If your body doesn’t feel right that day do not force it it is okay so take a day off and rest.

Lastly I would suggest wearing proper shoes when running on the treadmill. Your shoes should fit properly on your feet and should be able to absorb shock. This will prevent less of an impact on your knees. Also if you can get you a pair that is designed for running specifically.

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Myths that stop women from strength training

The idea of lifting weights has always been an area of concern when it comes to some women. There are a lot of myths out there when it comes to women lifting weights. They are often misinformed on information that is told to them so when it comes to getting in the gym and actually strength training they are often very hesitant to start. If you’re a women reading this and you have questions or concerns about strength training, hopefully I will clear the air for you right now. Let’s get right into some of the myths out there..

Myth- Women who lift weights develop bulky will develop bulky muscles.

Fact- It’s physiologically impossible for most women to bulk up without taking some sort of drug enhancement. Women don’t have enough testosterone which is also known as the “Muscle building hormone”.

2. Myth- Weight training will Reduce flexibility.

Fact- Resistance training can actually increase your joint range and motion flexibility.

3. Myth- If you stop building muscle and then stop exercising your muscle will turn into fat.

Fact- Not possible! Fat and muscle are two different substances, you can’t turn one into the other.

4. Myth- The weight room is an intimidating place and full of men.

Fact- After an orientation to the gym the people in the gym and the gym equipment will be familiar and welcoming. If this still intimidates you though there is women only areas in some gyms that allows you to workout comfortably.

Some of the benefits women receive by strength training is for one, they increase their self confidence and body image. Once you realize that the gym is working for you, you will start to have more motivation in going and feel better about yourself. Secondly it helps you build bones to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced. As bones become more fragile, the risk of fracture is greatly increased. And lastly it slows down the 8-10% loss of muscle mass that women experience once they hit the age of 40.

If you are reading this and want to jump into strength training right now, the following things I suggest are:

Learn good technique to get the maximum benefit to avoid injury.
Start Slowly with the number of reps, the amount of resistance and the amount of workouts that you do per week.
Use the proper weight where you can barley finish the last 12-15 reps.

I hope this article motivated you to get into the gym and get started. If you have any questions feel free to contact me! For training purposes visit my website qemfitness

The benefits of deadlifts

The deadlift it is an exercise that has many benefits too it that people over look. I know when I first started out weight lifting dead lifts is something that I hated doing. I would see it on my college lifting workouts and automatically skip over them because I never saw the benefit from them. It wasn’t until my junior year of college that I started to taking deadlifts serious. Below are some benefits that I’ve discovered during the process.

#1. Better Posture

Deadlifting increases your core strength and also adds to core stability. While performing this exercise it targets all of the muscles responsible for your posture and enables you to keep your back straight during your daily activities.

#2 More Muscles are being worked

The deadlift works more muscles than any other exercise believe it or not and that is also including the squat. While doing this exercise the lift engages all of the major muscle groups. When you are performing this exercise you may notice that your upper and lower body parts are being worked which is contributed to this workout.

#3 Increases Hormones

When doing at least 8-10 reps of deadlifts with a significant weight you can increase the amount of testosterone and growth hormone that is produced in your body. Testosterone increases muscle growth and improves muscle. So if your doing deadlifts and after a couple sets seems like your what I like to call “in the zone” it is because your body is producing testosterone at a high level.

#4 Prevents Injury

The deadlift can help prevent injuries by increasing the strength of your muscles around certain tendons and ligaments. After pulling my hamstrings and even partially tearing one during my basketball career when I found this out deadlifts became my best friend, They have helped me a lot during my career and I think it is something that is very vital to having strong hamstrings.

Overall I know deadlifts are one of the most important exercises that can benefit you when done correctly. Some people tend to put a lot of weight on and their form ends up being horrible and they end up hurting themselves. The best advice I can give is to do what is comfortable for you and more importantly make sure your form is correct.

Ever wonder about trying a Vegan diet?

Vegan diets are known to help people lose weight, but they are also many health benefits as well. A vegan diet helps you maintain a healthy heart. Also, this diet can help offer some protection against type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancers.

Benefits of having a vegan diet:

You will have to eliminate meat and animal products from your diet completely. This may be a struggle for some people at first but eventually, your body will be able to adapt to it. Also, with the vegan diet, you will need to start eating more vegetables than you were consuming before. This is key because you will start to intake more nutrients. The majority of the foods that you will be eating is grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds. Also, vegan diets tend to be richer in potassium, magnesium, folate and vitamins A, C and E.

Another benefit of going vegan is that you lose excess weight. When you are not consuming junk food and start having your source of protein be from plants, you will start to notice your body lose weight. Many of the animal-based foods are high in fat and calories so eliminating them may help you lose excess body fat as well.

It is also known to lower blood sugar levels and improve kidney function. This is a very good thing because this will lower your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Also, the substitution of plants for meat protein can reduce the risk of poor kidney function.

Think of some of the strongest animals in the world, from elephants to the rhino to even some of the biggest dinosaurs on earth, all were plants eaters! So, the myth of you only get protein from meat is completely FALSE. Going vegan can be one of the most important decisions you can make in your life concerning your health.

Workouts you can do while your at your desk

A lot of people are bombarded with things going on in their life and they often don’t have time to go to the gym. People wonder how it is possible to fit extra time into their busy schedules to exercise. There is a solution to that that includes ways to incorporate stretches and exercise into your daily routine while you are at work! But before we jump into the exercises that you can do the most important thing is your posture. Having a good posture can relieve neck and back stiffness which is helpful when working at a desk job.

One of the worst things you can do while sitting at your desk is maintaining a forward head posture. This causes all of the nerves in your head to be compressed that causes very painful headaches at the base of your skull. The key is to have our head aligned with our spine. Also, your feet should be flat on the floor and your knees and hips at a 90- degree angle. Keep your back pressed against the back of the chair to help maintain a great posture. Now I will be getting into some of the stretches and exercises that you can do at your desk.

1. Push-Ups

This is a great way to get your chest involved at work. I know some of you may not want to get down on the floor, so, another option would be to do them on the edge of your desk or on the wall.

2. Squats

Simply do free weight squats in sets of 10 until you feel your legs start to burn.

3. Tricep Dips

These can be done anywhere! You can use the chair at your desk to do them. I would not suggest doing them if you have the chairs that roll… Dangerous! Do these in sets of 10 as well you will feel your triceps start to burn!

4. Calf Raises

Stand behind your chair hold on to it for support and simply go up until you are standing on your toes and go back down slowly. You will feel your calf muscles working. I’d suggest doing 3 sets of 15.

5. Glute Squeezes

This will be an isometric move. Squeeze your glutes as hard as you can and hold for at least 30 seconds.

6. Wall Sit

Stand with your back against the wall and slowly lower your body into a seated position and hold for 30 seconds.

All of these simple yet rewarding exercises are very easy to do while in your office at work or even on your break!