Wednesday, September 30, 2015

WHO backs 'treat-all' HIV drug plan

Everyone who has HIV should be offered antiretroviral drugs as soon as possible after diagnosis, the World Health Organisation says.

Does Mindfulness Make for a Better Athlete?

Closely attending to our bodies through mindfulness meditation might help us to become better, calmer, athletic performers, a small study suggests.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

True Muscle Trainer: Phase 3, Day 46

Stacking exercises and limited rest has likely left you yearning for a full day of recovery. Today's the day to recharge.

Take an Eye Exam on Your Laptop

An online eye exam taken at home is an easy alternative to the office visit, but only if your eyes are 18 to 40-years old.

Finished our Tough Mudder Training workout with 'death rolls', army crawls and hill sprints. These death rolls are much harder than they look and will leave you disorientated, but we want our team 100% ready for whatever Tough Mudder throws at them this year! @dangerouslyfit A video posted by Dangerously Fit (@dangerouslyfit) on Sep 26, […]

The post appeared first on Personal Trainer Sydney | Dangerously Fit | Boot Camp Fitness.

Coke Spends Lavishly on Pediatricians and Dietitians

A soft-drink company’s philanthrophy wins it praise despite its sugary contribution to obesity in America.

Yohimbe Supplement Labels Lack Accurate Information

Banned in several countries, it is sold in the United States despite often lacking correct details on quantity, or anything about side effects.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Sitting Is Bad for Children, Too

After a single session of prolonged inactivity, young girls developed changes in their blood flow and arteries that, in grown-ups, would signal the start of serious cardiovascular problems.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Coke Discloses Millions in Grants for Health Research and Community Programs

Following criticism that Coke has supported research that plays down the role of soft drinks in the spread of obesity, the company released a list showing nearly $120 million in grants to medical, research and community organizations.

Can’t Swallow a Pill? There’s Help for That

Many people never outgrow the difficulty. But pill takers have ways to get around it, including specialized cups and the ‘pop bottle method.’

Friday, September 18, 2015

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Living With Cancer: Teal Ribbons

Although progress has been made to improve treatments for ovarian cancer, it's not nearly enough to combat a disease that often goes undetected until it is in the late stages.

Mediterranean Diet Linked to Reduced Breast Cancer Risk

Women who ate a Mediterranean-style diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil had a 68 percent lower risk for breast cancer compared with controls.

Monday, September 14, 2015

In a First, Aspirin Is Recommended to Fight a Form of Cancer

An expert panel backed the drug to help prevent heart attacks and colorectal cancer. Some critics say there are better and safer preventives.

Sydney Tough Mudder Training Starts September 26th!

The Sydney Tough Mudder is only 9 weeks away! If your’e doing this years Tough Mudder race… now is the time to start training. Dangerously Fit are putting on an 8 week Tough Mudder Training program starting on September 26th. The workouts will held between 7am-8am in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, except one session which will […]

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Saturday, September 12, 2015

Step Aside, Turkey. Finding the Next Great Vegetarian Main Course for Thanksgiving

This year, Well's Vegetarian Thanksgiving is looking for show-stopping vegetarian main courses that will make even the most devoted carnivore forget about the turkey.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Plague Cases in U.S. on the Rise

There have been 13 cases and three deaths from plague in the United States in the past five months. In a typical year, there are three cases annually.

Back-to-School Worries for Gay Parents

In school, they often hear comments that don’t seem malicious or constitute bullying, but that researchers refer to as “microaggression.”

Lung Screening May Not Push Smokers to Quit

Money spent on screening smokers for lung cancer may be better spent helping them kick the habit altogether.

Children Tossing School Lunch Fruits and Vegetables

Requiring children to select a fruit or vegetable as part of the school lunch program has not resulted in more consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Pertussis Passed to Newborns From Siblings

A new study suggests that siblings, not mothers, are now the most common source of whooping cough infections in newborns.

Think Like a Doctor: The Quarterback’s Headache Solved!

The high school quarterback had the worst headache of his life. A number of New York Times readers solved the mystery.

Think Like a Doctor: The Quarterback’s Headache

A high school quarterback gets the worst headache of his life, but doctors don't know why. Can you solve this medical mystery with Dr. Lisa Sanders?

The Surprising Truth About Working Out Twice a Day

For the spring semester of my junior year, I packed up my yoga mat, P90X DVDs, and as many clothes as I could feasibly squeeze into one suitcase, and flew to Australia. Six months later, I packed it all back up and headed home. But I took something else home with me: Ten pounds of pudge.

Though I ran in the morning with roommates, swam as much as humanly possible, and regularly practiced sunset yoga on a cliff overlooking the beach (jealous much?), I still managed to increase my size in a matter of months thanks to lots of alcohol and late-night snacking.

My plan to shed the weight once back on home turf: Two-a-day workouts. But is my newfound devotion to the gym safe? We talked to experts to find out if being a double gym rat is a total no-no.

Why It Matters

My goal was to lose weight, but that’s not every double exerciser’s motive. There’s a range of reasons why people choose to visit the gym more than once in 24 hours, such as building muscle or training for a tough race. And while research shows regular exercise is essential for leading a healthy life, for some people, one workout a day doesn’t fit the bill.1

Plenty of studies have compared the health effects of working out once a day—say, for an hour—versus splitting up the workout into two 30-minute sessions or even shorter bouts of exercise. When it comes to adiposity (body fat), blood lipids, and psychological wellbeing, it’s unclear whether working out once, twice, or even three times daily makes a difference.2 The reality is that our bodies are generally more responsive to the intensity of exercise rather than just how long we’re pounding the pavement or swinging a kettlebell.

The Debate

Is It Safe to Work Out Twice a Day? Before we start reprimanding the ardent gym-goer, it’s important to recognize that working out two or three times a day doesn’t necessarily mean each session is super sweat inducing. If a second workout involving lots of stretching and light calisthenics doesn’t raise your heart rate the same way a long run would, then two-a-days may not be much to worry about.

It all comes down to two elements: intensity and intention. And ultimately, it’s different for everyone. “Two-a-day workouts can be especially useful, and if used wisely, might lead to safer, more effective training,” says John Mandrola, M.D., a cardiac electrophysiologist. Don't forget: There's a reason elite athletes often work out two or more times a day when training for an event.

“A highly conditioned, world-class athlete would be able to safely handle multiple training sessions in one day,” says Jason Edmonds, a biologist and weightlifter. “But a middle-aged person of average athletic ability with a full time job and family probably wouldn’t want to plan a regimen that involved multiple daily sessions at the gym doing heavy strength training.”

For someone just trying to stay active and reap the benefits of exercise, Edmonds says working out twice a day isn’t necessary. However, it is OK to try if it’s done right.

How to Do Two-a-Days the Right Way

1. Find balance.

Avoid overtraining by balancing workouts between high intensity and lower intensity. Ramp up intensity, duration, and frequency carefully since small steps will help prevent injury and allow the body to recover.1 Most of us should probably avoid two consecutive vigorous or long workouts in the same day, such as running ten miles then hitting up a cycling class, to avoid what’s known as overtraining syndrome.2

Works Cited

  1. Fundamentals of resistance training: progression and exercise prescription. Kraemer WJ, Ratamess NA. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 2004, Jul.;36(4):0195-9131.
  2. A practical approach to the overtraining syndrome. Pearce PZ. Current sports medicine reports, 2003, Sep.;1(3):1537-890X.

2. Space it out.

Most people do one workout in the morning and one in the evening, because it makes the most sense for their schedule. There’s no exact rule of thumb, though some trainers advocate two days between workouts involving the same muscle group. If performance starts to decrease from workout to workout, it’s probably a good idea to take a few more rest days.1

Works Cited

  1. The effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on cycling time-trial performance. Burt DG, Twist C. Journal of strength and conditioning research / National Strength & Conditioning Association, 2011, Dec.;25(8):1533-4287.
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3. Fuel up.

Maximize exercise sessions with pre- and post- workout snacks. Check out our guide to workout nutrition to make sure you’re capitalizing on that last gym session. And don’t forget to hydrate! Water is just as important as a protein shake. In fact, exercising when the water tank is low can cause greater damage to muscles and make it harder for them to repair.

Is It Safe to Work Out Twice a Day?

4. Sleep like a pro.

Studies suggest too little and poor-quality sleep can make it harder for us to recover and perform during future workouts.1 (Check out these super easy ways to sleep better tonight.)

Works Cited

  1. Sleep, recovery, and performance: the new frontier in high-performance athletics. Samuels C. Neurologic clinics, 2008, Apr.;26(1):0733-8619. Exercise capacity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. PrzybyƂowski T, Bielicki P, Kumor M. Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society, 2008, Apr.;58 Suppl 5(Pt 2):0867-5910.

5. Prioritize recovery.

Treat yourself to a little self-myofascial release with one of these recovery tools. And take a day off! If you’ve put in a ton of hours during the week running and weightlifting, there’s nothing wrong with taking a break. A day off doesn’t mean you lounge on the couch all day, but a walk with the dog or some light stretching will help you prep for upcoming workouts.

The Takeaway

There are advantages to working out multiple times a day. Morning people may exert more effort right after waking up, while night owls may prefer to save a tough workout for later in the day.

Thirty to 45 minutes twice daily equals 60 to 90 minutes per day, which allows for more flexibility for people with busy schedules. And for beginners, breaking up exercise into smaller workouts can be less daunting.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how many times we work out, but the way we do it—which body parts we train, the intensity of each session, and how our bodies respond—certainly does. If your aim is two-a-days, just make sure to play it safe and watch out for signs of overtraining.

Originally published July 2013. Updated September 2015.

Works Cited

  1. Daily exercise lowers blood pressure and reduces visceral adipose tissue areas in overweight Japanese men. Miyatake N, Takahashi K, Wada J. Diabetes research and clinical practice, 2004, Jul.;62(3):0168-8227.
  2. Accumulated versus continuous exercise for health benefit: a review of empirical studies. Murphy MH, Blair SN, Murtagh EM. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2009, Mar.;39(1):0112-1642.

Short Sleepers May Catch More Colds

Short sleepers who get less than five to six hours of sleep a night are more likely to get sick after exposure to the common cold virus, new research shows.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

6 Week Challenge Introductory Workout – Saturday 5th September

Only 10 more days till the Spring 6 Week Challenge kicks off! If you’re still unsure of what we do at Dangerously Fit… or feel slightly intimidated joining a group training program. I’m offering a FREE introductory workout on September 5th in Centennial Park at 8am. Come down and see for yourself what we’re about, […]

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When Your Sex Life Doesn’t Follow the Script

Suddenly, sex is something everyone must do, and judgments are passed on frequency and performance.