Bodytalk
Question: Will my workouts be better if I warm up before I lift weights? Warming up is key
before working outAnswer: Yes. To start with, a warm-up helps prepare you psychologically for a workout. It gets your body and mind ready to exercise.
A warm-up elevates the core temperature of your body, which makes exercise safer. Cold, stiff muscles and joints are at a higher risk of injury than those that have been properly warmed up.
A warm-up also increases heart rate and stroke volume. How fast the heart beats and how much blood passes through the heart are both measures of how much blood is circulated out to your body. It's the hemoglobin in the bloodstream that carries oxygen to your muscles.
Without a rich supply of oxygen, your muscles won't work very effectively. That's because lactic acid, a byproduct of muscle metabolism, builds up and prevents any further work. Lactic acid is dispersed by oxygen.
Energy enzymes also cannot function at full capacity in the presence of lactic acid. A good warm-up, and the oxygen it delivers to your muscles, increases the effectiveness of these enzymes by dispersing the lactic acid. By warming up, you simply have more energy.
Warming up improves the viscosity and thus the quality of the synovial fluids surrounding your movable joints. Think of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. He could move just fine once his joints were oiled.
It's the same with people. A warm-up lubricates our joints which allows us to move freely.
How much of a warm-up should you do? Five to 10 minutes on a stationary bike, treadmill or StairMaster is enough. Do your warm-up exercise at an intensity that makes you break a sweat.
If you lift weights with cold, tight muscles, you're inviting injury. There won't be enough oxygen in the working muscles to enable them to perform. Your energy enzymes will be slugging around in an acid bath, which will cause early muscle fatigue.
Bottom line--without a warm-up, your workouts will be less potent, more dangerous and not nearly as much fun.
Q: Why is olive oil considered such a healthy type of fat when it contains some saturated fat? Isn't saturated fat the fat that is a risk factor in heart disease?
A: All vegetable oils contain some saturated fat, some more than others. What makes olive oil so much better for your health than other oils is that it contains a higher percentage of monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats (including omega 3 fatty acids) are the healthiest fats for your heart. The ratio of fats in olive oil is 77 percent monounsaturated, 14 percent saturated, and 9 percent polyunsaturated.
Populations that use canola and olive oil as their main dietary fats have a much lower ratio of heart disease and cancer than Americans and most Europeans. This is true even though their dietary fat intake is about the same.
All oil, including seed oils such as olive, canola (rapeseed) and flaxseed, is pure fat. There are no other nutrients in oil. One tablespoon contains 126 calories and 14 grams of fat.
To reduce your risk of disease, eat all dietary fat in moderation.
Otherwise, you're likely to gain weight.
Obesity, defined as 20 percent above healthy body weight, is a risk factor in heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes II, gallbladder disease, and some cancers.
Stephenie Karony is a certified health
and fitness instructor, a personal trainer and the author of
"Body Shaping with Free Weights." Send questions to her at
P.O. Box 262, Wailuku Hi. Her column appears on Wednesdays.