THE ELEVEN COMMANDMENTS OF GYM ETIQUETTE

The gym is a wonderful place, we go there to for different reasons; to get fit, to get ripped some even go just to socialize and make friends. Whatever your reasons just remember that the gym is a social space and like all social spaces there are rules that guide behaviour. You may not have given it much thought till now, but its true and you will be judged by your behaviour in the gym.

What I would like to do today is to give you my own set of commandments to live by in the gym. They will help you make the most of your gym membership and help you achieve your fitness goals that much quicker. These rules are for everybody, even if you have never paused to admire yourself in front of those huge gym mirrors! (Hopefully all my nagging on this blog will drive you to one in the nearest future!).

So, sit back and have a wonderful read and do me a favour; pass it on.

Do have a wonderful day.

1.       ALWAYS RETURN THE WEIGHTS AFTER USING:

This is my number one commandment, and my pet peeve. It is extremely annoying and frustrating having to search all the nooks and crannies of the weight room for dumbbells, weights and attachments. Please once you are done return all weights to their proper positions, that’s what the racks are for. It’s also a safety issue as weights left carelessly around can and do cause injury in the gym.

THE POWER OF LAUGHTER AND THE FUNNIEST QUOTES IN SPORTS!

Laughter is the best medicine! Whoever coined that phrase must have really been unto something because it turns out that laughter really is as good as medicine. According to a recent study by scientists from the University of Wisconsin, laughing can add years to your age by improving your health. The benefits associated with laughter include:

LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR WITH APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Apple cider vinegar it turns out is the new wonder potion of our time. I stumbled upon it while doing some research on blood sugar and diabetes. I bet that right about now you are probably asking yourself, what in the world is apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar is apple juice that has been fermented twice over to get first apple cider, then apple cider vinegar. It is a moderately acidic compound that has been around for many years but is only now being acknowledged for its ability to reduce spikes in blood sugar.

Why is apple cider vinegar so important to you? Well in Nigeria today diabetes is one of the fastest growing chronic illnesses. It is thought that about 20% of adults over 40 years old are either diabetic or pre diabetic. Our diet is now full of processed carbohydrates like noodles, white rice and bread that have a high glycemic index (high sugar) and as a result many of us are at risk of developing this condition which is lifelong, very expensive to manage and potentially fatal if not well managed.

HOW YOU CAN DEFEAT HYPERTENSION THE SILENT KILLER!

Imagine this; after months and months of nagging from your wife (Men generally feel too macho for regular health checks!) you finally drag yourself to the doctor and undertake a medical. The doctor looks at you and says “you have hypertension” what would you feel? Shock,  fear or confusion?

You would probably feel a mix of all three, and you are not alone. It is estimated that at least 30% of adults suffer from persistent high blood pressure which leads to hypertension. This means your chances of suffering from this are pretty high, and it gets better as hypertension symptoms are not easy to spot and you might have it for years without knowing! If this condition is left untreated, it can be potentially fatal.

Now, you might be wondering is he trying to scare me. The short answer is yes! I hope that you read this get scared and get tested to know your blood pressure. This is very personal to me as I have recently experienced the death of someone close to my family who had been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Typical for us Nigerians he didn’t take it too seriously would rather take “agbo” than his medications and was in bad physical shape. He had a stroke in February, and was paralyzed on the left side of his body. Unfortunately he never recovered and died from a second stroke a month later. He leaves behind a wife and three little children.

This could have been you. Read this piece, act on it and I promise you that this will not be you. If you read this, you will find out the causes and effects of hypertension and how you can avoid it, if you act on the knowledge, I promise you will not have to live in fear of hypertension.

Do read this, pass it on to anyone you know over the age of 35 and together we can beat hypertension.

Do have a wonderful day.

WHAT IS HYPERTENSION? :

ABDOMINAL AND CORE TRAINING MISTAKES TO AVOID

Abs, everyone wants them! We all desire that lean and muscular belly (yes even you, don’t deny it!) Many guys love to show off their biceps and chest, but take a glance at their bellies and you see that beer gut or pot belly well on its way and that look is just not cool.

You might not have the biggest arms or a barrel chest, don’t worry they come a dime a dozen.  If you build a flat and chiseled core and you will stand out from the crowd because having a strong core gives you the look that screams, I am fit, healthy and virile. Unfortunately, many of us in our desire to build that solid core take up the wrong advice from dubious sources. This ends up hindering our efforts to build the strong core of our dreams and leads to frustration.

What I want to do today is to highlight the fundamental errors you are making in your core training that hinders the development your corefitness (I couldn't resist that!) please read through them I am sure you will find it helpful and even if you are not training your core today, I hope this piece inspires you to change your thinking and motivate you to get core fitness tomorrow.

Do have a wonderful day.

1.       YOU DO ONLY SIT UPS AND CRUNCHES:

FOODS THAT LOWER BAD CHOLESTEROL

This is the final installment in our series on cholesterol, here I just want to highlight for you some foods you can eat to help lower bad cholesterol. Do you remember LDL? That’s your bad cholesterol. Today I want to show you some heart friendly foods you can include in your diet, while removing some bad ones! So if you want to reduce your risk of developing heart disease please read on and I promise you more power because knowledge is power.

Do have a wonderful day.

1.       Whole grain Oatmeal:

If you are serious about reducing bad cholesterol, the key is to start with a healthy breakfast, and they don’t come much healthier than whole grain rolled oats, nutritionists estimated that two servings of whole grained oats a week can lower your bad cholesterol by approximately 5.5% in six weeks. The key to this is a substance called beta-glucan that absorbs LDL which your body then excretes.

2.       Red Wine:

Yet another reason to drink up! Thank you science! On a serious note it turns out that red wine is another cholesterol buster. A study from a Spanish university has established that red wine can reduce cholesterol by about 12% in about 3 months. Now the bad news, you must drink in moderation, this means no more than 30cl a day for men and 15cl a day for women. Anything more and the wine becomes a health problem and not a cholesterol buster. Sorry.

CHOLESTEROL: WHATS IT ALL ABOUT?

You have probably heard this many times, “my cholesterol is too high”, this an all too familiar term in our modern life. People are constantly being diagnosed with high cholesterol or being told to watch it, so we all become scared of cholesterol. It must be some evil force stalking us, choking our system from the inside!

To be honest with you, my knowledge of cholesterol was like every ones else’s –close to zero!  All I knew was that it was bad and killed people! Then I heard something unbelievable, there is good and bad cholesterol! I was stunned. No it’s got to be some scam I thought, so I decided to do some digging around and this is the result.

This piece will give you the information you need to know and it will help increase your knowledge of cholesterol. What it is, the good and bad types, foods that increase and reduce them and why you should know your blood cholesterol levels. Read this piece and I promise you will move beyond the hype and fear to find out what you need to know about cholesterol, why you should be concerned and whether it is as bad as they say. Knowledge is power, read this and build some serious power!

Happy reading.

WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

Basically it’s a fatty wax like material that is found in your blood. It is produced in your liver and helps your body to produce hormones like estrogen, testosterone etc. it’s also help you process vitamin D and also produce bile, which helps you digest fat. So it serves a purpose in your system, there are basically two types of cholesterol, let’s call them good and bad cholesterol.

FIVE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF BACK PAIN

It’s one of life’s most debilitating and annoying medical conditions. We have all experienced it at one time or the other, in fact right now; hunched over my computer I am going through it. Needless to say, it is uncomfortable. Today’s piece is inspired by three days of unremitting lower back pain, and I brought it upon myself by disobeying one of the cardinal rules of weight lifting!

Hence, I have decided to write about the seven most common causes of lower back pain in the hope that you can read it and avoid getting laid low by it. The causes are varied and back pain can be brought on by strains (injured muscles or tendons) or sprains (damage to the tough fibrous tissue located where your vertebrae connect), domestic accidents and even how you sleep!

I implore you to read this piece and assure you that if you follow the advice (like I should have!) your lower back will remain in excellent shape and so will you!

Do have a wonderful day!

P.S: For those of you who do experience back pain and attribute it to “jedi jedi” the jury is still out on that one, I am not yet a believer but that will be a topic for another day.

HOW TO BEAT LATE NIGHT SNACKING!

Its 10.30pm, you had dinner a couple of hours ago and should be preparing to shut down for the night. Except you can’t, there’s this voice coming from your belly “you can’t sleep yet! I still need something, feed me!” We’ve all had to battle this scenario at one time or the other, that gnawing feeling, that craving for carbohydrates. It’s known as late night snacking or as I prefer to call it, the midnight munchies.

The midnight munchies are caused by a wide variety of reasons and if not properly understood it has the potential to derail all the good work you are doing i.e. your exercise and dieting, as you struggle to achieve a sound body and mind. Today I would like to talk about the triggers of late night snacking and the solutions to each.  Please do apply the solutions to any of the triggers that affect you; they have been of immense help to me. I promise you that if apply them you will have the munchies defeated and be on your way to a fitter, healthier you.

BUSY WORK SCHEDULE:

Not getting time to eat a proper meal due to a packed work schedule makes you more vulnerable to night time eating. Try to eat more regular and balanced meals during the day, skipping meals might impress your boss, but it will play havoc with your hormones and you will pay the price in the long run as your body will crave that skipped meal at the worst possible time. My tip for the day: always buy fruits like apples and bananas, as they are filling and you can snack on them throughout the day.

Top ten Vitamin supplements for men

Sequel to the article on essential minerals, I decided to do a piece on the top multivitamin supplements in the market for the modern man.

They cut across all ages and activities whether you just want to maintain proper body function, are into sports and exercise or a monster body builder! There is something for everybody. These nutritional supplements contain vitamins: A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K .They also contain all the mineral supplements a man needs for optimum energy and performance.

Ladies don’t worry, I will be bringing out a list of the top supplements for women in the near future, so please don’t be mad.

Please note, while not all these supplements are available in our markets, I have gone on a market survey and have found 70% of them in some of our best pharmacies and health stores, and the rest can be bought online.

I hope you find this guide useful, and if you do, pass it on!

Do have a wonderful day!

10. CENTRUM ONE A DAY:

This is a brand you have probably seen in stock at the health section of stores and pharmacies, Centrum have many good brands so it’s only natural that their men’s multivitamins and minerals supplement makes the list. What it has going for it is its affordability and ease of taking (only one tablet) but if you are into heavy exercise or weight training, it might not do it for you. The essential nutrients featured in this formula include: Vitamins B6 and B12, Vitamin C and Vitamin E and Folic Acid for heart health, in addition to calcium and magnesium, Vitamin A and Vitamin D for immunity. All in all this is a basic formula that will support health at lower energy levels.

Are you suffering from a Vitamin deficiency ?

Most of us suffer from one annoying health niggles from time to time, most times we just shrug it off as one of those things, little do we realize that a lack of vitamins might be the culprit.

Although, it is well known that some deficiencies can be dangerous i.e. a severe lack of Vitamin C can cause scurvy. However even relatively small deficiencies come with their own problems

“Diet and poor nutrition are often overlooked by health practitioners despite being related to everyday health complaints” according to Professor David Kennedy pysychobiologist at Northumbria University U.K.

I agree with this position wholeheartedly, hence I decide to dig up some common health issues that could be affecting you today. We will also be looking at the deficiencies that might be causing them and food sources of the needed vitamins. I hope you find this very educative and that it helps you make the right choices in your diet.

Do have a wonderful day.

12 essential minerals you need and might not be getting

Let’s go back in time to junior secondary school biology. Do you remember the essential minerals your body needs to function properly? I bet you can’t, but don’t worry you are in very good company, most people can’t either.

However, essential minerals need to be taken very seriously, a recent study found out that approximately 80% of adults suffer from deficiencies in 3 or more of the 12 most essential minerals.

Here in Nigeria the figure is probably higher as we live in a high stress, heavily polluted and rapidly modernizing world. Trace minerals are essential for our well being as they affect virtually every facet of our bodies; immune system, reproductive system, digestive system and mental health are just a few examples of segments of our health that are affected by mineral deficiencies, and the scary part is that we are mostly ignorant until it is too late. Many life threatening health conditions can be mitigated by a conscious consumption of foods that are abundant sources of these trace minerals as well as by supplementation (more on this later).

What this list aims to do is to reacquaint you with these minerals, remind you of their functions, dangers of deficiency and also let you know how you can get your recommended daily dose.

Take this list seriously and I promise you will be on your way to a fitter, healthier and more productive life.

The funniest quotes in sports! Laughter really is good for you.

Laughter is the best medicine. You have heard it a million times, but whoever uttered those words must have been on to something. It turns out that laughter does actually have some health benefits.

They include:

·         Improved blood flow:. Researchers at the University of Maryland studied the effects on blood vessels when people were shown either comedies or dramas. After the screening, the blood vessels of the group who watched the comedy behaved normally -- expanding and contracting easily. But the blood vessels in people who watched the drama tended to tense up, restricting blood flow. 

·         Immune response. Increased stress is associated with decreased immune system response. Some studies have shown that the ability to use humor may raise the level of infection-fighting antibodies in the body and boost the levels of immune cells as well. 

·         Blood sugar levels. One study of 19 people with diabetes looked at the effects of laughter on blood sugar levels. After eating, the group attended a tedious lecture. On the next day, the group ate the same meal and then watched a comedy. After the comedy, the group had lower blood sugar levels than they did after the lecture. 

Common diabetes myths busted!

Its  a monster! One of the great terrorists we face in Nigeria today, no I am not talking about Boko Haram! I am talking about diabetes. A disease generally unknown to us a generation ago has become an epidemic and it is growing by day. No one has accurate statistics, but if we go by anecdotal evidence, almost every family in Nigeria has one person or more who is either diabetic or prediabetic.

Like all monsters, diabetes has generated its own fair share of myths, legends and half truths. There is so much information and misinformation about the nature, cause and effects of diabetes that it becomes really difficult to know what to believe, this has inspired me to do some digging around to help you sort fact from fiction about the disease. Please read the following myths about the disease, it will help increase your knowledge on diabetes and hopefully help you make informed health and lifestyle choices and lead a happier and healthy life.

Happy reading, and do have a wonderful day.

The physical benefits of fasting

We all know about fasting. Virtually everybody and has embarked on a fast at one time or the other. Truth be told I have never met anybody who looks forward to fasting, since we all live in a consumer age the thought of denying yourself one of the pleasures of life is really not that appealing.

Here in Nigeria we mostly engage in fasting for the spiritual benefits, we want to have a closer connection to our God and really concentrate on him during this time of self denial. Guess what? In the process of seeking spiritual blessings, you can also obtain physical blessings from fasting. Some of the benefits of fasting include;

*Reduction in blood sugar and blood pressure

*Reduced risk of diabetes and obesity

*Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

*More efficient fat burning

*Preserves memory function, reduces the incidence of degenerative brain diseases

*Reduces inflammation and lessens free radical damage

The core principles of training

Training principles? Yes they do exist! In all things we do we have to apply principles to guide our activities. Training your body is really no different.

We all have our different training objectives, routines and techniques, some of us train to gain muscle mass and strength, while others are in it for weight loss and cardiovascular fitness. Whatever your goals, there are some core principles you need to ensure you get the best out of your fitness regime. From my extensive reading I have come across many ideas, some wonderful and helpful and others not so wonderful and totally useless! Today I want you to learn the 5 core principles of training that can help guide you to achieve you fitness goals, they can be adapted to ANY exercise regime. I guarantee that if you follow these principles in designing your workout then you will be on your way to a fitter, healthier body.

Do you really want to lose that pot belly?

For a lot of us it’s a never ending war between us and our bellies, at times it seems like a losing battle, because the older you get the more difficult it becomes . You exercise and eat right but nothing seems to work! The good news is there is a solution, today’s post will teach you a new way to fight belly fat. Follow this method religiously and I promise you will start to win the war, one battle at a time.

Let us start by stating the obvious. To lose that unwanted belly fat you have to lose weight, right? Having said that, there is the wrong approach and the right approach. Let us first explore the wrong approach.

Many people try to lose belly fat by targeting their belly only, I have lost count of the number of times I have heard people say “I just want to lose fat on my tummy the rest of my body is ok” but it’s not!  As a result, most people will concentrate only on the tummy, doing hundreds of sit ups and ab crunches every day! The problem is you cannot target belly fat exclusively, at best you will develop strong abdominal muscles but little else. Do not be fooled by those miracle tummy fat loss devices like your ubiquitous tummy trimmer, Ab flex, Abs isolator being hawked in Lagos “go slow” traffic it won’t work! Don’t bother with fancy belts that shock your tummy and promise to melt fat I have been there and done that, it won’t work! Same goes for fat loss creams, there is no miracle cure or short cut.

BMI? IGNORE IT!

I have a friend named Tony; he is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 112 kg. His BMI is approximately 33, so according to this indicator, tony is obese and needs to lose about 35 kg to be safe.

There is only one problem, Tony is a muscular with very little body fat, and is as fit as is humanly possible. I have a massive grouse against BMI being used as a measure of fitness or health, due to people like Tony who disprove it, but I am getting  ahead of myself so let me start at the beginning.

BMI (Body Mass Index) is used by many Doctors, nutritionists, dietitians etc as a measure of heath. Its value is derived by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in Meters squared:

WEIGHT(KG)/HEIGHT(METER SQUARED)

I do not believe in the effectiveness of BMI as it does not take into account body frame, you could be muscular and large framed and share the same BMI as a smaller individual with more body fat.

                                                  Different frame same BMI!

Do you know your numbers? Part 2

1. Blood pressure:

This number should be number one on your list! Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a precursor to such stroke and heart attack. The terrible thing is that this chronic condition has virtually no symptoms! So do invest in a blood pressure monitor, it just might save your life. Conversely low blood pressure can also be dangerous, as it causes dizziness and people with this condition are at risk. Try to control your intake of salt and alcohol and watch your stress levels. Your key numbers are blood pressure readings of between 90/60 and 120/80.

Breaking news!

Nigeria's super eagles just drew1-1 with the Namibian national team! Details to come later.

Do you know your numbers?

Do you know your vital numbers? If someone asked you this question your first thought would probably be “I don’t need to know them, that’s why I store them on my phone!” Nice one, but I am not talking about important phone numbers, I am talking about vital health numbers that indicate your current physical condition. Learning where you fall in the numbers can be the difference between life and death, literally! The human body is a delicate machine; you just never know when it’s going to clunk out! Everybody should know their vital health numbers, now there are all sorts of vital signs you can measure but these eight I am going to talk about are in my opinion the most important. Take care of them and everything else will fall into place. Today we will look at four of them, I will Endeavour to complete the list in my next post.

You do have time to exercise!

Imagine this scenario; you are in your doctor’s office, and he drops a bombshell: you have a terrible medical condition, you must lose ten percent of your body weight through physical exercise or you will be dead in six months! Would you answer “doctor, I would love to but I just don’t have the time to exercise”?

It’s safe to bet you would never give that answer; you would be so scared that the time would be found and the weight lost in two months!.  Proving that you can achieve anything, given the proper motivation. My friend, you don’t have to wait till that loaded gun is pointed at your head! I know it’s tough to squeeze out time from your hectic schedule, but think of exercise as an investment in your body and the profits are a healthier body and mind, powerful weapons in this battlefield called life.

IS SUGAR THE ENEMY?

Sugar! It’s the twenty first century health nightmare! That monster, waiting round the corner to destroy you. There are countless books, websites, articles and television shows that have chronicled its evil effect on your health. Diabetes, obesity and more health conditions have been blamed on this monster. 

 Let me not beat about the bush, sugar is the enemy; however it is a qualified enemy. In its refined state it is pure evil, only your taste buds love and crave it. Sugar is more of a foe, but can also be your friend, you will never escape it, in its friendlier guise sugar is present in all carbohydrates and fruits you consume and in this form it provides you with energy without which you just cannot function, and this is the sugar your body and brain crave.

WELLCOME TO COREFITNESSNGR!

                                   WELLCOME TO COREFITNESSNGR!

WHO AM I?

I am a fitness and healthy lifestyle enthusiast with a background in sales and marketing. I am passionate about weight training, cardio and nutrition as the key to achieving a healthy body and mind.

WHAT HAVE I DONE?

I have been a fitness enthusiast for 10 years and have been exposed to many different training techniques and philosophies which have helped me develop physically, mentally and spiritually.

WHAT DO I WANT TO DO?

I desire to help people achieve their fitness and lifestyle goals with some fun and laughter thrown in!

HOW DO I WANT TO I WANT TO DO IT?

I want to achieve this through this blog: corefitnessngr , an interactive forum for us to share our experiences; victories, failures and ideas . I will update you on the latest health and fitness theories, suppliments, techniques and ideas; I will also test them out on myself as your guinea pig!