Cardiovascular fitness:Frequently asked ques-tions! Cardiovascular fitness is essential for both a healthy heart and mind. When we talk about cardiovascular fitness we are referring to the overall ability of the body to generate en-ergy through the circulation of blood and oxy-gen. Any improvement of cardiovascular health involves strengthening the heart and increasing endurance. Because the heart is just like any other muscle in the body we can make it stronger by exercise and conditioning.

What is the cardiovascular system?

The cardiovascular system is the system that circulates blood throughout the body. It is of-ten referred to as the circulatory system. The primary organ responsible for the circulation of the blood is the heart.

How does cardiovascular fitness benefit the body?

The cardiovascular system is an integral part of almost every part of the body. Therefore, the benefits of cardiovascular fitness go be-yond simply strengthening the heart. This type of exercise has a direct effect on the mental processes because of the increased blood flow. When you exercise regularly there is also an increase in the number of red blood cells which the body uses to transport oxygen throughout the body.

What type of exercise strengthen the cardio-vascular system?

There are basically two types of exercises. There are aerobic exercises and anaerobic ex-ercise. Aerobic exercises are those which in-volve the larger muscles and lasts a long

enough period of time to increase the body’s need for oxygen and it is this type of exercise which is essential to strengthening the cardio-vascular system. Therefore, appropriate forms of cardiovascular exercise are running, aero-bics, vigorous walking, cycling and some sports if played actively enough. The key is to choose something that you can enjoy if at all possible. The more pleasurable the activity is, the more likely you are to continue doing it.

How can I get started?

The problem most people have in beginning an exercise program is simply getting started. Getting started involves more than just exer-cising the first day. There are many who do this and never return. The key in getting started is to make it a part of your lifestyle and a habit. One big factor in a regular workout routine is to have a workout partner ot trainer. Knowing that somebody else depends on you will greatly increase your chances of keeping your commitment.

How do I know I am doing enough?

There is a simple guide to determine if you are exercising hard enough. The first step is to find the upper limit of your heart rate. You can find this by taking your age and then subtract-ing it from 220. So for example, if you are 35 then the upper limit would be 185. Once we have this then we can use it to determine whether we are reaching an ideal level of 60% to 80% of the upper limit. Most trainers agree that the heart needs to reach a rate of 60% - 80% of the maximum for a sufficient cardio-vascular heart rate.

Cardiovascular Fitness

E D E N M O R E G O L F & C O U N T R Y C L U B

If it wasn’t for dogs,

some peo-ple would never go

for a

walk.

Country Club News

August 2009 Health & Fitness Team

P A G E 2

The issue is not how

much fat you consume, its how much of the good fat

you consume, and how

much of the bad

The Facts On Fat Some fats you should be eating, and some you should avoid. Here’s a few tips.

Limit trans fats A little of anything , including fat won’t hurt you… unless its trans fat. According to a recent study, you can reduce your risk of heart attack by 50% by eating just 4g less of trans fat each day. You could make a start by using a soft marga-rine. As a general rule, the softer the margarine, the less trans fat it contains. If you tend to spread your margarine thickly on your morning toast, try a trans fat free marg from a health food shop such as Holland & Barrett. Ask for a baked potato in-stead of chips. I know this one will hurt, but check out the facts. Most restau-rants cook their chips in vegetable oil loaded with trans fatty acids. They then reuse the oil, which causes chemical reactions that could make the oil even higher in trans fat. Be warned: one extra large order of chips has up to 19g of trans fat. Ignore the call of the vending machine. That’s because nearly every proc-essed snack food is made with partially hydrogenated vegetable

oil. Even a seemingly healthy processed snack can tip the trans fat scale. A good guide:if the snack leaves your fingers feeling greasy, you can bet it contains trans fats. Take your vitamins with satu-rated fat As bad as a saturated fat can be in excess, you still need a certain amount of the stuff to utilize im-portant fat-soluble vitamins. In a study published, 5 people took beta-carotene supplements either on an empty stomach or with some fat. The source of fat in this case was Haagen-dazs ice cream. After eating that, beta-carotene absorption went through the roof. Other fat-soluble nutrients include the prostate-cancer fighter lycopene (found in toma-toes), vitamin D, E and K. Keep track of your burger intake You will probably be shocked at how many burgers you get through. Foods such as meat pies, sausages, mince and burgers con-tain enormous amounts of satu-rated fat. But remember you’re cutting down, not out. The satu-rated fat in red meat is high in stearic acid so, in moderation, it’s not as bad for you as other fatty foods.

Hit the olive oil

It’s one of the richest sources of oleic acid. Every man should have a bottle of olive oil in his kitchen to cook with, instead of butter or margarine. Olive oil also contains vitamin E, an anti-oxidant that will strengthen your immune system and may lower high blood pressure.

Snack on nuts

Nuts are generally high in mono-unsaturated fat and low in saturated fat. Pistachios, pe-cans and almonds are all exam-ples of nuts with the best ratio of mono-unsaturated to satu-rated fat. Like olive oil, they also contain vitamin E.

Eat a steak with your milk

Beef and lamb are natural sources of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Granted, CLA sup-plements are available in health food shops, but research is yet to prove that supplements work as effectively as when nutrients come from food.

E D E N M O R E C O U N T R Y C L U B N E W S

Dish of the month What you’ll need For the tuna:1 tuna fillet ,1 handful of shredded lettuce , 1 handful of cherry tomatoes, ¼ red pepper, chopped. A few pitted olives, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tbsp Dijon mustard, ½ clove of garlic, crushed pinch of dried thyme.

For the vegetable cous cous:70g cous cous, ¼ cooked yellow squash, diced, 1 tbsp crumbled feta, ½ tbsp chopped almonds, ½ tsp mint, ½ tsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Tuna with vegetable cous cous

Preheat a non-stick griddle pan over a medium heat and sear the seasoned tuna for no longer than one minute on each side. Remove and set aside. In a large bowl toss together the lettuce, tomatoes, olives and red pepper. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic and thyme. Cut the tuna into ½ inch thick slices. Put the salad mix-ture onto a plate and top with the tuna and dressing. Prepare the cous cous as per the packet directions. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well before serving.

You are what you

eat.

‘Neagh Problem’ for Action Cancer

On Sunday, 30th August Janice Wilson (Gym Member) & Kenny McCann (Gym Manager & PT) will be competing in the ‘Lap the Lough’ cycling event. This event covers 150km’s (that’s 95 miles in ‘old money’), circling Lough Neagh. However, we are not doing this ‘just for fun’. We want to raise as much money as possible for Ac-tion Cancer—that’s where YOU come in!!. We’ll do the pushing and sweating and all you have to do is donate some cash to help motivate us and support this very worthy charity. Cancer is set to become the biggest killer this new millennium and Northern Ireland suffers from one of the highest incidences of the disease. Action Cancer is committed to saving lives and supporting people with cancer in our commu-nity—so PLEASE donate as much as you can to help Action Cancer continue this fight to save lives and help people living with cancer in Northern Ireland. All sponsorship raised will be spent on their lifesaving services and research, here in Northern Ireland. Every year £3.6billion must be raised to fund Action Cancer’s services which include early detection clinics for men and women, a mobile screening unit, the ‘Big Bus’, health promotion for workplaces, community groups and schools, campaigning, grants for local research projects, counselling and complementary therapy for peo-ple living with cancer and their families.

Almost all of us will know someone in our own circle of family and friends, whose life has been touched by cancer. Here’s how your cash can make a difference: £5 Will help towards providing vital information leaflets to the public concerning issues like breast, cervical, testicular and bowel cancer. £25 Will help provide a counselling session for a cancer patient or their loved ones when they need support most. £35 Will cover a session of complementary ther-apy and relaxation for people under great stress and difficulties. These include yoga, aromather-apy and Indian head massage. £75 Will cover the cost of a mammogram with two consultant radiologists to report on every mammogram taken at Action Cancer. This is one of the most effective ways of detecting breast can-cer at an early and treatable stage. £100 If just 50 people give £100 each Action Cancer can fund a cancer research scholarship for a whole year at one of our local universities. So, as you can see, even the smallest amount can make a difference to fighting cancer . Your active support is much needed and appreci-ated. Please give as much as you can—it WILL make a difference.

It really couldn’t be easier to support Action Cancer and motivate us to keep pedalling. Just do one of the following: • Online—Go to www.justgiving.com/janken and use your debit/credit card to donate—it’s safe

& secure and incredibly easy, plus it takes no time at all! Check it out for yourself! • Cash/Cheque—Give your cash or cheque (made payable to Action Cancer) to either Janice or

Kenny and complete our sponsorship form. Thank you, Janice & Kenny

The Challenge! Making a Difference!

2 EASY ways to Sponsor and make a DIFFERENCE!

August Offer

Not to be missed.

Half price round of golf.

Monday to Friday

Before 9am And

Between 12 noon and 4pm

Yoga/Pilates Do you want to increase your flexibility, tone your muscles and relax your mind ? Why not try our Yoga or Pilates classes ? Run by an experienced teacher Victoria, these classes are designed to comple-ment your day to day training and life-style. In order to measure your progress, we suggest signing up to a six week course. Our next course starts on Wed 16th September. There will be no classes on the 2nd or 9th Sept due to hols.

Refer A Friend For the month of August we are re-running our refer a friend scheme. Here’s how it works; simply refer a friend into membership and you will receive a polar FS3 heart rate moni-tor. This heart rate monitor is per-fect for tracking heart rate and calo-ries and provides a summary after your workout.

Promax Diet is a unique meal replacement, designed for weight conscious individuals looking for high quality nutrition to support their weight loss goals. Each serving of Promax Diet has 228 calories and contains 38g of Biomax™ whey protein, with just 10g of complex carbohydrates and fibre to keep hunger at bay, along with essential fatty acids (EFAs), 1700mg of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), green tea, caffeine and other beneficial ingredients. The whey protein in Promax Diet is rich in essential amino acids, which are important when dieting to spare muscle tissue. Promax Diet is an ideal substitute for breakfast and lunch or any time where a healthy, quick and easy alternative to fast foods or un-healthy snacks is required. For optimum results, take 2 servings a day, along with Maximuscle’s other ‘diet solution’ products, train hard and follow a sensible diet and you should achieve your goals in record time. Promax Diet mixes easily with water to form a great tasting shake.

Maximuscle Promax Diet