FEBRUARY2016|19

Like it or not, the festive season is over and it’s time to get back to work. Over

the holidays, many of us indulged in excessive eating and drinking as well as late nights that take a toll on our health and energy. Take heed to sports nutritionist and personal trainer, Hero Tai and you’ll regain optimum health and stamina in no time!

1. Chinese New Year is over. My weight increased and my stamina went low. How does exercise help me slim down and increase my stamina? Hero: Ninety-nine percent of us would gain weight after the New Year as it’s inevitable to overindulge in the abundance of delicious food available during reunions with family and friends. However, we

best way to lose fat and increase your stamina is to practise “Move-Eat-Move”, which means working out for at least 3 minutes (high intensity interval training is recommended) before each meal. This does not only burn calories and boost your endurance effectively, it also promotes better digestion. Besides, taking Cordyceps supplements helps to boost your stamina and energy.

2. What sorts of exercises are best for increasing stamina? Hero: The key to increase your stamina is cardio exercises, that is activities that elevate your heart rate and keep it elevated for a sustained period. Low intensity cardio exercises include jogging, swimming, cycling and hiking while high intensity cardio workouts include sprinting and jumping. These exercises boost your cardiovascular endurance while helping you to burn fat.

more since you will be working additional muscle groups. You can switch your workout by walking today, go running the next day or swimming on the following day. Variety lets your body rest and at the same time allow you to improve your cardiovascular system

every day. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends exercising for at least

half an hour a day. By doing this,

exercising longer or exercising at a greater intensity.

3. Is it true that I should not eat before exercising?

Hero: To answer this, we need to know the time you had your meal.

Is it two hours, one hour, or right before exercising? If it’s two hours before, you can eat as usual. However, if it’s one hour before, you should choose food that can be digested easily. If it’s immediately before exercising, I suggest that you only drink some water or take energy drinks in order to not burden your digestive system and harm your health.

4. If I don’t feel like a mess after a workout, does that mean I didn’t work hard enough? Hero: Exercising does not necessarily make you feel tired. In fact, you may feel refreshed and uplifted after performing cardio or stretching exercises! During or after resistance training, instead of checking your level of tiredness, you should check whether your muscles are sore. If you don’t experience any muscular soreness at all, it means that either your

posture is wrong, or the intensity is too low.

5. Does warming up prior to exercising prevent us from having body pain after exercise? Hero: First, one should understand that “dynamic stretching” is different from “static stretching”. According to the latest medical reports, it is not advisable to do static stretching before exercise. Stretching cold muscles is like stretching a piece of frozen rubber band – it doesn’t stretch easily and can cause injury. However, dynamic stretching or low-intensity cardio exercises are suitable to warm-up prior to a workout. On the other hand, stretching after your workout helps relax the muscles and therefore reduce the duration of post-exercise soreness.

“Keep you up to the task anytime anywhere”

This article is brought to you by Eu Yan Sang. Visit us at www.euyansang.com.my

Source from Urban Health, Issue 132