"Benefits of gym training that most people neglect"
(中文在後)
(中文在後)
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| I used to feel intimidated seeing heavy weights and felt extremely uncomfortable in weight area. |
Is gym only for people who want to put muscles on and get beefed up?
People who have never set their foot at gym might have this
impression.
They think that guys and girls who go to the gym are training to
get big.
I have to confess – I thought the same before I went to the gym.
I thought that the gym is for men to build their muscles. Gym is a
peculiar room full of big stinky men and dangerous big metals. And since there
are rarely any girls, it made me feel uncomfortable and I had never ever
thought of going to gym.
One day, I was having fencing training at the dance studio at my
university sports centre. There’s a gym next door. While resting, I went to
check the gym out. There were guys and girls running on treadmills, cycling and
rowing. I walked in and went on the treadmill. And I felt having a gym is
pretty convenient since Hong Kong lacked outdoor workout space. And you can
always workout despite any weather conditions. So there you have it – my first
gym experience.
A lot of people relate “workout at gym” to “bulking up”. Training
doesn’t equate to that for sure. Workout or training means to work on your body
to get your body to close to what you want.
Not everyone has the same training purpose and goals.
The most common purpose for women is to lose fat and
tone up. And for men, lose belly fat and put on muscles.
Seemingly, other essential benefits that workout
brings have been neglected or never came across to people’s mind.
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| Photo courtesy: http://www.the-elbowroom.com/health-clinic/what-we-treat/spinal-health/ |
1. Alleviate pain
People who have a desk job sit too much especially
with BAD POSTURE.
They protrude their head, round their shoulders and
arch their lower back.
After a period of time, their neck and shoulders, and
lower back become tight and sore.
With massage, stretching and some strengthening weight
exercises can alleviate pains like these. But if you avoid exercise because you
have pain somewhere, and those muscles get weaker and weaker, the condition won’t
be any better and definitely will deteriorate as you get older.
Bear in mind, if you have injuries and currently in
recovery, or your pain is severe, exercise with care under instructions of a
professional is necessary, given that you’re medically cleared for exercise. Don’t try things by
yourself if you don’t know!
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| Imagine staying in this position with arched back. My lower back pain got worse and I never addressed the issue. It didn't even come across my mind that fencing made it worse. Photo courtesy: https://classes.lt.unt.edu/Fall_2010/CECS_5420_020/ter0039/assign1/engarde.html |
I used to have lower back pain due to my past fencing training with bad posture (my lower back was so arched. Given that I'm so young!). Through training (especially with lower back strengthening exercise), as my core got stronger to support my lower back, the pain went away.
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| Me on Asia's Next Top Model 2. Rounded shoulders while standing and walking. Not very attractive indeed. |
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| Seated position with rounded shoulders. You may check out my video hehehe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoXZ3d0AjNQ |
2. Posture correction
I used to have bad rounded shoulders and arched lower back too (a.k.a.
anterior pelvic tilt).
With specific training, my posture has greatly improved.
Bad posture makes you look tired, unenergetic and shorter, and in
my opinion, not very attractive! And when you have good posture, your body doesn’t
get tired as easily and definitely will have less back and shoulders pain.
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| My shoulders don't round anymore! |
3. Regulate your routine
When you have worked so much and feel totally flat out, you will
make loads of excuses not to workout.
“I’m so tired. I’ll go to the gym at weekend.”
And it ends up with a Friday night out with friends or co-workers
and tons of booze and a hangover the next day.
“Ah headache. I feel sick. I’m gonna sleep in.”
“I’ll just chill out at home.”
“I’m gonna see my girlfriend.”
“Shoot! I’m working on Saturday over-time!”
“I have to go shopping”
And so on……
When you have decided to get back to workout, and make an effort
to make it part of your routine, you will surely see the changes. You feel more
energised, more alert and more organised.
4. Stress Relief and sense of satisfaction
Here’s an ancient Chinese saying, “Make your whole day’s plan in
the morning.”
Have you ever tried to workout right before going to work?
You’d feel more energized, more light-hearted and work more
efficiently.
Have you ever tried to workout after work too?
You’d forget the day of hardship and negativity you’ve been
through.
Exercise makes you happy. When you exercise, your body produces a
natural chemical called endorphin. It relaxes you, helps lower anxiety and
depression and helps you sleep better!
But, if you exercise barely before you go to bed, your body could
be too stimulated to sleep.
When I shove my headphone on and start working out, it feels like I
am shut off from the outside world. All the worry and negativity seem to go
away along with every single drop of sweat.
Every lift, every punch to the heavy bag, every high jump that I
do makes me feel contented. I feel like I have achieved something.
It feels like when I’m at gym, I’m in another world - a world that
I can truly spend time with myself all alone where I can find my lost self.
Hitting a better time, lifting heavier, reaching lower when trying
to do a split, getting hands on moves that you never imagined could have done –
you are filled with satisfaction. It’s a personal achievement.
Make your workout plans now.
How’d you like to improve yourself through training?
Are you ready to feel better and look better?
Take action and mould a better self you can be.
Leave comments below. Let me know your plans and goals and I’ll
try to answer your questions at best I can.
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"大部分人忽略做gym的好處"
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| 以前入到健身室，看到很重的器材覺得很不舒服，不太敢進來。 |
做gym只是為了操大隻嗎?
很多沒有上過健身中心的人一般都有這樣的印象，
以為做gym的男生或女生都是為了練大隻。
我也要承認，我還未接觸過gym前也是這樣想，
覺得健身房是男生專用操練肌肉的地方—— 是一室充滿臭汗淋漓粗獷的大隻男生，滿室都是危險的重金屬器材，幾乎沒有女生的可怕地方，令人很不自在。因此從來都沒有想過要做gym。
直到有一天，我在大學運動中心上劍擊訓練，訓練休息期間走到旁邊的gym房，
看到有男又有女在跑步，踏單車，拉划艇機等。
於是我走進去，踏上了跑步機。從此我覺得，在香港這彈丸之地，
在沒有地方做運動之下，有gym也不錯，
下雨打風也可做運動。
這是我人生第一次走進健身室。
很多人錯誤地把「健身」跟操大隻拉上關係，
操練不等如練大隻，健身是指鍛鍊自己的身體，
把身體訓練成接近你心中理想所要的。
每人做訓練的目的都不同，
最常最表面的是女生要減肥修身，修線條，男生想減肚腩，變大隻等。
但以下健身的好處，似乎很多人都忽略了，或從來沒想過。
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| 照片來涼: http://www.the-elbowroom.com/health-clinic/what-we-treat/spinal-health/ |
1. 減輕痛症
上班一族朝9晚6坐足九句鐘，又要加班，
長期重著又姿態不良，彎腰寒背，久而久之頸肩腰又緊又痛。
適當的按摩，拉筋及強化運動可以減輕這些上班族的痛症。
因為疼痛而不運動，情況只會越來越差，
越弱的肌肉承拓越弱，只會更痛。
但要注意的是，如果你剛受傷，在康復中，或痛症嚴重，
在醫生許可下，有專業人士指度下做適當及適量運動是十分重要的。
千萬不要自己故亂做運動!
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| 試想我以前常常維持著這個姿勢。我腰痛更加嚴害了。我從來都沒有正視問題，更加不為意劍擊令情況更差。 Photo courtesy: https://classes.lt.unt.edu/Fall_2010/CECS_5420_020/ter0039/assign1/engarde.html |
我以前因為劍擊訓練致腰痛(因為姿勢不良，還有膝痛及腳跟痛。但天哪，這樣年輕就腰痛了?!)。透過適當的重量訓練，由其是腰的強化運動，我核心肌肉強了很多，承拓更好，腰也漸漸不痛了。
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| "亞洲超模生死鬥2"的我。站著走路也寒背。一點都不好看。 |
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| 坐下來也寒背。不嫌棄可去聽我唱歌，哈。 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoXZ3d0AjNQ |
2. 改善姿勢
我在多年的針對性肌肉鍛煉下，從以前的寒背及微盤骨前傾，
修正到現在正確的姿勢。
姑勿論良好的姿勢除了看起來比較精神，
說真的，寒背看起來真的不太吸引，又看起比較矮。
而有正確的姿勢比較不會累，腰酸背痛也比較少。
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| 現在不寒背了 |
3. 令自己更有規律
當你完成工作，身心疲憊的時候，一定會給盡自己千萬藉口不去做運動。
「太累了，週末才做運動吧!」
結果星期五晚一下班就去跟同事朋友去喝，翌日就會因喝太多宿醉在床。
「頭很痛，很不舒服。今天睡晚點才起床。」
「還是在家休息吧。」
「要陪女朋友。」
「星期六要加班。」
「要去逛街。」
究竟還有多少個藉口?
當你下決心去做運動，把運動融入生活習慣時，人會比較精神，更加清醒，做事更有條理有規律。
4. 舒緩壓力，找到滿足感
一日之計在於晨。有試過上班前運動一下，會更有精神，心情愉快，做事更有效律嗎?
可又有試過下班後運動，令你忘卻一天工作的辛勞，當天的不快嗎?
運動可以令你心情愉快。因為運動時，身體會產生胺多酚，令你減少焦慮及抑鬱，亦會提高睡眠質素。
但是是注意的時，臨睡前才做運動的話，身體還會處於興奮狀態，可能會令你睡不著。
當我戴上耳筒，聽著音樂運動，每一滴汗水都帶著壓力漸漸溜走，一天的憂慮都頃刻仿佛消失了。
我每舉一下的重量，向沙包打的每一拳，每一跳，都令我滿足，有成功感。
仿似健身室是另一個世界，是找回自我，跟自己獨處的世界。
能夠可自己個人紀錄刷新時間，可以舉得更重，柔軟度越高，掌握到一些從前不能做到的動作，滿足感難以形容，值得令自己驕傲。你懂嗎?
快點計劃你的運動大計吧。
你的運動目標是甚麼?
你準備好迎接一個感覺舒泰，更美的自己嗎?
踏出你的第一步，去塑造一個更美好的自己。
歡迎在下面留言，告訴我你的目標及計劃，有任何問題我會盡量解答。
About Elektra Yu
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