Fabila's Fitness Club

Y ou probably have heard this over and over again, but what really is your core? I find myself saying this countless times to my clients, without stopping to think whether the average person understands me. Your core is a complex series of muscles that extends beyond your abs. It includes all the abdominal muscles, the muscles of your lower back, your pelvic floor, your hips and the diaphragm, a core breathing muscle.

Happy Independence Day Nigeria!!! October 1 is usually welcomed with mixed feelings. For some Nigerians they spend the day discussing about all the trials and tribulations of the country, while some are happy because they get time off work/school, and for some others it is time to attend Independence Day Parry! (i.e.Party). On my way out today, I saw some people with their green and white themed outfits, probably going to attend some Independence Day event. 

O xygen is crucial to human survival. Whilst many of us may survive days without food, lack of oxygen for a few minutes could lead to death. Without the proper oxygen flow throughout the entire body, your organs begin to operate less efficiently leading to health problems. Proper breathing is essential during exercise. A good breathing pattern ensures the flow of oxygen to the working muscles. Breathing incorrectly during exercise could lead to injuries. Incorrect breathing during exercise includes holding your breath, breathing too shallow or breathing too fast. Holding your breath during exercise allows the blood pressure to go to your head. This can cause dizziness, light-headiness, and headaches. This is a result of the muscles not being able to relax. 

I  often get asked by guys whether fitness programmes like zumba can help build their muscles, and I always respond by asking “How much?” Zumba won’t make you look like this…  but it would get you toned so you don’t look like this ---------------------> Zumba although mainly targeted at improving your cardiovascular fitness, also incorporates other components of fitness. If you are looking to build muscles like the man in image 1, then in addition to cardiovascular fitness, you should add resistance training. Resistance training, also known as strength or weight training is well established as an effective method of exercise for developing muscular fitness. 

I  often stress to my client’s the importance of arriving early to class and the importance of joining in the cool-down exercises. Warm-up and cool-down exercises are essential to any fitness program. The warm-up, which is performed at the beginning of the workout, prepares the body and mind for exercise. It also helps to prevent injury. The time duration for a warm-up routine depends on the entire duration of the program. For a one hour aerobic session, 15 minutes warm-up is usually advised. 

F lexibility is your joints' ability to move freely through a wide range of motions. Most children are naturally more flexible than adults since joints often tighten up with age. In my article, “ Choosing a Fitness Programme 3: Flexibility Training ,” I identified some benefits of flexibility training. Just like adults, kids need to stretch their bodies. Always remember that flexibility varies by age, so certain ages of children are more flexible than others. I teach dance to the children at Tenderville, and I’ve spotted toddlers performing a half split without giving it a thought, while some would bring their foot up towards their lips. Unfortunately, I’m never quick enough to catch those moments in camera. At my last practice session with the older kids, I had them show me their acrobatic moves; this time around I had my camera so I took some pictures. I was amazed at the ease with which they performed straddle splits, head stands, cart wheels, etc.

M otor skills include the coordination, speed, power or agility required to complete an activity. There are six components of motor skills related to fitness. These are agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time and speed. A motor skill is associated with muscle activity. You carry out motor skills when your brain, nervous system and muscles work in harmony to move parts of your body in large or small movements. Motor skills improve with practice. These six components of motor skills define your athletic abilities. A well-rounded athlete seeks to constantly improve all six components equally. Agility: is the ability to perform movements, quickly and in varied directions. Agility exercises are designed to enhance your speed and power. For example, changing directions to hit a tennis ball.

My all time show-off flexibility posture F lexibility has been defined as the range of motion about a joint and its surrounding muscles during movement. Flexibility training is probably the most undervalued component of fitness. The ability to move a joint through an adequate range of movement is important for daily activities in general as well as sports performance. Activities such as gymnastics, ballet, diving, karate, and yoga require improved flexibility. Although flexibility is variable between individuals (gender, age, and genetics) flexibility in some joints can be increased to a certain degree by exercise, with stretching.

R esistance training, also referred to as strength training is simply any fitness activity aimed at strengthening the muscles. It is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance. The external resistance can be equipment, e.g. dumbbells or your body weight. A complete body workout ideally should include some resistance training to improve bone, joint function, bone density, muscle, tendon and ligament strength, as well as cardio exercise, to improve your heart and lung fitness. Some examples of resistance exercises include:

Y ou’ve decided to lose weight, or maybe you are slim but you have decided you need some physical activity. You head to a gym to register but then you are confused about what fitness programme is right for you.  In this article and the next three, I would briefly highlight four components of fitness training to help you make an informed decision. These are: Cardiovascular training, Resistance training , Flexibility , and Motor skills. Cardiovascular training : the term “cardiovascular” relates to the circulatory system, which comprises the heart and blood vessels. The cardiovascular system is responsible for circulating blood throughout the body. A cardiovascular fitness programme would therefore aim at building the circulatory system. Cardiovascular fitness not only improves your ability to carry out activities more efficiently, but, also reduces the risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke,  among  others. Some benefits of cardiovascul...