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How
much should you exercise? Can you overdo exercising? Yes, you
can. Last fortnight, I indulged in some avoidable heroism. The
day after a molar had to be extracted by my dentist, I, having
missed a week of workouts because of travel, decided to hit the
gym. The workout went fine, although I found that I was lifting
around 5-10 per cent less than usual. I attributed that to a weeklong
absence and went about my sets normally. Then, just after the
last set, I realised how fatigued I was feeling. I was slightly
dizzy and was breaking out in cold sweat even after a shower.
Fact is, I was not ready for the workout. First, the dental work
had meant a semi-liquid diet on the previous day; and, second,
the pain-killers and antibiotics that I'd been on had probably
made me weak. I'm not suggesting that I shouldn't have worked
out that day-my dentist insists 24 hours is enough of a break
before resuming 'normal' activity-only that perhaps I should have
started with an easier, lighter routine rather than that hell-for-leather
high-intensity gig that I'm doing for the past few weeks.
Over-exercising on a regular basis can have
serious consequences and, instead of keeping you fit, can harm
your health. In fact, over-exercising can not only endanger your
cardiovascular health but also decrease your muscle mass, defeating
the purpose of weight-training!
Over-exercising is one subject that many
of Treadmill's readers ask me about. Another common question is
about cardiovascular workouts-you know running, bicycling, swimming,
etc. When is it the best time to do cardio-early in the morning,
in the evening or whenever you can squeeze out some time? The
answer is early in the morning on a near-empty stomach. There
is a logical explanation for this. Most people do cardio to burn
fat. Now, if you run (or walk or cycle or cross-train) in the
evening, it normally means you have eaten breakfast and lunch
and perhaps another small meal before you hit the track or treadmill
or the bike. Now, remember, all these meals have meant intake
of calories, which is what your post-meal cardio will probably
burn first. Instead, if you do your cardio early in the morning,
chances are that you'll burn calories stored in your body in the
form of fat and, thus, make your cardio session most effective.
Some more tips for a good workout:
Warming up. Always warm up before
a workout and cool down after it. It prevents injuries and is
like tuning up a guitar before it is actually played.
Good technique. Form is of utmost importance
during workouts. Your movement and poise must be perfect if your
workout has to be effective. Don't lift weights that are too heavy
to maintain good form with.
Rest is important. Giving your muscles
rest helps them recover and regenerate. Avoid exercising the same
group of muscles before you rest them for at least 48 hours.
-Muscles
Mani
write to musclesmani@intoday.com
Caveat: The physical exercises described
in Treadmill are not recommendations. Readers should exercise
caution and consult a physician before attempting to follow any
of these.
WORK
AND WORRIES
Computer Vision Syndrome
(CVS)
What Is It:
CVS is a condition resulting from focussing on a computer monitor
for long periods of time.
Symptoms: Burning or tired eyes, double
vision and sensitivity to light. Treatment: Take frequent breaks
away from your computer. Place your computer monitor at eye level
and at least 20 inches from your eyes. Vision therapy techniques
are considered useful in treating CVS.
Cell Phone Elbow
What Is It: Bending
the elbow for extended periods puts pressure on the ulnar nerve,
which runs through a passage called the cubital tunnel. When this
area becomes irritated from injury or pressure, it can lead to
the syndrome.
Symptoms: Numbness and tingling in
the ring and small fingers, pain in the elbow or forearm and a
temporary weakness in the hands, making typing or writing difficult.
Treatment: The best option is to keep
switching hands as you talk. Also, use of a headset or the speaker
option eliminates the use of your hands.
Repetitive Strain Injury
What Is It: Repetitive
Strain Injuries occur from repeated physical movements, leading
to damaged tendons, nerves, muscles, and other soft body tissues.
Says A.K. Kochhar, Senior Orhtopaedic Consultant, Sir Ganga Ram
Hospital: "The main causes are poor typing techniques and
body positioning that place unnecessary stress on the tendons
and nerves in the hand, wrist, arms, and even the shoulders and
neck."
Symptoms: Pain, numbness and impaired
movement of hands and fingers. Severe wrist pain that radiates
to the forearm, shoulders, neck and chest and weakness in the
thumb.
Treatment: The golden rule is-listen
to your body. Stop what you're doing; allow the tissue to re-oxygenate.
"Use a wrist support pad to help maintain the straight alignment
of your wrist," adds Kochhar. Also, anti-inflammatory pain
relievers such as aspirin or ibuprofen can help.
-Manu
Kaushik
PRINTED
CIRCUIT
Bionic Ears
Bluetooth headsets are useful gizmos. But
not all are easy to use.
By Kushan Mitra
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Logitech Mobile Express
Rs 2,995
Bluetooth 1.2
15 grams
2-year warranty |
Aaron
Mcgruder's often controversial comic strip Boondocks carried a
funny episode sometime last year. It involved the protagonist
talking about how Bluetooth headsets make a person look stupid.
Honestly, after trying a few of these gadgets over the past week,
this writer concurs. People who wear Bluetooth headsets look silly.
Make that extremely silly. Why? Nothing can look more certifiably
insane than a person talking to oneself all the time. For that
is what most people will think you are doing when you're wearing
one of these little things.
That said, these little wireless devices-which
pound for pound cost a little less than gold-are rather handy,
in contrast to wired handsfree devices which are always getting
knotted up; there are, in fact, people who have managed to almost
strangulate themselves while trying to put them on. But, Bluetooth
headsets have been around for quite some time now, ever since
manufacturers started making Bluetooth phones (did you know that
Bluetooth is named after an 11th century Viking ruler called Harald
Blatand; the surname means tooth?) so why is Business Today writing
about them now? It's because headsets have become a lot cheaper
now. A year ago, 10 grams of gold wouldn't have got you a headset;
it will now. This shows two things: the price of gold has gone
ballistic and that technology has become cheaper.
 |
Plantronics Discovery
640
Rs 4,700
Bluetooth 1.2
915 grams
2-year warranty |
So, here we have three third-party headsets
(not those sold by the phone manufacturers) priced below Rs 5,000-the
Logitech Mobile Express, the Logitech Mobile Traveller and the
Plantronics Discovery 640.
I liked the Mobile Express because it looked
neat, but it was a pain to use because its space-a | 
