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Innocent Choga : Fitness

Skipping the rope is one simple exercise that produces great results when it comes to fitness and weight loss. It is an exercise that we take for granted that can produce good results when it is done properly and regularly. Skipping is a high intensity exercise that is more efficient in terms of calorie expenditure than running, but we cannot do it for a longer time because the force of gravity is much more involved when we jump. Experts say we burn more calories when we skip as compared to running for a certain equal period of time. Even expert professional skippers can only skip for a limited duration before they eventually tire out, but we can run for hours and hours without a break.

While it may seem to be a convenient exercise that can be done at any place, not everyone can skip anywhere. It is an activity that requires caution particularly for beginners and those who are overweight. Skipping requires practice and it puts a lot of stress on the feet, ankles, knees and thighs. Remember for every action there is an equal opposite reaction; so when we hit the ground hard, the ground applies equal force to the related muscles, the feet, ankles, knees and thighs. At times we do not feel the damage there and then, so it may take years to feel the toll. Maybe we may feel it years later when we have even forgotten we used to skip .So there is need to play it safe; use comfortable ,cushioned shoes and also do it on soft ground or wooden floored aerobic rooms .

Skipping is a rigorous activity especially for those who are just starting, since heavy breathing is involved there is need to do it in a well ventilated room and there is need to avoid jumping too high if one is overweight or new to the game. A correct sized rope will also enable one to skip for a longer duration making the activity enjoyable. The skipping activity that children usually do, with two people holding the opposite ends of the rope is very rigorous because you are bound to jump high and more frequently as the colleagues holding the ropes will be dictating the pace applying more intensity to make you falter so that they can also have their turn.

I have always enjoyed ending my training sessions with a few sets of alternating skipping the rope and punching the bag. Because skipping is a high intensity exercise it should not be a warm up activity but it should be done at the end of exercise sessions. If you do it earlier you might not last the distance of the whole exercise session because you will tire out early.

Skipping is one exercise that is mostly associated with boxers; they certainly skip their way to fitness. I think it not only helps by enhancing their cardiovascular endurance ,but it also gives them balance by working the feet and calf muscles enabling them to withstand those hard punches that can send them sprawling on the canvass if they do not have strong feet muscles to stand on .

Guest

Our guest this week is 45-year-old Rodney Bare.Rodney is a gold miner who despite his engaging job makes a lot of time for exercising. He has the energy to run his business and exercise not only three times a week, but twice a day in those three days. He also takes aerobic classes at the gym and at home.

Bare started training twenty five years ago. I have known him since he started working out and I knew him as being kind of heavy and a bit chubby during his youth but he now looks lean. I thought he was into non competitive body-building during those days, but he said he was actually exercising to lose weight. As much as I knew him way back then, he was not so much into aerobics, but now he is heavily into aerobics and he even takes classes for fun.

It has been a long road but Bare has steadily achieved what he was aiming for and he can gain and lose weight as he wishes. He says this year he missed his target by 3kg. He says in January he weighed 84kg and his target was to weigh 75kg around this time, but he is currently weighing 78kg at a height of 171 centimetres.

His personal exercise routine involves early morning work outs with weights and around 4pm he goes into a karate session. He is at the brown belt stage. After that he instructs aerobic classes at 5pm. He works out at three gyms, I am sure this makes it exciting for him; meeting different people at different places and using different equipment. He says he has also introduced some aerobic sessions at his home area in Zimre Park where he exercises along with his friends.

These guys are disciplined ,after all these years of training you would think they will not mind missing one session or being late by a few minutes; I tried to disturb him by coaxing him and his friend to miss their 4pm karate session by a few minutes but they could not have any of that, I had to wait.

Bare is not into strict dieting and all that stuff. He says he eats whatever he wants but he cuts down on his portions. I am certain he burns all the calories during all these numerous physical activities.

He gets some inspiration from seeing other individuals he meets at the gyms ageing gracefully due to exercise. He credits cardio aerobic work for his acquired lean body mass. He says he also gets motivation from sharing ideas with other gym members. Bare says between 2003 and 2008 he was living in the UK, but unlike other individuals who abandon their workouts when in foreign lands he stuck to his sessions and also managed to take classes.

He says it takes a lot of dedication. He added “Initially you put a lot of effort but as you get along you get used to it and it becomes a lifestyle, so you just find yourself doing these things effortlessly”. Considering all these physical activities he is involved in I thought he is into training and aerobic instruction full time, but this is just a part time thing. He says exercising helps build the confidence he applies in his mining work, for which he has a serious passion. He said he is satisfied with the returns from his business but he sees a lot of potential.

Food Factor – Nuts

A few weeks ago we discussed about peanuts being a legume that shares the benefits of both legumes and nuts. Peanuts are classified as legumes because they are the only nuts that are grown underground in the soil while the rest, macadam, hazel, almond nuts etc are tree based.

I had a discussion with health expert Mac Mucadam and he had this to say “Nuts are mostly valuable for their essential fatty acids (EFA). These fatty acids are broken down to several categories like gamma, lanolic acid etc, fats that the body desperately needs”. These are fats that have zero cholesterol and are different from the undesirable cholesterol laden animal fats.

Mucadam said the nuts and seeds oil that is ideal is cold pressed, and has more value than the refined oil. Mucadam said nuts in particular peanuts are an excellent source of roughage and carbohydrate content, but its most important value is in the omega -6 fatty acids. Mucadam said the red skin peanuts are an excellent source of resveratrol which is also found in the skin of grapes, mulberries etc. Resveratrol is responsible for a healthy heart, is found in the skin which we sometimes throw away after sifting nuts to be processed into peanut butter. He added that all nuts are an excellent of B vitamins.

Because of the oil content and the roughage nuts can be used as an appetite suppressant. Starting the day with a handful of nuts can help curb the appetite for those who overeat. Healthy individuals can also get away with eating salted nuts. These would also be ideal when we are performing in activities in which we sweat a lot. The idea is to prevent the dehydration effects of sweating and also replace the water soluble B vitamins we lose through urine and sweat. Too much salt however would not be good for those with high blood pressure. The same applies to athletes whose disciplines can be affected by increase in weight caused by salt’s water retention effects. It is interesting to note that these water retention effects of salt are so serious such that Harvey and Marilyn (1987) points out how the Egyptians used it for embalming.

In Mucadam’s opinion nuts are blood group specific though the healthy individuals can get away with munching any type of nuts. He advises that those individuals with health problems or deficiencies should have their blood groups analysed so that they can be advised on the type of nuts that are appropriate for them to consume.

Email:[email protected] Innocent Choga is a six time National Body-building Champion with international experience. He is studying for a science degree in Physical Education and Sport.