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Training and Health
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This page is for any news relating to exercise, sport and health. In some cases this will generate a response that will try to evaluate the news in the context of our sport. I am more than willing to make room for any contributions on this subject as I know there are many in our sport who have a real in-depth knowledge of these issues. As ever let me know your thoughts, good or bad, agree or disagree. Where I use an article I will always acknowledge the source. Equally I will try to make it clear when I am offering an opinion.
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How does Thai Boxing fit into a healthy lifestyle?
Having read the latest advice given in the article below these are my thoughts on our sport and how it meets the demands of the new guidance. Remember I'm not an expert or a doctor but I've studied martial arts for a number of years and try to keep myself up to date with the "science" behind sport ever since I was introduced to good coaching practice by Steve Hateley and Tony Gummerson back in 1990.
The new guidelines say:30 minutes of moderate exercise a day is still the minimum, but vigorous as opposed to moderate activity should be "explicitly" recommended and combining days of moderate exercise with other days of vigorous exercise is better for you.
Thai Boxing combines aerobic and anaerobic exercise which can be equated with the two types of exercise mentioned above. When you are exercising at a moderate pace you are likely to be working aerobically. This includes shadow boxing and working basic technique as well as working on the pads or bag at your own pace. A well planned session will also cycle in periods of anaerobic exercise where you are pushed by your partner or trainer to "up the intensity" on the pads or in sparring.
This division can either be made within a taught lesson or applied over the week to fit in with your available training options. By this I mean you can do a "technique" lesson at your club on day one working at a moderate pace then have a vigorous pad session on day two working one-on-one with your coach. On day three you may be solo training where you shadow box, jog or work the bag at a moderate pace finishing off with a good all body stretching session. On day four you then get together for a sparring session at the club and work at a higher intensity, pushed on by your fellow students. Day five would be rest, not lying on your bed rest but normal activities, walking to the shops mowing the lawn etc (active rest?). You then restart the cycle or begin a new combination of moderate / intense sessions.
They also say that people should do two weight-training sessions a week. I read into this the need to do weigh bearing or resistance exercise including body weight resistance or partner resistance exercises not simply working out in a weight gym. I do believe that weight training has real benefits and everyone would benefit from at least one session per week in addition to their core sport but if you can't get to a gym will Thai Boxing provide any of the same benefits?
Most sessions will involve a degree of conditioning using body weight squats, push ups etc as well as partner resistance work. Also the "prum" or neck wrestling techniques work the pulling muscles to help balance the development of pushing muscles used in striking. In addition "prum" can be an intensly anaerobic exercise particularly amongst beginners (relax, it's easy to say but harder to do).
I would welcome any thoughts you may have on the subject and will be happy to publish any articles or opinions provided. I believe that Thai Boxing can provide the foundation of a healthy and effective exercise regime if it is done right (good coaching practice, progressive work outs combined with a balanced lifestyle).
Stephen Oldman 4th Sepember 2007
04/09/2007
The era of gentle exercise is over.
Report by Polly Curtis, health correspondent,The Guardian,Friday August 17, 2007.
Official advice that 30 minutes of gentle exercise a day is enough to improve your health has been revised by the scientists who first developed the international fitness guidelines.
Until now, government recommendations have suggested that people can achieve a minimum level of fitness through their normal daily routines. But amid fears that the lightest of activities such as dusting and the stroll to the car are being counted as exercise, a new study by the public health experts behind the formula concludes adults need to add jogging and twice-weekly weight training sessions if they want to cut their risk of heart disease and obesity.
The scientists, world-leaders in public health and exercise advice, say they want to clarify the fitness guidelines for healthy adults which were adopted by the World Health Organisation and later used as a template for healthy living by the UK government. Some people have misunderstood the original message and are doing too little exercise, they argue. But they go even further saying explicitly that people should do vigorous as well as moderate aerobic exercise because of the "substantial science base" that it is good for you.
The paper published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, includes authors who are influential members of the American College of Sports Medicine. They write: "There are people who have not accepted, and others who have misinterpreted, the original recommendation. Some people continue to believe that only vigorous intensity activity will improve health while others believe that the light activities of their daily lives are sufficient to promote health."
The new guidelines say:
· 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day is still the minimum, but vigorous as opposed to moderate activity should be "explicitly" recommended
· Combining days of moderate exercise with other days of vigorous exercise is better for you
· Moderate exercise should be in addition to daily activities such as casual walking, shopping or taking out the rubbish
· People should do two weight-training sessions a week
"Many adults, including those who wish to improve their personal fitness or further reduce their risk of premature chronic health conditions and mortality related to physical inactivity, should exceed the minimum recommended amounts of physical activity," it says.
Paul Gately, professor of exercise and obesity at Leeds Metropolitan University, said: "Scientists keep changing the goalposts but this advice is trying to provide more specific information for specific groups of people to encourage them to do appropriate exercise."
The authors include several experts who are on a high-level committee in the US which next year will announce America's new physical activity guidelines. Their revisions this month are widely expected to be adopted as official advice there. Their original recommendations in 1995 were quickly adopted by the WHO and by the UK government in 1996.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said it was watching developments in the evidence about how much exercise was optimum but there were no plans at the moment to change the advice.
03/09/2007
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