Author: KYIAS

Vitamin D levels in the blood are linked to cardiorespiratory fitness, according to a study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a publication of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

“Our study shows that higher levels of vitamin D are associated with better exercise capacity,” said Dr Amr Marawan, assistant professor of internal medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia, US. “We also know from previous research that vitamin D has positive effects on the heart and bones. Make sure your vitamin D levels are normal to high. You can do this with diet, supplements, and a sensible amount of sun exposure.”

It is well established that vitamin D is important for healthy bones, but there is increasing evidence that it plays a role in other areas of the body including the heart and muscles.

Cardiorespiratory fitness, a reliable surrogate for physical fitness, is the ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen to the muscles during exercise. It is best measured as the maximal oxygen consumption during exercise, referred to as VO2 max. People with higher cardiorespiratory fitness are healthier and live longer.

This study investigated whether people with higher levels of vitamin D in the blood have improved cardiorespiratory fitness. The study was conducted in a representative sample of the US population aged 20-49 years using the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) in 2001-2004. Data was collected on serum vitamin D and VO2 max. Participants were divided into quartiles of vitamin D levels.

Of 1,995 participants, 45% were women, 49% were white, 13% had hypertension, and 4% had diabetes. Participants in the top quartile of vitamin D had a 4.3-fold higher cardiorespiratory fitness than those in the bottom quartile. The link remained significant, with a 2.9-fold strength, after adjusting for factors that could influence the association such as age, sex, race, body mass index, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes.

Dr Marawan said: “The relationship between higher vitamin D levels and better exercise capacity holds in men and women, across the young and middle age groups, across ethnicities, regardless of body mass index or smoking status, and whether or not participants have hypertension or diabetes.”

Each 10 nmol/L increase in vitamin D was associated with a statistically significant 0.78 mL/kg/min increase in VO2 max. “This suggests that there is a dose response relationship, with each rise in vitamin D associated with a rise in exercise capacity,” said Dr Marawan.

Dr Marawan noted that this was an observational study and it cannot be concluded that vitamin D improves exercise capacity. But he added: “The association was strong, incremental, and consistent across groups. This suggests that there is a robust connection and provides further impetus for having adequate vitamin D levels, which is particularly challenging in cold, cloudy places where people are less exposed to the sun.”

On the other hand, Vitamin D toxicity can lead to excess calcium in the blood, which can cause nausea, vomiting, and weakness. “It is not the case that the more vitamin D, the better,” said Dr Marawan. “Toxicity is caused by megadoses of supplements rather than diet or sun exposure, so caution is needed when taking tablets.”

Regarding further research, Dr Marawan said: “We know the optimum vitamin D levels for healthy bones but studies are required to determine how much the heart needs to function at its best. Randomised controlled trials should be conducted to examine the impact of differing amounts of vitamin D supplements on cardiorespiratory fitness. From a public health perspective, research should look into whether supplementing food products with vitamin D provides additional benefits beyond bone health.”

Celebrity personal trainers live an exciting life, mingling with the who’s who from among the elite society, travelling with them all over the globe and becoming almost as high profile themselves. They get paid handsomely for their services and build an enviable reputation as their already famous clients climb even higher on the success ladder. While all this makes the job of a celebrity personal trainer sound absolutely amazing, it is something that needs time, commitment and determined effort to achieve.

Everyone avails the services of a personal trainer with the same basic aims – to look fit and feel great. The main difference between training a regular client and a high profile one is that there is a lot more pressure and urgency in case of the latter. The celebrity client may need to be in flawless shape for an upcoming event/performance and as the personal trainer you would be expected to deliver results in the shortest time frames. The secret lies in designing exclusive, stimulating workouts and planning effective diets that achieve quick results and make your celebrity client an ambassador of your expertise.

Some valuable advice on how to be a celebrity personal trainer Steele Williams from TRAIN.FITNESS who has worked with Naomi Campbell, Mel B, Melanie Sykes, Bjork, Ruby Wax, Sinitta, Max Beesley and Elle McPherson to name a few.

• Get certified: Obtain the required qualifications from accredited sources which will maximise your chances of getting employed at an elite gym. Choosing the right personal training course is crucial.

• The next step is to build a strong client base: Start working as a personal trainer and gradually build a vast network of clients and other social contacts. Take every effort to steer your clients towards achieving their fitness goals so that your reputation spreads by word of mouth.

• Have a marketing strategy in place: It’s just as important to know how to use the latest online and offline strategies to promote your business and be more visible in the market. You will need to invest time and money towards building a strong reputation to counter the fierce competition and be able to stand apart.

• Have the perfect physique that inspires admiration: Work hard to develop a fantastic body that would speak volumes about your competence as a physical trainer. Just flaunting your physique amongst the high profile elite can help to boost your profile and possibly make waves towards becoming a celebrity personal trainer

• Apply for a job at a high end gym: Try to get employed at the most expensive gyms in the city, which are known to be frequented by celebrities. The reputation and publicity of high end gyms will rub off on your career as well, helping you to gain credibility. It will give you an opportunity to get noticed by celebrity clientele and build a rapport with them, of course keeping in mind the rules of the gym about soliciting clients.

• Contact PR managers of celebrities: Get in touch with managers of celebrities offering to train them for free. Show the portfolio of work you have done so far and possibly design a free 10 session workout plan for them.

• Keep up to date about latest fitness trends: Make sure that you are always learning about the newest innovations in human physiology, sports science and exercise techniques. Enrol in courses and workshops for more specialised knowledge in specific fields like nutrition, kinesiology and motor skills. Celebrities expect their personal trainer to be experts at their profession to be able to provide them with unique, personalised training regimens that will enable them look and feel their best.

• Have your own website which can be a platform for you to post your own ideas about fitness methods, showcase your workout designs and share expert insight. Make unique training programs and post videos of your workouts that are trendy and effective enough to catch the eye of your audience, slowly but surely giving you an edge over your competitors.

• Open to relocate: You may have to take the decision to relocate to bigger cities where celebrities usually live and work. You might have to make your choice based on the profession of the celebrities you intend to work with – movie stars, musicians, artists, models, sports stars. But in any case, your move will have to be to a big city which will not happen without its share of challenges and difficulties.

• Be prepared for an erratic work schedule: You will obviously have to plan your schedule around your celebrity clients’ busy schedule which may require you to work at odd hours. But considering the rewards of your efforts, it is a small compromise to make. With every success that your client achieves, your business too will grow by leaps and bounds.

A new study, now published in the Journal of Sleep Research, examines the effects of short naps on the brain’s ability to process unconscious information.

Sleep is key in both memory formation and the consolidation of new information.

Cutting-edge technologies now allow scientists to see where in the brain learning takes place, and how sleep deprivation interferes with the brain’s neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to respond and adapt to the stimuli it receives from the environment.

What happens “under the hood” when we are asleep has also been the focus of numerous studies.

According to research that Medical News Today recently reported on, scientists were able to locate specific memories and strengthen them while the study participants were asleep using certain auditory cues.

Now, an intriguing new study focuses on the effect of daytime naps on the brain’s ability to process information that we are not consciously aware of.

Additionally, the study examined how daytime naps impact conscious behavior and choice reaction time — that is, the speed with which the brain processes new information.

Liz Coulthard, a consultant senior lecturer in dementia neurology at the University of Bristol Medical School in the United Kingdom, led the new research.

Naps help process unconscious information

Coulthard and colleagues recruited 16 volunteers for the study and gave the study participants two tasks.

In the first, a “masked prime task,” the researchers presented information to the participants very briefly so that they didn’t have time to register the information consciously.

In the second (control) task, the participants responded when they were shown a red or blue square on a screen.

Most wonder when the best time is to do cardiovascular training. But is there really an exact time to put cardio into your workout that will benefit your body? Many researchers have looked at this in a number of ways, but there has been no significant proof of when the best time of day is to do your cardio work out. However, there are many factors to consider when deciding on when to do your cardiovascular training. By following a few simple steps, you can make your cardio workout most effective.

First off, most people would agree that the best time to do a cardio workout is the time when you feel most energetic throughout the day. This allows you to use all your energy, and to maximize the effectiveness of your workout. A lot of people say that they feel best doing their cardiovascular workouts in the mornings because this is the time they have the most energy.
However, if you are not a morning person, this is probably not the best time for you. Remember, there is no specific time of day that is proven to help benefit your cardio workout. In the end, you have to choose what time works well for you.

To get the best results of cardio training, it is ideal to separate your cardio days from your weight training days. So, if you lift weights 3 times a week, try to do your cardio sessions on the days you are not weight training. This is especially important for men who are trying to gain mass. If you do your cardio workout before lifting weights this can deplete your glycogen stores, and defeat the purpose of your entire weight lifting session. Glycogen stores are your muscles main source of energy, and if you have very few of them you will not be able to push yourself through those last few reps that mean the most from your workout. For women and those who’s priorities are not to gain mass, it is alright to do a cardio workout before a low-intensity weight training session.

If your ultimate goal is to try and get both your cardiovascular training and resistance workout done in one session, you are better off doing your cardio session after your weight training. The main reason for this is because weight lifting does not deplete your glycogen stores as much as it would during a session of cardio. Therefore, if you do your cardio session after your weight training, you will still have some left over glycogen stores to get in a decent
cardio session. If you want a more effective cardio session in the same day as weight training, it is best to wait a few hours before jumping right into it after lifting weights. The reason for this is that it is important to restore your glycogen stores to stop the breakdown of protein. But, if you are trying to get both weight lifting and cardio done in one day, it is best to do your cardio session last.

People often ask if they should do their cardio training on an empty stomach. The answer to this is no. The reality of it is that if your body has no food in it, it has no easy source of energy. Therefore your body will start to look elsewhere for a source of energy. But where does it get the energy from? It will actually start to take energy from your muscles. So unless your goal is to lose muscle and become scrawny, I wouldn’t recommend doing cardio on an empty stomach. Although I would never recommend eating a meal before working out, I would try to plan a light snack about 30 minutes prior to your cardio training. This would be most beneficial to your entire work out.

Cardio equipment choice is also something that is often questioned. However, the choice of the equipment you use simply does not matter. They are all effective for cardio training, so whether you use a treadmill, an elliptical trainer, or a bike, all will lead to an effective cardio workout.

Finally, taking these simple things into consideration should help you decide what the best time is for you to do cardio. Only you can decide when and where, however knowing these simple facts may make your decision a lot easier. In order to make a cardiovascular workout effective, you must be consistent in your routine. The benefits from cardio will only be revealed if you stick to a set schedule. Also, it is important to note that every single person has a certain time of day when they feel most energetic. Try to figure out when that time of day is for you and fit your cardio workout into that time slot. You will most likely be able to push yourself the most during this time, and have an overall better workout. In the end the only person who can decide when the best time for cardio is, is you. But, if you stick to these simple rules, your cardio workout should be most beneficial.