Exercise & Fitness

It may be hard to believe, but until 25 years ago most doctors thought vigorous exercise caused a body to wear out, or age, faster. One of the top doctors credited with causing an about-face in that thinking: Kenneth Cooper often referred to as “the father of aerobic exercise”.

Today we know that the key to keep body functions working optimally is to keep going, to maintain a regular and vigorous fitness regime throughout life.

A lifelong fitness plan that stresses bones, builds muscle strength and enhances endurance, coordination and flexibility, can slow, if not bypass, some effects we often associate with aging, and many chronic diseases can be avoided entirely.

For instance, physical conditioning has a profound preventive effect on lung function. Starting at age 30, the ability of our bodies to extract the oxygen we need from the air we breathe begins to slow at a rate of about 1 per cent a year. However, at any age, the conditioned person can use oxygen more efficiently than an untrained person. Thus, in spite of that annual 1-per cent decline, the trained person of 70 has the same ability to pull oxygen into the lungs as an untrained 30-year-old.

Another major benefit of exercise is that it may diminish one’s risk of adult-onset diabetes, the type also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes that usually strikes after age 40. Exercise increases the number of insulin-binding sites in muscles, and since more glucose is then taken into the muscles, the glucose level in the blood goes down. Diabetes, which has nerve-damaging effects, hastens aging by putting people at higher risk for heart disease and blindness, among other complications.

The benefits of maintaining an optimal fitness level are also obvious in preventing osteoporosis, a condition caused by severe bone loss that is considered epidemic in the over-60 population, particularly among women. While the effects of this disorder – loss of height, stooped shoulders, susceptibility to fractures – are not usually apparent until late in life, the bone loss leading up to them may actually begin as early as the teenage years. Although everyone begins to lose bone around 35, you can build up your bone mass significantly in preparation.

Bones, like muscles, say stressed – that is, they must be regularly subjected to weight-bearing activity such as walking, jogging, or playing a racquet sport. To understand the full impact of activity on the lifelong and continuous bone-remodeling process – the absorption of old bone cells and the formation of replacement cells – look at what happens when a person isn’t active at all: For instance, if you were to do nothing but rest in bed for a month, you could lose as much as 4 per cent of your bone mass.

The best-known benefits of the active life are its effects on the heart. The accepted wisdom is that cardiac output declines with age, but it’s not necessarily so. It’s true that the rate of an older heart is lower and the blood-filling volume is higher, but the healthy heart of an active, older person is able to maintain a consistently high output of blood, even during vigorous exercise.

What kind of exercise?

An aerobic workout can reduce your heartbeats-per-minute and thereby the amount of work your heart has to slog out over a lifetime. Your aim should be three to five weekly half-hour to hour-long sessions of continuous, rhythmic exercise that primarily calls on your major muscles – legs, buttocks and back. Running, brisk walking, swimming and cycling are the top options.

Not surprisingly, the guideline that will cue you in to the right aerobic pitch is your pulse – what your heart’s doing. It should be working within your “target heart range” – 70 to 85 per cent of your maximum heart rate, figured by subtracting your age from 220. The longer you work within that range in your workout, the greater the cardiovascular benefits. The major news: Don’t go overboard. Orthopedic problems increase with the number of aerobic workouts a week. Stick to every-other-day workouts as the best way to avoid them.

Slowing the muscle drain

Every decade you lose from 3 to 5 per cent of higher-calorie-burning lean muscle and replace it with lower-calorie-consuming fat, especially in leg and trunk muscles. Thirty to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week can head off the fat accumulation, but to combat the muscle loss, you need to supplement your aerobics with two to three weekly sessions of calisthenics or weight training, either on machines or with free weights. If you’re just starting, work with a weight-lifting pro. Weights or calisthenics are particularly important to cyclists and swimmers. Neither sport places stress on bones; hence, neither can protect as effectively against osteoporosis.

Preserving flexibility with stretching

Whether you’re trundling off to aerobics or layering on lean muscle with weights, you should stretch for at least five minutes before and after each workout to maintain the flexibility that otherwise declines with age.

The risks of heavy exercise

Because oxygen plays a role in increased free-radical damage, does heavy exercise increase the risk of cellular aging? Some researchers believe so. Dr. Irene Schnauss, of Munich, Germany, studied this phenomenon in mountain climbers on K-2, the world’s second-highest mountain, in the Tibetan Himalayas. She set up a laboratory at 16,000 feet, and studied the climbers as they attempted to ascend K-2. Dr. Schnauss found that when the climbers’ diets were supplemented with vitamin E they suffered much less free-radical damage during heavy exercise than when their diets were not supplemented with the vitamin. This example of extreme oxygen stress indicates that antioxidant nutrients can help defend against free-radical damage during times of significant exposure, although research has not yet determined whether they will help the body resist free-radical damage under more normal circumstances.

My firm belief is: “Finding a cause leads the way to find a cure”. So, it is basically important to understand everything from its deepest core. And the best way to do so is: Keep on reading to develop and deepen your understanding on health and wellness at GrowTaller4IdiotsDS.com.

There is a way to get the awesome booty you’ve always dreamed of. It does take a little work and dedication however it is easier than you think. Here are 7 awesome booty shaping exercises to help you reach your goal:

1. Lunges: This exercise really does tone and shape your butt. When you first start doing lunges don’t add any extra weight. Your body needs to get used to this type of exercise first. Lunges put extra stress on your knees so it is important that you do this exercise properly. There are plenty of free exercise videos on YouTube which can teach you the correct way to do a lunge.

2. Squats: Squats are the most popular exercise to tone up muscles. Use your own body weight for resistance training. Remember to keep your back straight while doing squats. This takes the pressure off your lower back and puts it on your buttocks were it is most needed. Other things to remember when doing squats are: distribute your weight evenly by keeping your feet flat on the floor and using your heels to push you up out of the squat. Don’t drop into a squat; use controlled movements so that your knees will not be put under a lot of extra pressure.

3. Stair Climbing: Instead of taking the elevator why not climb a few sets of stairs instead? Alternatively you can use a stair climber at the gym or in your home if you have one. The muscles in the backs of your legs and buttocks get an excellent workout when climbing stairs.

4. The Isometric Butt Squeeze: You can do this while watching T.V. Lie face down on the floor and squeeze your butt cheeks together for 30 seconds at a time. Alternatively, you can do this exercise while sitting in a chair or standing. Butt squeezes are exceptionally good for women; it tightens the pelvic floor area and tones the buttocks at the same time.

5. Step-ups: For this exercise you will need a step or bench. You start with one foot on the ground and the other on the stair. Push off with your foot that is on the ground until it reaches the same height as the one on the stair. Slowly lower back down until your foot is back on the floor. Change feet and repeat as many times as you can.

6. Deadlifts: You will need a barbell for this exercise. Pick the barbell up off the ground while keeping your back straight, knees slightly bent and your eyes focused in front of you. Repeat this exercise as many times as you can in a two-minute period. This exercise will shape your butt in no time.

7. Hindu squats: A different style of squat. Squat up and down as fast as you can while touching your fingertip to the ground during each repetition. This exercise is great for burning fat and shaping your buttocks at the same time.

Getting a beautiful round butt is easy when you use these 7 awesome booty shaping exercises as part of your workout routine.

Go to Health Tips For Women to get health and beauty tips that you can use, for today’s health minded women. Discover tips and advice that will make you feel better, look better and learn to enjoy life. We will show you how to live a healthy lifestyle in today’s fast food, fast paced society.

Discover the advantages of living a healthy lifestyle and see the benefits that a well balanced diet can do for you. For more information about weight loss, healthy living, getting the proper diet and exercise and other usefull health tips go to: Health Tips 101

One of the biggest challenges I hear from people trying to lose weight, eat healthier or who just want to be more toned and fit, is lack of motivation.

When you exercise the rewards of feeling good and losing weight become a motivator in itself. Seeing results causes a chain reaction that leads to more exercise and healthier eating. So motivating yourself becomes your motivation.

There are certainly days when working out becomes a challenge even for me. Whether it’s my schedule or I’m feeling a little off. Sometimes I just don’t feel like it. But I know that I will feel better afterwards because I always do. Not just physically but I feel better psychologically too.

Here are 5 ways to motivate yourself to exercise:

1. Remind yourself how good you feel after a workout. Whether it’s the feel of your heart pumping, a runner’s high or the feeling of accomplishment, you always feel better after exercising.
2. Reward yourself. Allow yourself a treat after a workout. It doesn’t have to be something unhealthy. It could be a delicious protein shake or a healthy salad with shrimp and avocado. The thought of that delicious treat will not only get you out the door, it will make you work out a little bit harder too!
3. Put on a cute exercise outfit. When you look good, you feel good. If you don’t have a cute outfit reward yourself with a shopping trip. You’ll feel great as you try on the tight workout clothes after dropping a few pounds.
4. Do something you enjoy. The options are endless. If you absolutely hate running find something else. Try a yoga class or Pilates. If the you don’t like group classes and prefer working out at home, try a YouTube video. Let’s face it, if you hate it, you’re not going to do it. So find something that’s fun.
5. Visualize your goal. If it’s that bikini you want to look good in, hang it up next to your mirror where you will see it every day. Or hang a picture of an ideal fit body on your refrigerator. It will act as a motivator and encourage you to choose an apple instead of that piece of cake the fridge.

We all have different goals and motivators. The important thing is to find whatever works for you and keep doing it. If your routine becomes boring try something new, find new music to listen to or find a friend to work out with. Just don’t quit.

You can get FREE recipes and learn more ways to get motivated, healthy & fit by going to: http://www.irenegabelnick.com