Education & Career Success Guide: Exercise
Showing posts with label Exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exercise. Show all posts

Achieving Balance: The Essential Guide to Fitness and Wellness

08:36
Achieving Balance: The Essential Guide to Fitness and Wellness

In today's fast-paced world, maintaining a balance between physical fitness and overall wellness is more crucial than ever. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or just beginning your journey towards a healthier lifestyle, understanding the fundamentals of fitness and wellness can make a significant difference in your quality of life.



Setting Your Fitness Goals

The first step towards improving your fitness is setting clear, achievable goals. Whether your aim is to lose weight, build muscle, improve flexibility, or simply enhance your overall well-being, establishing specific objectives will help you stay focused and motivated.

Exercise: Finding What Works for You



Physical activity is a cornerstone of fitness and health. Finding an exercise routine that suits your preferences and lifestyle is key to maintaining long-term commitment. Options range from cardiovascular exercises like running or cycling, to strength training with weights or bodyweight exercises, and flexibility-enhancing practices such as yoga or Pilates.

Nutrition: Fueling Your Body

A balanced diet plays a crucial role in supporting your fitness goals. Focus on consuming a variety of nutrient-dense foods such as lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid excessive consumption of processed foods, sugary drinks, and unhealthy fats. Hydration is also essential; ensure you drink an adequate amount of water throughout the day to support your body's functions.

Rest and Recovery: Essential for Progress

Rest and recovery are often overlooked but are vital components of any fitness regimen. Adequate sleep allows your body to repair and rejuvenate, while rest days give muscles time to recover and prevent overuse injuries. Incorporating relaxation techniques such as meditation or deep breathing can also reduce stress levels and promote overall well-being.

Mental Health: The Mind-Body Connection

Physical fitness goes hand in hand with mental well-being. Engage in activities that reduce stress and promote mental clarity, such as mindfulness practices, outdoor activities, or hobbies you enjoy. Remember, a positive mindset and self-compassion are crucial for long-term success in your fitness journey.

Community and Support

Building a supportive network can significantly enhance your fitness journey. Consider joining fitness classes, sports teams, or online communities where you can share experiences, receive encouragement, and stay motivated. Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals can make the process more enjoyable and sustainable.

Monitoring Progress and Adjusting Goals

Regularly monitoring your progress allows you to assess what's working well and where adjustments may be needed. Keep track of your workouts, nutrition, and how you feel both physically and mentally. Celebrate your achievements along the way, no matter how small, and be willing to adapt your goals as you progress.

Achieving and maintaining fitness and wellness requires dedication, patience, and a holistic approach. By prioritizing exercise, nutrition, rest, mental health, and community support, you can create a sustainable lifestyle that promotes overall well-being. Remember, every step you take towards improving your health is a step towards a happier, healthier you.
Read More
Read more No comments:
No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Change your life with morning exercise.

22:36
Change your life with morning exercise.

How many of you love to do exercise? As per our schedule and daily life routines, most people are allotting time for exercise at their convenient time.  So that we can live a health life. Here our experts say morning is the best time for exercise. Let me know more about the morning exercise.  
Your morning routine can hold the secret to better health. Find out the habits that will super-start your day
Would you love to have more energy and a better memory? Fewer colds and fewer aches and pains? The answer could lie in your morning. The start of the day holds the key to taking control of your well-being before time gets away with you and other people’s priorities invade.
You don’t need to get up at the crack of dawn to reap the benefits. Simply going to bed 15 minutes earlier and waking up 15 minutes earlier the next day, before everyone else is up, you will have the time to make positive changes to your morning that will make a real difference to your health and happiness. So, before you tuck into your toast, try these tricks.
Cold Comfort
Health Benefit: Improve your memory
Switching your shower to cool for the last few minutes can help “shock” your body awake, helping to relieve fatigue and increasing mental alertness, so you will get more done throughout the day. In one study, a daily “cooler” shower (around 20⁰ C) was also found to help ease depression. But make sure to check with your doctor before trying this, especially if you have a heart problem.
Laying Twist Move
Work Out The Kinks
Health Benefit: Ease aches and Pains and boost energy
Doing yoga when you wake is great for loosening muscles and joints, boosting energy and starting your day in a positive mindset.
Try Laying Twist Move; it helps keep the spine flexible, and kidneys healthy and improves blood pressure.
  1. Lie on your back with legs straight and arms out a little higher than hip height.
  2. Place one foot on top of the opposite leg and gently twist over from the waist, using your top leg as a weight to take you into a Lying Twist. Hold for 10 deep, slow breaths. Repeat on the other side. Keep shoulders, arms and core muscles relaxed.
Scrap the Snooze
Health Benefit: Higher-quality rest
More than half of us set our alarm to snooze, but in fact, those extra few minutes won’t do your health or well-being any good. Set your alarm for the time when you really need to wake up. The reason? If you wake and doze, your brain will already be braced for the second alarm and it won’t let you dip back into the deep, restful stage of sleep. To feel well-rested, it’s much better to get an uninterrupted high-quality stint of sleep and then get straight up.
Good Morning
Health Benefit: Beat Fatigue
Instead of coffee, wake up with a cup of peppermint tea, its smell lowers fatigue and frustration. Worried you can’t function without a caffeine hit? People who start the day with a coffee are no more alert than those who don’t.
Mix Your Muesli
Health Benefit: Lose weight and feel great
Mix 8 handfuls of rolled oats, 2 large handfuls of ground bran, 1 handful of chopped dried apricots, 1 handful of chopped dried dates, 1 handful of crumbled walnuts, 1 handful of chopped almonds, hazelnuts or Brazil nuts, with plenty of skimmed milk and store in a large, sealable container in the fridge – it will last a good few days and you won’t be tempted to eat buttered toast instead. To serve, add more milk or yoghurt, plus some grated apple, chopped banana or berries.
Fresh-Air Fix
Health Benefit: Lowers blood pressure
That wonderful feeling of crisp air on your skin, the sounds of the birds in the trees…. Stepping outside makes us all feel better, particularly in the morning when it’s more quiet and tranquil. And it also brings with it a whole host of health benefits.
People who get a daily burst of vitamin G (what experts are now calling time spent in green spaces) have lower blood pressure and recover from illness quicker, thanks to stress-relieving benefits, which can last all day. A bit chilly to step outside? You can still reap the benefits by enjoying your morning brew of peppermint tea while looking out of the window.
Morning exercise is more beneficial than at other times
Try Your Trainer
Health Benefit: Get fit
Morning exercise is more beneficial than at other times. Those who reached for their trainers in the morning dozed off faster at night and had less disrupted sleep than those who exercised at other times.
One explanation is that the body releases stress hormones when you wake up, and working out in the morning counteracts them. People who exercise in the mornings are more likely to stick to it before that day gives you a raft of excuses.
The ideal morning workout is one you look forward to doing, whether that’s yoga, a gym class or swimming.

Wishing everyone a healthy life ahead with love
PriyA
Read More
Read more No comments:
No comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

How do you decide what to include in your workout routine?

08:12
How do you decide what to include in your workout routine?


Yes, we’ve all heard enough number of times how important exercise is for good health. And even though companies cash in on this a lot, for once it’s more than just a marketing gimmick.

What most don’t know enough about is what exactly to do when they’re exercising. There are so many different forms today – cardio, weights, Pilates – how is one supposed to choose? What are the benefits of each of these?

Not every type of exercise gives you the same results. Each of one of them has a different purpose. For example running will not make your back stronger, but it’ll be good for your heart and burning calories. So how do you decide what to include in your workout routine?

Working out is not just about weight loss.

Well, it’s a simple 4-step process.

1.         Know what your goal is.
2.         Understand what form of exercise will benefit you and how.
3.         Choose the ones which fit your need.
4.         Then do it.

Set Your Goal

Exercising is not just for weight loss. In fact, let me rephrase - it’s mostly not for weight loss. 80 percent of weight loss has to do with what you eat and only 20 percent is exercise.

But there is a gamut of health benefits that working out offers. From keeping diseases at bay to building strength, exercising to stay fit is more than just a number on the weighing scale.

So before you start exercising you should know what you’re doing it for and

What your goal is.

Is it the back pain that you want to reduce? Or growing risk of heart disease that you want to keep at bay? Or it may well be to get your body in shape.

Setting your goal is the first step because that will decide your workout routine.

Cardio, Yoga, Pilates – What to Include in Your Workout?

If you’re blindly doing anything for the sake of exercising, you’re wasting your time. 

Do you do a couple of minutes of this and a couple minutes of that to make yourself feel like you’re “working out” and feel good about it? Hate to burst your bubble, but it’s not helping you.

Every exercise has a specific benefit and should be done for a certain time period. So to help you understand these benefits we spoke to Holistic Fitness Expert Vesna Jacob and looked at various studies.

Here’s what we know about the different forms of exercises.

1. Cardio
Cardio makes your heart race and beat faster, giving it a good exercise.

Cardio is for your heart and as a result, burning calories. For a healthy and strong heart, doctors recommend walking daily for at least 45 minutes or 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity at least fives times a week.

Cardio makes your heart race and beat faster, giving it a good exercise.

Any considerable calorie burning is above and beyond a basic cardio session (this includes running or walking). It’s just to start things up and warm you up for higher intensity workouts if you’re looking at losing weight.

Sample this; on an average you burn 300 calories in an hour of a moderate gym session. While you’ll consume the same amount of calories by eating just half a burger or a samosa.

And that is the reason you don’t see yourself losing weight even after joining the gym. We eat much more than we can burn by moderate amount of cardio.

2. Weight Training
 
Weight training doesn’t mean that you’ve to bulk up.
Weight training is for building strength. Adding weights to your workout routine will lead to stronger muscles and bones, reducing the risk of injury.

And no, weight training doesn’t mean that you’ve to become a body building hound and bulk up. Building huge muscles is intentional and takes a great amount of work, following a weight-gain diet and taking supplements.

Lifting weights moderately and eating a healthy diet will result in a fit and lean body, not a big and bulky one.

3. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
HIIT helps you build endurance and better stamina.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of cardio training. It refers to a technique in which you do short periods of high intensity exercise followed by less intense rest and keep alternating this.

HIIT helps you build endurance and better stamina. And studies also say it’s a better and faster way to burn calories.

These exercises can be of various types depending on which area of your body you want to target. To give an example, a lower-body interval workout where you sprint for 30 secs, do squat jumps for 45 secs, do 20 lunges, 50 calf raises, rest for a minute and repeat.

4. Yoga
 
Yoga is not for weight loss.
Yoga is more of a holistic experience. It includes meditation, breathing exercises, as well as physical asanas.

So if you talk about the physical form of yoga, including new age variations like power yoga, it aims to keep your overall body fit and strong. Yoga postures keep your joints, back, neck, all in good shape. Thus preventing pain.

It also is said to heal internal problems, like building immunity, aiding fertility, and keeping diseases at bay.

Yoga is not for weight loss. You may lose weight in the process but it’s not the aim.

5. Pilates
Several sports persons and celebrities go for Pilates as it improves performance and prevents injuries. 

Pilates helps you build a stronger core. This means that it increases muscle strength and tone of your core muscles – abdominal muscles, lower back, hips and buttocks. It also improves flexibility and body control.

Many Pilate’s exercises are very similar to corresponding yoga postures. While Pilates can include working out on specific machines, it can also be done at home without anything but a floor and a mat. It includes very targeted exercises for different body parts. Therefore, you see results quicker without tiring yourself too much.

Several sports persons and celebrities go for pilates as it improves performance and prevents injuries. Also, if you’re one with flat belly aspirations, try out pilates.

Now that you know the benefits of different exercises, make the most of your workout time. Happy exercising!
Read More
Read more No comments:
No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

10 reasons why you should drink Green Tea

02:40
10 reasons why you should drink Green Tea
It’s official that tea is good for your health. So go ahead and relish that hot cup of green tea to realize its power and enjoy its numerous health benefits.
Helps you lose weight

If you want to cut those extra inches around your tummy, switching to green tea could be a simpler way. A new study shows that green tea extract increases the rate of calorie burning by the body. It reduces blood fat, cholesterol, bloated ness, detoxifies the body and suppresses untimely food cravings. Enabled with diuretic properties, it also eliminates excess water and thereby reduces excess weight. So the best way to get rid of that paunch is to have green tea along with the right amount of bodily exercise.

Boosts exercise endurance

According to scientists, antioxidants present in green tea extracts increase body’s ability to burn fat as fuel which accounts for improved muscle endurance. It also enhances energy levels and boosts your metabolism.

Reduces the risk of heart attack

Drinking green tea rapidly improves the health of body cells lining the blood vessels and also helps in lowering one`s risk for heart disease.The flavonoids present in this tea protect the heart by relaxing the blood vessels so blood can flow more easily.So,protect your heart and have green tea on a regular basis.

Fights against various cancers

The antioxidants in tea helps protect against a shipload of cancers, including breast, colon, colorectal, skin, lung, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, ovarian, prostate and oral cancers. Green tea extract is reported to induce cancer cell death and starve tumours by curbing the growth of new blood vessels that feed them.

Hydration benefits

If you love drinking green tea then there is good news for you.Contrary to common belief that tea dehydrates,green tea provides hydration benefits similar to water.Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, it also has many other health benefits.

Protection from harmful ultraviolet rays

The sun’s UV rays in summer act as a constant threat. Green tea is rich in antioxidants that scavenge harmful free radicals in the body according to researches. Also using green tea extracts along with your sunscreen could afford you the greatest level of sun protection.

Keeps Diabetes in check

Green tea can do wonders to a person suffering from diabetes.Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar. It also triggers and stimulates insulin production and activates the functioning of pancreas to some extent.Blood sugar level in the body is also normalized and regularized by the use of green tea.

Prevention and treatment of neurological diseases

Polyphenols in green tea may help maintain the parts of brain that regulate learning and memory. So, regular consumption of green tea could help in prevention of degenerative and neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson`s.

Anti- Ageing benefits

Antioxidants found in green tea fight free radicals thereby keeping a check on ageing and promoting longevity.Because it contains high levels of oligomeric proanthocyanidins one of the most powerful antioxidants, Green Tea is thought to help slow down the premature ageing process.

Boosts your immunity

Polyphenols and Flavonoids present in green tea boost the immune system to make the human body stronger in fighting various infections. Also, Vitamin C present in green tea keeps cold and flu away.
Read More
Read more No comments:
No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Exercise helps lessen emotional stress

02:57
Exercise helps lessen emotional stress

While it is well-known that exercise improves mood, among other benefits, not as much is known about the potency of exercise's impact on emotional state and whether these positive effects endure when we're faced with everyday stressors once we leave the gym.

"We found that exercise helps to buffer the effects of emotional exposure. If you exercise, you'll not only reduce your anxiety, but you'll be better able to maintain that reduced anxiety when confronted with emotional events.

  Research explores how exercise and physical activity affect brain function, aging and mental health, compared how moderate intensity cycling versus a period of quiet rest (both for 30 minutes) affected anxiety levels in a group of healthy college students.

 The period of activity (or rest), shortly afterward (15 minutes after) and finally after exposing them to a variety of highly arousing pleasant and unpleasant photographs, as well as neutral images.

At each point, study participants answered 20 questions , which is designed to assess different symptoms of anxiety. All participants were put through both the exercise and the rest states (on different days) and tested for anxiety levels pre-exercise, post-exercise, and post-picture viewing.

That exercise and quiet rest were equally effective at reducing anxiety levels initially.

However, once they were emotionally stimulated (by being shown 90 photographs from the International Affective Picture System, a database of photographs used in emotion research) for 20 minutes, the anxiety levels of those who had simply rested went back up to their initial levels.

"The set of photographic stimuli we used from the IAPS database was designed to simulate the range of emotional events you might experience in daily life.

 Pleasant emotional events, neutral events and unpleasant events or stimuli. These vary from pictures of babies, families, puppies and appetizing food items, to very neutral things like plates, cups, furniture and city landscapes, to very unpleasant images of violence, mutilations and other gruesome things..

The study findings suggest that exercise may play an important role in helping people to better endure life's daily anxieties and stressors.
Read More
Read more No comments:
No comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,