Search Results for: blog taking advantage of falls cool weather

Learning How to Walk Properly

Believe it or not you could be walking all wrong. If you suffer lower back pain and swollen ankles don’t blame your footwear, health experts say it could be that you simply don’t know how to walk properly. Enter: walking lessons. If your doctor recommends walking lessons to relieve your pain don’t be insulted. According to health experts, walking classes really work. Most walking classes are offered through yoga centers and include private instruction by a trained professional. For example, the Yoga Center of Brooklyn in Brooklyn, New York offers a 10-session program that runs about six months. Students in … Continue reading →

Say So Long to Old-School Stretches

Your junior high school P.E. teacher had it all wrong. If you grew up in the 70s like I did you were likely taught the importance of warm-up exercises and how holding stretches for at least 20 seconds was essential. Well, time has moved on and now scientists maintain that some of those tried and true stretches you did in 7th grade are not only a waste of time but also are bad for you. According to researchers, the belief that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds (known as static stretching) primes muscles for a workout is not … Continue reading →

How Exercise Can Help Chocoholics

If you are desperately trying to overcome your addiction to chocolate this blog might come in quite handy. According to British researchers, chocoholics can reduce their cravings by taking a simple 15-minute stroll. The results of this new study are making headlines around the world (which just goes to prove how powerful the lure of chocolate really is). In a recent news conference scientists announced that for the first-time ever research shows a link between exercise and managing food cravings. The study followed 25 self-professed “chocoholics” (defined as people who ate chocolate on a daily basis). Each chocoholic was told … Continue reading →

Bad Things Happen When You Stop Going to the Gym

Remember when you first got your gym membership? Everything was new and exciting; you were determined to drop excess weight, get fit, and look great for your high school reunion, pool party, 40th birthday, etc. You used that adrenaline to fuel regular gym visits for the first month or so, then you discovered how easy it was to skip the gym one day, then the next day and the day after that. If this scenario sounds familiar to you, I have bad news: A new University of Missouri study found that the negative effects of skipping exercise can occur in … Continue reading →

Getting Fit: No More Excuses

With the holidays fast approaching many people find themselves sucked into the shopping vortex. To-do lists are growing and finding time to get everything done is challenging to say the least. The months of November and December are also the time of year when many people slack on their fitness routines because they simply can’t find the time to get in a workout. Personally, I feel the opposite should be true. This is the time of year when you should try even harder to maintain your exercise regimen. After all, most of us tend to eat more during the holiday … Continue reading →

Who Benefits the Most from Exercise?

Attention couch potatoes: According to a new study, the people who stand to gain the most from exercise are those who go from doing nothing to doing something. Just when you thought that one-minute stroll from your car to the front door of the movie theater couldn’t possibly aid your health, researchers at the University of South Carolina release a study that says your walk actually is worth something. Scientists maintain that a one-minute walk is a great way to start an exercise routine. “Start” being the operative word. As long as that minute long stroll is the springboard for … Continue reading →

Finding Time to Exercise

I know what you are thinking—-you can barely find time to take a shower and brush your teeth, so how can you possibly find time to fulfill the government’s recommendation of exercising five days a week? Fitness experts suggest exercising less, but with more intensity. Basically, if you can’t devote five days a week to exercise then train three days, but pick up the pace during those sessions. For example, if your fitness routine includes using a treadmill or stationary bike run or pedal at your normal pace, then pick up the pace for five minutes before easing off for … Continue reading →

Weight Lifting and the Elderly

It’s never too late to start lifting weights. At least that’s what the authors of a new fitness study maintain. A recent study published in the Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that individuals should be hitting the weights as they age. The reason: As time goes on people gradually lose muscle mass and become more prone to falls. Researchers say as individuals age they lose fast-twitch muscle fibers, used for activities such as running, kicking a ball, or getting up and down from a chair. To reverse the effects, scientists say older people need to … Continue reading →

Motivating Your Kids to Move

These days that might be tougher than finding a TV commercial that’s not politically motivated. For millions of kids the idea of putting down video game controls and picking up a bike to ride is a foreign concept. This, despite the fact that the federal government recently announced new fitness recommendations for all Americans. The guidelines stipulate at least 60 minutes a day of moderate or vigorous activity for children ages 6 to 17. Federal officials also noted that parents should be creating opportunities for their children to be physically active and encouraging them to consistently participate in those activities. … Continue reading →

Weightlifting: It’s Not About the Weight

How many times have you seen guys at the gym try to lift as much weight as they can without paying attention to form or technique? They’re grunting and sweating and throwing weights up instead of lifting them correctly and later that day they’re limping around because they tweaked their back. Experienced weightlifters know that the sport is more about good form and technique than it is about how many pounds of steel you can throw around. Professional weightlifters are the first to chastise guys who are in need of a serious ego check because they know first hand the … Continue reading →