LIFESTYLE | Life Health Fitness

Dance Your Way To Good Health: Best Workout Music

Please Don’t Stop the Music

There are plenty of ways to lose weight. However, in order to do achieve this goal some form of physical activity is necessary. But it doesn’t have to be a drag, boring or painful. It can be fun and exciting. Some people do workout videos, some do yoga and some spend countless hours at the gym. While these can all be very effective methods; it solely depends on the individual and what they can tolerate doing consistently for a long period of time. You have to be in it to win it. The people that end up with the best results are the ones who find joy in their chosen form of exercise.

One method of exercising that is not often discussed is by song and dance. Studies show that dance workouts like Zumba are effective because they are fun and do not feel like exercise (Krishnan, et al. 2015). You can sing along and dance and burn some calories all at the same time via music. Add house cleaning to the mix and that fat has zero chance of winning its war against you.

When most people think about dancing they think of it as more of an event or something that you go out to do. It is not closely associated with losing weight. However, that is simply not the case. Dancing keeps you constantly moving and constantly burning calories. With good music you can go on and on and on til the break of dawn or sunrise is some cases. Most wouldn’t even notice because you are having fun in the process. Just think about it; when was the last time you’ve seen a depressed two-step. Depending on your music preference, there are plenty of different choices to choose from. You don’t need a choreographed routine. All you have to do is find the rhythm and keep up with it. It’s best to find a fast rhythm but a slow rhythm can be just as good.

Although I like a clean house I would rather someone else clean it. But I must say once I put some music on I can clean the entire house from top to bottom without even noticing the lapse in time. What is your preferred music when cleaning or washing the car? Also, do not forget that cleaning the house counts towards your physical activity.

Music is a universal language and almost everyone enjoys music. Even if you can’t dance and have no rhythm you can enjoy listening to music during your physical activities. Furthermore, you can enjoy the music without even understanding or speaking the language. Yeah you might sound crazy singing a song in Spanish if you can’t speak but who cares. Step out of your comfort zone and try adding some of the below to your playlist.

Salsa:Cuba

Salsa may be delicious for dipping chips, but if you want to dip into some of that chip weight it can be just as satisfying. It is a very fast paced genre of music. The congas will make you want to move and the maracas will make you want to shake. Plus who doesn’t need a little more cowbell. There are plenty of salsa workout videos on the Internet that will teach you the basics. If you want to burn a ton of calories and learn some sexy dance moves along the way then salsa is perfect for you. You can start moving your hips to tunes by Celia Cruz.

Reggae:Jamaica

There are several different kinds of reggae music; from dancehall to spiritual. However, the best kind for burning calories would definitely have to be dancehall music. Check out music by Sean Paul. Dancehall music is all about dropping it low and dropping calories in the process. It is a very fast paced genre with multiple different dance moves that have been developed overtime. It can get so intense that even the artist themselves often have a sweat towel in their music videos. Not only is it entertaining to watch, but it can help you lose some serious weight.

Reggae-ton: Puerto Rico

Reggae-ton is very similar to dancehall music as far as the high paced rhythm involved in the genre. It is a combination of hip-hop, Latin and Caribbean music. This is what makes it another perfect genre to workout to. It has a very quick tempo and requires high energy. This is great because high energy produces high results. You will break a sweat in no time. Check out some tunes by Daddy Yankee.

Pop:United States

Pop music is popular music. Michael Jackson is the king of pop. But their are plenty others like Beyoncé and Madonna to name a few. What’s not to like about Pop music. The selection of pop music choice is endless. The best thing about pop music is unlike salsa, there is no proper way to dance to pop music. Therefore, it is open to any interpretation. You can decide how you want to dance to this genre, or maybe the high energy of the music will motivate you to keep going while you are on that run. The tempo varies but I am sure you will find something you like.

Rap or Hip Hop:United States

You may not like Rap or Hip Hop for whatever reason but it made this list because it undeniable a good genre of music to flow to. It is a vast genre with a variety of different sounds and tempos. Did you know there are several kind of rap such as gansta rap, east coast rap and west coast. They come with different ways of expressing themselves through music. However, once you find the right playlist you can run the town. The bass and the drums is what you want to look for when picking what to workout to. There are also several dance moves associated with the genre that if executed the right way will have you burning calories in no time. Check out music by Jayz and 50cents.

Praise Gospel:United States

This genre may seem like the most unorthodox on this list, but it can actually be quite beneficial in losing weight. The tempo isn’t quite as upbeat as pop or salsa, but you still make this work for you with the right moves. The passion expressed in gospel music is inspiring and that inspires a great workout. It’s a great way to start your day off with positive vibes and if you are religious you kill two birds with one stone. After praising the lord you will eventually praise the results you see in your body. Start praising with tunes by Kirk Franklin and Yolanda Adams.

Traditional African Music

In Africa, singing and dancing are inseparable from each other. Rhythm and melody are two major aspects of African music. The tempo is quick, with a lot of drums to get your blood flowing. Get in the groove and become synchronized with the drums. Just continue to move to the rhythm and you are sure to get a good workout.

Soca or Calypso: Trinidad

Have you ever listened to Soca or Calpyso? If you haven’t then you should listen to music by Mighty Sparrow or Machel Mantona to get a feel of the waste whining rhythms. This genre of music is a combination of Latin, Caribbean, Indian and African rhythms. Although it will give you a better workout, it is not necessary to know how to move your waste line to get a good workout from this type of music. Try it out and see if you like it.

The key to losing weight and staying active is to find activities that you enjoy. Incorporating dance can be the perfect solution. Explore music from the different genres and creat a playlist of about 6 songs.

There is no wrong way to exercise. As long as you are staying safe and getting the results that you desire you can do what you enjoy in the comfort of you own home.

Work Cited

Krishnan, Sridevi, et al. “Zumba® dance improves health in overweight/obese or type 2 diabetic women.” American Journal of Health Behavior 39.1 (2015): 109-120. 30 5 2019. <https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25290603>.

Simple Activities to Reduce Your Body Aches

Daily Activities to Keep Your Body Healthy and Reduce Pain

Many people experience pain and inflammation because of bad habits, posture and lack of exercise. You do not have to participate in rigorous physical activities to cause pain and injury. Ordinary daily tasks such as bending to get the clothes out of the dryer or sweeping under the bed can put stress on your body. In addition, with the increase of computer and cell phone use, people tend to have more neck and shoulder pain. Sitting at work all day can also cause a strain on your lumbar spine (lower back) and legs.

How do you fix these aches and pain that are preventing from being active? A chiropractor can do an “adjustment” and realign your spine therefore improving your pain, while physical therapist can teach you how to walk or sit with proper posture. Regular massages can alleviate some of the stiffness and sore. You can also include some of these habits listed below and decrease you chances of aches and pain that are impeding on your livelihood.

Morning Stretches

Stretching should be a part of your daily routine. If you wake up feeling stiff and sore, stretching daily will help relieve the morning soreness. Some reasons for being sore are lack of activity, long hours at work, or a rigorous workout. Your body needs proper movement daily to stay limber and for your muscles to remain strong. Muscles deteriorate quickly when they are not in use. Stretching can prepare your muscles for the day ahead. It helps you warm up for a workout or provides a little movement before you head to the office. You are less likely to fall victim to an injury when you stretch daily. It best to stretch after your muscles are warmed. Stretching throughout the day is also beneficial.

Get Up Stand Up

You may notice that you hurt more after a day of sitting than after you exercise. The pain is also different. Soreness after a workout is more bearable than pain from putting an unhealthy strain on your body. If you have a job that requires long hours at a desk, you may become physically exhausted on a regular basis. This surprises many people. Your body undergoes enormous amounts of stress in a continuous sitting position as you hover over a computer. Get up and move every hour if possible. Take a walk to the bathroom, run to the copy room, or go outside if possible.

Get a Better View

It can be difficult to get into a comfortable position for viewing your computer or cell phone. The first reaction is to lean forward, placing unnecessary strain on your neck and upper back. You may end up with both neck and shoulder pain that can become chronic. Put your phone on a stand on the table while watching videos and adjust the height of your desk chair to view your computer straight ahead.

Make Use of your Car’s Headrest

Do you use the headrest in your car? If you don’t then here is a good way to use. Sit for 5 mins in your car and let your head relax on the head rest. Release the muscles in your neck. It may be several hours before you can get into bed and relax your entire body. This quick fix can help to alleviate pain and get you through the rest of your day. The first time you do this, you may realize just how much stress you are putting on your neck during your workday.

Avoid Crossing your Legs

Crossing your legs may feel comfortable at the time, however, you are likely to regret it as the day goes on. This position does more than put strain on your muscles; it can also raise your blood pressure slightly. The main issue, however, is the strain it puts on your hips. Hips are a major weak point in elderly people, so it pays to be mindful of them from a young age. Crossing your legs twists your hips and increases pressure on the spine. This can lead to pain in the back or neck. Most people may not even realize the origin of this pain.

It is best to keep your hips level. This can be accomplished with a high-quality, adjustable desk chair. Lower it until your legs and hips are at a right angle. If you need to remain at a different height to properly see your computer, place a small stool underneath your feet to level things out.

Invest in a Massage

Massage is a great way to release tension. A full body massage on a regular basis can help keep your body in good condition. This luxury, however, is not affordable for everyone. A short upper body massage can offer many of the same benefits. Enlist your spouse or a friend to help you out. You can even pay your kids a few dollars to massage your neck at the end of the day. Your shoulders and jaw hold a lot of the tension from a stressful day. Even a short shoulder and neck massage can release this.

Pay Attention to your Posture

Good posture can be a difficult habit to get into. It is easy to slouch when walking if you are not used to holding your shoulders back. This can be an especially big problem for tall individuals. They may spend more time slouching to better fit in with their peers or make eye contact during conversations. A myriad of problems can result from slouching. When your head leans forward, it increases the weight that your spine must support. This leads to nerve damage, headaches, and compressed discs.

Get Moving

One of the best things you can do for your overall health is to get moving. You do not have to incorporate a rigorous workout routine into your schedule to stay healthy. Simply take a walk during your lunch hour or with your dog in the evening. Take a low impact exercise class or dance around your living room. Short breaks to get moving during your workday can also help to keep your muscles in good shape and make you more alert.

Sleeping Position is Important

Most people have a signature sleeping position. Yours may not be healthy for your spine, however. People that sleep on their stomach may increase damage to their spine and experience more pain during waking hours. Your weight is not evenly distributed when you sleep on your stomach. It tends to remain on your midsection. This can put excessive strain on your back. Your neck is also turned at an odd angle for many hours. You may experience pain, numbness, and tingling from sleeping on your stomach.

Get an Adjustment from a Chiropractor

Have you ever cracked your knuckle or watch one of those movies where one guys grabs another guys neck and twist it till you hear that crick? Well that is exactly what chiropractors do. But is not so dramatic. A visit to a chiropractor can realign your spine and alleviate some of the pain you have. This is called an adjustment. If you have back, neck or shoulder pain you should get evaluated by a chiropractor.

There are many things you can do to maintain the health of your spine. Even with professional chiropractic care and regular massage, maintenance is important. These tips can help you keep your spine in optimal shape and decrease pain you may normally experience. Work with your health care professional to come up with a long-term care plan.

Cardio Versus Strength

Cardio or strength? It depends on your goals. The answer is as individual as the road to your desired results. Here, we’re going to take a look at a variety of goals and examine some of the best practices to achieve your individual fitness goals.

Depending on what it is that you hope to achieve, you are going to want to adjust your workout accordingly. The first thing you need to decide is what kind of body you want. Would you like to simply lose weight or would you like to add some tone and definition? You do not have to exercise to lose weight. Diet play a bigger role than exercise and infact you might start to gain weight when you start to strength train. Therefore, if you only want to see the numbers go down on the scale then you do not have to exercise.

On the other hand exercise will can give you a certain kind of physique that dieting alone cannot. The right exericse can help you develop muscles and curves in the right place. To what degree do you want to develop your muscles? Would you like to have tone, tight, compact muscles or would you prefer to have a more bulk physique?

Aside from your physical appearance, it’s also important to consider what your physical goals are. Are you interested in a career or hobby that will require heavy lifting or a specific type of strength? Are you interested in pursuing something along the lines of gymnastics or another type of physically demanding sport in which strength and muscle control is vital? It could be that you simply would like to be able to run or jog sometimes and keep up or be able to maintain a lively dancing pace during a night out on the town.

Exercising to increase your cardiovascular health is quite a bit different than weightlifting and engaging in other strength building exercises. You don’t necessarily need to add any strength training to a cardiovascular workout, but a cardio workout should definitely be included in a strength building regimen. Let’s go ahead and take this opportunity to discuss the fact that if you have been leading a sedentary lifestyle or you are planning on increasing your activity level to something beyond which your body is accustomed to, it’s important to have a conversation with your doctor before engaging in any exercises that could increase your heart rate. For some, this could be potentially fatal, so it’s important to know your limits and have a thorough conversation with your doctor about the most ideal way for you to implement exercise into your life and alter your lifestyle to achieve your beach body goals.

Although cardio workouts and strength building workouts are different, they can easily coexist. The degree to which you want to sculpt your body will dictate the degree to which you should include either or both. The varying levels of each workout will be discussed as we examine the best cardio exercises and effective strength building workouts.

Cardio

High impact aerobics, jogging, dancing, running, and even speed walking are all great cardio workouts that don’t involve a lot of strength training. Depending on your age, height, weight, and physical condition, you will burn anywhere between 180 and 410 calories during a half-hour workout, so if your goal is weight loss, take some time and figure out about how many calories your workout is burning so you can adjust your time and diet appropriately. Remember: Weight loss is about burning more calories than your eating, and you want to be burning at least around 400 to 500 more calories than you are consuming.

If your goal is to combine cardio and low-level strength training, burpees are an excellent addition to a workout. There are multiple variations of a burpee, and we will outline the basic format. You can either choose to squat once, stand back up, crouch down to put your hands on the floor near your feet, launch into a pushup position, do at least one pushup, come back to your feet, stand up, and repeat the entire sequence. You don’t necessarily need to squat, but you can take an extra step to extend your arms up as you take a breath and exhale. This helps to open the airways and help the heart beat at optimal levels.

To focus more on strength, you can either add wrist weights (for light training) or hold on to dumbbell weights as you complete each sequence. Once you get going for at least a few minutes, an average amount of calories burned per burpee is about 10 (again, though, depending on a variety of factors). You can choose whether you want to start with a number or a length of time. Take time to do a few before you commit to something outrageous. It’s important to remember that exercising can be overwhelming. Burnout happens way too quickly for some, because they make too large of a commitment. Five minutes to start something is better than doing nothing. One hour of too much exercise that will only result in physical pain and self-defeating thoughts doesn’t generally last. Five minutes will turn into ten minutes, and so on if there is consistency.

Strength Training

This is the part where you think about how toned or how bulk you want to be. How much weight to do you want to be able to lift? What are your physical goals? One of the best things to remember is that slow reps with a lot of weight will help you get big muscles. Lower weight with quicker reps will build tight muscles, but it will also result in more toning and cardiovascular exercise (including weight loss). If you plan on going to a gym, there will be a variety of workout equipment with instructions on how to use the equipment along with a diagram of the muscle groups each machine targets. You can also look up a variety of strength building exercises online if you are using your own weights or equipment. Instead of sharing multiple individual strength training workouts, let’s just cover some important information about making sure that your heart stays healthy enough for your increasing level of strength training.

Lifting heavy weights is very physically demanding, and it requires a good physical condition. If you are involved in a strength enhancing or muscle building workout regimen, at least about 25% of your workout should be focused on cardiovascular exercises. A good diet packed with lots of protein will also boost your muscle building efforts. You want to consume things like eggs, cottage cheese, lean meats, poultry, nuts, chickpeas, protein shakes, etc. Remember to give muscle groups time to heal – especially if you are maxing out in your workouts.

Maxing out is simply lifting until you absolutely cannot lift anymore. It’s always important to have a spotter when handling heavy weights. It’s especially important to have a competent spotter if you are planning on maxing out during your weightlifting sessions.

Remember to try to include core strength exercises in both your cardiovascular workouts and your muscle building exercises. Core strength is more than just having a great set of abs. A strong core results in less back pain, more longevity, and overall better cardiovascular health. You can have the body you crave. Never forget that there is an abundance of support right at your fingertips to help you achieve your body sculpting goals.

How to Stick with Your Plan to Get Fit

While it’s commendable that you fully intend to stay with your fitness plan and get in shape, following through with such a plan can be a different matter altogether. It’s easy to quit an exercise plan and to rationalize to yourself that it makes sense to do so. Here are tips that help you stick to the fitness plan that you create, and get to where you need to go.

Begin With The End In Mind

Often, fitness resolutions fail simply because people neglect to couple them with a clear plan. While it can be great to head in with lots of enthusiasm, vague or nonexistent goals often result in aimless exercise routines and a lack of results.

It’s important that you set out with a well-defined target. It could be the ability to run a half-marathon or dropping a few dress sizes. When you have a clear goal in mind, it can motivate you, and help you focus your mind on achieving it.

Set Real Goals

When you try to set goals for yourself, it’s important that you find ones that are achievable for your level of physical fitness. Being overly ambitious setting your targets can backfire. If you’ve never run over a mile, aiming to run even a half-marathon can be an overreach. You may burn out, lose motivation, or injure yourself.

Aim to run a mile at first, and a 5k next. It’s important to understand that the capacity for physical exertion builds gradually.

Create a Workout Schedule

To make sure that you stick to your fitness plan, you need to ensure that your workouts each day are non-negotiable. Carefully plan out a couple of hours each day when you can manage it, and make sure that you put it in your calendar. You need to schedule time in your calendar to make sure that you find the time each day, and aren’t distracted by other responsibilities.

Write it Down

Start an exercise diary, and put in how much exercise you get each day. As you fill up those pages, you’ll come by a feeling of accomplishment. When there are pages that are empty because you had to skip a workout, it’ll fill you with regret, and resolve not to let it happen again. A journal is a great way to hold yourself accountable.

Join a Group

Joining a running group or another fitness group can be a great way to stay committed to your plan. If going to the gym is your plan, sign up for some exercise classes, or buy time with a personal trainer. When you involve other people in your plan, you’re less likely to give up.

Mix it Up

As important as it is to create a routine, you should remember that routines aren’t the same thing as monotonous repetition. You’re less likely to stick with a plan if you’re bored with it. Mix up your exercise routine to make sure that it stays fresh. Plan a long swim or some cycling a couple of times a week in place of your regular run, for example.

Plan For All The Excuses You Will Likely Make

You are often likely to be tempted to skip a workout. Your mind may come up with all kinds of excuses for why you should take the day off. You may tell yourself that your muscles are sore, or that you deserve a day off for the hard work you’ve put in.

Finding ways to win the mental battle against the desire to slack off can sometimes be harder than the exercise that you need to put in. To help overcome the temptation to give in to the excuses that your mind comes up with, write down all the reasons that you’re likely to think of, and find reasons why your fitness goals are even more important to you.

Reward Yourself

As much of a struggle as it can be to get yourself to get exercise, sometimes, you can get so involved in your workouts that you forget to feel good about how far you’ve come. You must always remember to pat yourself on the back or to give yourself a day off every once in a while, as a reward. Rewarding yourself can help you stay with your plan.

Listen to Your Body

You are likely to be forced to quit even if you don’t want to if you come down with an injury. While you should overlook minor aches and pains as you work out each day, you should recognize when you’re injured and give yourself the rest that you need. It’s important not to make an injury worse than it is by continuing to put pressure on it. If you make an injury worse than it has to be, you may be forced to give up exercise.

Invest in Good Training Gear

You’re not going to be able to train for a 10k in tennis shoes, and you won’t be able to swim well if you don’t protect your eyes with a good pair of goggles. Going in without the right gear will only make exercise more uncomfortable than it has to be, and make it easier for you to quit. While you don’t have to splurge on high-end equipment, you should get quality stuff to help make sure that your time working out is as comfortable as it can be.

Sticking to an exercise plan can be hard work. When you understand how your mind works, however, you can help yourself stay with your plan over the long haul.

Fitness over Fifty: Healthy Exercise Tips To Get You Started

When is it Too Late in Life to Exercise?

It’s never too late to take exercise. While in later life your exercise regime won’t be the same as for younger people, it’s still important for your health. Even if you’ve never exercised before you can enjoy regular workouts. Keeping fit and healthy prolongs life, supports independent living, and improves mood.

The Positive Power of Exercise in Later Life

Whatever exercise you adopt, it will help you in several ways. Living an active life can help you off-set many of the problems of aging. It will help you keep strong and flexible, support a healthy weight, avoid disease, and keep cheerful.

Maintain Muscle Mass

As people age, they lose muscle mass. Regular workouts help counteract this effect, rebuilding muscle tissue. Resistance training combined with stretching will keep you strong and flexible as you age.

Burn Fat and Boost Metabolism

As you get older, your metabolism slows down and you may put on weight. Regular cardiovascular exercise helps burn excess fat and keeps you trim. If you do resistance training too, the added muscle will also burn more calories and help you keep a healthy weight.

Fight Disease

Scientific research shows that you can reduce or avoid the risk of many of the diseases associated with aging by living an active life. Heart disease and high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and even Alzheimer’s disease are all less likely if you exercise. Working out boost metabolism and keeps your immune system in good shape.

Exercise and Mental Health

If you exercise you are more likely to feel positive about yourself. One risk as you age is the possibility of social isolation and depression. Exercise can also get you out and about with other people.

What Exercise To Do?

Whatever your age when you start exercise, your needs will be different to those of someone else. Before starting any new exercise regime, it’s a good idea to see your doctor for check-up and get clearance. A session with a training or fitness advisor can be a helpful start. If you haven’t exercised for a while, you should always start with something easy and build up to harder activities as you improve your fitness. To reach optimum health, besides eating a healthy, balanced diet, you should include the following in your regime:

Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise is any activity which increases your heart rate and warms you up. Fast walking, gentle jogging, skipping rope, swimming, and gymnastics are examples of cardiovascular exercise. “Cardio” improves heart health, burns calories, and oxygenates your brain. Plug your earphones in or turn on the stereo and dance to your favorite music. Get lost in the music and just dance.

Resistance Training

Resistance training involves lifting weights or doing body-weight exercises. You don’t have to aim for bodybuilding to enjoy resistance work. Weight training builds muscle and strength and helps keep you trim. Body weight exercises such as push ups, lunges and squats can be done at home. Once you have mastered the basics you can add weights or resistance bands.

Flexibility and Balance

Exercises for flexibility and balance may include stretches and activities like yoga, tai chi, and Pilates. Keeping flexible helps you with everyday activities like gardening or housework besides decreasing your risk of injury during other exercises. Working on balance helps avoids risks associated with falling.

Functional Training

Workouts can be non- traditional when you add in functional training. Sit to stand, wall pushups, and climbing stairs are bodyweight functional exercises you can start at home without equipment. The objective of these exercises is to get you moving in ways that you normally move when going about you daily life. For instance, sit to stand. I am sure you are already standing from a sitting position. You can do it even when you are watching TV. Here is how to do it. Proceed to sit with the back of your legs against the chair. Push your butt out in a squat and lower your body. Your butt and leg muscles will be activated. Push up with your legs to stand all the way up before hitting the seat. You will feel your legs working . If you need to hold on to the arm rest, you can. Repeat 8 times to start. Its important that your form is good. Therefore, practice as much as you can.

Experiment and Explore

Experiment and explore several exercise options. Low-impact exercises which don’t involve jumping and pounding are better for your joints. Walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, cycling, and racquet sports are all good options for cardiovascular exercise. Weight training under proper supervision is a good idea. Yoga, tai chi, and Pilates help with flexibility and mental health. It’s up to you how much of each you do and it can be a good idea to vary your routines to stop you getting bored. Exercising in a class or with your friends brings you physical, psychological, and social benefits.

Should You See Your Doctor?

It’s a good idea to see your doctor before you take up any new form of exercise. Your medical practitioner can advise you of any precautions you may need to take based on your current health profile. If after you exercise you experience chest pains, dizziness, nausea or any other unpleasant symptoms, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. In most cases, it will be nothing to worry about but it’s as well to be sure.

Live Strong, Live Long

Unless you have been an athlete all your life as you age your body will slow down and you won’t be able to exercise as intensively as a younger person. But that doesn’t mean you should stop altogether. With the right exercises and at the right pace, keeping active is always a good plan, whatever your time of life. And it’s never too late to start.

Benefits of Walking to Exercise: Nine Reasons Why Walking is The Best Exercise To Help You Lose Weight

Walking as a form of exercise has received a bad rap over the last several years. Many people aspiring to transform their body, lose weight, be healthier, or maintain their weight have been conditioned to think that they need to do more than just walk to see both short-term and long-term results. There are other individuals, however, who insist that walking is enough to make a significant difference in your overall fitness and well-being. And they are right. You gain the same health benefits of exercise like you do with other activities without the risks and expense. Below are nine reasons why walking is the best cardio workout for your body and budget.

1. Walking is Easy

We learn how to walk early in life, so it is not an exercise that takes any effort to learn or master. Even if we own alternate transportation most of us are pedestrians. If you want to increase your walking intensity try walking faster, longer, going up hills or adding weights. Then you can also more walking days. If you know walk for 3 days now increase it to 4 days per week. It is so easy to change it up without changing your schedule. Start taking your baby steps by committing to walking 15 mins per day .

2. Walking is Easier on Your Joints

As we age, the tendons and ligaments surrounding our joints harden. When this occurs, joints become less mobile and simple motions, such as lifting a box, become more challenging. Although walking requires motion, it is a much more restrictive motion compared to rigorous forms of exercise. It’s considered a low impact exercise.

3. Walking is More Enjoyable

Although there are many fitness enthusiasts who love to engage in challenging workouts, there are also many others who want to live healthier lifestyles but don’t want to push their bodies too hard. For several individuals, a brisk walk at the park or in nature is more pleasurable than lifting heavy weights at the gym.

4. Walking is More Accessible

One of the best things about walking is that it is an excellent choice for exercise no matter the fitness level of the individual. Everyone, from beginners to professional athletes, benefits from walking. No tryouts necessary nor do you have to join a team. The benefits that you will gain will motivate you and keep you strutting.

5. Walking with Friends and Friendly is Highly-Motivating

Going for a walk with loved ones can greatly benefit one’s health. By walking with friends and family, you can motivate each other to keep going or walk faster. Studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between exercising with a partner and achieving personal goals. If you are busy this might a good time to catch up with a friend.

6. Walking is a Gateway to Running

If you want to start running, you should start with walking. In fact, most running programs includes walking alternating with running. You must walk before you run.

7. Walking is Cheap

You do not need any special gear or shoes to walk in. You can walking in any comfortable clothes and shoes. Walking can lift your mood and give you energy. Feeling stressed? Go take a walk. Gather your thought, recenter and calm your mind. If you want to make it more challenging then walk up some hills or add booty bands or do both.

8. No Membership Required To Walk

You can walk anywhere. You do not need to go the gym. The beach, park, or your neighborhood are few of the places you can go for a walk. Going up hills will burn more calories than walking on flat surface. Don’t forget the stairwell.

9.Walk While You Work

Take your lunch break and go for a walk. Plan to wear comfortable clothes and shoes on the days you want to walk. I know they say it’s best to east slow but on the days you want to walk take a sandwich or something that’s not complex to eat . You want to spend your time walking not eating. Most places allow 30 mins of lunch . Plan to eat for 10 mins and walk for 20. If you get longer lunches then take that additional time to walk.

Conclusion

Like more intense exercises, walking has lots of the same health benefits but can be more fun for some. Reaping the benefits of walking means you have to be consistent with your routine and come up with a plan that fits your unique personality and situation. The American Heart Association recommends 30 mins of physical activity 5 days a week. Walking can help your reach this goal.

Exercise Tips for Beginners :5 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your Journey

7 Mistakes to Avoid When Working Out

There are many mistakes that you can make on your way to health, wellness and a better body. For example, You may assume that getting in long sessions at the gym twice a week is all you need to come by that dream body. In reality, however, creating a better version of yourself doesn’t work that way. If you want to make your journey a success then you need to be prepared to give it plenty of time and patience, and plan well. If you don’t plan, you will be derailed on your road to a new you.

A Plan in Your Hands

Many people obtain a great deal of confidence from working out to a fitness plan. Some, however, like to make it up at the gym as they go along. It’s important to understand that a plan can be a template that helps you succeed. It can help you track how much progress you make, and help you make tweaks over time, depending on how much headway you make. If you don’t have a plan, you’re likely to be aimless, make mistakes, and lower your chances of success.

Too Hard For That Body

Many people start out with a fitness plan, but don’t allow themselves to progress gradually. Instead, they work out too hard right away. They injure themselves, become discouraged by how difficult exercise is, and give up.

Your fitness plan should include a way to gradually intensify your workouts, giving you plenty of recovery time to help your muscles repair themselves, heal, and develop. Your plan should include exercises that allow you to warm up, work out and cool down. This call progressive overload in the fitness community.

Stuck In Rut

Even if you’ve had a personal trainer design a workout just for you, you need to remember that the plan can’t last you forever. With time, your body is likely to adapt to those exercises and become too efficient at them. Your body won’t be challenged enough by them then. It’s important to keep tweaking your workouts at least once every two weeks. If you don’t alter your workouts over time, the gains in strength and fitness that you make will plateau before long. It essential to change up you routine every so often with a method known as periodization. This will also decrease boredom. Change gyms and find new equipment to use if possible.

Work Hard For That Body

It can be tempting to only work out lightly at the gym, barely breaking a sweat in the process. Light workouts are hardly the way to lose weight or build muscle, however. While you can certainly allow yourself to cheat on your workouts once in a while, light workouts can’t be the rule. If you don’t work out hard enough to get your heart pumping for reasonable periods of time, you probably won’t see results.

Mind Your Position

While modern gym machines are designed to make proper exercise form easy to achieve, you can still make mistakes on them. If you’re on the elliptical machine, you need to hold a good, erect posture, and concentrate on your workout. If you’re the treadmill, you need to space out your steps, look straight ahead, and run with purpose. Not only do poor posture and half-hearted form make it hard for you to get results, they often lead to injury.

Too Much of Good Thing

It’s important to supply yourself with enough energy as your body recovers from its workouts. You can also supply yourself with too much energy, however, if you gorge on sugary energy bars and fast food. You don’t want empty calories from such foods in your diet. Instead you should aim to supply yourself with energy from healthy foods. When you get yourself on the healthy diet, you attain your fitness goals far more easily.

Too Much Cardio and Not Enough Weights or Resistance Training

Do be afraid to push you body against resistance. This can either be done with your own body weight or using equipment either at home or the gym. While you may have a well-designed workout plan to follow, you may hold convictions about how cardio exercises are more important than weights when it comes to losing pounds. If your workouts focus too greatly on cardio exercises and not enough on resistance workouts involving weights, you lose an important opportunity to tone your muscles, raise your metabolic rate and burn calories fast.

It’s important, when you work out, to be sensitive to the needs of your body. You won’t make progress and your mistakes are likely to get in the way of your ability to attain your goals.

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What to do to Sleep Better Tonight

Learn How to Sleep Better Tonight

Many people struggle to get a good night sleep. Whether you can’t fall asleep, or you wake up in the middle of the night, this can be a problem that affects every aspect of your life. While you sleep, your brain and body recharge, but other things happen as well. Your brain uses this time to store information to your long-term memory. Your body uses your sleep time to heal and build a healthy immune system, build muscles, repair tissues and produce hormones. Even though sleep is so important, many people don’t value a full night’s sleep as much as they should.

According to the National Sleep Foundation adults between the ages of 18 – 25 should get 7 – 9 hours of sleep. Adults between 26 – 64 should get 7 – 9 hours of sleep. Adults older than 65 should get 7 – 8 hours of sleep. Once you lose sleep you cannot “catch up” on it. It’s gone.

Do you really need 9 hours of sleep? Well it depends on your energy level and mood. If you are moody and tired all the time then maybe that 6 hours of sleep is probably not working for. If possible, try to test out different amount of sleep and closely observe how you feel. Maybe all you need is 6.5 hours to feel energized.

Either way if you are struggling with getting enough sleep to get you ready to take on the world here are some ways to improve your sleep tonight.

Prepare for Sleep

If you struggle to sleep well, it might help if you do a few things to get your body ready to rest. Try dimming the lights in your house an hour before bedtime. Avoid watching television shows that will get your emotions going like action packed films or thrillers that get your heart racing. Turn off your phone or computer. The lights stimulate your brain. Try reading a book or listening to soothing music instead. Take a warm bath or meditate to help your body relax.

Get Plenty of Exercise during the Day

Exercise has as many benefits as sleep. When you get the right amount of exercise, you help your body to be strong, shed excess fat, and improve your cardiovascular health. But did you know that exercise helps to relieve stress? In this way, you are managing your stress throughout the day, so you will have less of it to keep you up at night.

If possible, get your exercise outside, because this further helps to manage stress. You should avoid a heavy workout just before bed because you don’t want to spike your heart rate at this time, but some light stretching to help you relax just before bed can help you fall asleep better too.

Meditate Daily

Just like exercise, daily meditation is a great way to manage stress. Stress is a leading cause of not sleeping well. Does your mind race when you try to fall asleep? This is your brain working to solve all your problems. During the day, you may be able to keep your mind distracted, but when you lay down to sleep in a dark and quiet room, your brain will start to go over everything that’s on your mind. Meditation can help with this, leading to better sleep. Try meditating as part of your pre-sleep routine.

Herbal Remedies

There are many herbs that help to improve sleep, and several ways to use them. Lavender is well known to help you sleep. You can spray lavender on your pillow, which has been found to be very useful. You can also use a diffuser to fill your bedroom with sleep-enhancing aromatherapy. Some other good choices include chamomile and jasmine. A nice cup of herbal tea can help too. You can find special blends for better sleep in just about any grocery store. The herbal supplement melatonin has also been found to help people sleep better.

Make Sure Your Brain Associates Your Bed with Sleep

If your brain associates your bed to sleeping alone, getting into bed at night will trigger the brain to know that it is bedtime. Avoid watching TV in bed, as well as other activities such as playing on your phone, paying bills, or other non-bedtime activities. When you do these things in bed, your brain does not recognize that bed is where sleep happens, because so many other things happen there as well.

Sleeping well is one of the cornerstones to good health. Not only does it improve stress levels, memory, and energy levels, but it also leads to a healthier immune system and body. Sleeping well also helps to fight the body’s inflammation response, so if you suffer from things such as arthritis, chronic pain, or other issues with an inflammatory component, you may see improvement in this area as well.

Getting enough sleep is very important. It improves brain function, increases energy levels and supports over-all wellness. If you are not getting enough sleep, then you owe it to yourself to give these suggestions a try.

Good night!

Should You Buy an Activity Tracker?

A fitness tracker also known as an activity tracker is a wearable technology . It is a device that you wear on your wrist or elsewhere to measure the amount of physical activity that you do each day. Studies show that people who wear fitness tracker move more. With a tracker constantly showing you (and, on some devices, your friends on Facebook) how well you’re doing, it’s easy to become mindful of how healthful every part of your lifestyle really is. You’ll find yourself conscientiously thinking about walking or taking the stairs to get anywhere, just to make the numbers on your tracker go up. So should you buy an activity tracker to track your every move? If you are serious about becoming healthy, you should.

Every Move You Make I Will be Tracking You

The simple explanation is if you want to track every move you make you will not be able to mentally and manually keep track of your movements. It is just not feasible. If you ever had to fill out one of those questionnaires at the doctor’s office asking you about your activity level it would be impossible for you to remember all the activities you do through out the day. Furthermore, those questionnaires ask about they regular physical activity such as a walking, running, swimming etc. It does not ask about cleaning the house, folding laundry or mowing the lawn. Therefore you will be under reporting your movements.

If you purchase an activity tracker, as long as you are wearing it, every move you make will be registered on the device. This will give a better estimate of your daily activity.

While you can depend on an app on your smartphone to do much the same thing as a physical tracker device, you aren’t likely to be carrying your smartphone in your pocket all the time. Also if you are talking on your phone it will not accurately measure your movements.

How Do Fitness Tracker Work

Activity tracker monitors your movement pattern by way of a built in gyroscope and accelerator. It measures speed, frequency, duration and intensity of your movements. The devices have a built in algorithm that calculates the information and gives you a reading on the display screen.

Unlike pedometers, fitness trackers are designed to give you much more than a simple readout of the number of steps that you take each day. They express this information in ways you can understand better — they tell you how many miles you walk each day, how many calories you succeed in burning, how much rest you get and so on.

Some also have a heart rate monitor built in. This is beneficial to you because one way to monitor the intensity of the workout is by tracking your heart rate. You can program the device to alert you when your heart increases to a certain level or drop below a certain level. Hence you can program it to alert you when your heart rate is out of a certain range. This data is stored and can be reviewed. You will be able to know which activity was the most intense and which one was not.

Yet, before you jump in and buy one, it’s important to understand the limits of these devices. Your goals and budget will determine the device you purchase. If you only water to monitor your steps and calories then you probably will not need the high end ones.

Fitness Trackers Can Be Wrong

The verdict is still out whether these devices are reliable especially when determining how much calories are burned. However, most studies showed that they are reliable when calculating steps and walking .The ones that are worn on the hip calculate steps more accurate than the ones on the wrist. When you take a step, walk or run you are moving your hip joint. Therefore it make sense that the hip devices are more accurate for steps. The draw back to the hip devices is that they cannot measure your heart rate. Therefore the wrist devices are better if you want to know your heart rate.

Fitness Trackers Can Only Sense Certain Types of Activity

Fitness trackers are better at tracking some activities than other. For instance they are pretty good at monitor walking . Unfortunately, you don’t accelerate when you lift weights or when you perform yoga. In both cases, fitness trackers usually record you as sitting or lying down. In these cases they calculate your heart to determine calories burned. But this is only if you have the one that can track heart rate. Furthermore the more sophisticated devices allows you to select your activity before you start but the basic ones do not give you that option.

Lastly, you can get credit for being active when you are eating or taking a shower. If you use your hands to vigorously gobble down food, the tracker on your wrist can record you being very active when you are just eating.

Are You Sleeping

The entry level fitness trackers have simple sleep tracking modules. They track how long you’ve been inactive. The more advance once monitors your sleep by tracking your heart rate. Here is how they work. At rest or if you are asleep your heart gets to number and stays there. It does not go up unless you move. Lets say you when you are asleep your heart is in the 70s, if your heart is healthy it will remain in the 70s while you are asleep. Once you start to wake up and even before you start to move it will start going up slowly to 80s. If at any time you turn or do any activity while you are “asleep” then your heart rate increases. The sensor will record this as you being awake. Once you fall back asleep your heart rate slowly go back to 70s. You will have to wear the device your wrist to have you heart rate monitored while you sleep.

Smart Watches

Fitness trackers continue to evolve and have improved since they first came out a few years ago. Now we can track our activity via watches. Smart watches are a recent product category that have been doing fitness tracking better than dedicated fitness trackers. They include GPS monitors and heartrate monitors. The latest Apple Watch also performs electrocardiograms on wearers, and is cleared by the FDA for medical grade ECGs.

Some high-end fitness trackers now borrow features from smart watches, and include heartrate monitors and GPS monitors to offer more accurate activity tracking than models that depend on simple accelerometers.

Conclusion

Fitness trackers are not perfect. But they can help you keep track of your activity and I think they are worth the investment especially if you just starting you journey towards good health and well being. The American Heart Association recommends 30 mins of physical activity 5 days a week. How close are you to reaching this goal? How are you currently tracking your activity?

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Can Stress Make You Gain Weight?

You have been working out vigorously to lose weight, but you are experiencing problems at work and home. These problems keep you in a state of constant tension and anxiety. With time, it begins to show in various ways. One of the things you start noticing is the bulge in your abdomen getting bigger. You start getting worried because previously you had managed to shed off extra pounds, but now they are back, and you are wondering what the culprit is? Most likely the enemy is stress!

Stress can affect your body in many ways, but few people link it with weight gain. Basically, there are several ways stress is linked to putting on extra pounds. One of these is cortisol-the stress hormone. During stressful events, the fight or flight mechanism is activate leading to the release of several hormones including adrenaline and cortisol. You want these hormones to be released when you are being attack , however you do not want them around all the time. Unfortunately if your a chronic stressor, that is, you are always stress out about one thing or another those stress hormones will stick around.

Fight or Flight Stress Hormones

When you are being attacked or your become alarm by something whether it is good or bad your brain sends a signal to your adrenal glands and your adrenal releases two stress hormones: adrenaline and cortisol. Once the threat has passed the adrenal glands stops releasing the hormones. Adrenaline tends to wear off faster compared to cortisol, so, after the situation has calmed down a little, your body is still flooded with cortisol. When these hormones are floating around it stops other process in your body such as digestion, immunity, growth and reproductive system. If this happens to often it can be detrimental to your health. Furthermore, when there is high levels of cortisol floating around the body then there is also high level of sugar and insulin. To add fuel to the fire, eating a high carb diet and increase cortisol causes an increase in insulin level.

High insulin levels in your body prevents you from using fat for energy and high blood sugar can lead to Diabetes. Both of these situation will cause to gain weight around your belly.

Most people reach for food when they are under stress. However, instead of reaching out for healthier alternatives such as fruits, you are most likely to go looking for the cookies and cream. These are your comfort foods. We all have a few. In response to comfort foods, the pleasure center in your brain send signals to the body which in turn temporarily lowers stress levels by releasing endorphins. These feel good chemicals are similar to the ones that are trigged when drug addicts consume their drug of choice. And just like they do over time, you associate junk food with low-stress levels making you likely to eat them when you feel anxious.

Sleepless Nights

When you lie awake at night wondering how you will pay your bills or balance family and work, your mind becomes over active and refuses to switch off. This leads to insomnia which affects the regulation of leptin and ghrelin-hormones that regulate appetite. In addition, not getting enough sleep weakens your willpower to turn down junk foods.Later in the day you confuse hunger and sleep. You the choose to eat because you are tired and not because you are hungry. It is very difficult to tell the difference when you are tired and stressed.

How to Manage Stress

Stress can sabotage your weight loss goals. Regaining the weight you loss can add even more weight which can be very discouraging and make you want to give up. All remember ” this too shall pass” and stress is inevitable. However, all is not lost. To keep off stress-related weight, you need to do the following:

Give The Stressor Some Distance

If possible, the first thing you should do is remove yourself from the stressful situation. There is no point in staying in a stress situation and think it will only get better without taking some action. If you cannot remove yourself permanently , then distance yourself. If you know the situation is temporary then you should look for ways to manage and ask for help if necessary. Sometimes we take on way too much without realizing it until we are overwhelmed.

”No” I can’t do that right now or ever should always be an option.

Eat Mindfully

Stress erodes your ability to consciously choose the healthier food as the body craves for foods high in sugar and fats which defeats your weight loss goals. To get your groove back, harness the power of mindful eating. These techniques are mostly taught in meditation classes and help you to transition from emotional, compulsive eating to conscious eating. Mindful eating means that you slow down and tune into your diet. Your senses come alive to the experience of eating. You start seeing food from a holistic point of view by acknowledging the texture, sight, and smell of the meal. In addition, it helps you to tune into the subjective feelings of fullness and hunger rather than eating just because there is a meal in front of you or because you are anxious.

Keep a Journal

Keeping a journal of your goals, responses and experiences help in keeping your mind and hands busy. In addition, it gives you insight into why you are experiencing stress and captures your expectations that could be increasing anxiety in your life.

Here are other ways to manage stress:

Exercise
Get Social
Get A Massage
Listen to You Favorite Music
Use Aromatherapy
Breathing Exercise
Read a Book
Be Grateful and Positive
Watch a Funny Movie
Take a Warm Bath
Dance
Have Sex
Get a Dog
Rest
Visualize
Cut out caffeine and sugar
Play with kids in your family
Take Magnesium
Get a good night sleep

Stress causes some individuals not to eat . Consequently they will not the overeating issues mentioned above. However, if you know you head for the chips and dips when you are stressed then you need to find better ways to manage your anxiety without binge eating. Losing weight is not an easy process especially when you are experiencing stress. Your goal should be to promote peace and calm in your life.