कॅटेगरी: English

The National Institute of Health has estimated that 4 out of 5 Americans suffer from back pain at some time or the other in their lives. Back pain afflicts a person suddenly and without giving any prior symptoms. When affected, one must use their body’s own healing ability to combat the pain, instead of preferring medicines, and strengthen their body through back exercises. Back exercises, such as acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic, osteopathic care and certain other physical exercises are safer ways of treating back pain.

Basic Guidelines for Back Strengthening Exercises
Back exercises are one of the better ways to relieve yourself from back pain and lead a healthy life. It is important to ensure that exercises are worked within a range of motion, so as not to further strain the painful back. In case you experience pain while doing some stretching steps, stop exercising immediately. Avoid sudden movements and jerks when performing back exercises, even though it maybe hard to perform the steps in a slow and controlled motion.

People suffering from lower back problems face various problems while working out. It is important to get into an exercise routine gradually and build muscle power. Always performing back exercises after consulting your trainer. It is also important to understand that back pain doesn’t develop overnight and hence restoration of the back will also take time.

One of the back exercises that gently stretches your back muscles is:
lie on your back with knees bent.
Slowly raise your left knee to your chest, while pressing your lower back firmly against the floor.
Remain in position for 5 seconds.
Relax; repeat the exercise with your right knee.
Repeat this exercise 10 times for each leg.

Back exercise stretches the lower back muscles to help bring relief to back pain caused by over-stressed back muscles. Spine rehabilitation too is done through back exercise. People suffering from back pain are put through an exercise regimen, as exercise stretches the back and promotes better blood circulation in the area.

You will hear many people complain of back pain occasionally. About 75% to 85% of the people experience back pain at some point of time in their life. The most common area of back pain is the lumbar region of the spine. This is the region that bears most of the body weight. Sudden twisting and bending can cause injury to the back. Back pain also occurs when the muscles get stiff because of poor posture. Back exercise stretches the stiff muscles to provide relief.

Back Exercise Stretches – For Back Pain Relief

Back exercise stretches need to be performed softly. You should treat your back gently and not subject it jerky and violent movement. The exercise routine that you follow should start gently, and gradually build over a period of a few weeks. You could cause more harm than good, if you do not follow expert advice in matters of back exercise.

Warm up your body before you embark on the stretching routine. Exercise stretches the muscles, ligaments and tendons in the area surrounding the back. The muscles and tendons associated with the spine are designed for movement. Hence, they need to be stretched everyday to perform optimally. The hamstring muscles are an important factor in back pain problems. Most people with back pain have stiff hamstring muscles.

Stand comfortably with your feet shoulder width apart. Now slowly bend forward and try to touch your toes with your hands without bending your knees. Your action should be smooth and not jerky. Be careful not to overdo the stretching part. Stop when you feel pain. This exercise stretches your hamstring muscles. Your back pain will improve gradually, as you continue with the exercise. The exercise can also be performed while lying down.

Back exercise and golf. Doesn’t that sound like a common denominator? Of all the injuries in golf, the low back is by far the highest one.

To explain why doing back exercise for golf is important, a golfer needs to understand why.

The golf swing is one of the most (if not the most) stressful movements on the lower back. Picture this. You’re in a static position at the start; then you try to rotate your upper body as far as you can go, while keeping the lower body as stable as you can.

This movement all by itself puts tremendous stress on the lower back. If you have a lower level of rotational flexibility, you are at HIGH RISK for low back injuries. You many have one as we speak.

Now picture having the strength to ‘uncoil’ that backswing, maintaining your golf posture at between 80-100 mph. If you have not participated in a back exercise for golf, you will not be able to generate any power at impact, therefore your driving distance is inadequate.

Does this sound familiar?

It should. I see this all the time on the golf course. Especially with the senior golfers. They have physically declined over the years and have not done any back exercise for golf and can’t generate and clubhead speed.

There is hope!

To remove the threat of low back injury and improve your ability to turn back and turn through with power, you just need to do a couple of simple back exercises for golf.

One example of a back exercise for golf that you should be doing several times a day is what I call the Lying Leg Crossover, which is incorporated in all my products.

Here’s what you do:

Lie on your back with your legs extended.
Raise one leg and bend at the knee to 90 degrees and the hip to 90 degrees.
Cross that leg over extended leg, while opposite shoulder stays on ground.
Go until slight pull in butt and lower back.
Hold and repeat once more.
Switch legs and do opposite side.
This is a very simple back exercise for golf and no equipment is required.

Just do this back exercise for golf religiously and you’ll see a HUGE improvement!

No matter, what our jobs, all of use our back every day when we’re sitting, standing, lifting, even lying down. A back injury can result in pain, disability, and even loss of income if it prevents us from doing our jobs. Together with proper lifting techniques, back exercises are one of the most important things each of us can do to strengthen our backs and help protect them from accidental injury and sports injuries. The right back exercises, when done on a daily basis, can help you to keep your back fitness at the best possible level.

Remember, though, if you are experiencing back pain of any sort, check with a healthcare professional before doing these or any exercises. And do the exercise according to the medical advice rendered by that professional. Sciatica is the disease which affects nerves of the back. To control the back pain due to the nerve disease you must undergo strength training in physiotherapy.

If you understand the concepts of how backs get injured by bad back exercise habits you can easily tell if you are moving in healthy ways, if an exercise will help or harm, or if you’re doing a good exercise in bad way. You’re not helping yourself if all you do is a “list” of exercises. Worse, many people are given a list of things to never do again. This list is often favorite activities that made their lives worthwhile and fun.

Most people spend their lives doing activities with poor posture that rounds their lower back. They sit, stand, walk, and exercise round-shouldered and round-backed. This shortens chest and shoulder muscles in front, and over stretches and weakens your back. Like squeezing a water balloon in front, when you round forward, it squeezes the front of your discs between your back bones (vertebrae) above and below the disc.

Due to health care education, more people, who are over forty, those born in 1946 to 1964, commonly known as the baby boomers, are realizing the benefits of taking up sports or exercising in a gym.

This is well and good since exercising regularly severely cut the risks of contracting aging and obesity related potentially killer diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, some forms of cancers and many other diseases.

It is indeed heartening to know that more baby boomers are taking charge of their health through regularly exercise to improve their cardiovascular health thus becoming fitter and stronger. However, with more middle aged people exercising and playing some form of sports, instances of injuries sustained from these activities have risen substantially.

In the United States, these gym or sports injuries have become the number 2 reason for people visiting the doctor’s office just behind the common cold, reported by the National Ambulatory Medical Care in 2003.

A Consumer Product Safety Commission research in 1998 found that sports related injuries to baby boomers had risen by 33 percent since 1991 and contributed to US$18.7 billion in medical costs.

Outdoor sports such as tennis, jogging and golf are very popular with people over forties. Not to be outdone, the more body conscious over forties baby boomers are also joining gym memberships in the multitudes.

Gyms all over the developed world are happily reporting booming new memberships year after year with a large pool of their members being the over forty baby boomers brigade, male or female baby boomers irrespective.

As baby boomers get older, their susceptibility to sports injuries rise proportionately. As people age, their body degenerate along with the aging process, although exercising regularly is known to slow down this very degeneration process.

This is particularly so for the risky weekend warriors who take to the running tracks or lifting weights to build their body with gusto during the weekend putting their aging bodies and joints to sudden busts of unaccustomed stressful activities, causing damages to their own bodies unknowingly.

What are the common baby boomer’s sports injuries? How to avoid them?

• Shoulder injuries – Common for those playing squash, tennis, badminton and lifting weights in the gym using wrong form and techniques.

• Elbow injuries – People who play racket games and bodybuilders.

• Back injuries – A very common occurrence in the gym amongst baby boomer bodybuilder wannabes. Also a common injury for golfers who often have to swing their spine.

• Knee injuries – For baby boomers who participate in sports with sudden movements and changes of directions such as squash and soccer.

•Ankle injuries – Usually striking the runners and joggers of long distances.

How to avoid the risks of sports injuries for the over forties?

This is largely common sense which most people know but few do it regularly as part of their exercise routine in so doing, risking injuries which can be avoided.

• Thorough warm of the muscles and joints which will be involved in the exercise or sport.

• Stretching adequately and correctly. Many people stretch in the wrong manner which then may cause even more injuries.

• Take the exercises or sports one step at a time, then as endurance and strength build up over time, you can then increase the intensity of the sport or the exercise.

• Exercise regularly. Not just over the weekend. Your body may not be able to cope with the sudden outburst each weekend.

• Hire a sports personal trainer who can tailor an exercise program suitable to your health condition and guide you safely through the exercises.

So baby boomers, don’t become a victim of your exercises. You want to be fit and healthy, not suffering from pain and despair from what could have been an enjoyable game of healthy sporting activity. Over 40s sports injuries can be avoided.

Baby boomers, who exercise more than any generation before them, have been flocking to orthopedic surgeons to tend to their aching tendons and joints.

As news of the growing need for surgical intervention spread, a number of boomers have found the willpower to moderate the intensity of their workout routines.

Personal experience has also confirmed the wisdom of moderation. For example, one inveterate marathoner was shocked by the surprising perception that there were not a lot of senior citizens dashing across the finish line in the New York Marathon.

He began to wonder if at a certain age less strenuous activity might actually be, not only the better part of healthcare, but all that’s generally possible. He also began to ask himself if seniors who persisted in intense physical challenges like the marathon were absent at or near the finish line because they literally dropped by the wayside. He dismissed that possibility, because it really brought into question his hope for up-to-the-last-minute youth.

He shared the possible advisability of moderation with a fellow boomer, who happened to be his girlfriend. She agreed to take it into consideration but required proof of the astonishing comeuppance. So, while working out at her gym, she looked around and noticed, to her amazement, that there were not a lot of seniors sweating along with her, especially on the running track and in the weight room.

Most unsettling of all, she noticed that a confounded lot of the runners looked younger than she did.

She dared to break the stunning revelation to a friend, who told her boyfriend. Since hot news has a way of making it through the boomer vine, soon the bewildered generation was abuzz with the invitation to moderation.

Being serious about their health, many have researched the bone-crushing consequences of persistent over-exercise and have discovered that that they really should take it a little easy on themselves, especially since many of them are flirting with age 60. It seems that if they can persuade themselves of the wisdom at least some moderation they will go a long way toward preserving their knees, ankles, and assorted joints, tendons, and muscles. They could also save on visits to the surgeon.

As expected, however, hard-line boomers are adopting an over-exercise-until-you-drop attitude.

As one recalcitrant member of the group said, “Hey, it’s like exercising came with the genes. I can’t change my routine anymore than I can change my feet, which wake up every morning, ready to run for miles.”

This group is so determined they plan to exercise excessively, even if it means hobbling into old age due to self-inflicted hobbling. As another member of the over-exercise or you’re over-the-hill group stated, ”Look, if I’m going to need a knee replacement or two, I might as well be one of the first in my generation to get one.”

There is a lot of attention paid in the Atkins diet plan towards food and cooking. It’s true that your food choices on the diet are of utmost importance. But a lot of people make the mistake of ignoring exercise. The newly released Atkins food pyramid shows the importance of exercise. It shows an increase in food options with increased activity. Exercise is important on the Atkins diet, and important for everyone’s overall health.

Exercise is beneficial to body, mind and soul. It has many major benefits, even at limited levels. It not only burns fat but it boosts your metabolism and increases circulation. Daily exercise helps your body eliminate toxins through sweat glands and lymph systems. It is especially important to all low-carb weight loss programs because it regulates blood sugar levels.

Physical exercise is essential for Atkins diet success. Without exercise, your body isn’t configured to process carbohydrates successfully. Research has shown that sedentary individuals have extreme insulin reactions to even moderate amounts of carbohydrates. This means that exercise doesn’t only help you lose weight, it will help you keep it off too. Exercise will teach your body how to process the carbohydrates in your diet. When you exercise regularly, you’ll be able to eat more carbohydrates over time because your body will use them efficiently.

There are two basic types of exercise: aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise. The best regimen combines these two forms each week.

Aerobic exercise’s primary goal is to increase your heart rate. This causes your body to consume more oxygen and it gives all of your cells a fresh supply of oxygen. If you’ve been without physical activity for a while, many of those cells have been deprived. Aerobic exercise will regenerate them and help you feel better in times when you aren’t exercising.

If you’ve been inactive for a while, it may take some time to get used to your new aerobic workouts. You may want to get some advice from your primary care doctor or a professional aerobics instructor. Make sure to start slowly to give yourself time to adjust to your new movements. It’s essential that you learn how to stretch and warm up correctly in order to avoid muscle strain. Some good beginning aerobic activities include walking, golf, tennis and dancing. These activities won’t cause a lot of strain on your body, but they will get your heart moving. Start slowly and set small goals for yourself. For example, if you are starting a walking program begin by walking four blocks. Then increase your training to five blocks, then six. Your body will respond well to the exercise…after all your body was meant to move!

Anaerobic exercise includes any activity that isn’t technically aerobic. Most of the exercises in this category build muscle mass. Weightlifting and strength training are examples of anaerobic exercises. Working out with weights is an important part of losing weight. As you lose fat, you’ll need to replace it with muscle in order to stay lean. Don’t be afraid of working out with weights. You won’t need to become a bodybuilder. Weight bearing exercises like isometrics and resistance training will help improve your bone density, your posture and your fat burning potential.

If an exercise program is not part of your weight loss efforts, you are setting yourself up for failure. Make a commitment to incorporating exercise into your weight loss efforts and you’ll see the results immediately.

A recommended 30-minute minimum of daily activity is the norm. Before starting any exercise program, it is vital that one speak to their doctor to ensure there are no unseen risks, however you will find that most doctors recommend exercise for their arthritis patients either on their own initiative or when asked.

The types of exercises suggested vary; however, with all types of exercise the warm-up is the starting point. Warming up is best started with applying warm compresses to the joints, followed by mild stretching. Range of motion exercises, such as dance, are a very good start, as are low-impact aerobics. These can relieve stiffness and increase flexibility.

Never discount the effectiveness of walking as an exercise. Walking is a great exercise to improve the arthritic condition, and carrying weights as light as one pound and using your arms as you walk can involve the whole body. The “trick” is to make walking interesting enough as an exercise to stay motivated. Try walking in different settings, alternating walking with dance on different days, and of course including a partner can be much more interesting than going at it alone.

Using aquatics: exercising in a pool-is a great way to exercise as well. Water is an excellent aid because it provides resistance that builds muscle in the entire body while reducing shock to the joints at the same time. Additionally, because the whole body tends to become involved in aquatic exercise the added benefit of cardiovascular exercise is enjoyed. If at all possible, find a heated pool to work out in. Warm water is soothing to the joints and will cause the blood vessels to dilate, increasing circulation. With that in mind, it is often beneficial to add using a spa to your regimen, perhaps after your workout, in order to provide some soothing jets of water to your muscles and even more help with increased circulation, which is always vital when dealing with arthritis.

If you still want more variety, you may want to try yoga. Yoga is a general term for several stretching, and pose-oriented exercises originating in India, and is extremely beneficial toward achieving flexibility and reducing stress physically and mentally. There are gentle forms of yoga such as Hatha Yoga that are excellent to start with. Hatha Yoga comprises of gentle stretches and simple poses that help flexibility and balance, and are easy to learn and enjoy. Check your local activities paper or section of your local paper to see if there are any yoga classes near you.

Even when you cannot make it out to walk or to an aquatics or yoga class, there are exercises you can do daily to improve flexibility, strength and conditioning. You can flex your legs while sitting in a chair facing forward, simply by moving your leg outward while keeping your foot on the floor and holding it there for a few seconds, then retracting it until your foot is behind you, then alternating to the other leg. Interlocking your fingers and slowly flexing your wrists to the left and the right for a few minutes a day can help tremendously to increase flexibility and reduce pain in the wrist area.

For your upper back, you can stand upright in front of a table, then lean over and place your hands on the table and tuck your chin back toward your collarbone. Once positioned as such, lift your upper back upward and simultaneously take a deep breath. Hold that position for 5-10 seconds and then relax while exhaling. While doing this, lower your spine slowly as you move both shoulder blades forward as if toward each other. Repeat this exercise for 10-15 repetitions.
For the shoulders and middle back, start again from an upright position standing as straight as you can, reach back and lock the fingers of both hands together. Breathe slowly and deeply and lift upward with your shoulders while at the same time, exhaling. Be sure to keep your chest up and your chin in. Repeat this for about 10-15 sets.

For the shoulders and upper chest, choose a free corner of the room to stand in and place your hands on the opposite sides of the corner. Take a step back about 18 inches from the corner. You now should be facing the corner directly with your hands on both of the walls with your body some distance from the wall itself. Keeping your chest up after inhaling, lean in toward the corner while exhaling. Repeat this exercise for 10-15 sets.

Whatever exercise program you choose, be sure to breathe properly when exercising. Oxygenation is important to any exercise regimen as it promotes a healthy heart rate and reduces fatigue; additionally oxygenation helps circulation, which is vital to achieving the flexibility and strength that you are trying to achieve in battling arthritis. Also, listen to your body. It is natural to feel a little fatigue and soreness when starting a new exercise regimen, However if the pain of soreness persists for more than one hour, or you have a decrease in mobility that lasts longer than an hour, then the regimen should be reduced until the soreness desists.

Also, look for signs of increased swelling of joints or any persistent increase of weakness; these are signs of activities that are too strenuous and a reduction in activity will be necessary. Just remember to take all new exercise regimens slowly at the start. The idea is to increase flexibility not train for the Olympics.

There are three main types of exercises to include in a basic exercise program:

Range-of-motion exercises – These lessen stiffness and help with improving flexibility. “Range of motion” refers to the area within which the joints move naturally or on a daily basis. Although these range-of-motion exercises can be performed every day, it is recommended that they be done at least every other day.

Strengthening exercises – There are two types of strengthening exercises; isometric or tightening the muscles without moving the joints, and isotonic, moving of the joints for strengthening muscle movements. It is recommended to do these sets of exercises every other day, unless you are suffering from more than mild joint pain or swelling.

ndurance exercises – The objective of these is to increase stamina. They also help with improving your inner personal / mental strength and with improving weight control and sleep. Some of the most popular endurance exercises are stationary bike riding, walking and water exercising. And unless you are suffering from more than mild joint pain or swelling, a 20- to 30-minute workout or two to three short 10-minute bouts during the day is what is recommended, an average of three times each week. Be kind to your body, and it will be kind to you.

Arthritis Exercise Tips

Let’s sum up arthritis exercise with a few tips for all:

– Establish your own unique, exercise program so that it meets you personal health needs, budget and environment. Make sure it is safe by checking with your own professional healthcare advisor and workout trainer. And take it slow and steady like Aesop’s turtle in the race.

– Be kind to yourself. Stop if something hurts. And experiment with applying heat before exercising and warming up. Then cool off afterwards with cold packs.

– Enjoy exercising by making it a real part of your life during the week. Include range-of-motion, strengthening and endurance exercises in your routines. And vary your activities; try a new class at a health club one quarter. Next time, go elsewhere or join a naturalist group for weekly hikes in local parks. Keep an active folder with pockets of gyms and health clubs near you with their schedules and up-dated classes and coupon specials. And check newspapers, local bulletin boards, postings at the gyms and clubs, etc. for healthy activities like walk-a-thons and bike-a-thons for nonprofits and evening / weekend hikes in which you can participate. You’ll meet new friends, have fun, get out more and exercise all at the same time.

– Exercise activities are available all around you, too. No need to spend time and money elsewhere. You can borrow exercise videos, cassettes, DVDs and books from public libraries. You can get active by washing windows, cleaning your house, car, pet, children’s closets, your closets, anything…You can even earn money doing activities like walking and distributing flyers, local newspapers and coupons (check with companies who place these in and around your mailbox and door – -they often need help).

Most people new to bodybuilding pay a lot of attention to building big arms, sometimes to the point of overtraining. Don’t forget, the arm muscles are brought into play during most exercises aimed at other body parts so care must be taken not to overdo things.

Having said that, the arms are complex body parts in their own right and deserve a properly focused exercise program. In basic terms the arm consists of three main muscle groups:

1. Biceps brachii – two muscles at the front upper arm that run from the elbow to the shoulders.

2. Triceps brachii – three muscles at the rear upper arm that run from the elbow to the shoulder.

3. Forearm – several smaller muscles that run from the elbow to the wrist.

There are seven classic exercises that will allow beginners to get off to a good muscle building start without overstraining their bodies. For all of the exercises that follow, use a weight that is light enough to allow between 10-15 reps.

Three biceps building exercises are recommended for beginners:

1. Standing barbell curl – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

2. Alternative standing dumbbell curls – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

3. Preacher bench curls – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

Three triceps building exercises are recommended for beginners:

1. Dips – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

2. Close grip bench press – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

3. EZ bar lying extensions – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

One forearm building exercise is recommended for beginners:

1. EZ bar reverse curls – 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

As with all exercises you need to take care in scheduling specific body parts. To begin with you should incorporate your arm exercises into a program similar to the one suggested below:

Day 1: Biceps, Back, Abs

Day 2: Hamstrings, Shoulders, Abs

Day 3: Quads, Forearms, Calves

Day 4: Triceps, Chest, Abs

For the first couple of weeks complete one set but then add one set each week to a maximum of three. At the end of three months you will be ready to move on to more intensive intermediate level exercises.

The aim for beginners to weight training must be to lay the foundations for the intensive workouts that their bodies will eventually be subjected to. Obviously successful bodybuilding involves bringing together disparate elements such as nutrition and rest but choosing the right exercises is crucial. In this article we’ll outline the barbell exercises that will enable new bodybuilders to develop the general strength and body conditioning needed.

Initially beginners should aim to complete two sets of ten to twelve reps but after a few weeks, when you have developed sufficient control and basic strength, experiment with one set of six to eight reps to failure. This will maximize your muscle growth and give you the impetus to move on to the next stage of development. Before long you’ll find the use of this single piece of equipment restricting, so later in this series of articles we’ll pull together a muscle boosting program that utilizes other equipment to take you to the intermediate level. In the meantime, get to work with these exercises in order to get used to working your muscles.

Biceps brachii – The Two muscles at the front upper arm that run from the elbow to the shoulders. The biceps is actually a smaller muscle then the triceps. It is on the front of the upper arms. There are two heads of the biceps muscle (hence the bi in biceps).

Beneath the biceps is the brachialis, a flat muscle group that runs about half way up the upper arm bone from the elbow joint. From the rear you can see the brachialis as a well-defined band of muscle between the triceps and biceps when a muscular bodybuilder flexes his/her arm.

Triceps brachii – The Three muscles at the rear upper arm that run from the elbow to the shoulder. The triceps is a three-headed muscle that is on the back of the upper arm (hence the name tri in triceps).

Forearm – The several smaller muscles that run from the elbow to the wrist. There are three primary muscle groups in the forearms. The forearm flexors lie along the inner sides of the forearms. The forearm extensors run along the outer sides of the forearms. And the supinators that lie on the upper and outer sections of the forearms.

It is essential that when you do any exercise that you perform the movements correctly, if you don’t you will receive less then optimum benefit from the exercise. It is very difficult to unlearn bad exercise habits, so it is best to learn the right exercise technique from the very start.

The key to developing the arms is to avoid overtraining these small muscle groups. The arms are used as secondary muscles in almost all chest, back, and shoulder exercises. For example, the biceps are used when doing any type of rowing movement for the back. The triceps are used when doing any type of pressing movement for the chest and/or shoulders. And the forearms are used whenever you have to grip the weights.

Whether you want to tone and define weak arms so that you can wear something sleeveless with confidence or you want to increase muscle mass, working the muscles in the front and back of the upper arms will help you get there.

Most people new to bodybuilding pay a lot of attention to building big arms, sometimes to the point of overtraining. Don’t forget, the arm muscles are brought into play during most exercises aimed at other body parts so care must be taken not to overdo things.

Having said that, the arms are complex body parts in their own right and deserve a properly focused exercise program. In basic terms the arm consists of three main muscle groups:

1. Biceps brachii – two muscles at the front upper arm that run from the elbow to the shoulders.

2. Triceps brachii – three muscles at the rear upper arm that run from the elbow to the shoulder.

3. Forearm – several smaller muscles that run from the elbow to the wrist.

We’re really stuck on wanting to look good and that’s alright, but it’s really one goal of the arm exercise benefits. “Exercise is a body tune-up, and if we’re keeping our body exercised, we’re keeping it tuned just like a car.” When working the arms, be sure to balance the body.

We tend to make the mistake of exercising only our show muscles. And that is actually an imbalanced program. We pay too much attention to the muscles in front of our body and not enough attention to the back of the body.

On the most basic level, this doesn’t build the whole muscle.

The reality is, if you want big arms, you’ve got to work both sides of the arms. When someone flexes their biceps, it’s the whole arm that’s working. The triceps are a part of that.

You should vary your grip and width when performing not only these exercises, but all others. Why? Consider the barbell curl as an example. Most guys tend to use a wider grip, which works the short head of the biceps on the inside of the arm, while forgoing a narrow grip, where the biceps’ long head is emphasized. When someone who does this places his hands on his hips, the long head on the outside of his arm is usually small and disproportionate compared to the inner arm. By using the same grip or width all the time, you create an imbalance in size and strength.

Like taxes, stress is a part of everyone’s life. The “experts” tell us that some stress is good because without it there would be no motivation to do anything! However, if you are like me, serious stress and anxiety makes me feel bad physically – I am unable to eat. This can’t be good!

For most of us, stress is low-level most of the time. Our daily tasks and relationships give us a bit of stress but not major anxiety. The body’s response to low-level stressors is designed to motivate us to action with a slightly raised heart rate and increased mental clarity –similar to the response to caffeine.

In times where stress levels go higher, the responses are what many people call the “fight or flight” response. The body sends blood to the extremities to get ready for action! These responses are normal and good for you – except when the stress levels remain high for a long time. When the body perpetually stays in a stressed state, the systems begin to break down. Think of it like a car engine where the throttle is stuck and the engine is constantly “revved up”. Not only will it consume A LOT of gasoline, but the mechanical parts will wear out faster.

So what to do to protect ourselves from this? RELAX of course….and EXERCISE. Exercise helps us relax both physiologically and, if it’s enjoyable, provides a mental escape from the stressor. The physiological effects of exercise include release of morphine-like chemicals (which include beta-endorphins) that give us a sense of well being. Have you ever heard the term Runner’s High? This is caused by the release of “endorphins” into the blood. Since these chemicals stay in the blood for several hours after stopping the activity, the “feel good” feeling remains for a while.

OK, so we know why exercise can help with anxiety and stress. But what are some of the ways regular exercise keeps us healthy in normal, low-level stress, times?

Here’s some from the top of my head:

Using a daily dose of natural “feel good” chemicals is better than drugs or alcohol!!
Looking fit, healthy and strong (It’s ok to admit that looking good makes you feel good!)
Feeling good from accomplishment and improvement.
Escaping from the daily grind for an hour – change of scene.
Keeping the body systems prepared to handle high-level stress.

The key to lowering stress with exercise is that you ENJOY the exercise that you choose to do. If you hate going to the gym, it’s not going to lower your stress – in fact it probably will add some! Also, studies are showing over and over that even low intensity exercise helps anxiety, so any activity you enjoy is good. For me, when I am under stress, nothing works better than a good sweaty dance session. The music, movement and high heart rate just melt away my troubles. Some of my clients even tell me that the sense of achievement from competitive sports makes them feel less stressed!

The bottom line? To decrease the effects stress on your body, pick a fitness or sports activity you enjoy, do it regularly and HAVE FUN.

Oh treadmill, how I love thee. I can always depend on my treadmill to achieve weight loss and muscle tone. I have had a couple of different treadmills through the years and I have always been able to attain my goals with this outstanding piece of equipment. I have gone from a dedicated runner, to couch potato, to overweight and back and the only variable that did not work all the time was me!

There is a reason the first piece of equipment you see on “Biggest Loser” is a treadmill, or why there is a line at the gym waiting for this coveted piece of equipment. They work! The act of running itself is fantastic, but with running you have many variables, (i.e. rain, potholes, stranger danger, and the occasional scary animal). Many people associate running with injuries and joint issues, and unfortunately this can be true of running outside due to the high impact on your joints and muscles. With a treadmill, you are able to take all of those variables away, and still have the purest form of cardiovascular exercise in your own home. Running on a treadmill allows you to control your environment with cushioned and flat running surface. Treadmills also are able to accommodate any fitness level from the first day you begin, to training for a 5k. There is no learning curve involved at any time with exercising on a treadmill. That fact alone makes this a perfect machine. Many people will get frustrated quickly with a piece of equipment they are uncomfortable or unable to use. On a treadmill, all you must do is walk and you are “working out”. No need for a trainer, instructions, or nerves.

In my personal experience, I have become to depend on my treadmill almost as much as my Doctor. I am able to lower my blood pressure, heighten my lung capacity, tone and build muscles, lose weight, and motivate myself to move.

Make an investment in yourself

When you are ready to make this wise investment, there are a few pointers to consider when purchasing a treadmill. It is always a good idea to talk to a friend or relative about their treadmill, and what they like and don’t about the features they have on their home or commercial equipment. Also, go to several gyms and fitness stores and actually walk or run on several of the treadmills available to get a true feel for the structure and performance of each piece of equipment. Listed below are the top 10 questions you need to ask yourself and a sales person prior to choosing the perfect treadmill for you.

1. What Kind of Weight capacity does the treadmill offer?
2. What type of features are you interested in for your workouts? Are you interested in a heart rate monitor? Do you need different workout programs to vary your workouts?
3. What kind of space are you willing to allot for storage? Do you need to be able to fold the equipment, or can you have a traditional style.
4. What is the speed on the treadmill? How fast and slow does the machine move, and what is the speed that you require?
5. What type of warranty does the treadmill offer, and what type of ongoing maintenance does it need?
6. What is the “continuous duty” of the treadmill? You really need to look for a 1.5 to 2.5 HP to insure you are getting a solid motor.
7. What price are you willing to pay for a treadmill?
8. Noise, do you need a quite model due to children in home, or a sleeping spouse? Do you want to hear a TV over the sound of the treadmill? DC motors are usually the more quite option.
9. Are you comfortable with the length and width of the treadmill? Can you move your arms freely, and is the deck long enough to accommodate your stride?
10. Is there a safety key, or an emergency shut off? If you have children this is an important option to have available.

All of these questions, if answered correctly by you and your salesperson, will begin a beautiful relationship with the right treadmill.

At the Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Ariz., guests find healing in the water. The resort’s 11,000- square-foot Aquatic Center features three Watsu pools, a cross-training pool with conditioning equipment, two aquatic therapy pools and a whirlpool. There is also a complete Water Workout Station and it is making a big splash with guests.

“Water is the wave of the future,” said Karma Kientzler, an aquatic therapy expert and outside consultant for Canyon Ranch in Tucson. “People are using their bones and joints to such excess that water will become the means for most people to stay healthy. It is a means to life enhancement and enrichment, especially in a spa and health care environment.”

The Aquatrend, a scientifically designed piece of stainless steel equipment, was installed at Canyon Ranch about 10 years ago to help take the “work” out of workouts, Kientzler said. It makes working out a pleasurable experience, especially for those suffering from arthritis, knee and hip replacement or sports injury recovery. The power of water has become an integral part of spa relaxation and rejuvenation — it’s a healer, a stress reducer, and an amenity that everyone can enjoy regardless of age or physical condition,” she said.

For the physically challenged or non-swimmer, water exercise is safe because there is always something nearby to hold onto.

On the flip side, those who are more fit or who are interested in the resistance benefits from ‘Aquacise’ or aqua therapy can use a water workout station to work isolated body areas to lose weight and inches, and to facilitate aerobic and anaerobic training. It provides the basic exercise everyone needs to strengthen cardiovascular and respiratory systems while building strength and endurance.

‘The Value of Aquatic Exercise’

According to the Aquatic Exercise Association, Aquatic fitness is defined as activities performed in the water that promote and enhance physical and mental fitness. Aquatic fitness is typically performed in a vertical position in shallow or deep water. There are numerous applications to appeal to a wide variety of participants.

Here’s how it works… and why it works. Water buffers the body from gravity and makes a person virtually weightless when they are totally submerged. When a person’s head is out of the water, he or she weighs approximately 10 percent of normal body weight. Therefore, exercising in the water offers protective cushioning that land-based exercise cannot.

Researchers tell us that exercise injuries are usually related to impact. Every time a person’s foot comes in contact with the floor, impact occurs. Because a person weighs so much less in the water, the impact on the body is reduced. Water has the same advantages to toning as it does in cushioning. In order to get muscles in shape or “toned,” a person has to work against something. On land, a person fights gravity, but water limits the effect of gravity on the body.

Aquatics: ‘Hard to Resist’

Mike Jandzen, Aquatics Director at the Sea Colony Resort in Bethany Beach, Delaware, who is responsible for managing water fitness programs at the property’s 12 pools and fitness center, said hardcore athletes are drawn to exercising in a gym because they prefer a more gravitational type of resistance for muscle toning and strength training. However, Jandzen said he is seeing more and more interest in the property’s aquatics programs, such as water aerobics and water exercise, because they can be enjoyed by young and old alike and offer cardiovascular conditioning, strength training and muscle toning while greatly reducing the impact on muscles and joints.

“Over the past several years we’ve seen aquatics becoming the exercise vehicle of choice,” he said. “We’ve had a water exercise unit in our aqua therapy pool for many years, and it’s constantly in use. Our senior guests enjoy it for therapy as well as for strength training and muscle toning. The water aspect makes it low impact. It’s easy to use, easy on joints and easy on muscles because buoyancy relieves the demands placed on all body parts.”

Every time a person gets into the pool, he or she is losing weight from the resistance that water provides, noting that the resistance of water is 12 times that of air. When exercising in water, the body still creates extra heat because muscles are being used. However, the body has a much easier time transferring your exercise heat to the water than it does to the air. The result is a workout that immediately feels refreshing and cool, and not hot and soggy from sweat.

A quality Water Workout Station provides Body Sculpting exercises, including standing squats, lateral pull ups, hanging leg pulleys, closed-grip pull ups, forward dips, single knee extensions/curls, leg diamonds, abdominal press, reverse abdominal and straight abdominal curl. Cardio Circuits provide 13 exercises, including: squat and lift, reverse lunge, chin ups, cardio-sprint, single bicep curls, body swings, cardio bobbing jumping jacks, single knee tucks, seat push ups, cardio-seated bicycle, oblique reach, reverse leg pull-downs and cardio-seated bicycle. There is also a Power Circuit, which incorporates aerobic and muscular conditioning, including: lat pull up/body swing combo, closed grip pull-up/reverse curl combo, cardio hurdles, reverse dip abductor/adductor cross combo, hanging curl-skate kick combo, cardio-cross country ski, body pike push-up combo, cardio seat down sprinting, straight curl-alternating elbow and cardio – seat down leg flurries.

When the weather is warm, there is nothing quite like going for a refreshing swim at the local pool. To add to the benefits, you can use it as an opportunity to work on those stomach muscles. The water provides natural resistance, making the pool a great place to do stomach exercises to flatten out that tummy. Despite the greater resistance water has than air, aquasizing is low-impact, meaning less strain on joints. Try out these exercises next time you take a trip down to your pool. Remember, consult your doctor before beginning a new workout routine, and always warm up properly to prevent injury.

The first set of exercises to try is called the jump and dig. There are two moves in this set, one for the upper body and one for the lower body. The former is great for your obliques, and the latter works on your abdominals. To start, stand in water that is between your belly button and chest. To work the lower body (including your abdominals), put your feet a wide distance apart, then jump so your knees come up to the surface of the water and back down. Picture a frog as you do it; this will help you get the form right. Next, to work the upper body, begin by making a scoop with both hands at the surface of the water. Bring your hand scoop below the surface, then scoop up and to one side. Alternate sides to work the obliques on both sides. Start by doing the two moves separately for three minutes each. Once you have mastered the form, do them at the same time to exercise both sets of stomach muscles at once.

As you build strength and endurance, you can add water gloves to increase resistance. You can also do the exercises faster, packing more reps into each three minute period. Form is key, though. Do not sacrifice form for the sake of speed. It is better to do it properly than quickly. Also remember to set fitness goals and work toward them at a gradual pace. Do not push yourself too hard, too fast. You may want to see results fast, but an injury will seriously delay your workout goals. Start small, know your limits, and build gradually.

As long as you are working on your midsection, here are a few additional tips. First, proper diet is essential to any fitness routine. A great, hard workout can be completely negated by improper eating habits. Second, stay hydrated both while working out and in everyday life. A good rule of thumb is to take your body weight in pounds, divide it by 2, and drink that number of ounces of water each day. This helps to keep the body functioning at it’s highest level. Third, rest up. This means not only getting plenty of sleep, but also getting the right kind of sleep. Spend all night sleeping on your stomach, and you will wake up with a sore back, making it difficult to do your stomach exercises. Also be sure to schedule off days into your routine to give your muscles a chance to rest up and rebuild. Now you already have a great start on a toned, flat stomach!

In many exercise programs, be it weight lifting for building and toning muscles or cardio vascular exercises for increasing stamina and to lose weight, most people do not perform enough stretching exercises even though stretching exercises can be performed by anyone at any age unless that person has some physical restriction to stretch. What is worse, many people do not even stretch before and after exercising. Unknown to most people, stretching also has anti aging benefits.

•Benefits of stretching exercises for muscle growth

Stretching is an important aspect of exercising and should be a part of any exercise routine and program. There are many wonderful benefits when you perform regular stretching exercises. Stretching exercises not only help you to warm up and cool down before and after your workouts, it can and will actually help your muscles to grow bigger and stronger too. Don’t believe me? Then read on.

Stretching exercises help muscle growth because stretching lengthens your muscles and thus giving your muscle fibers a greater range of motion when lifting weights. So in effect, it recruits more muscle fibers and thus causing your muscles to grow stronger and bigger from your weight training.

By stretching your muscles after an intensive workout will reduce muscle soreness commonly known as DOMS (delayed onset muscle sore) which usually occurs a day after your workout.

Performing stretching exercises before your workout or before a physically demanding sporting activity will also decrease your chances of sustaining injuries and muscle cramps which will certainly destroy the joy of your activity.

When you stretch regularly, stretching exercises will help you gain agility which will make your daily chores much more pleasant and if you play sports, you will notice your agility is much better than others who do not stretch. This will put you in a more beneficial position against your opponents.

•Anti Aging Benefits Of Stretching Exercises

If you are a baby boomer and age is catching up, this agility will make your life so much more pleasurable because you will be able to avoid stiff muscles and stiff joints unlike your peers who do not stretch. You will be more mobile, agile and suffering from less pain associated with aging and stiff body parts. These anti aging benefits from stretching regularly are priceless. Benefits that money can never be able to buy.

What is more, you can stretch anytime any where as and when you like. Stretching exercises need not be limited as a pre and post workout activity. So start a stretching exercise routine soon and make it part of your everyday lifestyle. You will surely enjoy the pleasures and anti aging benefits that a regular stretching routine can bring you.