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Tag: Health & Fitness

4 Unexpected Health Issues That Can Arise When Starting A New Fitness Plan

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Starting a new fitness plan is one of the more exciting times of the year. Taking control over the direction your life is going is beneficial no matter who you are, and can help you feel on top of your destiny. A new fitness plan can be the bedrock of all of this, because a fitness regime is much more than a fitness regime.

Working to a schedule of improving your body sets you on a schedule, a routine, and allows you to keep disciplined within those parameters. A scary job interview feels like nothing when you have lifted weights in the morning, because you have already made the effort to combat adversity that day. Who could stop you from there? It’s important to understand just how powerful this can be, because realizing it will allow you to stay focused in the times you’d much rather quit.

Improving your fitness level is one of the most beneficial gifts you can give to yourself. Sometimes though, it’s not a cover-all solution. Sometimes, new health issues can arise due to focussing obsessively on working out and changing your lifestyle. Progressing in your health and fitness is always worth it, but it pays to be aware of the following unexpected issues that can arise – and how to deal with them.

Swimmer’s Ear

Swimmer’s ear is a nasty condition that is usually brought on by repeated wet/warm conditions in your ear. If you have bacteria entering your ear through some form, such as dirty showering facilities, dropping your headphones on the floor and then plugging them into your ear, or simply not tying your sweaty and greasy hair back during a hard cardio session, you might become a victim of swimmer’s ear.

Swimmer’s ear is similar to an ear infection, and should be checked out by your doctor immediately. The reason that achieved its moniker is that swimmers are the most likely to get it, thanks to the aquatic nature of their sport. It can be relatively painful and completely shut off your ability to hear in that ear as it swells. This can throw you off for a couple days. Not only will the ear itch from the inside, but you won’t be able to touch it without intense physical pain.

To counteract this, purchase (with your doctor’s recommendation,) some over-the-counter ear spray that helps neutralize the PH in your ear, and helps it stay conducive to fighting the bacteria there. Luckily, over the course of a few weeks, the medicine should work as intended and complete reverse the malady. You’ll surely be much more careful about your exercise hygiene in future.

Torn Callus

Weightlifters have enough to deal with. In a given session they have to adhere to many safety standards. Lifting the barbell over the mid foot, making sure that balance is achieved and that the weight is just heavy enough to make strength process, but just light enough to be safely handled are a few examples of this. Not only that, but the most insidious enemy of the weight room is torn calluses.

This isn’t to decry the importance of calluses in the first place. Calluses are natural skin developments that occur to counteract a form of stress. Lifting a heavy barbell is most definitely a form of stress, so calluses that develop are necessary for lifting those loads safely, and so the skin doesn’t get damaged. Sometimes though, this can work counter to what is intended.

A lifter who places the barbell in their hand in an incorrect place, which is common for novice and intermediate lifters alike, will eventually have the barbell scrape down their hand at heavy enough pull loads such as chin-ups or deadlifts. This creates a jamming ‘wedge’ in the hands as the bar travels. This can lead to the bar tearing the skin of the hand open. This is a nasty to witness, horrible to experience pain that will take you out of any exercise or hand usage for however long it takes to heal. Not only will this be absolutely terrible to experience, but it will completely make you lose all of your progress made in that last month.

To prevent this, make sure that you place the bar on the callus’ that have developed just on the line under your fingers. Aim to grip the bar from there, and it will prevent the barbell from traveling down your hand when unintended because it will already be in the ‘end position.’ If you grip the bar in the middle of your palm, it will drag down to the end position and create the problem if you’re unlucky.

To further guard against this, make sure you are using chalk during your heavy lifts. This will help your grip immensely during those massive lifts.

Foot Diseases

Runners, rowers and swimmers alike are all likely to gain a foot infection, a bunion or some form of painful foot malady over their time traversing their exercise duty in sweaty footwear, or walking on sweaty, dirty flooring. This is much more common than you might original assume. How often do you think about your foot health? How often do you maintain your feet past washing them in the shower and trimming the nails on occasion?

To help counteract these issues, make sure that you see the best foot doctors in your area, and also wear breathable, clean footwear. Remember, while it’s cost effective to keep wearing the same shoes for your exercise for years on end, you will be sweating into these often. Replace often, or at the very least wash your footwear every fortnight to a month. Look after your feet, and they will look after you.

Overtraining

Overtraining is a very real phenomenon that occurs when someone ignores the fact they are otherwise untrained, and fuelled by a desire to ‘be the best’ as many motivational and disciplinary popular slogans will tell them, they’ll throw themselves into a training regime vastly more difficult than that they can currently handle. This will eventually lead to overtraining, a very real phenomenon when the body physically cannot recover in the time between workouts. This will lead to exhaustion and maybe even depression. This exhaustion is different to general exhaustion. This will be a real, deep and pervasive feeling of lethargy that is difficult to combat unless you get plenty of rest.

Novices are usually better at recovering than those who are well trained, but ONLY if the programming is correct. If you’re starting on a running program, consider starting Couch 2 5K – the popular running program designed to keep a novice able to complete each session, even if they have started as a couch potato. For weightlifting, consider a beginners program like Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5×5. These programs have been specifically designed for exercise utility and recovery time to squeeze the best ‘noob gains’ from a beginner, and this can result in some amazing progress that completely helps you avoid overtraining.

Over time, as your body adapts to stress, you can consider adding more volume or variety of exercises to your workouts. For example, a runner, once he has achieved 5k, might consider skipping rope or rowing before and after his workout. A weightlifter might consider adding barbell curls to encourage the coveted ‘strong arms.’ Find what works for you, and continually update your program as your stress adaption increases. You’ll find that you’ll have built the best foundations for the newly added exercises if you do.

Keeping on top of a positive health training regime is the most important thing you can do for your health, happiness, positivity and general life enjoyment. However, if you are affected with some of the previous maladies, enact the solutions suggested, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming that super-man or woman you originally intended.

 

 

 

The Nuisance Of Having Flat Feet & What You Can Do About It

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Pes planus, otherwise known as flat foot syndrome, is a difficult condition that can be difficult to cope with among those afflicted. When the ligaments and tendons in a foot collapse and unfortunately are unable to contribute to their share of the load-bearing function of the foot, flat footed syndrome can be defined and diagnosed. This can be a real nuisance on the part of those afflicted, to say the least.

Usually, young children have flat feet, but as the foot grows and develops, a natural arch will arise. In those with flat feet, either these arches haven’t developed as it should have or they’ve failed due to an injury, obesity problem or other consideration that is unfortunate to experience. For some people, having flat feet doesn’t pose any other problem than strange stance and gait issues, but for some, it can lead to recurring pain that is difficult to contend with, and can be annoying to experience. It can also affect how comfortably these people are able to walk and maneuver around their environment.

If this is you, or you know someone afflicted with flat feet, consider utilizing or suggesting the following ways to mitigate the negative effects. If you believe that your child is experiencing flat footed syndrome, you might not have reason to worry. See your healthcare professional first and foremost before you take any affirmative action to fix an issue that might not exist.

Footwear

If you have flat feet, you need footwear that contributes to the normal way your foot arch is supposed to work. Normal is supportive, and this means that you might need to wear shoes with a more pronounced heel raise than other people, or maybe even asymmetrical shoes that allow for the nuance of your foot positioning to be best catered for. To understand what shoes work the best, you should check this article here, which can also help you understand and gain some insight into this condition.

Lose Weight

Losing weight has an innumerable amount of benefits, but if you are flat footed, it can be of massive benefit. Losing weight helps take off the load on your feet when moving, and this can help reduce the feelings of pain to a tenfold degree. It can also help your body provide much better blood flow to the affected areas, and this is a benefit in itself. Many obese people tend to mitigate the effects of their weight by walking with ankles turned out too far in front, and this can wreak havoc on your foot arches.

To lose the weight effectively, consider using a simple diet such as intermittent fasting, as well as getting at least 3 hours of exercise a week, at whatever challenging pace is normal for you. Remember, it doesn’t matter how slow you go, what matters is how consistent you are with the practice and diet considerations.

Of course, if you have flat feet as a result of your weight, it’s not advisable to begin a running routine. Search for the exercise that you’d feel most comfortable with performing multiple times a week, and switch it up if possible. Exercises like swimming, ground yoga, and some bodyweight exercises require very little stress be placed on your feet. Tailor your exercise regime around these necessities, and you’re sure to find yourself feeling better about your situation in no time at all.

However, before you begin any form of new stress-adaptive training or nutrition plan when obese, you must ALWAYS consult your medical professional. This is a great guiding principle no matter how many articles like this you read and want to take advice from.

Podiatrist

A podiatrist is a specialist foot doctor that can help you overcome all manner of foot difficulties relating to stress, exercise, and most importantly, overcoming the issues of flat foot syndrome. Here they can provide you with X-Rays, potential physical therapy as well as simply care techniques such as ice baths or recommending foot sports massages.

In the worst possible case, they may even suggest you undergo surgery via an orthopedic surgeon and will be able to refer you with their medical authority to the best places in which to undergo this. This can help sort out any underlying issues that might have caused the foot issues, but you shouldn’t expect the surgery to completely reconstruct your foot arches.

Be sure to take care of all of these considerations, and you’re likely to overcome the issue of flat-foot syndrome, or at least mitigate its effects.

 

 

The Hidden Health Benefits To Tea

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Although water is the most widely-consumed drink in the world, tea follows at a close second. It is a beverage that has been drank for thousands of years, with at least 158 million Americans getting a taste of it every single day – and in a number of forms. There are fruit teas, green teas, breakfast teas, sleeping teas; if you can think of a type that should be up there, it’s probably already been covered. But what’s all the fuss about? Why should we be incorporating it into our diet, and what can it do for us?

It’s Good For Your Heart

 Not only is it delicious in your favourite form, but a good cup of tea can also be brilliant at preventing buildup of cholesterol in the arteries. There will need to be diet changes made if you want to fully lower your cholesterol levels; you can’t just rely on one cup of tea to completely sort you out. Not only this, but introducing a good amount of tea into your diet can help reduce the chance of a heart attack quite dramatically. The temperature that you drink your tea can also help get your heart beating at a sound pace in the morning; a hot cup of the good stuff out of the best teapot available to you will get you set on the right track. Don’t worry if you’re not into warm drinks; this is a beverage that can be consumed cold as well.

It Helps Your With Exercise

This is more green tea than anything else. Your muscle endurance heightens once you have consumed this antioxidant. It helps your body to burn the fat that you already have, using it as fuel for your workout. While your body already does this, the boost that it gets from green tea – as well as the increase of the workload and what is happening – quickens the process and may help you to lose weight in the long run. There are many different types of tea which will help you to reach your target weight, so don’t worry if you don’t like the current one that you’re trying – there are thousands more for you to take your pick from.

It’s Great For The Brain 

Despite the caffeine that lurks within, tea is actually one of the most hydrating drinks that you can have. It’s not a diuretic, as many would lead you to believe, and helps you to retain water within the body. This is great news for your brain. Your brain needs fluids in order to help you focus and concentrate on the tasks at hand, and so tea is a brilliant remedy for this. Not only that, but there are degenerative conditions to do with the function of your brain such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease which a cup of tea a day is cited to be able to help prevent. Start introducing it into your diet and see if you can feel any benefits to it all.

3 Unexpected Health Benefits Of Yoga

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A lot of people don’t consider yoga as a sport. In fact, if they are hoping to shift the pounds or tone up they opt for a cardio workout instead. Therefore, yoga doesn’t spring to mind as the most ideal form of exercise. But when it comes to your health, there are actually a wide range of benefits yoga can bring you. In fact, you might be left surprised when you read about three unexpected health benefits of yoga.

It’s ideal to help you beat anxiety and depression

When someone is suffering from anxiety or depression, they wish they could free their mind. In fact, they struggle to release the stress which can make things like sleeping and relaxing difficult. But if you are suffering from one of these mental health conditions, you should give yoga a try. After all, yoga is all about releasing the stress in your mind and body. As well as doing poses which can help you to tone up and improve your posture, a lot of the session focuses on breathing and relaxing. And a lot of people leave the practice feeling a lot more relaxed. In fact, they come home and feel a lot better in their mind. A lot of doctors will recommend you try yoga if you are suffering from these conditions. After all, it helps people to control it in their life.

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It’s ideal for managing chronic pain

It’s a sad fact that a lot of individuals have to live with chronic pain. And for a lot of them, there is no easy solution to ease it from their life. In fact, aside from making some lifestyle changes, there might not be much you can do to treat the pain. However, yoga is often being recommended if you are living with chronic pain. In fact, as we said before, there has been some evidence which has revealed it can actually reduce the pain. Therefore, you should go along and do stretches which can ease f the pain. And it can also help to relax the brain so that you stop thinking about it as much. Of course, when you go to the yoga classes, make sure you tell them about the pain. That way, they can give you guidance on what you need to avoid, so you don’t make it worse!

It can protect you from injury

When you go to yoga, you will spend a lot of the time working on strengthening your muscles. In fact, the poses can help to ensure you grow stronger and more flexible over time. But you might not realize that as well as being ideal for strength, it’s also good for protecting you from injury. After all, it will ensure your muscles are in good nick so if you are doing any other form of exercise, you will keep strong and away from injury. And as it releases any tension in your limbs, it can stop you from walking away hurt. A lot of older people are encouraged to do yoga in their life. That way, they can avoid injuries like hip fractures which can affect their health.

Image from Pixabay

And it’s also good if you have any digestive problems like IBS. After all, it gets your body moving so everything will flow properly!

 

 

Cheap and Fun Workout Ideas

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Working out at the gym isn’t for everybody. While some people love the atmosphere in there, it can get a bit boring doing the same workout day after day but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on exercising completely. There are all sorts of brilliant ways to keep in shape and improve your health without having to brave the gym every time you want to do a bit of exercise. If you find that the gym is getting dull, try out some these alternatives.

Swimming

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Going for a swim is one of the best workouts that you can do. It works every single part of your body at the same time and it’s also very relaxing. It should be easy to find a local pool where you can swim regularly and it’ll also be cheaper than the gym most likely. Swimming is the perfect exercise for anybody that is just getting into exercise or recovering from an injury because it is very low-impact while still giving your muscles an intense workout. If you hate the gym because it’s too busy then swimming at a public pool might not be the best place for you.

Gardening

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Gardening isn’t something that you would normally think of when it comes to exercise but it’s actually far more intensive than you realize. You’ll strengthen your legs and abs from all of the constant bending down and standing up and heavy digging is great cardio. By gardening regularly, you can workout without even realizing it. It won’t be difficult to get motivated anymore because you’ll be doing something fun while you burn those calories.

Dance Classes

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Dance classes are one of the most fun ways to get some exercise and they’re probably as intensive as most other cardio like spinning or running on a treadmill. In the last few years,           Zumba exercise and workout classes have become very popular because they are heavy-duty workouts that have also been designed to be great fun. Going to these classes is a brilliant way to get a fun workout and meet lots of new people.

Hula Hooping

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The hula hoop isn’t just a popular kids toy of the nineties, it’s a great workout tool as well. It doesn’t matter if you’re no good at keeping the hoop going, you’ll get better with time. You can burn over two hundred calories in just half an hour of hula hooping. Start off with the basic spin and when you get better you can start learning some cool tricks that will impress.

Cleaning

 

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Cleaning is always a bit of a pain so why not make it a bit more exciting, and burn some calories at the same time by turning it into a workout. Set a timer and put some upbeat music on and then see how quickly you can clean the entire house. Running around and cleaning like mad will burn lots of calories and you can try to beat your record every time.

 

Hopefully, these suggestions will help you to keep up your workout routine without having to go to the gym.

Fat Burning Workouts for Women

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Its a fact that women bodies are more prone to gaining fat and also it takes longer for them to lose fat. Given the current scenarios where we are always struggling for time, working out usually takes a back seat. Even when we try and work out on our own, most of the times we don’t know whats right for our body and whats not.

I came across a great and a detailed article on Fat Burning Workouts for Women, so enjoy reading and start implementing.

image source- Pexels

In this article, we have compiled a list of fat burning workouts for women which are known for the quick results and ease of practice. But these workouts, for sure, ask for consistency. Make a habit of following these workouts at least 5 times a week and you would start noticing the results yourself. We know how desperate you are to know how to lose belly fat for women, which is why we have compiled a list of fat burning workouts for women that help to burn belly fat and to get you in shape both at home and at a gym.

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Women’s Health: What You Need To Know

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Health, it’s a minefield, right? Well, as women, not only do we have all of the general areas of health to be concerned about, we also have a few specialist areas that we need to learn to master over the years. Sometimes, when you think of it all from the start, it can all feel like a bit much. How are you meant to be able to get a grip with it all? It may seem impossible, but you can not only understand your health as a woman but also master it. There is a lot to learn, that’s for sure, but it will all start to come easy to you.

If you want to be able to enjoy good levels of health, feel good in your body, and benefit from a long and happy life, you need to start taking action. But before you can take control of your own health, you have to know a bit more about what that really means. Women’s health is made up of so many different areas; it’s not always easy to understand them all. But, by getting a bit more information on each, you should start to find it easier to look after your body, be sure that you are healthy, and know what to do if you’re worried that you’re not.

General Health

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Women are human, meaning that a huge part of our women’s health is focused on everyday health. This takes into consideration things like diet and exercise, but also your mental health, stress, and also your lifestyle choices too. Read on for tips and ideas on how to get better levels of general health.

Fitness & Nutrition

For your body to be able to function properly, you need to be fueling it right and exercising. But this isn’t only good for your physical health, but your energy levels and happiness too. If you’re suffering from any kind of ailment, a good diet and plenty of exercise may not cure it, but it will make a significant improvement on how you feel.

Mental Health

But nailing your physical health isn’t all. You need to be able to ensure that your mind is in a good place too. Because mental health makes a huge contribution to your overall health levels and can affect how you feel physically. Be sure to be aware of how you feel mentally, listen to your mind and do what you can to de-stress on a regular basis to stay healthy.

Lifestyle Choices

Every single choice we make with regards to our lifestyles will also have some kind of impact on our health. So choose wisely. This concerns the alcohol your drink, whether you smoke, and even drugs. All of which can negatively impact your health. But that’s not all. You also have the places you live and the amount of stress and toxins you expose yourself to on a regular basis.

Menstruation

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From our teenage years until menopause, every woman goes through menstruation. It’s not something that we all like to talk about, but it’s a huge part of female health. Sometimes, you may have questions or fears, or even worries that you may want to work through. And to make sure that you’re healthy, you’re going to need to do that.

Regularity

What constitutes a normal period to you will be completely different to someone else. So, it’s important that you only use the information you find as a rough guide. You should get to know your body and your own flow. You need to know what is normal and regular for you, so that you can look out for any changes should there be any.

Pain

Most women will have some form of pain when they menstruate. It can be frustrating, but it’s often completely normal. Again, this will be personal to you, but you may suffer from cramping around your abdomen or lower back. Pain relief and even a hot compress may help. But if your pain is strong or persistent, be sure to speak to your doctor about prescribed solutions to ease the pain.

Hormones

Then comes those dreaded hormones. Most of us are far too familiar with PMT and the joys it can bring us. During our menstrual cycle, our bodies are filled with different hormones at different times, meaning that we can feel a range of different emotions at any given time. They’re not always easy to handle, but the first step is recognizing when you’re hormonal and accepting it, then learning to distinguish between real emotions and hormone-induced ones.

Pregnancy

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Firstly, pregnancy is not always something that some of us will experience, or even want to. But, it does make up a huge part of a woman’s health naturally. So whether you’re looking to get pregnant and want to make sure that you have a healthy pregnancy, or you want to avoid that, here’s the lowdown on what to do.

Contraception

Whether you do plan to have children at some point in the future or not, contraception is something you may want to consider. Not only will it keep you safe from getting pregnant, but some forms can also protect you from STIs. There are lots of forms to consider, from birth control pills to reversible contraception and even permanent forms. Be sure to discuss your options and which may suit you best with your doctor.

Fertility

Then there are your fertility levels to consider. If you are trying to get pregnant or thinking about it, speak to your doctor. There are things that you can do to boost your fertility, as well as different tests and checks that can be carried out if you find it hard to conceive naturally after a set period.

Healthy Pregnancy

When you get pregnant, or when you’re trying to conceive, you’re going to want to do everything you can to have a healthy pregnancy. Not only does this mean feeling comfortable and content, but you should look to eat a balanced diet that can fuel your body and help the baby grow, take your vitamins, try to stay active and even take care of your emotional health.

Menopause

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As women, we also have the menopause to look forwards to. Now, some people handle this better than others, but it all comes down to your body and how it deals with the menopause process individually.

Noticing The Signs

Whether you’re still young or approaching middle-age, it’s important to know what to look out for when it comes to the menopause. There are a lot of common symptoms that can identify the onset, such as hot flushes, so be sure to know what is normal for your body, so that you can get an indication of what’s changing.

Getting Treatment

When you do hit menopause, and you find that you’re struggling, you don’t have to suffer in silence. There are treatment options to ease the symptoms and make the process easier to live with. Types of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are often quite common, so speak to your doctor about options.

Helping Your Body

You should also aim to help your body as much as you can during this process. It’s always important to stay healthy as you age, but if you look after your body during the menopause, you may find that you can relieve some of the symptoms. In particular, you could find that a good diet and plenty of exercise helps your body through it.

Screening

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It’s important for us all to get check ups every now and again. The screening process is often something that is vital to keep you safe and protected. But you’re going to want to make sure that you do your own research and know how to make sure that you’re covered too.

The Tests Available

So, first of all, you should speak to your doctor about the screening tests that are available to you. As women, we need to make sure that we get screened for two important female cancers as a minimum – cervical cancer and breast cancer. But some of these have age limits, so be sure to discuss your options with your doctor.

Your Medical Rights

Now, at this point, you may also find that you need to find out what you are entitled to receive as a part of your medical care. Different providers will have different options, and it may also depend on the policy you have. Screening isn’t always covered. So, if you want to make sure that you can get the screening you need, you need to check out cancer screening coverage and either upgrade your policy if it’s not included, or switch if you can.

Knowing Your Own Body

As with many other areas, for screening, it’s so important that you know your own body. If you know what is normal to you, you will be more aware should anything change. When it comes to breast cancer, there are checks that you can carry out. You should also know what to look out for with regards to both breast and cervical cancer symptoms to hope to catch anything early should you be affected.

 

 

Grow Old Healthily, Not Just Gracefully

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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When it comes to aging, we all want to make sure that we handle it well. Not only do we want to make sure that we feel as good as we can, but we often want to look it too. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. You’ve got to look after the skin you’re in if you want it to stand the test of time. And that means starting now. In order to age well, and that means healthily and not just gracefully, you’ve got to start doing things that are going to help you as you age – both inside and out.

Stay Active

Firstly, you’re going to want to make sure that you stay active. Even if you’re young now, be sure to keep up your exercise and stay that way until you physically can’t. When you start to get lax, your body knows. A lot of older people find that they’re unable to do things because they’ve stopped being as active. Therefore, their muscles find it hard to start again. But, if you keep your body agile, it should serve you well.

Stay Out Of The Sun

If you’re worried about the visible signs of aging, you’re going to want to avoid the sun as much as possible. Of course, you’re going to want to get a healthy dose of vitamin D, but be sure to wear sunscreen and avoid midday sun. That way, you can avoid drastic procedures, or opt for just an upper face lift if you do need it later in life, rather than having to undone too much damage. The sun is a huge cause of premature aging, so remember that prevention is better than cure.

Get Your Omegas In

You should also make sure that you’re caring for your joints. We all know that they can cause you problems later on in life, so you should do what you can to care for them now. These tips on healthy joints should help you, but also remember to get your Omegas in. Whether you eat more oily fish or choose to take supplements, it’s just one way that you can keep your joints supple and healthy for longer.

Keep Your Mind Calm

But aging is also about your mind and not just your body. Although some things can’t be avoided, you should aim to keep yourself as calm and as stress-free as possible throughout your life. It’s not always something you can start to implement yourself, so be sure to look into ways that you can calm an anxious mind. Exercises will often help you to gain better mental clarity and enjoy a happier and healthier life because of it.

Avoid Toxins

And finally, you should try to make a conscious effort to avoid toxins is you want to age healthily and gracefully. You may not realize it, but the chemicals caused by stress, found in some foods, and even in your beauty products can be bad for your health and even bring on early signs of aging. But, by doing what you can to avoid them, you’ll be helping your easy aging process.

 

 

Getting Involved in Cycling To Pedal The Pounds Away

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

It’s difficult to make a lifestyle change, especially one which hurts you in order for you to start getting better. Millions of people around the world say ‘this is the year is the year I start getting serious about my fitness.’ However, many fall short, and many don’t even begin their journey. The first hurdle individuals have to jump over is the fact that they will undoubtedly look like an amateur. Many also feel incredibly self-conscious of how they look. Lots of people just want to hide from sight, so they don’t feel like they’re judged. Obviously, an embarrassment of one’s own body keeps people from changing and remaining in a sedimentary and introverted lifestyle. However, there are sports which you can take part in, exercise for and do so in your own time. The key is to take is steady, because slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

Image by – Ben_Kerckx

Why cycling?

Cycling is a great sport to burn fat because you’re literally moving your entire body weight, and bike’s and you’re pushing against the forces of nature. Cycling is one of those sports that cuts directly to the bone and goes for the jugular regarding fat loss. It attacks your body mass index, and extra pounds you’re carrying. This is achieved because when you cycle, you’re in a concentrated posture that mimics that of squatting. The largest muscles in your body, the quadriceps are then forced into action, along with your calves. Research has shown that a waistline of over 35 inches for women puts them at serious risk of heart disease. So when your legs are working extremely hard, the fat on your thighs, waist, and stomach are the first to feel the burn.

Photo credit – Jeremy Jenum

Modern equipment

First thing’s first, you could start cycling at the gym, but if you wouldn’t feel comfortable with people looking at you, perhaps the au naturel route is better for you. You’ll need information on equipment because the sport requires you to be careful of what you’re getting on and what you’re wearing. A versatile road bike, with a smooth frame that absorbs bumps in the street, is the best option. Modern bikes have over 20 gears, which can behave like your marker in a way. If you’re a novice, start on a higher gear, and work your way down. To get the best out of your bike, it needs to last. Read up on how to maintain your bike, so any problems can be attended to before they start to impact your bike. Certain guides will give you information on how to grease your chain, so if you’ve been riding in rain or through mud, the mechanism doesn’t start to lock up and erode. You’ll also get proper information about tyres pressure for different surfaces, which could potentially save you from a nasty fall.

Health and safety first

Before jumping into the sport, you need to make sure you’re in no danger of getting seriously hurt. The proper, bubble spot grip gloves will allow you to grip the handlebars no matter how fast you’re going and how rough the road is. It goes without saying that a rigid bike helmet is imperative to protect your skull should you fall off or be involved in an accident. Adults don’t have to, but knee pads would also be a great way to protect vulnerable joints.

 

 

 

Get On Your Bike: 5 Reasons To Take Up Cycling

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Don’t let that bike rust away in the shed. There are plenty of pros to cycling that can make it the ideal way of getting around. Here are just a few reasons to get on your bike.

It will keep you fit

Cycling has all kinds of health benefits from building muscle to helping joint stiffness to helping circulation and breathing. It’s the perfect aerobic workout and one of the best ways to lose weight. Cycling however is not only healthy for the body, but the mind. Whilst cycling, you totally replenish your body’s supply of oxygen, providing fresh oxygen to the brain which helps with concentration and work productivity. Health.harvard.edu lists some of the major health benefits.

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It’s faster than walking

When it comes to getting around locally, cycling can be twice to three times as fast. If you usually walk to work, cycling could allow you to leave the house later, which could in turn allow you to wake up later.

And it’s more eco-friendly than driving

Meanwhile, for those that drive short distances to work, taking your bike instead could be a much greener way to get to work. Bicycles don’t use up fuel and don’t damage roads as much as cars leading, leading to less repairs. Meanwhile, whilst there are some fossil fuels burnt up during the manufacture of a bicycle, it’s nothing compared to the manufacture of a car. For helping you to feel happier about your carbon footprint, taking the bike to work instead of a car could be worthwhile.

Cycling

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It’s family friendly

Cycling can be a great family bonding experience. Whether you go a bike trip along roads or simply cycle around the park, the kids will love it and you’ll all improve your fitness from it. Even for kids that are two young to cycle, there’s the option of trailers as available at sites such as BikeTrailerHub.com. You can also pursue cycling as a holiday activity – there are plenty of vacation hotspots around the world that specialise in cycling.

It’s also cheap

Riding a bike is also remarkably cheap. Your biggest cost is going to be the purchase of the bike itself, which may be a few hundred if you’re looking for a professional model. However, after this, you won’t have common driving costs to worry about such as insurance or fuel or parking or road tax.

Bike repairs are generally cheap as you can go DIY on most of them. Even if you do visit a professional to get your bike fixed, it’s unlikely to set you back as much as a regular car repair. Few people would ever swap out a car for a bike, however you could lower your driving costs by taking the car less and a bike more. Cycling may even save you on extra costs in the long run. For one, it will keep you healthier longer, which could lead to fewer medical bills in the future.

 

 

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