Recognizing and Preventing Muscle Cramps
Muscle cramps occur when any of our muscles contract, either forcibly or involuntarily, and then does not relax as it should. This is often referred to as a spasm and can happen for a range of reasons. It is something that the majority of people will experience in their lives, albeit some more than others! Although a muscle cramp will usually only happen for a few seconds, it can last up to 15 minutes. It will rarely ever be longer than this.
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Bicycling: Joint-Friendly Fitness!
Are you worried that your favorite exercises put unnecessary strain on your joints? If so, consider bicycling! Bicycling offers many benefits including low impact on your joints, low barriers to entry, great sight-seeing opportunities, and excellent calorie-burning potential. Read on to learn more about how bicycling can help you get on the path to improved fitness.
Worried that you may not be fit enough to begin bicycling? We recommend that you begin slowly and ensure you can maintain good balance. Once you are proficient at short trips, you can expand the distance you travel each time you get on the saddle. As of writing this article, a man is journeying across the country while also endeavoring to lose over 250 lbs.
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Exercise for Healthy Bones
Preventing an injury is of course always the preferable option to healing an injury! And, there are many things that you can do to help avoid developing a problem.
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Cardio and Weights Join Forces
You’ve probably heard the claim made by some that cardio kills muscle gains while weight lifting causes bulking in women. Recent information has begun to debunk these myths. As long as proper nutrition and caloric intake are maintained, both men and women can reach their desired goals. In fact, each body type maintains different levels of hormones that regulate muscle gains. A fitness regimen comprised of cardio and weight lifting is typically the best way to build your body.
Many women are concerned that stepping into the weight room will cause excessive “bulking” or large muscles. In reality,
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Top Exercises for Spring
As we move away from winter and the weather improves, it is becoming the right time to start increasing your efforts when it comes to taking care of your body. If you have been hibernating through the winter and not getting outside to exercise much, your bones, muscles and body in general will appreciate a good workout!
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5 Fat-Busting Winter Activities
Winter and snowfall bring with them a sense of peace and tranquil. It can be a lot of fun to keep a calm mind in activities that are physically invigorating. Winter sports not only help keep you warm but also endow innumerable health benefits to the body by strengthening muscles and keeping up its agility. Both of these tend to drop with temperature. [1] While you take up these winter sports be sure to keep to safe terrain, wear ample warm clothing and carry enough safety gear to prevent untoward injuries. So get out your stowed away winter gear and let the snow bring out that hidden talent in you!
Some beckoning winter sports this season are:
1. Cross Country Skiing:
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Fight Winter Inactivity with Exercise!
We make hay while the sun shines, but as soon as the temperature falls we dread leaving the cozy, warm indoors. All the health activities that we pursue all year round take a back seat and our bodies get used to the inactivity. Today you have multiple options of staying fit indoors even during the cold winters without falling sick. The only safety precaution is to wear warm clothing in layers and not to overdo any activity. It’s time to get off your couch and begin the calorie burn!
A few simple ways of exercising and maintaining fitness during the winters have been listed below:
1. Walking:
Yes! Walking can be fun even in the snow. In fact, walking in the snow tends to burn double the amount of calories than walking on a plain surface as you need to push harder to pave your way through the snow. Remember to wear the winter clothing in layers so that you can pull them off as you get warmer. [1] And while you are walking in the snow, a little bit of slow running or playing around can increase the fat burning and also increase cardiovascular endurance. Make sure it’s all on snow, never ice!
2. Take the stairs or the street:
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Run a Mile to Keep your Smile!
Researchers have extensively studied the relation between running and arthritis of the knees to conclude that running regularly may not increase the risk of osteoarthritis. In fact, running can prevent arthritis of the knee in runners.
This study contained data from 2600 people who used to perform some form of physical activity in their life. Study age groups were divided into 12-18, 19-34, 35-49 and 50 and older. Finally, 29% of the people were runners at some point of time in their lives.
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Running May Not Cause Arthritis
Researchers have extensively studied the relation between running and arthritis of knees to conclude that running regularly may not increase the risk of osteoarthritis. In fact, running can prevent arthritis of the knee in runners.
This study contained data from 2600 people who used to perform some form of physical activity in their life. The age groups were divided into 12-18, 19-34, 35-49 and 50 or older. 29 % of the people were runners at some point of time in their lives.
Physical Activity May Treat Depression
Studies say that today depression is a mental illness which affects about one in ten people. Depression is a condition where a person feels useless, hopeless and extremely sad. This can happen without any apparent reason. The episodes last for long and occur frequently to the point that it affects the daily functioning of the person. Traditional treatment is performed with anti-depressants and psychotherapy.
Recent studies conducted by the University of Bern show that regular physical exercise can help alleviate symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Physical activity is known to be beneficial for overall health and prevention of cardiac diseases. The basic cause of depression is the deficiency of a certain chemical known as serotonin. Serotonin is an important chemical in the brain which is responsible for a variety of functions related to mood, sleep and appetite. Thereby, a deficiency of serotonin leads to depression, but what causes this deficiency is yet unknown.
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