All Entries in the "Fitness" Category

The Importance of Exercise for the Over-50 Crowd

In generations past, exercise was believed to be mostly for the younger set. It was even believed that older people couldn’t increase muscle mass or strength if they wanted to. Studies at Harvard and elsewhere have now firmly put that myth to rest.
Exercise for the over-50 crowd is decidedly healthy. As people age, several changes [...]

Exercising After Breast Surgery Or Hysterectomy

Exercise after surgery can be part of recommended physical therapy, or a return to pre-operative routines. In either case, done properly, exercise will help create flexibility, improve balance – by strengthening muscles that help stabilize joints – and keep the cardiovascular and other systems functioning well.
When and how you can begin exercise routines after major [...]

Tips for Exercising During Pregnancy

Exercise throughout the entire nine months is healthy for most women – provided they exercise (pun intended) the proper caution.
Mild exercise, of types appropriate to the various stages, will help keep the circulatory system healthy, increase pelvic muscle tone and strength, and help to smooth out mood swings. Done right, you can lessen the severity [...]

Here Are a Few Upper Body Exercises to Get You Going

Most upper body exercises have as their goal to build strength. In order to maximize the beneficial effect of the routine, you’ll want to mix in some good cardiovascular workouts – spinning, jogging, etc – and alternate the activities with lower body work.

Before starting any routine, be sure to spend at least 10 minutes warming [...]

Effective Back Flexibility and Strength Exercises

Anyone who has ever suffered from a major backache knows how central the back is, even in times you might think it isn’t important. Even something like squeezing a tennis ball, an action that involves a focus on the fingers, forearm and bicep will involve the latissimus dorsi and other back muscles.

The lats are the [...]

The Different Types of Flexibility Training

Flexibility training involves performing a series of exercises that help maximize range of motion and muscle stability. The benefits are improved blood flow in the muscles and lower risk of injury.
There are three basic types of stretching exercises that help accomplish these goals: static, dynamic and Isometric/PNF.
Static stretches are the most traditional type, encompassing the [...]

Here Are Some Stretching Exercises For Any Sport

Being flexible – having well lubricated joints and stretchable muscles – is one of the best ways to reduce the prospect of injury and give you the basis for a wide variety of workout routines.
Your overall goal is to attain good range of motion, while gradually extending that range to a degree appropriate to your [...]

Warm-Up Tips For Optimal Workouts

Static and dynamic stretching are two elements in a warm-up routine that help prevent injury and maximize performance. But, consider, why do we warm-up at all? And, are there other aspects to a good warm-up routine?
By performing warm-up routines, you actually do literally just that – warm up the body. Internal body temperature can’t raise [...]

The Importance of Sweating – Especially During Workouts

Perspiration isn’t generally considered desirable. It makes clothes wet and uncomfortable, it makes our skin unpleasant to touch and it often smells bad. But the biological fact is that sweating is essential to good health, especially during exercise.
Why?
Humans take in and use water for a number of important physiological functions. It provides a medium for [...]

How Exercise Can Strengthen Your Immune System

Few subjects in health or diet ever get put to a final rest. Present studies often contradict earlier ones, until no one knows what to think. One of the few areas that almost all serious studies seem to agree on is the relationship between exercise and the immune system.
No reputable researcher will claim that exercise [...]