Fitness Habits To Feel More Like 20 When You’re 60

Whether you’re in your twenties yourself or you are raising kids, it’s important to instill good fitness habits at this age as they will greatly improve chances of being healthy and fit later on in life. This sounds logical, but it is also based on research, where early twenty somethings were studied, and the ones who practiced good fitness habits were healthier later on in life. It doesn’t require that you go to the gym seven days a week, it just requires that you create a lifestyle that incorporates a few habits suggested by accredited fitness experts.

Stretch

Both before and after you lift, run, jog, swim or do aerobics, you should stretch for three to five minutes. Stretch slowly, and breathe through the stretches.

Incorporate Weights Into Your Workout

This will give you strength, relieve stress and protect you from getting diabetes.

Don’t Plateau

This often happens with runners. You have to switch it up. Run some days, walk, jog or power walk other days, and hike swim or go to the gym in between.

Drink More Water

Caffeinated beverages don’t count. A fun strategy is to try having a glass of water every time you visit one of your social sites except you might end up drinking too much water. The goal is eight tall glasses of water a day.

Learn Proper Form

If you don’t, then you won’t get the full benefit of your workout, and you could injure yourself.

Rotate Running Shoes

Here it goes. You have just been handed a ticket to shop for and own multiple pairs of shoes. Why? Because it’s actual beneficial to your feet, ankles, and legs to rotate between your running shoes as long as they are all high quality shoes created for running. This is based on studies, where those who rotated shoes experienced less injuries related to running. So go out and shop for shoes that go with your running outfits or track suits.

Eat Post Workout

This is important to insure you have energy to function and that your muscles can fully benefit from the workout you just gave them. Your snack should include healthy sources of carbs and protein, such as a banana and a glass of milk or a handful of raisins and peanuts in their skins or a glass of low-fat chocolate milk.

Try all of The Exercise and Dance Classes Your Gym Offers

This will do one or two things. For one, you won’t get bored. If you have ever gone to a certain fitness class for a while, and it got to a point where half way through the class you just weren’t looking forward to the next thirty minutes, then rotating classes will keep you engaged and on your toes. Also, after checking out all of the different classes, you may just find a couple that you get hooked on, and these can ensure you stay in shape for the rest of your life.

Make Fitness a Part of Your Life

Look at fitting your fitness routine in just like making sure you eat a balanced meal. In fact, if you go out once or twice a week for dinner or lunch, set it up so that you workout, shower and get dressed up for your dine out. On other days, you can set it up so that you meet with friends to do something physically exerting such as hiking, working out at the gym or going swimming. However, and this really should have its own paragraph, one of the most important fitness habits is that you don’t wait for others to exercise, always plan to exercise by yourself, and if your friends join you, then consider it as an added bonus.

Protect Your Posture

Maintain your posture through a few yoga poses while stretching or a pilates routine a few days a week.

Have Rest Days

On these days, you can do something totally different like walking when you spent the day before doing aerobics or weight training. Swimming is another thing you can do on a day when you don’t go to the gym or go hiking.

Listen to Your Body

Always pay attention to new exercises and activities you start and stop and what your daily diet consists of. This will make it easier to pinpoint changes in how you feel or why you have gained or lost weight.

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

IBS is a chronic disorder that affects the ability of the digestive system to carry out the digestion process well. Generally, there are two types of IBS. These are IBS-C which deals with chronic constipation. The second type is the IBS-D which deals with diarrhoea.

Although the exact cause of IBS is unknown, research indicates more women suffer from it than men. This is because bowels in women are less supported by pelvis than in men.

Symptoms of IBS


The primary symptoms are abdominal pain and discomfort enforced with frequent diarrhoea or constipation together with a change in bowel habits. Urgency for bowel movements, a feeling of incomplete evacuation, bloating or abdominal distension are also common. People also experience chronic fatigue syndrome, headaches, backaches, depression and anxiety. IBS has been known to cause a sexual dysfunction in form of reduced libido.

You should talk to a doctor after experiencing abdominal pain or discomfort for at least in the last month or so. A change in frequency, appearance, or consistency of the stool also matters.

Other signs include constipation or diarrhoea associated with fever, blood in the stool, unusual weight loss and a sudden change in the bowel pattern. A family history with bowel disorders and colon cancer are a good reason to book an appointment with a doctor in case of any unusual sign.

The treatment of IBS

The disorder is treated through lifestyle changes that include exercising more and following a healthy diet. Also, eating hydrating foods such as fruits and vegetables and increasing your daily water intake will help. People with low digestive ability with certain fruits and vegetables are recommended to take foods with low disaccharides contents. Bananas, blueberries, carrots, cucumbers, oat meals and chicken have low amount of disaccharide content.

However, diarrhoea and constipation may be sometimes caused by a sensitive digestive system. People with a regular constipation and diarrhoea, they are advised to take a good amount of fibre from whole foods in a day. Fibres should be consumed in a moderate amount as some of them have gelatine and gummy which may actually cause constipation.

Stool softeners like milk of magnesia provide a safe laxative which reduces constipation.

Medical diagnosis of IBS

Imaging test can be performed to diagnose IBS. The diagnosis involves excluding conditions that produce IBS like symptoms and then a procedure is performed to categorize the patient’s symptoms. Ruling out of parasitic infections, celiac disease, intestinal bacterial growth and lactose intolerance are recommended for all patients before a diagnosis of IBS is made.

Patients over 50 years are recommended to undergo a screening colonoscopy. However, patients may be misdiagnosed medical conditions and they risk undergoing inappropriate surgeries like appendectomy.

Whether one has an IBS, a stubborn digestive system, the good news is that one can treat without intense medications or major procedures.

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Unexpected signs that matching partners may possess in a relationship

In the real world, there are less expected clues that two people are compatible for a relationship that could finally end up into a marriage. Professional matchmakers bring singles together by offering a personal touch with face to face interactions. They deal with people with a busy schedule who don’t want to spend an inordinate amount of time searching and viewing online dating profiles of potential partners. These matchmakers earn a living by providing this service with their uncanny ability to read people and determine what type of a person would be a good match for them; it’s their profession.

As they say, a good relationship can come without good timing and the chemistry. Professional matchmakers have found that there are several relationship surprises that can make a relationship work.

  1. A person who is not your usual type. There’s a reason why relationships with your “type” ever last; they may not be for you! Sometimes it may actually be worth you sticking with the deviation. A lady should introduce her guy to some of her passions and may be give him a trial. According to research, meeting a partner who is completely different can expand your world.
  2. Following a vegetarian diet is a factor to be considered. Food preference is essential in determining partners’ compatibility. Whether you and your partner are hard core vegans or gluten free, the whole idea is that as long as you are on the same page on what you put into your stomachs, and the relationship is likely to go far.
    Differences in food preferences can be a bigger issue in future. Dietary restrictions on one partner could put strain on the relationship.

  3. Mr. Nice Guy may not be the ideal for a lady. Psychologically, ladies are more attracted to bad boys. However, they need the opposite of that in the long run. Therefore, a guy who seem bad boy but polite in some instances, may do well with most ladies.
  4. Do you have the same Pet Preferences? For some ladies, their pet is their baby. Their dog comes first before everything and anyone. This could be a huge a problem for their partner, who may have been raised to dislike dogs, resulting in a constant battle for attention. This can work both ways too – your partner may love cats, and it may be normal for them to allow their pet to sleep in the same bed, whereas you deem this unhygienic. If you have conflicting opinions on pets, the relationship may not last very long.
  5. Having the same sense of timing is a good parameter in matchmaking. A sense of punctuality on both partners will do well for their relationships. If one partner is that kind that always runs late, and the other one is punctual, the two may not do well. However, dynamism is essential in partnership.
  6. The level of messy you and your partner can tolerate is crucial. If both are fine with leaving things strewn all over the place or completely OCD, the level of the compatibility is very high. However, having opposite values to tidiness is a huge red flag leading to conflict.

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Sitting disease

Tim Cook, the CEO at Apple, reportedly said yesterday at a conference that “a lot of doctors believe sitting is the new cancer.” And people still wonder why standing desks were innovated? Here is the reason why; Tim Cook, CEO at Apple, reportedly announced at a conference that several doctors believe sitting is like the new cancer. Not only is sitting the new disease, but is also related to the increased cancer risks.

Sitting disease is on the rise and is associated with myriads of health issues regardless of whether you workout or not. Another ensuing research revealed that the inactive lifestyle can distraught an individual’s mental health, breathing, and also increase risk of cancer. However, are these assumptions about sitting disease true or false?

Marc Hamilton, Ph.D. professor at the Inactivity Physiology Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, who has decades of experience in conducting researches of the effects of inactivity on the body, claims that he has conducted over 1,000 studies on the sitting disease since the year 2004. Mr. Hamilton compares the sitting cancer to smoking habits. He says that people used to smoke without knowing its health risks.

According to Marc’s research, sitting too much does not compare to very minimal exercise. He believes that every hour of the day is very significant to human physiology; therefore you can not only depend on the few hours you exercise. Marc’s most recent research indicates that the most inactive people have two times probability of contracting diseases such as diabetes, compared to the most active people throughout the day. The risk is even higher than people who consume a lot of sugar.

The bottom line is, Tim Cook and the rest are simply trying to make people realize the danger they put themselves in when they spend the better part of their day just seated- be it at home or in the office, and it is high time people start dealing with this issue. Exercise is great, but for some reasons such as enhances blood flow, builds muscle, slows aging and great health in general. Light activity on the other hand is different from exercise, but it too has its benefits, which exercising cannot cater for.

Same case scenario; you can’t miss working out simply because you are eating healthy, or indulge in unhealthy eating simply because you work out. The good thing is that the problem has been discovered, and the next thing after establishing the problem factor is finding a way to solve it or manage it. Just like before when people used to smoke and weren’t aware of the dangers they were exposing themselves to. Now that people know what smoking can do to one’s health, those who still do are fully aware of the health problems they may likely incur as a result of smoking.

With the same mind set, we now know what the sitting cancer can do to oneself. So what do you do about it in order to avoid incurring diabetes or mental issues? The answer is simple; Stay active

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Stressed and gaining weight? How to avoid gaining weight from stress

Stress has been known to make people add weight through several ways. One of the ways is cortisol which is a stress hormone. When one is under stress, a fight response is triggered in the body causing a release of various hormones.

Our bodies react to stress as if we are harmed and we need to fight for our bodies. The body hereby experiences a burst of energy, shifts in metabolism, and blood flow changes amongst other changes during stress. If one remains in a prolonged state of chronic stress, the body general health is at risk. Excessive weight gain is one of those risks.

However, one can avoid weight gain through avoiding these habits:-

  1. Watch out for signs of stress e.g. anxiety and muscle tension. Research has shown that constantly thinking about a stressful event occurring in the future can cause one to eat more by increasing the levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin. Therefore, people tend to eat more during these moments. People are advised to focus more on what they are doing at present rather than thinking about what happened long ago or what is going to happen in future. By understanding that one is getting stressed, one can be able to react accordingly.
  2. Emotional eating. Increased levels of hormone cortisol in the blood raises the crave for unhealthy food. The excessive nervous energy will cause one to eat more than they normally would. Many times people scour in the kitchen for a snack or munching on junk food due to stress but not really hunger. Social eating is a form of emotional eating whereby stressed people especially women tend to eat a nice meal in a group. Crying on friends shoulders over a couple of hot fudge sundaes, a plate of fried appetizers or a bowl of chips are all social forms of emotional eating.
  3. Avoid fast foods. Research has shown that stressed people are too busy to make healthy dinners at home and often opt to get fast foods in the nearest restaurant.
  4. Forgetting to eat. Amid an endless to-do list, people may be too busy to eat and this slows down the metabolism which makes one to eat much more in future. Low blood sugar level due to failure to eat makes work more difficult and stressful.
  5. Not getting enough sleep. Economising sleep causes weight gain by promoting unhealthy body metabolism. Acquiring enough sleep not only helps to deal with stress the next day, but also prevents the body from storing too much fat and boosting one’s self control.
  6. Poor food choice should be avoided. Under stressful state, one is likely to buy more fries at a supermarket according to Harvard research. People should make good shopping list before going shopping in order to make informed choices.
  7. Excessive caffeine has been blamed by researchers for causing weight gain and insulin complications. Coffee drinks are normally filled with sugar and creams which have quant some calories. Less than 5 cups of coffee are recommended per day to maintain weight.
  8. Reducing a workout time is likely to cause weight gain through increased anxiety and stress. A sweat session will burn calories needed to maintain steady weight despite stress.

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Low Carb Diet May Be the Way to Go

In the recent past, the principle of low carb diet has been trending in the area of weight loss. However, there has been a lot of conflicting information on nutrition and weight loss making it difficult for the average person to understand how it works and how to apply it.

In respect to that, we shall clear the air on the same by looking at some of the facts backed by pure science on how the human body actually metabolizes food.

The low carb approach


This approach has fetched high popularity due to several reasons. People have finally realized that the low fat/high carb approach that has been promoted for years doesn’t work very well. In fact, it not only leaves us fatter but it has been blamed for several illnesses and health complications.

Most Americans for instance are known of eating too much carbs and are deficient in the healthy dietary fats. With the new low carb approach, many of them are now cutting carbs and avoiding them completely. This is disastrous health wise.

In the past, people have tried the low carb approach and noticed significant weight loss. Scientifically, dieting on low carbs will reduce weight but not body fat. To explain this further, it’s vital to know that the human body holds 2.4gms of water for every gram of carbohydrates consumed. Lowering carb intake thereby means holding less water in the body but the fat content remains relatively high. As much as we go low carbs, the component should not be avoided completely.

Extremely low carb diets have been blamed for several health complications. A low carb diet depletes the muscles of glycogen leaving one with sluggishness after an active workout. The brain uses carbs for energy and thus the brain will not function properly with low carb diet.
French and Canadian researchers have found that consuming carbohydrate does not inhibit fat burning for individuals not exercising.

However, another researcher called Jeff Volek, a professor of nutrition argues that a low carb diet enhances the body’s ability to burn fat for fuel instead of glycogen-a byproduct of carbohydrate stored in the liver and muscles. According to professor Volek:-

  1. One should not be afraid in eating food such as chicken skin, marbled meat, butter, cream and saturated fat. All these are used as fuel but they are not stored as fat in the body. They don’t accumulate in the blood vessels.
  2. Scheduling of sweat days – these are the days in which the workout should help in burning out fat. Lifting heavyweights for around an hour helps to burn out fat in the body.
  3. Fighting soreness with omega 3-s. Research shows that taking a gram of fish oil every day may improve heart health, ease inflammation and relieve delayed muscle soreness after an exercise. Glucosamine and chon-droitin relieve achy joints if taken daily.
  4. Mastering of a low carb meal improves the body fitness. This is a mixture of mushrooms, sausage, cream, cheddar and brown meat in relative quantities.

Carbs are fine if consumed in small to moderate amounts and on days you do exercise, carbs are stored in the muscles and not as fat.

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Nutritious Foods That Will Make You Physically Fit

When it comes to being healthy, we all think about exercise. It helps in reducing weight loss, maintenance and prevents many diseases as well as increases the metabolism.

Healthy eating is often overlooked. To increase the fitness level, eating healthy will improve your fitness. Healthy eating and exercise work hand in hand.

Despite the many foods that have been taken to be physically fit in the recent past, there are certain foods that are indeed “super” and provide more nutrients than others. People who are not getting good results from gym workouts need to shake up their diets and think about the missing ingredients to register an improvement. Research has proved that the foods below makes one strong, revamps the metabolism and burns fat. Stocking up on these ingredients is thus quite essential.

Oatmeal. Research has shown that a daily consumption of a bowl of oatmeal lowers blood cholesterol because of its fibre content. Food and drug administration said that the food with a lot of oat bran reduces the risk of heart disease in combination with a low fat diet. This meal is recommended for athletes and weight trainers due to its high concentration in carbohydrates and water soluble fibre which stabilises blood glucose levels.

Raisins. These are good fruits for gaining weight in a healthy way. They contain glucose, fructose and a lot of potential energy. Athletes and bodybuilders who want to add on weight without accumulating unhealthy amount of cholesterol. They boost the diet further because they also have vitamins, amino acids and minerals. They also facilitates efficient consumption of other proteins and vitamins

Bananas. This fruit is known to reduce cancer tumour growth, prevent diarrhoea and heart health. They also boost the mood of athletes during training sessions.

Ginger. Its powder consists of essential nutrients that treat nausea caused by morning sickness, and chemotherapy. It has been known to reduce muscle pain by 20% and thus bodybuilders and athletes should take it.

Tart cherries. By sipping a juice, the cherries are loaded with vital nutrients. They provide a lot of calories and are good for heart health.

Turmeric. It is the main spice in the curry with a warm and bitter taste. They are known to reduce joint pains during training and workouts.

Eggs. Their yolk is rich in amino acids which restarts muscle repair. They have a lot of vitamins and calories that provide energy.

Whey protein. As a mixture of globular proteins, the liquid is a dietary supplement that improves muscle growth and movements in the body.

Salmon. Its meat is nutritious because it enhances muscle growth and strength

Pistachios. They have wholesome nutrition properties as they are good sources of protein, fats and minerals. They reduce post-workout hunger for athletes.

Beets. They provide fibre, vitamins, minerals and small fat amount that boost the cardiovascular health. For this reason, they reduce fatigue during workouts.

Soya beans. They consist of the highest amount of protein content amongst other plant products. It has 8 different amino acids and provides good fibre content for digestion. The beans have calcium which strengthens bones and joints.

By consuming the above foods in correct amounts, athletes and gym goers have no reason to fail in the achievement of their fitness goals.

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Exercises that will reduce soreness in a plane flight

Travelling on a plane may be adventurous for some of us. In an equal measure, travelling can also be a horrible experience especially where it becomes a huge source of pain in the back, the legs, the neck and so on. Muscle soreness caused by the upward siting position on the plane for hours can be another source of discomfort in a plane flight. Research has been done by psychologist, Albert Matheny about a routine of stretches that can keep one on point during a flight to avoid the aforementioned discomforts.

The cause of these sores during a flight is simple. When one is seated in a plane seat, the hip flexors and hamstrings are shortened. Muscles in the low back and the ones that connect to the hips e.g. quads and glut are shortened.

This shortening causes the muscles to tighten up when the person stands again. Similarly, legs are bent for hours during a flight and this blocks the circulation of blood to nourish the muscles and this causes pain.

There are several steps that should be taken to reduce fatigue after a flight:-

  • Have back support during the flight: using pillows provided by the flight attendant prevents slouching that causes back pain by keeping the spine straight. Carry a neck pillow on the plane to deal with neck pain. Back-braces also reduce back pain.
  • A good posture should be maintained. The legs should be positioned at right angles. The feet should be propped up with pillows to bend the knees at right angles.
  • Move around the plane during a flight stretches the muscles providing more flexibility to the spine and eases stiffness. It also allows the blood to circulate around the body.
  • Alternating heat therapy and ice treatment stretches muscles around the spine and numbs back swellings respectively during a flight.
  • Taking some pain medication prior to the flight may help in reducing muscle soreness during a flight. .
  • Some exercises such as the Inchworm, kneeling hip flexor, single pigeon, reclined twist and standing calf stretch will do help to reduce muscle soreness and keep you feeling fresh after your flight.
  • To stay lose on board the flight, certain maintenance stretches will keep the blood circulating into the muscles. Sitting tall with the hips against the back of the seat and the chest open prevents the back and neck from hurting. The stretches named below will ensure resting of the muscles during the flight.
  • Arm across is an exercise where the right arm is stretched across the left hand side of the body and vice versa.
  • Ankle over opposite knee is done by placing the right ankle over the left knee alternating and pressing down the right knee above the left knee.
  • Do leg extensions around 5 times to flex the muscles around the knee. This prevent you from feeling rusty and stiff.

Do these exercises and you will experience less muscle soreness and pain after your flight!

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Are you ignoring ground workouts?

Nowadays, the average gym junkie never works out on the floor. Foam roaming is the furthest they will go to the ground. With all the fancy and sophisticated machines around, you may be wondering what the point is. However, experts in fitness field have argued that doing groundwork at the gym comes with a lot of benefits. Here are a few reasons why you should start to incorporate bodyweight exercises into your workouts.

Training on the floor reduces fall-related injuries.

This advantage is most overlooked. Every year, a large number of people die from falls. By doing groundwork, you reduce your chances of being seriously injured from a fall because you improve your ability to break the fall.

Gets the heart pumping.

Going down and getting up from the floor gets your heart pumping. You can also increase your pulse by adding a set of bird dogs. A combination of push-ups and kettle bell swings do improve the heart beat rate.

It keeps you youthful.

Research has shown that people with difficulties in lowering their bodies to the floor and rising back up are far more likely to die within the next 6 years than those who are able to do so comfortably. The ability to stand up with ease and without pain from the floor surface is a good indication of how physical fit one is. Physical strength, flexibility and coordination for all ages are good tests for physical fitness according to researchers.

Increase flexibility.

By working out using just the ground and your bodyweight, you naturally use a full range of motion. This ensures that your joints are moving freely, leading to improved postured and again reducing the risk of getting injured.

Keep thing fun and fresh

It’s really easy to get stuck doing the same workout routine of bench presses, squats, sit ups, lat pulls over and over again. That’s why groundwork can be extremely refreshing. Not only are there variations of exercises you can do, it gives your body a new challenge, working out different muscles that may be ignored. Moreover, it can help break the common gym plateau – and stops you from becoming bored.

Increase athleticism

Due to the use of compound movement’s i.e numerous joints and muscles are engaged in each move, bodyweight exercises can give you amazing results. For instance, doing compound exercises such as lunges and push-ups have been proven to increase performance and strength. Furthermore research shows that improved core strength gained through bodyweight exercises also increases your strength throughout the entire body

So next time you go to the gym, think twice about skipping groundwork. Give it a try and you see the fantastic results that come with doing groundwork!

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Essentials in Maximizing Your Pump

Many body building exercises are extremely fun and feel awesome when done in the gym. Many of the guys doing pec flys, curls and triceps kickbacks in the gym do not know the advantages that are attached to them. Their bodies acquire lots of mobility, stability and balance through these practices.

There are functional exercises which are designed to deliver that necessary imbalance in the body, making one more mobile and stable. Examples of these exercises are bear crawls and split squats which improve fitness. Gym goers generally find trainer recommended exercises tedious and boring as they don’t seem to pump their muscles as fast as they expect.

A fitness researcher came up with hybrid exercises that one needs to do in order to stay healthy and truly fit. As one gets a pump through these exercises, they feel awesome at the same time.

The following will improve the body fitness and muscle pumping:-

  1. Carbing up improves the muscle fitness. Carbohydrates should be taken before workouts because muscles need glycogen to provide a good pump. Glycogen provides energy during a workout and makes look big and full. Muscles will be flat despite extensive workouts without carbing up.
  2. Muscle contractions. Holding up the squeeze on the muscles forcefully during exercises are beneficial at the peak of each repetition. A repetition of 10-12 per set will show a good pump on the muscles.
  3. Superset training is a stack of repetitive exercise without a rest in between. It increases the blood flow to the working muscles. 3-4 supersets should provide lightning results.
  4. Drop set is a training exercise evoking almighty pumps. It enables more blood to flow into the muscle cells making them swell.
  5. A good motivation with music during a workout by increasing efforts. Bobbing the head to the right tempo and playlist will motivate the body to work harder.
  6. Shortening the rest period enables more blood to shoot into the muscle tissue, creating a general swollenness.
    There are several exercises that will increase the muscle pump. These are the kneeling triceps press down, flex arm hang leg lift, dumbbell pullover and Inverted row with hip thrust.
    However, there are several other ways to effectively pump up ones muscles.

Lastly, one should properly hydrate their muscles during work outs by taking 2-3 cups of water in the process. Curbing up is essential for muscle fullness as the tissues need energy provided by glycogen during the work outs. Superset training also ensures intense muscle pumps as it increases the level of blood flow.
If well followed and practiced you are guaranteed to achieve good results with bodybuilding and fitness.

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