Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Sciatica Exercises: An Effective Remedy For Spine Trouble

Sciatica refers to the pain caused by the compression or irritation in the nerves at the lower end of the spine. Sciatica is also known as radiculopathy, which refers to the extension of the spinal disc beyond the normal position, resulting in the pressure on the sciatic nerve. Such a condition can often result in pain in the back and legs. The best remedy for the treatment of this kind of pain is sciatica exercises. It is often believed that bed rest helps in such a condition. However, inactivity usually worsens the pain in sciatica patients. Lack of movement weakens the back muscles and the spinal structures, thus resulting in increased pressure on the back and consequently more pain. Sciatica exercises are very important for health and fitness of the human back and spine.

Sciatica exercises focus on strengthening the abdominal and back muscles. These exercises include stretching, which helps in improving the flexibility of the back muscles, resulting in reduced pain. Doctors recommend different exercises for sciatica patients, depending on the cause of sciatica, which can also occur due to serious medical conditions such as an infection or tumor. One has to do these exercises regularly and in a proper manner in order to derive maximum benefit.

Exercising regularly not only helps in the treatment of sciatica-related pain, but also helps in the prevention of any such problems in the future. The most common sciatica exercises that are recommended for the treatment of sciatica-related pain are the Hamstring stretching exercises. The hamstrings are the muscles located in the back of the thigh and help in bending the knee. You must also perform exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles in order to get relief from the sciatica pain.

The Truth About Six Pack Abs is an excellent training course helping you get 6 pack abs quickly and easily. Here is my real story about how to build 6 pack abs by using this abs exercise secret.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Making Time for Exercise

As a certified personal trainer and editor of a popular fitness site, FitnessGear101.com, I’ve heard every excuse in the book when it comes to why people don’t exercise. However, the one that takes the, pardon-my-pun, “fitness cake” is lack of time.

A day doesn’t go by without one of my clients professing that they simply don’t have time for exercise. Well, I’ve seen people who want to loose weight badly enough. They will restrict their diets, exercise rigorously for an hour a day and even swear off alcohol – gasp – and chocolate – double gasp! So, don’t give me that bull!

People shy away from exercise because they think they’ll have to spend hours in a gym. To maintain good health all you need is a healthy diet and a daily walk that can be broken up into increments throughout the day.

Still don’t believe me? I’ll show you how easy it is to fit brief walks into your day:

1) Is Sex and the City a rerun again? It breaks my heart when that happens. Why not go for a 30-minute walk. If it’s a new episode that you simply can’t miss, jump rope during commercials or run on the spot.

2) Does carting the kids to hockey or baseball cut into your exercise time? Take some inspiration from Jr. and stay on your feet during the game. You’ll get kudos for being the team’s best cheer leader, and your butt won’t expand to the size of the soccer field.

3) Are you dying to get your hands on the next best-seller? Buy it as a book-on-tape and take it walking with you. It might have you extending your stroll to finish a chapter.

4) Instead of a sumptuous brunch with the girls, try a brisk 30-minute walk with your BFF. Catching up on all the latest gossip can be just as delicious during a walk – plus it won’t tempt you to cheat on your healthy eating plan.

5) Remember when people used to “run” errands? Well many of us still take that term literally. The next time you need a quart of milk, walk to the local grocer.

6) Use your lunch break as an exercise break. I go work out and then eat lunch at my desk. A brisk walk around the block will leave you more refueled for the afternoon than that third cup of coffee.

7) Do you complain about how slow your apartment elevator is? Take the faster route – the stairs. You’ll burn calories in the process.

8) It’s always ironic that those who circle the parking lot looking for the closest spot are often the most overweight. Park farther away where there are spots o’ plenty. You’ll burn extra calories lugging your groceries back to the car.

9) Have you ever heard the phrase “hurry up and wait!”? Well it’s not just a humorous observation it’s a great way to stay moving. The next time you’re waiting in a long lineup don’t take a chair, pace the floor or do a little stretching.

10) If you have no time to exercise, chances are you don’t have time to clean the house either. Housework – such as dusting, vacuuming, shoveling and raking – is multitasking because it counts as exercise.

The Truth About Six Pack Abs is an excellent training course helping you get 6 pack abs quickly and easily. Here is my real story about how to build 6 pack abs by using this abs exercise secret.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

It’s not just about getting a six pack

When people think about ab exercise, they tend to think about getting a six-pack, flattening their stomach and generally looking better. Your abs, however, aren’t just there for looking good – there are far more reasons to exercise them than that!

Your abs – that is, your abdominal muscles – are some of the most important muscles in your body. They protect your stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen, colon, and much more besides. In fact, your abs has some role in almost every movement you make, meaning that they are some of the most important muscles you possess.

One of the best reasons to do abs exercise is that it not only helps to prevent abdominal pain, but also helps with back pain as well, as strong abs allow you to sit up straight easily and prevent back strain. A little effort now can save you a lot of pain (and money) later on down the line. Even if your back has already gone, ab exercise can help to relieve some of the pain by taking some of the weight off your back.

Your abs don’t just help to support your back – they support your spine, your arms and your legs, too. Although it might seem strange, having strong abs can make it much less tiring to walk long distances, as you are less likely to feel a ‘stitch’ in your side. Strong abs also keeps you more balanced, as they are situated at the body’s centre of gravity.

As your abs are a protective muscle, having strong abs makes you less likely to injure yourself when you fall – when it comes to your vital organs, it could actually make the difference between life and death. This is very important if you are an athlete or play other sports where you might be prone to injury.

The Truth About Six Pack Abs is an excellent training course helping you get 6 pack abs quickly and easily. Here is my real story about how to build 6 pack abs by using this abs exercise secret.

Monday, August 9, 2010

How To Exercise Without Moving A Muscle?

Increasing numbers of medical clinics use supervised sauna bathing for detoxifying the body of toxic chemicals. Programs typically follow the "Hubbard Method", a regime based primarily on nutritional supplementation, sauna therapy, and exercise. Other names used for similar programs include: BTR (aka Bio Toxic Reduction Therapy), Hyperthermic Detoxification, Sauna Therapy, the Physical Therapy/Detoxification Program, Heat-Stress Therapy etc. For simplification, they are referred to as "sauna therapy".

Exercise Without Moving a Muscle!
What happens to the body during a sauna is quite simple, your metabolism and pulse rates increase, your blood vessels become much more flexible, and your extremities benefit from increased circulation. Physical fitness fans will recognize that some of these changes can also be achieved through strenuous exercise. Not to say that a sauna would put you in excellent physical condition without moving a muscle, but that it brings about the same metabolic results as physical exercise.

Why the Need to Detox?
There are over 50,000 foreign chemicals in commercial use. An incredibly large population are suffering from toxic illness. For those patients, sauna therapy is the only medically managed detoxification technique which releases stored impurities from body storage sites.

Elevated levels of commonly used chemicals are currently being detected in human sera. Many compounds have been shown to accumulate and remain stored in body tissues. The metabolizing of such compounds leads to the accumulation of oil soluble chemicals and their products into fatty deposits throughout the body. Since virtually every organ contains a fat component, including the brain, stored chemical residue can pose a serious threat to psychological health as these substances can be released into the bloodstream during physical or emotional stress.

Most environmental contaminants we have today are fat soluble, thus they have an affinity for body lipids or fatty tissue. The body uses metabolic systems, particularly the liver, to convert fat soluble substances into water soluble chemicals to facilitate excretion. Sauna therapy enhances this process by mobilizing poisons from body storage sites into general circulation, where they are then transported out of the body through various excretionary pathways such as perspiration. And we all know that the main effect of a sauna bath is heavy perspiration!

Now that you know a little more about what sauna can do for you, we urge you to come find more about the many other benefits that saunas has to offer! All you need is 15 minutes of Sauna Therapy in order to save your Kidney 24 hours of work! Do you believe that? Come fine out more!

The Truth About Six Pack Abs is an excellent training course helping you get 6 pack abs quickly and easily. Here is my real story about how to build 6 pack abs by using this abs exercise secret.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Home Exercise Equipment Selection

Exercise equipment is usually a hot item especially just after the new year. Guilt and hope for the future often prompt newbie exercisers to spend huge amounts of money on equipment they probably will not use longer than 6 months. The biggest draw to home exercise equipment is the privacy that exercising in home provides. Last year alone 5 billion dollars was spent buy American Consumers just on exercise equipment alone. Needless to say the purchasing of exercise equipment is a huge investment and not one that should be taken lightly. The best way to spend money effectively is to aggressively research and educate yourself on the particular type of home exercise equipment you would like.

An important questions to ask yourself are whether you enjoy exercising at home. If your already own and use workout video, floor mats, and free weights – then yes you probably do enjoy exercising at home. Also before buying high end home exercise equipment decide whether or not you can make due with less expensive exercise solutions. For example changing a mountain bike into a stationary bike with bike mount, or using free weights instead of weight machine. Then decide on where the exercise equipment you planned to buy should live. Measure the space and take those measurements when looking for home exercise equipment. Make sure the location you choose has all the amenities you need for exercise like a tv or radio. Make sure there is a window available for air flow.

A great solution to knowing which home exercise equipment works best for your is to go to the gym and try the equipment. Most gyms offer a monthly memberships which means you do not have to pay for more than a month. Make sure you go when the gym is not busy and try working out on various machines. If you have a gym attendant available ask him for advice. These people work with clients day in and out and may be able to help you flesh out what your needs are and what are the best home exercise solutions are. Remember buying home exercise equipment is a big investment and if you want to spend your hard earned money efficiently you must first do the necessary research to know what you need and if you will use it. Exercise is great for your health and a correct investment in exercise equipment can add years to your life.

The Truth About Six Pack Abs is an excellent training course helping you get 6 pack abs quickly and easily. Here is my real story about how to build 6 pack abs by using this abs exercise secret.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Get Back Pain Relief Now

A wise man once said: "The world can be divided into two groups of people: people who suffer from back pain and people that will suffer from back pain”. The reason to why this smart man is correct must be found to get a relief for back pain. Today, the chairs are better and the mattresses are best designed to support the back. But, more then in any given time in the history of humanity, people suffer from back pain. This article will reveal the reason and, even more important, a few ways to overcome it.

The root of the problem goes all the way back to our childhood. Have you ever seeing a 3 year child complaining about back pains? Probably - not. Children do everything naturally, you can learn a lot from them, especially from their movements. When they sit, they sit upright. They will always lift things using their legs and not their back, and I could go on and on.

Grownups lose these natural habits and tend to adopt wrong ones instead. The stressed way of life prevents people from taking proper care of their back. Instead, people tend to sit for hours and hours in back hurting positions ending up with a sore back. Moreover, kids run and play all day long keeping in shape Grownups stops all sport activities as a lack of time or the feeling that they are unable too. As a result the body becomes over weight and not flexible, this only increases back pains. Wrong habits lead to wrong posture and when attempting to correct it people tend to do the same mistakes they have done before.

The solution is going back to a healthy way of treating our back, sit properly, get up from time to time and stretch up, lift things properly, and:
1. Keep you back and especially your shoulder blades covered, in bed.
2. The height of the pillow should let the neck part of the spinal to be balanced with no pressure.
3. It is recommended to sleep in a fetus position – lay on your side with your legs against the chest.
4. Avoid sharp movements in the morning. Warm up your back first. Consult an exercise expert.
5. Sit upright but naturally with no pressure on your lower back.
6. When you sit make sure your feet, all of the sole, is fully placed on the floor for support.
7. Get up and stretch once in 30 minutes when sitting for a long time.
8. Use your knees to lift things and not your back.
9. Warm up before any physical activity.
10. End up physically activity with stretches.
11. And last but not least, listen to your body and avoid painful situations and activities. If you feel pain, check it.

It is simple, it is natural, and it is what we would have done in a more natural sane world. Watch the kids for the best live-show on how you should do it. They make excellent teachers for their movements are still pure.

The Truth About Six Pack Abs is an excellent training course helping you get 6 pack abs quickly and easily. Here is my real story about how to build 6 pack abs by using this abs exercise secret.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

10 Years Younger With Strength Training

Strength training has a lot of advantages for women, and particularly for women aged 35 to 40 and older. By the age of 40, women generally begin to lose bone density and muscle mass. One study at Tufts University, designed by the author of 'Strong Women Stay Young', Miriam Nelson PH.D, found that instead of losing bone density and muscle mass, the women were 15 to 20 years younger after one year of weight training. They gained bone density, and their strength tests matched women who were in their 30's and 40's.

These women didn't diet, but they did end up looking slimmer. Some lost 1 or 2 dress sizes, and they all replaced fat with muscle. Because muscle weighs more than fat, this is the reason they looked slimmer, though the scales may not have changed much.

The women in this study were all post menopausal, and some of their ages were in the 50's and 60's. They made some remarkable changes in their lives as they got stronger. One woman described going rollerblading with her children. Another went canoeing with her husband. More than any pills or potions, strength training gave these women back a youthfulness some didn't even have to that degree in the first place.

The women in this study used leg weights and free hand weights that were adjustible in their strength training program. They started at a level they were able to - even if this was the lightest weights available. They didn't buy lots of expensive equipment or home gyms, and many of these can be bought second hand with a little research locally. As they developed their strength, they invested in heavier weights.

For the strap on ankle weights, they started with 1 to 3 kilograms in each cuff. The suggested ankle cuffs hold up to 10 kilograms each. The dumbells they used for their arms were adjustable, and they started with 1 or 2 kilograms. The only other equipment they needed was a chair, somewhere to store the weights, and a towel. Because you're working out in your own home you don't need to buy expensive or flashy gym clothes, or worry about feeling the odd one out.

The workout itself is in the book, Stong Women Stay Young. It covers a range of basic exercises that don't take up too much time, which is suggested you do twice a week. Each session takes about 40 minutes including warming up and cooling down.

Tips for women working out with weights at home

* Make sure the area you're working in doesn't have rugs, electrical cords, toys and other items that you can trip over
* Keep your pets and young children away from this area whilst you're working out
* If you're using a chair when you do exercises, make sure it's on a carpet that won't slide around. If you don't have carpet, put the chair against the wall so it stays stable
* If you have problems with your back, you'll need to be careful when you're carrying your free weights around. Take a few trips to carry things if you have to move them in or out of a storage area. And make sure you lift them properly by bending your knees and moving slowly.
* It helps to keep the weights you're not currently using in their container. That way they can't be knocked off by curious children.
* If you're using leg weights, don't walk around with them on. It could affect your balance. And if you trip on something, you are more likely to injure yourself than normal
* Keep the telephone off the hook, and the cellphone off. That way if someone rings you won't be interrupted
* Make sure you have some drinking water nearby in case you get thirsty.
* Don't drink any alcohol, even a little bit, less than a couple of hours before you exercise
* Try and make sure you haven't just eaten a meal before you work out. But by the same token, make sure you're not starving! If you're really hungry, you could become light headed or dizzy when you work out.
* Don't forget to warm up!
* If you're using weights, try doing them in front of a mirror so you can check your posture. You'll get more out of the exercise, and work the right muscles. Sometimes our posture becomes so habitual we don't realize it's not quite right until we see it
* If you're using weights, a good posture means you're chin is down slightly, so that it's aligned with your neck. Your neck is in line with your spine, shoulders are straight and not stiff, back is straight, and your knees are not locked or bent. Your pelvis should be tucked under a little
* When using weights, do the lifts slowly. This really works the muscles instead of letting the motion do the work for you.
* Make sure you pause for a count between lifting the weight up, and lowering it
* Don't hold your breath whilst you're lifting wights. Given that we're contracting muscles, sometimes we unconsciously hold our breaths at the same time. Remember to breath, but don't go the other extreme and hyperventilate!