Shopping for a Gym?
OK. You want to get fit and exercise. Good for you! Exercise is one of the most important gifts you can give yourself. It helps ward off chronic diseases such as diabetes and makes you feel good about yourself. So now what? Should you join a gym? Hold on. Before you sign on the dotted [...]
Local Club: Exercise Supermarket
Ready to get in shape? Good! You\’re well on your way toward making positive, life-long changes. Now what? How about starting your journey at the local health club? Why do people join gyms? People simply want to get more exercise into their daily lives, and a gym offers an environment that is motivating and encouraging. [...]
A Pilates Primer
Pilates is an exercise technique that combines mind/body control with stretching and resistance training. Pilates is named after Joseph Pilates who began using the early exercises during the First World War to rehabilitate injured soldiers. Today Pilates is not only still used as part of physical therapy, it has become a popular form of low [...]
Stretching
No exercise program is complete without stretching. Although aerobic exercises such as walking, running, hiking, biking and rollerblading all burn calories and help your cardiovascular system, don\’t neglect your muscles and joints! Advantages Stretching helps you promote the health of your joints, ligaments and muscles. It improves circulation and decreases stress, and helps avoid exercise-related [...]
Tone Up With a 15-Minute Workout
Who doesn\’t love a quick fix, especially when it comes to fitness? Unfortunately, no workout can work miracles overnight. But if you lead a busy life, finding a routine that\’s fun and fast can be just the ticket to getting started on the path to a fitter you. Here\’s one that fits the bill. It [...]
The Dangers of Steroid Use in Teens
About three million athletes in the United States use anabolic steroids to boost their performance or shape their bodies. About one out of four started using steroids during their teen years. The use of anabolic steroids by teen athletes is on the rise, experts say. And it\’s not limited to boys on the football team [...]
Exercise-Induced Asthma and Kids
Exercise is good for almost everyone, but it may trigger symptoms for nine of 10 kids with asthma. If your child has exercise-induced asthma (EIA), it does not mean he or she has to stop exercising. With the right diagnosis and treatment, your child should be able to be as active as any other. Why [...]
Can\’t Stomach Your Stomach?
Ever since being fit became the new beautiful, women everywhere have yearned to find the muscle beneath the blubber. Men, too, prompted by billboard visions of hairless models with muscle lines sharp enough to saw wood on, have joined in ab mania. But before you go out and buy that expensive machine in search of [...]
Strength Training for Teens
Boys are bombarded by images of male models and movie stars that equate beefed-up, muscular bodies with male sex appeal. This puts them under the same intense pressure as girls to get the "look" if they want to be considered attractive. Many teenage boys respond by taking up weightlifting and bodybuilding with a vengeance. Getting [...]
Weight Training for Women 101
Weight training, also called strength or resistance training, can help tone and shape your body. But it also has many important health benefits. It offers protection against osteoporosis, the bone-thinning disease that can affect women after menopause. Lifting weights can also help control weight. One recent study showed that strength training can help post-menopausal women [...]