Did you know that you can burn calories without going to the gym? There are a variety of activities you can do that don’t require joining a fitness facility. In fact, some of the best ways to burn calories are done outside the gym, so you can do them at home, while at work, or traveling. The activities you choose may vary based on how much time you have available, what you feel your body needs that particular day, the weather [...]
Weight loss is a process—one that doesn’t always happen as quickly as you might like. While safe, healthy weight loss does take time, there are reasons you might not be losing weight that are worth considering as you gauge your progress. For example, maybe you’re committed to a regular workout, but you’re not burning enough calories. Or maybe you’re burning enough calories but you’re then consuming too many in return. Perhaps you are exercising enough and eating well, but you have a [...]
1. Exercise is great for your brain. It’s linked to less depression, better memory and quicker learning. Studies also suggest that exercise is, as of now, the best way to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, a major fear for many Americans. Scientists don’t know exactly why exercise changes the structure and function of the brain, but it’s an area of active research. So far, they’ve found that exercise improves blood flow to the brain, feeding the growth of [...]
A workout that ends a couple of hours before bedtime should help you fall asleep, while one that’s closer to bedtime could have you counting a lot of sheep. “Overall, our analysis showed that when exercise ended two hours before bedtime, there were sleep benefits, including the promotion of sleep onset and increased sleep duration,” said study co-author Emmanuel Frimpong, a postdoctoral fellow at the Sleep, Cognition and Neuroimaging Lab at Concordia University in Montreal. “On the other hand, when exercise [...]
1. Knee Tucks When choosing more advanced exercises for your abs, stability ball knee tucks are great for targeting balance, stability and, core strength.1 The arms and torso help stabilize your body as you draw the knees in and, at the end of the movement, give your abs an extra squeeze to intensify the challenge. Get into a pushup position with the ball under the shins/ankles (easier) or the tops of the feet (harder). Make sure the body is straight, back flat and the abs [...]
