7 Most Effective Exercises

Does Your Workout Really Work If done right, these 7 exercises can give you results that you can see and feel. You can do them at a gym or at home. Watch your form that was shown by a trainer, as good technique is a must. If you're not active now, it is a good idea to check with your doctor first--especially if you have health concerns; for example, advanced osteoporosis, as these exercises may be too aggressive. Walking Winner: You can walk almost anywhere or anytime. You can use a treadmill or hit the streets. All you need is a good pair of shoes. How to: Walk for fitness--begin 5 - 10 minutes per time. You can add a few minutes every time you walk until you are at least 30 minutes per walk. After you've master that, you can quicken your pace by adding hills. Interval Training Winner: Interval training boosts fitness levels and burns more calories to help you lose weight. The basic idea is to vary intensity within the workout instead of going at a steady pace. How to: Whether you walk, run, dance, do another cardio exercise, push up the pace for a minute or two, by backing off every 2-4 minutes; how long the interval lasts depends on the length of the workout or how much recovery time is needed; the trainer fine-tunes pacing; and repeat intervals throughout the workout. Squats Winner: this works several muscle groups: quadriceps ("quads"), hamsrings, and gluteals ("glutes") at the same time. How to: Keep your feet shoulder-width apart; your back straight. Bend at the knees; lower your rear as if sitting in a chair. Keep your knees right over ankles. Add dumbbells once you can do 12 reps with good form. Squats Done Right Practice with a real chair until you master the move. First, sit all the way down in the chair, then stand with your back up. Next, barely touch the chair's seat before standing up. Work up to doing squats without a chair, while keeping the same form. Lunges Winner: Like squats, lunges work all major muscles of the lower body, while improving your balance. How to: Take a big step forward, while keeping your back straight. Bend your front knee about 90 degrees. Keep your weight on back toes and drop back on your knee toward the floor. Don't let back knee touch the floor. Lunges: Extra Challenges Try stepping not just forward, but back and out to each side with each lunge. Add dumbbells to the lunges once your form is down pat. Push-Ups Winner: this strengthens the chest, shoulders, triceps and core muscles. How to: Facing down, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart: place toes on floor; (if too hard, start with knees on floor); keep your body in a straight line from the shoulders to the knew to the feet. Keep your rear-end muscles and abs engaged. Bend your elbows to lower down until they almost touch the floor. Lift with your back by pushing through your elbows, keeping your torso in a straight line throughout the move. Push-Ups: Too Hard? Too Easy? If you're new to push-ups, start by leaning into the kitchen counter. Until you get stronger, go lower by using a desk or chair. Move onto the floor, starting with your knees bent. Challenge: put your feet on the stair, bench, or couch while keeping good form. Crunches: Method A Lie on your back, with your feet flat on the floor, and your head resting in your palms. Press your lower back down, while contracting your abdominal muscles (abs) in one smooth move, as you raise your head, then your neck, shoulders, and upper back off the floor. Tuck your chin in slightly as you lower your back and repeat. Crunches: Method B These can also be done with your feet off the floor or knees bent, and keeps you from arching your back and uses your hip flexors (the muscles on your upper thighs below your hip bones). Master Crunches Keep your neck in line with your spine, tuck your chin in (don't stick out); breathe normally while keeping neck and shoulders open--while keeping your elbows off your line of vision. Bent-Over Row Winner: works your major muscles like your upper back and biceps. How to: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend at your knees, and bend forward at your hips. Enlarge your abs without hunching your back. Hold weights beneath your shoulders, with hands shoulder-width apart. When bending elbows, lift both hands toward the sides of your body. Pause, by slowly lower hands to a starting position. Can be perform with a barbell or dumbbells. Mastering Bent-Over Rows First, do the moves without the weights to learn the right moves. If you have trouble doing bent-over rows while standing up, support your weight by sitting on an incline bench, facing backward. Source www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/ss/slideshow-7-most-effective-exercises.

Do You Have An Hormone Imbalance?

Your Hormones--Your Health If you're feeling bloated, irritable, or not your best--maybe it's a hormonal imbalance. Hormones are chemicals in your body called "messengers" that impact your cells and organ functions. It is normal for your levels to shift at different times in your life; for example, before or during your period, pregnancy or during menopause. Some medications or health issues can cause them to go up or down too. Irregular Periods Most women's periods come every 21 - 35 days. If it doesn't arrive the same time every month--too much or too little hormones--estrogen and progesterone could be the problem; 40's/early 50's (periomenopause: before menopause); Irregular periods could be symptoms to health problems like polysystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). It is important to talk with your doctor. Sleep Problems If you're not getting enough sleep, or sleep isn't adequate--it could be your hormones. Progesterone--the hormone released by ovaries--helps with sleep. If your levels are lower than usual, it could be harder to fall asleep. If estrogen triggers hot flashes--or night sweats--it could be tougher to get adequate rest. Chronic Acne A breakout before or during your period is normal; but an excess of androgens ("male hormones: both men and women have them) can cause oil glands to overwork. Androgens can affect skin cells in and/or around hair follicles to both clog pores, causing acne. Memory Fog Experts are not sure how or why hormones impact the brain, but they do know that changes in estrogen or progesterone can make head fell "foggy"--or hard to remember things. Some think that estrogen impacts brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Attention or memory problems are common during perimenopause or menopause. Thyroid disease is a symptom of hormone-related conditions. Let your doctor know if you are having troubling thinking clearly. Belly Problems Gut-lined tiny cells called receptors respond to estrogen or progesterone. These hormones have a higher or lower than usual changes in how food is digested. Diarrhea, stomach pain, bloating, nausea can crop up or get worse during your period. Digestive problems, acne or fatigue, and hormone levels are off. Ongoing Fatigue If you are tired all the time: Fatigue can be a common symptom of hormone imbalance. Excess progesterone can make you sleepy. If the thyroid--the butterfly-shaped gland in your neck--makes too little thyroid hormone, it can sap your energy. A simple blood test to the thyroid panel can tell your doctor if your levels are too low. If they are too low, there is treatment. Mood Swings and Depression Researchers believe that drops in hormones, or fast changes in these levels can cause moodiness or the "blues". Estrogen affects key brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and norepinepherine. Other hormones that travel the same path as neurotransmitters also play a role in how you feel. Appetite and Weight Gain If you're feeling blue or irritated--it can be when estrogen levels dip--and may want to eat more. It might be whydrops in hormone are linked to weight gain. Estrogen dips also impact the body's levels of leptin--the hunger-revving hormone. Headaches Lots of things can trigger heachaches, but drops in estrogen can also bring them on. It is common for headaches to strike right before or during your period, when estrogen is down. Regular headaches--the ones that surface at the same time every month--can be clues to the levels of hormone shifting. Vaginal Dryness This is normal occasionally. If it is often dry or irritated down there, the reason could be low estrogen. Estrogen helps vaginal tissues to stay moist and comfortable. Estrogen drops because of imbalance, reduce vaginal fluids that cause tightness. Loss of Libido Most think testerone is a male hormone--but women make it too. If testerone levels are down--there is less interest in sex than usual. Breast Changes A drop in estrogen makes breast tissue less dense. An increase ih the hormone thickens breast tissue that causes new lumps or cysts. It is important to talk with your doctor if you notice breast changes, even if none of the symptoms concern you. Source www.webmd.com/women/ss/slideshow-how-hormone-imbalance.