Epsom Salt is inexpensive, and promotes blood circulation.
The Epsom Salt Council (yes, there really is an entire group devoted to Epsom Salt) says that a 15- minute soak in this salt helps reduce inflammation, helping to relieve pain & muscle cramps.
Use 1 cup salt; put in a warm tub & get to soaking to reap the pain-relieving benefits of Epsom Salt!
July 10, 2009
June 24, 2009
Pump Up Your Music!
Research studies have shown that exercisers who listened to fast-paced, up-tempo music increased their endurance by 15%. Also noted is that when the participants' mood improved from the up-beat music, so did their positive feelings about exercise.
So, the next time you exercise, crank up those rockin' tunes and jam!
So, the next time you exercise, crank up those rockin' tunes and jam!
Before Exercising Outside
On smoggy days, (especially if you live in an urban area), you may want to check out the local air-quality index for your area. Go here: www.airnow.gov to check your local smog & air-quality index.
Research suggests that those who breathe smog & pollution are at a higher risk for lung cancer & other health problems. So it may be to your advantage to keep an eye on your local smog levels!
Research suggests that those who breathe smog & pollution are at a higher risk for lung cancer & other health problems. So it may be to your advantage to keep an eye on your local smog levels!
June 2, 2009
Are Crunches Really Useless?
In every magazine article I read about building muscle or getting toned, when the topic of ab exercises is addressed, they always say to stay away from crunches or sit-ups, because they don't do any good. They say that crunches only work the superficial ab muscles, and that to get truly toned abs, you need to work the deeper muscles. Those deeper muscles help pull the torso in, and help with posture.
Apparently you cannot reach the deeper muscles by simply doing crunches, so they recommend exercises like the "plank pose" (in push-up position, except holding yourself on your forearms instead of your hands), the "side plank" and exercises using a Swiss ball.
I have been doing such exercises a couple days a week for about 3 months now, and I have seen results. I look slightly slimmer around the middle, but I can really tell the difference in how I feel. When I tense my abs, I can feel how much stronger they are now. So that's great, but I still have a little layer of fat on the outside that I'd love to get rid of.
Since those deep muscle exercises still leave me with a bit of a "pooch" on my tummy, I have been slowly coming to the realization that maybe I need to work those superficial muscles to tone them.
So, today I did about 130 crunches. I laid on the floor with arms crossed across my chest, and lifted myself just enough so that my shoulders came up off the floor.
The crunches seemed to work, because my ab muscles were burning! I was really feeling the burn doing those exercises!
So, of course I will have to give it time and see if I truly start seeing results or not, but I sure was feeling it when I was doing them.
Of course, I am not going to drop all the other ab exercises; I am simply going to add crunches to my regimen.
I intend to prove once & for all whether or not crunches really help define the abs!
Apparently you cannot reach the deeper muscles by simply doing crunches, so they recommend exercises like the "plank pose" (in push-up position, except holding yourself on your forearms instead of your hands), the "side plank" and exercises using a Swiss ball.
I have been doing such exercises a couple days a week for about 3 months now, and I have seen results. I look slightly slimmer around the middle, but I can really tell the difference in how I feel. When I tense my abs, I can feel how much stronger they are now. So that's great, but I still have a little layer of fat on the outside that I'd love to get rid of.
Since those deep muscle exercises still leave me with a bit of a "pooch" on my tummy, I have been slowly coming to the realization that maybe I need to work those superficial muscles to tone them.
So, today I did about 130 crunches. I laid on the floor with arms crossed across my chest, and lifted myself just enough so that my shoulders came up off the floor.
The crunches seemed to work, because my ab muscles were burning! I was really feeling the burn doing those exercises!
So, of course I will have to give it time and see if I truly start seeing results or not, but I sure was feeling it when I was doing them.
Of course, I am not going to drop all the other ab exercises; I am simply going to add crunches to my regimen.
I intend to prove once & for all whether or not crunches really help define the abs!
May 29, 2009
Bicep & Tricep Curls
In addition to my daily regimen of running and ab exercises, I have recently added bicep & tricep curls with hand weights.
My husband Eric showed me the correct form for each exercise, and I have been performing them for the past 3 days.
And boy, are my arms sore! But it's a good kind of sore!
I began doing these arm exercises simply because I didn't want to neglect my upper body. Plus, I wanted toned, defined arms! Who doesn't?
These exercises are SO easy to do. They take less than 5 minutes per arm, and I can do them while sitting on the couch, in front of the television! How awesome is that? There's absolutely NO reason for me NOT to do them! Plus, I'm putting to good use those hand weights that my husband had bought a long time ago and had sitting around in the basement!
These exercises are just another step along my ultimate goal of gaining muscle mass while losing fat, and lowering my BMI.
My husband Eric showed me the correct form for each exercise, and I have been performing them for the past 3 days.
And boy, are my arms sore! But it's a good kind of sore!
I began doing these arm exercises simply because I didn't want to neglect my upper body. Plus, I wanted toned, defined arms! Who doesn't?
These exercises are SO easy to do. They take less than 5 minutes per arm, and I can do them while sitting on the couch, in front of the television! How awesome is that? There's absolutely NO reason for me NOT to do them! Plus, I'm putting to good use those hand weights that my husband had bought a long time ago and had sitting around in the basement!
These exercises are just another step along my ultimate goal of gaining muscle mass while losing fat, and lowering my BMI.
May 21, 2009
Ice & Massages Are My Friends
Because I unknowingly bought running shoes that are too rigid so that they give me perpetually painful shin splints, I have needed to put a lot of work into healing my legs to relieve the pain and get ready for my next run.
I do this by icing my lower legs twice a day (immediately after running, then several hours later, before bed), and by massaging the sore muscles in that area.
This is such an easy process (it takes a little time), but it works so well! There are days where I can run mostly pain-free 3 days in a row, simply because I take care of the pain before it gets worse.
So that is why ice & massages are my friends. My good friends. :)
I do this by icing my lower legs twice a day (immediately after running, then several hours later, before bed), and by massaging the sore muscles in that area.
This is such an easy process (it takes a little time), but it works so well! There are days where I can run mostly pain-free 3 days in a row, simply because I take care of the pain before it gets worse.
So that is why ice & massages are my friends. My good friends. :)
May 16, 2009
Benefits of Sleep are Equal to Exercise!
As I've been reading through various women's health magazines, (like Runner's World, Women's Running, Shape, Self, Women's Health, and Oxygen), I have read about a few interesting scientific research studies comparing the benefits of sleep to exercise.
These studies compared middle age sedentary women who get 8 hours of sleep a night (or more), with physically active women who get less than 8 hours of sleep. As it turns out, the not active women who slept more were overall healthier than those who exercised but got less sleep!
I have a few questions about these studies that were not answered, like what do they mean when they say "overall healthier?" Do they mean a lower risk of cancers? Do they mean lower incidences of flu or hormonal imbalances? Do they mean that the non-exercisers could run longer with a lower heart rate than the exercisers, simply because they sleep more? I doubt that would be possible, so the study authors must have meant something else.
So, even though I certainly have issues with the terminology & findings of this study, I do wholeheartedly agree that getting 8 or more hours of sleep a night is extremely important to your overall health, well-being, and state of mind.
So, if this perhaps flawed study teaches us anything, it teaches us the importance of getting plenty of zzzz's at night!
These studies compared middle age sedentary women who get 8 hours of sleep a night (or more), with physically active women who get less than 8 hours of sleep. As it turns out, the not active women who slept more were overall healthier than those who exercised but got less sleep!
I have a few questions about these studies that were not answered, like what do they mean when they say "overall healthier?" Do they mean a lower risk of cancers? Do they mean lower incidences of flu or hormonal imbalances? Do they mean that the non-exercisers could run longer with a lower heart rate than the exercisers, simply because they sleep more? I doubt that would be possible, so the study authors must have meant something else.
So, even though I certainly have issues with the terminology & findings of this study, I do wholeheartedly agree that getting 8 or more hours of sleep a night is extremely important to your overall health, well-being, and state of mind.
So, if this perhaps flawed study teaches us anything, it teaches us the importance of getting plenty of zzzz's at night!
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