Exercise and Nutrition Tips
Read these 11 Exercise and Nutrition Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Nutrition tips and hundreds of other topics.
Stretching
Fifteen seconds is better than five, though five is still better than nothing when it comes to improving flexibility. A new study out of the U.K. suggests significant benefits from holding each stretch at least 15 seconds as opposed to five seconds or not stretching at all. Twenty-four college students (average age 20) participated in the five-week training study. Those in the five-second group performed each stretch nine times, while those in the 15-second group did each stretch three times. While both groups improved their passive range of motion, those who held their stretches longer showed greater improvements in active range of motion as well.
Source: British Medical Journal, 1999; 33: 259-263
Vigorous Workouts
Vigorous workouts, when you're breathing hard and sweating, help your heart pump better, give you more energy, and help you look and feel your best. Start with a warm-up. Include 20 minutes of aerobic activity, such as running, jogging, or dancing. Then cool down and add stretching and deep breathing. (Check with your doctor before you start a vigorous exercise program.)
Exercising with Family and Friends
Being active is much more fun with friends or family. Encourage others to join you and plan one special physical activity event, like a bike ride or hiking, with a group each week.
Get Moving
It's easy to fit physical activities into your daily routine. Walk, bike, or jog to see friends. Take a 10-minute activity break every hour while you read, do homework, or watch TV. Climb stairs instead of taking an escalator or elevator. Try to do these things for a total of 30 minutes every day.
Power Walking
Power walking can improve cardio-respiratory fitness by 16 percent or more, and can provide most of the health benefits that come from exercise.
Target Heart Rate
If you don't know your target heart rate (and it's different for everyone), you might try the "breathing test." When you're in the middle of a good aerobic workout, you should be breathing deeply but comfortably. You should not feel out of breath. You should be able to carry on a small conversation in short groups of words, but if you can gab, you're not exercising hard enough. When you think you've reached this level of exercise, take your heart rate a few times to see what it is.
Isometrics
Isometric exercise involves the pressure of a muscle or group of muscles against each other or against an immovable object. Isometrics primarily tone and build the skeletal muscles.
Exercise in School
Join in physical activities at school, either by taking a physical education class or do other physical activities, such as intramural sports. These are sure ways to keep you fit and keep your energy up.
Regular Walking
Regular walking, between 20 and 15 minutes per mile, 3 times per week or more, contributes to reducing body fat and can lower the risk of heart attack.
Weight Training
Weight training is a beneficial form of exercise, because it promotes fat loss by increasing your muscle mass which burns more calories, lowers blood pressure, strengthens your bones, increases your flexibility, gives you more energy, and gives your skin a more toned, tight appearance.
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| Sherril Steele-Carlin |
