Posts Tagged ‘resistance training’

Great Benefits of Walking

Throughout the past few months numerous states encountered horrific weather conditions that confined residents to their homes. Because of that many were unable to exercise and gained a substantial amount of weight.

Now that the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and temperatures are climbing people are undeniably anxious to get outside, enjoy the weather, and get back in shape.

There are numerous types of exercise such as strength and resistance training, aerobics, running, and swimming. Countless people choose walking as a means to get fit while others have the notion that it isn’t exercise. That concept is far from the truth because walkers receive the same benefits as those that perform a high impact cardio workout.

Here is a summary of the benefits of walking.

Walking helps reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer, osteoporosis, and targets fat while building muscle. Some studies have shown that diabetics who walked on a regular basis reduced their need for medication and their condition was more manageable.

When a person walks, their heart and lungs are being exercised as well. Walking can improve the body’s ability to use oxygen more efficiently and studies show that the risk of heart attack is decreased by 35% if a person walks at least three hours per week. In addition walking promotes better digestion and lowers blood pressure.

In today’s world stress is inevitable and if a person lives with a large volume of it, it can turn into depression. Walking can relieve stress, lighten the mood, improve sleep, and causes one to have a better outlook on life.

A fantastic thing about walking is the cost; or I should say lack thereof. Gym memberships are typically quite expensive and people don’t always utilize the facility, so in the end money is thrown away. Walking is not only easy on the wallet but it can be done anywhere and at any time.

One goal when exercising is to lose weight but some feel that walking doesn’t burn as many calories as other forms of exercise. Depending on the speed and length of time, walking can burn just as many calories as jogging does and it is easier on the body’s muscles and joints.

Not everyone can run 5 miles a day or spend an hour on an elliptical machine but they still can improve the overall health of their body and gain peace of mind through walking.

Sources:

Mayo Clinic

Medicine Net

Mayo Clinic News

Importance of Resistance Training For Women

Many women nowadays are into resistance training. Many get into resistance training programs engaging into sports. Resistance training is important for women. It allows you to be active and have a healthy body. You may also gain the needed strength and physically built muscles.

Before you start lifting weights, you should know the proper ways on how to execute the exercise. Many women seriously encounter injuries when they incorrectly lift weights. It is important that you get rid first of the excess weight that you have by walking or jogging. You may also purchase weight loss equipment such as treadmills, cross bar platinum, and nutrition boo guides for a better health.

Women usually do not have the natural muscle structure that most men have. They may not also have the same strength to carry heavy loads or the same resistance that men have. What more if you get older? Your body may no longer have the same strength when you were still young. This happens because of the lifestyle you have or just because of aging process. Your resistance may have just decreased and your body tends to weaken.

You can benefit many things when you get into resistance training. Even if you are not an athlete or a body-building enthusiasts, you can get into resistance training programs. Having an active body and well-toned muscles can provide you the more strength and good resistance. You can do some workout outdoors like walking or jogging to get a better blood circulation.

You may also do some stretching and warm up exercises to allow the blood nutrients go to the muscles and joints of your body. Muscle stretching also helps in lessening the risks of injuries and muscle pains after the work out. Muscles tend to sore and get strained if you are not well warmed-up and do the proper stretching techniques before the work out.

In addition, muscle stretching also gives you more flexibility. You will be able to execute exercises comfortably and effectively. It is advisable that you do repetitive stretching and warm ups. Repetition of exercises makes your muscles and joints more enhanced and more adapted to the motion you are executing.

When you are ready to lift weights, you should first work on your larger muscles then the smaller ones. You may then finally go to the muscles that are isolated. You may execute push-ups that can enhance the upper muscles of the body. Before doing triceps extension exercises, you should first focus on the larger muscle groups such as the muscle found in your butt. You may execute exercises like repetitive squatting, box step-ups, and lunges.

You may also work on your quads which is the muscle found on the front thigh. You may perform repetitive squatting and lunges as well. You may also use the leg extension machine and the leg press machine for a well-executed exercise.

You should always remember that you work on the opposite muscles. Muscles tend to get imbalanced especially if the amounts of exercises you do are not equally distributed. When performing triceps extension, it is advised that you also do bicep exercises. If you work out on the chest and the stomach area like crunches, it is important that you do back extension exercises to get a balanced upper muscle toning.

Always take a rest after your resistance training work out. Allow your muscles to cool gradually so that you will not feel any sore or strained muscles. After the resistance training, you will see that you are more ready and physically fit for many kinds of sports.