Health Beauty and Exercise

   An Exercise in Balance to Keep Fit

Pilates is one of the most popular forms of exercise around, mainly because it produces real fitness results without much of the 'strain and burn' involved in more typical workouts. Pilates is one of the few forms of 'real' exercise that can be performed by those with prior back, muscle, and joint injuries (as long as it done under the supervision of an expert instructor).

Pilates exercise relies on a variety of special body movements which stretch, strengthen, and tone the various muscle groups of the body. The well-defined, controlled movements are combined with a yoga-like mental focus that many people find extremely refreshing. Pilates exercises are gentle, progressive, and performed slowly with good postural alignment at all times.

Pilates can be performed both, with and without equipment designed for this type of exercise. Spring tension, straps to hold feet or hands, supports for back (Cadillac, Wunda Chair), neck and shoulder are some important equipments.

Important Benefits: The regular use of Pilates has been found to be successful in preventing recurrent back pain episodes. Recent research from the Physiotherapy Department at Queensland University by Richardson and Jull, has demonstrated that by increasing the co-ordination and strength in the deep abdominal muscles, i.e. transverse abdominals, that the lumbar spine is stabilised and protected.

• Help in achieving flatter abs and more slender thighs
• Provide faster injury rehabilitation
• Lead to a clearer, more refreshed mind
• One who practices pilates regularly experiences increased overall body strength and flexibility
• The highest benefit is improved posture, balance, and coordination
• Increased lung capacity and circulation through deep, healthy breathing is a primary focus.
• Bone density and joint health improve, and many experience positive body awareness for the first time.

The principles
These are the essential principles to bear in mind whenever you perform pilates exercises:
1. Concentration: Concentration is fundamental to this way of exercising. This is not only because it is important that every part of your body is moving or positioned correctly - a part of a synchronised whole. It is also because when you concentrate on your body in this way, it actually leads your mind away from any immediate concerns or anxieties, and is profoundly relaxing. Constant focus on every movement is required.

2. The breath: The way you breathe is vitally important within the Pilates method. In Pilates exercises, you breathe out with the effort. This helps you to relax into a movement. If you breathe in for the effort of an exercise, you will automatically tense up. In order for the body to receive enough oxygen to perform the exercise, we must breathe efficiently. In order to keep the lower abdominals close to the spine; the breathing needs to be directed laterally, into the lower ribcage. Moving on the exhalation will enable greater core stability at the hardest part of the exercise, and prevents breath holding (Valsalva).

3. The 'girdle of strength': This incorporates three main areas - the back, the abdomen and the buttocks. The upper back can be a major seat of tension but when you learn to move the arms correctly (from the middle of the back rather than the shoulders), this tension will disappear. Nearly every Pilates exercise begins by drawing the navel gently towards the spine. This both strengthens the traverse abdominal muscles so that you will - eventually! - regain a flat stomach, and protects the back against undue strain during the exercise. The third element in this girdle of strength is the buttock muscles. By engaging and squeezing these during the exercises, you not only tone the muscles themselves, you also bring the body into perfect alignment, improving the posture and protecting the back from strain or injury.

4. Flowing movements: Pilates is not based on sudden, jerky movements. Instead, one position flows as slowly and naturally as possible into the next. You move rhythmically, your pace set by your own breathing and this warms the muscles and makes them lengthen out rather than bunch and bulk up. Moving slowly also gives you time to become aware of each part of your body so that you perform all the exercises with precision.

5. Relaxation: This is an important element of the method at any time but none more so than during pregnancy. The warm-up exercises that you should do before all of your exercise sessions - both during and after pregnancy - help to reduce and remove the most common areas of tension in the body, slow down the breathing and focus the mind. The relaxation exercises at the end of the session are also important. During pregnancy, you are often overwhelmed with feelings of tiredness. This final relaxation will help to restore flagging energy levels and, just as crucially, to induce a more tranquil state of mind.

Some of the pilates mat exercises are:
Usually taught as part of a group class, mat exercises primarily focus on strengthening the muscles of the trunk and hip and increasing the flexibility of both the spine and hips. The Roll-Up, Leg Pull Prone, Hundred, leg circle.

Pilates method exercise can seem a little difficult at first. But usually, after a few sessions, most people begin to feel a real difference in their muscle tone, strength, and flexibility as well as significantly improved posture. Also, once you become comfortable with the unique movements and positions of Pilates, you'll probably enjoy it enough to make it a regular part of your fitness routine!

       Women Health and Latest Research

Latest Research to loose Weight

         The myth of calorie burning

How is that gym membership coming along? Are you getting good value for money and keeping up with those new year's resolutions? Usually by the start of British springtime the excitement of defrosting from winter sends us running to our local beer garden rather than the treadmill.
Either way you've probably had that sinking feeling when the running or step machine tells you you've burned a measly 67 calories when you've been sweating for at least 20 minutes. After all, it doesn't even add up to a skinny cappuccino or a chocolate biscuit.

Don't despair. The calorie burn is not the point. After all, your body uses the vast majority of calories just keeping you, that's your body, ticking over. So, don't depress yourself watching the calorie clock. Instead, catch up on what that new girl on The One Show, sorry, Alex, is wearing or watch Rihanna do her thing. I mean, is it just me or does she actually have her music videos or 24/7 play these days?

Why exercise? Anyway, I digress. So, what's the point of exercising then? Why not enjoy that love affair with the sofa? You can't tell your body to burn fat from one area and not another. Anyone that tells you otherwise is a big, fat hairy liar. And you can tell them I said
Also Read: Exercising with Migraine
Also Read: Dumbbells: the best choice for chest training
Also Read: Workout Tips for mother-daughter duo Also Read: Shedding body fat with minimum muscle loss: a better goal

But, exercise can boost metabolism which means long after you've sweated it out, you are still burning calories even when you are resting. That's right. For several hours afterwards working out your body burns fat for energy. Great news if you've got some of those winter stores to use up.

The reason is simple. Exercise uses mainly carbohydrate fuel which takes time to replace. So, during that post-gym slump on the sofa your body will be burning fat reserves for energy. So, the affects of exercise then lasts much longer than workout itself.

Don't worry about that gym membership either. If you take the stairs, get off the bus one step early and are generally more active without actually working out, you could burn around an extra 250 calories a day. If you don't eat more to compensate for the extra movement, you could lose at least a stone in 12 months with this alone.

There's only one missing factor in all this - motivation. If it ain't there you've got a different kind of problem. The solution is to think laterally. Grab a mate and find yourself a gorgeous gym instructor and that might just do it.

     Latest Research on Women Fitness

Latest Research on Weight Loss Diets

          Dieting and Weight Loss Diets

Forget everything you've been told about dieting and weight loss diets. Because if you want to lose weight and change your life you must change the way you think about dieting.

1. Stop worrying about being overweight No matter how overweight you are, stop worrying!
Why? Because worrying keeps you fat. (It does, trust me) When you get anxious about your job or worry over a relationship, your body deals with the problem by producing cortisol or the stress hormone. Cortisol is released into the blood stream where it hastens the formation of fat deposits, particularly around the waist and more so in women. In fact, studies have also shown that on-again-off-again dieters, who constantly worry about their weight, tend to have higher cortisol levels, making weight loss even more difficult. Cortisol helps the body maintain vital processes in times of stress. However, an excess of it causes progressive loss of protein, muscle weakness and breakdown and loss of protein, muscle weakness and breakdown and loss of bone mass. This, in turn, lowers the metabolism rate. The body goes into emergency mode and stores higher amounts of fat.

The first step towards solving your weight problem is to relax. Because once you relax, you can begin to sort things out

2. Forget about quick-fix diets, or overnight cures
Why? Because they don't exist. (Trust me) I can help you to lose weight fast and slim down to a beautiful figure, but it won't happen overnight. WF health experts can help you analyze your diet to determine if you are getting not only the right types of food for good health, but also the right amount of food to stay lean. Question: How fast can you lose weight? Truthful answer: It depends on your present weight, your lifestyle, how much stress you're under and several other factors.

Also Read: The Sattvic Diet: nourishing and purifying Also Read: Relationship with food: a rolling factor in weight loss Also Read: Uncovering The hCG diet Also Read: The real reason water helps you lose weight
Also Read: The celeb diet secret that works: Health benefits of vinegar

3. Forget about being afraid of food
Why? Because food is wonderful, especially for slimmer. The best way to lose weight is to make friends with food. Eat real food. It’s really tough to feel anxious about a food that you know is good for you. Choosing wholesome, nutritious foods are always an easy decision. For example, the thought of fresh carrots or a crisp golden delicious apple is anything but scary.

4. Forget about eating small helpings (portion-control)
Why? Because losing weight has nothing to do with eating small helpings The best way to lose weight is to pile your plate with good food. The first step in successful portion control is learning the correct serving size — the amount of food recommended by government agencies, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans put out by the USDA and Department of Health and Human Services, and the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. The serving size can usually be found by reading nutritional labels. But the portion is the amount of food or drink a person chooses to consume. In many cases, the portion eaten is larger than the serving size simply because we don’t know any better. Eat when hungry and stop when satisfied or comfortably full.

“For example, three ounces of cooked meat, fish, or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards.” Other easy measurements to eyeball include:
• ½ cup is the size of an ice cream scoop
• 1 cup is the size of a tennis ball
• 1 ounce of cheese is the size of a domino

5. Forget about eating by yourself
Why? Because the best way to lose weight is to put the whole family on it. Instead of
separate meals for everyone, make something that fits into your weight-loss plan, then make easy tweaks to it for the rest of the family.

Also Read: Take the fatty talk outside: It’s time to drop the fat bashing
Also Read: Three tried and true tactics that really will shrink your belly
Also Read: Stress: a factor in abdominal weight gain
Also Read: Top 10 to handle the Frenzied Eating Habits

For example:
• Lunch: Sandwiches can be made open-face on one slice of bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and crunchy baby carrots on the side (for you) or on 2 slices of bread with cheese and baked chips on the side (for them).
• Dinner: Salads can be topped with low-cal dressing (for you) or full-fat vinaigrette, cheese, dried cranberries and slivered almonds (for them). Turkey meatballs can be served with steamed veggies (for you) or pasta (for them).
• Desert: Dessert can be berries topped with a dollop of vanilla nonfat yogurt or whipped cream (for you) or low-fat ice cream topped with berries (for them).

6. Forget about buying special 'diet' foods
Why? Because losing weight has nothing to do with special 'diet' foods The best way to lose weight is to buy ordinary good food. The closer a food is to its natural state, the better it is for you. Fresh fruits and berries are great and will satisfy a craving for sweets. Whole vegetables have lots of vitamins and minerals, so eat more green, orange and yellow vegetables. Steam them to retain the most nutritional value and be careful with sauces, they may be high in calories and fats that aren't good for you.

7. Forget about calorie-counting or diet pills
Why? Because counting calories or eating diet pills doesn't help you to stay slim and it certainly doesn't help you to stay healthy Diet pills do not cure the real cause of obesity... so in virtually every case all the weight that is lost comes back. The best way to lose weight is to learn good eating habits

8. Forget about walking your butt off Why? Because losing weight has nothing to do with walking your butt off!. Yes, exercise is very healthy. But in my experience, it tends to distract us. From more important things, like EATING properly.

If you really want to lose weight, first change your eating habits, then take regular exercise. You can achieve full-body fitness with a simple 20 min of daily cardio will build up to 1hr 40 min of cardio per week, 6 hrs. of workout a month and so on. That sounds a pretty good effort for your physical and mental health.

 Walk or bike to work or on errands whenever feasible. According to the league of American Bicyclists, cycling to work not only can help your health, it also can save money. At work, try to devote your lunch hour to some sort of activity; a workout at the gym or at least a walk around the block – or several blocks. If you move briskly, you should be able to cover a mile in about 20 minutes, one you've gotten into the walking habit.


   Latest  Research  on Women Health

Harmful Muscle-Building Myths Uncovered

Harmful Muscle-Building Myths Uncovered

         If you’re serious about making a solid commitment to a muscle-building program, you need to be very careful of who you take advice from. Bodybuilding and fitness is literally a multi-billion dollar industry with new websites popping up every single day. Many of the so-called “experts” out there really don’t have a clue of what they’re talking about and are only motivated by pushing expensive pills, powders and “miracle programs” on you that you don’t really need. If you don’t watch your step you may end up falling for some fatal muscle-building pitfalls that will literally destroy your gains and prevent you from ever achieving the impressive, muscular physique you desire. In this article I’m going to expose 4 very common muscle-building myths in order to keep you on the proper path to the mind-blowing muscle and strength gains you deserve.
1
        For those of you who are just starting out, a “pump” is the feeling that you get as blood becomes trapped inside the muscle tissue when you train with weights. The muscles will swell up and leave your body feeling bigger, tighter, stronger and more powerful. While a pump does feel fantastic, it has very little, if anything to do with properly stimulating your muscles to grow. A pump is simply the result of increased bloodflow to the muscle tissue and is certainly not indicative of a successful workout. A successful workout should only be gauged by the concept of progression. If you were able to lift more weight or perform more reps than you did in the previous week, then you did your job.

2
       This one goes back to the old days when people described bodybuilders as being “muscle bound” and “bulky”. Contrary to what you may think, building a significant amount of lean muscle mass will actually speed you up rather than slow you down. Muscles are responsible for every movement that your body makes, from running to jumping to throwing. The bottom line is that the stronger a muscle is, the more force it can apply. Having stronger, more muscular legs means increased foot speed, just as having stronger and more muscular shoulders means the ability to throw farther. Strong muscles are able muscles, not the other way around.
3
       While using good form in the gym is always important, obsessing over perfect form is an entirely different matter. If you are always attempting to perform every exercise using flawless, textbook form, you will actually increase your chances of injury and simultaneously decrease the total amount of muscle stimulation you can achieve. Remember, we are not robots! It’s very important that you always move naturally when you exercise. This could mean adding a very slight sway in your back when you perform bicep curls, or using a tiny bit of body momentum when executing barbell rows. Loosen yourself up a bit and move the way your body was meant to be moved. Obsessing over perfect form will actually work against you rather than for you.
4
       This is another huge misconception in the gym. The “burning” sensation that results from intense weight training is simply the result of lactic acid (a metabolic waste product) that is secreted inside the muscle tissue as you exercise. Increased levels of lactic acid have nothing to do with muscle growth and may actually slow down your gains rather than speed them up. You can limit lactic acid production by training in a lower rep range of 5-7, rather than the traditional range of 10 and above.

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Health of women

     Loose Weight Attain Beauty and Health

              Tips for Healthier Living

       Don't worry. I'm not just going to sit here and tell you that if you just ate right and exercised more you'd lose weight and live happily ever after.

Life just ain't that easy. What I am going to tell you is to stop worrying about your weight. That's right. Forget the scale, buy the clothes that feel comfortable, learn to love the body you have. As long as you start focusing on your health.

Confused? Don't be. It's all part of what you've been hearing and reading about all over the place. You don't have to be thin to be healthy—and you don't have to be overweight to be sick. So here are my top 10 recommendations for things you can do today to live your way to better health:

1. Limit yourself to two processed or pre-made foods a day. So, for instance, if you have a danish instead of oatmeal and a Hot Pocket instead of a sliced turkey sandwich, you're done with processed foods for the day. Processed foods are swimming in salt, sugars and unhealthy fats and are deficient in all-important fiber.
2. Have a piece of fruit or a vegetable with every meal. Having toast with melted cheese for breakfast? Slice up some strawberries. Fixed a sandwich for lunch? Dip some raw broccoli in low-fat ranch dressing to go alongside.
3. Walk wherever you can. If you're going less than six floors, take the stairs—up and down. Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk into the building; park and walk into the restaurant instead of zooming through the drivethrough; get up and go talk to your coworker down the hall instead of sending an e-mail. At the end of the day, those steps add up.
   
4. Don't buy food you know you shouldn't eat. I've never understood people who say they can't resist the chips and ice cream in their house—but keep buying it! And if you're buying it for the kids, stop. They don't need it any more than you do.
   
5. Limit eating out to once a month. Your waist and pocketbook will thank you.
   
6. Schedule at least three hours a week for yourself. This is time you're not driving the kids around, not cleaning the house, not at work, not doing anything to please anyone except yourself. This time is yours to do with as you like. Women need stressbusters like this to help reduce the dangerously high levels of stress hormones we walk around with all day, hormones that lead to numerous diseases, as well as pack on the fat around our middles.
   
7. Wear a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day. The evidence on these little batteryoperated machines is amazing. One major study found that couch potatoes who met a daily goal of 10,000 steps improved their fitness level, blood pressure and body fat just as much as a group that followed a traditional gymbased aerobic program. Overall, studies find that getting 8,000 to 10,000 steps (about five miles) helps you lose weight, while adding 2,000 steps to your current level, or about one mile a day, helps maintain your current weight and stop gaining weight.
8. Keep a food diary. Not so much to track what you eat, but to track why you eat. Too many people eat as a way to smother emotions or relieve boredom. If you find you're doing this, you need to talk to someone about finding a healthier way to cope.
9. Stop drinking soda and fruit juice. They are huge sources of extra calories not to mention unhealthy sugars that don't pack much nutritional benefit. Instead, stick to low-fat or skim dairy, water or unsweetened iced tea.
10. Find a physical activity you enjoy. It could be gardening, kayaking, golf (but walk the course), tennis, hiking, biking or rock climbing. You'll meet new people, become more physically active and reduce stress—all at the same time.
    

         Adaptive Exercise: What to Do When                         Moving Isn't Easy

    
    

    

    
    

          Everyone needs physical activity for good health. Yet when women develop conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure or too much weight or are affected by cancer or other diseases, becoming or staying physically active may seem impossible.