At the end of a workout, the last thing most of us want to do is spend extra time stretching and cooling down. However, dedicating some time to post-workout stretches can relieve tightness, help your muscles return to a neutral position, reduce soreness and even help prevent injury.
Believe it or not, sitting too much at work and at home can have a major impact on your health. And surprisingly, trying to make up time spent sitting with extra exercise does little to reverse the negative effects of sitting.
Regular exercise can help fend off heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even some cancers, but did you know that it can also benefit your brain?
“Physical therapy” is an umbrella term for a number of specialties that address a wide variety of health problems and injuries. Do you know the differences between the types of physical therapy available?
Here’s our guide to the most common forms of physical therapy.
Having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep at night? Try exercise—just don’t expect to see improvements overnight.
Research has long suggested the sleep benefits of exercise, but more recent studies reveal that you won’t see those benefits immediately. In a 16-week study, volunteers didn’t notice much improvement in their sleep patterns until the end of the 16 weeks. In the same way that getting good sleep depends on exercise, getting a good exercise in is often dependent on getting a good night’s sleep the night before.
The American College of Sports Medicine predicted that bodyweight training would top the fitness trends of 2015, and an analysis of data from activity tracking devices and digital fitness apps by HIS Inc. confirms it. Americans are looking for back-to-basics fitness programs that focus on building strength and the importance of recovery.
Summertime is just around the corner. Have you started planning your summer vacation? It’s easy to let vacation derail healthy eating and exercise routines, but just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you can’t keep up with your healthy habits.
Your knees take a beating day in and day out. Every step you take puts a force equal to 1.5 times your bodyweight on your knees—and that’s when you’re walking on level ground. That force is greater on an incline, and even an activity as simple as squatting to tie your shoelace puts a force equal to four or five times your bodyweight on your knees.
Working out is great for your health, whether you do it on a treadmill at the gym or prefer to be outside. However, there is some research to suggest that an outdoor workout has even more benefits than indoor exercise. Researchers have found that outdoor activities—including walking, running and biking—have a greater impact on mental health and stress reduction than indoor activities.
After surgery, your body needs enough calories and nutrients to fully recover from the procedure. Eating the right foods after surgery can decrease risk of infection, speed healing of the incision and increase strength and energy. The best post-surgery foods to eat are packed full of vitamins and minerals.
