Self Care Is More Important than Exercise

You come first.

Taking care of yourself is the most important thing that you can do.

The reason for this is that you are the only one who can make the critical decisions that affect your future. You need to take care of both your mind and your body to ensure that you are able to make these decisions effectively.

When you take care of yourself, you’re setting yourself up to make better decisions.

These good decisions will have a compounding effect in your life. You’ll be able to make even more good decisions.

Which will have a stronger effect on your ability to have a better future.

Take care of yourself, and you’re taking care of your future.

If you feel like skipping exercise because you need some time for yourself, then go ahead.

After all, you’ll be able to catch up on this in the future.

March 18, 2022 by johnc Health Tips Motivation 0

Sit-Ups Harmful For Your Back – Don’t Waste Your Time With Sit-Ups

Sit-ups are harmful for your spinal cocrd — Sit-ups are harmful for your spinal cord.

Let’s face it: Sit-ups are harmful instead of helpful. One of the most common misconceptions about home exercise that people hold is that Sit-Ups help them gain abdominal strength.

However, this is not entirely true. Many bodies of research have concluded that sit-ups are not beneficial for your core strength and overall health.

Sit-Ups Do Provide Core Strength

Sit-ups are able to strengthen your body’s core. However, they do not provide any additional benefits to any other muscle groups. As you do more of these, what is likely to happen is that you’ll develop a lot of unbalanced muscle mass.

Harmful For Your Back

Aside from being unbalanced, sit-ups can also be harmful for your back. You’re placing a lot of repetitive motion on your spinal cord as you perform these. You’re putting a lot of pressure on your back as you continually press your spinal cord up against a hard, flat surface. Over time, your back will possibly begin to hurt as you

Try Planking or Stretching

Instead of the repetitive motion which comes with performing a lot of sit-ups, consider planking exercises instead. These are designed to use more of your body’s muscle groups, providing a more widely distributed core strength. Aside from that, you’re also not putting a lot of repetitive strain on your back. This means, that in the long run, your body will thank you with less aches and pains.

Even The Military Is Switching

As part of their physical fitness standards, the US Marine Corps is well-known for using sit-ups to assess their personnel. Acknowledging the risk of injury, they have made the decision to replace these sit-ups with planks. The reason is that they see the increased amount of hip flexor muscle strain which is required for the sit-ups to be performed successfully.

February 19, 2022 by johnc Health Tips Strength Training Stretching 0

Keeping Up Training In Hotel Gyms with Lighter Weights – Top 5 Tips

Do you travel often? Do your frequent travels take you to hotel gyms? One of the biggest challenges which you might face when travelling is that you’re going to feel like you’re not able to keep up with your training regimen, making keeping up training in hotel gyms with lighter weights very difficult. You’re not going to have access to the same kinds of weights that you have at home. If you’re accustomed to 50 pound dumbbells, then lifting a 10 pound dumbbell will feel really light in comparison.

Here are our top 5 tips for keeping up training In hotel gyms with lighter weights.

1. Does The Gym Have A Pull-Up Bar?

Pull ups are great exercises because they can strengthen your back muscles as well as your arm muscles. Lifting regular weights often doesn’t offer a complete full body exercise. Pull-up bars can help you strengthen back, arm, and other muscles in ways that other forms of exercise cannot do.

2. Try Other Exercises that Don’t Require Equipment

As you know, there are plenty of great exercises which don’t require any equipment at all. Push-ups and sit-ups are great choices because they can exercise both your core (sit-ups) and upper body (push-ups). However, there is debate on whether or not sit-ups are an effective form of exercise and do nothing more than to produce strain. If you are interested in only focusing on your upper body strength, focus on doing push-ups as you are lifting your entire body weight off the ground when you do them.

3. Remember The Benefits

When you’re lifting lighter weights, you are building up endurance. This means that your muscles are able to do work for a longer period of time. Building up endurance means that you are able to build additional strength as you gradually increase the amount of weight that you lift. You’re also less likely to be injured when you are lifting lighter weights.

4. Jump Rope

Jumping rope is a great exercise which is able to help you strengthen your leg muscles as well as improving your coordination. A jump rope is something that you can easily pack with you when you travel, and you can likely find a space outdoors or in the hallway in order to do this type of exercise.

5. Planks

Planks are a core exercise which are fantastic for your back and are something which you can easily do on your own. Planking is also a great exercise to alleviate back pain. There are several different positions which you can assume for this – the most common is to rest your elbows on the floor, use your arms to prop your body weight upward and support your body weight with your arms.

Travelling can make it seem as if you don’t have any time to maintain a normal exercise routine. Between flights, checking into hotels, and the common time-draws of travel – It’s not that you don’t have time to exercise, it’s just that you need to be more creative in your approach when you want to keep up training in hotel gyms with lighter weights. Consider your future self, and get as much exercise as you can when you are able to get it.

November 23, 2021 by johnc Endurance Health Tips Strength Training 0

How To Form A Exercise Habit Fast – 4 Tips

What’s the biggest challenge that we face whenever we begin to exercise? It’s knowing where to begin, or knowing how to form a exercise habit fast, that will motivate and inspire you.

It’s sticking to our exercise habits, we know the benefits of working out, such as a better mood.

Exercise Often Neglected

But, what value does regular exercise provide to us when we only do it once or twice? It seems like on every New Year’s day, there is a huge swarm of ads for gym memberships and nutritional products with the understanding that people will want to form new habits for the new year.

Learning How To Form a Exercise Habit Fast Often Becomes too Fast

Many people take the bait of the January 1 promotions and discounts. But, most don’t make these “habits” stick. Most people fail to keep these new years’ habits: over 80% of New Years’ Resolutions fail.

Are you struggling with sticking to a new exercise routine? Here are some tips that can help:

1. Progressively Build Yourself Up To Your Big Goals

Don’t try to eat a huge elephant all at once. Start off with some small goals and gradually work yourself up to your bigger goals. Imagine that you want to be able to do 200 push-ups per day. You might start off by doing 10 per day on week 1, and gradually increase this number by 5.

2. Keep it measure-able and track it

When you are measuring yourself against your fitness goals, you will see a clear trend of improvement over time. Therefore, your improvement over time will inspire you to continue to work toward your big goals.

3. Don’t aim for health-related goals

Don’t aim to lose 5 pounds in a month. While it’s great that you are wanting to improve your body, it’s also very hard to attain these types of goals because it’s hard to correlate your effort to your attainment of this. Instead, try to aim for a goal that correlates to your effort. Examples are: being able to comfortably lift 50 pounds x 30 repetitions, do 200 crunches / situps, or run a mile in under 12 minutes.

4. Focus on Enjoying The Experience Instead of Forming a Fast Exercise Habit

Exercise is a nice interruption in your busy and often chaotic day. It’s time for yourself and yourself alone. Because it’s a great opportunity to clear your mind, it’s your chance to listen to music while doing something that you enjoy. If you put a lot of performance related pressure on yourself, then you will no longer enjoy the experience.

Final Thoughts On How To Form A Exercise Habit Fast

Remember to exercise a way which feels most comfortable for you. Don’t worry about what others will think of you or the types of exercises that yo perform. If you only feel like lifting 5 lb. hand-weights in the beginning, don’t worry that someone else will be judging you for that. Your goal is to build up long-term habits, along with a positive relationship toward exercise – that’s the easiest means of the “how” part or the “how to form a exercise habit fast.” The “Why” part is entirely up to you.

November 16, 2021 by johnc Exercise Tips Health Tips Motivation 0

Best Home Exercises For Improving Your Mood – Is A Better Mood After 15 min of Morning Exercise Possible?

A little bit of exercise can go a long way to providing a mood boost. Fortunately, there are many common home exercises for improving your mood that are easy to do and don’t require a gym membership.

The reason for this is exercise releases endorphins in your brain. These are little “happy chemicals” that give you a quick boost of energy. Endorphins are the body’s natural pain reliever.

Following exercise, most people feel more relaxed and calm. If you’re feeling depressed, then you should think about adding a bit of exercise to your morning routine.

Running

Beginning your day with a quick 15 minute run before you take a shower can reduce your risk for developing major depression by 26% according to one Harvard study. A quick, easy run is able to break up your daily routine and give you a feeling of a mental boost.

2. Walking

If you don’t necessarily feel like running, walking can have the same effect. It will put your body into motion, which is the main cause behind the mood boost that you experience after exercise.

3. Dancing

Dancing by yourself to a favorite song for 15 minutes can definitely improve your mood. You’re getting a double hit of endorphins from both the physical activity as well as hearing your favorite song. This will definitely put you in a great mood.

3. Stretching

Stretching is one of those exercises which is easy to do and beneficial at the same time.

Don’t be afraid to try one of these home exercises for improving your mood. They can really go a long way in terms of your mood and your health. Don’t underestimate the value that it has to your future self and your self today!

November 13, 2021 by johnc Exercise Tips Health Tips Resources Strength Training 1

No Room For Bulky Gym Equipment – Use Exercise Stretch Bands Instead

Photo by **Angela Roma** from **Pexels** – Women Using Exercise Stretch Bands

An exercise stretch band is a medium between lifting weights and stretching. These are perfect for those whom don’t have the space or budget for gym equipment at home. Consider using these to make the most of every workout.

Why Use Exercise Stretch Bands

Explained in simple terms, you will get a much better workout after using them. You could stretch as you normally would, but this won’t have the same impact as using a stretch band. The bands place tension on your muscle, while stretching the muscle at the same time.

Stretch bands are a part of a whole body workout, especially if you are exercising at home. Here are some suggestions for using exercise stretch bands based on the targeted muscle group.

1. Legs and Hamstrings

Legs and hamstrings can benefit from stretching by resistance stretch bands. The typical exercises using stretch bands are where people walk with the band attached to their feet, or squat with the bands wrapped around their knees. Either exercise is able to promote the extension of the leg and hamstring muscles.

2. Arms and Upper Body

Resistance bands are also perfect for upper body exercises. Just hold each end of the resistance band in your hand, and open and close your arms in a butterfly motion. This will put a little bit of additional pressure on your biceps, allowing you to stretch this muscle group out further.

3. Whole Body

Resistance bands can also be used as a great whole body exercise. Just loop the bands around a steady object, hold on to each end of the band, and twist your torso while using the resistance bands to support your weight. This is a great “whole body” workout.

Resistance bands are a great item to have because they are portable, easy to use, and affordable. They are also fantastic because they allow you to be able to get more exercise than you would be able to without using similar equipment.

October 1, 2021 by johnc Health Tips Resources Strength Training Stretching 0

Back Stretches For Back Pain – 5 Stretches To Reduce Lower Back Pain

Got Back Pain? Worried about the possibility of developing it? It’s like a nuisance which never goes away. It can be debilitating, and fortunately for you, there are plenty of back stretches for back pain that can provide some relief. Lower back pain and back pain in general is a common complaint among both young and old, so here are a few stretches which can help.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/1106098

Trunk Strengthening is a great exercise which has shown evidence of being more effective in treating lower back pain than no exercise. The great thing about these stretches is that they are simple and easy to do.

Planks

Get onto the floor as if you are going to do a push up. Using your forearms, push your body weight up using your elbows while keeping your back straight and knees off the floor. You can hold this position for a period of time once per day of a minute or less. You may need to build your tolerance up to this exercise. This is an exercise which is designed to add strength to your lower back muscles. This will be difficult to do in the beginning, but you will gradually be able to build your tolerance up to this form of exercise over time.

Crunches

Crunches are a great strength exercise for your lower back, and are simple to do. While keeping your feet on the floor, raise your upper back while only using your back and intestinal muscles. This can be done over the course of several repetitions.

Leg Ups

This one is a bit tricky, especially if you are a beginner. Begin by laying down flat on the floor, with your arms flat on the floor as well. Lift your legs up from the floor, while using your arms for stability and keeping your back flat. Some people rotate their legs in a circular motion, and others just do repetitions of this exercise multiple times.

Torso Rotation

This is something that you can do while you are sitting in a desk chair. For this exercise, all you need to do is to rotate your torso from side to side (using your shoulders) periodically during the day. This can take a bit of the pressure of sitting off your back.

Squatting

Squats are a great exercise because they allow you to extend your back in a downward motion and can be done while standing upright. Keep your feet flat on the floor, extend your arms outward, and move your torso in a downward motion. Stretching your torso downward is able to help you strengthen your back.

March 13, 2021 by johnc Stretching 1

Home Exercises At Home – Top 5 At Home Stretching TIps

Stretching is important and vital for preventing tissue injuries and soreness after exercising. Here are some tips for stretching at home before you begin to exercise, allowing the experience to be a better one.

After using your muscles repetitively for a long period of time, you’ll feel that inability to move around after you’re done. Furthermore, stretching is designed to move the muscle to the point at which it cannot move any more (range of motion).

Hold and Relax

Stretch the muscle for 10 seconds to its full range of motion and relax it after you’re done stretching. This is able to help you release some of the pressure which you feel on the muscle, making sure that you are able to extend the muscle to it’s full length. But, on the other hand, remember that it’s critical to exercise in moderation.

Don’t Stretch Too Vigorously

In some cases, people often use a series of rapid motions in place of a standard hold and relax stretch. These repetitive motions are very likely to cause injury, which additionally puts a lot of strain and tension on the muscle. A general rule of thumb for stretching is that a stretch should not be too painful.

Focus Your Efforts

Some parts of your body may require more attention than others while stretching. Focus on the parts of your body which you move the most on a daily basis. Legs are important, along with your hips. You may also want to adjust your stretching based on the sport which you are engaging in. More importantly, remember the 80/20 rule: 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts.

Stretch Often

If you are sitting for extended periods, it’s a very bad idea to not stretch. The reason is that sitting makes your body weaker. Muscles shorten as you sit, so even some very basic stretches which can be performed at a desk. A neck roll or even a simple seated stretch can go a long way to help move your muscles around. Stretching also gives you more energy and ability to focus.

5 Stretches to Help Counteract the Effects of Sitting

A Little Bit Is Better Than Nothing

Even 30 seconds per day of stretching can help to lengthen your muscles over a month. You can certainly find a bit of time throughout a busy day in order to stretch, which will have a significant positive impact on your musculoskeletal strength.

March 6, 2021 by johnc Stretching 1

Why Home Gyms Don’t Work?

Don’t let the title mislead you. Be aware: there is a lot of negative opinion which suggests that exercising at home is useless. Here is why it isn’t.

It’s More Important That You Are Exercising

Do you think that every fit person has access to the best equipment? They don’t. Work ethic is way more important than the type of equipment you have. Stop obsessing over having the right equipment to use, and just focus on doing work.

You’re Perfectly Capable Of Being Motivated

Worried that you won’t be motivated? Although you aren’t, you’re perfectly capable of working . You’re perfectly capable of being motivated to exercise on your own. It’s just a matter of believing in yourself, and pushing yourself toward your goal. Plenty of people will try to convince you that you’ll be distracted when you exercise from home, but the reality is that you can do it.

You Have Plenty Of Resources Available To You

Are you struggling to figure out what to do for your home exercise routine? The reality is that you have plenty of ideas and resources available to you. You have online classes, videos, as well as equipment available to you in order to create a perfect home exercise environment. This is a great way to create a routine for yourself that is the perfect alternative to your gym routine.

Plenty Of Alternatives Available To Heavy Weights and Machines

You don’t need weights to develop your physical strength. As long as you have a place to safely install a pull up bar, you can easily develop your upper body strength with pull ups. Lifting your body weight can significantly help you develop your physical strength. There are plenty of heavy things around your home which you can use in place of the typical weights which you might find at your gym, if you’re sincerely looking to lift weights.

Online Fitness Communities

People often go to gyms to socialize. In modern times, that is no longer a reason to go. There are plenty of online communities of people whom are fitness-minded and looking to connect with people that are as motivated as they are. There are also plenty of in-person groups available if you are interested in connecting with people in person.

As you can see, it’s not difficult to exercise from home. That’s why many people are cancelling their gym memberships in favor of an at home exercise routine. The results which home exercise can produce are quite astounding. In many cases, very little equipment is required. There’s really no reason to go to a physical gym in modern times, because you’ll spend a lot of money to join one and you won’t get the same results.

February 7, 2021 by johnc About Home Gyms 0

Exercise To Beat Depression – 4 Major Depression Tips For At Home Exercise

It’s tough being depressed, which is something that you probably already understand. Here are some great major Depression Tips For At Home Exercise are . But, Did you know that exercise can help you overcome depression? No matter how you feel, high-quality exercise can re-invigorate you with a newfound sense of purpose.

1. Motivating Yourself

This is undoubtedly the toughest part of starting an at-home exercise routine. Motivating yourself to exercise is tough when you are depressed. This is because a little bit of “activation energy” is required in order to help you get into motion.

2. Don’t Force Yourself

Never force yourself to exercise when you don’t feel like exercising. If you force yourself to exercise when you don’t feel like doing so, then your mind will connect exercise to a negative experience, making it less likely for you to want to exercise going forward.

3. Do What You Enjoy

You’re looking for a mood boost. Therefore, you want exercise to be a positive experience. Do exercises that you enjoy, so that you will look forward to exercise as being a vital part of your mental health. Nothing beats joy in terms of finding exercise.

4. See The Benefits

If you’re seeing the benefits of exercise, then you are going to be happy with the results. Therefore, you will get a huge mood boost and feeling of accomplishment which results from the experience. It’s challenging, but remember that it’s rewarding at the same time.

Exercise produces endorphins, which are molecules that make you feel happier. You’ll also be able to think more clearly, and you’ll be able to focus more clearly on goals.

January 12, 2021 by johnc Exercise Tips 0