Archive for March, 2009
Five Easy Toning Exercises you can Do Anywhere
Exercise is an important part of our lives. Staying in shape is one way to increase your life expectancy. Weight bearing exercises are important also for increasing muscle mass and bone density as you age.
Most of us have learned what to do when it comes to exercising. The problem is where and when to get the job done. With a busy lifestyle, making time for exercise is a challenge.
Weight bearing exercises aren’t just for bodybuilders. As you age, especially once you hit the age of forty, you begin to lose muscle mass. For women especially, bone loss becomes a problem. When the body is in need of calcium it can rob it from your bones. Building muscle not only increases their mass but your strength.
Here are five easy toning exercises that can be done anywhere and whenever you have time. At home, at the office, or on vacation, you can do these easy yet extremely effective exercises.
1. The Bridge Butt Lift – Sounds like a plastic surgery technique but it is an easy way to tone your buttocks. Lay down with feet flat on the floor, legs shoulder width apart. Place your hands, palm side down, on either side of your body. Pushing with your feet, squeeze your gluteal muscles and lift your butt off the floor. Hold the position for a count of five to ten and release down to the floor.
2. Squats – Squats work the butt, the hamstring muscles and the quadriceps. If you aren’t sure of proper form, you can use a chair. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and feet firmly planted. Push your butt back as if you were preparing to sit in a chair. Keep your abs tight and your upper body straight. Once you reach chair level stop and hold the position for a count of two to five and release. At the lowest point, place all of your weight on your heels for balance and maximum toning.
3. Reverse Lunges – Lunges work the quadriceps muscles. They can be hard for people with knee problems. A reverse lunge still tones the right muscle groups but with less pressure on the knee. Stand with feet together and arms at your sides. Take one leg and move it backwards until you are in lunge position: front leg bent at a 90 degree angle and back leg extended until you are on the ball of your foot. From this position lower yourself down until the back knee almost touches the floor. Hold for a count of two and return to starting position.
4. Pushups – This is a classic toning exercise that works all areas of the arms plus the chest muscles. If you aren’t comfortable or strong enough to perform a pushup on your toes, lower your body to your knees. Be sure your arms are tucked into the body and your back straight as you lower and lift your body.
5. Crunches – Abdominal muscles can be worked every day to build strength and muscle tone. Lying on the floor in sit up position, lace your fingers behind your head. Squeezing your abdominal muscles, lift your upper body until your lower back is about to come off the floor. Hold for two to five counts and return to starting position.
These five exercise moves can be done whenever you have time. The best thing about exercise is that its effects are cumulative. Even five or ten minutes at a time will work to your advantage.
Tags: easy toning exercises, bridge butt lift, reverse lunges
Looking To Stop Anxiety Attacks?
Anxiety attacks can be debilitating. The physical and mental symptoms can impact your life in such a way that even basic living can become difficult. If you suffer from anxiety attacks, you want to stop them from every happening again.
In order to stop anxiety attacks, it can be helpful to see what the common causes of them are. Let’s take a look.
Causes Of Anxiety Attacks
If you have an ancestor or relative who has anxiety attacks, you will be more likely to also have them. Or if you were raised in a home where you were taught that the world is a fearful place, you are more likely to have them. Also, studies show that those will a very passive style of communicating are also more prone to anxiety or panic attacks. Research continues to be done to identify factors.
Other physical conditions can also play a role. Hypoglycemia, hyperthyroidism, a vitamin B deficiency, and labyrinthitis are a few of these, as are obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.
If you introduce other chemicals into the body, it an trigger anxiety attacks. Drugs like Ritalin, anti-depressants, and all SSRI drugs have been known to cause anxiety attacks. Don’t just stop taking these, those – talk to your doctor to find a way to see if they are contributing to your anxiety attacks. Never change your dosage of a prescription drug on your own – only in consultation with your medical provider.
However, if you take nicotine (smoked, chewed), alcohol, or even caffeine (coffee, tea, energy drinks), these habits could be aggrevating your condition. Minimize their usage. Your anxiety attacks might stop, and your health will definitely improve.
Other mental issues can also contribute, like the loss of a spouse or significant life change, or phobias, or even previous attacks can make one more prone to future anxiety attacks. You may not stop these from being in your life, but you might be able to minimize their impact with therapy and time. Getting help with anxiety attacks may mean having therapy to deal with these issues.
How To Stop Anxiety Attacks
It used to be that the medical profession believed that anxiety attacks were “all in your head.” Unfortunately, this attitude let them believe there was nothing they could do, and the sufferer was totally out of luck on getting help.
Now, things are different. There are advanced treatments that can be used, like psychotherapy medication to stop anxiety attacks from occurring, and relaxation techniques to use during and after an anxiety attack stops. These can be very effective, and should be tried before giving up.
Tags: stop anxiety attack, anxiety attack help
