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.

Effective Steps for Managing Anxiety

Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath? You probably weren’t having a heart attack but an anxiety attack.  If you suffer from anxiety disorders, learning to manage it is the first step to overcoming it.

Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations.  When someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life.  This is the fight or flight syndrome.

In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself.  Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late.  Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks.  You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic.

Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways.  Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life.  In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to materialize, the anxiety stops.  For someone with chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

Every situation that brings anxiety is not life-threatening.  More than likely it is an extremely stressful situation that has brought on the anxiety as a way of dealing with it.  Unchecked anxiety of this type can lead to depression.

If you suffer from anxiety attacks on occasion or a more frequent anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to keep your anxiety under control.

1. See a professional.  This is always a good first step.  Self-diagnosis of any type of physical or mental condition is unwise and can be dangerous.  A professional psychologist can help you understand your anxiety and prescribe medication or other effective techniques.

2. Get a good night’s sleep.  During the sleep cycle, your body repairs itself.  You feel more rested after several hours of restorative sleep, reaching the REM stage.  Most people need eight hours a night which varies within an hour or two each way.

3. Exercise on a consistent basis.  Exercise helps you to use oxygen more efficiently.  It helps to get more oxygen to the brain.  It also increases focus which may help you see solutions to problems rather than simply worrying about them.

4. Meditate.  Meditation is more than chanting mantras.  Yoga is an exercise that involves quieting the mind and controlling your breathing.  Simple mediation such as taking 5 minutes to clear your mind everyday can work wonders in the fight against anxiety.

5. Manage the worry.  When you feel your pulse start to quicken, count backwards from ten.  As you count, focus on the situation.  What has actually happened? Resist the urge to read anything more into the situation.

6. Don’t use alcohol.  You might think that the glass of wine is relaxing your tension but alcohol is a depressant.  In anxious situations you could rely too heavily on it and gain another problem in the process.

7. Find some relaxing activities.  Stress can rob you of your energy.  On a regular basis, do something you like such as gardening, painting, reading or listening to music.  

Anxiety can come into your life at any time.  It’s normal.  When the anxiety becomes frequent you could be at risk for more serious conditions.  If you feel your anxiety is starting to take over your life or increasingly causing you problems, seek professional help immediately.  There is no need to suffer this terrible condition in silence.

Effective Steps for Managing Anxiety

Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath? You probably weren’t having a heart attack but an anxiety attack.  If you suffer from anxiety disorders, learning to manage it is the first step to overcoming it.

Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations.  When someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life.  This is the fight or flight syndrome.

In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself.  Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late.  Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks.  You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic.

Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways.  Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life.  In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to materialize, the anxiety stops.  For someone with chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

Every situation that brings anxiety is not life-threatening.  More than likely it is an extremely stressful situation that has brought on the anxiety as a way of dealing with it.  Unchecked anxiety of this type can lead to depression.

If you suffer from anxiety attacks on occasion or a more frequent anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to keep your anxiety under control.

1. See a professional.  This is always a good first step.  Self-diagnosis of any type of physical or mental condition is unwise and can be dangerous.  A professional psychologist can help you understand your anxiety and prescribe medication or other effective techniques.

2. Get a good night’s sleep.  During the sleep cycle, your body repairs itself.  You feel more rested after several hours of restorative sleep, reaching the REM stage.  Most people need eight hours a night which varies within an hour or two each way.

3. Exercise on a consistent basis.  Exercise helps you to use oxygen more efficiently.  It helps to get more oxygen to the brain.  It also increases focus which may help you see solutions to problems rather than simply worrying about them.

4. Meditate.  Meditation is more than chanting mantras.  Yoga is an exercise that involves quieting the mind and controlling your breathing.  Simple mediation such as taking 5 minutes to clear your mind everyday can work wonders in the fight against anxiety.

5. Manage the worry.  When you feel your pulse start to quicken, count backwards from ten.  As you count, focus on the situation.  What has actually happened? Resist the urge to read anything more into the situation.

6. Don’t use alcohol.  You might think that the glass of wine is relaxing your tension but alcohol is a depressant.  In anxious situations you could rely too heavily on it and gain another problem in the process.

7. Find some relaxing activities.  Stress can rob you of your energy.  On a regular basis, do something you like such as gardening, painting, reading or listening to music.  

Anxiety can come into your life at any time.  It’s normal.  When the anxiety becomes frequent you could be at risk for more serious conditions.  If you feel your anxiety is starting to take over your life or increasingly causing you problems, seek professional help immediately.  There is no need to suffer this terrible condition in silence.

A Guide to Your Anti-Aging Treatment Routine

A proper anti-aging treatment guide is what you need to make your skin care a success. While most women think it is more than hard work to achieve the goal of keeping skin healthy and youthful, it doesn't have to be that complicated. In fact, if you know the simple steps to having a daily skin care treatment, there won't be necessarily a need to resort to expensive procedures just to maintain a flawless skin and body. 

To help slow down the effects of aging, you need to understand why the skin wrinkles, sags, and loses the vitality it possesses during youthful days. The simplest explanation for this condition is due to the fact that as the body ages, the skin cells and tissues fail to produce enough important structural proteins, specifically collagens and elastins, which are responsible for making the skin firm and elastic. Due to some damaging factors, production of these proteins slows down affecting the elasticity and firmness of the skin. Since it is these proteins which are greatly responsible in maintaining the skin, it should be these elements which should be targeted when you are undergoing daily skin care routine or anti-aging treatment. 

Here are some essential points regarding the preservation and maintenance of these components to slow down if not stop the signs associated with aging. These can be considered as simple measures to preserve and maintain the glow and vitality of your skin for as long as possible. 

• First of all, human body is generally comprised of 70% water. It may appear that this is a frequently used advice offered by the experts and even non-experts, but drinking enough amount of water everyday is actually fundamental. Keeping your body hydrated is one key to keeping your skin young and clean. Most experts recommend drinking eight glasses of water in a daily basis enough for a good skin hydration. 

• What you eat reflects on your outer appearance. So if your diet is poor and contains mostly junks, you will notice that the skin echoes its bad results. A good diet ideal for having healthy and glowing skin must consist of more vitamins and minerals, and lots of antioxidants. You mostly get these nutrients from leafy green vegetables and fruits. 

• Short exposure to sunlight can be beneficial to your health and skin; however it is different story when it is a long exposure. While sunrays provide vitamin D, too much exposure provides harmful UV rays as well; therefore becoming very detrimental to your skin. So when outside, always avoid the sunlight or use good sunscreen or sun blocks to protect your skin.  

If you are going to use anti-aging treatment products or skin care routine, it is advisable that you select those that aid in the following:

• Collagens and elastics. There are anti-aging treatment products that claim they contain these two important proteins; however, this type of product is not advised since these proteins are too large to be absorbed by the skin pores. What you should choose are products that boosts production of these proteins. 

• Skin nourishment. To achieve supple, vibrant, and young skin, your body must be properly nourished by a good diet and lots of water. 

• Mild and natural anti-aging skin care treatment. Using mild and natural anti-aging treatment products effectively neutralize results of aging specifically premature skin aging. 

Glycemic Index

The Glycemic Index is a concept developed in the University of Toronto in 1981.  The purpose of the Glycemic Index is to measure the effect carbohydrates have on blood glucose levels.  The Glycemic Index is imperative for anyone who needs to monitor their glucose level due to diabetes or hyperglycemia.  With diabetes reaching epidemic levels in the United States, the development of the Glycemic Index could not have come at a better time.  Each year, more people are diagnosed with this potentially life threatening disease that can cause many serious complications.  It is important for anyone with this condition to familiarize themselves with the Glycemic Index so they can empower themselves and learn which foods should be avoided.

Carbohydrates are a diverse group of foods and all have different ways of breaking down in the system.  People with diabetes have a difficult time breaking down certain foods, particularly those high in carbohydrates, in their system.  Digestion is slow and sugars and starches are absorbed into the blood stream, causing an excess in blood glucose.  Diabetics are often warned to limit their carbohydrate intake because it takes such a long time for most carbohydrates to digest.  However, this is easier said than done and it is difficult, if not impossible, for many diabetics to eliminate carbohydrates from their diet.  This is one of the reasons many diabetics are non-compliant in their treatment.  Because diabetes does not often cause serious complications at onset, many patients refuse to take their medicine and continue eating foods that are high in sugar and starch.

The Glycemic Index is very helpful because it rates different carbohydrates based upon their effect on the different levels of blood glucose.  Those foods that digest rapidly cause the less harm to the system and have a low glycemic index.  The carbohydrates that take a longer time to digest have a higher rate as they cause more harm to the blood glucose level.

The Glycemic Index ranges from one to one hundred.  A low food in the glycemic index has a rating of below 55.  These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and some pastas.    Foods that fall between the 56 to 69 range are considered "medium" in the Glycemic Index.  They include candy bars, croissants and some rices.

Surprisingly, although a candy bar scores in the medium classification of the glycemic index, it is not as harmful as those carbohydrates that score in the high glycemic index range.  These include corn flakes, white rice, white bread and  baked potato.  In other words, it is easier for a diabetic to digest a candy bar than a baked potato.

Knowledge of the glycemic index is imperative for anyone who has diabetes or who has been diagnosed as borderline diabetic.  To be able to understand which foods have the most impact on blood glucose levels is crucial for anyone fighting this potentially life-threatening condition.

If you or a loved one suffers from diabetes, become familiar with the Glycemic Index so that you learn about the different categories of carbohydrates and which groups should be avoided.  There are many substitutes for carbohydrates that rate high in the Glycemic Index and are available at most grocery stores.  While diabetes is currently without a cure, there are many different ways that people with this disease can life long, productive lives.

How to Avoid Health Problems

Many people consume a lot of junk food on a regular basis to keep them from craving large portions of meals.  However, what you may not realize is that this doesn’t really help you lose weight.  In fact, it may even contribute to a whole string of health problems in the long run, and several organs in your body may be affected as well.  Of course, some of these foods may also contain essential ingredients which, when taken in moderate doses, contribute to one’s well being.  Yet, too much intake of unhealthy food choices can impact your health negatively.  Therefore, you would want to avoid health problems as much as possible.  This can be done by simply adapting your way of living to one that can be beneficial.  Below are some points which you should seriously consider:

            A lot of people experience certain health conditions because they don’t really have any discipline over alcohol.  They would do a lot of binge drinking, which can then do much liver damage eventually.  Going beyond small portions of alcohol intake can be dangerous, and you’ll experience high levels of toxicity in the body.  This can even contribute to the development and growth of cancer cells which would then lead you to have a serious health problem.  Aside from that, over eating can lead a person to see high levels of cholesterol in the body once they’ve done their regular physical check ups at the medical clinics. There’s bound to be some increased risks of heart problems as well as digestive disorders.

            In order to refrain from experiencing problems with your health, you might actually want to reconsider the food you eat.  Instead of going for those which are rich in oils and fats, opt for a high fiber diet.  Grains and nuts contain nutrients which can help you improve your bodily functions.  Fruit juices, while often rich on sugar, can also be beneficial especially when they’re made from natural fruit and not synthetically produced.  Exercising regularly also does well to improve the circulation of blood in the body, and can definitely decrease the risk of experiencing cardiovascular conditions.  Don’t ever starve yourself, since you don’t want to be deprived of all the natural nutrients which can help you perform a lot better, physically and mentally.  Incorporating some reliable dietary supplements such as pills that can boost your energy will also make it a lot easier to maintain peak physical fitness.

These are things which you should look into if you wish to avoid health problems.  There’s nothing more important than being aware of your health, and you would want to ensure that it’s kept safe from illnesses and ailments.

Fitness Tips for the Health Conscious

Everyone has an obligation to him or herself to live a healthy life as much as possible.  The problem, however, lies in the fact that not many people know the best way to go about it.  They would probably want to seek out ways in which they can avoid gaining weight or staying away from possible ailments which can only impact their lives negatively.  They would try to seek out ways to live much healthier lives through the exercise and the implementation of a proper diet.  However, sometimes the results aren’t all that effective.  Therefore, if you’re someone who has sought out proper methods for maintaining peak physical fitness, you can simply look to the following fitness tips:

·          It would be a good start to keep a journal of the food that you eat every day.  With this method, you can actually keep track of your own health.  You may find that you’ve been indulging in way too much carb consumption.  Knowing this allows you to balance it out with every other healthy food group.  You may even want to slip in some details on how a particular fruit and veggie smoothie has helped you acquire some extra boosts of energy when doing your daily routines.  With a journal, you are clued in on your own health, and you will certainly have a reference to base from if ever you visit your doctor.

·          As gut wrenching as it may sound, eat-all-you-cans or buffets should be avoided as much as possible.  Sure , the idea of being able to save a lot of money on meals which allow you to eat anything you want, as much as you want may be practical.  Health-wise, it’s not going to do you any good at all.  You’re not even sure if the ingredients used in these foods are entirely fresh, and you may even be getting more food which is filled with unhealthy substances.  Don’t ever force yourself to consume a lot more food than you can handle just because you want to get your money’s worth.

·          Slip in a bit of protein intake in your diet if you want to live a life that’s filled with the proper nutrition.  You can eat nuts, lean meats or even dairy products.  Protein is essential in order for bodily functions to be carried out at an optimum level.  With protein consumption, you’ll certainly see improvement in your own health.

These are just some fitness tips that you may want to keep in mind.  Planning what you eat is always important, and will go along way in extending your life span too.