Fitness

Typically, when women carry excess weight, it gets deposited in their thighs and hips. This can contribute to what is known as a “pear” shape. While less serious to your cardiovascular system than having an “apple” shape (excess fat around…
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Whether it is to fit into that new pair of jeans or to look good in that little black dress, slimming your butt can have many benefits. You can perform a number of different exercises to target the gluteal (or…
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The lower stomach contains the lower portion of the rectus abdominis muscle, a muscle that originates at the sternum. Whenever you do ab exercises, the whole stomach area gets worked, but you can target individual sections with specific exercises. When…
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Most activities that can be done on land can be done in the water. The water’s natural resistance and buoyancy make the exercises easier on your joints and provide less stress on your body, states the Aquatics Exercise Association. In…
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Neck retraction is the act of voluntarily pushing the back of the head behind the body’s midline. Practicing exercises which focus specifically on this anatomical movement can be helpful in alleviating some forms of neck discomfort and pain, especially when…
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Researchers at the Franklin Institute report that learning new ways to perform physical activities can help to exercise the brain by providing it with new challenges. Muscle activity triggers neurons in the brain that may have been dormant. While some…
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Age, weight gain, environmental pollution and wear all play a role in the appearance of the face, report doctors at the Cleveland Clinic. Excess fat stretches the skin on the face, which loses its suppleness over the years so that…
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Breasts are filled with fatty tissue and milk ducts that get bigger when you are pregnant or gain weight. The skin stretches over the breasts to accommodate the excess fat, report doctors at the Mayo Clinic. While gaining weight is…
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Saving time during a workout can amount to getting more exercise during the same amount of time. Using unstable surfaces while exercising your chest can have the added benefit of providing a workout to your abdominal muscles as well. Medicine…
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Your pecs, or pectoralis majors, are your chest muscles. The function of the pecs is to flex your arm across your body when your arm is at shoulder height and also draw your arm down toward the midline of your…
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Overview Whether you are looking to evaluate the price, value or health benefits of exercise equipment, you’ll want a checklist that lets you rate machines against one another using the same criteria. Some machines are designed for muscle-building, some for…
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Clothes often can hide extra weight on other places in the body, but it’s difficult to cover up a fat face. In addition to extra layers of fat, age also plays a role in excess fat under the chin, report…
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Barbells come in many shapes and sizes. There are curl and tricep bars, as well as shorter, narrower and lighter bars than the Olympic standard. But the process for using barbells is the same no matter what they look like:…
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Some people have the genetic makeup that makes building muscle easier, but everyone who is reasonably physically fit can develop six-pack abs. The real effort comes in having a disciplined diet and exercise routine. Work Out with Heavy Weights and…
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Overview Curves on the body can help increase your self confidence, especially when wearing revealing outfits. If your curves aren’t what you’d like them to be, you can get more by doing the proper weight training exercises. The chest, shoulders,…
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When you start a new fitness routine, you have many machines to choose from. The American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio activity five times a week for healthy adults. However, various…
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Your elbow is comprised of three joints in a single joint capsule. The elbow joint is involved in any pushing and pulling motion you perform with your arms and also in rotation of the forearm. According to “Gray’s Anatomy,” two…
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According to the American College of Sports Medicine, toddlers need 30 minutes of structured physical activity per day, while preschoolers and beyond should engage in 60 minutes daily of structured exercise. It is important, since child obesity continues to rise,…
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Range of motion exercises (ROM) are those that are performed to help keep a person’s circulation going, joints moving smoothly and prevent muscles from becoming atrophied. When a person is bedridden, unresponsive or cannot perform exercises, passive range of motion…
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Body sculpting is a term used to describe the creation of an improved appearance of muscle tone in the human physique. Many people, including regular exercisers, struggle to create a more “toned up” appearance. The fact is that there are…
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Circuit training is a method of weight training designed to combine strength training and cardiovascular conditioning. The workouts consist of strength training exercises, performed one after another. The workouts should be performed quickly enough to keep the heart rate up….
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It has long been touted that exercise is the key to health and longevity. In fact, several prominent organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend getting at least 30 minutes of…
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Exercising at home offers individuals the opportunity to choose a variety of methods for exercise and weight loss, including calisthenics, exercise videos or DVDs or a combination of aerobic, isometric and strength training workout routines. Several easy home exercises don’t…
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Your arms, chest and abs are made up of a series of muscles that work together to allow locomotion and stability in your midsection and upper body. Using compound exercises allows you to strengthen multiple muscle groups at a time…
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Overview Exercising daily is an effective way to burn fat and boost your metabolism. The fastest way to achieve significant weight loss through exercise is using what’s called high intensity interval training, or simply HIIT. This type of cardio training…
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To tone and strengthen the thighs, you may opt for a variety of exercise moves to do at home. While you can use ankle weights to offer more resistance to such exercises, you can also perform thigh exercises using your…
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The neck has to be strong to hold your head upright all day, and to reduce strain and tension. A variety of shoulder and neck stretches that utilize resistance provide stress relief, mobility and range-of-motion, and engorge the area with…
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The pectoral muscles, also known as pecs, are two large chest muscles–the major and minor pectoralis–that extend from the sternum or breastbone in the middle of the chest to the collarbone and inside portion of the shoulder joint near the…
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Abdominal exercises are weighted and non-weighted resistance exercises which work the muscles in the core area of your body, located roughly above the hips and below the chest. If done improperly, these exercises can place a strain on your neck…
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The abdominal muscles do much more than just create that attractive “V” shape that so many men strive for these days. The muscles of the abdominals, the rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus and internal and external obliques help protect the internal…
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