4 Exercises to Lift Your Boobs

Nothing short of surgery or gaining body fat can actually increase the size of your breasts. As for making them look bigger, well, that's why the chunk of change we spend on bras each year is larger than the GDP of Iceland.

Push-ups and padding aren't your only options, though. "Developing the muscles underneath your breasts will enhance the look of your breasts and make them appear larger," says Jen Comas Keck, a certified personal trainer and former figure competitor.

Let's be honest: This workout won't turn A cups into Bs or beyond. But if—like most women—you rarely train your chest, then you're missing out on a natural way to add a little extra oomph.

The following workout was created by Comas Keck specifically for women. "Working the chest from multiple angles with enough weight ensures plenty of stimulus to increase strength and develop the muscles," she says. "This can add beautiful shape to the chest."

The key to making this plan effective: Make sure to choose weights that are heavy enough. You should feel like you could do about two more reps at the end of each set, but no more. "It’s important to challenge yourself with heavier weights in order for muscle growth to take place," says Comas Keck. Perform the following routine twice a week.

MOVE 1Dumbbell Bench Press

BETH BISCHOFF

Lie faceup on a bench with your arms straight, a dumbbell in each hand(A). Lower the dumbbells until they’re close to the sides of your chest (B), then press them back up to the starting position. That's one rep. Do 10 reps, then go to move 2 without rest.

MOVE 2Pushup

BETH BISCHOFF

Start on all fours, your palms slightly wider than your shoulders, feet close together. Your body should form a straight line from head to toe (A). Lower down until your chest almost touches the floor. Keep your upper arms at a 45-degree angle to your torso (B). Pause, then push back to the starting position. Do 10 pushups and rest 90 seconds.

Repeat moves 1 and 2 one more time (so you'll do each exercise twice). Rest 90 seconds before move 3.

MOVE 3Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

BETH BISCHOFF

Sit on an adjustable bench set to a low incline (about 15 to 30 degrees) and place your feet flat on the floor. Grasp two dumbbells and hold them up above your shoulders, arms straight (A). Slowly lower the weights down to the sides of your chest (B). Pause, then press the dumbbells back up toward the ceiling. Do 10 reps, then go to move 4 without rest.

MOVE 4Dumbbell Fly

BETH BISCHOFF

Lie faceup on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold a pair of dumbbells above your shoulders with your elbows slightly bent (A). Keeping the slight bend in your elbows, lower the weights until your elbows are even with your chest (B). Keep the same bend in your elbows as you press the weights back up. Perform 10 reps. Rest 90 seconds.

Repeat moves 3 and 4 (you'll do each exercise twice).

Source:womenshealthmag.com/fitness/breast-lifting-exercises?cm_sp=Hotlist-_-Fitness-_-4ExercisestoLiftYourBoobs

Crunch Free Abs Workout

To start with you may wish to do one exercise and miss one out and build it up slowly

The Health Benefits of Water

We all need water to survive, but how exactly does it help?

Did you know that your body weight is approximately 60 percent water? Your body uses water in all its cells, organs, and tissues to help regulate its temperature and maintain other bodily functions. Because your body loses water through breathing, sweating, and digestion, it's important to rehydrate by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water. The amount of water you need depends on a variety of factors, including the climate you live in, how physically active you are, and whether you're experiencing an illness or have any other health problems.

Water Protects Your Tissues, Spinal Cord, and Joints

Water does more than just quench your thirst and regulate your body's temperature; it also keeps the tissues in your body moist. You know how it feels when your eyes, nose, or mouth gets dry? Keeping your body hydrated helps it retain optimum levels of moisture in these sensitive areas, as well as in the blood, bones, and the brain. In addition, water helps protect the spinal cord, and it acts as a lubricant and cushion for your joints.

Water Helps Your Body Remove Waste

Adequate water intake enables your body to excrete waste through perspiration, urination, and defecation. The kidneys and liver use it to help flush out waste, as do your intestines. Water can also keep you from getting constipated by softening your stools and helping move the food you've eaten through your intestinal tract. However, it should be noted that there is no evidence to prove that increasing your fluid intake will cure constipation.

Water Aids in Digestion

Digestion starts with saliva, the basis of which is water. Digestion relies on enzymes that are found in saliva to help break down food and liquid and to dissolve minerals and other nutrients. Proper digestion makes minerals and nutrients more accessible to the body. Water is also necessary to help you digest soluble fiber. With the help of water, this fiber dissolves easily and benefits your bowel health by making well-formed, soft stools that are easy to pass.

Water Prevents You From Becoming Dehydrated

Your body loses fluids when you engage in vigorous exercise, sweat in high heat, or come down with a fever or contract an illness that causes vomiting or diarrhea. If you're losing fluids for any of these reasons, it's important to increase your fluid intake so that you can restore your body's natural hydration levels. Your doctor may also recommend that you drink more fluids to help treat other health conditions, like bladder infections and urinary tract stones. If you're pregnant or nursing, you may want to consult with your physician about your fluid intake because your body will be using more fluids than usual, especially if you're breastfeeding.

How Much Water Do You Need?

Some recent research suggests that increased amounts of water — such as the recommended eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day — may not have as many health benefits as experts previously believed. Most people who are in good physical health get enough fluids by drinking water and other beverages when they're thirsty, and also by drinking a beverage with each of their meals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you're not sure about your hydration level, look at your urine. If it's clear, you're in good shape. If it's dark, you're probably dehydrated.

Source:everydayhealth.com/water-health/water-body-health.aspx

Have Sitting-On-Your-Butt-All-Day-Itis?

This 5-minute trick can change your workday!

On average, most of us spend about 7.7 hours sitting (while other figures show that some of us may log as many as 15 in butt-meets-chair mode). Plenty of research has shown that too much sitting can wreak havoc on your health: It could make you depressed, it's associated with a 125 percent risk in cardiovascular incidents (i.e., heart pain or heart attack), greater waist circumference, and even a 50 percent risk of death due to any cause. Um, gulp.

Now, according to a small new study, there may be a super-quick and easy trick that could help reverse the adverse effects of sitting.The trick? Taking a short 5-minute walk for every one hour that you spend sitting down. Here's why.

Indiana University researchers recruited 11 healthy men of normal weights, ages 20 to 35, and attached blood-pressure cuffs and ultrasound equipment to them while they sat still for three hours. During that period, the function of the femoral artery—a main artery, located in your thigh, that provides oxygenated blood to leg tissues—decreased by about 50 percent. But those participants who got up and walked around for five minutes during each of the three hours of sitting did not experience the decrease. In fact, their arteries kept working normally; researchers suspect that muscle movement helped keeping blood flowing normally.

There are other proven benefits to standing up in lieu of sitting too—for example, if you simply stand for an extra three hours a day, you burn as many calories in a year as running 10 marathons.

I've got an itching to go for a walk now! Do you make it a point to get up and walk around during your long-sitting days?

Source:glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2014/09/short-walk-workday

Ways To Fight A Sedentary Lifestyle

Wash The Dishes

That’s right—instead of (barely) moving from table to couch, get up and clean your kitchen after dinner. You will be standing up and doing the dishes, then engaging in more physical activity as you clean the counter tops, sweep the floor, etc. This will help you continue the increased physical activity you began at work (assuming you begin doing the above), and engaging in physical activity after eating helps lower blood sugar levels as well as the risk of insulin resistance in the long run.

If you’re eating out (which you should do less, especially if trying to lose weight, because eating out tends to lead to overeating), plan to take a nice walk after your dinner. You can continue conversations with companions while walking.

Get Up During Commercial Breaks.

If you watch television at home, you can use commercial breaks as more time for physical activity. Standing up and doing something during commercial breaks—whether it be folding clothes, doing a few push-ups or sit-ups, or any number of other activities—will break up the extra sedentary time that tends to accrue during most, if not all, screen-based activities.

Go for a Run.

You don’t have to be a running guru to reap the benefits of running. A recent study found that running for as little as five to ten minutes per day at slow speeds (less than six miles per hour) was associated with significantly reduced risks of death from all causes and from cardiovascular disease.

Do some gardening.

Any gardener can tell you just how much physical effort is involved in every kind of gardening activity, and the American Heart Association considers general gardening to be one of many forms of exercise that fall under the category of moderate-intensity physical activity. Most gardeners find that gardening is not only mentally and spiritually stimulating, but that it is a fantastic physical activity as well—one that can prevent obesity.

Park Farther Away.

Whenever you can do so safely, make it a point to park a little farther away from your destination so you have to walk a few steps more. Every step counts, and these extra steps will add up throughout the day to increase your overall physical activity. Wondering how many steps you’re taking on a daily basis? A number of pedometers are now on the market in every shape and colour, it seems, and tracking your steps may help you get more active and lose more weight in the long term.

Better yet: Walk, Bike, or Take Public Transport.

Mode of transportation has now been found to be associated with overweight and obesity. Active modes of travel such as walking or cycling have greater health benefits and greater potential to prevent obesity. Even public transit seems to be associated with lower body mass index (BMI) than driving your own car to work.

If you can do many or all of the above, you will be well on your way to staying in motion, which is key for lifelong health.

Source: obesity.about.com/od/Preventing-Obesity/fl/9-Ways-to-Fight-the-Sedentary-Lifestyle.htm

Are You A Secret Eater?

Did you know that most people who put on weight actually think they are not eating much?

By writing down exactly what goes in your mouth on a daily basis, can be just enough to help you eat less and lose weight.

Gaining weight by overeating is the most likely cause for gaining those extra pounds, but if you don't  know for sure how much food you are really eating then you will go on kidding yourself that your eating habits aren't to blame.

Try it for yourself. Download my food diary and begin today, by writing down EVERYTHING you consume and drink. Just by doing this process, you will think differently about what you eat and the chances are you will do one of two things i) realise you are eating too much or ii) think more carefully about what you eat as you will be putting it all down in black and white. No cheating.

Download your food diary to print off and get started recording what you eat and drink 
 Food Diary Here

How To Chill Out

​Psychotherapist Maxine Harley says slow down your breathing to slow down your mind… 

We cannot simply ‘think’ our way out of a heightened emotional state. The only way to reduce your anxiety levels at the outset is to change your physiology. The first step is with the breath:

• Slowing down your breathing and extending the outgoing breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system which is our body’s natural ‘soother’. When we have slowed down the breath and released the tension in our body we can then refocus our attention and awareness and give our brain a reprieve from the incessant ruminating on things, and the draining mind-chatter/head-heckling that we do to ourselves.

• Eat well, with plenty of good proteins which provide the amino-acid building blocks for our brain chemicals and neurotransmitters. The body has its own natural ‘tranquiliser’ in the form of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) – which is also available to buy as a supplement.

Source: naturalhealthmagazine.co.uk/post/how-to-chill-out

Three More Reasons To Keep Walking

It's one of the easiest, most effective ways to stay in shape — and now science says there are additional health benefits.

1. Sleep Even Better
Put aside worries that being active at night might ruin sleep: People who walk or jog in the evening often report sounder slumber, says a study from Sleep Medicine. A 15-minute post-dinner stroll can also help prevent heart disease and diabetes, finds a George Washington University study. Walkers who did short bouts after each meal saw a healthier dip in blood sugar than those who strode for 45 minutes consecutively. The biggest benefit? You get a good night's sleep and stable blood sugar to keep cravings at bay, helping with weight loss.

2. Burn More Calories
Add a set of special ski-like poles to blast fat and tone your arms at the same time. The fitness craze is called Nordic walking and, yeah, you might feel a little goofy at first, but compared to regular walking, it burns 20% more calories while also increasing upper-body strength and lower-body flexibility. It's a two-for-one workout that actually seems easier thanks to the poles. Tip: Spring for Nordic-walking poles, which have no-slip tips and start at $70.

3. Unleash Creativity
Europeans have taken walking vacations for years and now the trend is catching on here. For good reason: A new study from Stanford University shows walking increases creativity by 60% and doing it outdoors is best for sparking your imagination. Sign up for a destination — we like the sound of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia or the California coast — and leave all other details to the tour operator. Countrywalkers.com is a great place to start your research.

Source:www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/fitness/health-benefits-of-walking

5-minute Wake-up Workout

Start your day feeling on top of the world with this five-minute bedroom routine combining strength and flexibility exercises.

This routine from physiotherapist Nick Sinfield starts with some gentle in-bed tension-releasing stretches and finishes with a series of energising power moves.

Try to do this workout every morning to burn calories, ease away aches and pains, boost your mood and feel more alert.

Overhead stretch

Extend your arms over your head, feeling your body stretch from your toes to your fingertips. Take three to four deep relaxing breaths.

Knee to chest stretch

Bring one knee to your chest, keeping the other leg bent. Don’t raise your head or tense your neck. Take three to four deep relaxing breaths feeling the stretch in the buttocks and lower back. Repeat with opposite knee.

Hamstring stretch

Grasp one leg and pull it towards you, then straighten it as far as is comfortable. Keep the other leg flat or bent on the bed. Take three to four deep relaxing breaths feeling your hamstring lengthen. Repeat with opposite leg.

Knees to chest

Bring both knees to your chest and gently grasp your legs. Don’t raise your head or tense your neck. Take three to four deep relaxing breaths feeling the stretch in the buttocks and lower back.

Knee rolls

Slowly roll knees to one side, keeping them together and ensuring both shoulders remain in contact with the bed at all times. Take three to four deep relaxing breaths feeling the stretch in your lower back. Repeat on opposite side.

Trunk rotation

With your feet parallel and shoulders back and down, rotate your upper body to one side as far as comfortable without moving your hips. Repeat six to eight times on both sides, taking a deep relaxing breath on each side to release stiffness in your lower back.

Chest stretch

Shoulders back and down and hands on hips, push your chest up and out. Take three to four deep relaxing breaths feeling your chest muscles lengthen.

Upper back stretch

Clasp both hands and extend arms out in front of you at shoulder level. Look down and slightly round your back. Take three to four deep relaxing breaths feeling the stretch between the shoulders.

Seated hamstring stretch

Sitting upright with both legs straight and hip-width apart or closer, bend from the hips bringing your chest towards your thighs, keeping a straight back. Take three to four deep relaxing breaths feeling your hamstrings lengthen.

On-the-spot power walking

Walk on the spot for about 30 seconds, raising your heels to your buttocks while bending both elbows together into a bicep curl.

Squats

With your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart, lower yourself as far as is comfortable or until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Don't let your knees lean over your toes. As soon as you touch the bed come up and repeat. Perform eight to 10 slow and controlled squats.

Side stretch

Hands on hips, cross your left leg in front of your right leg. Raise your right arm and reach towards the left side. Hold for three to four deep relaxing breaths feeling a stretch across your side. Repeat on the opposite side.

Forward bend

Feet parallel and hip-width apart, bend from the waist, bringing your chest towards your thighs, keeping legs and back straight. Hold for three to four deep relaxing breaths feeling the stretch in the hamstrings.

Source: nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/Wake-up-workout-morning-exercise-routine.aspx

Benefits of Exercise

Step right up! It's the miracle cure we've all been waiting for.

It can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%.

It’s free, easy to take, has an immediate effect and you don’t need a GP to get some. Its name? Exercise.

Exercise is the miracle cure we’ve always had, but for too long we’ve neglected to take our recommended dose. Our health is now suffering as a consequence.

This is no snake oil. Whatever your age, there's strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and even happier life.

People who do regular activity have a lower risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers.

Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

“If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented,” says Dr Nick Cavill, a health promotion consultant.

Health benefits

Given the overwhelming evidence, it seems obvious that we should all be physically active. It's essential if you want to live a healthy and fulfilling life into old age.

"If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented"

Dr Nick Cavill

It's medically proven that people who do regular physical activity have:

• up to a 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
• up to a 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
• up to a 50% lower risk of colon cancer
• up to a 20% lower risk of breast cancer
• a 30% lower risk of early death
• up to an 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis
• up to a 68% lower risk of hip fracture
• a 30% lower risk of falls (among older adults)
• up to a 30% lower risk of depression
• up to a 30% lower risk of dementia

What counts?

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity means you're working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat. One way to tell if you're working at a moderate intensity is if you can still talk but you can't sing the words to a song.

Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities are:

• walking fast
• water aerobics
• riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
• playing doubles tennis
• pushing a lawn mower

Daily chores such as shopping, cooking or housework don't count towards your 150 minutes. This is because the effort needed to do them isn’t hard enough to get your heart rate up.

A modern problem

People are less active nowadays, partly because technology has made our lives easier. We drive cars or take public transport. Machines wash our clothes. We entertain ourselves in front of a TV or computer screen. Fewer people are doing manual work, and most of us have jobs that involve little physical effort. Work, house chores, shopping and other necessary activities are far less demanding than for previous generations.

Recommended physical activity levels

• Children under 5 should do 180 minutes every day
• Young people (5-18) should do 60 minutes every day
• Adults (19-64) should do 150 minutes every week
• Older adults (65 and over) should do 150 minutes every week

We move around less and burn off less energy than people used to. Research suggests that many adults spend more than seven hours a day sitting down, at work, on transport or in their leisure time. People aged over 65 spend 10 hours or more each day sitting or lying down, making them the most sedentary age group. 

Sedentary lifestyles

Inactivity is described by the Department of Health as a “silent killer”. Evidence is emerging that sedentary behaviour, such as sitting or lying down for long periods, is bad for your health.

Not only should you try to raise your activity levels, but you should also reduce the amount of time you and your family spend sitting down.

Common examples of sedentary behaviour include watching TV, using a computer, using the car for short journeys and sitting down to read, talk or listen to music – and such behaviour is thought to increase your risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as well as weight gain and obesity. 

“Previous generations were active more naturally through work and manual labour, but today we have to find ways of integrating activity into our daily lives,” says Dr Cavill.

Whether it's limiting the time babies spend strapped in their buggies, or encouraging adults to stand up and move frequently, people of all ages need to reduce their sedentary behaviour.

“This means that each of us needs to think about increasing the types of activities that suit our lifestyle and can easily be included in our day,” says Dr Cavill.

Crucially, you can hit your weekly activity target but still be at risk of ill health if you spend the rest of the time sitting or lying down. 

Want to lose weight?

Why you should kick-start a health plan with exercise BEFORE you change your diet.

Most weight-watchers know that the best way to shed pounds is to combine a healthy diet with exercise, rather than just rely on one or the other.

However, scientists still know little about the relationship the two factors have with each other. 

Now a review from Harvard University has found that starting a fitness regime first could be the key to tackling obesity.

The team, led by Miguel Alonso Alonso, analysed recent literature on weight-loss to see if it supported the idea that there is a neurocognitive link between physical activity and eating habits.

According to Mr Alonso Alonso, they found that: 'physical exercise seems to encourage a healthy diet.

'In fact, when exercise is added to a weight-loss diet, treatment of obesity is more successful and the diet is adhered to in the long run.'

The researchers said exercise increases a person's sensitivity to the physiological signs of fullness, so they are less likely to overeat.

They also found that working out causes changes in the working and structure of the brain.

Mr Alonso Alonso, said: 'Regular exercise improves outputs in tests that measure the state of the brain's executive functions and increases the amount of grey matter and prefront connections.'

One of the 'executive functions' of the brain is inhibitory control, which helps people to self-regulate their behaviour - such as keeping their hands out of the cookie jar.

The researchers concluded that in time exercise can 'help us to resist the many temptations that we are faced with everyday in a society where food, especially hypercaloric food, is more and more omnipresent.'

The finding could be key to helping the one in four adults who are obese in the UK.

The paper was published in Obesity Reviews.

Source: dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2065594/Want-lose-weight-Why-kick-start-health-plan-exercise-BEFORE-change-diet.html