3 Moves To Whittle Your Middle

Enough with crude crunches. Pretty is just as powerful. Refine your ab workout with elegant plank dips and a seated twist. This floor routine will whittle your waist, strengthen your back, and elongate your spine, giving you a tall, graceful look. While doing these moves (3 or 4 times a week is best), keep your abs, obliques, back, and legs contracted as you make smooth, even movements. 

Side Plank Dip

A. Lie on left side with right foot crossed over left and right hand behind head. Rest left forearm on floor perpendicular to body, elbow under shoulder. Lift hips so legs are off floor, keeping forearm on floor for support.

B. Slowly lower hips to 1 to 2 inches off floor. Do 10 reps. Switch sides and repeat.

A. Sit on floor with legs in front, knees bent, and feet on floor. Grasp both ends of a 3- to 5-pound dumbbell and extend arms out in front of chest.

PHOTOGRAPH BY HILMAR HILMAR

B. Lift left leg and, keeping arms straight, contract abs and obliques, twisting to the left and bringing dumbbell down toward floor. Return to start position, then twist to the right. Continue, alternating sides. Do 10 reps.

Oblique Stretch

PHOTOGRAPH BY HILMAR HILMAR

Sit on floor with both legs bent to the left in a comfortable position, right foot by left knee. Hold left shin with left hand, and extend right arm overhead. Look up at right hand as you gently stretch toward the left. Switch sides and repeat.

Source:prevention.com/fitness/whittle-your-middle?cid=OB-_-PVN-_-ARR

THE YOGA POSES FOR ULTIMATE RELAXATION

A little bit of stress is good for us, it keeps us alert, engaged and attentive to what we are working on or doing, it can keep us sharp. But even things that we don’t realise are stressful can in fact be having that effect on us, our daily commute, someone beign unkind, emails coming in thick and fast…they all have an impact our stress hormones. When we are consistently in this state we get sick, are unable to sleep well, digest food well, and we fatigue easily. 

So, when we are on the yoga mat winding down, stretching can help to release the collagen and cortisol stored in the muscles during periods of stress, which explains why you can sometimes have an emotional response during a workout or yoga session.

1/ GENTLE BACKBEND

To stretch off stress, start with a gentle backbend. Your adrenal glands are next to the kidneys in the middle of your back, underneath the back of the ribcage. Coming into a sphinx pose by lying on your front, elbows underneath shoulders with your forearms parallel to each other.

Press forearms and hands into the floor and curl the tailbone in towards the pubis so that you lower abdominals lift and support your spine as it lengthens up to the crown of the head. This will release the kidneys help them to recalibrate.

You can stay as long as you are comfortable, but make sure there is no pain here.

2/ CHILD'S POSE

Next come into Child's Pose with hands under the forehead and  the knees wide and big toes together so that your spine is less curved and more lengthening.

This will help to soothe your nervous system and calm down any further production of adrenaline for the time being. Again stay as long as you are comfortable.

3/ FORWARD FOLD

Finally stretch the backs of the legs, the hamstrings are prime receivers for the collagen and adrenaline mix as they would be your power houses if you were to do some intense running.

Most of us get stressed and then go and sit down, which impacts their ability to release the stress mix.

So stretch your legs out in front of you and bounce the knees so that the backs of the legs are tapping the floor. Then fold yourself forwards over your legs keeping a bend in the knees, let your hands slide in under your legs wherever they come. And r-e-l-a-x.

Source: womenshealthmag.co.uk/fitness/yoga/2897/stretch-off-stress-the-ultimate-yoga-poses-for-relaxation#ixzz3dDVwd5zS

Lazy Britain.....

Almost half don't do ANY brisk exercise meaning the UK has some of the worse fitness levels in Europe 

• New figures show that 44% of adults never do any moderate exercise 
• Five million British adults spend more than eight hours a day sitting down 
• One in ten adults admit that they never walk for longer than ten minutes
• Britain is ranked 16th when compared to 26 other European countries

Nearly half of all Britons do no moderate exercise, figures show.

With moderate exercise defined as enough to raise your heart rate or cause you to break into a sweat, the figures reveal that British fitness levels are among the worst in Europe.

The British Heart Foundation statistics show that 44 per cent of adults never do any moderate physical activity.

About five million adults spend more than eight hours a day sitting down, and one in ten Britons admit they never walk for more than ten minutes at a time.

As a nation, we are three times less active than the Netherlands. Overall, Britain is ranked 16th out of 28 European countries for fitness levels – on a par with Slovakia, Romania and Ireland.

Catherine Kelly, director of prevention, survival and support at the BHF, said: ‘The figures are a worrying indication of the overall picture of our nation’s heart health. 

Alongside funding research into improving outcomes for heart patients, we need to create environments that make it easier for people to better understand and cut their risk of heart disease.

‘Research has shown that even making small, more active changes to your daily routine can improve your heart health.

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‘With the warmer nights and lighter evenings, the summer is the perfect opportunity for people to start making these changes.’

The figures were compiled by Oxford University researchers who looked at national surveys on exercise and sedentary behaviour.

They show that only 10 per cent of British adults regularly play a sport or physical activity compared to 15 per cent in Sweden, Spain and Slovenia.

And 9 per cent said they never walked for more than ten minutes at a time.

Earlier this year a report by MPs warned that millions of women were too embarrassed to exercise for fear of being judged. Members of the health select committee said women worry they will be ‘ridiculed’ for being sweaty and out of breath, or for struggling at the back when out for a group jog.

NHS guidelines state adults should undertake at least two and a half hours’ moderate activity a week but fewer than a third of women and less than half of men actually do.

Last year NHS officials said a lack of exercise was to blame for one in six deaths – including from cancer, strokes and heart disease – a similar number to tobacco. They said our sedentary lifestyles are not only causing obesity – they are directly responsible for muscle and joint complaints, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, dementia, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

n Elderly men who exercise for just half an hour on most days of the week can extend their lifespan by five years, a new study has found.

The research suggests that older men who boost their physical activity levels do as much good for their health as giving up smoking.

The study found that carrying out 30 minutes of exercise six times a week was linked to a 40 per cent lower risk of death in men in their 70s. By comparison, giving up smoking resulted in a 41 per cent lower risk of death.

Men who exercised regularly at any intensity lived up to five years longer than those who did not.

The research by the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences in Oslo is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Source: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3082439/Lazy-Britain-half-don-t-brisk-exercise-meaning-UK-worse-fitness-levels-Europe.html#ixzz3aCHPbAiD

How To Do The Plank Correctly

The plank

Target: Stomach and back muscles

The plank is an effective exercise for developing your core strength around the spine, but bad form can hurt your shoulders and back.

"The common mistake here is sagging at the hips or raising the bottom too high," says Nick. Raised buttocks or collapsing back are a sign of a weak core. "Either way, you are reducing the effectiveness of the exercise," says Nick.

A collapsing back also puts an excessive amount of pressure on your lower back, which can lead to back pain. "To get the best results, always maintain perfect form," says Nick. "If you lose form during the exercise, it means your muscles are tiring. Stop and have a rest. You can build up how long you do the plank gradually."

How to do the plank correctly:

• Keep your legs straight and hips raised to create a straight and rigid line from head to toe.
• Your shoulders should be directly above your elbows.
• Keep your abs contracted during the exercise.
• Don't allow your lower back to sink during the exercise.
• Look down at the floor.

Look Slimmer and Be Pain Free With Correct Posture

Want to look slimmer, taller and sexier in an instant? Simply improving your posture can make a huge difference.

The way you hold yourself can instantly shave up to two stone off your weight and make you an inch taller in seconds. And if like me you were last in the queue in the boob department, improving your posture can make your boobs look BIGGER! So if you pass this svelte 40something in the street, shoulders back, chest out, yep that’s me!

Good posture is part of the think-feel-behave cycle, once you change your behaviour to achieve better posture, you’ll begin to think and feel more confident and sexy.

Good posture can help prevent back and neck pain, headaches, your risk of developing arthritis and can also improve digestion.

Click HERE to learn more on improving your posture fast

How SLUMPING could be causing your headaches

Increased pressure on the neck not stress or dehydration is to blame, experts say

• Majority of tension-type headaches are caused by pressure on the neck 
• These are characterised by a tight pressing pain on both sides of the head
• Bad posture and increased neck pressure causes knots to form in muscles
• Knots release chemicals increasing sensitivity to pain in nerves in the head

Many people put their headaches down to too little water or too much alcohol.

But experts suggest most headaches are actually caused increased pressure on the neck, made worse by bad posture.

Slumping leads to knots forming in the neck muscles, which release chemicals that make nerves more sensitive to pain.

This causes pain to be felt in the head, known as a tension-type headache - that feels like a tight, pressing pain on both sides of the head.

Experts say 80 per cent of all tension-type headaches - the most common type of headache - are caused by muscles in the neck.

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Most headaches are caused by increased pressure on the neck, made worse by bad posture, a survey found

New research found 40 per cent of people suffer a headache at least once a week and 67 per cent get one once a month or more.

Half of people said headaches negatively impact their quality of life while nearly three quarters said they wish they could deal with the pain more effectively.

These types of headaches typically last from 30 minutes to two days.

Julie Sugrue, a physiotherapist specialising in the role muscles play in headaches said the head and neck have at least 36 muscle groups of which 20 have been shown to refer pain to the head.

She said: 'These muscles are used for many activities such as moving the head, maintaining posture, eating, talking and facial expressions.

'There are a variety of factors such as poor posture and increased neck tension which can result in "knots" developing in these muscles.

'Tenderness caused by these knots can cause pain in a distant area, which is likely due to the nerves being sensitive.

'This is called referred pain, and is the reason neck muscles can cause pain to be felt in the head.'

Currently, 70 per cent of people wait twenty minutes or more before treating their headache, the survey found.

When they do treat their pain, more than half report using paracetamol.

But Dr Andrew Dowson, founder of headache services at King's College Hospital, London, suggests using ibuprofen too.

HAVE YOU GOT TEXT NECK? HUNCHING OVER A PHONE 'HURTS THE SPINE'

Slumping to read a text or study a selfie can put undue pressure on the neck, leading to a sore back.

This is because bending the neck increases the pressure put on the spine.

Bending the head at a 60 degree angle to look at a phone screen puts 60 lbs – or 27kg – worth of pressure on the cervical spine, the part of the spine above the shoulders, the study found.

At more than four stone in weight, that is heavier than the average seven year old.

The extra pressure put on the neck leads to early wear and tear and the person may eventually need surgery, experts said. 

He said: 'Ibuprofen is recommended as one of the first lines of treatment for tension-type headaches in guidelines for healthcare professionals by the British Association for the Study of Headache, alongside paracetamol and aspirin.

'Consumer confusion around headache management and treatment is part of the problem.

'It's important that consumers understand that it's the tenderness in the head and neck muscles, commonly described as "knots", that trigger release of pain-causing chemicals.

'These chemicals make nerves more sensitive to pain and produce the symptoms of tension-type headaches.'

The research was carried out by Nurofen Express.

The news comes after MailOnline reported in November 2014 that slumping to read a text or study a selfie can put undue pressure on the neck, leading to a sore back.

This is because bending the neck increases the pressure put on the spine.

Bending the head at a 60 degree angle to look at a phone screen puts 60 lbs – or 27kg – worth of pressure on the cervical spine, the part of the spine above the shoulders, the study found.

At more than four stone in weight, that is heavier than the average seven year old.

The extra pressure put on the neck leads to early wear and tear and the person may eventually need surgery, experts said. 

Source: dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2961684/How-SLUMPING-causing-headaches-Increased-pressure-neck-not-stress-dehydration-blame-experts-say.html#ixzz3SfQxIGpw

DROP ONE DRESS SIZE IN SECONDS

DROP ONE DRESS SIZE IN SECONDS 

Simple changes to your posture, following basic yoga principles, will transform how slim you look 

1. SQUEEZE YOUR BUM, FLATTEN YOUR TUM

All yogis and dancers know that when the pelvic floor is engaged it triggers other muscles in the core of the body to support the lower back and spine. This action protects your back and alleviates back pain, but also gives the appearance of a slimmer, more toned abdomen.

2. WALK LIKE A SPACEMAN

The biggest enemy of good posture is gravity. The downward force of gravity makes us slump and appear less tall than we really are. Stand tall and lift yourself up from within. Imagine a thread extending the length of your spine and out of the crown of your head. You’ll feel lighter, brighter and taller.

3. BREATHE DEEP INTO YOUR CHEST

Too many of us hardly use our intercostal breathing muscles (the ones between each rib) and instead breathe down into our belly. The result? A protruding stomach. When you are standing or sitting up, get into the habit of breathing into the chest. Feel the ribs expand and the in-breath lift you up. Your posture will be better and you will face the world with more confidence.

4. SHOULDERS BACK AND DOWN

We all hold tension in the shoulders, and when we feel very stressed they curl forwards and rise up towards our ears. If you feel this happening, roll your shoulders back and release your shoulder blades down your back, if you like with a big sigh through the mouth. You will feel stress leaving the body.

5. TUCK YOUR CHIN IN

Not too much — you don’t want to impersonate a sergeant-major. A slight chin tuck lengthens the back of the neck and helps to lift the posture. It also brings the head back into perfect balance on the spine, preventing tension building up in neck and shoulder muscles.

Source:dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2935611/Lose-weight-yoga-forget-fad-diets-agonising-workouts-10-steps-trim-tum.html

How To Do The Plank For A Strong Core

Stop when you need to and only do what feels comfortable. Do not perform this or any exercise immediately after or before eating.

Yoga is as healthy for your heart as cycling

Studies find it helps weight loss and cuts blood pressure 

• Researchers analysed 37 studies into the health benefits of yoga
• They found improvements on par with people who cycled or took walks
• In some cases taking up yoga worked better than prescription pills
• Combination of exercise and stress relief may be key to yoga benefits
• Those prescribed yoga lost 5lb more than those who did no extra exercise

If you’re not too keen about building up a sweat in the cold and damp in order to get fit, there’s some good news.

It turns out that the peaceful and gentle activity of yoga is as good for the heart as cycling.

An analysis of dozens of studies into the impact of the ancient Eastern art concluded it has numerous health benefits.

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An analysis of dozens of studies into the impact of the ancient Eastern art concluded that Yoga has numerous health benefits, including weight loss and lowering bad cholesterol

Yoga, it found, leads to weight loss, lowers bad cholesterol and cuts blood pressure. In fact, the improvements were on a par with those seen in people who did conventional exercise such as cycling and brisk walking. In some cases, it worked even better than prescription pills.

If that wasn’t enough, regular yoga sessions may even make it easier to quit smoking.

The researchers aren’t sure why yoga is so effective but say the combination of exercise and stress relief may be key.

The finding is important because it suggests that those who are too old or unwell to do conventional exercise could practise yoga to keep their heart healthy.

Coronary heart disease is Britain’s biggest killer, with more than 70,000 lives lost a year to heart attacks and other cardiac problems. Smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, being overweight and not exercising are some of the main risk factors.

The researchers analysed 37 studies into the health benefits of yoga, which involved more than 2,700 people. They found yoga clearly improved health.

Men and women prescribed yoga as part of a study lost 5lb more than those who did no extra exercise. Those doing yoga for an average of three months also saw their blood pressure fall and levels of bad cholesterol drop, the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology reports.

Some of the studies even showed yoga to be more effective than prescription medicines.

In one trial involving those at risk of heart problems, blood pressure dropped almost three times as much when doing yoga compared to when taking pills.

Yoga also helped patients who already had heart disease and were being treated for it. But the most exciting findings revolve around exercise.

The analysis concluded yoga was as good as conventional physical activity in improving heart health. Researcher Myriam Hunink, of Erasmus University in the Netherlands and Harvard University in the US, said: ‘Yoga may provide the same benefits in risk factor reduction as traditional physical activity such as cycling or brisk walking.

‘This finding is significant as individuals who cannot or prefer not to perform traditional aerobic exercise may still achieve similar benefits in cardiovascular disease risk reduction.’ She added that yoga may improve quality of life more than other forms of exercise, by easing stress and anxiety.

Further research is needed to determine just how yoga helps the heart but Professor Hunink thinks that the combination of stress relief and exercise is key.

The NHS says people are never too old to take up yoga, with classes available for every age group. Those who can’t easily sit down on the floor can do chair-based yoga.

Maureen Talbot, of the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘Any physical activity that can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease developing should be encouraged, and the benefits of yoga on emotional health are well established.

‘This study’s findings are promising, showing some improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol and weight, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

‘The benefits could be due to working the muscles and breathing, which can bring more oxygen into the body, leading to lower blood pressure.’

Source: dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2875473/Yoga-healthy-heart-cycling-says-Harvard-scientist.html#ixzz3MMkUw4pn 

How to Improve Your Posture

 Good posture is an easy and very important way to maintain a healthy mind and body. When you practice correct posture, your body is in alignment with itself. This can alleviate common problems such as back or neck pain, headaches, and fatigue. Being in good general health and standing (or sitting) tall will also boost your bearing and self confidence. This article will show you several ways to develop and maintain good posture. Being able to assess someone's posture could also lead you to reasoning behind an injury. Also, if a patient is having a knee, hip, or ankle problem it could be stemming from other parts of the body. Assessing posture can help us locate these problems. The first thing one does when assessing posture is look at the person's gait when they walk in. Do not tell the patient that you are assessing their posture because this will immediately alter their posture. When assessing posture, one should look bilaterally to see if there is any change from side to side. This includes muscle mass, definition, height of body parts, and any faults in the posture. One should be assessed from the front, back, side, while walking, and while sitting.

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   1 Identify good posture. Good posture is nothing more than keeping your body in alignment. Good posture while standing is a straight back, squared shoulders, chin up, chest out, stomach in, feet forward, your hips and knees in a neutral position. If you can draw a straight line from your earlobe through your shoulder, hip, knee, to the middle of your ankle—–you've got it. To find yours:
• Using a mirror, align your ears, shoulders, and hips. Proper alignment places your ears loosely above your shoulders and above your hips. Again, these points make a straight line, but the spine itself curves in a slight 'S'. You'll find that this doesn't hurt at all. If you do experience pain, look at your side view in a mirror to see if you're forcing your back into an unnatural position. If you do not have pain, then posture should not be altered, because this could cause other problems.
• The spine has two natural curves that you need to maintain called the 'double C' or 'S' curves. These curves of the back are also called lordotic and kyphotic. A lordotic curve is a curve in the lumbar spine, and when there is a increases angle this is called lordosis of the lumbar spine.A kyphotic curve is present in the thoracic spine, but when this curve exceeds 50 degrees it is called kyphosis of the thoracic spine.These are the curves found from the base of your head to your shoulders and the curve from the upper back to the base of the spine. When standing straight up, make sure that your weight is evenly distributed on your feet. You should feel comfortable in this position in order to correctly asses your posture.
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2 Train your muscles to do the work. Exercises that strengthen the muscles across your upper back and shoulders will help you to maintain good posture. You don't need to develop a body builder physique—–it's more important to build "muscle memory" so that you unconsciously and naturally maintain correct posture without fatigue. When you lift weights, you should exercise the agonist and antagonist muscles evenly. This means that you should exercise your hamstrings as much as your quadriceps, chest as much as your back, and so on. This will help with correct posture. Try the following, with or without hand weights:

• Exercise One
  • Square your posture, head upright, so that your ears are aligned over your shoulders.
  • Raise both arms straight out, alongside your ears, palms up.
  • Bend forearms in and back, toward shoulders, in an effort to touch your shoulder blades with your fingertips.
  • Do ten repetitions with both arms, then alternate ten reps for each arm singularly.
• Exercise Two
• Align ears with shoulders as in Exercise One.
• Raise both arms out to sides at shoulder height, and hold for a slow count of ten.
• Slowly lower arms to sides, counting ten as you lower.
• Slowly raise arms back to shoulder height, counting to ten as you raise arms.
• Do ten reps, constantly checking your alignment with each rep. If ten reps are too many to start, do as many as you can. You should at least feel a slight fatigue in the shoulder muscles.

3 Be a penguin. While you wait for a web page to load or the bread to toast, place your elbows at your side, and touch your shoulders with your hands.

• Keeping your hands on your shoulders and your ears aligned, raise both elbows (count one, two) and lower them back down (count one, two). Do as many reps as your wait allows. You'll be surprised how much exercise fits into 30 seconds.

4 Do stretches. This can greatly help if you find that you have a sore back or neck. It's also good to do during the day, if your job requires you to sit for long periods.

• Tilt or stretch your head in all four directions over your shoulders (forward, back, left, right), and gently massage your neck. Avoid rolling in a circle, as it may cause further strain.
• On your hands and knees, curl your back upwards, like a cat, and then do the opposite. Think about being able to place a bowl in the hollow of your back.
• Repeat the exercises a few times each day. Doing them in the morning helps your body stretch out the muscle lethargy of sleep. Done periodically throughout the day, it will help to raise your energy level without a heavy workout.

5 Practice yoga. Yoga is excellent for posture, and for your health in general. It can also improve your balance. Yoga works your core muscles, making them stronger and helping you to keep a proper body alignment.

• Yoga will also help by teaching you on how to hold an erect posture while sitting, standing, and walking. Look for classes in your area, or scout YouTube for instructional videos.

Source: wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Posture