Fitness

5 Mistakes we make while Stretching for a Workout

It is very important to stretch your body before and after a workout. It helps in stretching your muscles and makes it loose before a workout.

Skipping warm up stretches :- Stretching your body before a workout is the key to perfect weight loss during a workout. It is important to get your body to raise its body’s temperature slowly and also to stretch the muscles properly to avoid injury.Even the most fitness addictive people try to skip stretching. Try stretches for a month and see the difference it makes in your weight loss. Once you see the results, you’ll never skip warm up stretches again.

Going through the stretches too fast :- Do not do stretches just for the heck of it. You need to go through them gradually if you want to be benefited from them. What actually happens when you rush through your stretches is that you fail to stretch a lot of the muscles.

You ignore pain while stretching :- One lesson you need to learn from the pros is that you need to stop when you suffer from pain. If you’re stretching your muscles the wrong way, you might experience pain and it will only do further damage if you continue the stretch instead of putting a stop to it immediately.

Forgetting to stretch after the workout :- It is equally important to stretch when cooling down. Stretching after a workout helps in restoring the muscles and prevents your muscles from freezing up that cause aches and pains.

Not stretching on days you don’t visit the gym :- Who says stretching is restricted only to the days you work out at the gym. Stretch on other days as well so that you can give your body a mild workout and also lead yourself on the path of good flexibility.

Get these stretches right and see the difference they make on your health plan.

6 Mistakes that we are Making at the Gym

All of us hit the gym to lose weight. We all have different styles to work out. Some of us stress on cardio, others on strength training and the rest on whatever their mood asks them to.There are ways in which we can burn calories faster at the gym. It also means that working out for hours on end in the gym isn’t going to get you anywhere.The right weight loss plan involves the right combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercises.

Here are some common mistakes we make in the gym without us realizing it:

Overdoing cardio
All of us have seen the positive effects of cardiovascular exercises and so we tend to think that the more cardio we do the slimmer we will get. But the fact is that you also need to combine strength training exercises to get the best results. You will lose more that way.

Depending on the elliptical for cardio
When we use the elliptical we tend to let the machine do most of the work. To get some benefit we need to turn up the intensity of the elliptical so that our body actually does some work.

Working out for too long hours
It is good to work out but then when the session becomes too long then we tend to over exert ourselves. Every person’s body has a limit. If we work out for long hours we get exhausted and tend to overeat and even lose the energy to do anything else for the rest of the day.

Drinking high calorie energy drinks :- Drink water instead of these high calories energy drinks in the market. These energy drinks are full of sugar and if you drink them before or after a workout you will be filling your body with unwanted sugars which in turn lead to the accumulation of hard to melt fat in the body.

Depending too much on exercise machines :- Our body responds better when we exercise in the freestyle form rather than the exercise machines. So instead of using the bench press, opt to do the same using a pair of dumbbells.

Exercising at a leisurely pace :- Don’t just exercise for the heck of exercising. Drive yourself and push yourself to do exercises that make you exert yourself more than you think yourself capable of.

So if you feel that you are not progressing anywhere in your weight loss by going to the gym maybe you have been making the above mentioned mistakes. Go ahead and correct these mistakes and feel lighter.

One Step Workout For Killer Thighs

Everyone has a reason to be dissatisfied with the way they look.For most women it is the woe of having heavy thighs or a big butt. Don’t worry. You can get them toned in no time with this killer workout.

How to do the isometric wall squat?

1. Stand with your back to the wall.

2. Place your feet about two feet away from you that is in front of you slightly wide apart.

3. Bend your knees to the level of your lower body at a 90 degree angle.

4. Hold for a few seconds and repeat the exercise at least 15-20 times.

8 Mistakes Made When Doing Planks

Planks are the greatest way to strengthen your core muscles. Its gives your body a total workout and even tightens that tummy of yours.When doing the plank, you need to do it with the right balance keeping your palms and toes in a straight line on the ground.

Not keeping your back straight :- Being a core exercise, it is very important to straighten your back when doing this exercise. Not doing so will damage or cause strain to your back and neck, instead of doing any good to your spine.

Lifting your butt in the air :- When you lift your butt in the air when doing planks you are actually ruining your chances of losing weight in your butt area. By lifting your butt in the air, you reduce the workout for your butt. Why make things easier? Go for the challenge by keeping your butt in the same level as the rest of your body.

Allowing your hips to drop :- Lowering your butt puts unnecessary pressure on your lower back. Get the maximum out of your work out by keeping your butt in the same level as your head and the rest of your body.

Tilting hips :- We all tend to do this. We slant our weight to one side, the side which we are more inclined to hold the weight of the rest of the body. For your body to benefit from planks, you need to distribute the weight of your body evenly and not put pressure on your lower back or neck.

Dropping or lifting your head :- Dropping or lifting your head causes your neck and back to strain. So avoid doing it and instead keep your head straight and look ahead so that your neck and back are relieved of any pressure.

You forget to tighten your abs and butt :- We all tend to forget that planks are a great workout for our butt and abs. So when you actually do the exercise do not forget to tighten your butt and abdominal muscles to get them toned and in shape.

You bend your knees :- This is another mistake that most people make. Do not bend your knees as it takes away the benefits that your butt is enjoying from planks. So instead keep your spine straight, straighten those legs and pull your knee back to your thighs.

You keep your hands too wide apart or closer :- Your hands should be in line with your shoulders. If your hands are placed in the wrong position, it can cause your hands to ache as it is holding the entire body weight.

8 Exercises Women must Do Daily

Exercise is an essential activity for both men and women. Both since women differ from men physically and also in terms of functionality, there are some exercises that are beneficial mainly to women.

Here are some exercises that help keep us women fit and going. The best part is that these exercises will take only 15-20 minutes of your time daily

Climbing stairs :- To keep our knees healthy and fit, with the added benefit of losing weight, climbing stairs are essential.

Toe raises and leg raises :- Leg muscles need strengthening, especially if we abuse our feet by wearing high heeled shoes all day long.

1. Stand on a chair and lift your entire body using only your toes. Repeat 15 times.

2. Sit on a chair or lie on the ground and raise your legs upwards and downwards.

Arm raise and swings :- Tone the muscles in your arms by giving a special workout for your arms, the best being arm raises and swings.

1. Lie on a bench. Lift dumbbells of equal weights in both hands. Raise one hand over the head with the other hand down at the other end. Now move both hands in the opposite directions. Repeat 15- 20 times.

2. Stand with your legs slightly apart. Carry dumbbells in each hand. Raise both your arms straight, at the same time till the shoulder level and bring down.

Push-ups :- Push-ups help in strengthening the core muscles, especially of the back.

1. Place your hands on the floor with the body straight looking down and your body support on the toes.

2. Lift your body up and down, remembering to keep your back straight at all times.

Claw stretch :- We do a lot of work with our hands, from office work to changing dirty diapers of our little ones. Relax those muscles in your hands by clenching like a claw and releasing. Repeat several times.

Tummy twist :- Stand with legs wide apart and twist your stomach by moving your upper body slowly from left to right. For this exercise to have any benefit on your muscles you should remember to do it slowly. You can even do this exercise by seating yourself cross legged on the floor.

Back exercise :- Sit on a stool and bring your shoulder blades together from the back. Stretch as much as you can and repeat. This relaxes your back and helps you unwind, without giving room for backaches to occur.

Kegel :- This is the most important exercise for women. Kegel exercises help in tightening those pelvic area muscles. To so this exercise you must first figure out how to control your pelvic muscles. Contract and release several times while lying down or standing up straight.Kegels also help in strengthening your bladder and the muscles in your total control.

How to Tighten Loose Skin After Weight Loss

Sudden weight loss can result in the skin losing its elasticity. You can even land up with loose skin after delivery of a baby. So no matter how you have reached your goals of weight loss, the sagging skin will ruin the effect.

Don’t fret. There are some to reduce or get rid of loose skin after weight loss:

Do not lose weight too quickly :- Lose weight over a gradual period of time. Never crash diet. Crash diets combined with excessive workouts can result in losing weight along with muscle along the skin.Combine weight loss workouts with weight training.

Drink up :- Don’t forget to hydrate yourself by drinking lots of water. Drink at least 2 liters of water to maintain your skin’s elasticity.

Skin firming creams :- The market is flooded with creams promising miracles to get your skin back to its old glory. Of course some of them do work.But how do you decide which one works?Choose skin firming creams that contain Aloe Vera and Vitamin E Oilthat moisturizes your skin and also restores its elasticity.

Reduce sun exposure and tanning booths :- Sun exposure and tanning booths dry out the skin and make the skin loose its elasticity. So avoid as much as possible.

Dry brush and scrub :- The key to encourage your skin to restore its elasticity is by increasing blood circulation in the body. You can do so by dry brushing yourself, that is to scrub your body with a soft brush. Another option is to scrub yourself with sea salt or other mineral scrubs. So along with scrubbing off the dead skin, you get to improve your body’s blood circulation, thereby increasing the quality of the collagen and elastin in the skin.

Balanced diet :- Maintain a balanced diet, along with getting the right amount of protein. Protein is very essential for the skin to produce collagen which is essential for skin elasticity.

Supplements :- So you’ve lost or are going to lose a lot of weight. Crash dieting and an unbalanced diet can result in the loss of essential nutrients in the body, including protein and muscles.

1. Supplement your diet with multivitamins that include vitamin E, A, K and B- complex that are essential for good health of your skin.

Massage :- A weekly massage can do wonders. Massages improve the circulation in the body and help tighten the skin.

Weight training :- Weight loss workouts should go hand in hand with weight training. Weight training helps tone the muscles and tighten them, thereby prevents your skin from sagging.

Skin tightening mask and astringent :- Apply skin tightening masks on your body. Don’t expect miracles immediately. Try it for a couple of months and see the difference. Using an astringent on a daily basis can also help tighten the skin and improve its elasticity.

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