People like to stay fit and healthy. Some of them have created their own gyms others have joined public gyms. At gym, novels are at highest risk to damage their muscle tissues and fibers and even bones. Here are those seven dangerous exercises:

Lat pull-down behind the head

People need mobile shoulders joints to workout with this machine. If the moves go wrong, it will result in injury. A safer alternative is a safer lat pull-down.

Military press behind the head

This move in which people move a weight bar behind their head is equally dangerous as that of lat pull-down. A safer military press could be in front of people’s face while keeping the dumbbells or weight bars in front of their face.

Up right row

This move can compress shoulder nerves. It can also impinge the shoulder area. A safer up-right row could be lifting weight from the side of body.

Leg press with cramped knees

This exercise becomes dangerous when people press their legs past 90 degrees. People can maintain their legs at 90 degrees to exercise safely.

Squats on the smiths machine

A helpful exercise to tone people’s lower body. The problem lies where people put their feet farther away in front of their bodies. A better posture could be to bend in a sitting posture and do squats.

Bad posture on cardio machines

A bad posture on treadmill will affect spine, shoulders, and posture. People should set their treadmill according to their natural gait and easy to hold posture.

Weight belt

Weight belt is not necessary to lift small weights. Weight belt will slack of people’s muscle. It is necessary that people should consult their personal trainers. In worst cases, injuries can happen at any point anytime. People should also read about specific workout moves before getting started to avoid injuries.

Stretching is an exercise people do to improve their body’s flexibility. People often use the term “flexibility” and “stretching” interchangeably. People need flexible body to carryout workout chores easily without any injury. These chores could range from lifting groceries to mowing. There are seven tips that people can induce in their daily routine to stay fit.

Individual differences

There exist individual differences among people. Certain moves could easily be accomplished by others but not their gym friend. People should not over-stretch their muscles; it could result in possible tissue damage.

Every activity is different

People should do stretching according to their physical activity. Too much flexibility and no flexibility both conditions are not good signs of health. Baseball players need more flexibility for their shoulders than cyclists do. Cyclist needs less leg flexibility than martial artist do. Perform every activity in moderation. Too much of anything is bad for health.

Static stretching versus dynamic stretching

People usually utilize static stretching moves before any physical activity as a warm-up session. That is a risky norm. They should incorporate dynamic stretching before any activity. Static stretching makes muscles work slowly and can be best done as a cool-down session.

Start with Low-intensity moves!

People should start their activity with light or low-intensity moves. If they are planning to lift weight, they should take their start with 70% less weight than their targeted weight.

Avoid over-stretching

At times people over-stretch as an excitement. People who are new to workouts should consult a professional certified trainer to get started. Over-stretching can result in injury and cramps.

Never bounce!

Bouncing while stretching is a recipe to injuries, it is not recommended for beginners.

Maintain period!

Stretching should be limited to 20-30 seconds and not more than that per rep. People can indulge in multiple stretching targeting different muscle groups.

All these tips will help people to carryout stretching safe and sound. People who have serious medical conditions like osteoporosis, arthritis, or chronic pain should never compromise on utilizing certified trainer services.

The advancement of technology has changed lives. It makes so many tasks easier and accessible at arms length. Touch technology and smart phones is one good example. The right use of technology can give exotic health benefits. With countless apps, people can care for themselves than visiting health experts off and on.

10 Apps to contribute to healthy living

Here are ten apps that can contribute to people’s health positively:

App # 1: Cook this, not that ($ 7.99)

Available on IOS and Android, this is a virtual cookbook with multiple food alternatives. People can also add ingredients of recipes in their grocery list through this app.

App #2: Diet bet (Free)

People can indulge in competitive eating through this app. This IOS app helps help to set their weight loss goal and track their progress easily. People can bet their weight loss goals with their friends through this app.

App #3: Fooducate (Free)

Fooducate does the guesswork of reading labels from the food products people buy from superstores. Free for Android and IOS, this app gives an overview of calories food contains and tells them whether it is good for users or not.

App #4: Green kitchen ($ 4.99)

This IOS app will change your outlook with its 84 handpicked recipes. It provides systematic guidelines to cooking. People can also build their shopping list, save their favorite recipes and talk about it on social media.

App #5: Livestrong my plate (Free)

One way to lose your weight is to track eating habits. This app is created just for this reason. People can choose from million of items and see how many calories each item contains.

App #6: Healthy deserts ($1.99)

People can get 48 natural sweeteners’ recipe through this IOS app. The more the diet people eat, the less is their proneness for weight gain.

App #7: Healthy out (Free)

This free app helps people to track healthy foods available at multiple restaurants. It also provides people with multiple food choices like Atkins, Paleo and low-calorie foods.

App #8: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian ($9.99)

This app provides people with more than 2000 vegetarian recipes. It is available through IOS and offer virtual bookmarks, grocery lists, unit convertors, and timers. People can also share up to 10 recipes with their friends and family.

App #9: Locavore (Free)

Available through both IOS and Android, it tells you what veggies are in seasons, list recipes according to season and even connect people to other users.

App #10: My Fitness Pal (Free)

This free app works through both IOS and Android. It tracks everything people eat and helps them achieve their fitness goals. People can set their calorie intake, fitness goals, exercise etc to catch up with their fitness ideals and weight loss plans.

People can utilize these apps intelligently to live a healthier lifestyle. Weight loss and fitness goals are made easier through these apps.

Muscle soreness can be a source of stress, post workout outcome, or late sittings at work. People with such routines can experience pain and muscle soreness at home. High protein diet helps in muscle endurance after workouts. Few tips and trick can work to reduce pain.

• Go easy on first day of your gym:

People are excited about achieving their fitness goals. As a result, they give too much on their first day. It is dangerous to put too much strain on your body. It can even lead to muscle tissue damage in case of weight lifting.

• Increase your duration slowly:

Experiencing soreness on first day is normal. People will experience some pain in the beginning. Afterwards, it will be all normal. People can extend their time duration for each exercise slowly.

• Indulge in pre-workout stretching:
  

Stretching before, after workouts is like a warm-up, and cools down session for body. Everyone should do it. It will reduce any risk of muscle injury during workouts.

• Maintain proper posture:

Maintaining proper posture is one of the integral parts of exercises. It is important for carrying out any physical activity properly.

People can treat their soreness with heat at gym in case of severe pain. They should always consult their physician before jumping into any exercise or physical activity.

People indulge in various workouts to get an ideal outlook. Those workouts will surely help them to lose weight at certain extent but what about trouble areas. Trouble areas including lower body i.e. hips, thighs, and abs. People can get into excellent lower body shape by spending half an hour home based workout moves. Three moves will burn out great results in two weeks only. These are Squats, walking lunges and cycling. Read below to know how to do each move.

Squats

People can do 10-squats each day. They can start by keeping their back straight, feet hip-width apart, toes facing straight; slowly bend the knees while lowering hips towards the ground. People should ensure that they keep their torso straight and abs pulled in tight. They can lower their body until their thighs gets parallel to ground. People should ensure that they maintain the right posture during squats.

Walking Lunges

People do walking lunges by following these instructions. People should keep their back straight and hands on their hips. Then, they should take a step forward with their left foot while bending their left knee until their knee is placed over their ankle. People should keep their thigh parallel to the ground. Feel the tightening of abs through this posture. People should place their right leg in a slightly bend position not contacting the ground. Do it with both legs for ten minutes each day.

These two workout moves will help in toning hips and abs while cycling will help in toning thighs. People can do cycling for 10- minutes at minimum each day. They can also do the moves with stationary cycle at home. These moves will bring spectacular results in two weeks.

People have trouble in staying motivated to a single workout. The point is how to stay motivated to workouts. People usually started a workout with a hope that they could reduce weight miraculously. They went to gym for few days but then they quit. People can use this SMART mantra to stay motivated to their workouts. It works like this:

S-specific and significant

People should set workout goal that should be specific and significant. For example, they can set their goals to reduce 10lbs weight up until Easter. If they set unspecific goal, they would get de tracked and de-motivated.

M-measureable and motivational

People should use measurement tracker like tape and weight machine so that they could measure their workout progress. They can also set their goal to wear size 10-jeans from size-12 etc.

A-attainable

People should set attainable goals. If they set their goals that are too high, disappointment is a must thing. Setting small goals and achieving them motivates them.

R-realistic and relevant

Workout goals should be realistic. When setting a goal, people should ensure that they are relevant and realistic. Goals should be set from that of beginner level to expert level with the changing fitness level.

T-time bounded

People should set a time to attain their workout goals. They can set their goals on weeks and months. If they do not set time-bound goals, they will get de-motivated.

People can utilize all of the above tactics that how to stay motivated to their workout goals. If they take a gym friend with them, setting a competition will also keep them motivated. A coach’s help will also keep them motivated. They should set realistic goals and time bound to stay motivated and achieve optimal workout results.

It is a common saying that a sound body has a sound brain. People spend a lot of money on products that promises, “Improved intelligence”. People can improve their brain functioning by making few changes to their lifestyle. People can enhance their neurological functioning such as memorizing, learning, and thinking by incorporating few tips.

Brain Exercise:

People can indulge in memory recalls, crosswords, and puzzles to keep their mind active. People can also indulge in mediation and sound recalls maximizing their brainpower. People can also identify their learning styles to learn things quickly. Kinetic learners learn new things quickly. People should also indulge in physical exercises since it has a direct effect on their minds.

Eat Right:

People should eat those food that enhance brain functioning. Brain functioning involves chemical activities in brain; people should eat those food that boost activities of these chemicals. Vegetables like kale and spinach improves brain functioning.

Bodily Habits:

Taking appropriate sleep plays an important role in keeping brain functioning at optimal level. Sleeping in a noisy environment will lead to aggressive behavior and add into inefficiency and irritability.

Right Dealing with Affections:

Effective dealing with emotional issues will result in improved brain functioning. At times, people are unconsciously thinking about unresolved conflicts that effects brain efficiency negatively.

Experience New Challenges:

People should indulge themselves in challenging tasks to improve their neural functioning. They should welcome the new changes and experience new things to improve their brain health.

People should eat brain foods in excess to achieve its optimal functioning. Drinking water in excess will also improve brain functioning. People should take indulge in physical activities too because it indirectly contributes to brain health.

Running is a healthy activity. People can stay active and healthy if they actively participate in races like fun marathon or half marathon. People who have never participated in any race should take their start with fun race. In this way, they can gain confidence and experience in running. There are few tips that people should stick to before participating in half marathons.

Use Athletic Footwear:

Wearing athletic wear like cross-trainer shoes will reduce any risk of possible leg injury. They are shock resistant and cushion the arch of feet so that people may run risk-free.

Train Enough:

People who want to participate in half-marathon should ensure that they had trained enough before final race. While training they should focus on increasing distance and speed.

Wear Heart Rate Monitor:

People should wear heart rate monitor during training and running in usual days. They should actively monitor their heart rate to determine their limits.

Eat Well:

There exist a difference between a diet of an athlete and normal person. People who want to participate in marathon should consume foods rich in protein. They should eat more fruits, vegetables and drink excessive water to stay hydrated.

Regular Stretching:

Regular stretching is essential for all those people who want to participate in any race followed by rest days. Stretching will reduce all risk of muscle injury that usually occurs during running.

People should avoid excessive workouts. Running is an addictive activity. Supplements that are rich in protein could also be taken through experts’ advice. People should keep their body hydrated during workouts.

Athletes are the people who perform sports. When it comes to food consumption and eating, athletes differ from other people. They need to consume more in order to perform their sports activities at optimal level. In case of teenage athletes, parents should ensure that their child consumes proper and high caloric food.

Meal Plan for Athletes

1. Parents should consider individual differences among different athletes and their child. They should choose food according to the requirements of their body.
2. Parents should give their child all those types food that are rich in protein like fish and chicken. Protein helps in muscle repair and strengthening. It also helps in muscle growth.
3. Slow burning carbohydrates are good for all those athletes that require stamina and endurance. They can eat oats, wheat, and bran to improve their energy levels.
4. Dairy food that is rich sources of calcium may also help their child’s bone strengthening and growth.
5. Drinking more water will also help them stay hydrated. Foods rich in potassium and niacin can help them avoid cramps and keep them hydrated. Sports drinks after any activity will aid them retain carbohydrates and to maintain electrolytes.
6. Eating high fiber food will help them perform activities for longer period. It will avoid any chances of mal-nutrition and provide them constant energy.

Parents of athletes should keep a check on their diet since their need is more than that of ordinary children. They need to eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Parents should give them food rich in protein after any activity so that it can repair and strengthen their muscles.

It is necessary for everyone to indulge in physical activity to stay fit. In that case, people usually like to opt for physical sports so that they could eliminate the feeling of boredom. People have difficulty in understanding which sports best suits them. There are few tips and tricks that could help them determine the best sport for them.

Health and fitness experts believed that people should opt for sports that suit their personality and interests.

Tips to select the best sports

Immediate success Vs. Delayed success:

People can decide the best sports for them by determining their needs. If they prefer immediate success, they should go for walking, jogging etc. If they prefer delayed success, they should go for sports like baseball, rugby, etc.

Individual activities Vs. Team work:

Some people like to do physical activities alone others like it in a group. People who like to do physical activities alone can choose sports like swimming and jogging etc. People who like group activities should go for activities like hiking, camping, rowing etc.

Leadership attributes:

Leadership attributes from person to person. Some people like to work under a supervisor or captain other like to lead others being the lead. People can join many teams like adventure clubs etc. to fulfill their needs.

Challenging personality:

Some people have challenging personality other do not. People who like challenging activities could go for activities like hiking, mountain climbing and sky diving.

Outdoor vs. Indoor activities:

People have different preferences when it comes to activities. One could welcome outdoor activity while other would not like it.

Health and fitness issues:

All physical activities vary in intensity. Some physical activities involves whole body other upper body or lower body etc. People can select activities according to their medical history and current fitness level.

Dedication:

People can determine how much time they could spare for any physical activity they wanted to get involved in. Some people can give few hours each days other could spare months etc.

Determine your speed and limitations:

People could determine their speed and limitations by consulting their physician. If they enjoy going slow, they should go for sports like golf etc. If they like to go for speed, they can choose to go for sports like cycling etc.

Availability of sports:

This is the most important point when selecting a sport for oneself. People cannot do any outdoor activity if they are not available near their residence or local area. A person cannot do ice-skating by living at tropical area.

If people find it hard to choose, what sports best suits them; they are advised to watch Olympics. It will help them decide which sports to opt for. They can keep all of the above points in their mind to get started.