Entries Tagged 'Workout Tips' ↓

It has been confirmed by the people at the prestigious Mayo that everyone can benefit from massages. According to research reported in February 2006, the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) reported that there are health benefits attributed to regular massage. They confirmed that human touch is actually good for both physical and mental reasons.

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When it comes to weight training and fitness, slow and steady wins the race! When your body is ready, increase the intensity of your workout in small amounts, this will provide the challenge necessary for improvements without causing injury. Too much too soon can over stress the body, limit your progress and increase your risk of injury.

Set goals that can be measured and specific to you. Goals like “weight loss or muscle gain” are usually too general. Be more specific like: reaching a certain dress size, losing 20 pounds, curling 40 pounds, etc. If your goals are large… break them up into smaller pieces (i.e. losing 5 pounds in 1 month, 10 pounds in 2 months).

Cooling down should be part of every workout routine. A cool down helps your body recover from the stress of exercise and helps the circulatory system return to a resting state. Not cooling down can lead to dizziness and fainting… not a good idea with sharp metal objects typically found in gyms. A typical cool down can be light aerobic exercise at a slow rate or stretching.

Stretching is highly recommended either before or after your workout but can really be done at any time. Corrective stretching is done before exercise but after a warm-up to lengthen chronically short muscles and help your body remain aligned properly. Relaxation stretching is done after exercise to lengthen muscles and help them return to their pre-workout length. Both types are good, should be regularly, should only be done when muscles are warm and should feel comfortable and painless.