Exercises and Workouts Archives - Page 7 of 16

How to Stay Healthy and Fit as You Get Older

Staying fit and healthy as you grow old is important and therefore it is essential for you to follow certain guidelines.

We live in a performance-driven society that is constantly searching for eternal truth. So its essential to stay healthy and fit as you get older. Some people find it difficult to understand the effect that age has on the body. Your figure tends to change, more wrinkles start appearing and the color of the hair starts fading away. Apart from this, you might also notice other changes. These might include altered sleep, decreased energy, and the onset of some health problems.

You need to understand that health is an asset. It is an extremely precious gift that is taken for granted most of the time when we are young. As we age, we start realizing its value. We also realize how fragile our body is. Therefore, you should double your efforts to preserve your body. It is important to stay fit and healthy as you grow older.

Choose to Age Well

You need to understand ageing is inevitable. But you can smile through it all. If you take charge of your well being and health, you will be optimistic and confident. Certain factors are unavoidable. These include menopause and the process of ageing. But you can certainly adopt a healthy lifestyle. This will help you to live a better life. You will also perhaps live longer.

Staying Healthy and Fit as You Grow Older

In order to stay fit and healthy as you grow older, you will have to follow the steps below:

Need to Eat Whole Foods

You need to include loads of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and low-fat dairy. Make sure not to eat meat containing a higher amount of fat. Butter, sugar, salt, and packaged food should also not be included in your diet. Several studies show that the right diet can help you live longer. It protects you against heart diseases, Parkinson’s, cancer, and also Alzheimer’s.

Walking Regularly

You should aim for at least 30 minutes walk each day. If you feel that this is too difficult, then you can certainly break this up into shorter strolls. Exercising regularly, especially if you do it briskly when you feel breathless will provide you with huge health benefits. This also helps you to keep your brain cells active. This helps in delivering more oxygen and blood.

Researches show that if you do aerobic exercises then it will delay the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. This also helps in controlling the weight, boosting your mood, keeping the bones and muscles strong, and also helps you sleep better.

Adding Fiber

If you want to eat your way to better health, then you should eat foods that are rich in fibers. Replace white bread with whole grains. You can add the kidney beans to the soup. You can also add some slices of apples to your salad. Fiber keeps you filled for a longer period. It also cuts the levels of cholesterol and reduces the chances of heart diseases. This also reduces the chances of type 2 diabetes and colon cancer.

This also helps you to avoid constipation and this is more common in elder adults. After the age of 50 years, men should aim for at least 30 grams of fiber each day. Women should aim to consume at least 21 grams of fiber regularly.

Stop Smoking

Tobacco kills. This also harms every organ of the body. Chewing tobacco, cigarettes and other products containing nicotine increases your chances of heart diseases. Apart from this, it also increases the chances of cancer, gum diseases, and other health problems.

You can quit at any time. Your body will start healing within 20 minutes of the last cigarette you had. The chances of a heart attack go down immediately. The odds of heart diseases will drop by almost half. You will also live longer.

Try Tai Chi

This is a Chinese exercise that combines deep breathing with slow movements. This is similar to meditating as you move on. Tai Chi may also prevent older people from falling that might injure older people. It also helps in easing stress, improves balance, increases flexibility, strengthens the muscles, and also lessens arthritis pain.

Schedule Check-Ups and Try to Follow Them

You can schedule regular checkups with the dentist, doctor, and specialist health care experts. These will help you to identify health issues at a very early stage. You will also be able to treat them quite early, thus preventing them from bigger problems. If there is more than one chronic problem, then you will have to take multiple medicines.

Take Medicines as Directed

This is undoubtedly a no-brainer that you should take the prescribed medicines regularly. You should also review the medications regularly. If you take a lot of drugs, there is every possibility that you might forget the drugs that you are taking. Moreover, there are also higher chances of adverse drug reactions. Just as it is necessary for you to take the prescribed drugs, it is also necessary for you to review the drugs from time to time.

Limiting the Consumption of Alcohol

The US Health Department advises that the consumption of alcohol should be minimum. You should not take more than one drink a day. Recent studies show that the mortality risks associated with drinking alcohol have increased for people having more than two drinks a day.

Smoking Lowers the Risk of Cancer

If you are currently a smoker, then you might want to quit smoking urgently. People who have quit, smoking have lower cholesterol, heart rate, and also blood pressure. It also reduces the chances of cancer, diabetes and lung damages. You will also be able to get stronger bones and muscles and a better immune system.

Make Sure That You Take Adequate Rest

The National Sleep Foundation says that adults above the age of 65 years should sleep for at least seven to eight hours a day. As you age, you will find that your sleep schedule tends to change. You feel sleepy in the evening and have a propensity to wake up early in the morning. This is not unusual. It also does not pose any problems. The only thing is that you should get the recommended hours of sleep. If you are suffering from acute insomnia, you should speak to your doctor and get a proper solution for it.

Summary

It is important to stay fit and healthy as you grow older. But as you grow older, you need to take all the more care of yourself. You should exercise regularly and also follow a healthy diet. Also do not forget to follow the prescribed medicines.

Best Kettlebell Exercises For Women

The best kettlebell exercises will ensure that you are in the best shape and so, you should start working out now without further delay.

Women usually train to get leaner and fitter. Kettlebell training offers the benefits of weight training along with cardiovascular training.

Kettlebell Training Burns More Calories

The Kettlebell exercises engage the full body synergistically like cardio. Kettlebell training not only burns more calories than traditional barbell exercises but also burns almost the same amount of calories as high-intensity cardio.

Here is a list of the best kettlebell exercises for women.

1.Kettlebell Farmers Carry Supersetted with Two Arms Overhead Kettlebell Lunge

A superset is a pair of two exercises done back to back to increase the intensity of the workout. Kettlebell farmers carry improves the grip strength and engages the trapezius muscles of the upper body strength. You can take a brief walk to warm up and then start your kettlebell workout with the kettlebell farmers carry as your first exercise.

Muscles engaged:

The kettlebell farmer’s walk is a full-body functional exercise primarily focusing on Trapezius, forearm flexors, quadriceps, and calves.
The two-arm overhead kettlebell lunge is a full-body movement but targets the shoulders, quadriceps, calves. It also engages the serratus muscles and increases mobility for the overhead squat.
These two exercises done back to back delivers a challenging workout for the cardiovascular system.

Exercise execution:

Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and hold one kettlebell in each hand at your sides.
You can either walk with the kettlebell or you can do a stationary farmer’s walk by lifting one leg off the ground and bringing your knee to hip height. Then you can bring the leg down and lift the other leg to hip height and bring it down. This completes one repetition.
Continue alternating sides. Ensure that you are standing tall with your chest and back upright.
After completing 15 repetitions for each leg start doing the two arms overhead kettlebell lunge.
Bend over slightly and snatch the two kettlebells first to shoulder level and then lift them up and overhead.
Maintain that static position and take a big step forward while keeping the torso straight.
Lunge down slowly. Push back up to the initial position and do the same on the opposite leg. Alternate between legs.
Do 15 repetitions with each leg.
Rest for 30 seconds and repeat the superset.

2. The Turkish Get-Up

The Turkish get-up engages the core muscles and is a movement that mimics getting up from lying in the ground. The ability to do the Turkish get-up movement carries over directly to getting up from a ground position in grappling sports. According to research, a hip fracture results in the most serious of all consequences. Therefore, getting up from a fall has an application in everyday life too.

Muscles Engaged:

Engages the full anterior chain while primarily engaging the Rectus abdominis, serratus, obliques, quads, and shoulders.

Exercise execution:

Lie on your back in a starfish position with your legs straight out at a 45-degree angle and arms out at a 45-degree angle.
Bend your right leg and place your right foot flat on the floor a few inches from your butt and outside your hip.
Bring your right arm which is holding the kettlebell straight up toward the ceiling, keeping your knuckles pointing straight toward the ceiling.
Raise the weight above the chest until the arm is straight but not locked at the elbow. Push into the left forearm to sit up. Rise onto left palm, lift hips off the floor, and slide left leg behind body until kneeling on the left knee with shin parallel to the top of the mat.
Sweep left foot back behind the body to come into kneeling lunge with both legs bent at 90 degrees. Push through your feet to stand bringing feet together under hips. Reverse the entire movement to return to start.
Repeat with the other side.

3.The Kettlebell Push Press

Increases explosive shoulder strength with synergistic help from the hips and legs.

Muscles engaged:

Primarily front delt and traps with synergistic help from the lower body and core.

Exercise execution:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a kettlebell with your palms facing in, arms bent, with the kettlebell in a rack position resting on your chest.
Bend your knees just a few inches and explode up from the ground to straighten the legs and press the weight straight up overhead.
Bring the kettlebell back to your chest in a rack position, bend your knees, and repeat.

4.The Kettlebell Thruster

The Kettlebell thruster is a power exercise for legs and shoulders and challenges the cardiovascular system significantly if done for 15 repetitions and above.

Muscles engaged:

Builds balance and power from the ground up while primarily working the explosive strength and coordination of the legs, core, and the deltoid-trapezius complex.

Exercise execution:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart in a stance which will enable you to explore.
Hold a kettlebell with the left hand in a rack position and focus on exploding the kettlebell upward using strength from the feet.
Extend the right arm in front of you while making a fist with your right hand.
Keep your chest high, sit into your heels to get into a squat position.
Explode back up using your legs and shoulders to press the kettlebell overhead.
Complete 15 repetitions with one and repeat with the other arm.
This completes one set.

5. The Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is an explosive posterior chain movement and probably the most popular kettlebell exercise.

Muscles Engaged:

Primarily engages the posterior chain and the forearm flexors.

Exercise execution:

Start with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, hips back, knees slightly bent, leaning forward at 45 degrees holding the handle of a reasonably heavy kettlebell with both hands.
Your arms should be extended straight toward the floor and the kettlebell should be between your knees.
In one fluid motion, power up the kettlebell keeping the arms straight.
The power should come from your posterior chain.
You can alternate the kettlebell swing with the kettlebell squatting and pressing movements even if it means doing the kettlebell swing for a very high number of sets in a workout.

6.The Curl to Squat and Press

Muscles Engaged:

The curl to squat and press works the biceps, quads, and shoulders in one exercise. This exercise requires a very patient and smooth execution.

Exercise execution:

Start by taking a kettlebell in each hand with arms extended toward the floor with the palms facing away from the body.
Take a comfortable squat stance and squat down.
Sitting in the squat position, curl the kettlebells to shoulder level.
Then squat up and press the pair of kettlebells up overhead in one smooth motion.
Doing 15 or more repetitions of this movement is a challenging aerobic workout too.

7. The One Arm Kettlebell Floor Press Supersetted with the Single-Leg Kettlebell Row

Muscles Engaged:

This superset of two exercises done back-to-back uses your arm extensor muscles in a lying position to press the kettlebell up and then requires you to get up, balance yourself on the leg and perform a row which engages your core and works your body’s pulling muscles i.e. your back, biceps and forearm flexors.

The Kettlebell Floor Press Exercise Execution:

Lie face-up with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Hold a kettlebell with one hand with the bell above your elbow and place the other hand on the ground to the side with the palm facing down.
Press the kettlebell above your chest and then bring it back down to the starting position.
Complete 8 repetitions with one arm and repeat with the other arm.
Move to the next exercise in the superset

The Single-Leg Kettlebell Row Exercise Execution:

Start by standing up with feet shoulder-width apart while holding a kettlebell in each hand, palms facing the body.
Transfer your body weight onto the left leg, extend your right leg behind body and lower your torso and weight toward the ground.
Keep lowering yourself till you feel your upper body and right leg are parallel to the floor.
Maintain this position and perform 15 repetitions of kettlebell rows with both arms.
Repeat the entire movement from the start while keeping your right leg on the floor.
Catch your breath and move back to the kettlebell floor press.

Summary

So here is our list of the best Kettlebell exercises for women. The exercises done correctly will whip you into top shape in no time. So without further delay start with the kettlebell exercises now.

7 Reasons Why You Need a Personal Trainer

Getting a Personal Trainer will be immensely helpful. So make sure that you hire a personal trainer who will help you in your workouts.

Do you need an expert personal trainer?

To answer this question, let us take a look at what the expert advice of a personal trainer did to the greatest bodybuilder in the world.

How Personal Trainers Can Prevent You from Over Reaching?

Lofty exercise goals can be a double-edged sword. A person can get more and more obsessed with their looks and can also begin to abuse their training and diet.A skinny person tends to see himself or herself as skinny long after he or she has gained adequate muscle to fill out his or her frame.

Another spectrum of this is thatpeople who were once overweight, tend to obsess over losing weight long after they have achieved a healthy body weight. A good personal trainer can provide the correct feedback regarding the body and design the correct exercise program for the person to achieve his or her goals.

Understanding Bigorexia or Anorexia

There are extreme cases of these two phenomenons which are known as Bigorexia or anorexia. Let’s take the example of a skinny kid, weighing 120 lb or 54.43 kg, who starts working out to gain some muscle. He puts on muscle after years of hard training and transforms himself into a 250 lb or 113.4 kg behemoth. However, he still continues to be mentally caught in a time warp. He feels small and skinny even at 250lb plus pounds of body weight and continues to force-feed himself. This condition is known as muscle dysmorphia or bigorexia.

It is an anxiety disorder that causes a person to see himself or herself as small, despite being very big and muscular. You can also refer to this condition as reverse anorexia. There is also the case of anorexia nervosa. Here you tend to have an intense fear that you might gain weight. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia tend to severely restrict the amount of food they eat.

Anorexics may go to the extent of inducing vomiting by putting their fingers inside their throats through their mouths after eating. They may also use laxatives, diet aids, diuretics, or enemas.

Benefits of Personal Trainer

When Arnold Schwarzenegger came to the United States in 1968 after becoming the youngest man to win the Amateur Mr.Universe, he expected to be known as Mr.Big arms or Mr.Universe. However, experts trainer like Joe Gold and Vince Gironda pointed out the lack of muscle definition in his body rather than appreciating his huge physique.

Joe Gold gave Arnold the name, “Balloon Belly”. It was probably at this point that Arnold Schwarzenegger realized that he had a relatively short torso. His arms and legs are long. More importantly, he did not have a very narrow waist, and his relatively short torso only had a four-pack and not a six-pack.

He developed a posing routine with twisting and lunging poses so that the judges saw only three-quarters of his waist in most of his poses. He worked with a ballet dancer to refine his movements on stage. Schwarzenegger did this to draw attention to his legendary chest and biceps and take the attention off his four-pack waist.

1. A Personal Trainer is Your Expert Third Eye

Unfortunately, we are all caught in a time warp. Additionally, human beings are said to be a creature of habit. A human is unable to see his or her correct image as his or her emotional baggage comes in the way. This is where a personal trainer can help. A personal trainer can give you the correct feedback regarding your body. He or she can design the correct workout program to get you to your goals.

2. You Can Zero Out Your Life Goals

There is a famous movie star who lost his father in his teen years. He started his uphill struggle with his mother providing him with the emotional support. However, he received a jolt again when his mother passed away when he was in his twenties and the middle of his struggling days. He struggled on and emerged as one of the major stars. He also went to become one of the richest actors in the world. During his mid-thirties, he hired a personal trainer long before who took care of his workout goals. The actor is looking fitter in his mid-fifties than what he used to look like in his mid-thirties.

The point is that a person of this caliber who struggled his way to the top to achieve stardom could have figured out his way to build his physique. However, he downloaded the responsibility of his physique goals to an expert trainer. He focused absolutely on his life goals of becoming one of the biggest movie stars in the world. This smart decision to hire an expert personal trainer, long before it was fashionable, might have contributed significantly to his super success.

3. You Can Work as a Team with a Personal Trainer

Even champion bodybuilders like Dexter Jackson work under expert personal trainers. Dexter Jackson is a former Mr.Olympia winner. As aforesaid, Mr.Olympia is the highest professional bodybuilding competition. Dexter Jackson, of all people, should not need a personal trainer.

However, research has shown that every great achiever needs a great team. Personal trainers can be part of a team of supportive people who helps a person achieve his or her goals. Even Dexter Jackson, the oldest Mr.Olympia competitor works under Charles Glass and George Farah as trainers so that he is part of a great team.

4. Personal Trainers Can Help Fight Loneliness and Induced Depression

Research has shown that human beings naturally seek the companionship of others as part of their well being. This was said thousands of years ago by the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle that human beings are essentially social animals. It is true of human beings today as it was thousands of years ago.

In the performance-driven and competitive world of today, loneliness induced depression is the fastest growing disease. Your peers and colleagues are also your competitors. Therefore, your peers cannot be your friend at all times.

Your schedule might not match with friends who do not connect with you in the professional world. This can put unnecessary demands on your time and can hinder your professional goals. This is where professionals like personal trainers, life coaches, and image consultants can step in to act as your friend, philosopher, and guide.

5. Personal Trainers can Help You Push Harder

Despite all the knowledge and resources in the world, people often do not see results because they are not able to push themselves hard when they are all by themselves. It is easy to back off or slack off. This is especially true on the days that you are feeling low or tired. A good personal trainer can remind you of your goals on a bad day and prevent you from procrastinating or missing a workout.

Additionally, an expert personal trainer can step in to help you. They will help you to get forced repetitions or strip plates off the barbell to help you do drop sets. They can add to the intensity of the exercise program which is impossible to do by yourself.

Summary

All personal trainers are not equal. The personal trainers can have various specializations. It can range from CrossFit to callisthenics and from powerlifting to martial art and so on. Our advice is to choose a personal trainer whose specialization matches your goals and who you feel comfortable working with.

The Best Breathing Exercises for Your Lungs

Exercises for Lungs are essential because if they are done with the right intensity, they will improve the capacity of your lungs.

The cells in our body need oxygen to function properly. Breathing is the function by which oxygen is fed to every cell in the body. Without sufficient oxygen supply, our bodies are prone to respiratory illnesses, heart disease, etc. Our lung capacity is the total amount of air that our body can hold. Our lungs operate at only 50 per cent of their capacity when we are at rest or during most of our daily activities.

Why do we Need to Exercise our Lungs?

According to experts, our lungs thrive on movement, exercise, and activity. The human body is an amazing machine. Challenge it with a tough workout. Give it adequate rest and nutrition. It will not only adapt to the challenge but will soon be ready for a tougher challenge at a higher level of intensity. We need to challenge the lungs progressively intense activity. Then feed the body and give it time to adapt and excel beyond limits we thought was previously possible. Lung exercises counteract the build-up of toxins in the lungs caused by environmental pollutants, allergens, cigarette smoke, dust, etc.

More importantly, exercise releases a chemical in the body known as endorphin. Endorphin is a natural chemical of the body which is structurally very similar to morphine. Endorphins cause mood elevation. Thus, exercise is a healthy addiction that helps the body.

How do the Breathing Exercises Help our Lungs?

When our lungs are healthy, breathing is natural and easy. We breathe in and out with our diaphragm doing a major share of the work to expand and fill our lungs and then contracting to send the waste gas out. Lung rehabilitation experts compare the process to a screen door with a spring that opens wide, then closes and the process keeps repeating itself. The lung function has been compared to the springy door’s function of opening and closing. However, our springy door lungs tend to lose that springiness.

As the lungs lose their springiness, they are unable to expand to the same level when we breathe in and there is a build-up of stale air which leaves less space for the diaphragm to contract and bring in fresh oxygen. When the diaphragm does not work to its full capacity, our body starts to compensate by using other muscles in the neck, back, and chest for breathing. This creates a situation where we have lower than optimal oxygen levels in the body.

With regular and progressive breathing exercises, we can not only get rid the lungs of accumulated stale air, but we can also increase oxygen levels and get the diaphragm to function at greater levels.

Why you Should Start your Breathing Exercises Today?

The function and the capacity of our lungs typically decrease slowly as we age. Additionally, pollution and stress levels tend to speed up the process of decreasing lung functions. Lung conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) can significantly speed up these reductions in lung capacity and functioning. This leads to trouble in breathing and shortness of breath. The sooner you start arresting this negative development, the easier it will be for you to get your lungs in great shape. Realize the power of Breathing Exercises now.

Some exercises can help maintain and increase lung capacity. Remember that when your breathing is difficult, your life becomes difficult. When you stop breathing, you stop living. Here is a list of exercises to do to improve it. Apart from the staple exercises, we have also listed breathing exercises for lungs borrowed from activities as Tabata cardio training and yoga.

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing

You should start by breathing in through your nose. Pay close attention to how your belly fills up with air. You have the option of putting your hands lightly on your stomach or placing a tissue box on it. This will enable you to be aware of your belly rising and falling. After breathing in your full capacity of air, breathe out through your mouth to empty your lungs.

Repeat the process. Ensure that you keep your neck and shoulders relaxed during the exercise. Diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing works the diaphragm, which does the heavy brick and mortar work when it comes to the process of breathing.

This procedure is particularly helpful in people with COPD. The technique is best used when your body is in a resting posture.

2. Pursed-Lips Breathing

Pursed-lips breathing enables you to slow down your breathing, makes you aware of your body’s breathing mechanism, and also keeps your airways open for a longer duration. This makes it easier for your lungs to function. It also improves the process of exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your body. Pursed-lips breathing exercise is easier than diaphragmatic breathing exercises.

This exercise also reduces tension and anxiety. The pursed lips breathing exercise can also be done anywhere and at any time. It is advisable not to do this exercise in a polluted environment. To execute the pursed-lips breathing exercise, you have to start by inhaling slowly through your nostrils. Then you have to purse your lips as if you are pouting and breathe out as slowly as possible through pursed lips.

The process of breathing out should take at least twice as long as the process of breathing. Repeat. As aforesaid, this exercise reduces the number of breaths you take and keeps your airways open longer. This enables more air to flow in and out of your lungs. In short, it is simply the process of breathing in through your nose and breathe out slowly through your mouth with pursed lips.

3.Interval Training

Since a person cannot operate at peak levels of exercise intensity for a long duration, interval training may be a better alternative to steady exercise. Interval training involves one bout of intense training and another bout of Low-Intensity training. Tabata is a form of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that has not only been shown to increase lung capacity but has also been proved to give very good fat loss results.

In a Tabata workout, each round lasts four minutes. It requires 20 seconds of all-out intense exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated eight times. The name Tabata comes from a Japanese physician by the name of Dr. Izumi Tabata, who is credited with the invention of the Tabata system. However, we recommend that you exercise intensely for 20 to 30 seconds and lower your intensity for the next 40 to 60 seconds and repeat the cycle as many times as you want.

4.Matsyasana/Fish Pose

This is a yoga exercise. Matsyasana can help in the balancing and distribution of oxygen in the body. It also enhances blood circulation and stimulates deep respiratory organs by stretching the lungs. The pose encourages deep breathing.

The Matsyasana not only provides relief from respiratory disorders but also helps to relieve tension in the neck and shoulders. To execute the Matsyasana, you have to lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Then you have to lift your hips slightly and slide your hands under your hips.

After this, you have to inhale deeply, bend your elbows, and push your upper body upward. Then you have to lower your head backwards while keeping the chest elevated. You can maintain the pose as long as you want while breathing in and out deeply.

Summary

These exercises, if done progressively both in terms of time and intensity will enable you to push the capacity of your lungs beyond the limits you had thought possible.

Know About the Best Muscle Recovery Tips

Weight training only stimulates growth. Following the muscle recovery tips will help to speed up the muscle recovery process.

Training a muscle can only provide stimulation for it to grow but does not provide for growth. You should give adequate rest and nutrition to your trained muscles so that they can recover and grow. IFBB Mr.Olympia is the highest bodybuilding competition in the world. Therefore, you can safely consider Mr.Olympia winners to be the go-to person when it comes to training, muscle recovery, and muscle growth. Muscle recovery tips will help you recover your muscles.

Best Muscle Recovery Tips

Six times Mr. Olympia winner Dorian Yates, has compared the process of muscle building with the process of the skin thickening and forming calluses after rubbing it with sandpaper regularly. If you rub the sandpaper too lightly, it will not cause enough damage for the skin to respond by thickening itself. This is equivalent to your muscles not being stimulated enough due to a lack of intensity in your exercise regimen.

If you rub it too hard, the skin might break and bleed. This can be equated to muscle injury rather than stimulation. Eight times Mr. Olympia Lee Haney has always preached that exercise should stimulate muscles and not annihilate them. So the idea of building muscles is to stimulate the muscle just enough for it to grow and let the muscle recover. Then stimulate the recovered muscles again with a higher level of intensity and let it recover again.

Thus, this cycle of stimulating the muscles, letting the muscle recover, and then stimulating the muscle again and letting it recover is the path to muscle growth. This cycle repeated over months and years brings about significant changes in the body.

1. Controversial Thirty Minute Anabolic Window Theory

The anabolic window theory is based on replenishment of depleted glycogen stores in the muscle immediately after a workout. Research has shown that workouts use glycogen stores in the muscle. Glycogen stores are severely depleted after a workout. This theory claims that there is a thirty-minute anabolic window after a workout. Therefore, a combination of simple sugars should be ingested immediately after a workout.

Additionally, proteins should also be included in the post-workout anabolic window replenishment to decrease muscle protein recovery. However, later research has shown that there is significant muscle protein breakdown and the body’s glycogen stores are extremely low if the person has trained in a fasted state.

Training in a fasted state means training on an empty stomach before breakfast. Mr.Dorian Yates popularized fasted cardio to the bodybuilding world when his training video called Blood and Guts showed him at a bodyweight of almost 300 pounds of muscle walking his two boxer dogs for cardio. Further research showed that there is an increase in muscle protein synthesis up to 48 hours after a hard workout.

So how do we use the controversial 30-minute anabolic window theory to speed up our muscle recovery?

Research has shown that the body is more conducive to the absorption of nutrients immediately after a workout. Therefore, make it a point to start replenishing immediately after a workout. Exactly what you have after a workout will depend on your goals.

Have a whey protein shake if your primary goal is muscle recovery and reduction of body fat. Extensive research on muscle recovery shows that drinking a whey protein shake will help. This is because it consists of fast-acting proteins after a workout helps reduce muscle protein breakdown. You can have the dual effect of enhancing your muscle recovery and starving your adiposity (body fat cells).

Protein also has a thermogenic effect on the body and helps to reduce body fat further. You can have slow-releasing carbohydrates like casein or oats with a few egg whites as your pre-workout meal about 2 hours before your workout. This will help you to fuel your workouts with the carbohydrate.

Chug a mug chocolate milk immediately after your workout to speed up muscle recovery and to satisfy your cravings.

According to a path-breaking market research company called Brainjuicer, human beings are gloriously emotional and not rational decision-makers. The number one reason why people get morbidly obese is that humans overeat after emotional trauma. So how can we use this research? It is proven that we get an emotional boost when we have a tasty treat.

It is also proven that human beings have cravings. Thus the best time to give yourself an emotional boost and satisfying your cravings is the post-exercise meal. You can drink some chocolate milk. It will help your sugar cravings and also replenish the glycogen stores in your body to speed up your recovery.

In case you are an athlete who trains twice a day, research has shown that drinking chocolate between two workouts is among the best ways to recover between two workouts. Dieting stresses the nervous system and including some delicious chocolate milk helps the psyche. You can also prepare your own home chocolate milk with milk, pure cocoa powder along with stevia or honey.

2. Be Sure to Keep your System Hydrated

Muscle is 70 percent water. Our bodies are also about 70 percent water. Water is important. Be sure to keep your system hydrated. Drink plenty of water to flush off toxins and keep your system hydrated. Drink water before, during, and after your workouts.

3. Use Sports Drinks During your Workout

If you are a big fan of sports drinks then use it during your workout. Sports drinks like Gatorade art are enhanced with electrolytes. They will help fuel your workouts too.

4. Healthy Meal One Hour After Post Workout Drink

Eat a healthy meal of slow-acting carbohydrates like rice, oats, casein along with animal or vegetable protein or a protein powder to further speed up your recovery. Ensure that you stay away from fast-acting carbohydrates and sugar in this meal. You can add some curd or yogurt to add some good bacteria for enhanced gut health.

5. Sleep Plays an Important Role in the Recovery Process

Sleep reboots the system. A post-exercise sleep session releases a significant amount of growth hormone. Research shows that sleep interventions, such as sleep extension, play a critical role in an athletes’ recovery and performance. Therefore, getting seven to eight hours of sleep at night is more important than you think.

6. A Nap Contributes to your Recovery too

Try to schedule a nap. A 30-minute power nap speeds up recovery without disturbing your sleep at night.

7. Deep Tissue Massages Help in Muscle Recovery

A deep tissue massage is considered to be one of the best muscle recovery tips. It breaks the buildup of scar tissue and adhesions. If you do not want to invest the time and money on a professional massage, you can trade massages with your spouse or significant other. You will thank us later for the relationship benefits. You can use a foam roller yourself to help the recovery process.

8. There are Other Recovery Aids Too

Sometimes you may find that you have bombed, blitzed, and killed it in your last workout. You are too sore to move and feel as flexible as a log of wood lying down. Using pop and aspirins or ice or foam roll your sore muscles. Drinking some cherry juice which is known to ease inflammations is a good idea. You can also stretch the sore body part slowly and carefully.

Summary

Olympic lifting champion and the only undefeated bodybuilder in history, John Grimek, has a great saying on muscle recovery tips. He said that trainees should end their workouts with something left to give. Therefore, it makes sense to end your exercise session with something left to give in your tank rather than overstretching and blowing yourself to bits.

Know About the Best 30-Minute Exercises for Women

The best 30-minute workouts for women help them to stay fit and have a beautiful body at the same time. Doing it in the right intensity is all that is required.

If you think that you do not have the required time to Workout, then you need to understand the fact that it is the intensity of the workout that matters. A high intensity, Short-burst workout will tone your muscles and also boost your metabolism at the same time.

30 minutes is the best way wherein you can exercise a definite set of muscles to reduce the level of your stress and also feel much more energetic at the same time. If you exercise for just half an hour a day, it is good for both your physical and mental Well-Being. The lifestyle of each person is very different from each other but this 30-minute workout is highly beneficial for the overall health of most individuals.

Best 30-Minute Workouts for Women

When you don’t have more than 30 minutes in hand for your exercises, then focusing on specific muscles and circuit-based training is the best option. If you consistently workout for 30 minutes each day, you will surely be able to see a significant amount of improvement in your body.

To know about some details of exercises that should be included in a 30 Minute workout program, you can go through the discussion below:

1.Squats for Thighs

Squats for thighs is one of the exercises that should be included in the best 30-minute workouts for women. Once you are ready, you should try out squats with an exercise ball. For good form, you must keep your feet shoulder-width apart and the back should be straight. You will have to first bend your knees and lower the rear in a way as if you are sitting. Make sure that your knees are above your ankles.

The knees mustn’t be too far forward. To target a higher number of muscles in less time, you must add an overhead press. Now you will have to rise from the squat position, and while you rise, you will need to have a dumbbell in each hand and push the weights overhead and the palms out. Repeat this 10 times.

2. Forward Lunge for Thighs

If you stand with your feet hip-width apart, you must take a very big step forward with one leg, and after that, you will have to lower the body towards the floor, the front knee aligned with the ankle and the back knee pointing towards the floor. Then you need to get back to the starting position and repeat the stepping forward step using another leg.

To get more challenges, you will have to hold a free weight in both your hands and then complete the lunge with a rotation in the torso and twisting the body towards the front leg. This should be repeated at least 10 times on each side.

3. Deadlift for Hamstrings

To do a deadlift holding free weights or a bar, you will have to stand up straight and your feet hip-width should be set apart. You will now have to bend the hips, then move the hips backwards as you lower the upper part of your body parallel to the floor.

It is also a good option to keep your legs straight without locking the knees. Now you need to lower the weight till below the knees and then return to the starting position slowly. You will also have to repeat this 10 times.

4. Chest Press for Chest

If you want to opt for an exercise that is less demanding than the push-ups, then you can certainly try the chest press using weights. You will have to lie down face-up on the bench. Your knees should be bent and your feet should be on the floor and your spine should be relaxed.

Now you will have to press a bar or dumbbells from your chest towards the ceiling. You will have to extend the arms, but you cannot lock the elbows. Now you can start moving slowly in both directions and the shoulder blades should be on the bench. For an extra challenge, you will have to do the chest press with your upper back and the head on the exercise ball. You will have to repeat this 10 times.

5. Bent-Over Row for Back and Biceps

The bent-over row works with all the major muscles of the biceps and the upper back. First, you will have to start the exercise in a bent-over position with your back flat, one knee and one hand on the same side of the body that is braced on a bench.

With your arm extended, you will have to hold a free weight in the other hand. Now you will have to lift the weight towards the hip till the time the upper arm is beyond horizontal and look towards the right. Now lower the weight and bring it back to the starting position. Repeat this 10 times.

6. Bicycle Crunch for Core and Abdominals

You will have to lie with your back on the floor, then fold your knees towards the chest, and after that curl the upper part of the body off the floor. You need to put your hands behind your head, then rotate the upper part of the body slowly towards the right while bringing in the right knee and reaching out to the left leg.

After that you will have to rotate towards the left, then pull in the left knee in and extend out the right leg. You will also have to focus on bringing the shoulder towards the hip. Make sure that the opposite shoulder during this time is off the floor. Repeat this 10 times.

7. Side Plank for Abdominals and Core

This is also another alternative that you can use for your abdomen. You will first have to lie on your side with a bent elbow directly under the shoulder. Then you will have to use the torso muscles to lift the body into a side plank. Now you will have to lift the hips high up and then take it back to the plank and lower it. You will have to repeat this in the proper form for as many number of times as you can. Now you will have to repeat this on the other side. If you feel that this hurts your neck or shoulders, you will have to lift your legs only and make sure that the hips stay stacked. Your head has to rest on the bent arm.

Before you start your cardio training, you will have to complete at least 20 minutes of resistance training. To keep your body hydrated, it is also a good option to take a water break during cardio and the resistance training.

You should try out the cardio workout in varying intensity.

30 seconds of high-speed cardio till the time you can tolerate.
30 seconds of cardio at normal speed.
30 seconds of the stiffest resistance that you will be able to handle.
30 seconds of normal.

You will have to keep moving back and forth between resistance and speed till the time you complete 10 minutes.

Summary

When you are doing a 30-minute workout, make sure that you do it with the right intensity. This will help you to get a well-toned body and will also increase the rate of your metabolism. You will have a healthier mind and body. If you follow the best 30-minute exercises for women, you will surely get the body you desire.