The Benefits of Band Posture Pulls, and Why They Should Be in Your Strength-Training Routine
Do you have a pair of resistance bands you aren’t putting to good use? While there are many exercises you can do with resistance bands, there’s one you might not be doing that offers benefits you might not be currently getting. It’s called band posture pulls (aka band pull-aparts). It’s…
What’s the Difference Between Physical Activity, Exercise, and Fitness?
Sometimes, we lump terms related to fitness and exercise together and use them interchangeably, as if they are the same. An example are the terms exercise, physical activity, and fitness. While they’re related to each other, they don’t mean the same thing. Let’s look at what they mean and how…
The Surprising Ways Body Weight Affects Brain Health
The brain is the very essence of who we are, so we want it to stay healthy. But just as other organs change with age, cognitive challenges can arise with aging. Some of these changes are benign and ones that everyone experiences at times. For example, it may take you…
Can Vitamin C Help You Hold On to Muscle as You Age?
One concern related to aging we all should have is how to reduce the loss of muscle strength and mass. By doing so, we also slow the aging process and keep our bodies fit and functioning. However, nature works against us. Most people have the most muscle mass they’ll ever…
5 Ways to Lower Your Risk of Stress Fractures When You Train
Injuries are inconvenient and some take a while to heal and that throws a wrench in your training schedule. Stress fractures take six to eight weeks to heal, and they’re more common than you think. One in five women who run will develop a stress fracture at some point in…
5 Ways to Reduce Exercise Fatigue
Intense exercise is exhausting, and if you fatigue too soon, it limits your performance. If you can reduce the performance-limiting fatigue you feel, you can accomplish more when you train and perform better when you play sports or take part in other physical activities. Exercise fatigue can be peripheral fatigue,…
How Metabolically Unhealthy Is It to Eat an Indulgent Cheat Meal?
You eat a healthy diet most of the time, but even the healthiest eaters occasionally overindulge. You might enjoy a planned cheat meal every week or so or your food splurges could be more spontaneous. You get carried away at a buffet or an all-you-can-eat pizza party and throw caution…
What Does a Prolonged Elevated Heart Rate after Exercise Mean?
When you work out, especially at a high intensity, your heart rate speeds up to deliver more oxygen to your hard-working muscles. The extent to which your heart rate rises varies with your fitness level, age, and the environment you’re working out in. Some medications, like beta-blockers used to treat…
Where You Store Body Fat May Affect Your Risk of Developing Hypertension
When you gain weight, where does your body fat go? Does it cling to your waistline or is it more likely to end up on your thighs or hips? You might not like storing fat in your thighs, but from a health perspective, it’s a safer option. Where you store…