Sure, there are some stressful and worrying moments. But overall, when you get out on the road and visit new countries you gain in far more ways. This isn’t about just international travel, either. Traveling your own country and being a tourist in your own town can be so beneficially at the same time.

There are no limits when it comes to traveling, except for what you can afford. You can sight-see around some of your most dreamed about countries or choose exotic adventures. Go by rails, car, or even by boat. There are just so many options, and they will all help you in ways that you have never imagined.

It’s time to save up and plan your next vacation. Get out the itinerary and start enjoying your life in ways so many travelers do. Here are eight reasons traveling is so good for the health, both mentally and physically.

You’re Able to Get Moving

The biggest benefit of traveling is the amount of movement that you will do. You will constantly be on the go, even if you are taking a trip on a cruise. There are sights to see and things to do!

You know just how important constant movement is, right? You know that this is the best way to improve your health. Not only will you help yourself lose weight, but you’re creating a healthier heart and healthier lungs. Your whole cardiovascular system will thank you, along with your blood pressure.

The more activity you do, the more you get your heart pumping. Remember that the heart is a muscle, and it needs to be worked at constantly to grow faster. Making it work harder temporarily will build the muscle and keep it working for longer. You’ll also support your arteries, which means you lower the risk of high cholesterol problems and high blood pressure.

Walking around will help you reduce your stress levels, too. You get the release of the happy hormones, which will mean the worries and difficulties of life will go away. You’ll find other ways to deal with the stress, so it doesn’t cause as many health complications in the future. You’re at a lower risk of having a heart attack or a stroke because of your way of life.

Did you know that studies support the idea of traveling regularly? If you think that your once-a-year holiday is perfect for you, think again. Those who take more holidays in the space of a year have a healthier life. They’re less likely to suffer many of the health complications in the future because they are far more active.

It really doesn’t matter where you go for this benefit. You could spend your whole time in one country. What you really want to focus on is getting the steps in each day. If you are going to take a cruise, you’ll get the activity in when you dock and go sightseeing. Of course, you can also add in more exercise by walking around the ship’s deck and other places. Don’t use your vacation as an excuse to sit around and do nothing the whole time!

If you do take medication, you may find that you need less of it on a daily basis. The activity that you get will help you to improve your whole body’s health, as your heart grows stronger. Your normal high blood pressure reduces to the point where you no longer need to take the medication to keep it down. Your doctor will be more than happy to take off a regular prescription from your list for this reason!

There are going to be times that you need to push your activity levels. While you will have days where you tour a city on a cruise, there are other days where you will be stuck on the ship. Most of these cruises will have somewhere to go where you can exercise. There may be swimming pools up on the deck or a fitness suite with state of the art equipment. Make an effort to use them while you’re stuck on the ship for a few days. After all, you’re paying for the luxuries of the fitness equipment, so you may as well get your full money’s worth!

Challenge Your Brain to Improve Its Health

The brain is another muscle that needs strengthening and challenging. While it doesn’t necessarily work in the same way as other muscles in the body, it can be developed and improved over time. Unfortunately, it can also deteriorate quickly. It is one of those parts of the body that researchers don’t quite fully understand. Just look at The Big Bang Theory at how difficult it can be to understand everything about it.

The great news is that travel has been shown to help improve the brain health. There’s the ability to challenge yourself daily, making you think of alternate options and learn new things. You constantly expand your horizons, meaning that your brain is constantly on the go. This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, training your brain regularly helps to improve its longevity.

Doctors regularly recommend that people do puzzles daily. They encourage Sudoku and crosswords regularly to make sure your brain constantly has to work. By doing this regularly, you help to support the mental health and reduce the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s in later life.

While traveling isn’t quite the same as crosswords, it does offer many of the same benefits. This is especially the case if you go to new places and visit new places. You take in new cultures and learn all about history and plans for the future. There’s something new to remember, meaning that your brain is getting some sort of workout, even if it’s not exactly what the doctor ordered.

On top of all this, scientists have found that walking or hiking is excellent for physically growing the brain. As we get older, our hippocampus gets smaller. We have two hippocampi on either side of our brain, which are responsible for the retention of information. The smaller they get, the less information they are able to take in. They control the short and long term memory, so you want to keep them as big as possible.

When we get more activity, our hippocampi both grow instead of shrink. It will be much easier to take in all the information that we’re learning throughout our travels. Studies have actually shown that those who walk regularly grow their hippocampi by two percent every single year. Just imagine what it will be like over time!

Wouldn’t you love to prevent memory and cognitive issues in your later years? Your family certainly would!

There is another major benefit of traveling to the brain. Not only do you improve memory and cognitive abilities, but you also boost a number of positive thoughts you will get. Your whole mental health is support through getting out and seeing the sights.

One of the biggest ways you benefit is through the fresh air. You spend more time outside, getting different scents and just benefitting from the extra oxygen in your body. Of course, there’s also the walking that will help you gain some other oxygenated benefits. Your heart pumps more oxygen around the body, especially into the brain.

When you spend all your time at home or at work, you will find the stress hormones release. With the fresh air, your happy hormones are boosted. They keep the stress hormones to a minimum. You feel less tired, and you can find the positives in your life so much easier.

You also get to do something fun. You remove the problems from home, so you can actually do something that you want. By doing something fun, you’re increasing a number of happy hormones that are released into your body further.

More happy hormones mean that you will feel less pain and starve off depression. If you do suffer from depression, you may find that you limit the relapses that you have. There is something new and exciting. The exercise becomes addictive, and you want to see more and do more. You don’t give the negative thoughts a chance to cloud your judgment.

At the same time, your body is able to fight off chronic pain issues. You find it easier every day to walk around and do more. Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons for people to not move around, but this can make it all worse!

Get Away from the Everyday Stresses in Life

The more you get away, the more you move away from the everyday stresses of life. You get to take your mind and body out of work, family life, and other problems.

 Of course, this works better if you’re not putting yourself into financial trouble by traveling. If you’re on the road and constantly worrying about money, then you will find it harder. This is one of the reasons some people will work while on the road. They choose to spend some of their time writing about their traveling adventures or cover topics for a blog or make money through internet marketing. They then get to gain the benefits of traveling without having to worry about their finances too much.

Getting away from the stresses of everyday life is important to protect your overall health. Stress is a silent killer. It raises your blood pressure, and your whole mental health will be affected. The stress hormones cloud the judgment and affect the release of happy hormones.

When you travel, you are boosting the release of happy hormones to take over the stress hormones. You take yourself out of the situations that are harder for you to struggle. You also find enjoyment in life that you haven’t had before.

You’re also finding ways to unwind. It’s no secret that we all need a work life balance. We need time away from work to be able to spend time with our family. Travelling offers this chance. This is one of the reasons why scientists have found that those who travel regularly improve their overall health. They’re able to get that work-life balance and ease the everyday stresses.

It’s easier to get out of the drudge of regular routines. You’re not constantly looking at the clock to work out how much time you have until you have to get the kids from school. There’s no need to worry about what you will make for dinner or question if you have all the ingredients in the house. The mad morning rush to get everyone ready for school and work is eliminated.

Travelling allows you to take things at your own pace. Sure, you may be stuck to an itinerary if you book some type of group travel, but you will find that it is still lighter than the routine you have at home. It’s also something different and new and exciting to deal with while you’re away.

When you do return to your everyday life, the stress of your everyday life doesn’t seem as bad. You return to an old routine that is different from the last week or month (depending on how long you’ve been away). You’ll find that the everyday routine is something that you don’t mind as much anymore. That is until you get fed up of it again and are ready to travel again!

You’ll Find It Much Easier to Cope with Stress

Whether you are worried about someone’s health or just have a high-stress job, trying to deal with everything going on in your life isn’t going your health any good. Getting worked up about everything is causing your heart and other organs to fail. You won’t be happy, and you’ll feel exhausted every single day.

You need to step away and start traveling. Getting away from the everyday stresses isn’t just a way to unwind. You’ll find that traveling helps you cope and deal with stress so much better. In fact, you can find that situations that were once a nightmare are those that you breeze through when you return.

Travelling does bring its own stress. You have to make sure you stick to a travel agent itinerary or get through airport chaos. You may have to deal with delays and flight changes. Then there are the stresses of other travelers around you and fitting into a new culture as a tourist. There’s the uncertainty of what you will do the next day or what will happen in your life.

Initially, this can sound like it will make your life worse, but really it will boost your health. You start to realize that there are new ways to deal with a situation. You find that stress is arbitrary and your tolerance for certain situations will grow. The situations that you face on your travels may be worse than those that you face in your everyday life, so you start to deal with those situations in a better way.

You develop new coping strategies when on the road. You want to be able to enjoy your trip and not look back at how much of a nightmare it was. There’s also the adrenaline rush that you gain from getting through the situations. This is especially the case if you tackle an adventure holiday. There’s an adrenaline rush when you push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Coping with stress is essential. You will find that your overall health benefits because you don’t get the regular release of stress hormones. You’re not always looking out for the downsides in life and will find it easier to find enjoyment in everything that you do.

Research backs this up. When you start to accept deviations and problems, you start to deal with them much better. The deviations you accept can be completely different in everyday life, but your new mental attitude will benefit work, family life, and more.

Boost Your Creativeness to Boost Your Health

Did you know that more creative people are healthier? Okay, so this isn’t in every single case, but you will help to improve your life and health by focusing on a more creative approach. The great news is that traveling will help to improve just how creative you are in life.

Let’s look at authors and painters. Before they start on a new project, they will usually travel. This could be to the area that they want to write about or just to an area that somehow links to their ideas. Sometimes they’ll just go somewhere because they want to experience a new culture. They build ideas from the area that they are.

This is especially the case for writers. When they get out of their own location, they witness far more and build ideas from their experiences. They see how people interact, learn new things, and see new sights. They can create a full story idea within a day because of the new sights, sounds, and experiences they gain.

When you travel, you can take advantage of this in life. While traveling, you pull yourself out of your comfort zone. You force yourself into situations that you wouldn’t usually experience; situations that you don’t necessarily have control over.

Remember the deviations and stressful situations that we’ve already mentioned? Well, there are times that you will have to think ahead. You need to focus on how you can get out of the situation that you’re in and that leads to some creative thinking. This type of thinking is then remembered for your everyday in your life, linking into building tolerance over and finding new ways to handle stressful situations.

There’s then the experience of the new cultures. You see how other people handle life and stress. You see what they do to get through their day—and even the types of situations they will find themselves in. There’s the appreciation of a new culture, which gives you a new method of handling your own problems.

It’s not just the traveling aspect that will help to boost creativity. The planning stages can help. While planning, you look for new places that you want to go and things that you want to see. You look at the adventures that you want to take part in and the things on your bucket list that you want to do. This is a chance to dream, and you get to think about what you’d do when you’re in a new country.

There’s the chance to develop a dream board and create stories about what you would do while somewhere. When you’re there, you can follow your dreams, or you can find something else that you want to do. You open yourself up to far more situations that will fuel future desires and dreams.

How does all this help your health? You constantly push your mental state and yourself out of your comfort zone. You create new situations and build new connections, improving your mental health incredibly. You’re at a much lower risk of developing depression, and you can control your anxiety issues immediately.

The new creativeness will also boost your confidence. You know that you can deal with anything that life throws at you, so are willing to take on more risks. This can also help your overall life, rather than just your health.

Boost Mood and Thoughts Through Social Connections

Isolation is one of the worst things in life. While you think that you may like the quiet, it can be draining on you emotionally. Humans aren’t isolated creatures. We crave the social interaction of others. Maybe not every day, but we do benefit from some social interaction regularly—and definitely not just with kids!

When we don’t get that social interaction, we tend to feel alone in the world. We can have friends everywhere, but they’re no good if they don’t talk to us. Isolation can lead to depression and dark thoughts. We’re more likely to have suicidal thoughts. Those who do already have problems with depression and suicidal thoughts are more likely to give into them. After all, who will really miss you?

Traveling helps to cure this problem. You are forced into situations where you need to talk to others. This is something that happens even if you decide to travel alone and backpack around a country or a continent. You spend time in youth hostels and on cruises, where some of the only entertainment is with the strangers that you meet.

Sure, there is a danger in some of this, so it is important to have your wits about you. Therefore,traveling with someone else is often a better idea.

When you do travel with someone else, you both find yourself having nothing to do but talk to each other. The connection that you have will be deeper, as you find out more about each other and build on the experiences together. You find joint ways to deal with the deviation from various plans and delays that you may have in traveling.

You start to pick each other up when you’re down. You’ll notice the early signs that there is a problem, meaning that you can nip it in the bud quickly.

Connecting to strangers is much easier as you look for guidance in a new area. You want to know the best places to go and need help with various situations. There’s the ability to see how different cultures celebrate holidays and handle various stressful events that occur.

Some of these connections that you build will be connections for life. You may find that the people come back into your life in the future, allowing you the chance to build the connections deeper.

There is also the ability to push your beliefs and understandings. What you once thought was dark and twisted may become a new normal. What you once accepted by the people around you are now a view or belief that is frowned upon, and you can see both sides to an argument.

The more connections you make, the more confidence you gain. You start to push yourself more and force yourself to make more connections. When you return home, you are more likely to rebuild connections with people you’ve lost. As you find what you need to improve your mental health, you make sure you get it daily.

You never know what those social connections could lead to. Plenty of people has fallen in love while traveling, which has helped support their love for traveling since they meet like-minded people.

Find It Easier to Boost Weight Loss Efforts

If you’ve ever wanted to lose weight, you want to look at traveling more. Sure, you must eat out more, and you don’t always get to control a number of calories you eat, but you will find it much easier to create a calorie deficit.

Let’s focus on the activity element that was our first main benefit of traveling. When you do more activity, you instantly burn more calories. You make it easier to get rid of the excess calories that you eat on a daily basis. This doesn’t matter if you take a cruise holiday or you backpack around the Amazon! You can take one of the calmest of vacations, and you will still find it easier to lose weight.

There’s no need to do anything majorly special either when it comes to activity. You’ll find that you want to make the most of your time in a new country or around a new culture so you will push yourself more to getting around all the sights. You spend all your day out of the house and get home realizing that you’ve walked 15,000 to 20,000 steps—at least!

This can depend on where you go and what you do. If you’re on a cruise ship, there may be days where you don’t get to dry land. However, these types of ships tend to have swimming pools and fitness suites. Make sure you use them to help boost your weight loss efforts—what else are you going to do?

But yes there is the issue of food. All that walking won’t necessarily work off a number of calories you consume, right? Well, this depends on the type of food that you choose to have. Enjoying that one authentic Belgian waffle or trying out the deep-fried delicacies of The South aren’t going to make you pile on the pounds suddenly. It’s about all the food you eat while away and not just one particular meal.

In fact, trying out the local foods is something that you want to do. This is the way to experience the new cultures and immerse yourself in your travels.

The trick is to follow a healthy and balanced diet still. While you can’t completely control everything you eat, you still have some control. You can choose the better restaurants to get all your food groups and even go out and buy fresh fruit and veggies from local market stalls to make sure you get your five a day. You’ll soon find that you have far more control than you thought you did.

This can also depend on where you go. If you travel around Asia, you’ll find that sticking to a calorie deficit diet is much easier than before. This is especially the case of Japan and parts of China, where there is a major focus on a healthier and more fulfilling diet.

You’ll also find that the more activity you do, the less you want or crave the junk. You can try out local delicacies now and then but will find it easier to opt for the healthier choices on the menus.

And then there’s also the water. This is something you need to work on actively.

We tend to drink less, especially when traveling. We find it harder to stop for a drink and don’t always buy the right options. After all, there are so many new cocktails that you want to try!

It’s important to make sure you carry a bottle of water around with you at all times. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, have that bottle of water. And then keep topping it up! If you are in an area where the tap water isn’t great, make sure you set a budget that allows you to buy bottles of water regularly to keep your water intake up.

When you lose more weight, you instantly boost your health. Your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to do everyday things. Your blood pressure and cholesterol levels will drop. You’ll find that it’s easier to breathe and your chronic pain starts to disappear. Doing more is something that you love the idea of, and you’ll want to get out and travel more.

Of course, weight loss also leads to more confidence. You know that you can do more and you aren’t ashamed of or afraid of what people would think of your weight. This instantly helps to boost your mental health, as you’re less likely to allow the depression or anxiety to seep through.

Try Out Alternative Lifestyles and Health Remedies

When you visit new cultures, you get to experience how other people live. This isn’t just about developing new social thoughts or beliefs, but also about witnessing health remedies and different types of lifestyles.

Traveling will let you try out the alternative lives safely and without too much commitment. It’s possible to get away from the touristy areas and focus on how the real people live. This is a chance to experience what it would be like to live there.  This is definitely something to do before you take the permanent step of moving somewhere.

One of the benefits of traveling is the freedom. You don’t have to stay where your friends once did. There’s no need to go to the tourist hot-spots that the travel guides say. You can look at doing a month or two in an area where you teach and actually live, especially in Asian communities.

It’s possible to shed the familiarity of people like you and focus on building the right type of social connections. This is the chance to immerse yourself in a new culture.

There’s certainly the benefit of the alternate health remedies. This is the chance to see how herbal remedies really help to cure ailments and soothe problems. You get to try the remedies from the original place they were created, by practitioners who know what they’re doing. You’re not worried about health shops at home adding other chemicals to them or selling them at overrated prices.

If you decide that they do work, you can take some back with you. You also get to find out about the real ingredients so you can make them at home.

This could be your ability to step away from the pharmaceutical medications. There are so many that certain help ailments but can cause other health problems. Just look at the list of side effects that are common in some of the everyday medications. Some of the medications can also affect the balance of your hormones, which is a problem that you will avoid completely when you opt for natural remedies. These remedies have worked for others for centuries, so why not for you right now?

You also help to support your mental health. You know that you have a natural and healthy way to support your body. You feel more in control, especially financially when the pharmaceutical remedies can be so expensive.

Where Will You Travel First?

Traveling really is one of the best things that you can do for your health. This is something that supports both your physical and mental health. You will get to support your emotional health and life a better and more natural life, even when you’re not traveling.

The eight reasons to travel more above are a snapshot of the way you will benefit. There are just so many more reasons to travel to help protect your health. They all link some way into the reasons above but deepen your benefits considerably.

Just think about the social connections you can make and the way that you will feel. You get to escape the isolation, especially if you currently don’t work or your job involves a work from home element. This is your chance to step out of the rat race and take on cultures that you’ve only ever heard of.

There are some steps that you’ll need to take to look after your health. One thing that you don’t want to do is give up your current medications for the herbal remedies. You need to make sure they work and improve your health for the better. It’s also important to watch out for bacteria in the water or any problems with cooking certain types of foods to keep your overall health safe.

When you do decide to travel, make sure you’re getting plenty of activity. While cruises give you the chance to sit back and relax, you want to take advantage of the swimming pools and fitness suites onboard. There are going to be days where you don’t see dry land, but you still want to walk around and do some sort of exercise.

But then the relaxation is also important. You want to unwind from the everyday stresses of your life. You need to spend time seeing how others deal with stress and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Build a tolerance and find a new way of handling stress every day.

Traveling really is one of the best things that you can do. All you need to decide now is where you will go first.

The post 8 Reasons Why Traveling Is Good for Your Health appeared first on The Active Health.

What if I were to tell you that technology has produced benefits? Would you believe me if I said that technology is good for your health?

Most of you wouldn’t look at first. Well, you may be able to think of a couple of ways that the computer has helped, but you are still stuck on all the negatives that ‘experts’ have shared in the past. The problem with the ‘experts’ is that they are only focused on the negatives. They haven’t looked at so many of the benefits.

So, that’s what we’ll do today. We’ll consider all the ways that technology improves our health. We’ll discuss just how it has boosted results in certain areas of healthcare and what it does for us daily.

Technology Is Everywhere in Medicine

Before we do move onto all the benefits, it’s worth discussing just how technology is used. It is found everywhere in medicine. Think about the x-ray machines, MRI scanners, and even the research equipment used daily.

There are people using it every day of the week to find cures to ailments, discover why diseases spread and creating ways to prevent the diseases. There are individuals performing tasks far more accurately than they ever did before, with keyhole surgery now a popular option for some of the most routine medical needs.

And the technology isn’t just in the hospital. It’s used in your own doctor’s office and even at home. It’s used to prolong life and create a better quality of life for those on around the clock care.

The improvements don’t just lead to better physical health. They support better mental health, which in turn improves the physical health. Technology improves connections and relationships, offering support to everyone.

We can’t get rid of technology. If we did, we would suffer greatly. Here are just eight ways that technology is improving our health and our lives.

It Pushes Us to Do More Activity

Sure, technology has led to us sitting more. And sitting is the new smoking when it comes to health problems. However, technology has also helped to push us to do more activity.

We just must take the examples of the Fitbit, pedometers, and apps that track our steps. They all encourage us to meet our daily targets—setting personal targets to get us to walk more and meet the goals that we know are realistic to us. While there is the goal to walk at least 10,000 steps a day, that just doesn’t seem realistic for many. The pedometers and smartphone apps give us more control.

The chances are that as we get closer to a goal, we’re going to work harder to achieve it. We see how we do daily and look for ways to improve the chances of meeting those goals. They don’t mean getting to the gym daily. They just involve getting out and doing more. Some can involve doing home workouts and even walk on the spot to increase our step count.

There isn’t much that we need to do to set up these pieces of technology. Most of them involve some type of phone app or computer software just to sign up and create free accounts. We sync devices, and we get to go off and work our ways to being healthier and fitter.

The devices also come with different settings. Some are just designed to count your steps. They’re basic items to get you to do a little more throughout the day. Those who want to increase the amount of exercise they do and track their heart rate will be able to get more advanced options. Some will have exercise modes, count stairs, count calories burned, and even monitor your sleep.

The aim for so many of these new devices isn’t just to improve your activity levels. They are there to improve your overall lifestyle. Devices are set to help you live a healthier and more fulfilling life, helping you monitor your sleep patterns and make sure you drink enough water throughout the day. There’s more to them than just improving one element of your life and making sure your whole body and mind are working together to create a better quality of life.

These apps and devices can also monitor your weight loss efforts. They help you stick within a healthy BMI, so you focus on protecting your heart health. You will feel better for it, knowing that you can keep yourself from accidentally going over regarding calories throughout the day or over a certain weight. Of course, being within a healthy weight range is essential to help keep yourself healthy overall.

These are all personal devices. There’s no major cost for them, with many of them available for less than $200. Some of the apps are completely free to download, so you don’t even need to spend a penny on technology to improve your health.

Better Ability for Communication Between Doctors and Patients

With technology being widely available, there are chances that everyone has some sort of access to doctor and health websites. These sites can create chat boxes and instant messengers, where real doctors and nurses can monitor communications. When a patient comes on with a question, the doctors and nurses can provide factual answers and share their thoughts and advice.

Better ability to communicate is essential for keeping the health protected. It helps to keep the questions over information online to a minimum and reduces the number of people queuing up in the hospital with fears they are dying. The people online can read the symptoms and share their beliefs based on them, helping to minimize worry.

Individuals who do need to seek medical help will be able to get to the hospital or their own doctor right away. They can take the transcript of the chats to aid with a discussion of the symptoms and working through the reasons for certain medical beliefs. They also have a better understanding of how doctors or nurses come to certain decisions.

Those who don’t need to seek immediate medical attention can reduce their anxiety over their health. This helps to improve the health since anxiety leads to stress and that leads to high blood pressure and other health problems!

People who avoid doctors fearing that they are wasting time can get confirmation that they need to get the help. That’s that fear of people thinking they are silly for their thought processes eliminated, so they have more confidence in discussing all their health problems with their doctor.

When chat boxes aren’t available, telephones have made it easier to communicate and talk to a genuine doctor or nurse. This is the case with many emergency medical phone numbers, who can then arrange out of hours’ appointment when the case is necessary.

Getting people seen immediately protects their health. It also helps to reduce a number of times they will need to visit a doctor and keep the waiting times down since the minor ailments are taken care of before they can turn into something major.

More Ability to Do Research into Problems

The internet has certainly opened the ability to research. We all tend to turn to Google, calling it Dr. Google at times. The search engine allows you to input your symptoms or ask questions about a certain symptom to find out all the ailments that involve them/it. People can look through a list of other symptoms to determine the chances of suffering from certain ailments.

This is useful when it comes to determining whether to speak to a doctor. An individual can get the basic information and use it to decide whether their condition needs immediate attention. They can also use that basic research to get onto the chat boxes to get the advice from real doctors and nurses, as mentioned above.

Those that already have a diagnosis can take to the internet to do their own research into it. This is especially the case for a condition that they haven’t heard of before or that could be hereditary. They want to find out future symptoms, especially if it is a condition that doesn’t have a form of treatment or cure.

Individuals can find out if there are natural remedies that they can try and talk to others with the same condition. They can follow blogs for people who have that same condition and are living with it. They get to hear about success stories with treatments and learn about support groups in the area. This is especially important for treatments that are either terminal or lead to a lower quality of living.

Those caring for people with certain conditions can also get some support and help. There will be support groups online for carers and advice for people who care for individuals 24/7. Suddenly, the world doesn’t seem as isolating, which can quickly help to improve the mental health. People have more confidence in their abilities and find someone who can listen to vents or problems without judgment and with full understanding—friends are good, but they’re not always able to be the most supportive.

It is important to use the internet sparingly. Unfortunately, it can also have the opposite effect and make the health worse. You spend all this time researching conditions and fearing the worst, and you end up with problems with anxiety. You can end up researching more than talking to a real doctor, hearing about the horror stories of other patients. It’s important to take a step away and look out for success stories and real doctors’ opinions to help balance out some of the negatives.

When you are on websites, you will also need to check where the information is coming from. Who writes it and is it checked by someone in the medical profession? Does the person write a personal blog really suffer from the same condition? People can write absolutely anything, and there is plenty of misinformation online.

There are reputable medical websites. They usually include links to official studies and reports to help you get all the medical information that you could need. They will consider both pharmaceutical and herbal remedies to help you save money and put your health first. Check the reviews and reputation of any website before you start looking through the information and start trusting it!

There Are Devices That Keep the Body Working as It Should

Some devices are created purposely to help promote a healthy body. They are placed inside or outside to help keep the body working as it should. There are also other types of treatments that cause reactions in the body to support organs and the overall health.

The pacemaker is just one that will come to mind for everyone. This is a device created for those who have heart problems. The pacemaker helps to send electrical currents into the heart to prevent it from suffering from spasms. This little device is a lifesaver for so many people. It keeps the heart pumping as it should, which will support the rest of the body.

This is one of those small devices that you will barely know that you have. It can be used on the young and the old to protect the heart and make sure it works exactly like it is supposed to. In one episode of Grey’s Anatomy, a 16-year-old girl was fitted with a pacemaker to stop seizures, which turned out to be a side effect of a heart defect rather than epilepsy.

The small electrical device is battery-less and powered by the heart’s rhythms. Those without it would live shorter lives and must restrict the things they do, as there will always be the risk of the heart’s natural rhythm and beat getting out of sync.

Pacemakers aren’t the only devices that help to keep the body working as it should. Bypass machines also help to sustain organ health while waiting for treatments or transplants. They are also used throughout surgeries to protect the health while undergoing some transplants and operations. For example, heart bypass machines are regularly used during some cardiac operations and for heart transplants. Without them, there is a higher risk of bleeding out and death on the operation table.

Bypass helps to change the flow of the blood. It isn’t just used for the heart and can be used for the kidneys for operations that involve the intestines, colon, and other organs around this area. Bypass helps to keep the other organs working as they should while going through the operations to ensure a fully healthy life afterward.

There is now technology that keeps organs working while they are outside of the body. This helps to keep organs working while they are in the middle of transplants, which is exceptionally important when it comes to heart transplants.

This is another side of medicine that was touched on in Grey’s Anatomy. Cristina looked after a heart that was in a box—the technology kept the heart pumping until the time came to place it into the recipient’s body. It is a very real side of medicine that is being adapted and improved. Without it, there would be people on the transplant list that would need to wait longer for a replacement. They could end up dying or others lower down on the list would lose out on transplants because they can’t be moved up.

The use of technology to keep organs alive outside of the body will also help to reduce the problem of long donor lists. While the donor organ may not be a match for anyone immediately or anyone within a hospital immediately, the organ can be kept alive while waiting for a recipient to become eligible.

But can’t organs be used without being ‘kept alive.’ There is the use of ice, and organs are sent around countries without being kept alive by a machine. However, there is a risk that the organs won’t work when they get into the recipient’s body. They have lost the blood flow during transition causing other problems. The technology eliminates that issue.

Without the advances in technology, there would certainly be people who are left without. The transplant list would grow longer, and people would remain on the lists until they die.

Better Treatment Options for Various Ailments and Diseases

It’s no secret that treatments have advanced in recent years to the point where some ailments are virtually unheard of. Vaccinations and various medical advances have completely eradicated the likes of smallpox and led to the point where polio is now less common and far more treatable.

Some of the advances have only come in the last few years, and are all due to technology. We’re able to do more research and test without the use of animals and humans. There are ways to create vaccinations and treatments without putting people at risk, increasing the chance of a better quality of life. Just look at how HIV treatments have changed since the disease was noted in the early 1980s. It is now at a point where the virus doesn’t have the chance to develop into AIDS.

There are treatments for small and major ailments. Even cancer patients have better life expectancies than they would have done in earlier years. There is the technology for earlier diagnosis and treatments to eradicate the cancerous cells. While not all is successful, there are certainly some positive steps—and that is all because of technology advancements.

Some of the treatments are to help keep the body working until a cure or transplant is possible. For example, dialysis is used by many patients waiting for organ transplants. Dialysis helps to remove the waste from the body when the kidneys will no longer do the work for them. This is an intermediate treatment option to keep someone alive while they wait for a kidney transplant.

Others will be on other machines and treatments while they wait for aliver, heart, and other transplants. Technology has helped to prolong life, allowing them the time that they need. Some technology has even helped them live some sort of life outside of hospitals, rather than be hooked to machines.

There isn’t just a physical benefit to these treatments. The benefits have helped to support the mental health. Being stuck in a hospital bed forever is boring and depressing. Patients start to worry about the bills that are mounting up and the loss of time with their friends and family members. When they are in a positive mindset, the patients are more likely to fight against the ailments that are keeping them tied down to machines. They are in a better state to accept transplants and focus on fighting infections and diseases. Their positive mindsets help the treatments work, and this is all because of the technology advancements.

And we can’t forget about the ongoing research. This isn’t just about the treatment options but how the viruses work and adapt. While there are vaccinations and treatments available, there is always something new that comes out. Viruses adapt to their environment to avoid being wiped out completely in some cases. They mix with other viruses or bacteria to create a far more superior virus.

Technology helps to assess when this happens. Scientists can locate the newly created viruses and get to work almost immediately on a cure. There is the ability to transform some viruses into cures and help to create vaccines and treatments that have never been heard of before. It’s because of technology that the medical field can keep adapting.

Better technology has also made scans clearly. People can get better angles and catch problems early. Doctors can perform surgeries and use treatments that were never possible, simply because they couldcatch conditions before they advanced too far.

To top all this off, technology has opened the chance of developing organs and valves. While Grey’s Anatomy is just a TV show, it does rely on the current medical research and ideas. There are studies into 3D printing organs and heart valves to help support the health and life of an individual. The printing would use a person’s own cells to reduce the risk of rejecting organs, improving life expectancy and treatment of conditions.

There is still a long way to go until all the research is finished. In fact, it will never be finished. However, technology is opening doors to improve the health in ways that wouldn’t have been imagined just 50 years ago,

Improved Prediction of Diagnosis and Life Expectancy

Ever wondered if you could get a disease later in life? Maybe you wonder if a current symptom is a sign that you could develop a condition. You could even wonder just how long you have left to live when you are diagnosed with a condition.

Technology has helped to improve the prediction process of a diagnosis. Doctors will have information all in one place and can see all the symptoms at the same time. They have formulas to work out averages of when a condition occurs.

You get this type of risk assessment, and doctors will be able to predict if you are more likely to suffer from a certaintype of disease or ailment.

We just must look at the pre-diabetes checks. You may have been told that you are a pre-diabetic. This doesn’t mean that you currently have it but that you have a high risk of developing it if you continue in the way that you are going. Before technology advances, you would have only found out about diabetes once you started suffering from it. There wouldn’t have been the warning signs to help you change your lifestyle to prevent it from occurring.

In some cases, you wouldn’t have even known that you have the side effects. You wouldn’t have known that you had a disease until is cause a serious medical issue and even death. Doctors didn’t have the ability to predict anything because it was so difficult to get all the information.

Technology has made it possible for information to be kept in one place, updated in real life. Once blood test results come back, they can be added directly to your file; a file that is visible by any doctor by looking up your own details. Your family doctor has your hospital records, even if the records have nothing to do with a current ailment.

While looking at all this information, doctors can see similarities and warning signs earlier. They can see symptoms that crossover and lead to specific conditions—similarities that could have been overlooked due to loss of paperwork or not having all the information in one place.

At the same time as predicting a condition, doctors can use technology to work out how long you must live. There are plenty of cases in history where individuals have lost out on events because they have been given a life expectancy that isn’t right. Doctors give people six months to live and then find out three years later that they are still alive and could have done some of the things they wanted. At the same time, people are given years to live, and then their health deteriorates within six months because the doctors got it wrong.

Technology has allowed for the creation of algorithms. Doctors can input certain figures and information into the algorithm to get the information that they need. There is more information stored about other patients with the same condition to help ensure that the algorithms got it right. There is just far more accuracy to help with the life expectancy prediction because of technology.

With better prediction, people aren’t just living healthier and changing their overall lifestyle. Their mental health is supported. Patients find that they can act and are more interested in doing so.

Gene mapping has also become a technological advancement to help with the prediction of conditions. Patients no longer need to have early symptoms to make changes to their lives. Doctors can look at the genes to determine if they are at a risk of developing certain health conditions.

This has become popular for some of the most damaging conditions for the whole family. People want to know if they have the genes that put them at a higher risk of breast cancer or Alzheimer’s disease.

Angelina Jolie is just one celebrity that stands out when it comes to this technological advancement. She found out that she had a high risk of developing breast cancer and decided to take preventative measures to avoid it by having a mastectomy. Many patients before her have had to wait until cancer has occurred and hoped there is a treatment, but she could prevent the heartbreak for her family and protect her health because of technology.

Cervical screening for women has improved thanks to technology. Researchers will see when cells are abnormal between tests to make sure that there are no earlier signs of cancer. While the cells could be abnormal for other reasons, patients get the help they need immediately to avoid lifelong and potentially terminal diseases.

Faster and More Accurate Diagnosis of Conditions

While the prediction side of diagnosis is improved, technology also improves the accuracy of a diagnosis. Like before, doctors gather all the information in one place and will be able to keep an eye on results more closely. They can also put together symptoms and signs sooner than before, meaning an earlier diagnosis for many people.

There have been many cases where doctors just haven’t had all the information. In some cases, the conditions are so rare that doctors haven’t even bothered considering them. Instead, individuals are treated for conditions that are more common or more believed to have. The treatments do nothing, and by the time they are diagnosed with the rightcondition, there is nothing they can do.

People lose out on time with their family due to a lack of diagnosis or incorrect treatment. They lose out because the diagnosis has just taken too long—and not because of inaccuracy for the doctors.

In some cases, the technology hasn’t been fast enough to get blood work back. Technology has been too poor to assess all the symptoms, or the waiting list is too long, so patients lose out. Scans aren’t clear enough, so earlier symptoms aren’t picked up in time.

This slowness of diagnosis means that people don’t get the treatments soon enough. Their conditions advance and may become untreatable and terminal. This is the case with some cancers, as it takes so long to get the diagnosis that the treatments spread.

The accurate diagnosis means more accurate treatments. There are cases where treatments can make a condition worse if it is used in the wrong way or has been given the wrong diagnosis. For example, some over the counter medications can make the chicken pox virus far more severe and cause hospital admission.

Technology Improves Recording of Information in Real Time

Many of the benefits mentioned above rely on an accurate and timely recording of information. There is no denying that recording of symptoms between doctors has led to issues of conditions not being diagnosed and the right treatment not being administered.

Before computers, doctors would write all the information on charts. They would document it through paperwork, and that paperwork would need to be sent to various doctors. If you changed family doctor, there was a chance of the information going missing. If you went to see a different doctor in between visits, such as at the hospital or a locum, you ran the risk of the information not being sent to your regular doctor.

Some key symptoms are often missed. It’s up to the patient to remember to share the previous symptoms with their regular doctor to make sure all the information is up to date.

Blood work information and other paperwork would take thetime to be sent through practices. Individuals were left waiting for phone calls for diagnosis and treatments, and we’ve already looked at how that could lead to problems.

Technology has made it better for the recording of information. This initially started with the use of larger computers. While paperwork would still be used, the information could be typed up, and doctors around the country could get the information and any symptoms. They could make a more accurate diagnosis.

However, this didn’t help when it came to immediate diagnosis needs. There were also issues with inaccurate reporting. Some doctors wouldn’t do their paperwork or would miss out things that patients said. Others who were trying to transcribe notes may not have been able to read handwriting, so elements were missing.

This is where technology continues to advance. Many doctors will now update the information on tablets and smart devices. They all have the software that allows for easier and far more accurate reporting. The information is updated in real time, meaning other doctors will be able to get the information later.

If you return, doctors will be able to see how often you are in. They will be able to look at previous visits quickly. This means they can spot any precursors or underlying problems, as we’ve already discussed above.

There is the ability for the software to alert doctors to a problem. Doctors may have set the wrong dosage for medication, or there may be an issue with crashing medication. Doctors can stop themselves in their tracks and make sure your health is put first.

The better recording also helps with communication between doctors and patients. Patients feel like their health is being put first, so they are likely to be more forthcoming. They don’t feel ignored or like certain symptoms are being dismissed.

There Are Two Sides to Technology

Technology has helped to improve the health. It will continue to do this as there are more advancements made.

There is no denying that technology can be bad. We are at a point where we sit more because we don’t have the need to go outside anymore. Socializing is possible online, and recreation is often spent watching TV shows and movies. ‘Experts’ tend to focus on all these negatives of technology, without really focusing on the ways that technology is helping us.

While a lot of the advancements have meant that doctors have it easier. These advancements have helped us as patients. We will find it easier to get a more accurate diagnosis, and the treatments are more likely to work. It’s easier to make changes to our lifestyle because technology has noted the warning signs that we are more likely to suffer from something if we stick to our current paths.

There are ways that technology helps us daily. Smartphone apps and small devices have led to the ability for us to track our health and any symptoms. Fitbit and pedometers track the steps that we take, encouraging us to do far more exercise than we usually would. Food tracking apps help us to keep our calorie intake under control or boost the amount of water that we drink. Symptom trackers make it possible to keep an eye on potential health problems.

We can also get in touch with doctors and nurses much easier. We no longer must pay a fortune to see our family doctor and clog up the waiting room, feeling like we are wasting someone’s time. Technology opens the doors to discuss symptoms online and get advice immediately. This could make all the difference in getting the treatment we need.

And it’s not just about the physical health. Technology opens the doors to getting the mental and social support when it comes to living with a condition or caring for someone. There are support forums online and places to go to do our own research. We feel far more control in life and with our condition, and we can focus on holistic approaches. A better mental health will help to improve our physical health since we have a better chance of fighting infections.

Don’t just write technology off. This is something that really can improve our lives and our health. It just must be used in the right way.

The post 8 Ways Technology Is Improving Your Health appeared first on The Active Health.

One of the benefits of this program is that it can mostly be done with adjustable free weights at home.  Everything can be done even without a gym membership.  Our quick guide moves between weightlifting with an emphasis on cardio in the mornings.  The reason for this is that the weightlifting helps to strengthen while the cardio will help improve aerobic limits and work to make you leaner in the 15 days.  The guide includes a breakdown of what you will be doing for each of the 15 days and incorporates dozens of different weightlifting exercises designed to provide you a comprehensive, compound routine.

The Routine

Day 1:  (Monday) – Chest + Abs + Triceps  (CAT)

Day 2:  (Tuesday) – Off

Day 3:  (Wednesday) – Back  + Abs + Biceps (BAB)

Day 4:  (Thursday) – Off

Day 5:  (Friday) – Calves + Legs + Shoulders (CLS)

Day 6:  (Saturday) – Off

Day 7:  (Sunday) – Off

Day 8:  (Monday) – Chest + Abs + Triceps  (CAT)

Day 9:  (Tuesday) – Off

Day 10:  (Wednesday ) – Back  + Abs + Biceps (BAB)

Day 11:  (Thursday) – Off

Day 12:  (Friday) – Calves + Legs + Shoulders (CLS)

Day 13:  (Saturday) – Off

Day 14:  (Sunday) – Off

Day 15:  (Monday) – Chest + Abs + Triceps  (CAT)

About The Routine

This 15-day workout is designed so that you do not train in isolation.  Getting a stronger core means doing exercises that target both the core as well as the surrounding muscle groups.  Without focusing on the full body, you will achieve fewer results in the specific area you are interested in.  The 15 day workout is 15 days to allow for 3 (CAT) days where you will focus on your chest, your abs, and your triceps.

Off days will be critical during your 15 day workout challenge.  Off days are days where your body can rest, recuperate, and grow stronger.  Without these days, your gains will slow to a halt and you will dramatically increase the risk of becoming injured.  While you can do cardio on these days, stay away from anything that will tax the particular muscle group you were working on the previous day.

As you can see, the workout targets different parts of the body on different days.  This allows you over the course of a week to target the entire body, allowing certain muscle groups to recover while you train others.  Far more effective than attempting to do everything at once, the exercise routine listed above will help speed up your results and leave you feeling competent and ready to go a the end of the 15 days.

A final note, be sure to train heavy.  All of the exercises below are a single set.  You should be struggling to complete the set at the end.  Some exercises listed below, like pull ups and pushups have a total number in a rep that you may not be able to do.  You can handle this by returning to them throughout your exercise to give your muscles some time to recover or simply go until you can no longer do any more.  There are less stressful versions of both exercises you can also do if your body is not yet to the point where it can do a single one.

Daily Exercises

CAT:  Chest + Abs + Triceps

Done 3 times during your 15 day workout, this exercise routine is perhaps the most important.  It targets your core and provides a number of different compound exercises that will help strengthen throughout.

#, Sets, Reps, Exercise, Notes

• 1, 1, 15, Barbell Bench, Do A Press Wide Grip
• 2, 1, 15,  Bent Arm Dumbbell Pullover
• 3, 1, 20-25,  Cable Crossover
• 4, 1, 15,  Chest Triceps
• 5, 1, 15, Dips Triceps
• 6, 1, 15, Dumbbell Flyes
• 7, 1, 15,  Incline Dumbbell Press
• 8, 1, 15-20,  Machine Bench Press
• 9, 1, 20-25  Push Ups, Elevate Your Feet
• 10, 1, 15,  Triceps Pushdown
• 11, 1, 15,  Tricep Dumbbell Kickback

BAB:  Back + Abs + Biceps

Done 2 times during your 15 day workout, this exercise routine helps to reinforce the gains you are making with the CAT routine.  With back, abs, and biceps, you will feel a lot of your gains reinforced.  At the same time, depending on your recovery rate, you may find yourself a little tired.  As long as you feel capable, attempt to push through the 14 exercises as you will have 4 days to recover some of these muscle groups after.

#, Sets, Reps, Exercise, Notes

• 1, 1, 20-25, Ab Crunch Machine
• 2, 1, 12-15, Cable Hammer Curls
• 3, 1, 12-15, Close Grip EZ Bar Curl
• 4, 1, 12-15, Concentration Curls
• 5, 1, 20-25, Crunches, Using An Exercise Ball
• 6, 1, 20-25, Hanging Leg Raise
• 7, 1, 12-15, Lying Cable Curl
• 8, 1, 12-15, Machine Preacher Curl
• 9, 1, 12-15, One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl
• 10, 1, 15, One Arm Dumbbell Row
• 11, 1, 15, Pull Ups
• 12, 1, 15-20, Seated Cable Rows
• 13, 1, 15, Wide Grip Lay Pull Downs
• 14, 1, 15, Wide Grip Pulled Downs, Behind The Neck

CLS:  Calves + Legs + Shoulders

Calves, legs (general), and shoulders will help to train other parts of your body, allowing you to keep up with your exercise goals and providing you with an opportunity to fully train your entire body.  Typically, the CLS routine will have the most impact on your cardio workout, as these groups are often used.  Do cardio the morning before you start your workout routine, and take the following day’s cardio slower if you are feeling muscle exhaustion.  As a final note, the CLS routine is a bit longer than either the two above because it covers an extensive range of muscles secondary to your goals.

#, Sets, Reps, Exercise, Notes

• 1, 1, 20, Barbell Rear Delta Row
• 2, 1, 15-20, Dumbell Lunges
• 3, 1, 15-20, Front Dumbbell Raises
• 4, 1, 20, Hack Squats
• 5, 1, 25, Leg Extensions
• 6, 1, 25, Leg Press
• 7, 1, 15, Leverage Shoulder Press
• 8, 1, 15, Lying Leg Curl
• 9, 1, 20, Romanian Deadlift
• 10, 1, 15, Seated Barbell Military Press
• 11, 1, 25, Seated Calf Raises
• 12, 1, 20, Seated Leg Curls
• 13, 1, 15-20, Side Lateral Raises
• 14, 1, 20, Seated Bent Over Rear Delta Raise
• 15, 1, 25, Standing Calf Raises
• 16, 1, 20, Standing Leg Curl
• 17, 1, 25, Thigh Abductor
• 18, 1, 20 Wide Stance Barbell Squats

Notes On The 15 Day Woman Bodyweight Challenge

Cardio

Cardio is going to be an important part of your workout.  As we discussed above, cardio helps to improve your endurance and train your muscle groups in a way that is different from the weight lifting you will be doing.  We recommend that all cardio occur first thing in the morning.  Do your cardio before you eat breakfast.  You will want to do cardio for between 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Cardio can be anything from a jog outside to a recumbent bike, treadmill, jump rope, or anything else that keeps you moving.  Your objective with cardio is to get your body to a point where your heart rate is well above your average.  Doing so will provide optimal fat burning conditions and help to make you leaner as well as stronger.  Cardio is also a great option because it helps you lose weight in ways that weightlifting will not.  While both are equally good, doing them together will produce far better results both in toning and fat loss.

Diet

The 15 Day Woman Bodyweight Challenge is not a time to go on a starvation diet.  You will need a healthy level of calories so that your body can rebuild after workouts and recover in time.  Instead of attempting to cut the calories you eat, change the types of calories you are consuming.  Find the average number of calories for someone your size, age, and gender for a low workout lifestyle.  Plan your diet around getting a healthy supply of whole grains, proteins, fruits, and vegetables.  Nutrition will be key if you want to lose weight and diet effectively during these 15 days.  Lentils, soups, and water are all great ways to reduce the chances of getting hungry as well as helping you to stay full longer.

Injury Prevention

Depending on what you are doing, you may be at risk of injury.  It is a normal concern that every person who heads out to the gym has to consider.  While preventing injury completely isn’t possible, you can help to dramatically reduce the chances of ever being injured through stretches and movement of your body before weightlifting.  For this reason, some will go through various yoga poses, will shake out their limbs before exercising, will do cardio before, or will otherwise work to warm up their body before heading out for the day.  Consider doing the same and turn your 15 day workout into a success.

Motivation

One of the biggest challenges we have to deal with when exercising is staying motivated.  The 7 steps to ensure that you stay motivated with your workout routine are as follows.

• Establish The Habit Of Going And Engaging In The Routine
• Know Why You Are Doing It
• Start Slow And Do Not Try To Rush All The Exercises
• Start Simple With The Exercises We Posted
• Be consistent
• Involve Other People
• Don’t try to over do it.

The 7 points are designed to keep you on task with what you are trying to do.  Establishing the habit of going means turning your ‘should’ and ‘ought’ statements into action.  It means showing up, and performing at least half the exercises before you give yourself permission to head home.  If you are struggling to get out to the gym, know that simply getting there and changing into your workout clothes is enough to keep you motivated throughout the rest of your time.

Keeping in mind why you are exercising is another important way to stay motivated.  Know that you are becoming stronger, reducing your chance of diseases, reducing your chance of getting sick, and helping out your future self a lot.  It is important to remember that in exercising, blaming yourself or judging yourself for not living up to a lofty expectation will never help.

Starting slow and simple means that you do not try to rush or add too much additional exercising to what is listed.  It is common to be very motivated, especially at the start.  Keep that in check and you will reduce your chance of burnout as well as injury.  In addition, taking the time to do each of the exercises correctly will provide far better results after the 15 days than attempting to rush them.

Being consistent means getting through each of the exercises to the best of your ability.  You will have to push yourself at times to finish a set.  Know that it will be more than worth it in the future.

Staying motivated can mean engaging other people in your workout.  Post about what you are doing, get family and social support, and even try to engage others who can join you.  Doing so will provide ample reasons for you to continue exercising, even if your interest isn’t there personally.

As a final point, we reiterate what we’ve said again and again, don’t try to overdo it.  Take the middle path, and push yourself as you follow the guide but don’t try to stress your body to the point where it is harmful.  Work to identify your limitations, and best of luck as you succeed in completing the 15day woman bodyweight challenge!

The post 15-Day Bodyweight Challenge appeared first on The Active Health.

While there are some negatives to playing video games—there’s no denying that they stop us from getting outside! —there are also some benefits. Surprisingly, playing video games can help our physical, mental, and emotional health. We improve in ways that we never expected, whether we’re playing World of Warcraft with our friends, playing Call of Duty alone, or even pulling out the Wii Fit.

Let’s look at all the surprising ways that playing videos games is helping our health. Just what type of benefits are we seeing? Here’s a look at 12 surprising health benefits of playing video games.

Just a Note of Caution

Before we do get into this list of surprising health benefits, this isn’t an excuse to spend all day, every day on the games. I still believe in moderation and limitation.

Similarly, to eating chocolate and junk food, it’s a case of doing everything in moderation. That means you still need to get outside and take part in other physical activity. Some of the social benefits do not beat the benefits of physically meeting up with friends.

In moderation, you will find that you can take advantage of the benefits. While we have an Xbox in the house, playing time is limited to weekends. This helps to keep the focus on family time during the week but still allow some fun and online gaming for a few hours a week to gain the benefits.

There Is the Ability to Overcome Dyslexia

If you suffer from dyslexia, there is some excellent news. Video gaming has shown some benefits in overcoming the mental disability. While researchers don’t fully understand dyslexia and why it only affects some people, there are some theories, and there’s no denying the results of the studies.

One of the theories is that attention problems lead to dyslexia. The benefit of computer games is that they force you to concentrate for long periods of time. Chances are you won’t even realize that you’re concentrating for these long periods of time.

The games are full of changing sceneries. You must read instructions that pop up, with often voices speaking the text that shows up. There are instructions that you need to follow and missions that you need to complete. This isn’t just in the military games like Call of Duty and Gears of War, either. Some of the more child-friendly games like Disney’s Infinity and Skylander involve missions to complete and ever changing and growing sceneries.

You must focus so intently that your brain changes the way that it is made up. There are still studies to understand this benefit further.

Your Vision May Improve

This seems to be completely opposite to the old belief that if you sat too close to the computer or TV, then your vision would be negatively affected. Well, you’re not actually going to sit that close to the TV with most computer games now, since the cords for the controllers are much longer. We’re able to sit on the opposite side of the room.

Other studies have shown that computer gaming can improve your vision. You’re forced to look for details on the screen and distinguish between different shades of the same color. This ability becomes useful in the real world, as you will find it easier to distinguish betweencolors when you’re walking. You’ll notice smaller details.

At the same time, people with lazy eyes have shown improvement. This was in studies where the good eye was covered, so the gamer was forced to view through the lazy eye. Remember that the eyes are surrounding by muscles. By strengthening the muscles, the lazy eye issue was corrected somewhat to the point where it was no longer a problem.

You Can Become More Physical

Computer games have come a long way since they were first invented. At one time, they involved children and adults sitting for hours at a time to complete missions and get to the end of the game. I remember when you had to sit for hours to complete levels because there was no save function—I’m still not past Level 8.2 of the original Mario!

Now, computer games involve a physical aspect. There is Just Dance, the Wii Fit, Guitar Hero and more. They involve you standing and dancing around the room. You can build your muscles, improve posture, and focus on weight loss.

And you can still become more physically active even if you don’t use these types of games. Children who play sports games are more likely to become interested in those sports outside of the home. They join teams or practice the skills they see in the game in real life. Some will play with their friends and others will develop the skills on their own.

Parents can help by encouraging their children to get out more. Find out what games they’re interested in and develop a way to help them take the game and play outside.

There Are Creativity Benefits

Creativity does lead to health benefits, and video games certainly develop creativity. This applies to all types of games.

Let’s start with the military and shooting games. You need to get through the missions, figure out where to go, and learn all about the different weapons. You sometimes need to figure out creative ways to beat the bad guys, especially on the harder levels.

With sports games, you sometimes need to get to a level a little differently to normal. Or you will come up with new tricks on the snowboard or skateboard.

And then there are the creation games like Minecraft and the Sims. You get to create families, build houses, and create worlds. You’ll soon develop universes and create characters that had never existed before. You get to tell a story through the games, which develops with each round that you play.

The creativity passes through to your abilities in life. You start to find a new way to handle situations in real life, and you will become far more valuable at work. There’s a better job satisfaction, which will help to boost your mental health. There is even the ability to escape the rat race and create your own business to support your family yourself with more financial freedom.

Improve the Memory and Other Cognitive Abilities

We hear all the time about how we need to keep our brains working to keep the function at the highest level. While many of us focus on crosswords and Sudoku puzzles, there’s no denying that computer games may be able to help. Just think about the amount that your brain must do while you’re playing the games.

Over time, you will start to recognize patterns in the games, and you need to remember missions, characters, what various items in the games do, and much more. While you’re looking for creative ways to get through the stages, you will keep the brain ticking.

There are also games created specifically to help train the brain. The Wii Fit has a game that makes you do math problems, hitting balls to answer the questions by moving your hips. You’re working physically and mentally at the same time. There are others where you will need to perform memory tasks, or you’ll be asked to answer other questions.

Your memory and other cognitive abilities are boosted. You’ll also feel good about yourself as your memory improves and you beat your high scores. So, while you get a boost of serotonin, you’ll also get a boost of cells. Your hippocampus grows, and you’re at a lower risk for developing the likes of Alzheimer’s and dementia in later life.

Yes, you really can fight off the aging process through gaming. The next time someone tells you to get off the game, point out that you’re just protecting your mental aging process.

Take Your Attention Off the Pain You Feel

While sitting down for too long can cause some discomfort, and you may develop repetitive strain injuries in your wrists from the controllers, video gaming can help to reduce the amount of pain that you feel.

The benefit is while you’re playing the video games, you’re taking your mind off the pain that you feel. Your focus is on the game—something that you’re enjoying. You’ll forget the pain that was there.

I can guarantee that this works. I still remember as a child when I had a stomach ache on the way to a friend’s house. We only played a couple of video games, but I completely forgot about the stomach pain!

While playing the video games, you’re also releasing endorphins, the painkiller hormone. You’re boosting the body’s natural ability to get rid of the pain that you feel.

The next time you feel some pain, sit on the couch and play a level of your favorite game for 20 minutes or so. You’ll soon find that pain reduces because you’re not thinking about it.

Improve Your Social Skills and Build Connections

You’ll find your social skills improve while you’re playing games. Most units now can connect online and chat to other people who are playing the games. Some of the chats are live and through headsets, while others are through forums connected to the games.

You get to know other people and build connections in life. Everyone celebrates together, and there’s a feeling of belonging.

There’s also the ability to improve your social skills while under pressure. You may need to set out orders to your team members while playing a co-op shooting game while under fire from the enemy. There’s a stress aspect, and you need to make aclear and concise communication to let people know where you are and what you need them to do.

You’ll find that communication in the office will be much easier. Communication with your family will be improved, especially when you feel under pressure or stressed. You’ll feel more positive about your skills and will find networking much easier.

Forge Deeper Friendships with People

Humans needs interaction and socialization. We may say that we like to be on our own, but isolation leads to negative feelings. The more isolated we feel, the more we end up struggling with depression and anxiety.

Playing video games helps to forge deeper friendships. Remember there is that ability to develop connections and network with people. You connect with people who have similar interests. You may not be in the same town or even the same country, but you find people who are very much like you. While you may never meet up in person, there are individuals who you can turn to online when you have a problem.

This feeling of being accepted for who you are is important. You start to feel like you can open and you will find it easier to forge friendships elsewhere.

With video gaming comes conventions and meet and greets. You get to meet others interested in the same things in person. You can go to them with friends and find other things that you have in common.

Studies have shown that this can also help those with autism. There is the ability to forge some social interaction without the extra pressure. You all communicate through achievements, and everyone feels like they belong.

Make Faster Decisions to Improve Your Life

You must think fast with some of the video games. You need to decide the paths to take, the missions to do, and the actions to perform to get tasks done. All these require decision-making skills.

This isn’t necessarily about learning how to make the right decision. It’s about learning how to decide. Being indecisive can affect your mental and physical health. You take risks where you wouldn’t necessarily need to or find that you stall in your job and that affects your mental health. Your friends don’t include you in plans because of your lack of decision making, so you end up feeling left out.

Playing video games means that you must make decisions now and then. These don’t always have to be right, but it’s about standing behind those decisions and making them in a split second. You need to act calmly under pressure and get through to the next stage.

You’ll soon find that those new skills will benefit you in real life. Feel good about yourself and progress with friends and in work.

This will also help to improve your cognitive and memory abilities, connecting us to the health benefit above. Faster decisions mean you recall memories better and improve the rate of cell growth and repair.

Curb Your Food Cravings to Keep Your Weight Down

How often have you wanted to snack when you’re playing video games? We see all those movies and TV shows where there’s a gamer surrounding by chips and pop, but can you honestly say that that is you?

When you’re playing a game, your focus is on what’s on screen. Your hands are busy with the controller. You don’t have the time to pick up food and eat it. You’ll be lucky if you get a drink in now and then!

Plus, your mind is completely off the thought of snacks. It’s busy.

Most snacking and cravings are due to emotions. We’re bored or stressed, so we reach for something to keep us busy. Well, we’re already solving that issue with the computer games. To top it off, we feel good about playing because we’re having fun, so we don’t want to snack.

Curbing cravings will help you lose weight. You focus on healthy eating, and you can reduce the health problems associated with obesity. Missing sugar isn’t something that you experience anymore, so you don’t feel like you’re on a diet and feel great about yourself.

Keep Stress to a Minimum

We all have stress for some reason or another. Some of us have high-stress jobs, while finances or the home life is a problem for others. It’s how we handle the stress that affects our health. Video gaming can help to keep the stress levels to a minimum naturally in a variety of ways.

Let’s first consider the benefit of taking our mind off things. We become so engrossed in the games that we forget about the reasons for the stress. If you struggle on a night with stress and poor sleep, you could find that a bit of video gaming helps. It will help you unwind from a long day, and you focus purely on the missions in front of you.

While you’re not getting rid of the reason for the stress, you’re stopping it taking over your life. You still want to reduce the reasons, but you stand a better chance when you have an outlet.

At the same time, you’re improving your decision making, creative abilities, and overcoming some other mental health problems. You’ll find easier ways to overcome the reasons for the stress, helping you to battle the problems head on. There’s no need for you to manage the symptoms because the symptoms stop appearing.

When work throws a project at you at the last minute, it won’t send you into a panic. You’ll step into your video gaming mode and treat it as a mission. You’ll work out a plan of attack, delegate to others, and make those snap decisions that will see the mission complete. Your boss will appreciate you for this.

If you’re struggling with finances, you’ll look at the steps that you can take to improve your situation. You’ll sit down with a plan to tackle it, instead of letting the stress take over your life.

And then there’s the ability to release more happy hormones when you’re playing games. More happy hormones mean fewer stress hormones in your body. Your mental state will be improved, keeping the physical downsides of stress at bay.

Gamers Are Better Surgeons

The final surprising health benefit is for those who are training or have become surgeons. One of the biggest benefits is that you’ll be able to do more intricate surgeries without as many errors. This has been noted in studies!

When you play video games, your hands are always working. You must look at the details on the screen, make quick decisions, and keep the stress levels down. You must work within small spaces while controlling the accuracy on your targets.

Surgeons must work in small spaces, and there is no room for error at times. Wouldn’t you prefer a surgeon who is confident with their hands because of computer games?

It’s Time to Play More Video Games

You have all the reasons in the world to play more video games daily. Yes, they are surprisingly good for you but only in moderation. Spend 20-30 minutes a day at the end of the day playing the games. Think about the types of games you play and the things you do around the game playing to make sure you’re living the healthiest life possible.

Children are more likely to socialize, and they do still get outside. As a parent, you can encourage this. You’re not banning all computer games but encouraging other forms of activity and socializing. You’re helping to develop a full-rounded individual.

There’s no denying that there are some skills and cognitive benefits to gaming. You’ll improve your memory and decision-making skills, making it so much easier to tackle stress and problems in the home and workplace.

Include some gaming as part of your weekly routine. We stick to the weekend, but you could opt for a few minutes at the end of a hard work day. Think about the different types of games, including building and physical games to improve the whole health while playing.

The post 12 Surprising Health Benefits of Playing Video Games appeared first on The Active Health.

Even if we don’t sit at a desk, neck pain can be a problem. We tend to sleep in awkward positions or sit on the couch in poor ways for our spines.

Neck pain doesn’t just cause problems with this part of our body. We’re more at risk of developing headaches and pain in other parts of our body. Everything is connected to this top part of our spine.

So, it’s time to find relief. The great news is that yoga will help to strengthen and support the neck. If you suffer from neck pain daily, you need to try the following nine yoga exercises. No, you don’t need to join a yoga class to benefit!

Do the Stretching Cat Daily

One of the first exercises you will want to do is the stretching cat. Start on all fours and curl your spine upwards, drawing your head downwards towards your knees. You will stretch the back of your neck out.

Now lift your head up and push your chest towards the floor. You should get an arch to your back and stretch out the front of your neck.

As you get used to this, you can take the back-arching part of the exercise one step further. Push yourself forward on your hands and allow your hips to sit on the floor. Keep your upper body off the floor, so you have a full arch in your back. Look up to the ceiling, stretching your neck out fully.

Return to the curled-up cat position. Keep yourself in the positions for 30 seconds to really allow the muscles chance to stretch fully.

Do 10 cycles of the exercise, breathing evenly and slowly at the same time. This helps to clear your mind and focus better, as well as ease neck pain.

Try Out the Child Pose

Stay on all fours for the next exercise. You want to do a yoga technique that is called the child’s pose. It helps to stretch the whole spine out, easing tension and improving posture. This is another excellent yoga exercise for reducing stress in your whole body and mind.

From all fours, move, so you are sitting on your feet, keeping your hands where they are. You’ll feel yourself stretching the whole back and shoulders out. Keep your head down towards the floor, helping to stretch the back of your neck out.

Hold the position for 30 seconds, while breathing naturally. Pull yourself back up into the all fours position and then repeat the child’s pose 10 times. You can hold the pose for longer if you would like.

If you have high blood pressure, you will want to avoid the child’s pose as it does lead to further blood pressure issues.

Switch Up to the Thunderbolt Exercise

You can develop on the child’s pose and do the thunderbolt exercise instead. This is an asymmetrical exercise that helps to stretch out one side of your neck, so you’ll want to alternate the side as you do it.

Start by kneeling up with your arms behind your back. Slowly drop forward with your body across your knees and head on the floor. Your head will need to turn to one side so it can lay flat. Keep your butt on your heels, so your butt is higher than your hips, and you keep a straight back.

Hold the position for 30 seconds to a minute and then return to a kneeling up position. You can finish off by lifting one arm up into the air when you straighten your whole back out and turn your head back to looking forward.

Try Out the Cobra Pose

It’s time to lay down flat on your front and try out the cobra pose. It’s another asymmetrical pose, so you’ll need to remember to do it on both sides to get the full benefit.

Start with your head turning one side as you lay down. Put your arms behind your back and then lift your chest off the ground. Look forward as you do this and bring one hand around to touch your forehead. You’ll feel the arm on your back and the stretch in your neck.

Lower to the ground, facing your head the opposite way you had it. Repeat this, but bringing the opposite hand to your forehead instead.

This is one that you need to remember you’re breathing on. It’s easy to hold your breath, but this causes more stress to build up in your body!

Hold the pose for if you can before be returning to the laying down position. The more often you do this, the easier you will find it to hold the pose for longer.

Lay Your Ear on Your Shoulder

It’s time to move into the sitting position for this exercise. Cross your legs and place your hands on your knees. Keep your back straight and really focus on stretching it out to support your alignment.

Keep the head facing forward, so your spine works straight up to the top of your neck. Tilt the head to one side, so your ear rests on your shoulder. You should feel the pull in the side of your neck up the other shoulder. Hold the position for 30 seconds.

It’s important not to force the ear actually to sit on your shoulder. You don’t want to pull the muscles in your neck but stretch them. Let the weight of your head ease the muscles out and unwind the knots.

Watch out for letting your head tilt forwards or backward. You run the risk of injuring your neck by stretching the wrong muscles out. You’ll know if you do this from where you feel the stretching of the neck muscles. The pull should be straight from your shoulder, across the top and then up into the ear.

You can develop this slightly once you get used to the position. With one arm, pull your head down gently, placing the other hand on your shoulder. This helps to deepen the stretch without causing injury.

Pull Your Arm Across Your Body

This asymmetrical pose is commonly used in cool-down exercises for those who train. It’s useful for stretching both the back and the neck, and something that you can do at work, at home, and even at the gym.

Remain sitting with your legs crossed and your spine straight. Pull one arm across the chest, keeping it straight and avoiding a twist in your back. Place your other arm either just below or just above your elbow—do not place it directly on the joint!

Squeeze your arm into your chest. You should feel the pull across your triceps and into your shoulder blade.

Turn your head in the opposite direction to the way your arm is stretched out as if you’re looking over that pulled out shoulder. You’ll feel the stretch in your neck as you do it.

Hold the position for 30 seconds and then return your arms to the side. Repeat this on the other side and keep doing this until you’ve done 10 repetitions on both sides.

Try Out the Corpse Pose

Okay, so this pose sounds a little morbid, but it is one of the best for stretching your neck and easing neck pain. No matter what you’ve done, you’ll be able to do this pose.

You simply lay on your back and remain there. You want your legs and arms outstretched, with a straight line running from your feet to the top of your head. The whole point is to focus on keeping the alignment in the spine.

Avoid crossing your legs at all, as this will just cause your spine to misalign while lying in the position.

If you find it painful on your lower back to lay like this, then you can put some support under your upper back. This helps to take some of the pressure off the tendons and arteries in your lower back.

Do not do this pose if you are pregnant. You shouldn’t lay on your back at all, especially in the second and third trimesters. There is an artery in your back that the baby can rest on when you lay on your back, causing problems for your blood flow.

When in this position, remain as still as possible. You want to remain like this for up to 15 minutes.

Place Your Legs Up on the Wall

This is a slight adaption to your corpse pose. You want to lay flat on your back but with your legs against the wall. It’s almost like you’re sitting on the wall!

Allow your arms to reach out to the sides and keep your face looking up at the ceiling. This helps to keep your neck in line with the rest of your spine.

You can support your lower back with the use of a rolled-up blanket under the arch. This is useful if you have a large arch in your back or suffer from any lower back pain.

Let your whole body relax while in this position. Focus on your breathing and remain like this for up to 10 minutes. If you start to feel numb in the legs, get out of the position and allow the blood flow to return to them.

Like the corpse pose, avoid this exercise if you are pregnant.

Do the Bridge Pose

Finally, it’s time to move onto the bridge pose. This involves you laying on your back. Plant your feet firmly on the floor about shoulder-width apart and place your hands on your hips for support.

Push your lower back and butt off the floor, so only your shoulders, head, hands, and feet remain in contact. You will feel your thigh muscles and core working to keep you in the position, as your upper back, shoulders, and neck are stretched and supported.

Hold the position for 30 seconds, keeping your chin tucked in. Lower down slowly and then take a 15-30 second break. Repeat the exercise 10 times.

You don’t want to move your feet while you’re in this pose, as that will disrupt your spinal alignment. Make sure you’re ready to move straight into the bridge. While in the bridge, keep a straight line from your chest to your knees.

Again, this is an exercise you shouldn’t do if you’re pregnant.

Work on Your Alignment

It’s important to focus on your spinal alignment, and you can do that by working on your posture. Think about the way you sit at work and how that can throw your spine out of line. When at your desk, keep both feet firm on the floor, sitting on the upper butt against the back of the chair. You can purchase supports to help protect the natural arch in your spine.

Get your computer so that the screen is at eye level. You shouldn’t have to tip your head forward or backward to see your screen. You also want your desk high to be just right for resting your arms on it. It’s also worth investing in cushioned rolls to support your wrists on the computer keyboard.

When standing, make sure you keep your shoulders back and your head up. Don’t walk looking down. Not only are you preventing yourself from seeing where you go when you look down, but you’re causing your neck to stretch in ways that are unnatural.

With better alignment and the above yoga poses, you will find that you ease off and relax the muscles. Your posture is improved, and you won’t suffer as much neck pain daily.

The post 9 Yoga Exercises for Neck Pain Treatment appeared first on The Active Health.

One of the biggest challenges people have is finding a way to achieve their goals.  We want to help you by solving this big issue and providing a comprehensive 30-Day Ab Crunch Challenge.  A full guide that you can follow below, you can use the 30 days listed to do some different abs related exercises to train the upper, mid, and lower parts of your abs.  Along with discussing how the exercises are done, you will have a day by day understanding of what you should be doing.  Adding on more and more reps over time, you will find yourself constantly challenged and improved over the course of the 30-day challenge.

Targeting Different Sections

A 30-Day Abs crunch challenge will get you very little unless you target different parts of your abs and work them separately.  Below we look specifically at the lower Ab Workouts (LAW), the Midsection Ab Workouts (MAW), and the Upper Ab Workouts (UAW).

The 30-day abs crunch challenge further below will refer to the workout categories listed below.  Your objective is to find one or two of the exercises in each group that you can do kcv and have them ready for when it gets time to start crunching.  The following list of exercises is a few and not all the ones available.  They will allow you to not only target the part you want to target but as compound exercises provide strength training to the rest of your abs and front as well.

Lower Ab Workouts (LAW)

Heel Taps: Heel taps include lying with your back to the ground and your hand’s palm down flat by your side.  Lifting feet into a table top position, slowly lower each foot separately until it just touches the ground.  Raise the leg by squeezing your abdomen.

Mountain Climber: Mountain climber involves beginning in a high plank position with your arms below you, butt raised, and legs down.  Individually, take your feet and draw your knee to your abdomen under you before bring it back.  Repeat with the other foot.

Rolling Plank: The rolling plank is a challenging ab workout where start in a low plank position.  Holding for 10 seconds, you lean on your right arm and raise your other arm up before going back, holding in the middle, and then holding on the other side.

Scissor: The scissor starts out similarly with you on your back.  Your hands will go behind your head.  Lift your head and shoulders off the floor.  One at a time kick, your legs all the way up and then back down to the floor using your abdomen as your primary muscle.

Straight Leg Raise: The straight leg raise is quite simple.  Simply lay on your back as you would with the heel taps and raise both your legs in the air at the same time.

Midsection Ab Workouts (Also Known as Oblique’s) or (MAW)

The midsection of your abs includes your rectus abdominous, your obliques, serratus, and your intercostals.  While crunches will show up in all sectional abs workouts, they most appear here when dealing with the center of your abs.

Crunches: Crunches are a familiar workout that involves lying on your back with your knees up and feet down.  Hands behind your head, you use your abs to pull your front up.

Reverse Crunches: Reverse crunches provide some variation to typical crunches.  Laying on your back with your legs up and your calves at a 45-degree angle to your thighs, lean backward with your hands down and bring your legs over your head.

Cable Crunches: Cable crunches require a cable that can provide variable resistance for you.  On your knees, bring your hands to your chest while holding the cable.  Lean forward and down, using your abs to work against the resistance of the cable.

Upper Ab Workouts (UAW)

Cable Crunches: While we used cable crunches in the mid abs section to target the oblique’s, we can use them in the upper abs workout as well.  While kneeling, grab hold of the cable and have both hands on either side of your head.  Bend from an upright position to one that is 45 degrees slanted.  Do not allow your hips to move while you do this.

Swiss Ball Weighted Crunches: The Swiss ball weighted crunches make use of a Swiss ball.  With the Swiss ball behind you, press your mid back into the ball and your hands firmly on your head.  Slowly begin extending backward beyond being parallel to the floor before coming back up to where you started.

Wide Leg Cross Sit Ups: The wide leg cross sit ups target your upper abs as well as your oblique’s.  Begin by lying flat on the ground with your feet extended shoulder length apart in front of you.  Holding one hand to the side of your head, raise your body and bring your other hand to the opposite foot.  Repeat with the other hand and continue to alternate.

The 30-Day Ab Crunch Challenge

Below is a list of what you will be doing on all 30 days of the 30-Day Ab Crunch Challenge.  The challenge works by seeing the total number you must do and selecting an abs workout in that category that challenges you.  So, for Day 3, you will do 30 total crunches focusing on upper abs workout.  Chances are you will gain strength while doing this and you are more than encouraged to keep the challenge optimal by adding additional weights.  Try to do at least 10 in any set you choose and try to limit them to 15-25 per set depending on the exercise.  Giving your body a minute to recover after each set will benefit you greatly in the long run.

There are 7 days off during the 30-Day Ab Crunch Challenge.  Do not try to train through these days.  Days off are just as important as days spent training.  The reason why you are taking days off is to give your body the time it needs to heal and repair itself.  Your muscles need this time not only to recover, but also grow and become stronger.  Exercising these muscle groups during your time off will limit your growth, set you back, and dramatically increase the chance that you will injure yourself.

• Day 1 – 20 Total (LAW) Crunches
• Day 2 – 25 Total (MAW) Crunches
• Day 3 – 30 Total (UAW) Crunches
• Day 4 – Off
• Day 5 – 40 Total (LAW) Crunches
• Day 6 – 45 Total (MAW) Crunches
• Day 7 – 50 Total (UAW) Crunches
• Day 8 –  Off
• Day 9 – 60 Total (LAW) Crunches
• Day 10 – 65 Total (MAW) Crunches
• Day 11 – 70 Total (UAW) Crunches
• Day 12 – Off
• Day 13 – 80 Total (LAW) Crunches
• Day 14 – 85 Total (MAW) Crunches
• Day 15 – 90 Total (UAW) Crunches
• Day 16 – Off
• Day 17 – 100 Total (LAW) Crunches
• Day 18 – 105 Total (MAW) Crunches
• Day 19 – 110 Total (UAW) Crunches
• Day 20 – Off
• Day 21 – 115 Total (LAW) Crunches
• Day 22 – 120 Total (MAW) Crunches
• Day 23 – 125 Total (UAW) Crunches
• Day 24 – Off
• Day 25 – 130 Total (LAW) Crunches
• Day 26 – 135 Total (MAW) Crunches
• Day 27 – 140 Total (UAW) Crunches
• Day 28 Off
• Day 29 – 145 Total (LAW) Crunches
• Day 30 – 150 Total (MAW) Crunches

Notes

Day 29 and Day 30

For day 29 and day 30, we repeat the same routine you have been doing up to this point.  While it cuts off the upper abs workout, you will still have gained plenty of strength by this point.  If you want to, you can substitute the last two days with a full upper, middle, and lower abs workout combined.  Choose one activity from each category and do roughly 50 of each.

Showing Definition

Want a 6 pack?  There are 2 things you must do.  The first things you must do are targeting the muscle groups and exercise them.  Doing so will help the muscles grow and stick out.  The second thing you must do is reduce the body fat covering those muscles up.  Regardless of your gender, we as humans accumulate body fat around our midsection.  The best way for you to remove this fat is through diet and exercise.  While the crunch challenge listed above will provide exercise, you will want to pair it with proper nutrition as well as anaerobic activity to get the best possible results.  Don’t worry, we won’t leave you hanging.  Below we talk about aerobic exercise, nutrition, and staying motivated.

Aerobic Exercise

Every day that you are doing crunches, you will also want to be doing aerobic exercise.  Aerobic exercise involves increasing your heart rate above your resting rate and keeping it there for 30 minutes to an hour.  You can achieve this through brisk walking, jogging, running, swimming, biking, rowing, and any other task that keeps you moving.  While gym equipment can help you with aerobic exercise, you can also achieve it at home using things like jump ropes, treadmills, or other devices.  Regardless of what you do, make sure you do it first thing in the morning before you eat breakfast.  You will want to get in after your body is recovering (sleep) and before you begin consuming calories.  Exercising at this point will guarantee you the best chance of pulling from your fat reserves.  It will also make your metabolism more efficient for the subsequent breakfast helping you better digest and store less as fat thus!

Eating Healthy

Do not try a diet where you are losing more than a pound a week by calorie means alone.  Engaging in aerobic exercise as well as the 30-day abs crunch challenge will mean that your body will need calories.  We suggest you eating a number of calories appropriate for an individual of your age, weight, and gender on a low exercise course.  As for the food, you eat, try to go healthy and watch portion sizes on smaller things.  Liquid calories are worthless (like for alcohol or soda) and try to stay away from them.  Prioritize nuts, grains, fruits veggies, and especially protein.  If you do not eat healthily, then any amount of exercising will provide only limited results at best.

Staying Motivated

Staying motivated is one of the most difficult parts of any workout.  Thankfully, the 30-day abs challenge can help keep you motivated thanks to its design.  You will know precisely what you are doing and when.  You will have an end goal to reach towards.  One of the best ways to stay motivated is by bringing another people in.  Use social media to get out the message and get feedback.  Try to get other people to join you or even watch motivational videos.  Staying motivated means first and foremost doing.  Even if you are absolutely against doing crunches on a day, at least get changed and ready.  If you go through the process of getting changed, getting to where you exercise, and assuming the first position and you still do not want to do them, then don’t.  Chances are however if you take all the steps, you will find a lot of motivation down the road.

The 30-Day Ab Crunch Challenge is an exciting way to set fun fitness goals and get great results.  It can also be the first step in a long and healthy life.  You will exit the 30-Day Ab Crunch Challenge with a far better understanding of what your body is capable.  You will be stronger, and more ready to approach other kinds of exercise.  You will also have a great personal example of having worked towards a goal while maintaining a schedule.

The post 30-Day Ab Crunch Challenge appeared first on The Active Health.

Strength training helps to burn fat and build muscle at the same time. More muscle needs more calories, so you end up burning far more while in a resting state. You’ll also get the shape that you desire, rather than just seeing the numbers on the scales drop.

You may be tempted to add resistance bands into your home workout. These are certainly worth considering to be included into strength training. They offer a world of benefits without costing a fortune.

Just why are resistance bands so powerful? Here are 10 reasons to add them into your home workout today.

The Most Cost Effective Option

Out of all the home equipment that you could purchase, resistance bands are the most cost effective options. They allow you to do a range of exercises for less than $10 in the majority of cases.

You can get some resistance bands with other home workout products. Home DVD workouts, like Pilates DVDs, will include a set of resistance bands and a yoga ball in the majority of cases. However, you can buy them on their own for very little.

The products that work anywhere near as close to resistance bands are dumbbells or free standing weights. They can cost into the hundreds depending on the weight you want.

There’s no need to keep increasing the weight with resistance bands. You can get various sizes and elasticity to suit your current capabilities or you can double up to do tougher exercises when you need to.

This leads us to the next benefit.

They Are Suitable for All Capabilities

Whether you’re just starting out with home workouts or your strength is excellent, you will find resistance bands beneficial. They come in a variety of resistances, with some “heavy” options being the hardest ever to pull.

From there, you’re doing bodyweight exercises. You’re rely on your own body strength to improve as you pull on the resistance bands. This will take time, which means you get plenty of use out of each resistance.

If you get to the point of being in-between resistances or the heaviest one isn’t enough, you can add more resistance bands. You’re still keeping the cost down and offering more tension to further build your muscles.

You Work on the Whole Body

Gone are the days where one part of your body needs one piece of equipment and then you need something else for another part of your body. Resistance bands offer a full-body workout without the need to lots of equipment. You just need one or two bands to start with and you can build up to incorporate more if you need.

The bands just need to be looped around something and tied. Some will even have grips to keep the tied sections for certain exercises to keep you safe.

You can pull the bands around your waist, around a foot, or even connect to stationary items to build your strength.

With resistance bands you get to work on every single muscle in the body. All you need are the workouts to boost that ability.

Save So Much Space in Your Home

We all have a problem with storage space. There’s only so much equipment we can fit into our homes. If we have a tendency to move home a lot, then we have the issue of trying to find somewhere new with enough space for our equipment.

That isn’t the case with the resistance bands. You can fold them up and pop them in a drawer. There’s no need for the excuse of not enough room.

You can even have multiple bands stored around the house with ease. If you want to do a workout in the bedroom, there’s no excuse of your bands being downstairs when you have a set for each room!

Some are bigger than others, but all will be small enough to fit in even the tiniest of places.

Easy to Travel With

Since they are so easy to store, they are also extremely easy to travel with. Some resistance bands even come with a waterproof cover because they are so travel friendly.

If you have a habit of getting out on the road a lot and worry about your exercise routine, there’s no issue. You can take your bands with you in your bag or in the car. They are always there for when you need to pull them out and do a workout. The only thing you may not be able to use is a DVD that comes with them. The simple solution is to get a list of exercises that you can do to give yourself the full body workout.

For those who need to fly, you can pop them in your luggage—hand held or check-in luggage. The workouts can be done from the comfort of your hotel room. There’s no need to pack any workout clothes that are suitable for the hotel gym or swimming pool!

No Need for Complicated Routines

New exercise equipment often means taking time to get used to it. You need to create routines that will help you build your muscles safely.

Resistance bands are extremely easy to learn and you don’t need to change your home routine at all. You can just add them to a current routine or add in a few easy to learn and familiar exercises. Chances are you’ve done things like bicep curls and shoulder presses before! You can do them with your new resistance bands.

The benefit of familiar exercise is that they make you want to use them. You don’t have to worry about not getting the exercises right or feeling silly because you can’t master a routine. After the first two attempts you’ll be sailing through.

Easily Alternate With Other Routines and Equipment

If you do have other equipment in your home, they won’t go to waste. Resistance bands sometimes just make excellent alternatives. You may only get them for when you’re on the road or just when you want to do something different.

There’s no need to follow a set routine every single day of the week. There’s no need to completely replace dumbbells or free weights. Resistance bands are complimentary exercising products that are easily incorporated into a current routine.

You may want to just add them to your regular bodyweight exercises as a way to build more muscle while you work out. You can also do them on a rest day to have a lighter form of exercise that helps your muscles build further.

At the same time, you can combine them with your current exercises. There will be some weights that work extremely well with some added resistance.

You Can Use Them without Anyone Else

There is some equipment that needs two people. While this is a safety thing, the last thing you want is to end up stuck underneath your 100lb free weights! You need someone to spot you in case it all goes wrong or you get the judgment on your abilities wrong.

This isn’t the case with resistance bands. If you get it wrong, you’re not putting yourself in danger. You’ll find it hard to do the exercises, but you don’t risk injury or even death!

There is the chance that the resistance bands will snap back at you, but this is a minor injury that you can avoid happening. Make sure both ends of the resistance bands are firmly held down to avoid the snapping back. This is a minor element to them considering you get to use them wherever and whenever you want.

They Do More Than Strengthen Muscles

Resistance bands are popular with Pilates workouts, which is why they are regularly sold with Pilates home workouts. This makes the bands one of the most resilient and effective types of equipment in the world. When you want to do more than just strengthen your body, you need to invest a small amount of money into them.

It’s possible to improve flexibility and stamina through the use of resistance bands. Physios tend to recommend them for their patients recovering from surgery. They are light when it comes to intensity but powerful ways to train and build the body.

You get to choose the amount of resistance. Buy both light and medium if you’re not too sure and test them out. Neither is a waste of money. If you need the light, you’ll build your way up to medium. If you need medium, you can use light with the medium later to add more resistance easily.

You get to work every single muscle in the body, making resistance bands one of the most effective options around. Definitely worth the money.

They Come in Multiple Styles and Colours

While we say that you should get equipment because of what it does, there’s no denying that there’s an element of style to it. That is especially the case when it comes to weights and resistance bands. There’s a reason they come in multiple colours.

The great news is that resistance bands come in a variety of colours and styles. You can get plain red ones with rubbery latex for very little money. Blue latex is another popular option when you really want to keep the costs down.

However, there are some that have a more high quality styling to them. The materials are softer to grip and they can even have handles to make them safer. You can put your foot into loops to keep them on the ground and actually grip with the hands without worrying about circulation being cut off.

The colours and styles don’t affect the ability of the resistance bands. They are still just as effective, but they can look better and suit your personality, so you’re more likely to use them.

Using Resistance Bands in the Home

So, now you know why you need the resistance bands, it’s time to look at ways to use them with your home workout routine. The best way to use them is to add them to your workouts.

When you do lunges, had a resistance band in both your hands. Pull the band apart with each lunge you do and then release when you step out of the lunge. You will work your upper body and back with the band, while the lunges work on your legs. You can do the same with squats.

When push ups get too easy for you, add a resistance band around your shoulder and tuck under both hands. You add an extra element when you push yourself back up from the ground.

You can also pop the band under one foot and pull up with one arm. It’s like a bicep curl but without the dumbbells!

It really is easy to add a resistance band workout to any home workout routine.

It’s Time to Add Resistance Bands to Your Workout

Now it’s time to look at adding a new element to your exercise routine. Home workouts can get boring, so it’s worth adding something new. Resistance bands are powerful and effective. They are so easy to use and don’t take up that much space at all. You’ll be able to travel with them, so you get to do your exercise on the go!

Resistance bands really are one of the cheapest types of exercise equipment you will find on the market. Even the most high-tech options are cheaper than getting a full home gym set up. You’ll still get all the same elements to your workout routine that dumbbells and standing weight machines give you. In fact, the resistance bands can make you work harder.

Just look at the 10 benefits of adding resistance bands to your strength training home workout. What reason do you have for not adding them to your own routine?

The post Why Strength Training with Resistance Bands is a Perfect Home Workout appeared first on The Active Health.

Thankfully, there is a way that you can achieve your health and wellbeing goals.  No, it does not involve fad diets or the flavor of the month ‘miracle’ weight loss supplements.  Rather, it involves establishing a healthy gym routine.  Throughout the course of these tips, we will cover how you can start the habit of going to the gym and keep it.  We will review common pitfalls and events that can knock us off course.  Note that you do not necessarily have to go to the gym to establish a healthy exercise routine, though it can help significantly depending on your personality, availability, and intended goals.

Establishing the Habit of Going

An eastern philosophy prominent in Hinduism is the emphasis of your action over your thought.  Going out and doing something is argued to be worth infinitely more than simply thinking it.  The first and the most fundamentally thing you can do are to establish the habit of going to the gym.

Begin by looking at gyms near you.  The clear majority are online and can provide information on available workout machines, what the free weight section is like, costs, available hours, and the like.  Find one and sign up.  Your first task, doing this will start you off on the right track.

Once you have signed up, look at your calendar and begin defining goals.  Remember that words like ‘should’ and ‘ought’ work against you by placing an unfair personal criticism on a task that you are doing for your own good.   Keep personal judgment out of this and focus instead on setting the time aside to get to the gym, be there for approximately an hour, and come back.  It does not need to be every day.  At a minimum, try for twice a week to start out with.

You may experience issues with motivation.  This doesn’t make you weak; rather it re-affirms that you are human.  Many of us don’t like exercising, but we keep to it even when we don’t want to.  This comes from training that you will develop when going through this process.  Don’t expect to enter it with the perfect ‘can-do’ attitude.  Rather, know that it is perfectly normal not to want to go now and begin working to push past that.  Remember, the excuses you come up with are never more justified than simply going to the gym.

Make going to the gym your habit.  Even if you absolutely hate the idea of workout out on the day you are supposed to go in, go anyway.  Make yourself the following promise.  If you go, sign in, change your clothes, and then walk out onto the gym floor, then you can immediately go home.  Give yourself this option to help motivate you onto the gym floor.  9 times out of 10, you will find that when you are at that moment, you will want to work out.  Work to establish the habit of showing up, and you will already be halfway to any health goal you ever set.

Know Why You Go

While the action is more important than the thought, understanding the WHY is also a crucial way to keep up your motivation.  The most obvious reasons are health related and can sometimes backfire on us if we get into the mindset of blaming ourselves for not being healthier.  Pushing blame on how you are now will not help motivate you, will not help you feel better, and will only make the entire experience worth.  Know that every time you are stepping out the door, you are extending your life, improving the quality of your life when you are older, reducing the overall strain on your organs, muscles, ligaments, and bones, helping to fight back depression, anxiety, and stress, helping with arthritis now and in the future, helping to reduce death and complications from heart disease, and even helping to reduce the risk of and quicken the recovery time after cancer.  The list you just read is a bare minimum of the actual benefits you get.

Knowing why you go means understanding why you don’t.  Tasty food is a short-term mood lifter.  It can affect our emotional state for the better.  It can become a habit.  We as people have a complex relationship with food.  Often, it is our reward or at least a reward we can derive joy from.  Exercise, on the other hand, can be painful.  The truth is that exercise gives you long-term benefits.  We so often become unhealthy because we are far more like to look for short-term benefits rather than long-term.  We don’t exercise because without training it is hard to grasp the real reason for why it is so important or healthy.  By planning, you can create short-term goals from exercise that can keep you motivated.  You will also discover new ways that work for you to keep you from falling into the trap of the short-term gain food provides.  So, make sure you plan, start slow, and never forget why you should go and what forces will try to stop you.  We are all human, and even the best athletes among us struggle with this.

Starting Slow

Start slow and plan for the long hall.  If your goal is to run a marathon or lose weight, starting off by running 5 miles or cutting your caloric intake so much will result in you giving up before you even begin.  The BIGGEST KILLER of healthy gym habits is starting fast.  Going to fast and starting above your level will dramatically increase the chance of injury, of the exercise routine feeling impossible, and will play on any doubts or fears you have regarding the gym not being able to help you.

Going too long will dramatically increase the chance of you developing fatigue and not coming back.  Keep your exercises short and sweet.  Prioritize showing up, and take a gradual, slow start to the entire process.  You will get to your end goal in time.  Did you know that marathon runners plan for marathons 9+ months out?  The reason for doing so is to give their bodies the time they need to be trained and healthy.  The same is true for any end goal you set.  Take it one day at a time, and you will be amazed at how much progress you can make.  You will also be eternally grateful down the road.

Start Simple

Along with starting slow, you will also want to start simple.  Begin by identifying what your goals are.  Free weights can provide the strength and toning many people are looking for.  Aerobic activities like biking or running can help as well.  A mix of both is by far the best as aerobic and anaerobic activities both greatly benefit people.  When it comes to activities that are not on aerobic machines, you will want, to begin with the fundamentals.  The reason for taking a simple approach at first is that it will make your gains and future trips far more rewarding.  You will be able to expand on what you do and learn far more about exercise.  This information will keep you from injury longer, provide you with better results, and even give you the knowledge to help others.  Below we have some simple start exercises you can try.

Squats: Squats are one of those power compound exercises that manage to train a lot of your body at once.  Popular kinds of squats include front, back, box, and goblet.

Hip Hinges: The category that deadlifts fall into, Hip Hinges help to teach posture and provide a lot.  Other kinds include trap bar deadlift, sumo deadlift, Romanian deadlift, and conventional.

Single Leg: There are some exercises you can do that use one leg, including a wide range of lunges (forward, lateral, and reverse) as well as different splits and squats.

Pushing: Another great compound exercise, the category of pushing begins with simple push-ups and extends to things like the landmine press, military press, and dumbbell press.

Pulling: The opposite direction to pushing, a basic pulling exercise includes pull-ups.  Others include suitcase carries, waiter carries, and cable rows.

How many of these should you do?  When beginning, it often helps to find a weight that allows you to do an entire set without stopping but is still a little taxing.  The number of reps you do will depend on what outcome you want.  For example, 1-5 reps at a very high weight help to build very dense muscle as well as strength.  6-12 reps of a medium weight allow for muscular strength and endurance to form.  Reps that are 12+ aid in building endurance as well as the size of your muscles.  To begin, go until you find a comfortable level, record it, and go from there.  As always, a benefit of being at a gym is that you can flag down professional help and even set up a training time with a personal trainer.

Consistency

Once you get going, keep it consistent.  Consistency is the way that the challenging act of going to the gym becomes standard.  It is how your lifestyle will gradually change making the gym easier to pursue.  Consistency allows you to build from the fundamentals, growing stronger thus.  It allows you to vary your reps in a planned way that ensures continued growth and strength training.  If nothing else, it helps you make plans for future goals.  Consistency depends on making plans, scheduling things down, and keeping to your schedule.  While every person out there will miss 1 or 2 gym trips a month, try your absolute best not to make it a habit.

Make “I,” “We.”

You are in this to improve your health and wellbeing.  The only person who will ever be able to make this possible is you.  While the benefits are entirely your own, the challenges don’t have to be.  Find a group or social club to join and exercise with them.  Make friends with people who are also trying to be healthy.  Make a living a healthier lifestyle a part of your social sphere and be amazed at how much easier it becomes to maintain.  Ask for help from the people around you and be ok with them pushing you, as well as you providing the same service.  From developing complex, long lasting friendships to simply attending a group class, being with others can help you succeed.

The Middle Path

The last thing you need to consider when establishing a healthy gym routine is something we have already touched on several times but explicitly touched upon.  Choose the middle path.  We as people tend to take an all-in or all out mentality to being healthy.  It is one reason why so many of us struggle to start.  We believe we must make these incredible sacrifices when in the end, we never had to.  Know that going to the gym doesn’t have to be a make or break experience.  Know that every workout doesn’t have to be fantastic, or even enjoyable.  Try to not go less than half an hour or longer than an hour and a half.

The same is true if you are considering dieting as well.  Allow yourself the occasional treat; focus on portion sizes and getting the right nutrients.  One of the best ways we can destroy a diet or a gym routine for that matter is by setting a standard that we cannot realistically live up to.  Beyond that, keep at it.  Even if you fail the first or second time, keep trying until you establish the routine.

The post How to Establish Gym Routine Tips for Beginners appeared first on The Active Health.

This is not simply a resolution, it is a challenge to make 2017 the year you finally realize your vision of being healthy, vibrant and physically fit.

But there are many obstacles that you must face before realizing this vision.

In this article we are going to provide practical solutions and strategies to overcoming these obstacles, how to jumpstart your fitness journey, what you must do and what you must not do and we are even going to not only provide you with an example of a plan, but show you how to make your own ,specifically tailored for you.

Getting Started

If you go to any gym now of year, you will find dozens of fresh new faces who are looking to improve their bodies. They all have a shared goal of a healthier, happier life. But the truth is, most of them won’t last. Most will miss a day and never go back, or their expectations will be unrealistic, and they will give up before they can see real results.

I don’t want you to be among them. I want you to achieve these goals you have set out to do. The first thing you need to do is define exactly what it is you want. Let’s say your goal is to lose weight, how much weight exactly? How many lbs./kgs? Or maybe you want to build muscle, okay, how much muscle? Or maybe like many, you simply want to be the healthiest you have ever been?

To start, the first thing you MUST do is get specific. You can’t hit a target that isn’t clearly envisioned.

Secondly, you must ensure that your goal is not too big OR too small. The former is obvious, you must have realistic expectations (with correct diet and workout regimens you can expect a maximum of 5lbs of fat loss per week or 1lb of muscle gain per week respectively depending on your goal).

However, aiming to low can certainly have an impact on whether you stand a chance of achieving the goal. When we aim low, we often don’t push ourselves and don’t feel the surge of motivation to make a massive change in our lives. Dream big, be specific and have an actionable and reasonable plan to get there.

More Things to Do

Don’t Forget the Diet

When making any major change to your health, there is two major factor to consider. The first is exercise and the second, diet.

Diet is something people often let take a back seat to exercise, but the truth is BOTH are needed. Without exercise, you will get healthier if you improve your diet but you won’t gain muscle much if at all and you won’t lose weight nearly as fast.

However, without the diet, it doesn’t matter how much exercise you do, you won’t make much progress if any. Always have a meal plan, always keep track of the quality and quantity of your food and drink and don’t forget the importance of diet.

Keep Records

Keep records of progress. This will have two hugely positive impacts upon your journey towards becoming the healthiest you have ever been.

Firstly by keeping records, you can track your progress and see the pace at which you are improving much easier, this will allow you to see progress every workout, that extra 30 seconds on the treadmill, that extra rep on the bench, seeing these small incremental improvements makes up for the slow physical results and will keep you motivated with constant progress always being made.

Don’t Take an Unplanned Day Off

The instant you decide you can’t be bothered one day, your chances of fulfilling your goal decrease dramatically. Taking a day off every now and then is fine, but if you don’t plan this and just allow yourself to slip, you subconsciously give yourself permission to slack in the future. If you need to take a day, firstly plan it in advance and secondly make up for it with an extra workout as soon as you can.

Have a Routine

The primary thing that will determine if you reach your goal or not is whether you have turned your diet and exercise routine into a habit. Once a habit is formed (this takes, on average around 23 days) you are extremely more likely to succeed than fail. For example, you don’t need to be motivated to brush your teeth in the morning (hopefully!) as this is a habit that you have formed over a prolonged period.

Once a habit is established it simply becomes part of your daily life instead of feeling like something you must go out of your way to achieving. To establish a habit, you need to have a routine whereby you go to the gym for instance, on the same days of the week, every week and preferably at the same time. Establishing this habit is a sure-fire way to make sure your success is much more likely.

Get an Accountability Partner

This is something I would recommend to anyone and everyone looking to better themselves in 2017. Not just regarding health and fitness but in anything in your life, you wish to improve.

An accountability partner is another person who is looking to achieve a goal with whom you are going to build a mutual support system.

For example, if you were looking to get fitter, you would get a partner for the gym. While at the gym you would provide each other with motivation, furthermore you both must give each other an in-depth understanding of your goals so that they can tell you when you are slacking or support you when you are doing well.

When you go to the gym on set days (see “Have a Routine”) with your accountability partner you will be much less likely to miss a day as you would be letting your partner down, thus making you accountable for your actions as it is not only you who will affect.

What Not to Do

Lose Focus

When you are at the gym, preparing a meal or just reviewing your records, ALWAYS focus on the task at hand.

If you are thinking about work while at the gym, you are doing it completely wrong. You must focus on every movement, every repetition and every single moment you spend working out in the gym.

Or when making a meal, you must ensure that all measurements are correct and that you are making the meal properly. If you are going to achieve your goals you need to ensure they are a priority when you are undertaking tasks to do with them, otherwise you are just wasting your time.

This means no texting while working out and no stopping to talk every 2 minutes and if you are on the treadmill and can still hold a conversation? You are not pushing yourself.

Not Give 100% Always

If you are working out and as said, for instance, talking while on the treadmill, you are making a vital mistake.

You must always be seeking to push your boundaries, not only does this ensure consistent progress but it will also ensure that your confidence increases dramatically.

I saying among the US special forces group, the navy seals, is known as the 40% rule. The 40% rule basically states that when you think that you have reached your limit, you are, in fact, only 40% of the way there. If you keep this rule in mind, you will gain progress by leaps and bounds.

Always put your best foot forward.

Make Excuses

This is where your accountability partner will come into play. Don’t make excuses as to why you can’t do something. Sure, sometimes something will come up that you can’t avoid but 95% of the time it isn’t a good a reason, and you are just hurting yourself by making excuses.

A good way to stop this is when you don’t feel like it, commit to just 3 minutes. This is a strategy that Bear Grylls advocates as I personally have tried it and find it incredibly useful.

Essentially, when you don’t feel like going to the gym, and you don’t feel like working out it is much easier for you to commit to at least getting there and doing 3 minutes of work. After you have done this and have been there for those 3 minutes, you can go. I would say that the clear majority of the time, if not all the time, you will simply stay and complete your workout.

Overextend Yourself

Know your limits and don’t bite off more than you can chew or you will not reach your goal. If you expect to become Arnold Schwarzenegger in a year, you are going to lose hope very early on.

Set reasonable and optimistic goals and be persistent with your hard work and you will achieve what you set out to do and likely more. Setting a goal that is physically impossible is a certain way to ensure not only that you will fail but that you will give up and never achieve anything, having been put off by the lack of progress in comparison to your overwhelmingly impossible target.

How to Effectively Plan to Reach Your Goal

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Something that always disrupts someone’s ability to reach a goal is the fact that they set the goal without providing a framework for how to reach it. Sure,they might plan to go to the gym, but they turn the process into A to B plan of start and finish. This is setting you up for failure. Instead look at it regarding increments AND offer rewards.

Here is what the first A-B process looks like:

• I want to lose 60lbs by the end of the year, so I will go to the gym, workout and diet.

And here is a sample of what an incremental goal, the setting system looks like:

• I want to lose 60lbs by the end of the year.
• 60lbs across 12 months = 5lbs per month/1.25 lbs. per week
• With a weight of 220lbs:

January= Reach 215 lbs., Reward= You’ve established a habit, buy yourself a gift

February= Reach 210 lbs., Reward= Cheat meal day

March= Reach 205 lbs., Reward= New running shoes

April= Reach 200 lbs., Reward= Cheat meal day

May= Reach 195 lbs., Reward= Complete something from you bucket list

June= Reach 190 lbs., Reward=Cheat meal day

July= Reach 185 lbs., Reward= Go on Vacation

August= Reach 180 lbs., Reward= Cheat meal day

September= Reach 175 lbs., Reward= Cheat meal day

October= Reach 170 lbs., Reward= New Outfits for your new body

November= Reach 165 lbs., Reward= Cheat meal day

December= Reach 160 lbs., Reward = Enjoy a guilt free holiday period

This is just a basic example of your goal setting system. Alongside this you should create a diet plan that is outside the scope of this article, however so long as both the size and contents of a meal are healthy and you eat with a regular pattern, you will be fine.

Also, a gym schedule is needed. For losing weight focus on cardio, many home workout programs would work well for this also.

For gaining weight nothing beats free weights at the gym, you face a longer process than those trying to lose weight, but you benefit from a better diet program.

If you follow the methods set out in this article, you are way ahead of the curve regarding achieving your goals for 2017. Don’t lose motivation if your goals seem far away, imagine where you would be if you started a year ago, as I’m sure you wish you had and knew that you will end 2017 in an even better position as a healthier, more confident and happier version of yourself.

The post What to Include in Your Fitness Journey Challenge 2017 appeared first on The Active Health.

Not all food is created equally. There are certain types of food that will destroy your metabolism. This means that your ability to burn calories will decrease, so you don’t need to eat as much throughout the day. Of course, you probably won’t realise that, so you end up consuming far too many and find it difficult to stick to a healthy weight.

If you want to keep your metabolism healthy, you will need to avoid certain types of foods. Sure, there’s a saying of everything in moderation, but you still need to stick to as healthy a diet as possible. Do the best for your metabolic rate.

It’s time to look into the foods that are the worst for your metabolism. I know some of them I was really disappointed about eating. In fact, there were some that I considered healthy until finding out the truth.

So, here’s a full list of the foods to avoid to keep your metabolism strong and stable.

Wait, What Exactly Does the Metabolism Do?

We’ve looked at it briefly, but what is the metabolism responsible for?

In short, the metabolism controls the breaking down of calories in the body. It uses up these calories to provide energy for the whole body. The faster and stronger your metabolism, the more calories you will burn throughout the day.

When you don’t get enough calories, your metabolism will take the calories from storage in your body. Calories can come from fat and muscle, and the metabolism doesn’t really care which calories it takes. Usually, it takes from the easiest source to burn.

If you drop your calorie intake suddenly, your metabolism can panic. It is possible for it to go into starvation mode, which means it burns fewer calories than before. You end up having to eat less. Certain types of food can cause this similar issue.

We all have a metabolism, and there is a genetic component to it. Some of us just burn more naturally than others. And yes, those of us who are overweight and trying hard to lose it (or maintain a current rate) hate those who have a naturally fast and strong metabolism!

Without the metabolism, we don’t get the energy that we need. We can struggle to get through a day and feel weak and tired. If we don’t get enough calories to feed our metabolism, we get the same feeling. It controls the whole day-to-day running of our bodies, so it is important.

This is why it is so important to fuel our body properly. We want the strongest metabolism properly to make sure it burns the right number of calories efficiently and effectively.

So, it’s time to focus on the right diet. Here’s all you need to know about the foods that destroy the metabolism so you can avoid them.

Fruit Juice Has Far Too Much Sugar

Let’s start with something that is marketed as being excellent for our health. In truth, fruit juice is one of the worst ingredients you can feed your body.

But how is that the case when it’s full of vitamins and minerals? Well, it’s because the juicing process means that we don’t quite get all the nutrients within the fruits. The most important one—fibre—is completely removed because the juicing process gets rid of all the pulp. All you get is the natural sugars, which are far worse for you when the fruit comes without the pulp.

It’s the fibre that helps to keep the natural sugars stable. Without the fibre, those natural sugars get straight into your bloodstream and cause a hike in blood sugars. Your metabolism is affected by this.

You see, when you have a blood sugar hike, your body releases insulin. Your body is then forced to store the calories you’re eating/drinking for later. Your metabolism needs to help the body handle the new blood sugar problem.

This is the case whatever type of fruit juice you have, even if you make it yourself. If you really want to drink your fruit, smoothies are the better option. They use whole fruit blended down, so you still have the pulp. They’re still not better than eating the whole fruit, but they’re better than the juices.

Drinking store-bought fruit juice is worse than drinking your own. The processes for these usually included added sugars, destroyed nutrients, and added food colouring. You may find the added sugars disguised as juice concentrate, fructose, or even corn syrup, but you’re still getting the bad stuff in your system.

The best thing you can do is avoid fruit juice as much as possible. Once a month probably isn’t that bad, but regularly drinking it is going to destroy your metabolism. If you really want fruity water, add the whole fruit to your water. Slices of lemon or lime added to water offer a great start to your day. You can also have herbal tea with some honey or lemon or opt for coconut water to get some flavouring. There are plenty of natural and healthier options than fruit juice.

Peanut Butter Damages Your Gut

This is a tricky one because there are plenty of benefits to peanut butter. The problem is that we tend to eat far too much of it and that destroys our metabolism and our guts.

The problem with peanuts is where they are grown and stored. They usually have a fungus called aflatoxins, which damage the gut health. Of course, when one part of the body is damaged, the rest of the body must work harder. Your damaged gut will lead to your metabolism slowing down. After all, your body just can’t digest the food to give the metabolism the calories it needs.

Peanuts are also a common problem for those with allergies. People who have leaky gut or food sensitivities will also find that peanuts affect their metabolism. We start to feel ourselves getting bloated or feel cramping, and it’s all because of the wrong food in our diets—well, the fungi in our diets.

But what if you have a probiotic? What if your gut is full of good bacteria? The fungi in peanuts don’t really care. The aflatoxin will fight against the probiotics and win, so your whole digestive health is affected. Unfortunately, the peanuts are also full of omega-6, which the probiotics can’t fight against. Omega-6 is linked to inflammation, which kills your metabolism.

While peanuts are bad, there are certain nuts (yes, peanuts aren’t nuts, but they’re commonly mistaken for them) that will be good for your metabolism. Almonds are one of the best options to eat, and you can get almond butter! You could also opt for seed butter instead if you really wanted some sort of butter ingredient on your toast or with your fruit.

Almonds and seeds offer more protein to the body than peanuts, so they help with the building of lean muscle. More muscle means more calories need to be burnt throughout the day, so you end up with a stronger metabolism. You only need a teaspoon of the almonds or seeds to get this benefit.

Fake Sugar Is Just as Bad as Real Sugar

With the news that sugar is bad for us, we’ve started to rely on artificial sweeteners instead. Aspartame is one of the most common, although sucralose is on the rise. There are various reports about artificial sweeteners being bad for us.

In fact, studies are showing that aspartame is bad for our bodies. It’s causing cancer and affecting our metabolisms negatively. Other artificial sweeteners may not be as bad, but that doesn’t make them great. In fact, plain sugar is proving to be better for us than artificial sweeteners, and we already know that that isn’t great!

If you want to protect your metabolism, so you do actually lose weight, it is time to drop the artificial sweetener route. These aren’t going you any good at all.

Some studies have shown people who have artificial sweeteners end up eating more. They feel an increase in their appetites, even though the metabolism isn’t working any faster. Diet soda has been linked to the increased obesity problem, as well as metabolic syndrome.

But if you can’t have artificial sweeteners or sugar, what are your options for sweetening up food? Natural sweeteners are your better option. The natural Stevia has so far proven to have no negative side effects. Raw honey or the use of naturally sweet foods like fruit have also proven to be good for the diet and the metabolism.

Fat-Free Products Don’t Mean Weight Loss

There are so many products labelled fat-free or low-fat. Some are labelled low carbs or skinny. These labels really don’t mean that much, but they are misleading. How often have you reached for a yoghurt or a certain drink because of the belief that it will help you lose weight?

The majority of these products may be just as their labels say. They may have few fats in them, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to help with your weight loss. It’s not just the fat that you need to worry about, after all! Deep down you know that, but you want to believe that you can still have all your favourites in your diet, right?

Well, removing the fat from your favourite products leads to one issue: tasteless products. How do the manufacturers make sure you’ll buy the fat-free or low-fat options? They add more sugar in them. They throw in flavours, sweeteners, and corn syrup to get you to enjoy the taste and make sure you put money in their business.

Does this really sound like they have your health protected? Of course not! We’ve just looked at how artificial sweeteners are destroying our metabolisms, and we know how bad sugar is for us.

You would be better off eating the full-fat options of the food. And there’s no actual proof that fats cause us to gain weight! There’s no proof that our metabolisms are affected by the saturated fats in food. In fact, there’s no scientific evidence is caused by saturated fats! So, why do we feel this need to focus on a low-fat diet when we should be looking at a low sugar diet?

Fats are good for us, and we should be adding more into our diets. Omega 3 fatty acids help to protect the brain development, while monounsaturated fats have been linked to better bone health. Some high-fat diets have even been proven to help create a state of ketosis to help us lose weight! Fats have been linked to improved immune systems and metabolic rates.

So, it’s time to stop focusing on low-fat foods. You need to focus on the full fat options or whole food options. Have full fat cow’s or almond milk. Opt for whole egg omelettes instead of the egg white-online options.

Whole Grains Aren’t Nearly as Beneficial as Once Thought

When you start a diet, there are high chances that you’ve found out whole grains are excellent options. They have some carbs, but they also have plenty of fibre. They’re the best things for your overall health, right?

Well, you’re wrong. The research over the last few years is wrong. Whole grains aren’t nearly as beneficial as scientists once made them out to be. Sure, they have fibre, but there are plenty of better fibre options out there. Fruit and vegetables are full of them, and there’s no need to start adding carb-filled, gluten-filled foods to your diet instead.

Whole grains are full of gluten, and you likely know someone who either is either intolerant or allergic to the ingredient. Gluten is the main reason for inflammation in the body. In fact, the ingredient has led to people developing antibodies to fight the proteins, so their overall health is affected.

The gut lining is destroyed, and your brain doesn’t quite get the message that you’re full. In fact, your body thinks that you’re hungrier than you really are, so you start eating more. You consume far more calories than your metabolism can burn—and your metabolism is slowing down because of the damage to your body!

There’s a reason why the Paleo and Atkins diets have become so popular. There’s a reason scientists have started recommending the keto and Okinawa diets. They’re low in grains—in fact, some of them cut grains out completely.

We went thousands of years without grains at all. While the research is affected by little data, there is still no proof that we had food intolerances and allergies before the introduction of whole grains into the diet. And to make matters worse, the whole grains today usually have extra chemicals added to help grow enough for the enlarging population.

If you want to protect your metabolism, you need to cut grains—all grains—out of your diet as much as possible. Get your fibre and carbs from your fruit and vegetables. Opt for coconut and almond flour instead of wheat or white flour. Your body will thank you for your decision.

Put Your Metabolism First

Your diet is destroying your metabolism. All those foods that you once thought were good for you are being proven differently. Scientists are finding that the extra ingredients are causing damage to our guts, which affects the way our body can burn calories.

More “diet” foods are proving to be bad for the body and bad for the metabolism. They’re causing people to gain weight instead of losing it. This is likely the case for you.

So, are you ready to put your metabolism first? Will you make some changes to protect your metabolism? All you have to do is avoid the foods above and follow the suggested changes instead.

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