15 tips and exercises
1.Drink water daily - Water is your body's principal chemical component, making up,
on average, 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on
water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your
cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.
Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have
enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can
drain your energy and make you tired.
To ward off dehydration and make sure your body has the fluids it needs, make water
your beverage of choice. Nearly every healthy adult can consider the following:
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Drink a glass of water with each meal and between each meal.
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Hydrate before, during and after exercise.
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Substitute sparkling water for alcoholic drinks at social gatherings.
2. Use good posture-here are a few reasons why it is important to be aware
or our posture.
Good posture is important because it helps your body function at top speed. It
promotes movement efficiency and endurance and contributes to an overall feeling of
well-being.
Good posture is also good prevention. If you have poor posture, your bones are not
properly aligned, and your muscles, joints, and ligaments take more strain than nature
intended.
Faulty posture may cause you fatigue, muscular strain, and, in later stages, pain. Many
individuals with chronic back pain can trace their problems to years of faulty postural
habits.
In addition, poor posture can affect the position and function of your vital organs,
particularly those in the abdominal region.
Good posture also contributes to good appearance; the person with good posture projects
poise, confidence, and dignity.
The Anatomy of Good Posture
To have good posture, it is essential that your back, muscles, and joints be in tip-top
shape.
Your Back. A healthy back has three natural curves: a slight forward curve in the neck
(cervical curve), a slight backward curve in the upper back (thoracic curve), and a slight
forward curve in the low back (lumbar curve). Good posture actually means keeping
these three curves in balanced alignment.
Your Muscles. Strong and flexible muscles also are essential to good posture.
Abdominal, hip, and leg muscles that are weak and inflexible cannot support your back’s
natural curves.
Your Joints. Hip, knee, and ankle joints balance your back’s natural curves when you
move, making it possible to maintain good posture in any position.
3. Stretch Daily - Most aerobic and strength training programs inherently cause your
muscles to contract and flex. That's why regular stretching is a powerful part of any
exercise program. Consider this:
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Stretching increases flexibility. Flexible muscles can improve your daily
performance. Tasks such as lifting packages, bending to tie your shoes or hurrying to
catch a bus become easier and less tiring.
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Stretching improves range of motion of your joints. Good range of motion
keeps you in better balance, which will help keep you mobile and less prone to falls
— and the related injuries — especially as you age.
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Stretching improves circulation. Stretching increases blood flow to your
muscles. Improved circulation can speed recovery after muscle injuries.
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Stretching can relieve stress. Stretching relaxes the tense muscles that often
accompany stress.
Some studies indicate that stretching helps prevent athletic injuries as well. However,
this finding remains controversial. Other studies don't support stretching as a way to
prevent injury.
Stretching essentials
Ready, set, stretch!
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Target major muscle groups. When you're stretching, focus on your calves,
thighs, hips, lower back, neck and shoulders. Also stretch muscles and joints that
you routinely use at work or play.
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Warm up first. You may hurt yourself if you stretch cold muscles. Warm up by
walking while gently pumping your arms, or do a favorite exercise at low intensity
for five to 10 minutes. Better yet, stretch after you exercise — when your muscles
are warm and more receptive to stretching.
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Pace yourself. It takes time to lengthen tissues safely. Hold each stretch for about
30 seconds, then repeat on the other side. Do each stretch three or four times.
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Don't bounce. Bouncing as you stretch can cause small tears in the muscle. These
tears leave scar tissue as the muscle heals, which tightens the muscle even further —
making you less flexible and more prone to pain.
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Focus on a pain-free stretch. Expect to feel tension while you're stretching. If it
hurts, you've gone too far. Back off to the point where you don't feel any pain, then
hold the stretch.
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Relax and breathe freely. Don't hold your breath while you're stretching.
How often to stretch is up to you. As a general rule, stretch whenever you exercise. If
you don't exercise regularly, you might want to stretch at least three times a week to
maintain flexibility. If you have a problem area, such as tightness in the back of your leg,
you might want to stretch more often.
Know when to exercise caution
You can stretch anytime, anywhere — in your home, at work or when you're traveling.
If you have a chronic condition or an injury, however, you may need to alter your
approach to stretching. For example, if you have a strained muscle, stretching it like
usual may cause further harm. Discuss with your doctor or physical therapist the best
way to stretch.
3.Breathe Deeply
4. Eat fruits and vegetables daily
Eating vegetables provides health benefits — people who eat more fruits and vegetables
as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic
diseases. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body.
Health benefits
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Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may
reduce risk for stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases.
• Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may
reduce risk for type 2 diabetes.
• Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet
may protect against certain cancers, such as mouth, stomach, and colon-rectum
cancer.
• Diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, may reduce the
risk of coronary heart disease.
• Eating fruits and vegetables rich in potassium as part of an overall healthy diet
may reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and may help to decrease bone
loss.
• Eating foods such as vegetables that are low in calories per cup instead of some
other higher-calorie food may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake.
• Click here for more information about preventing cardiovascular disease, high
blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer.
Nutrients
Food sources of the nutrients in bold can be found in the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans.
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Most vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories. None have cholesterol.
(Sauces or seasonings may add fat, calories, or cholesterol.)
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Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium,
dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C.
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Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure.
Vegetable sources of potassium include sweetpotatoes, white potatoes, white
beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima
beans, winter squash, spinach, lentils, kidney beans, and split peas.
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Dietary fiber from vegetables, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce
blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease. Fiber is
important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and
diverticulosis. Fiber-containing foods such as vegetables help provide a feeling
of fullness with fewer calories.
Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Women of
childbearing age who may become pregnant and those in the first trimester of
pregnancy should consume adequate folate, including folic acid from fortified
foods or supplements. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina
bifida, and anencephaly during fetal development.
Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections.
Vitamin E helps protect vitamin A and essential fatty acids from cell oxidation.
Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy.
Vitamin C aids in iron absorption.
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The amount of vegetables you need to eat depends on your age, sex, and level of
physical activity. http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetables_amount_table.html
5. Exercise for 30 minutes, 4-5 times a week
1. Exercise improves your mood.
Need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30minute walk can help you calm down.
Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and
more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You'll also look better and feel
better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your
self-esteem. Regular physical activity can even help prevent depression.
2. Exercise combats chronic diseases.
Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent osteoporosis? Physical activity might
be the ticket.
Regular physical activity can help you prevent — or manage — high blood pressure.
Your cholesterol will benefit, too. Regular physical activity boosts high-density
lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol while decreasing triglycerides. This one-two
punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaques in your
arteries.
And there's more. Regular physical activity can help you prevent type 2 diabetes,
osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.
3. Exercise helps you manage your weight.
Want to drop those excess pounds? Trade some couch time for walking or other
physical activities.
This one's a no-brainer. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The
more intense the activity, the more calories you burn — and the easier it is to keep
your weight under control. You don't even need to set aside major chunks of time for
working out. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk during your lunch break. Do
jumping jacks during commercials. Better yet, turn off the TV and take a brisk walk.
Dedicated workouts are great, but physical activity you accumulate throughout the day
helps you burn calories, too.
4. Exercise boosts your energy level.
Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Don't throw in the towel. Regular
physical activity can leave you breathing easier.
Physical activity delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. In fact, regular physical
activity helps your entire cardiovascular system — the circulation of blood through your
heart and blood vessels — work more efficiently. Big deal? You bet! When your heart
and lungs work more efficiently, you'll have more energy to do the things you enjoy.
5. Exercise promotes better sleep.
Struggling to fall asleep? Or stay asleep? It might help to boost your physical activity
during the day.
A good night's sleep can improve your concentration, productivity and mood. And you
guessed it — physical activity is sometimes the key to better sleep. Regular physical
activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. There's a caveat, however.
If you exercise too close to bedtime, you may be too energized to fall asleep. If you're
having trouble sleeping, you might want to exercise earlier in the day.
6. Exercise can be — gasp — fun!
Wondering what to do on a Saturday afternoon? Looking for an activity that suits the
entire family? Get physical!
Physical activity doesn't have to be drudgery. Take a ballroom dancing class. Check out a
local climbing wall or hiking trail. Push your kids on the swings or climb with them on
the jungle gym. Plan a neighborhood kickball or touch football game. Find a physical
activity you enjoy, and go for it. If you get bored, try something new. If you're moving, it
counts!
6. Get good nights sleep
Sleep is a classic mind-body connection: If you don't get enough sleep, both aspects
suffer, often dramatically.
Our bodies are regulated in sleep cycles by what is called the circadian rhythm,
basically an internal clock that, when functioning normally, lets our body know when it's
time to get up and when it's time to go to sleep. When you keep irregular hours, or
when you stay out late and then sleep in to catch up, you can interfere with these
rhythms and make it more difficult to get quality sleep.
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Want to learn anything better or more easily? Studies confirm the more well-rested
you are, the better you'll do.
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Want to remember things in general or remember what you've just learned? Sleep
on it.
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Sleep study volunteers needed at least 6 hours to show any improvement in
learning, and those who slept 8 hours performed better than those who slept 6
or 7 hours.
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Lack of sleep has been shown to lead to faulty decision-making and increased
risk-taking.
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In one study, women who slept less than 7 hours a night were more likely to
develop diabetes than women who slept between 7 and 8 hours.
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In another study, healthy young men who slept only 4 hours a night for six nights in
a row had blood sugar levels that mimicked people who were developing
diabetes.
The lack of sleep and a lack of quality sleep can take a real mental and physical toll
on our health and wellness. How many people do we know (including ourselves)
who report being cranky, out-of-sorts or flat-out unhappy when they haven't gotten
a good night's sleep? Sleep also brings your heart rate and blood pressure down
for extended periods, giving your body the recovery time it needs. While we are
sleeping, our bodies also secrete hormones that help regulate and affect our
memory, energy, mood and ability to concentrate.
There is research that suggests that continuous sleep deprivation may increase the
severity of age-related conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as
reduce metabolic and endocrine functioning. Another recent study indicates that sleepdeprived people perform about the same as intoxicated people on tasks requiring
driving and hand-eye coordination.
It seems strange, then, that as a society we sometimes wear lack of sleep as a badge, or
as a sign that we didn't sleep in order to "get more done," when the evidence seems to
point toward actually getting less done and getting it done less effectively
7. Do not sit for more than 30 minutes daily
8. Push-ups
Begin on hands and knees with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart
directly under you. Knees should be hip width apart. Draw in your abdominals and keep
shoulder blades slightly pinched. Slowly lower yourself towards the ground keeping
your trunk straight. Don’t arch your back or round your shoulders. Hips should remain
at the same level as your shoulders. Use your chest and shoulders to push back up to
starting position. This exercise can also by modified by performing it from your knees on
the ground instead of your toes.
9. Bridges
Tighten your abdominal muscles to stabilize your lower spine. Using your buttocks
muscles, slowly rise off the surface without bending your lower back. Use your
abdominal and buttock muscles to keep your pelvis elevated. Relax your shoulders and
neck as you hold and make sure to keep breathing evenly.
10. Clams
Lie on your uninvolved side, knees bent. Raise your top knee toward the ceiling while the
heels stay together.
11. Plank/Modified Plank
Begin raised on elbows/hands and toes, abdominals contracted and spine straight. Hold
position for ____ seconds. Complete _____ repetitions. Gradually increase hold times
while keeping spine in neutral position, abdominals tightened and buttocks squeezed. If
you have never done this exercise before try it from your knees first.
12. Bicep Curls
Standing with both arms down at your side and weights in each hand, with your palms up, bend your
elbows, raising the weight to your shoulders. Slowly return weights to the starting position, and repeat.
_____ Weight
13. Triceps Extensions
Laying on your back, bend the involved shoulder and elbow to 90 degrees with weight in hand.
Place the hand of the uninvolved arm on the elbow of the involved arm. Raise the weight to the
ceiling while straightening the arm, slowly bring back to the starting position, and repeat. _____
Weight
14. Shoulder Blade Pinches
Secure middle of exercise band to a stationary object. Pull ends of band out and back
while pinching shoulder blades together. Avoid shrugging shoulders. Hold ____
seconds. Relax.
15. SMILE, laughter is the best medicine