fitness

Warming up means burning more

Do you tend to skip your warm-up before exercising? If so, you may want to start setting aside time for this vital part of your workout. Not only does a proper warm-up prepare your body for the upcoming demands of the workout, but now a recent study has found that it may also help you to burn more calories by preventing you from losing steam. Lactic acid is often the culprit in cutting a workout short. It causes an uncomfortable burning sensation in the muscles, making it difficult to continue to exercise. Gray and colleagues reported in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise that participants who warmed up before exercising had less lactic acid build-up and were less likely to call it quits. Since these people were more likely to work out longer, they were able to expend more calories per session. So, instead of just jumping into your fitness routine, take the time to ease your way into the activity by starting at a low intensity and gradually building up to a higher level of exertion. You will find yourself moving longer and more easily!

Tend your garden and your bones

Have you just spent gruelling hours in your garden? Well, all that work will pay off when you see flowers blooming, plants growing and shrubs filling out. And here is another reward -your bones will be happier too! A recent study published in the Journal of Women and Aging has revealed that two of the best bone builders are weight lifting and yard work. After reviewing a number of different activities, yard work was found to be even better at boosting bone density than jogging! So don't feel guilty about dusty sneakers and not joining the gym down the street-dig, squat, lift and weed your way to stronger, healthier bones!

To walk or to jog? That is the question

Most of us are under the impression that although walking is good for us, jogging is even better. Well, a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine supports walking all the way! The results of the study found that overweight people who engaged in brisk walking for 19.2 km (12 miles) per week experienced the same benefits to their cholesterol levels as those who jogged the same distance. The participants who chalked up additional miles on their walking agenda encountered even more drastic improvements. Another encouraging finding of this study was that even if weight loss did not occur, the improvement in cholesterol profiles did. So get up, get moving and walk your way to good health!