Some common reasons people aren’t able to exercise are a) they’re too tired from work or school or b) they’re too sad to get up and do aerobics, Zumba or just a few rounds of shadow boxing. But some people believe that those excuses just don’t hold up because, apparently, exercise improves your mood. Read more…

Do you sometimes find that you’re getting winded just climbing up the stairs? Or that, as you get older, and dare we say it, a little wider around the waist, some activities just get harder? Or have you heard y our grandparents or parents complain that it’s harder to do simple things like dressing up or bathing?

This just goes to show that NOW is as good a time as any to start thinking about getting some exercise.

According to some recent reports from Reuters Health, older adults with excess weight will tend to find even daily tasks, well, tasking. But the report was quick to say, taking its cues from the study’s author, Dr. Christina Wee, that being overweight doesn’t really mean that someone’s more predisposed to being a fatality -except in the more extreme cases.

Dr. Wee, who’s from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston says, that some experts believe that there are hardly any benefits from losing weight -if any - in the elderly. In addition, losing weight might be dangerous, if not checked, because it might cause malnutrition or bone problems. Read more…

Looking for that short burst of explosiveness in your game? Why not try the latest trend in performance-enhancing exercise equipment – vibrating platforms?

Gimmick or not it seems vibrating platforms have slowly garnered the interest of not only regular gym buffs but world-class athletes like tennis star Serena Williams and Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins.

Interest in vibrating platforms has even drawn the kinesiology professors and exercise physiologists into researching how these equipment improves athletic performance and how they should fit within the scheme of a person’s workout routine.

Basically the idea behind it is that a person stands on top of a plate vibrating not more than 50 times per second, experiencing what can “feel like the vibration in a seat over the wheel hub on a bus,” describes Dr. Hugh Lamont, a sports biomechanist at East Tennessee State University.

According to a report from the New York Times, researchers, while still wary of the potentials and benefits of vibrating platforms, have seen marked improvement in short-term performance of its users.

Some examples the story cites include subjects becoming slightly improved sprinters and jumpers after standing on the vibrating platform. This spike in performance however is short lived and cannot be sustained in the long term – good for a short distance dash but unsuitable for a 90-minute soccer match.

Beyond that however, researchers have been seeing how vibrating platforms can be integrated into an individual’s fitness regimen – such as during the warm-up process which is important for starting any effective exercise session.

If you want to know more about research into how vibrating platforms can improve athletic performance, the article “Would You Like a Shake With That Workout”, from the New York Times might be an intriguing read.

Are your kids healthy and fit? We sure hope so! However, many of their peers aren’t, according to an article at the MSNBC Health blog. It states that a big number of American kids aren’t getting the right amount of benefits from physical activities simply because many parents aren’t able to help them prioritize their health.

The research results quoted in the blog was done by the YMCA following a survey of more than a thousand American parents of children aged 5 to 10 years. It states that more than half of them had children who spent more time indoors, playing video games and watching television. In some ways, one can easily understand why this is happening. After all, it’s easier to keep track of your kids when they’re indoors where you are and it might feel safer that way. Also, if they’re working or playing on the computer they’re probably learning.

In fact, the YMCA’s US Director of Chronic Disease Prevention, Dr. Matt Longjohn said in that same article that, “There are many small things that make it very difficult for families to get an hour of physical activity a day. Among the factors you could blame are technology, time and money.”

However, he also stresses that it doesn’t really have to cost so much money to get your kids active. Simple things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or taking a walk. The article goes on to say that you don’t even have to wait for a chunk of time, some physical fitness activities can be inserted into daily activities. “It can be smaller opportunities, minutes that can add up to preventing a disease,” the doctor added.

To learn more about the whys and hows of helping your kids get more active, please visit the article “Many children not getting enough exercise: study” at Health on MSNBC.

Editorial credits to Thomson Reuters.

Looking to lose weight and stat? A recent CNN Health blog talks about 51 methods you could try to get the excess flab off and your fitness on.

According to the article by Kate Ashford, these are the quickest ways to lose weight and some of these are activities you probably already do every day!

For instance, if you already do go to the gym, you can start running more, or you can try improving on the ways you do your other workouts. Lifting dumbbells slowly is one way, because “more muscle equals mega metabolism boost”, or you can wear a weighted vest while just moving around the gym it’ll speed up your calorie burning. You should also consider exercising to more up-tempo music, says the article. Jumpy, fast pop ditties might work but if you must insist on Mozart, find a disco remix.

Of course, losing weight has to do with watching what you eat and the article doesn’t shy away from reiterating that. Green tea or coffee, according to Ms. Ashford, is the perfect fuel for boosting your metabolism. Surprisingly enough, this article entitled “The 51 Fastest Fat Burners” also tells readers to consume more than 1,200 calories a day otherwise, the body may just go hungry. However, keep in mind that you still have to slowly cut calories.

Then of course, the piece also covers getting enough rest; keeping traditional work hours; and oddly enough, wearing jeans to work.

But that’s really still just the icing off the cake. To learn more about how you shed unwanted weight, read the entire article, The 51 Fastest Fat Burners and then afterwards you can check out CNN Health’s other stories on dieting, fitness, and nutrition.

More than ever, children have been shifting their playtime activities from the outdoors or pretend games that their parents grew up with, to those situated in more virtual arenas like on their computers or video game consoles.

However some according to an article in the New York Times, parents, psychologists, scientists and educators are now pushing for a movements towards play. They propose that “most of the social and intellectual skills one needs to succeed in life and work are first developed through childhood play.”

Joan Almon, executive director of the Alliance for Childhood, notes that recent years have seen a lack of imaginative play because “adults are a little fearful of children’s play”, perhaps because there’s always the opportunity for messes or bruises. One proponent of restoring children’s play thinks that some disorder is a natural part of playtime, and children should have the space and freedom to do create it.

In the article, it’s admitted that this isn’t easy especially for adults who cherish their peace and quiet and many parents have been reluctant about to embrace the concept. Some parents who are even willing to “impose” time off from the television or computer on their children find that their kids will need them as playmates -which would be fine, if they didn’t have everything else like dinner and chores to worry about.

Still, the article suggests it’s worth a try if only to get your kids to stretch their arms and legs, and use their own imaginations. Once parents are able to teach their children how to play imaginatively, the kids will eventually start directing their own playtime. After all, if generations of children did it before, why wouldn’t it be possible for kids these days to create their own worlds? All they need is encouragement.

To learn more about how to get your child playing, visit the New York Times Health and Nutrition section to read the full article entitled “Effort to Restore Children’s Play Gains Momentum”.

By FitFarms Health and Fitness Editorial

Taking the first step in losing weight and staying fit is a very important. However, the decision as to what to consider keeping motivated and being successful in your goal is a difficult challenge. Many of the weight loss programs like diet pills both natural and synthetic are easily available in the market but always keep in mind to be extra precautious on what will fit for you best. You may shell out a lot of money and time with these things and still there is see no result.

Being mindful and aware of what you need and what your body needs are two utmost factors to consider before jumping into anything that has something to do with cutting off some weight and being healthy. Read more…

By FitFarms Health and Fitness Editorial

Losing weight these days has been quite easy as various and wide approaches are developed and modified. Essentially, proper diet and physical exercises contribute in a most important way in losing weight. This time, let us dive deeper into different forms of exercises that would aid us in our plan to lose and shrug off these stored fats.

Physical exercise is any activity that involves and maximizes the use of the body. This activity enhances our overall health and wellness and physical fitness. Furthermore, it boosts the immune system and prevents the development of physical diseases and even the mental health problems. As it promotes health and wellness, it has been considered greatly as an approach of burning fats and losing weight. Let us take into consideration what types of exercise best suit your disposition.

The most common and one of the effective ways of losing weight are the cardio workouts, short for cardiovascular workouts, referring to the heart. These have been considered as one of the best ways to improve the feelings of well-being over the entire body. Its main benefit is weight loss as it involves the use of the large group of muscles like running, walking, rowing, and biking. Cardio workouts strengthen the level of endurance of the heart and increase the heart rate to burn calories and promote weight loss. Read more…

By FitFarms Health and Fitness Editorial

Anyone dreams of having a healthy and perfect shape, right? Achieving those washboard abs and firm physique may be hard to accomplish because of factors which can our drive us away to adhere to the workout plans and diet regime.

One common reason why individuals fail to comply on their chosen regimen respectively is the exhaustion and pain they might felt after working out. There are various low-impact exercises that one can opt to use to avoid getting exhausted or acquiring injury while working out. A good example of low-impact exercises is swimming.

Swimming is said to be the best exercise regimen for all, though this is also considered to be the least popular workout among individuals. Anyone can utilize swimming as their form of exercise, particularly those who have physical limitations like arthritis, musculoskeletal, weight limitations, disabilities and even those people who are into pain-free workout.

The buoyancy of the water can accommodate the fit as well as the unfit individuals. While swimming, water cushions the stiff joints of the body, and those fragile bones that have the possibility to be injured by an impact when doing land or non-water exercises.

Swimming is usually utilized by athletes who are undergoing rehabilitation after an incurred injury or cross-train. It was also proven that those individuals who are suffering from arthritis and other disabilities somehow improves their range of motion and relieves their stiffness and pain when using water as the location for their exercise.

There are many benefits in considering swimming as a workout. It utilizes all the major muscle groups, including the back, shoulders, abdominal muscles and hips, legs and the gluteal muscles. Also, it facilitates the building of strength and it provides a good aerobic workout hence it gives your body an opportunity to improve the cardiovascular function of any health enthusiasts. Read more…

The article entitled “Diet: Good-for-You Things Come in Orange” by Roni Caryn Rabin in New York Times is very interesting. According to the study, people will have better chance of living a longer life and possibility to evade illness such as cancer if their bloodstream has a high level of alpha-carotene which can be found in orange color fruits and vegetables.

If you want to learn the health benefits of eating orange color foods or to simply know more about the study, click the rest of the article “Diet: Good-for-You Things Come in Orange” from NYTimes.com Health.