Fitness
Exercise for Depression and Anxiety
According to Harvard Medical School, a review of studies stretching back to 1981 concluded that regular exercise can improve mood in people with mild to moderate depression. They also found that it might play a critical role in treating people with severe depression.
Harvard is just one of the many organizations and foundations looking into the impact of exercise on depression. Study after study has shown that exercise can be a very real and effective part of combating both anxiety and depression.
Before we move on, let’s take a quick look at the definitions of anxiety and depression.
There are actually many different types of anxiety disorders and a range of symptoms. However, a general definition of an anxiety disorder is one that is “characterized by feelings of anxiety and fear, where anxiety is a worry about future events and fear is a reaction to current events. These feelings may cause physical symptoms, such as a racing heart and shakiness.” (American Psychiatric Association)
Depression is a “common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.” (American Psychiatric Association)
Okay, now that we have a general definition of both anxiety and depression, let’s talk about how exercise can help. It’s important to point out that in many cases exercise can reduce or get rid of depression. However, exercise may not cure depression or anxiety disorders. It can help, it can reduce the need for medication, and in many cases it can eliminate the need for medications.
Depression and anti-anxiety medications are expensive and come with side effects. Exercise can be free and there are no side effects. It also improves your health. It’s easy to get started and the benefits can last a lifetime. So on that note… let’s start by talking about the benefits of exercise and how it can help beat depression and anxiety.
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Keeping Fit When You Travel
Do you travel? Many people travel for work. They spend long flights sitting in cramped spaces. They take a taxi or Uber to the hotel, or if they’re lucky they get to rent a car. Then you’re in the hotel eating hotel food, probably not getting great sleep, and likely sitting in meetings all day.
While traveling for work can be enjoyable and productive, and hopefully profitable, it’s not always good for your health. Most people find it a real challenge to eat healthy, get good sleep, and to move their body and exercise while traveling.
Traveling for pleasure isn’t much different. Sure, you’re going someplace that you’ve chosen and hopefully you don’t have to wear a tie or a suit. However, you’re still in an unfamiliar place where you may not move as much as you should, eat as healthy as you could, or sleep as well as you’d like to.
Sleep, nutrition, and movement are all important factors in how you feel physically as well as mentally and emotionally. You’ll have a better business trip and a better vacation if you can fit some exercise (and some healthy food) into your trip. We’re focusing on exercise in this book because that’s often the most difficult component.
You know you can have a salad instead of a hamburger at lunch, and you know that one cocktail is better for you than three. You probably also have some tricks in your bag for how to get enough sleep at night in a hotel as well. So let’s start by talking a bit more in depth about why it’s important to exercise while you travel, and how to make it enjoyable and effective.
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The Martial Arts Fitness Guide
When you think about fitness and losing weight, what comes to mind? For many, they imagine someone running on neighborhood sidewalks or working out on a treadmill. Maybe an elliptical is involved or perhaps some weights. Generally, it’s a “cardio only” program that people associate with health and fitness.
And for the people who love to run, indoors or out, that’s a fantastic image. But what about the people who prefer to jump, kick, hit, or tackle? What about those who like to twist, punch, and flip? How can they get in shape and lose weight?
The answer is “with martial arts.”
Martial arts is a term that encompasses dozens of different practices. Generally speaking, any martial art – whether it is Karate or Capoeira, or anything in between – has its foundation and origination in self-defense. This means that things like precision, force, strength, and endurance are all important elements. These core elements are what help you lose weight and get in great shape.
Think about it for a minute; imagine an hour training session with kickboxing. Think you’re going to be sweaty, out of breath, and sore when it’s done? Yes! Think you’re going to build muscle and burn fat? Yes. Think you’re going to have fun doing it? Absolutely!
Each type of martial art has its own approach, and we talk about many of them in this guide. Right now, know that this variety in approaches is a benefit to you. It gives you the ability to find a practice and a sport that makes you happy.
Why should a workout feel like a chore? It shouldn’t. It should be fun (or at least enjoyable), and martial arts offers enough variety that you will likely be able to find a practice you enjoy. So let’s talk about some of the different types of martial arts.
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Ease Your Back Pain-A Guide to Using Exercise to Treat & Prevent Pain
Exercise is one of the best ways to stay healthy and live a long and productive life. Studies repeatedly show that people who do not exercise have poor health indicators. One of the most common reasons why people may not exercise is due to pain. It’s tough to move your body when it hurts. And back issues are incredibly painful.
The good news is that exercise not only helps reduce back pain, it can help prevent future pain and injuries as well. The key is to know what exercises are best for backs, and how to perform the movements correctly.
In this book we first take a look at how exercise helps with back pain, then we look at the most common mistakes people make when exercising with back pain. The rest of the book is devoted to exercises that you can do to have a healthier back.
What you will learn inside...
- 5 Ways Exercise Helps Back Pain
- 7 Exercise Mistakes People with Back Pain Make
- Back Friendly Exercises - Movements and Fitness Programs that Support Back Health
- Strength Exercises
- Cardio Exercise for Better Backs
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30 Days to Fitness Challenge
How long does it take to make a positive change in your life? How long does it take to improve your health and well-being? The answer is that it really only takes moments to change your health for the better.
It only takes as long as you need to make the decision to take the first step toward better health.
One of the things that makes change so difficult isn’t the desire or decision to get healthy, it’s the planning and overwhelm that often comes next. Once you make the decision to improve your fitness, then what? What are the next steps? When do you know you’ve achieved success and how do you measure it?
This is the power of a 30-day challenge.
A 30-day challenge gives you a day-by-day plan. You follow the plan, take the steps that are put in place, and at the end of the month you will be able to measure your results. Most experts tell us that it takes 14-21 days to create a habit. This 30-day challenge sets you up, if you choose, to create a daily exercise habit and plan that you can continue after the 30 days. It also provides you with an abundance of tips, advice, and measurements.
All you have to do is take it one day at a time. You can do it! Today is the day you start making positive changes to your health and fitness.
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Training for Your 1st Race
In 2015 more than 17 million adults finished a running event in the US. Of course, that number is much higher, since not every race sends its participants' info to RunningUSA.org, the compiler of this data. Of those runners whose data was collected, 57% were female and 43% male. That distribution follows the trend over the past 5 years that shows women are more inclined to sign up for, compete in and finish some type of running event than men.
What type of events are the most popular?
The 5K, 10K, half marathon and full marathons are far and away the most participated in among running races. This is probably because those are the types of races which are most frequently offered as well. The trend over the past 5 years of women dominating the amateur running scene is one of the reasons the 5K has become the most popular race.
In 2015 a full 45% of the finishers in all running races tracked came from a 5K event. The half marathon was the next most popular to enter and finish, followed by a 10K and a full marathon.
The good news overall? A lot of people are taking up running for the many health benefits it offers.
If you run sporadically yourself, maybe you are thinking about getting serious. The best way to do so is to dedicate yourself to entering an organized event. Running a couple of miles once or twice a week may not be pushing you enough physically and mentally. If this is the case with you, which type of race should you enter? Should you start off slowly with a 5K, or just jump right into the deep end of the pool and begin training for a marathon?
Training to run your first race is something that needs to take into account a lot of variables. Think about your unique situation. Look at your short-term and long-term running and fitness goals. Keep those in mind as we break down which of the 4 most common running distances is perfect for your first race.
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Top Fitness Trends for 2017
Every year it seems there is a new fitness trend. Depending on your perspective, they can be silly or they can be quite helpful. After all, fitness trends can help you stay motivated and interested in exercise.
That’s not the only benefit of an exercise trend. They can also help you get in better shape. Fitness trends tend to evolve as a response to both technology and science. For example, HIIT workouts, or High Intensity Interval Training, are becoming more popular as people learn and trust the science behind this type of approach.
And you can’t look past the amazing advances of fitness technology. You can now check your text messages, listen to music, and track your workout all from your watch. Fitness technology has come a long way.
Trends make exercising easier, more enjoyable, more effective, and sometimes less expensive too. So, while they may sometimes seem silly, there’s a reason why exercise approaches and tools become trendy – they help improve lives.
Fitness trends respond to consumer demand. They are opportunities for you to take advantage of the most advanced science, exercise practice, education, skills, and technology so that you can be a healthier person.
In this report, we take a look at the top 10 Fitness Trends for the upcoming year. We explore a wide variety of trends, ranging from the already mentioned HIIT to wearable technology and everything in between.
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The Secrets to Achieving Toned Arms
The benefits of toning your arms are many. For women, it means that you can wave your arm without worrying about the bingo flap. You know, that section of your upper arm that hangs down when you raise it. Toning your arms means that you never have to worry about that again. Instead, you’ll get compliments on your arms, and inquiries about how you got such great arms.
For both men and women, it’s nice to be able to wear more revealing shirts in the summer months when it’s hot – the last thing you want to wear is a long-sleeved shirt. In the summer, or any time of year, you can rock a tank top, a sun dress, or a short-sleeved shirt with confidence and pride.
And let’s not forget that just about any arm toning exercise you perform will strengthen your back, shoulder, and core muscles as well. You’ll have better posture, your clothing will be more flattering on you, and you’ll feel more confident.
As you tone your arms, you also improve your strength and mobility. That means you may no longer experience those painful pops and clicks when you reach for something on the top shelf of your kitchen cabinet.
Many people, women specifically, worry about becoming bulky when they do strength training. We’ll talk about that in this report.
This guide is divided into three categories. The categories include beginner, intermediate, and advanced. It’s divided this way so you can approach your toned arms program with confidence. There’s something for everyone. Each exercise is modifiable, meaning you can make it easier or harder depending on your strength, mobility, and needs.
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20 Diet & Weight Loss Mistakes to Avoid
Dieting is difficult. You want to lose weight, get healthy, and maintain your goal weight, yet everywhere you turn there are different diets telling you different “secrets” to lose weight. This abundance of misinformation is enough to make your head spin.
It also leads to a lot of dieting mistakes. The truth is that dieting and losing weight isn’t so much about following a specific and secret process. Rather it’s about making positive changes to how you think about, prepare, and consume your food.
As you’ll see in this report, the best way to lose weight is to take a close look at what you’re eating now, how you’re eating it, and what you’re really doing every day. Then, you can make adjustments and take manageable steps to start losing weight. In fact, after you read this report and begin to implement some of the advice, you will be able to start losing weight right away.
Read the book through first. Then go back and begin to integrate some of the tips and advice into your daily life. Start making positive changes and start losing weight. Ready? Okay, let’s look at the first mistake; being too rigid with your food rules.
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Energize Yourself – How to Fight Fatigue with Fitness, Food & Smart Lifestyle Shifts
Do you often feel tired or out of energy? Lifestyle choices, poor diet and a lack of physical activity all influence your energy levels. If you frequently reach for a cup of coffee, sugary snack or energy drink to lift your energy, you are not alone. Nearly half of all American adults report problems sleeping, and this causes problems with energy during the day. Workers with untreated sleep problems are at least 50% less productive, meaning they earn less money in their careers, and for the companies they work for.
If you fall asleep at the wheel for just 4 seconds at a speed of 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour), your vehicle travels 111 meters without your control. That's 364 feet, 64 feet longer than an American football field. Fatigue-related vehicular accidents cost more than $3 billion in total costs per year ... and that's just in Australia.
As you can see, fatigue is a serious problem, accounting for much more than just personal drowsiness or a lack of energy.
Fortunately, there are some simple moves you can make to elevate your energy levels. You don't need to nod off in the middle of the day, or behind the wheel of your vehicle. Small changes in your diet, lifestyle and physical activity level can add up to big boosts in energy. This provides plenty of natural energy, so you don't reach for unhealthy foods and beverages to keep you alert.
This report was written to provide you with the tools to crank up your energy levels in the safest ways possible. You will learn what illnesses and diseases have fatigue as a primary symptom. These problems could be the reason why you feel lethargic and out of energy. You will also discover how physical activity and movement create energy.
Not only that, but you will find out exactly what type of exercise you should be doing to beat fatigue and tiredness, and help you stay alert and aware. This report will show you everything you need to know about an energy-boosting diet, those foods and beverages to eat and to avoid, and what vitamins or supplements power up your energy.
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