We found 63 results tagged with "exercise"
8 Articles
8 Articles found
Tips for Safe Winter Fun
Get great tips for safe outdoor winter exercise.
10 Tips for a Healthy Holiday Season
Try slowing down a bit so you can stay sane and healthy. Easier said than done, you say? Here are tips for keeping your focus on what's important to you this holiday season.
Active Thanksgiving Day Traditions
Gathering relatives and favorite people together for a holiday meal can be more than feasting and television watching. Reinvent your traditions to make this a day to be truly grateful.
Tapping Into Hydrotherapy
Learn how you can help soothe tired hands and feet, alleviate a tension headache, even speed your healing
from injuries — all with water from the tap.
Natural Wisdom: The Healing Power of Qi Gong
Discover a beautiful Chinese movement practice that draws on ancient observations about nature to bring body, mind and spirit into balance.
It's Recess! It's Boot Camp! It's Punk Rope!
Intense fitness meets pure joy—with a soundtrack worthy of the occasion. Discover Punk Rope, the exercise phenomenon that’s changing people’s lives, one jump at a time.
Martial Arts: The Ultimate Mind/Body Workout
Learn the benefits and challenges of practicing a specialized form of the martial arts.
Preventing Knee Injuries in Women
Women’s fitness expert and leading orthopedic surgeon Gloria Beim, M.D., shares three simple exercises you can start doing now to strengthen your knees and prevent common injuries.
55 Challenges
55 Challenges found
Challenge
Stretch together
The couple that stretches together... well, gets more flexible together! Doing simple yogic stretches at the end of the day is a great way to wind down, reconnect, and relieve your body of the rigors of the day. Today, challenge yourself by sharing your favorite stretches with your loved one...
Challenge
Walk with a neighbor
Walking with a friend is a wonderful way to pass an hour. Next time you’re seeking some exercise, outdoor time, and companionship, ask a neighbor to join you. If you’re already close, you’ll enjoy reconnecting. And if there’s someone you want to get to know better, it’s...
Challenge
Do a plank
Many yoginis swear by plank pose as an effective and meditative method of firming the body’s core muscles. As with all exercise, repetition and discipline are key; regular, even daily, plank practice will produce greater results. Today, challenge yourself to do a plank—and do it again...
Challenge
Advance your abs workout
Tired of the same old crunches? Pilates 100 feeling more like 1000? Try mixing it up with some new core strength exercises. If yoga or Pilates are your thing, experiment with Nautilus machines, free-weight, or kettleball abdominal work. If you rely mainly on plank poses, add some V-ups or other...
Challenge
Walk for your body and your brain
Walking is not only a great way to exercise and enjoy the outdoors, it’s also beneficial to your brain. A recent study out of the University of Pittsburg shows that walking at least six miles per week can help improve memory and mental acuity in old age, slow Alzheimer’s deterioration...
Challenge
Find a coach
Thought coaches were for student athletes? Think again. A coach can inspire anyone (at any fitness level) to reach his full fitness potential. Whether she comes in the guise of a personal trainer, a boot camp instructor, or a fitter friend, she can help you work out harder, smarter, and with more...
Challenge
Relax your running body
It’s easy to tense up when you’re taxing yourself with a strenuous run. Next time you hit the road for a run, be conscious of where you’re holding tension in your body—let your jaw hang loose, relax your shoulders away from your ears, and wiggle your hands and arms from time...
Challenge
Try a different cardio machine
Gym rats: Finding yourself in a rut when it comes to cardio? If you’re stuck on the elliptical machine, rower, treadmill, or other device, try trading your usual routine for one that includes equipment that’s new to you. Shaking things up is not only more taxing to your muscles, it also...
Challenge
Don't overthink fitness
Take a cue from spontaneous exercisers and just get out there and move! Women’s natural tendency to launch new routines—or improve old ones—with copious amounts of pre-planning can sometimes slow us down. It can also give us more time to set up mental obstacles to actually getting...
Challenge
When it comes to exercise, have a one-track mind
Sometimes our willpower suffers from trying to accomplish too much, too fast. There’s something to be said for focusing on one thing, and doing it really well (e.g., running faster on jogs, or walking to the store instead of driving). Today, challenge yourself to come up with a list of fitness...
Challenge
Raise your exercise willpower
You’ve probably read tips for sticking to an exercise regimen, or lists of ways to maintain self-control during the holidays. But is it possible to literally increase your will to succeed (and therefore your chances)? First, the good news: Studies show that willpower benefits from...
Challenge
Embrace the cold
Chilly weather driving you indoors—and away from your workout? (And, perhaps, toward the dessert table or TV sofa?) Stand strong, and recharge your commitment to fitness by embracing winter weather! First, bundle up in appropriate clothing for an outing. Call a friend or family member. Meet...
Challenge
Experience a "runner's high"
We’ve all heard of the phenomenon, but how do we know if we’ve reached this apparently blissful state? First, everyone is different. What does it take to actually achieve a “runner’s high,” and what happens physiologically to your body when you do? Scientists in...
Challenge
Buy a better bra
Bras minimize jiggling and support breasts during sports activities. They can also help prevent tissue injuries in field or contact sports, and help you achieve good posture. Regular and sports bras work best if they fit well. Many women are wearing the wrong size, sometimes because of changes in...
Challenge
Walk somewhere wonderful
Yes, walking is exercise, but it’s also a lifestyle that yields many wonderful sights and experiences. This holiday season, make it a point to meander somewhere you usually drive. Go caroling, tour another neighborhood to see decorations, or shop somewhere farther than your usual stomping...
Challenge
Set holiday fitness mini-goals
The holidays are wonderful in so many ways—but not for workout regimens. Legions of otherwise disciplined health–seekers have fallen in the face of daily indulgences, marathon meals, cold weather, confounding schedules, and long–term visitors. Some good news: Setting...
Challenge
Blog your playlist
Excitement about your workout music can transfer to your workout itself—and anything you can do to stick to your exercise routine during the challenging holiday period is a good thing! Blogging or posting what music inspires you to work out harder, longer, and more joyfully is a fun way to...
Challenge
Use plastic toy hoops for strong arms
Plastic Toy hoops aren’t just a great tool for working your core—they’re a wonderful way to strengthen arms without spending tons of time inside a stuffy gym. How does it work? Just place one full-size hoop over each wrist, letting the hoop hang down. Work the hoops in circular...
Challenge
Start a support group
Want to exercise—or accomplish just about anything—in a supportive community, but don’t know where to start? Tried to find a support group that suits you but can’t? Start your own! Support groups are known to help people meet their goals, plain and simple. But they also have...
Challenge
Rake leaves
Raking fallen autumn leaves is a great way to get outdoors, get some exercise—you’ll burn calories too (about 150 per 30 minutes)!—and keep your yard looking fine. Today, challenge yourself to pick up that rake and get out there. (Tip: Make sure you compost the leaves.)
You may...
Challenge
Take care of your feet
Running, dancing and other fitness activities can take a toll on hardworking feet. Luckily, you can keep yours healthy, smooth, and strong without giving up the high or low-impact activities you love. Today, challenge yourself to follow these foot-care guidelines: • Invest in good-quality, properly...
Challenge
Go bowling
Bowling is not only fun, it’s a decent workout! Depending on your weight, you can burn somewhere in the vicinity of 200 calories with a couple hours of bowling. Plus, it’s a good game for beginners and it’s social. Today, challenge yourself to go for a bowl with friends.
You may...
Challenge
Walkers: Pick up the pace
Walkers—want to up your cardio pay-off? Adding one minute of power walking or running every five minutes during your walk can help you burn more calories than just walking — up to 400 calories per hour if you do it 10 times during the course of an hour-long walk*. One reason why is that...
Challenge
Jog underwater
Pool jogging is a great option for non-runners and injured joggers alike. Anyone who needs the gentle support of water while they move their body will appreciate the easy yet effective workout you can get in the pool (experts say you can burn up to 345 calories per hour depending on how much you...
Challenge
Punch a bag
Punching bags are a fun, simple way to get a cardiovascular workout and strengthen your upper body—plus, they burn around 400 calories an hour, depending on your weight, the weight of the bag, and your level of vigor. Plus, they can be easily put away in a closet, and don’t take up much...
Challenge
Try a kettlebell
If you go to a gym, you’ve probably seen those peculiar looking, baseball and volleyball-sized metal balls with handles lying around the free weights area. With integrated hand-holds and varying weights, kettlebells are a fun, safe way to increase strength and muscle tone. Originally used in...
Challenge
So you think you can...
Reality TV dance shows have surged in popularity, and not just because it’s a hoot to watch celebs twist and turn for votes. Dancing is a great way to get some cardio in, and a natural pleasure besides. Today, challenge yourself to dance along with the contestants on your favorite competition...
Challenge
Go gentle at the gym
Perhaps you’ve heard of “gentle” yoga, “silver sneakers”-type gym classes, or other classes tailored for seniors or folks facing physical challenges? And perhaps you’ve always avoided them in favor of no-pain-no-gain-style workouts? Today, challenge yourself by...
Challenge
Be so inclined
Strength trainers: If you find yourself hitting a plateau with regard to your weight lifting routine, try incorporating more moves at an incline. Using the incline weight bench or an uneven step bench to perform moves like a chest press, butt lift, or leg lift challenges your muscles in a slightly...
Challenge
Get up
Scientists have long associated prolonged sitting and sedentary lifestyles with negative health impacts. But new research implies that, among other red flags, a little light weekly exercise does not offset the effects of huge chunks of time spent sitting instead of moving. Today, challenge yourself...
Challenge
Gift of ab
Is your abdominal strength routine getting old? Why not mix it up? It’ll be fun, and might even produce better results. Today, challenge yourself to make changes to your workout. Some ideas:• If you usually do core work modeled on yoga or Pilates techniques, like plank pose, try working with...
Challenge
Congratulate a fellow gym-goer
When was the last time you gave someone kudos for getting in shape — or just plain showing up? Taking
the time to call or email someone — or, better yet, tell them in person at the gym or park — that they’re
doing great could give a person a needed boost. You could say...
Challenge
Bust a bhangra move
Bhangra, a Punjabi folk dance and musical form, has taken the fitness world by storm with its easy, heart
pounding moves and exciting rhythms. Familiar to those who have watched Bollywood films, bhangra
involves group dancing, exotic music, and optional costumes. Today, challenge yourself by...
Challenge
Bike to work...tomorrow
Why wait for Bike to Work Day to jump on a fun, self–powered mode of transportation? Instead, do it
tomorrow! Summertime is the perfect season to test–drive an alternate, greener mode of transport.
Plus, you’ll fit some exercise into your work week. Today, challenge yourself by...
Challenge
Work out with your senses engaged
Getting in touch with your inner sensualist is a great way to invigorate yourself and spice up your
workouts. Being in nature, listening to lively music, and embracing fun new classes that focus on
movement are just a few of the ways to let your mind wander and your senses take over during a...
Challenge
Exercise your right to take it easy
Taking it easier, both mentally and physically, can have surprising health benefits. The urge to go
longer, stronger, and harder is built into modern Western culture, but it can work against the natural
cycles of our bodies. Relaxing can lower blood pressure, increase blood flow to muscles...
Challenge
Find your celebrity fitness soulmate
Whether or not you find celebrity fitness makeover stories inspiring or disheartening, they’re everywhere. Why not try to make them work for you? Today, challenge yourself to scour the tabloids for a personal fitness story that resonates with you. Then keep tabs on what (they say) works for...
Challenge
Accept the President's fitness challenge
President Obama and especially First Lady Michelle Obama have made our nation’s fitness and health a priority. The President’s Challenge is a program that encourages all Americans to make being active part of their everyday lives. Today, challenge yourself to explore the...
Challenge
Heed hip-hop
Hip-hop, a form of dance that has its origins in urban African-American communities, is not only a fun, engaging way to express yourself, it’s a great workout, too! Known for working glutes, legs, and abs with lots of squats and sharp and sudden movements, hip-hop classes are offered at many...
Challenge
Workout snack, bagel back?
Bagels have earned a bad rap in recent years, especially when they come slathered in full-fat cream cheese and made of processed, refined flour (i.e., simple carbs). However, a small, plain, whole-grain bagel can be a good pre-workout snack, in that it provides complex carbohydrates, which lends...
Challenge
ID yourself
Nobody thinks they’ll end up injured while working out away from home, but, unfortunately, accidents occasionally happen. Protect yourself and help ensure speedy care by always traveling with personal identification. Today, challenge yourself to do whatever it takes to make ID-holding more...
Challenge
Runners: Fatten up
New research out of the University of Buffalo has called into question a long-held belief among elite runners that a low-fat diet prevents injuries. In fact, scientists found that runners who sustained fewer injuries over the span of the study were much more likely to get more calories from fats...
Challenge
Keep your shin up
Next time you head out for an exercise walk, think about getting more out of every step. Though not everyone will — or wants to — ascend to the level of power walker, taking care to use your entire foot’s power can do more to engage your shins and leg muscles, giving you more of a...
Challenge
Bum rap
Though we tend to take a more holistic, whole-body approach to fitness, there’s a place for giving toning credit where it is due. If your backside is giving you grief, you can focus on activities that are known to strengthen the gluteal muscles. Today, challenge yourself to engage in at least...
Challenge
Stride right
Lots of runners try to take their workout to the next level by increasing their pace. Another way to challenge yourself is to lengthen your stride, a change some find less stressful for their knees and lower back. Today, challenge yourself to vary your stride, aiming for a glide rather than a...
Challenge
Train toward time
For some people, working out daily creates a frequent, renewable motivator. For others, it presents yet another chance to fail (and, later, give up entirely). If you fall in the latter group, try setting a weekly workout goal in minutes instead. Today, challenge yourself to enjoy the first...
Challenge
Make time fly
It’s true: Not every minute of every workout feels like fun. Sometimes, you have to grin and bear it until you push through your mind’s resistance and power back to full throttle. Today, challenge yourself to trick your sense of time into abandoning you so you can focus on running...
Challenge
Add a minute (or two)
Whatever you do for exercise today, add a minute (or two, or three…) to your plan. Walking to work? Put in an extra spin around the block. Running stairs? Go the extra flight. Today, challenge yourself to live the principle of pushing yourself to do “just one more.“
* Consult your...
Challenge
Do something you dislike
Sticking to your favorite workouts is fine, for the most part. But it sure doesn’t shake things up when you need new inspiration! Trying something you either don’t like or don’t think you’ll enjoy is a good way to open your mind and keep your options open. Today, challenge...
Challenge
Lose a pound
The simple fact is that losing one pound means burning 3500 calories, either by eating less, exercising more, or a combination of the two. Today, challenge yourself to make some simple changes with the goal of slipping into those jeans a little more easily next week. Some tips:• Replace...
Challenge
Think "just one more"
From push-ups and crunches to jogging and squats, you can challenge yourself toward greater fitness by adopting a “just one more” approach. Today, challenge yourself to do “just one more” of whatever exercise you’re doing, whether it’s a pull-up, a mile run, or a...
Challenge
Hop on a horse
How long has it been since that childhood pony ride? Horseback riding, though not necessarily a feasible everyday activity for most of us, can be a delightful break in a fitness routine, and is more rigorous than you might think. Plus, it gets us outdoors and into nature — always a good thing...
Challenge
Belly up
Once the province of exotic beauties from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern milieu, belly dancing has captured the world’s attention as a fun, joyful way to stay fit. Among other benefits, its adherents say it can help improve posture, tone arms, strengthen back muscles, energize the body, and...
Challenge
Pack your shoes
The best way to fit in exercise during holiday trips couldn’t be simpler: Bring your tennies and hit the pavement. It may sound trite, but many of us sabotage our fitness regimens before we leave for the airport, by not packing the only item we really need to get powerful exercise: comfy shoes...
Challenge
Create positive conditions
Fitness regimens live and die according to conditions for success. You can give yours its best chance to thrive by being honest with yourself at the outset: What do you really need to stick to that new running routine? Who are your most consistent supporters when it comes to exercise? What time of...