Between seeing to work, health, family, and a cure for cancer (or at least it can feel that way), you deserve an occasional break. And Friday through Sunday is supposed to be your window for relaxation and stress-free fun. But your habits during these 60 or so hours may threaten to undo much of the […]
For most of the approximately 262 million sufferers of asthma worldwide, one particularly vexing manifestation of the disease is exercise-induced asthma, also known as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) — asthma symptoms brought on by physical exertion. And even for many who don’t suffer from chronic asthma, EIB is a persistent problem, which poses a conundrum: Your cardiovascular system needs […]
The concept of a “maximum heart rate” can sound terrifying (what happens if it goes any faster??), but it’s not like a warning light on your dashboard. To the contrary, MHR can be beneficial to ensuring ongoing progress towards your fitness goals. Here’s what max heart rate is, and how to use that number to […]
Whether you’re powering through an indoor cycling workout or riding through rocky terrain in the great outdoors, cycling can benefit your body from head to toe — and from muscles to mindset. So, exactly what are the health benefits of cycling? Here’s some of what your time in the saddle can do for your body. 1. Builds […]
No one starts their fitness journey with the ability to lift really heavy weights or easily complete multiple sets of a challenging exercise. In order to turn those five-pound bicep curls into 10-pound curls and beyond, you have to challenge your muscles so they can adapt to heavier work. One of the most effective ways to advance […]
There’s no shortage of ways to measure fitness, but which method is the most accurate? Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and the numbers on the scale can help track weight loss and offer clues to your overall health, but none of them provide a reliable measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness, which, according to the American Heart Association, is one of the strongest indicators […]
Need a little extra motivation to lace up your sneakers and hit your steps count for the day? These walking quotes will remind you why walking is such an amazing workout — not just for the calorie burn, but also for the mental health boost it provides. Even on low-motivation days when running is just not going to happen, you can usually muster up the […]
Stretching can help to improve flexibility and mobility by decreasing muscle tension, increasing blood flow to your muscles, and easing your muscles back into their natural resting state. And because inflexible muscles tend to tire more quickly — causing neighboring muscle groups to work harder from picking up the slack — a regular stretching routine may help you get more out […]
Many cultures around the world love to hang out, relax, and work up a sweat in saunas and bathhouses. But for fitness purposes, is it better to use the sauna before or after a workout? From the Turkish hammam and the Japanese sento to the Finnish sauna, research is catching up to this tradition, revealing […]
No one ever really plans to miss a workout — but sometimes life gets in the way. Whether you miss a workout for a fun reason (a weekend getaway, a party, a date) or a not-so-fun reason (an injury, a rough workday, a bad head cold) you may wonder what effect that missed workout will […]