No, you do not have to do yoga to be flexible. But even if you aren’t about to go hop into downward dog, it is important to care about the flexibility of your muscles, connective tissues, and joints with mobility exercises.
We’ve all seen those dramatic before-and-after photos of people who lost half their body weight. Maybe you have a friend or loved one who has made a serious transformation as well. These changes grab our attention, inspire us and even motivate our own diet and fitness efforts. But crash dieting is not an option if you want to make a physique transformation that lasts for years to come. Instead, you should focus on a lifestyle change. Crash dieting doesn’t work, and here’s why:
There’s nothing quite like walking outside to your car after a long day at work, only to be stopped in your tracks by a sudden (and pleasant!) realization: it’s still bright outside! After the wet winter we had, spring could not be a more welcome sight. As the weather slowly (we emphasize slowly) creeps to warmer and sunnier, why not take advantage by adding in an outdoor workout to your daily routine?
If you’re like most, you probably know that pull-up bar exercises are a great way to target your lats – the long muscles that stretch from beneath your shoulder blades to your mid-back – as well as your arms and core. But did you know that your pull-up bar can pull double duty (or even quintuple duty!) if you add other exercises in as well?
Yep. Accordingly, here are four exercises you can do on the bar that isn’t pull-ups. You’ll appreciate the variety they bring to your workout routine as well as the booty-kicking punch they’ll deliver to muscles all over your body. If you’re ready to rip it, read on.
This Christmas season, instead of “avoiding” temptation at dessert time, why not create alternative options that are decadent and healthy? To prepare you for the upcoming holiday and wow your dinner guests, we’re sharing five Christmas-inspired healthy dessert ideas that are easy to make and rewarding to eat.
Grip strength is one of those areas that tends to get overlooked in the typical person’s strength and fitness routine. It’s also one of those things that we don’t really notice until it’s been negatively affected due to injury or illness, or if our grip fails us when we really need it (like during that one rep max deadlift).
But that saying “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link” is all too true when it comes to your ability to grip, grasp, and hold things. Read More
8 glasses of water a day…is it really that important? Why yes, yes it is. Ideally, you should be consuming around one-third to one-half of your body weight in fluid ounces of water per day. This helps your body with everything from keeping your skin looking youthful to aiding digestion to accelerate post-workout recovery periods.
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Yoga, an ancient healing practice that’s been around for thousands of years, is truly an individualized practice. Depending on your particular needs of the day, a yoga flow can be restorative or challenging, slow or fast, flexibility-focused or strength-focused.
Cable machines are great tools for resistance training. You can challenge your muscles effectively—and often more safely compared to free weights, since the cable and pulley systems allow controlled range of motion while isolating specific muscle groups.
If there’s one thing we know about fitness, it’s this:
Your core strength is critical for effective, efficient, and safe movement both inside and outside the gym.
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