FitSugar

Boost Your Self-Esteem With a Bit of Exercise

FitSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Not feeling good about yourself, so skipping the gym seems like a good idea? Wrong. It seems that a little workout, no matter what kind or level of intensity, is the perfect pick-me-up for waning self-esteem. A small, but significant study found that "the simple act of exercise and not fitness itself can convince you that you look better." The physical benefits of exercise have been studied at length, but psychologists are beginning to explore the mental perks of breaking a sweat.

This study found that no matter the fitness level, working out gave a boost to the exerciser's self-image. Be you a marathoner, or new to a walking fitness program, the message is clear: get a move on if you're feeling down about yourself. Not sure where to begin? Check out these cardio routines and these circuit workouts. We want you to feel good about yourself.

Another Reason to Exercise: Keep Down Healthcare Costs

FitSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:00:26 -0700

In these lean times, with layoffs that can often translate to losing health insurance, staying physically active can help you lower your health budget. According to the World Health Organization, physically active people save about $500 annually in healthcare expenses.These days every penny counts, so get out there and go for a walk or run. Or try a little gardening, it can be surprisingly physical. Staying physically active is also a cheap way to reduce stress.

Another Reason to Exercise: Cancer Prevention

FitSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:00:36 -0700

If you need a reason, one with far-reaching effects, to pull yourself off the couch and exercise, I have one for you: cancer prevention. A large Japanese study found that exercising and staying physically active throughout the day can decrease your risk for cancer by 10 to 15 percent over the course for 10 years. Who knows what the next decade could bring? Being physically active is more than just running or taking a kickboxing class. While exercising regularly is great and part of cancer prevention, being physically active throughout your day, from gardening to walking, helps as well. Researchers believe that physical activity and exercise affect hormones involved in tumor production. Regular exercise combined with an active life can fight cancer - the prescription is in your hands.

Multiple Reasons to Strength Train

FitSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Along with helping boost my metabolism and keeping my backside firm, I strength train for one very practical reason: strength. Here are a few moments from the last week where I utilized my strong muscles, and the moves that got them there:

Moving an upright piano: squats for dead lifting the instrument with three wonderful volunteers.
Using the loppers to prune unruly trees: pec fly
Pulling out stubborn weeds: all the variations of rowing, especially the classic bent-over version.
Opening the top window of my freshly painted double hung and sticky windows: standing lat pulls.
Carrying my two very full bags of groceries for two blocks: biceps curls and arm raises.
Giving a piggyback ride to my tired 4-year-old for a few too many city blocks: planks and core work - staying stable while hauling her 36 pounds around kept me out of pain.

Have you found practical uses for your strength training? Share them in the comments section below.

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5 Reasons to Exercise

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:10:00 -0700

Whether you're exercising to tone up for tank top and skirt season or you're working out mostly for the health benefits, we could all use a little motivation to get moving. So here are five encouraging facts about working out that will give you more than one reason to hit the gym on your lunch break.

Exercise combats fatigue. Working out releases endorphins, which improve your strength and stamina and make you feel energetic. Increased levels of serotonin in the brain also prevent depression.
Exercise is good for your brain. Because it helps build new brain cells, being active also increases serotonin levels to help you think more clearly.
Movement eases stress. Not only is it a distraction from things that might be bothering us, but exercise also results in reduced muscle tension.

There are two more reasons so read more.

Being active can improve your social life and enhance your love life. You're bound to meet other like-minded people while at the gym, yoga studio, or if you join a sports team. Working out with your partner, sibling, or friend can also strengthen your bond, and it's often more fun than exercising solo.
You know you'll feel better after you exercise. It only takes 30 minutes a day, so if you can't do it all at once, do 10-minute spurts throughout the day.

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Another Reason to Exercise: Coregasms!

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:00:00 -0700

My pal DearSugar writes about sex daily. She can tell you how to have a better orgasm, and I can tell you the health benefits of having them regularly. Having sex not only relieves stress, but it also boosts your immunity. Most of the time you find the big "O" behind closed doors, but this just in - many women are experiencing them in the gym. I'm talking about something called a coregasm.

Have I caught your attention yet? If so read more.

This astounding fitness phenomenon known as the coregasm is actually pretty common. Women experience them when working their core muscles, whether they're doing crunches, strengthening leg lifts, or backbends in a yoga class (talk about an enlightening experience!). According to sex therapist, Dr. Victoria Zdrok,

"A lot of women require a buildup of tension in their legs before they can achieve the release of orgasm. So, when a woman exercises, the release of endorphins and dopamine, which are necessary for orgasm, combined with the tension in the lower extremities, can cause the clitoral stimulation [that is needed]."

It happens when women tap into the muscles in their deep core, quads, or thighs. They end up automatically squeezing the pelvic muscles which triggers nerve impulses, and voilà - a coregasm is born. One squeeze won't necessarily work, but if you're doing many repetitions, that much stimulation can cause intense pleasure in your nether region. If that doesn't get you to the gym, then I don't know what will!

Tell me ladies, have you ever experienced a coregasm while working out?

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Another Reason to Exercise: Be Happier at Work

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:00:00 -0800

There are so many reasons to exercise, from deeper sleep to boosting your immune system, but I have a few more work-related reasons to add the list. Exercising before or during your workday will improve your productivity. Adding workouts to your workweek doesn't just help your boss; exercising on a workday helps with stress management and can make you happier. If you can't fit in a workout before heading to the office, schedule one during your lunch hour. Instead of a coffee break, take an activity break. Who knows? You might just start to whistle while you work.

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Another Reason to Exercise: Deeper Sleep

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

At a time when money is keeping worried people up at night, finding ways to get quality rest is a challenge for more people than before the economy was a constant stress. Efficient solutions are important for busy gals like us, and this two-in-one formula is a welcome fix: exercise can help you battle the money-induced stress and get you to sleep through the night.

A recent study involving insomniac patients in Brazil found that moderate cardio exercise has a calming affect on anxiety and improves sleep quality, both in the amount of time it takes to fall asleep and total sleep time. It is noteworthy that the patients participated in moderate, not heavy, aerobic exercise.

Sleep gives us energy for the day, improves mental clarity, and allows us to get through the day with wide-open eyes and diminished dark circles. If exercise can help us achieve a good night's rest, it's just another reason to get moving!

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Another Reason to Exercise: Prevent Breast Cancer

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

October may have been Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but we've all been affected by the disease in one way or another and it's important that we keep on top of breast cancer news and research throughout the year as well.

Researchers have recently found that the higher a person's body mass index, the more likely she is to develop breast cancer. Obese women are also more likely to live shorter lives and suffer a recurrence of their cancer, and may also get a more deadly form of breast cancer (inflammatory breast cancer).

On the flip side, a separate study has found that vigorous exercise (running, fast jogging, aerobics, bicycling on hills, etc.) can reduce the risk of breast cancer by about 30 percent in normal-weight women.

So the moral of the story is to exercise and try and keep your body weight down as much as possible. The ways in which exercise helps your health far exceeds the annoyance of putting on your gym shoes and pounding through an hour at the gym. It's important that we keep reminding ourselves of this from time to time.

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Another Reason to Exercise: Relieve IBS Symptoms

FitSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:30:00 -0700

It seems like almost anyone who's ever had stomach issues for more than a week has been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. If you've got IBS then you know it's no fun, but it's also not an excuse to skip your exercise routine. In fact, Reuters recently reported on a new study that found that regular exercise can relieve constipation and feelings of bloating in folks with IBS. So, if you're stopped up, don't stop moving - it could help more than you think.

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