- Exercise has a lot of positive effects on health, your sense of well-being and your appearance. It helps your cardiovascular system by allowing your muscles to extract more oxygen from the blood that circulates through them, therefore reducing the work of your heart. That’s why athletes have a lower heart rate. It raises the HDL (good cholesterol) levels. HDL keeps your arteries clean of cholesterol deposits. Exercise increases your lean body mass. Your appearance improves by being more fit. When you exercise, you have more energy. It also helps your brain and memory. Every one has a different way of staying active; some people like to run or work out. Some like to build muscle. I would get bored on a treadmill or walking, unless I can have a great conversation at the same time. I like to exercise by playing games, so I play tennis a few times a week, play ping pong and I also do a lot of yard work. These games and activities are entertaining and stimulating. They help the hand eye coordination, balance and brain function. A simple game like ping pong not only makes your muscles work, but also improves reflexes and increases the brain’s activity. One great way of staying fit is to try to maintain a good posture, hold your stomach in, stretch and do isometric contractions even when watching television. Toning your mid section ( core ) is extremely important, not only for your appearance but for maintaining your spine in good alignment. We all know about the rectus abdominis and the six packs, but there are three muscles that most people don’t know about. The external obliques, the internal obliques and the transversus abdominis. These three muscles have fibers going in three different directions. They are an active, wide belt holding your abdominal organs in place. You can work on these muscles and the rectus with seven simple exercises, without needing any equipment.
- Repeat ten times each one of these maneuvers. Breathe out during action and in during relaxation. 1) Crunches: lift your head and shoulders off the ground while laying on your back with your knees bent. 2) Roll-ups: lying on your back, stretch your arms and legs. Slowly curl your body off the ground and try to touch your toes. 3) Leg Down: lying on your back lift your legs to ninety degrees and slowly bring your legs down to few inches above the ground keeping the small of your back against the floor. 4) Scissors: Lift your head and shoulders off the ground then raise both legs to the ceiling. Slowly allow one leg to go to a few inches off the ground, then raise that leg and do the same thing with the other leg. 5) Hip lift: Lying on your back with arms to your sides raise the legs to the ceiling then curl your hips toward your chest and lift your buttocks to the ceiling extending your legs up in one unit. 6) Twist: Sit on the floor cross-legged. make a large circle with your arms in front of you, touching your middle fingers together. Keeping your hips square on the ground, turn 45 degrees to the right, then come to a stop in the center and turn to the left. 7) Suck it in: With your hands and knees on the ground and your back straight suck in your bellybutton back towards your spine count slowly to ten then exhale and relax your muscles.