Wheelchair Exercise

If you have use of your upper body, there are a number of exercises you can do in a wheelchair. (If you can't use your arms, check with a physical therapist for exercise you can do.) You can do a lot with elastic exercise bands. There are usually exercises shown on the package the bands come in, including exercises for the chest, back, and arms. You can get some dumbbells and do arm and shoulder exercises with those. Do about 15 repetitions of each exercise and go quickly from one to the next to get cardio benefit as well as strength. Here are a couple you can do without equipment to get started. Suck your stomach in and hold for a couple of seconds. Relax and repeat. Bend your arms in front of your chest and put your hands together and push. Release and repeat. Push down on the arms of your chair for a second, relax and repeat. Do 6 or 8 repetitions of each. Don't hold your breath!

Proper Breathing

Just breathe! When doing your strength training exercise, always remember to breathe properly. Exhale on the contraction and inhale on the return. Example: in doing arm curls you would exhale as you curl the bar towards your body and inhale as you stretch your arm out, then return the bar back to the starting position. Establish a rhythm during your weight training routine.

Women´s Muscles

Strong women really do stay young...with strength training. Women build up their muscles in response to weight training, but it is usually seen in the form of firmness and muscle definition. Very few women can build huge, bulging muscles through a weight training routine, even if they want to. They don´t have the right hormones. But they'll increase their health and fitness levels, and look younger!

Swimming vs. Running

Studies have shown that Swimming is 4x more effective than running in regards to burning calories (based upon individuals who had just begun doing exercise, as well as individuals who were accustomed to different types of exercise). The water acts as a resistance, so your whole body has to push and pull to get you through the water. If your goal is to burn lots of calories during a workout, swimming for a half-hour is a great way to do it, and will exercise the entirety of your body.

Do Something You Enjoy

Exercise doesn’t have to mean spending hours at the gym peddling away on a stationary bike. It doesn’t mean you have to spend money on exercise gadgets you will likely never use, either. Anything you do to get your body moving is going to be better than doing nothing. Walking is an easy exercise that you can do just about anywhere, in any climate, not to mention that it’s what your body was designed to do. Bike riding, dancing, gardening, weight lifting, swimming, playing a favorite sport, house cleaning and even playing in the yard with your children are just some of the ways you can add exercise into your daily routine.
Join a Sport
If you really want to stick with something, joining a team is one of the best ways to do it. Get some people together and join a volleyball league. Take up tennis or racquetball. Go bowling or start golfing. All of these are great ways to get out and do something, and since they’re fun, you won’t even know you’re exercising.

Jumping Rope

There are many great benefits to jumping rope regarding your cardiorespiratory system. First off, it's hard! When you were a kid and could do that thing non-stop for hours, boy were you in god shape! It's a tough motion to get used to initially.
Jumping Rope in a forward motion is the most comfortable, and once you are able to do (let's say...) 40-50 in a row, change it up and do it on one foot at a time to make it more challenging on your leg muscles (especially calves). The only problem that I have with Jumping Rope is that of rounded shoulders, since most people only jump forward; this puts all the pushing motion on the anterior (front part of your) deltoid, resulting in somewhat more rounded shoulders. My suggestion? Backwards.
Not only is Jumping Rope backwards darn hard, but it puts more of the motion onto your posterior (back part of your) deltoid. When you get too good at backwards, perform it one foot at a time backwards. This is another challenging thing you can do for your cardio routine.

Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy

The benefits of exercising during pregnancy are numerous. These include: reduced weight gain; reduced chances of becoming hypertensive; less likely to develop gestational diabetes; improved mood with less depression; better sleep patterns; reduced labor time; may reduce chance of surgery; more rapid weight loss after pregnancy. Work with your doctor to develop the best plan for you.

Daily Health Task Lists

"Health Lies in labor, and there is no royal road to it but through toil." -Wendell Phillips
Just like brushing your teeth, healthy habits should be cultivated on a daily basis. The following is a guide to daily tasks:
1. Activity should be a daily occurrence. Walk, run or jump for a minimum total of 20 minutes a day.
2. Protect your skin. Sun block should be applied on face, neck, arms and hands even in the dead of winter. It protects against climatic toxins too. Moisturize skin daily.
3. Eat fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy products and small amounts of protein. Avoid sweets and other processed foods.
4. Meditate or spend a minimum of five minutes daily in quiet time.
5. Find your spiritual self. Discover what inspires you, raises your level of consciousness, motivates you, and satisfies your soul.
6. Exercise your brain. Read, study, solve problems, and learn new skills. As does the body, the brain atrophies with lack of use.
7. Hug somebody.

Daily Exercise Suggestions

"To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first."-Shakespeare, Henry VIII. Act I. Sc.
Walk 10 Minutes a Day and Increase Your Fitness Level Old
thinking was to work out in a sweat-filled gym for hours a day. No pain, no gain. New studies show that even short bouts of activity can increase your fitness level, especially if you're new at working out.
Park and Walk
Whenever you have an errand, park your car as far away as you can handle and walk to the store. At the mall, park at the farthest end and walk the length of the mall. Use every opportunity to walk. At the end of the day, it all adds up to better fitness.
Crunch in Bed
Before you even get out of bed in the morning, do 10 stomach crunches while lying flat on your mattress. Increase daily by one until you get up to 100. Think you'll never get there? Try it. You may eventually have to set your clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier, a small price to pay for a flatter stomach.

The Basics to Practice Every Day

1. Move More
Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators.
2. Cut Fat
Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts.
4. Reduce Stress
Easier said than done, stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts. Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e.,Soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog; listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie.
3. Quit Smoking
5. Protect Yourself from Pollution
6. Wear Your Seat Belt
Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't? Thought for the day: Floss and be your body's boss.
8. Avoid Excessive Drinking
9. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook
10. Choose Your Parents Well