Health Tip: Lift Weights to Boost Your Health

(HealthDay News) -- Lifting weights is a great way to build up or tone your muscles. But if you're not careful, you can cause permanent injury.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions for safe weight lifting:

• Remember to always wear sturdy shoes that provide traction when lifting weights. Also make sure that any weight machines are in good working order.
• Keep your back straight when lifting. Also remember to be careful when carrying weights around the weight room.
• Always ask someone to spot you when lifting very heavy weights.
• Always exhale while you lift the weights upward.
• Limit each set of muscles to only three workouts each week.
• If your muscles start to hurt, stop lifting.

Winter Workouts Are Cool

(HealthDay News) -- Outdoor exercise in the winter can be wonderful as long as you take a few simple precautions, says the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA).

The group offers some tips on how to stay active and safe during cold weather workouts:

• Warm up and cool down. Cold weather constricts muscles, so you need to allow enough time for proper stretching to warm up muscles before you exercise. Cooling down with stretches helps keep you limber and flexible. For best results, hold leg, arm and calf stretches for 30 seconds each.
• Wear proper-fitting shoes or boots that prevent your feet from getting wet and cold. Footwear made with GORE-TEX and similar materials are a good choice.
• Consume foods and beverages that will help fuel your body for cold weather activities, such as whole grain breads, nuts and sports drinks.
• With the proper clothing, you can continue your summer activities such as running or walking during the winter.
• Winter sports, such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating, are great aerobic activities that help tone the arms and legs for spring.
• Shoveling snow can be great exercise. Start slowly to build endurance and follow proper technique -- your feet and shoulders should face the shovel in order to avoid injuries to the back, neck and shoulders.
• If you find it too outdoor exercise too tough in the winter, join a gym or head to a mall for a brisk walk.

"Create a workout regimen that will keep you motivated, energized and physically active throughout the winter months," Marjorie J. Albohm, NATA president, said in an association news release. "Set your own fitness goals so you have a real sense of accomplishment -- and some fun -- from your winter activities."

You should always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise routine or if you have pre-existing health conditions, the NATA said.

More information
The American Fitness Professionals & Associates has more about winter exercise.

Exercise an Hour a Day? Here’s How to Make It Painless

By Theresa Tamkins

You may have heard the news that women need to exercise an hour a day, five days a week to keep post-diet weight loss from coming back. And you may have been tempted—like I was—to mentally file it under Super Depressing Health News That Must Be Ignored.

Who has time for five hours of exercise a week? The current recommendation is 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and I don’t even get close to that. If you have kids, a job, or a life, an hour of daily exercise can seem like a luxury reserved for tennis-playing socialites.

So I talked to the lead researcher, John Jakicic, PhD, chair of the department of health and physical activity at the University of Pittsburgh, to get a reality check. Read More

Eating Less May Slow Aging Process

(HealthDay News) -- Cutting just 300 to 500 calories a day from your diet could be the key to slowing the signs of aging and living longer, according to a new study.

Studies have long shown that reducing calorie intake slows the aging process in rats and mice. A popular theory is that fewer daily calories decreases production of the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3), which then slows metabolism and tissue aging.

A new study, by Saint Louis University researchers, found this hormone decrease occurs when humans regularly skip rich desserts or substitute a turkey sandwich for a Big Mac and fries every day.

"Our research provides evidence that calorie restriction does work in humans like it has been shown to work in animals," study lead author Edward Weiss, associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University's Doisy College of Health Sciences, said in a prepared statement. "The next step is to determine if this in fact slows age-related tissue deterioration. The only way to be certain, though, is to do a long-term study."

The findings, published in the June 2008 issue of Rejuvenation Research, are based on a study of healthy but sedentary, non-smoking, 50- to 60-year-old men and post-menopausal women. For a year, the volunteers participated in either: a calorie-restriction group that cut their daily calorie intake by 300 to 500 calories per day; a group that stayed on their regular diet and exercised regularly; or a group that maintained its normal routine.

While those in the calorie-restriction and exercise groups both lost body fat mass, only those in the calorie restriction group also had lower levels of the thyroid hormone.

Although a long-term study is still needed to determine if reducing T3 levels through calorie restriction does indeed slow the aging process, Weiss said cutting back on calories is a good idea.

"There is plenty of evidence the calorie restriction can reduce your risks for many common diseases including cancer, diabetes and heart disease," Weiss said. "And you may live to be substantially older."

Weiss warned that while cutting calories, people need to maintain a healthy diet by eating nutrient-rich foods. He noted that long-term slowing of the metabolism could also make people more prone to weight gain over time.

The key to maintaining a healthy weight, Weiss said, is keeping a consistent diet and exercising regularly.

More information
The Calorie Restriction Society has more about calorie restriction.

Health Tip: Choosing Exercise Equipment

(HealthDay News) -- Before you buy home exercise equipment, it's important to make sure you're making the best choice for you and your lifestyle.

Here are things to keep in mind when selecting exercise equipment, courtesy of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

• Consider the difference between exercising at home, versus joining a gym. Make sure that you're comfortable with doing it at home.


• Consider less expensive options that offer more variety in your exercise. Look for a stand to convert your regular bicycle into a stationary bike, or consider free weights and a bench instead of a resistance machine.


• Choose a place in your home that is pleasant for exercising. Make sure it's well-lit and well-ventilated.


• Make sure you know how to properly use the equipment before bringing it home.

Training Video 1

Side-weight pull (Good for obliques, 3 sets each side with 30 secs in between)Keep your feet parallel, legs straight, torso facing mirrorStretch one arm down to reach your kneeStraightenStretch to the other sideTry to use gradually heavier weights as this is quite a simple exercise