Medical Today

Here is a running routine that uses your lungs, your body weight and a bit of “street furniture” to build muscle and boost fitness

TIME: 40mins
CALORIES BURNED: 323

Bounding and pounding
Hit the streets for ten minutes at a gentle pace, keeping your body loose and your elbows bent at right angles. Next, work your glutes by taking long strides - push off the balls of your feet. As you step with your right leg, drive your left elbow behind you, and swing your right hand up to work arms and shoulders (reverse the movement for your left leg). Work yourself up to a shoplifter’s pace. Do 15-25 strides before slowing to a normal pace.

Pumping oxygen to your screaming muscles seems automatic—go hard, suck wind, repeat. But done with care, breathing can help you perform better in almost any sport.

Swimming

PROBLEM
It’s hard to swim fast and straight.

BREATHING FIX
Breathe on both sides and focus on turning your torso instead of your head, rolling your body until your mouth is above water. Raising your head will slow you down and disrupt your stroke rhythm.

1. Run Tall.
Gravity and weak core muscles cause many runners to “fold” in the middle when their feet land. This sitting-down movement wastes energy. Imagine that wires are attached to your shoulders, pulling you up slightly. Thrust your hips forward a bit and think “stability” when your foot hits. It’s easier to run tall if you’ve worked your core properly.

2. Relax.
Tension in your arms, shoul­ders, neck, and face reduces effi­ciency. Arms and fingers should be loose. Unclench your hands and let your jaw jiggle.

Obesity, defined as a body mass index of 30 or greater, is an epidemic in the United States and other industrialized nations, and it is rapidly becoming one in developing nations. As countries transition to westernized lifestyles, obesity tends to increase. Obesity rates vary from as little as 2 percent in some Asian countries to as much as 75 percent in some Pacific nations. There are more than 300 million obese persons in the world, and more than 750 million overweight persons. In the United States, 34 percent of adults are overweight and 30.5 percent are obese. Between 1980 and 2000, the percentage of overweight children aged six to eleven doubled, from 7 percent to 15 percent, and the percentage of overweight adolescents ages twelve to nineteen tripled, from 5 percent to 16 percent. In Europe, the thinnest country is Sweden, with about 10 percent obesity, while the fattest is Lithuania, with about 79 percent obesity. The sad fact is the prevalence of obesity appears to be increasing in all countries.

Several types of topical applications are usually recommended to speed healing and to reduce the pain associated with bruises.

Vitamin K cream can be applied directly to the site of injury.

Astringent herbs such as witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana, can be used. This will tighten the tissues and therefore diminish the bruising.

The homeopathic remedy, Arnica montana, can be applied as a cream or gel to unbroken skin.