Five Easy Toning Exercises you can Do Anywhere

By Maxx

Exercise is an important part of our lives. Staying in shape is one way to increase your life expectancy. Weight bearing exercises are important also for increasing muscle mass and bone density as you age.

Most of us have learned what to do when it comes to exercising. The problem is where and when to get the job done. With a busy lifestyle, making time for exercise is a challenge.

Weight bearing exercises aren’t just for bodybuilders. As you age, especially once you hit the age of forty, you begin to lose muscle mass. For women especially, bone loss becomes a problem. When the body is in need of calcium it can rob it from your bones. Building muscle not only increases their mass but your strength.

Here are five easy toning exercises that can be done anywhere and whenever you have time. At home, at the office, or on vacation, you can do these easy yet extremely effective exercises.


1. The Bridge Butt Lift – Sounds like a plastic surgery technique but it is an easy way to tone your buttocks. Lay down with feet flat on the floor, legs shoulder width apart. Place your hands, palm side down, on either side of your body. Pushing with your feet, squeeze your gluteal muscles and lift your butt off the floor. Hold the position for a count of five to ten and release down to the floor.

2. Squats – Squats work the butt, the hamstring muscles and the quadriceps. If you aren’t sure of proper form, you can use a chair. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and feet firmly planted. Push your butt back as if you were preparing to sit in a chair. Keep your abs tight and your upper body straight. Once you reach chair level stop and hold the position for a count of two to five and release. At the lowest point, place all of your weight on your heels for balance and maximum toning.

3. Reverse Lunges – Lunges work the quadriceps muscles. They can be hard for people with knee problems. A reverse lunge still tones the right muscle groups but with less pressure on the knee. Stand with feet together and arms at your sides. Take one leg and move it backwards until you are in lunge position: front leg bent at a 90 degree angle and back leg extended until you are on the ball of your foot. From this position lower yourself down until the back knee almost touches the floor. Hold for a count of two and return to starting position.

4. Pushups – This is a classic toning exercise that works all areas of the arms plus the chest muscles. If you aren’t comfortable or strong enough to perform a pushup on your toes, lower your body to your knees. Be sure your arms are tucked into the body and your back straight as you lower and lift your body.

5. Crunches – Abdominal muscles can be worked every day to build strength and muscle tone. Lying on the floor in sit up position, lace your fingers behind your head. Squeezing your abdominal muscles, lift your upper body until your lower back is about to come off the floor. Hold for two to five counts and return to starting position.

These five exercise moves can be done whenever you have time. The best thing about exercise is that its effects are cumulative. Even five or ten minutes at a time will work to your advantage.

Understanding The Two Principle Types Of Diabetes

By Donald Saunders

Diabetes is a chronic condition which is typified by a
distorted metabolism and raised levels of blood sugar which
lead to reduced levels of insulin. The symptoms of diabetes
can look very much like those of a host of other conditions
and the disease can therefore go undiagnosed for years.
Screening for this particular condition is important because
early diagnosis and treatment greatly improve the quality of
life for those who have this condition.

There are 2 key types of diabetes that individuals who are
not familiar with the disease normally find it difficult to
tell apart and these are type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by the destruction of cells within
the pancreas which occurs because of an auto-immune attack.
It cannot be prevented and accounts for approximately ten
percent of the cases of diabetes in North America and
Europe. Type 1 diabetes is found in children and adults and
is often referred to as juvenile diabetes.

It is possible to treat type 1 diabetes very successfully by
closely monitoring levels of blood glucose and adjusting the
level of insulin in the body. Both forms of diabetes can
require the enhancement of the body's insulin level and
diabetic coma can result if the body's insulin level falls
too quickly.

Apart from the administration of insulin, the best form of
management for type 1 diabetes is a program of exercise and
diet. People with this condition need to be aware of their
body glucose level and ensure that insulin is replaced by
injection or use of an insulin pump.

Type 2 diabetes is different from the type 1 form of this
disease because it occurs as a result of insulin resistance
or a sensitivity to insulin combined with the body's reduced
insulin production. This form of diabetes is common in
people who are obese, are advanced in age, have a family
history and who do not exercise.

Type 1 diabetics have to use medication because their bodies
cannot make insulin. Type 2 diabetics however have several
different choices in terms of controlling their condition.
Diet and exercise might well be enough to keep type 2
diabetes under control but oral medication and insulin might
also be included in treatment.

There are numerous different treatment options available but
the most critical element of the treatment equation is the
patient. This is a chronic condition but this does not mean
that it has to be a lost cause and there are numerous ways
to keep your body in good health when you are suffering from
diabetes. Indeed, the diabetic is the most important factor
in the fight against the side effects of this all too common
disease.

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