General Fitness: How to Lose Weight and Get Fit Faster

How long does it really take to get fit or lose 50 pounds through walking? Understanding concentric exercises, kettlebell swing mechanics, and proper post-workout hydration is key to building a sustainable fitness lifestyle.

Backache

Signs I Pulled a Muscle in My Lower Back

Whether you shoveled snow, dove for a rebound during your recreational basketball game or just bent awkwardly, you might suddenly experience a sharp pain in your low back. You're hardly alone. The American Chiropractic Association notes that more than 30 million Americans live with back pain at any point.

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Woman seated on rock meditating

Why Is Posture Important?

The term posture is used to describe how your body is positioned when you're sitting, standing and lying down. Proper posture is important for a number of reasons, including that it places your body in an alignment where the stress on supporting ligaments, tendons and muscles is limited.

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Teenage boy riding bicycle

How to Burn Fat & Build Muscle for Teens

For teens trying to build muscle and burn fat, misconceptions can cause confusion. For example, contrary to popular opinion, lifting weights is not dangerous for teens. Teens who lift weights and exercise cut their injury risks in half.

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Woman lifting weights

How to Maintain Muscle Mass While Losing Weight

People typically talk about weight loss when they want to get in shape. But the real objective should be fat loss, as opposed to weight. When you lose weight, you want to shed fat from your frame while maintaining muscle. If you're not careful, you can lose muscle along with fat.

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Personal trainer with man in home gym

How to Build Muscle for a 50-Year-Old Man

Even when you hit the 50-year mark, you can build and maintain lean muscle mass. To build muscle, you need to create an appropriate workout plan suitable for your age.

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gym women exercising

What Is a Good Amount of Calories Burned in a Workout?

Burning calories means you can afford to eat more, which is especially helpful if you are trying to manage your weight. You may think the more calories you burn during a workout the better, but the quality of your workouts is really what counts toward your fitness and health goals.

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Tape Measure 2

What Is a Good Body Fat Percentage?

More than one out of every three American adults is obese and living with a higher risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. Being overweight or obese is cause for concern, but it also serves as notice that it's time for you to create a healthier lifestyle.

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Muscle Recovery Time After Weight Lifting

The benefits of weight training can be addicting to anyone who works out with machines, free weights or even their own body weight. Often overlooked, though, is the necessity of rest between sessions. Muscle adaptions occur during recovery, and should be looked at as a part of your training.

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doubting woman with fruits and hamburger

How to See What You Will Look Like After Weight Loss

If you weigh more than your recommended weight range, weight loss can improve your overall health. Even a modest weight loss is likely to improve blood cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugars, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Golf clubs, golf bag, shoes, balls and tees on artificial turf

Great Gifts for Dads Over 60

Are you feeling stumped about what to get your father for his birthday or a holiday this year? If your dad is over age 60, it might be time to rethink the gifts you give him. Retirement and advancing age may require a new slant on old standards--or 60 can open up a whole new world of gift ideas.

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Man working out on a elliptic trainer

Bruising After Exercise

Exercise is touted as a must for individuals who are interested in losing weight, promoting good health and slowing -- or preventing -- the development of certain chronic conditions. While there is no question that the benefits of exercise are numerous, certain draw-backs do exist.

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girl engaged in fitness with dumbbells

What Is a Body Conditioning Exercise?

The balance and strength of the tissues in your body rely largely on the amount of exercise you perform each week. This exercise increases the fitness of the tissues in your body, whether through building muscles, burning fat or increasing the efficiency of your organs.

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Brunette strong fitness sexy woman doing barbell squats in a

Negative Effects of Powerlifting

Powerlifting is an intense, explosive form of strength training that uses heavy weights in compound exercises that hit target muscle groups hard. The competitive version of powerlifting uses only three main weightlifting exercises -- the bench press, the back squat and the deadlift.

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Asian woman make yoga Downward-facing dog pose in classroom

My Feet Tingle During Exercise

If your feet tingle during exercise, it could be a sign of a treatable condition related to inflammation of nerves in the feet or the connection between bones in the feet. Other diseases, such as diabetes, can lead to nerve damage, which can leave your feet feeling tingly or numb or even sore.

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Dumbells, fitness shoes with broken cigarettes

Can You Exercise & Smoke?

If you belong to a gym, you might be surprised to see staff members and trainers puffing cigarettes. While this is not a common occurrence, many individuals in the diet and exercise industries develop habits that negatively impact their health. Smoking is a bad thing no matter how you cut it.

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Male running on mountain trail

What to Eat to Reduce Lactic Acid During a Workout

After an intense bout of exercise, the body naturally produces lactic acid, but it clears it out when oxygen becomes available. Several strategies can clear it efficiently and thereby improve workouts, such as incorporating a cooldown, hydrating and consuming a balanced diet.

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