Outdoor exercise 'healther than gym workouts'

Going for a run outdoors is better than exercing in the gym because it has a positive impact on mental, as well as physical health, researchers have found.
Levels of tension, confusion, anger and depression were found to be higer exercising indoors.
A study found that exercise in natural environments was linked to greater feelings of revitalisation, increased energy and positive engagement.
Levels of tension, confusion, anger and depression were found to be lowered by exercising outside.
A team at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry looked at data from sources including eleven trials involving 833 adults.
All compared the relative merits of outdoor exercise compared to indoors.
As well as improved mental health benefits, those studied also reported greater enjoyment from exercising outside, and a higher likelihood of continuing with the exercise regime.
Research fellow Dr Jo Thompson-Coon said: "The hypothesis that there are added beneficial effects to be gained from exercising in the natural environment is very appealing and has generated considerable interest.
"By using the data currently available to us we have added strength to the link between mental and physical well-being and outdoor exercise, but further research and longer, tailor-made and focused trials are needed to better understand this link."
Professor Michael Depledge, senior author of the study, which was published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, added: "Some 75 per cent of the European population now live in urban environments, so that increasing efforts need to be made to re-connect people with nature.
"Our research, which brings together data from a wide variety of sources, adds significant weight to the case for spending more time in the natural environment as members of the public and their clinicians fight to counteract the negative outcomes of modern living, such as obesity and depression." Telegraph, UK.

SEXERCISE ! Sex, the best workout : Sex-exercises to keep you fit

MONIKA RAWAL
While it may seem hard to take out time to hit the gym for a workout session, very few people know that indulging in a sweat-inducing sex

Its official: Sex is the best exercise (Getty Images)
session is equally beneficial.

It not only helps burning extra calories, but also allows couples to perform routine exercises and also enjoy sexual pleasure. What else can couples ask for!

Dr. Basheer Ahmad Roy, a Bangalore-based sex specialist states, “Almost all muscles
including the legs, thighs, arms, shoulders and lower abdomen are worked upon during a sexual interaction. Anything that is done for the body should be done for at least 15 minutes and a sex session may not stretch for this long. So couples need to pay extra attention that if they wish to derive additional health benefits from sexual positions, they need to prolong sexual activity right from foreplay to the climax state.”

Apart from the fact that sex brings relief from headaches, reduces depression
and tranquilises the mind, leads to glowing hair and skin etc, it’s also true that many sexual positions double up as easy workouts.

Dr. Shivi Jaggi, a Delhi-based sexologist asserts, “Sex helps burning a lot of calories. Different positions in which partners participate as per their comfort level lead to a fit body. A few complex positions that require more of physical strength and involve more work lead to weight-loss and exercising of muscles. Intensity of movements and duration of sex make a lot of difference.

Here are some lovemaking positions, which will let you stretch the most important muscle groups in your body...

Missionary position (Man on top)
In the Indian context, more than 90 per cent of couples indulge in the missionary position in bed, which seems to be quite gratifying for them. As the act involves weight balancing, it obviously has a number of physical benefits. The missionary position is all about stretching, arching and tightening. While the male partner is on top, the female laying on her back can also help to stretch her back, arch and tighten the abs. In addition, she can also try tightening the kegel muscles right during the act.

Dr. Jaggi elucidates, “The partner on top gets more involved in the physical activity. With a male partner on top, a lot of pressure is borne by his arms and shoulders. Besides, elbows and knees are used to the maximum while balancing in such a position; hence it stretches the muscles in both these body parts. In addition, thigh muscles are also worked upon during the missionary position, as you are almost on your knees during the act.”

Woman on top
It is said that women can orgasm quickly while on top. Yet there is an evident reluctance among Indian women to try this position in bed. But having a female partner taking the lead is a very good exercise. It allows both partners to enjoy an equal participation, where the woman uses her hands and arms to prop up and down, and the male partner is holding the woman thus balancing her body weight.

Dr. Jaggi shares, “With the woman on the top, the weight would normally be born by the male partner. Women being the physically weaker counterpart during sex, you cannot expect them to hold on to their body mass completely. So again it’s more of exercise for the men, where they use their biceps’ muscles to hold their female partner. For a female too, just to maintain the position for a longer duration, she is stretching her biceps, triceps, forearms and chest muscles to the fullest.”

Sitting missionary (Face to face)
Yet another creative sexual position, it involves couples facing each either on a sofa, bed or the
Sex, the best workout
Its official: Sex is the best exercise (Getty Images)
floor. The position also lets you flex your toes forward, which is a good way to stretch your calf muscles. Since both partners are sitting throughout the act, certain muscles, which are worked upon heavily, have to be stable and strong to ensure a gratifying act.

Dr. Pushkar Gupta, a Chandigarh-based sex therapist explains, “Sitting missionary involves more physical work as compared to the missionary position where a couple is lying down. As the position requires both partners sitting straight facing each other, with the female partner wrapping her legs around a man’s hips, her back muscles are highly involved. Also to get the right posture, you end up putting a lot of strain on your spinal muscles, thigh muscles and lower back, which in a way is a good stretching exercise. Retaining the same position and trying different moves and lifts, your lower abdomen is also worked upon. Be cautious if you have a weak back, as excessive stretching may give you cramps and hurt you.”

Against the wall
Having sex against a wall – either in the washroom or a store room can be fun at times. Not only the standing posture would bring enhanced pleasure, but it would also allow you enjoy a workout session while you indulge in a sex romp. During this position, the quads (front top leg) and lower back are exercised. Also, as the male leans slightly forward, the female can arch her back thus indulging in a perfect exercise.

Dr. Gupta asserts, “Having sex standing against a wall is usually meant for couples who are physically stable. Since you are doing the act standing throughout, it needs that physical stamina to carry on for a longer time period. Then height also plays an important role in this stance, as in accordance to that only, you will decide the angle in which you need to bend and stretch your thighs and legs. In such a sexual position, another very good exercise could be lifting your female partner and nothing can be better than enjoying the pleasure and burning some calories alongside.”

Legs on shoulders
Such an act is not only a sex position but also a great form of foreplay. As it requites the female partner to be physically charged up and creative in bed, let’s not forget how beneficial this act is for the body muscles. Having a female raising her legs to reach a man’s shoulder is a perfect way to arouse him and at the same time it allows the female to stretch er leg muscles and tone her abs in the process.

Dr. Jaggi agrees, “It’s a very wonderful aerobic exercise, especially done by females using her flexible body. Though it may look like yet another foreplay act trying to turn on your partner, but it turns out to be a great workout where you can fully stretch your leg muscles. Whatever you get out of a 30 minute long cycling session while gymming, this sex posture can bring you almost equal, if not better, results.”

Crouching and bending
Try a prolonged foreplay with acts like sitting, bending and crouching, in addition to regular sex positions. This will surely be more advantageous when it comes to a physical workout.

Dr. Gupta says, “Very common but lesser tried sex position, bending and crouching demands a lot of bends and curves, so the spinal muscles are exercised here. Also, the inner thigh muscles get a lot of exercise as you bend. While sitting or bending, you end up putting pressure on your abdominal area as well, which can help you get into shape. In case of a lower back ache, avoid this position, as it may worsen the pain further.”

monika.rawal@indiatimes.co.in

Exercise boosts memory.....!

London, February 27: Exercise can not only buy you a fit body but also a better memory. A new study has revealed that physically fit people tend to have a bigger hippocampus, which is responsible for the formation and storage of new memories as well as for spatial navigation.

Researchers from the University of Illinois and the University of Pittsburgh have found that fitness increases hippocampus size, which in turn improves spatial memory, making it easier to record information about one's environment and its spatial orientation and consequently ensuring the convenience of navigation around a familiar city.

Previous studies have depicted that the volume of hippocampus can be increased by exercising its spatial skills and its memorizing abilities. Cabbies in London are known to have a larger hippocampus than other citizens, and experienced cabbies have it bigger than the new ones. Constantly making use of the memory-making skills of hippocampus can also help it grow; study of German medical students revealed that their hippocampus got larger, while studying for finals.

Studies in the past have shown that exercise increases hippocampus size and spatial memory in rodents, but scientists have demonstrated for the first time that exercise can affect hippocampus size and memory in humans.

In the new study, researchers measured the cardiorespiratory fitness of 165 adults (including 109 females) between 59 and 81 years of age. After measuring their hippocampus, the volunteers were given a test of spatial memory. Later, their aerobic fitness was measured by VO2 max.

The scientists found a “triple association” – physical fitness was associated with a larger hippocampus, which in turn was related with better spatial memory.

Hippocampus is a brain structure inside the medial temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex, which known to shrink with age, causing small but significant cognitive decline. However, the rate of its deterioration is different among individuals.

“The higher fit people have a bigger hippocampus, and the people that have more tissue in the hippocampus have a better spatial memory,” said University of Illinois professor Art Kramer, who led the study along with Pittsburgh psychology professor Kirk Erickson.

“Basically, if you stay fit, you retain key regions of your brain involved in learning and memory,” said Erickson.

If your workout is not working for you !

Your time is valuable, and for each precious moment you put into your workouts, you want to ensure you get the best possible return on your investment. So, are you getting the results you want? If your body isn't as lean or toned as you'd like, it may be that you're committing some key training mistakes, which can sabotage the efforts of even veteran exercisers.

Of course, you probably know the more obvious mistakes to avoid. For instance, skipping your warm-up may cause you to fatigue early, preventing you from realizing your potential. Furthermore, leaning on the stair climber or elliptical trainer may allow you to stay on longer, but it drastically reduces the challenge to your lower body as well as the number of calories you burn. But what about the less obvious errors you may be making? Here, we'll discuss some of the more subtle -- yet no less serious -- faux pas of fitness and the strength-training exercises most frequently flubbed, and show you how they can be fixed with nearly effortless corrections.

THE TEN FAUX PAS OF FITNESS

People make small but costly mistakes when exercising every day, and one tiny change can have a huge impact on their results, says Los Angeles–based trainer Ken Alan, a spokesman for the American Council on Exercise. Thanks to Alan and the panel of training experts who weighed in on these faux pas and fixes, you'll error-proof your exercise and see tremendous payoffs, and the time you invest in your workouts will be smart and well-spent. We begin with five errors often made in your approach to exercise, then we'll take a look at five moves frequently flubbed.

THE APPROACH

1. The faux pas Getting married to your strength routine
The facts If you do the same routine over and over, your muscles will simply adapt; you're likely to hit a plateau because each exercise stimulates only a limited number of muscle fibers. However, if you challenge your muscles from a variety of angles by adding or alternating moves periodically, you'll get significantly more fibers into the act and develop more tone and strength.

The fix For each muscle group, learn an additional 2 or 3 exercises, trying new angles and equipment. (If you can't get instruction from a trainer, there are plenty of books and videos organized by routine for each body part.) For instance, if you usually do the dumbbell chest press on a flat bench, try it at an incline. If you normally use the chest-press machine, try the dumbbell chest press or the bench press with a barbell. Expand your repertoire enough so that you can change your entire routine every 6–8 weeks.

2. The faux pas Performing your reps too quickly
The facts If you zoom through your repetitions when strength training, you'll be using momentum instead of muscle power. You won't get the same stimulus for muscle building, and you won't burn as many calories. You'll also be more susceptible to training injuries such as torn muscles or connective tissue.

The fix Take 6 seconds to perform each repetition: 2 seconds to lift the weight and 4 seconds to lower it. (Since you have gravity to help you lower the weight, you need to slow down even more on this phase in order to give your muscles a sufficient challenge.) Our experts agree that slowing down is the single most significant change you can make to get better results from strength training.

3. The faux pas Exercising too hard, too often
The facts If you don't rest enough between hard cardio or strength workouts, you'll stop making progress and may even lose some of the fitness you've gained. You're also likely to burn out on exercise.

The fix To keep your muscles fresh and your motivation high, alternate shorter, tougher cardio workouts (for instance, 20 minutes) with longer, easier days (40–60 minutes). Don't go all-out more than twice a week. Keep in mind that the more intensely you train, the more time your body needs to recover. It's a good idea to do a couple of tough workouts and take 1 day completely off each week. On the strength-training front, take at least 1 day off between sessions that work the same muscle group.