Earphones

Exercising or jogging alone can be boring and be one of the reasons to stop going to the gym or park. Music certainly helps to cut this boredom out. So this Father’s Day, buy him a good pair of headphones. Nowadays, you can find headphones which are especially designed for workouts so that the wire does not slip out of your ear while running. They also come with other cool features like armbands, integrated smart remotes, sweat resistance, etc. You even get waterproof earphones which can be worn while swimming. There are a number of brands to choose from like Sony, Bose, Sennheiser. 

Heart rate monitors and pedometers

Heart rate monitors also make for a good gift for your dad. They help one monitor their heart rate which can come in handy while working out. Even if he does not suffer from any heart condition, it is still advised to use it when exercising. One can strap it on like a wrist watch and monitor one’s heart rate from time to time. You can find many with advanced features like breathing rate, speed and distance, calories burnt, etc. Shop at Flipkart or Healthkart. 

Pedometers also come in handy when walking or jogging as it gives an accurate count of the number of steps you’ve walked. According to experts, 10,000 steps every day are enough to keep you fit. So get one for your dad this Father’s Day. 

Fitness wear and gears

Another good way to give your dad the push to start his fitness regimen is by gifting him fitness wear – T-shirts, track pants, sweatshirts, shorts, etc.

And if this doesn’t appeal to him, you can even get home fitness kits and gears like pull-up bars, dumbbells, stationary bicycle, etc. You can buy these from sports brands like Planet Sports or from online shopping sites like Flipkart. 

Jogging/running shoes

If you think these gift items are all too fancy for your dad, stick to the basics. Get him new jogging or running shoes. You will be surprised at the choices you have in the market so take out time for shopping or take your dad along with you and get him a pair of his choice. Some popular brands are Nike, Adidas, Puma and Reebok. 

Annual health check-ups

Staying fit by exercising and working out is good but an annual health check-up is also vital to find out about any hidden illnesses that a person may be suffering from. Make sure your father and your entire family gets one done. You can gift one to your father this year. There are many companies that have a pan India presence and offer good deals on full-body checkups. Here are a few to choose from – Metropolis, Thyrocare, Healthkart.

Yoga class/gym membership

Move away from traditional gifts and give your father a year-long membership to a gym or a yoga class. Since it is a gift, he will not be able to decline it and in the bargain, will get fitter. Finding something close to his workplace or residence is a good idea as he won’t miss any class then. Gym chains like Gold’s and Talwalkars offer gym as well as yoga classes. 

Gaming consoles

A slightly offbeat present for Father’s Day but gaming isn’t just for kids. You may have seen many celebrities like SRK or Saif talking about their love for games and how they even compete with their kids. This is a good gift as it will keep your father mentally agile. These days, gaming consoles like Xbox and Nintendo Wii have an entire fitness section and games like tennis, cricket, etc which allow you to move around instead of lying on the sofa. This will help one get fit in their living room whilst having fun. 

Board games

Exercising the mind is as important as is engaging in physical activity and if a gaming console isn’t in your budget or your dad isn’t too tech-savvy, stick to board games. You can get him chess or even monopoly that the entire family can play once in a while. Jigsaw puzzles are another great option.

Health books

Gaining knowledge about a subject is the first step to getting closer to your goal and books are an excellent source for this. If your dad is not a fitness enthusiast yet, get him started by gifting him health and fitness books so that he learns more about and gets inspired to get back in shape. 

Healthy gift hamper

Gift hampers are a nice way to show your dad your love. You could pack all his favourite goodies in it and present it to him but make sure you pick only healthy products. Balisur tea has various flavoured teas like vazar irish cream, mojito, etc and makes for a good gift. If he is fond of red wine, you could get him a bottle as it is good for health. Another good option is to gift him a spa massage. Richfeel has introduced sports therapies for men to relieve muscular stiffness, stress and relax the body.

We hope these healthy gift ideas will help you pick a good present for your dad for Father’s Day. Let him know how special he is to you by caring for his health.

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 In a press release, lead author Neha Gothe, a professor of kinesiology, health and sport studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, explained that Yoga is an ancient Indian science and way of life that includes not only physical movements and postures but also regulated breathing and meditation. Thought the practice involves an active attentional or mindfulness component, she said, its potential benefits have not been thoroughly explored.

In the study, 30 female undergraduate students were instructed to do a 20-minute session of Hatha yoga, which involved seated, standing and supine positions. The exercises involved relaxing different muscle groups, regulated breathing and isometric contractions, meaning the joint angle or the muscle length does not change during the process. Meditation and deep breathing were also involved. The subjects were also instructed to complete a 20-minute aerobic exercise where they walked or jogged on a treadmill. The incline and speed was adjusted until the person maintained a 60 to 70 percent maximum heart rate — which had previously been shown to stimulate cognitive abilities in other studies — throughout the session.

But no significant improvements on working memory and inhibitory control scores were seen after the aerobic exercise session. On the other hand, right after the yoga session people improved their reaction times and accuracy on the tests. Gothe said that that following yoga practice, it appears that the participants were better able to focus their mental resources, process information quickly, more accurately and also learn, hold and update pieces of information more effectively than after performing an aerobic exercise bout.

 The breathing and meditative exercises aim at calming the mind and body and keeping distracting thoughts away while you focus on your body, posture or breath, Gothe explained. She thinks these processes translate beyond yoga practice when people try to perform mental tasks or day-to-day activities. Gothe hypothesized that improving one’s self-awareness through yoga’s meditation exercise, as well as reducing anxiety and stress through the session may have boosted performance.

The study was published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. (ANI)

‘Yoga is an ancient Indian science and way of life that includes not only physical movements and postures but also regulated breathing and meditation,’ said Neha Gothe, who led the study while a graduate student at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. ‘The practice involves an active attention or mindfulness component but its potential benefits have not been thoroughly explored.’

‘Yoga is becoming an increasingly popular form of exercise in the US. It is imperative to systematically examine its health benefits, especially the mental health benefits that this unique mind-body form of activity may offer,’ said Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Edward McAuley, who directs the Exercise Psychology Laboratory where the study was conducted.

Source: IANS

Women go through different phases in life – from a teenager to becoming a mother, menopause and old age. All these stages cause various physical changes in one’s body. In order to stay fit and flexible all the time, Danielle Collins, a face yoga expert who is also a believer and practitioner of yoga, Pilates and well being, lists out top 5 yoga poses that every woman should incorporate in her exercise regimen.

I would recommend a balance pose, a twist pose, a forward bend/inversion pose, a back bend and a side bend for women.

Back bend: Camel pose

The camel pose is excellent for strengthening the spine, opening the chest and toning the thighs. If you spend a lot of time sat down, it is a great pose to move the spine in the opposite direction, therefore giving you better posture in everyday life. Only attempt the pose if you know your back is strong enough.

Side bend: Triangle pose
If you are keen to tone up your waist, have more flexible hamstrings and reduce tension in your shoulders, then add triangle pose to your daily routine. Hold on each side for five breaths or more and you will soon be enjoying a more streamlined, relaxed body.

Balance pose: One leg standing balance
Balance is essential for good health. It takes practice but it is worth the effort. It can prevent falls, improve sporting performance and holding balance poses can improve core and lower body strength. Try focusing on one point in front of you to stablilise you and to allow you to hold the pose longer. To challenge yourself further, try closing one eye or both eyes. For an easier alternative, practise against a wall.

Twist pose: Sitting spinal twist
Bring yourself gently into the posture as shown in the picture. Then, slowly rotate your spine to look over the shoulder where the arm is behind the back. Think about lengthening the spine as well as twisting it. Hold here for five breaths and then repeat the other side. This pose is excellent for releasing any tension in the muscles in either side of the spine. It is also a great detox pose as it boosts blood circulation and helps the lymphatic system remove toxins. It is perfect to do the morning.

Forward bend/inversion pose: Downward facing dog
Start on hands and knees, then lift your bottom into the air and tuck your toes under. Adjust your legs until comfortable and look towards your knees. If your legs are tight lift alternate heels up to release the hamstrings. This pose is one of the most common poses in yoga and is excellent for quickly releasing tight hamstrings, calves and back.

The author is the founder of The Danielle Collins Face Yoga Method. To know more about this method, visit www.faceyogaexpert.com

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Can Yoga cure diseases?

Yoga first emerged in the Indian civilization over 3000 years ago, and has since been gaining popularity around the world. The word ‘yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit word, yuj which means ‘to join’. While your workout at the gym may focus on physical activity, weight control, or strengthening of the body, it definitely ignores the mind. It is yoga’s ability to connect the mind and the body together that helps it to positively enhance human well-being. Read more… 

Source: IANS 

Sex exercises for women

Skipping 

If you’re stressed the last thing you want is sex. Doing cardio-based activities will pump you full of endorphins and improve your mood though. In turn this will make you want it more and will give your sex drive a boost.

Method: wear a sports bra, aim for about 70-80 skips a minute at first. To tone your abs do a running skip by bringing your knees up in a high march as you jump, alternating each leg between skips. 

Upavistha Konasana

Are you satisfied in bed? Most women aren’t. If you want to orgasm more then you should try and increase the blood flow to the pelvis with this fab yoga move.

Method: Sit on the floor with your legs wide. Keep your toes and knees pointing straight up.  Lean your upper body forward as far as it goes comfortably. Hold for five to 10 deep breaths.

 The plank

Is this another exotic position? Nope. Fact is most women hate crazy positions because for most of us our bodies jiggle and wiggle involuntarily.  The plank, though, helps tone up these wobbly areas and makes you more confident trying new things in bed.  

Method: lie face down, push up and hold your body off the ground using your toes and forearms for support. Keep your back straight. Hold for 30-60 seconds and do daily.

Pelvic floor muscles

They don’t sound pretty, but pelvic floor exercises are worth doing. Doing pelvic floor exercises regularly will make you more sensitive and they can give you stronger orgasms. Plus you can do them anywhere – at your desk, on the bus, in the shower.

Method: imagine you are urinating and then try to stop the flow. Repeat this hold, squeeze, and release cycle 10 times. Try to hold each for 10 seconds.

Bow bend

We’ve all seen that insanely good yoga whizz and we’ve all probably had the same thought: I bet they’re great in bed. Getting more flexible will enable you to do more positions and allow for deeper penetration, which will make sex better for both you and your guy.

Method: lie on your stomach and take your heels as close to your butt as you can, then take your hands behind and hold your ankles. Keep your knees hip width apart. 

Sex exercises for men

Hip Lunges

Every man must learn how to thrust, and thrust well. Hip lunges work the hips and will give you the perfect power force you need to please your girl.

Method: Place one foot forward, so that your feet are about a metre apart and your knees are slightly bent. Push your pelvis forward. Hold this position for 30 seconds making sure you feel a stretch.

Interval running

If the flesh around your pubic bone is padded with too much fat it will make your penis look smaller and make it more difficult to penetrate your girl deeply.

Method: find a hill and sprint up it, then walk back down for recovery. Beginners aim for 10 x 45 seconds uphill running whilst advanced runners should aim for 15 to 20 x 60 seconds uphill running.

 Kegels

Did you think kegels were just for the girls? Think again boys. Kegels can make you last longer, be harder and they give you more control over your ejaculations.  

Method: imagine you are urinating and then try to stop the flow. Repeat this squeeze, hold, release cycle 10 times, trying to hold for 10 seconds per squeeze. 

Upper body workout

Has your girl ever complained that you’re squashing her when you’re in bed? If so, it’s probably time you worked on your upper body strength.

Method: to build strength in your upper arms do several sets of different exercises. A good group to try is: 12 x tricep dips, 12 x box press-ups and 12 x pull-ups. Repeat this three times.

Football

Love the beautiful game? So does your libido. Football boosts testosterone levels, which in turn gives your sex drive a boost.

Method: we don’t need to tell you how to play football, but one tip we do have is to try and play in front of your home crowd. Research has found men’s testosterone is higher for home games.

Also read: Five shocking sex facts

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Content courtesy: Realbuzz.com

General exercise routine apps 

Endomondo [Android, iOS, Windows; Free]

Endomondo is a multi-fitness app that can be used for many forms of exercise including biking, hiking, kayaking, aerobics, cricket, polo, etc. It allows you to set goals on the distance or calories you want to burn. You can also compete with your friends by posting your updates online.  
Pros: Endomondo has an audio feature that gives feedback after every mile or km. It also has a modern and clean interface which makes it great to use while doing high-intensity work-outs.

Cons: Despite several user complaints, a problem with the app prevents users from posting to Facebook. A similar problem also exists with its GPS map, and it loses some major points in our book.

Noom Cardio Trainer [Android; Free]

This is a simple app that tracks all your physical activity, from biking, walking, skating or running on a treadmill! It checks how far you’ve run, your stride length, offers workout playlists, etc. The app also offers advanced GPS, pedometer tools and an interactive heart rate monitor.
Pros: You can set workout schedules in advance. An interesting feature is a color code that informs whether you’ve completed a workout day, missed a workout day, or had an unscheduled exercise.

Cons: The biggest drawback of the app, however, is that it stores all the information on your phone; occupying a lot of space. Also there have been multiple reports from users of the GPS that stops to work after a few days.

Yoga apps

Yoga Studio [iOS; Free]: This is a simple app that brings to you 30 ready-made yoga classes and a library of over 280 positions to learn from. You can set your skill level from beginner, intermediate or expert yoga. The workouts are well put together with 15 to 60 minutes practice. Another useful feature is the ability to create a yoga schedule which helps develop a routine.

Pros: The creators of the app – Modern Lotus – really thought of the customer when they decided to compress the size of the videos so that they don’t fill up your phone.

Cons: We couldn’t find any yet!

Office Yoga [Android, iOS; Free]

Office Yoga suggests ways to rid yourself of stiffness from sitting in your cubical with the help of nine sets of yoga movements. The app opens up an e-deck of cards that come with instructions for yoga poses tailored for desk-workers looking to stretch on the job.

Pros: You only have to tap to sort and create your own sequence or use only your favourites.

Cons: A major glitch is that even after the app has been closed, the background music doesn’t stop for a long time.

Running

RunKeeper [Android, iOS; Free]

This popular app created by FitnessKeeper, Inc. keeps a track of your pace, distance, time calories burned and more, helping you store and analyse your running session. It also syncs your music library and allows you to create jogging play lists.

Pros: The coaching feature constantly chimes out encouragement by announcing your pace, distance run, calories burned, etc. and also posts to your social networks for you.

Cons: RunKeeper is as near to being a perfect app as we’ve encountered so far.

 Nike+ Running [Android, iOS; Free]

Nike+ Runnin has a special feature – the accelerometer that helps collecting information on your runs. The Powermusic feature allows the app to sync with your music library. It also automatically uploads to nikeplus.com where you can see your runs, including your route and elevation. 

Pros: Hit a mental wall? The app allows you to activate a Powersong to helps blast you toward a new record. There is also positive feedback from some of Nike’s top athletes. Imagine being cheered on by the likes of Kobe Bryant or Cristiano Ronaldo!

Cons: Some of its features such as Share Run and Cheer Me On require users to be connected to a wireless network for full functionality which hampers its outdoor experience.

Weight Training Apps

VirtuaGym [Android, iOS; Free]

Want to start weight training but don’t know how? This app allows you to carry a virtual gym trainer in your pocket. Demo exercises are performed with 3D animation. The app offers three options of morning, home and gym workouts.  Morning workouts of 7 -15 minutes are to get your day started. If you don’t have a gym membership, you can try the home workout.

Pros: The exercises are well planned, working all of your muscles and starting off with warm ups and ending with cool downs.  

Cons: There are 8 only workouts, there is no logbook and you cannot customize your workouts.

Gym Hero [OS: iOS; Free]

 This app allows you to create workout plans; allowing you to customize routines and helping you stick to them. You can plan a multiple set of activities and the number of time of that activity to make your workout plan.

Pros: A statistics feature compresses all the data collect and even shows which muscles you are working.

Cons: It’s not for beginners and seems to be for the more advanced gym routines only.

So try out these amazing apps and do let us know if they help you take it to the next level!

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While there are various ways in which you can thank your mom for all that she has done for you, why not do something that will benefit her the most? Celebrate a healthy Mother’s Day this year and let her know that you are there to take of her just like she does when you fall sick.

Here’s a healthy plan to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Start this day by early morning exercises which will benefit the both of you and also help you bond further. Depending on the age of your mom, you can choose the kind of workout you would like to do with her. If both of you are looking to shed some kilos, what better way to start? Drag your mom along with you to the cardio machine and sweat it out together. If relaxation is what you are looking at, then why not attend a yoga class together and try some meditation and calming asanas. You could also go for an early morning run together. This will give you time to talk as well and make both of you fitter.

Laughter yoga

Top fitness tips for women

8 reasons to start running

Yoga tips for beginners

Women and weight training

After workout, it’s time to have some healthy yet yummy breakfast. Give your mom a rest and surprise her by cooking for her today. But remember to keep it healthy. With age, every woman needs some essential nutrients without which her body cannot function properly. Ensure that your mom has them regularly in her diet. Start today itself by making her eat healthy.

Healthy substitutes for white sugar

Weight loss diet by nutritionist

10 food items for women’s health problems

 Healthy Indian breakfast ideas

Apart from exercise and diet, you also need to ensure that your mom does not suffer from any major health ailments. Get her tested regularly for common ailments. If she suffers from a health condition, try and control it with available measures.

Top 15 women’s health concerns

Fibroids – what are they?

Menopause

Living with diabetes

Cervical cancer prevention

Food habits to beat arthritis

10 tips for a healthier heart

Osteoporosis

Apart from this, don’t forget, the day doesn’t end with a small gift from your end. It could be as small as getting her glasses made or getting her a gym membership. You could also gift her a spa/ massage or pedicure voucher which will pamper her and bring a smile to her face. So this Mother’s Day, give her the gift of health. 

Mother’s Day special: gift her glowing skin

5 healthy gift options for your mother 

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The study from investigators at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) combined advanced expression profiling and systems biology analysis to both identify genes affected by relaxation response practice and determine the potential biological relevance of those changes.

‘Many studies have shown that mind/body interventions like the relaxation response can reduce stress and enhance wellness in healthy individuals and counteract the adverse clinical effects of stress in conditions like hypertension, anxiety, diabetes and aging,’ said Herbert Benson, MD, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute.

‘Now for the first time we’ve identified the key physiological hubs through which these benefits might be induced,’ he stated.

Towia Libermann, PhD – director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Center and co-senior author of the study – added, ‘Some of the biological pathways we identify as being regulated by relaxation response practice are already known to play specific roles in stress, inflammation and human disease. For others, the connections are still speculative, but this study is generating new hypotheses for further investigation.’

The current study examined changes produced during a single session of relaxation response practice, as well as those taking place over longer periods of time.The study enrolled a group of 26 healthy adults with no experience in relaxation response practice, who then completed an 8-week relaxation response training course. The results revealed significant changes in the expression of several important groups of genes between the novice samples and those from both the short- and long-term sets, with even more pronounced changes in the long-term practitioners.  

A systems biology analysis of known interactions among the proteins produced by the affected genes revealed that pathways involved with energy metabolism, particularly the function of mitochondria, were upregulated during the relaxation response. Pathways controlled by activation of a protein called NF-?B – known to have a prominent role in inflammation, stress, trauma and cancer – were suppressed after relaxation response elicitation. The expression of genes involved in insulin pathways was also significantly altered.

 Manoj K. Bhasin, PhD, co-lead author of the study and co-director of the BIDMC Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Center, noted that these insights should provide a framework for determining, on a genomic basis, whether the relaxation response will help alleviate symptoms of diseases triggered by stress and developing biomarkers that may suggest how individual patients will respond to interventions.  Benson stresses that the long-term practitioners in this study elicited the relaxation response through many different techniques – various forms of meditation, yoga or prayer – but those differences were not reflected in the gene expression patterns.

 The finding was published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Jacqueline was on a staple Sri Lankan and Malay diet of curry and rice until she moved to Mumbai. Being athletic since childhood, she never really had to work too hard to stay in shape as she did not put on weight too easily. Her charming looks and fit body were enough to woo the judges at the Miss Sri Lanka pageant which she eventually won.

Her initial films tanked at the box office but she managed to create a buzz in the industry thanks to her hot physique. While she looked hot onscreen, she wasn’t her fittest self in the beginning. She once admitted that one had to be quite slim in order to look good onscreen as the camera always makes you look fatter than you really are. This for her meant crash diets, starving herself before shoots and then hogging at length after it. She experimented with various kinds of fad diets before she realised it is important to be fit on a regular basis than just looking slim onscreen.

Though she hit the gym regularly, she wasn’t too inclined towards it and did not enjoy working out. Then she came across yoga and embraced it as a lifestyle. She now practises yoga for an hour, five days a week and enjoys these sessions. Her skin’s glowing, she looks fresher and it is also a stress reliever for her mind and body.

Jacqueline believes in a simple yet healthy diet and swears by her dose of fresh fruits, salads, and green tea. Her day starts with warm water with lime and honey, raw fruits and boiled or scrambled eggs. She prefers having a vegan lunch full of salads, lentils and brown rice while dinner consists of grilled fish and veggies. According to her, the body needs the right amount of carbs, fats and proteins for it be healthy and fit. But one thing that Jacqueline totally avoids is sugar, indulging in her cravings only once in a while.

Her workout regimen starts with a light warm-up and about 20 rounds of suryanamaskar. She also includes other asanas like vrikshasana, utkatasana, poorna halasana, kapalbhati kriya and anulom vilom in her regime.

And the regime seems to be working as well because we’ve not seen anyone look that good onscreen for a very long time!

Also read fitness secrets of Madonna, Emraan and Lara. 

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