Daily Fitness

Sex therapies, Viagra or energy pills, yoga classes etc … you may have tried countless ways to boost your
Exercise for a better sex life sexual performance.

What not try routine exercises that can add spark to your sex life? Several studies have shown that fit adults have a more electrifying sex life than individuals who lead sedentary lifestyle.

Exercise not only piques sexual desire, but also makes sex more enjoyable. It enhances sexual functioning and increases testosterone levels in both men and women, which ensures a better sex life. We bring you a few simple (s)exercises that will not only enhance your performance in bed but also let you enjoy the act like never before.

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Want to cut down on all those calories but don’t know how? Well, working out might be the answer, for researchers have found that aerobic exercises increase a blood protein that may suppress appetite.

Researchers at the University of Chile Clinical Hospital in Santiago conducted a study in which they found that aerobic exercise decreases body fat and calorie intake in overweight and obese people.

They believe that this happens because exercise brings about changes to a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, whose main role is promoting the growth and survival of nerve cells.

The boffins conducted the research over a three-month period during which they evaluated blood levels of BDNF in 15 overweight or obese men and women.

At the end of the study, it was noted that the participants had not only shed some of their weight, had decreased waist circumference, and blood pressure, but that they also consumed fewer calories than at the beginning of the study.

With exercise, it was found that BDNF levels greatly increased, which in turn led to less calorie intake and greater the weight loss, said lead author A. Veronica Araya, MD, assistant professor.

Based on the findings she said that it was thus "important to clarify the factors involved in the response to different weight loss therapies because we could find a marker to predict response to the intervention" as it might help healthcare providers select who will benefit from exercise.

Drinking coffee after a workout can help refuel muscles and recover quickly from rigorous exercising.

Glycogen, the muscle’s primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine after rigorous exercise, thus improving their performance.

The researchers found that athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66pct more glycogen in their muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone.

"If you have 66% more fuel for the next day’s training or competition, there is absolutely no question you will go farther or faster," said Dr. Hawley, the study’s senior author.

Despite coffee, caffeine is also present in common foods and beverages, including, tea, chocolate and cola drinks.

The study involved seven well-trained endurance cyclists, wherein they were asked to ride a cycle ergometer until exhaustion, and then consume a low-carbohydrate dinner before going home.

The study was conducted in four sessions. This exercise reduced the athletes’ muscle glycogen stores prior to the experimental trial.

The athletes did not eat again until the next day for the second session, when they again cycled until exhaustion. The participants were given a drink that contained carbohydrate alone or carbohydrate plus caffeine and rested in the laboratory for four hours. Both the processes were repeated 7-10 days later.

The researchers found that one hour after exercise, muscle glycogen levels had been refilled to the same extent whether or not the athlete had the drink containing carbohydrate and caffeine or carbohydrate only.

However, four hours after exercise, the drink containing caffeine resulted in 66 pct higher glycogen levels compared to the carbohydrate-only drink and caffeinated drink resulted in higher levels of blood glucose and plasma insulin.

Several signalling proteins believed to play a role in glucose transport into the muscle also elevated to a greater extent after the athletes ingested the carbohydrate-plus-caffeine drink, compared to the carbohydrate-only drink.

But the researchers warned that athletes who want to incorporate caffeine into their workouts should experiment during training sessions well in advance of an important competition to find out what works for them.

Injuries sustained while engaged in fitness activities are more common then you might think, but many of the injuries can be avoided if the individual is knowledgeable and is willing to take the time to implement specific precautions. Listed below are the sources of many common fitness related injuries and suggestions on how to avoid them.

• Insufficient Warm Up
• Poor Stabilization
• Exceeding Limits
• Equipment Use
• Defective Equipment

Warming Up

The muscles work the best and can perform at optimum levels when they are warm. Cold muscles are tight, tense and inflexible. Exercise warms, loosens and makes the muscles more pliable. Muscles that are warm have a higher degree of flexibility then muscles that are cold.

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No buts about it: On the beaches of Brazil, you’ll find backside-baring beauties who possess the world’s most bragworthy bottoms. Their secret? Capoeira, a martial art that sculpts and tones while developing a dream derriere. SELF combined the sexy routine with classic fitness moves to create a fun, effective workout that will get your rear into gear fast. Prepare to look hot in shorts!

Trainer Brett Hoebel of New York City, creator of the class Booty Brasil, designed these no-fail fanny firmers. "This new capoeira fusion targets your glutes from every angle while incorporating the upper body, legs and abs for extra calorie burn," Hoebel explains.

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Women often start running because they want to lose weight. If the weight doesn’t come off as quickly as they’d like they often start dieting. This is a dangerous practice. Your body needs a certain amount of fat to simply survive. In women this amount, called essential fat, is 4% of your total body weight.

Your body also has 6-15% of storage fat. This is the fat you can put on or take off depending on your activity level and diet. Women also have sex-specific fat, which makes up 9-16% of their body weight. Sex-specific fat is stored in your pelvis, breasts, hips and thighs. It’s needed for normal reproductive functions.

When women start exercising to lose weight and then begin dieting to lose weight even faster, they can sometimes get caught up in a dangerous cycle of under-eating. It takes a lot of energy (fuel) to run four or five times a week, or to race on occasion.

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When it comes to the current state of overweight America, it’s become fairly obvious a TV show on the subject could be titled All in the Family.

But there’s nothing remotely funny about the plague of obesity pounding away at a growing number of men, women and children.

According to one estimate, 6 in 10 adults are overweight. More frightening is that fact the nation’s children are a short hop, skip and a jump behind. One study found roughly 1 in 5 children already face weight woes. The actual number may vary, but the fact remains: kids are getting fatter and a big chunk of the blame may lie with mom and dad.

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There was an astonishing article in Newsweek a few weeks back about the benefits of exercise on the brain that just blew my mind/brain/cranium/noggin. Here’s what I’ve learned from this article and further research.

Just 20 minutes of exercise

We all know that working out and exercising do amazing things for our bodies, and the benefits, other than weight loss and getting fit, are endless. Most of us also know that when our hearts, legs, and lungs get pumping, we feel much better than if we did nothing. Turns out that doing 20 minutes or more of cardiovascular and/or high-paced resistance workouts affects every aspect of our lives.
The science behind the brain magic

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