Arthritis refers to a group of diseases that cause joint pain, inflammation, and degeneration. With over one hundred different types of arthritis identified affecting about 1 in 5 individuals ages 18 and older, it is the leading cause of disability in America. Although arthritis can occur in people of any age, sex, or ethnicity, it is more frequently diagnosed in women and those over the age of 65. Rates of arthritis in minority groups (Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc.) are lower than in Caucasian populations, however, the disease negatively impacts minorities to a greater extent. This is likely related to decreased access to quality care. Minority groups with arthritis report increased severity of pain and functional limitations with work and daily living activities. Arthritis can have a significant impact on quality of life, and in addition to prescribed medications, exercise is an integral part of disease treatment and prevention of disease progression. To understand the importance of exercise for arthritis, it is helpful to clarify what exactly the disease does to the body. Arthritis literally means disease or inflammation of the joints; it is derived from “arthro,” meaning joint or joints, and “itis,” meaning inflammation. Of the many types of arthritis, the two most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Low Reps vs. High Reps When you go to the gym, do you lift the heaviest weights that you can? Or do you do more reps with lighter weights? This is a tough question for anyone who has recently started working out at the gym. A personal trainer would certainly be helpful. But if you do not have a trainer, you need to educate yourself about low and high reps. The pointers below shall guide you as to how best to design your fitness program so that you meet your health and wellness goals. So let’s take a look at some of the things that no one tells you about low rep vs. high rep sets. Facts about Low Rep and High Rep Sets: Low Reps. Are you looking to get lean and boost your endurance, or are you looking to bulk up and build muscle mass? If it’s the latter, then you should perform low rep sets at the gym. Building muscle tissue is known as hypertrophy, and it is a common goal for anyone who is lifting heavy weights to get stronger. Low rep sets are also useful for people looking to lose weight , as the muscle growth one gets from this style of training helps increase one’s daily metabolism.

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training . It’s the secret weapon of professional athletes and fitness junkies alike. The concept of HIIT is simple: you alternate between short periods of intense anaerobic exercise and short periods of low-intensity exercise or rest. For example, a HIIT workout might include 30 seconds of burpees followed by 30 second of rest, or 30 seconds of sprinting followed by 30 seconds of a light jog. The important thing is that you go all out and put in the maximum effort during the high-intensity intervals, as this is what makes HIIT so effective. The low-intensity intervals in between give you time for recovery. Six Significant Benefits Of HIIT Workouts: More bang for your buck Running a marathon isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. With HIIT, you get an incredible number of benefits in a short space of time, with no need to slog it out for hours on long runs or bike rides. Some studies have shown that you can achieve the same, if not better, results in half the amount of time by switching to HIIT. Even 15 minutes of HIIT can drastically make a difference. You keep burning calories When compared to steady-state aerobic training, HIIT not only burns more calories during a workout, it continues to burn more for hours afterward!

Getting into shape is quite a task when it comes to getting stronger, leaner, and more fit. Many people flock to the gyms at the beginning of every year in an effort to lose weight, feel great, and look better. However, many tend to fall off their exercise routine within a month or two. For many people, getting into shape tends to result in endless hours of cardio followed by hundreds of crunches, in an effort to tighten the abs and gain a six pack. Abs are by far the number one area that people look to improve in the gym every year and many fail. But why do a large percentage of people fail to get six pack abs? Below is a checklist to ensure that you will not fall victim to the failure bug, and effortlessly get six pack abs. Six Pack Checklist Create a Schedule If you are going to get effortless six pack abs then you need to have a well-thought-out plan to help you succeed. This can be a written schedule or calendar, or something that you input into your calendar on your phone. Your plan needs to have room for five days per week of exercise in general.

The world of health and fitness is ever changing. This evolution isn’t only about constantly finding new things to keep people interested. New trends are driven by new research, new technology, and new scientific discoveries, that shift the landscape on what are considered the most effective ways to get (and stay) fit, healthy, and strong. In 2017, we’re seeing some new trends emerge as well as elevated interest in some older trends. Here are some of the key fitness trends to look out for this year: Wearable fitness trackers Fitbit. Jawbone. Garmin. Moov. Apple Watch. The list goes on. An increasing number of wearable technologies that are entering the market are pushing the envelope on functionality and design. In 2017, the trend of fitness trackers continues to grow, with more people using devices to track various aspects of their workouts, such as heart rate and counting approximate calories and distance. People are also integrating these devices more into their everyday life so that they can measure their overall daily activity and their sleeping patterns. Exercise as medicine While it may seem obvious that exercise should be used as a path to health and wellbeing, recently it has also been promoted as little more than a means to weight loss.