Fitness

Effective Exercises That Can Be Done Without Equipment

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Exercising is an important part of staying healthy, but unfortunately, not many people have access to all the equipment available at gyms. Here’s the thing, though: you don’t need fancy equipment in order to get a good workout. You actually don’t need equipment at all—there are plenty of ways for you to get the exercise you need without touching a single piece of equipment, all of which are just as effective as using machines at the gym. Using your body weight and gravity will give you just as much of a workout as using dumbbells or lifting weights.

Here are a few exercises you can do without having to rely on any machinery.

Push-Up

The classic push-up is one of the most effective bodyweight exercises you can do. It targets your chest, triceps, and anterior deltoid muscles (the front of your shoulders) as well as your core. Like with all exercise, it won’t be effective unless you do it correctly:

  • Start in a high plank with your hands flat and shoulder-width apart, your wrists under your shoulders.
  • Inhale as you bend your arms to go down, keeping your back flat as you do so. If you can’t keep your back flat your bend all the way down, modify the push-up so your knees are on the floor.
  • Exhale as you go back up into the starting position, then repeat.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Technically you need some equipment for this move, but it doesn’t have to be fancy workout equipment—you can use a chair, a couch, a bench, or whatever you can find of equal heights wherever you’re at. The Bulgarian split squat works your lower-body muscles: your quads, glutes, inner thighs, hamstrings, and calves. Here’s how to do it:

  • Stand with your back facing your bench. Keep your left foot a few feet in front of the bench, then place the top of your right foot on the bench, shoelaces down. Place both hands behind your head.
  • Bend your knees to lower yourself into the split squat, your left knee forming a 90-degree angle and your thigh parallel to the ground. Your right knee should be hovering above the floor. If you’re positioned correctly, your left knee shouldn’t go past your left toes.
  • Push yourself back up with your left leg, then repeat.

If you want to take it a step further, work a push-up into this as well. Once you’re in the down position, place your left foot on the bench, shoelaces down, then bend your elbows to do a decline push-up. Straighten your elbows, place your left foot back on the ground, and repeat.

This article was originally published on RobUrbach.com

How Exercise Contributes to Brain Health

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The ability to think clearly and remember things begins to deteriorate as people get older. This is largely due to cerebral atrophy and the accumulation of extracellular plaques that inhibit neuron development.  There are ways to slow this down and exercise is likely the key. Research studies are increasingly proving that exercising regularly can have positive effects on the human brain, which can lead to improved cognitive function and memory.

Increasing Brain Size with Aerobics

Deep within the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex is the hippocampus, the section of the brain that regulates memory, critical thinking, motivation and the ability to learn new things. Researchers believe that it reaches its optimum size at the age of about twenty, then it begins to shrink in size most likely due to glucose metabolism, insulin resistance and oxidative stress. Thankfully regular aerobic exercise can serve as an intervention to these processes. While the exact reason for this is not clear, it appears to be linked to the stimulation of neurons in the brain.

Best Forms of Aerobic Exercise

The type of exercise that is taken is important if the brain is to be stimulated. Aerobic exercises like walking and running are the best. In one specific study, people who were committed to low-intensity physical activities like walking, dancing, or gardening for at least a total of seven hours a week faired well. Those who took part in more intense physical activities, such as swimming, tennis or hiking for four hours or more a week faired even better. Finally, older adults who did high-intensity aerobics like jogging for two or more hours a week did best. 

Exercising regularly can be a way of staving off symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s. These are conditions that have been linked to the deterioration and shrinking size of the hippocampus. Regular aerobic exercise can also help improve the quality and duration of sleep as well as reduce stress and anxiety levels. Lack of sleep and daily stress have been shown to contribute to cognitive deterioration.

This article was originally published on RobUrbach.net