Top Indoor Activities in the Winter Season for Women

Here are some of the top indoor activities in the winter season for women.

Yoga

As they say, yoga is not only great for the body, but also for the soul. The benefits of yoga are therefore not only physical, but also mental. First of all, yoga strengthens our musculoskeletal system and therefore not only our muscles, but also our joints and ligaments due to the amount of stretching involved. Contrary to what most people believe, yoga is a great workout and a great activity to tone our body and build muscles. What’s more, Yoga is a bit like meditation, and is therefore a great way to turn our minds off.

Spinning

One of the greatest ways to tone our legs is to go spinning. Spinning helps us to build up our muscle endurance and expand our lung capacity. It is of course a cardiovascular exercise and helps to burn fat, and increase our heart rates.  This exercise, just like yoga, can help in improving posture and is therefore beneficial for those of us suffering from long office hours and a bad posture in our office chairs.

Swimming

Another great indoor activity is swimming. Swimming contributes to the alleviation of arthritis symptoms by stretching the sore joints and therefore improves flexibility.  Swimming is also an aerobic activity and therefore also strengthens the heart and additionally relieves asthmatic symptoms. For those of us interested in losing weight, this exercise is the biggest calorie burner out there.

Dancing

Whether Zumba, or Hip Hop, Aerobics, dancing is probably one of the most fun activities out there. The cool thing about it as that learning choreography is a kind of training for our brains because of the process of memorization, and of course the improvement of physical co-ordination skills as well. Most dancing activities involve a great deal of aerobic activity, because usually there is a whole lot of movement involved, which makes this workout great fun, a great for our hearts.

 

Author Bio

Sara is a blogger in the fashion clothing industry; and she is working her way to become a freelance writer. When not working nor writing, she loves to walk around, travel and take pictures

5 Spa Etiquette Tips for Beginners

Even if you’ve never been to a spa before, you probably have an image in your mind of what it’s like. You’ve seen characters like Carrie Bradshaw or one of the countless “Real Housewives” lounging around being treated like royalty. There’s usually a waterfall in the background and beautiful people walking everywhere. A real-life spa however is usually less fancy, but no less enjoyable. It’s a place you can go to relieve stress, get together with friends, or treat yourself to a special day away from work.

Despite all this luxury, going to a spa can be an intimidating experience for some people. While there are certain unwritten rules you’ll need to learn, a lot of it is based on common sense. Here are some tips to remember to make your first spa experience as enjoyable as possible.

Make an Appointment – a spa is definitely not a place where you simply show up like a drop-in clinic. Going to gather information or ask questions is fine, but you should always make an appointment if you want a service. Busy spas have to manage a lot of clientele and it’s good to make their job easier. Remember, a happy spa staff gives better service, and that means better relaxation for you. Showing up unannounced and demanding a service will achieve the exact opposite.

Take a tour – if you’re signing up for a comprehensive service or membership, a spa will usually offer a tour. You should definitely take advantage because it’s a great opportunity to get a general feeling for the place. You’re probably not going to use every service during your first session, but it’s nice to know what’s available when you come back. It’s also a great way to meet other spa members for the first time.

Communicate concerns – it’s absolutely vital that you feel as comfortable as possible with whatever service you’re getting. For example, you don’t have to get a massage if you don’t want to, and you certainly shouldn’t continue if you’re uncomfortable with your masseuse. Some spas have different rules regarding clothing or bathing, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of if you don’t feel like taking off your towel. Express your concerns clearly and you’ll likely come up with a compromise that works for you.

Tipping – it really depends on the service, but tipping is generally expected for most of them. And instead of thinking about it a long monetary lines, consider whether or not you enjoyed yourself. If you had a really good time and it’s been one of the best facials of your life, then you should definitely tip big. You’re paying for a specialty service which can’t be found everywhere so make sure to show your appreciation when someone does a good job.

Maintaining a Rapport – over time, a spa can be your private refuge for rest and relaxation. A big part of what makes the experience successful is the other people around you. Do your best to maintain a good rapport and you get the most out of every visit. It’s a great place to hang out with friends or to making new ones. Be friendly with the staff as well because when they’re on your side, it can elevate the spa experience to a whole new level.

Going to the spa is great, but it’s not something everyone can afford all the time. Luckily, you can still treat yourself to some private time at home with a relaxing foot massager you can use after a long day of work.

Yoga: A Healthy Exercise for Everyone

Yoga is one of the oldest forms of exercise with a history that dates back thousands of years. Unlike some forms of exercise that focus on physical endurance and movement, yoga is focused on the mind, body and spirit connection. Yoga is one of the easiest exercises to learn, requires little equipment or training and can be performed in almost any setting. Not only does yoga focus on mediation and relaxation, it is also very useful for conditioning the cardiovascular system, toning muscles and maintaining flexibility. If you are looking to incorporate more stretching exercises like yoga into your workout routine, try some of our recommendations for the most beneficial yoga poses for men and women.

About Yoga

Yoga originated in India around 3000 B.C. The word “yoga” is developed from an ancient Sanskrit language and roughly translates to the phrase: to unite, the mind, body and spirit. In the U.S. and other western locations, yoga is mainly practiced as an exercise, but traditionally, yoga has always had a spiritual component. For many, yoga serves as more of a lifestyle than an exercise. There are many different varieties of yoga – all of which have their own intensity and focus. Some of the most popular yoga varieties are Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa, and Bikram yoga.

The Health Benefits of Yoga

Researchers at the University of Maryland examined yoga’s health benefits and determined that it was especially effective at reducing stress and increasing flexibility. The university also reported that some varieties of yoga provide as much of a physical health benefit as aerobic exercise. In some cases, yoga outperformed aerobic exercise in regards to improving an individual’s balance and strength. Yoga was also was effective at decreasing pain levels among seniors and menopausal women.

Yoga Poses for Women

While yoga encompasses a number of styles and poses, there are a few poses – child’s pose and warrior pose – that are especially helpful for women. Child’s pose works to strengthen and stretch the hips, quadriceps and core. This pose can be useful to relieve back pain and menstrual cramping and also helps to open up the hips and relieve tightness in the lower back. The warrior poses, which consists of several variations such as warrior I and warrior II poses, focuses on stretching the hips, inner thighs and chest. The arm movements used in the pose help to strengthen the quadriceps, abdomen and shoulders. This is one of the best poses to build strength in the mid-section and uses the body’s weight to tone the arms and shoulders.

Yoga Poses for Men

While some men may not feel like yoga is a “manly” exercise activity, some might be surprised to learn how effective yoga can be as a conditioning exercise for other athletic activities. The plank pose and the boat pose are a couple of the best yoga poses to help men develop strength and power. The plank pose is a great option for strengthening the upper body. Basically, the plank is a modified push up that targets the arms, back, shoulders and core. Boat pose targets the core muscle groups and uses an elevated, modified sit-up technique.

Post by Holly Adams, a writer for Coupon Croc. Beginning a new fitness regime? Use Office Shoes discount codes and save on every pair you need, from active to formal.

Build Muscle Mass Faster With Home Weight Lifting Equipment

It has long been known that weight lifting is one of the fastest and most efficient ways to build muscle mass.  However, it requires a significant time commitment as you need to dedicate at least three days a week to a fitness routine that incorporates several different lifting techniques.  For many, this time commitment is just not possible and as a result we give up on staying in shape.

If this sounds like you, then you may want to consider the possibility of  adding select weight lifting equipment to your home or office.  This can be a great way to build muscle mass and maintain physical fitness as time allows.  No longer will you waste valuable time driving to and from the gym only to find out the equipment you wish to use is already in use.  With the right weight machines you can effectively build muscle you’ve always wanted from the comfort of your own home.  However, there are a few basic steps you must take before searching for any weight machines for sale.

In order to save money and reach your fitness goals in the most efficient way possible, you need to be sure you buy the right equipment.  In order to do this, you should consider creating a list of your fitness goals.  This list should include both short and long term plans as well as a time line for accomplishments.  This list will help you better understand which equipment is right for you as well as provide you with a great tracking tool for your progress.

Now that you know what your goals are, you can begin looking at the various weight lifting equipment options on today’s market.  You will quickly find that, although similar in many ways, each piece of equipment is different, offering different features and benefits.  These features and benefits should be compared to your personal fitness goals and the machines that match the best should be the ones you consider purchasing.

Leasing Vs. Buying Gym Equipment

If you’re thinking about getting back into shape, you’ve made the one of the best decisions you can ever make for your health and lifestyle.  One of the biggest reasons; however, that people don’t want to get back into shape is because of their finances.  Some people don’t have the money to build their own gym in the comforts of their own house, so many of them join a gym and pay the monthly membership fee.  Some people feel discouraged going to the gym and seeing all the fit people working out and would rather work out in the comforts of their own home.

Building your own home gym doesn’t have to be expensive at all. There are many different alternatives that would help minimize your cost.  One thing you can do is trying leasing gym equipment for your home.  Leasing fitness equipment is like renting to own; you pay a small fee each month until your contract is up.  Most leasing firms will allow you to buy out the fitness equipment after your leasing contract is up.  Do your research as see which leasing company will give you the lowest interest rate.

Another way to buy weight lifting equipment and aerobics machines is to buy second hand gym equipment online.  You can find many online auctions and classified ads that offers second hand gym equipment by private sellers and companies.  There are also retail stores that specializes in selling only refurbished and reconditioned fitness equipment and machines to the public.  The best tip I can give you is to ask as many questions as you can so that you’ll feel more comfortable when buying.  Some of the most common questions is to ask if the machines needs any repair, missing parts, warranty available, etc.  One of the greatest benefits of leasing gym equipment is that you don’t have to pay a large sum of money upfront.