Physical activity is,generally speaking, good for us. However, when specific muscles are used repeatedly, day after day, you can end up with an injury. These activities can seem minimal, such as entering data on a keyboard or using a scissors to cut hair. Usually, repetitive strain injuries are occupational in origin but they can also result from repetitive motions in sports or certain hobbies too.

Usually, it is time to seek medical advice when you feel numbness or tingling in your arms or hands or have constant pain for a week or more. Your health care professional can tailor a plan for you depending on what symptoms you have and if there is any swelling or inflammation.

Pain relief methods may include acupuncture, massage, tai chi, yoga, ultrasound, a custom tailored splint and pain relief medications. Repetitive strain injuries will not heal immediately. Generally, they take weeks or even months to start to improve. Certain measures taken on your own will help to minimize your discomfort from your repetitive strain injury.

Modifying the activity that is causing you pain or possibly eliminating it will be best to relieve your injury. Sometimes, just changing your workstation around can be a remedy. Good posture is imperative to minimize strain injuries. While sleeping, lie on the unaffected side with one pillow under your head and one in front of you to support the affected arm. Don’t sleep on your stomach.

Posture at the computer should be kept upright and not leaning forward. Keep your computer and mouse close to you and keep your monitor at eye level so you son’t have to look down.
Take breaks for a minute or two at work to flex and stretch your wrists. Also, stretch with a slow shoulder roll two to three times a day to decrease the stress throughout your shoulders, hands and wrists.

Wearing a pair of cotton knit gloves that extend to the mid joint of your fingers so your dexterity is not compromised while you work cuts down the incidence of repetitive strain injuries. When your hands are warm instead of cool, it reduces joint pain.

Another helpful addition to your preventive measures can be herbal products. Taking ginkgo can improve your peripheral circulation which will reduce symptoms of repetitive strain injuries. Other supplements that are useful for older workers are glucosamine and chondroitin to minimize aches and pains of joints.

Other measures that improve circulation therefore helping with repetitive strain injuries are drinking lots of water and avoiding caffeine, nicotene and alcohol. Keeping your weight under control also helps with joint pain and keeps circulation at it’s best. Any activities that help to reduce stress will ease muscle tension and reduce the effects of repetitive strain injuries. These may include visualization and deep breathing techniques.

Well, I finally did it. We finally (my boyfriend and I both) made it to level 3 of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred workout DVD, and man it was pretty rough. I’ll share some of the nuances of the experience with you and let you know what the aftermath was, as there is always aftermath after each level of Jillian’s workouts, and so I’ve heard on her other workouts as well (this lady knows what she’s doing, trust me).

Okay, so level 3 starts off easy enough, with the same warmups that we did for level 2 pretty much except with a little more intensity added to the warm up. Overall, nothing too bad for the first minute. Let me tell you right off the bat that level 3 is not heavy on the cardio, but rather it requires a lot of physical endurance and strength, so she really tests the boundaries of your physical strength and stamina.

You will do a lot of plank type positions and plyometric types of exercises, which are things like squats going into a jump and high impact types of exercises. For example, you do a squat going into a jump straight up in the air, which takes a lot of physical strength and certainly burns the muscles out quickly. I think at the point of level three her goal is to more so condition the muscles and help your body to burn fat and calories by making it exceed what it thinks it can do at one given time.

The next couple of days later, at the gym, I was thrilled to find out that I could actually do ten pushups – real, guy style pushups, without doing them with my knees down. I can honestly say that is the first time in my life that I feel like I actually have some upper body strength and don’t feel like I’m going to collapse after doing a few real pushups. Your upper abs will be really sore the next day after level three, there is some very intense, burning moves done that affect this area.

I feel so much stronger, like I could really kick ass, and it’s all due to a lot of these twenty five minute workouts and my combination of workout DVD’s that works for me. Love it!

Have you ever found yourself in a hotel room, or at someone else’s home where you’re staying for a few days, and you either are indisposed to get to a gym or you didn’t bring your workout DVD’s with you? We’ve all been there, and if you’re someone who is used to working out on a regular basis, then you know that this can be a death sentence to your routine and send you spinning out of control as far as your exercise routine goes. I’m speaking from experience, because I know how easy it can be to get off track when you’re working out and don’t have access to do so for a few days. Sound familiar?

Well, there are workouts that you can do yourself if you’re away from home, and often you don’t even need any weights of any type of equipment or accessories to get a real, heart pumping, muscle sculpting workout in for a half hour. Sure, it’s easier if you can watch someone else do it on a DVD, or when you have your customary workout equipment like an elliptical machine, or you have your own workout music that you’re used to, but this is a way to get a nice workout in even when you have none of your usual amenities.

First, write down a list of all the exercises that you do which maybe have come to you through memory of gym classes, aerobics on video that you’ve done or any military style exercises that you are aware of where all you need is a floor and your own body weight. Some that come to mind for me are jumping jacks, lunges to the side and to the front and back, jump rope or acting like you’re jumping rope, pushups, leg lifts on the floor, yoga poses that are more aerobic in nature, and other exercises that really pack a punch but do not require equipment.

Now, write them down in 2-4 minute intervals, and decide in which order you want to do them. This is your cheat sheet, and you should take it with you where you go in case you’re ever stuck somewhere that you don’t have a gym or other amenities to do a planned workout. Make sure it totals at least a half hour or twenty five minutes so you get some aerobic conditioning in there, and you’re good to go.

You’ve probably heard a lot of weight loss products lately touting their benefits at reducing something called cortisol, which they claim is a major, or only, source of weight gain and the inability to lose weight. That’s only partially true. Cortisol is referred to as the stress hormone because it is released in the body when a person is under stress, and it can fool you into eater larger amounts of food or craving all the bad types of foods instead of the good stuff.

Exercise can help to hasten the release and flushing out of the hormone cortisol from the blood stream because it quickens the circulation of blood throughout the body, which means that you are circulating the cortisol and flushing it out through the organs quicker than if you were sedentary. You can even help hasten it’s removal from the body by flexing your muscles, like your hands or your major muscles in your legs. A better way of course would be to do something like squats or pushups, but if you’re not in the position to do those, you can flex your larger muscles.

The best way to lower cortisol levels and help to relieve the related stress that goes with it, is to work out on a daily basis, as it tricks the body into thinking that it’s getting rid of the source of the stress, and you can more quickly get rid of the hormone that causes the anxiety and the increased calorie consumption.

When we work out on a daily basis, it always follows that we naturally lower our cortisol levels, and this can definitely have a positive effect on the way we eat, the amount of food we consume, and the foods that we choose since we tend to make more rational and better food choices when not under the influence of cortisol and stress.

I haven’t yet tried one of the “All Star Workouts” on Fit TV, which is a subsidiary or sister station of the Discovery channel that happens to be one of my favorite and most recorded television stations as of late. What All Star Workouts offers is a daily dose of different types of workouts, from salsa dancing and other dance types of workouts that are actually fun, like belly dancing, to military style or kickboxing types of workouts that offer a more direct, straight forward, butt kicking cardio workout.

There are different instructors that do the workout every time, so you also get a variety of attitudes, approaches and looks as far as the instructors go, and we all know the instructor can make all the difference in your workout. Fit TV has really diversified it’s offerings now, seemingly offering a little something for everyone. They have the Namaste Yoga series that offers the hatha vinyasa yoga workouts that relax and rejuvenate, and also heart pounding workouts by Gilad and other instructors that are working their way up in fame.

I don’t always do the workouts on fit Tv but it’s a great way to spice up your exercise routines and prevent boredom and help to create and maintain muscle confusion, which is excellent for keeping muscle tone and burning excess calories off. Plus, you’ll likely have fun keeping in shape.

Well, sex, unless it’s very vigorous, and it also happens to take a half hour or more, is usually not going to be a sufficient replacement for a real, true workout that you do in the gym or in your own home that lasts for at least 40 minutes. Like I said, there may be exceptions though. You might be newly in love, and still going at it like a couple of teenagers, but as we stay together longer with our partners, our sex sessions usually don’t last long enough to be considered a real workout.

For one, the positions we are in usually don’t strain us enough to be considered muscle contouring, unless you are doing some yoga type positions and holding them for a while. Another thing is, does it usually make your muscles sore? Unless it does, you’re not getting the right type of exercise from your sexual intimacy, and you should not consider it as a workout replacement.

However, some of the benefits of sex are that you will definitely get some sort of stress relief from it. You will also feel closer to your partner. Studies have shown that sex helps relieve depression, especially in women. It also is a great way to release pent up energy and anxiety, as well as a way for you to forget about the day’s problems (I hope you’re not one of those people who sits there while having sex and thinks about work or something, that’s not what it’s for!).

Now, working out and exercising on a regular basis is fantastic for your sex life, to talk about the converse. You will notice your sex drive almost certainly go up simultaneously as you get in better shape. You tend to feel more sexual when you’re the leaner meaner version of yourself,and this goes for both men and women.

We all wanna lose a little weight it seems, especially as spring is fast approaching. We’re all finding that we’d like to get rid of what I affectionately refer to (and yes, I’m being facetious, there is nothing affectionate that I feel toward it) as “winter coat” padding. I’m no different from anyone else.

I started panicking in Feburary when I realized I was still at least ten pounds heavier than I wanted to be in order to be comfortable in spring and summer clothes, and I realized that I needed to quickly do something about it and whip myself into the best shape I could in the least amount of time so I wouldn’t end up crying when I went to try on new clothes that happened to bare an inch of skin.

My wardrobe for the whole year has pretty much been turtle necks and large sweaters, but with the spring offerings, there’s really nowhere to hide your extra “you” any more! One thing you can do if you have little time to get yourself into fighting condition for spring, is to work out twice a day. I know what you’re thinking, that you barely have time to even work out once a day most times, and that’s a challenge, now you’re saying working out twice a day will get you further?

Yes, and here’s why, and here’s why they dont’ have to both be gruelling hour long sessions either. When you exercise for at least 25 minutes consecutively and at a hard pace, something that’s cardio that’s somewhat challenging, you burn more calories. Well, that additional calorie burn lasts for a few additional hours after you’ve done your workout, so you get the benefit of an accelerated pace of calorie burning as well.

This means that if you work out once in the morning, and then once in the afternoon, you’re getting several hours of the “afterburn” advantage, and your body’s burning calories at an accelerated rate for much longer during the day, making it faster for you to drop the weight you’re trying to get rid of. I know it may be tough to think about squeezing a second workout in when you’re already time crunched, but believe me, the results will be noticeably faster.

I’ve been in two car accidents in my life that were bad enough that I got whiplash pretty bad both times. The funny part is I was with my best friend (still my best friend) both times that we got rear ended. It was when I was younger, in my late teens and early twenties, and the first time I have to take back the fact that we were rear ended, we actually were hit head on, not at a very high speed, but the impact was enough that my head hit the dashboard and I lost a tooth in the process.

Fun stuff! Anyways, because of the two car accidents, and admittedly perhaps a genetic weakness on my part or at least some sort of pre existing tendency toward back injuries, I have been having issues with back pain and spin alignment for some time now. I’ve been to professional massage sessions with medical massage therapists, and this does help immensely, but I’ve never had the nerve to go to a chiropractor, because quite frankly the idea just makes me nervous, when anyone is working on the casing that essentially encases my spinal cord.

Because of my back injuries, and the fact that I have a desk job, I try to get up and around as often as I can, which takes pressure off my back. Contrary to what a lot of people may think, sitting is not good for you back and spinal column. Sitting actually causes way more pressure on your back than standing. Laying down and inverting (say on an inversion table for example) are ways to take the pressure off your spine and relieve back pain.

Exercise is also excellent for back pain, except you have to make sure you know what you’re doing, and that the moves that constitute your workout are not hindering your back health or twisting it out of alingment, but rather gently stretching the muscles that create the tension in your back. You have to have strong abs to have a strong back, so doing ab workouts is very important, and will help strengthen and support your back, and make you feel a lot younger and stronger for a long time.

Wearing the right kind of shoes for working out is essential. Make sure you have adequate arch support, and that your back is supported at all times. Doing low impact exercise also helps, instead of jumping around and putting lots of pressure on your joints and muscles.

Poor Jessica Simpson. My heart really does go out to her. While in the past her fluffiness and status as a reality tv star annoyed me, since I think it takes less talent and more looks and media savvy to actually have success in the entertainment world today, I feel that she has grown into a stronger, wiser woman who knows what matters more than the size of jeans she happens to be wearing that week.

Hey, as women, we lose and gain weight very quickly, and because of fun things like our hormones and our periods, we may fit into a size 4 pair of jeans one day and not even be able to squeeze into them the next. It’s the way of the world. Welcome to water weight gain! Jessica Simpson was snapped just a few short weeks ago, on stage doing a concert, looking maybe just a tad plumper than she usually has.

Let’s just put it this way, it’s not the same very skinny Jessica Simpson we saw (and guys oggled) in her famous bikini video, around the time when she had to sport daisy dukes for her role as the woman the shorts were named for in the movie event Dukes of Hazzard. It was around that time that her marriage to Nick Lachey unraveled, and that may have also had something to do with her weight loss, although most of it looked like near starvation and a LOT of working out if you ask me.

Now, she looks a tad curvier, and her signature curves somehow created a media frenzy that “Jessica Simpson got fat”. If she’s fat, then let me tell you, all of us women who aren’t damn rails are fat too. It made me sick to be honest. Well, Ms. Simpson took the whole thing with a lot of class and a lot of other ladies in the spotlight spoke out in her defense.

Jessica showed up a mere few weeks later sporting a more sanguine figure, no doubt because of the pressure she felt by the media piling on about her supposed weight gain. She probably did it with a very strict diet and workout regimen, which you can lose a lot of weight and pants sizes with fairly quickly, especially if you’re not really overweight to begin with, which I don’t believe Ms. Simpson was. I guess media scrutiny acts as it’s own natural appetite suppressant….