10 Surprising Things That Are Screwing up Your Sleep Part 2

Sleep Saboteur #6: Bad Air

Love those pretty red sunsets in your town? Many times they’re caused by air pollution, which may be seeping into your home and keeping you awake long after the sun dips below the horizon.

According to a Harvard study, poor air quality can increase your risk of disordered sleep breathing—repeated lapses in respiration during the night.

“Air pollution increases inflammation. This may make your throat more likely to close and your oxygen levels to fall during sleep,” says study author Susan Redline, M.D., M.P.H. The condition affects up to 17 percent of adults.

HEPA filters can help, but only if you choose the right one. Standard HEPA filters offer a “minimum efficiency reporting value” (MERV) of 1 to 4. But you should upgrade to a higher-efficiency MERV 13 filter that also traps tinier particles (which can travel deeper into your lungs), says Bill Weinberg, the former president of AMHAC, a heating and air-conditioning company in Eastchester, New York.

If you have allergies or asthma, consider a GAPA filter, a more powerful filter that uses electrostatic energy to attract fine particles, he says.

Sleep Saboteur #7: You Pop B Vitamins at Night

Think of B vitamins as energizers: They help form red blood cells and assist in the process of making energy from the food you eat. When the vitamins are doing their job correctly, they also regulate your sleep schedule.

If you take them at night, though, they can keep you up. Leafy green vegetables, beans, fish, and poultry are usually packed with B. But if you’re taking a supplement, make sure to pop it in the A.M.

Sleep Saboteur #8: She Comes, You Don’t

Sometimes sex sets you up perfectly for a good night’s sleep. After you do the deed, your body is relieved of stress, and your brain surges with oxytocin and serotonin, which have powerful sleep-inducing effects.

But Men’s Health sleep advisor W. Christopher Winter, M.D. says that recently, some of his patients have complained about one partner climaxing and then conking out before returning the favor. That could keep the other partner up.

Why? If you don’t quite get there, your blood is still flowing, there’s a buildup of pressure, and your brain is saying, ‘sex’—not ‘sleep’.

Sleep Saboteur #9: You Share a Bed with Your Cat

A study from the Mayo Clinic recently found that 10 percent of patients reported their pets disturbing their sleep at night. Common annoyances included snoring, whimpering, wandering around the house, and begging to go outside.

But Dr. Breus says that more than any other animal, cats seem to be the most disruptive.

“Dogs usually sleep through the night. Cats like to move around more and are much more nocturnal,” he says.

Since you have to worry about more than just small paws walking on your face, keep your critter outside the bedroom to protect your shuteye.

Sleep Saboteur #10: Smartphone Addiction

E-mailing and checking sports scores are all stimulating activities that prevent you from winding down, Dr. Winter says.

The worst part? The Pavlovian response to a “new message” sound. “If you hear the tone, it’s irresistible,” he says.

Even a quick check wakes your brain and your body. “It’s a light box that you’re shining into your eyes at 11 p.m.,” Dr. Winter says. “Your body is seeing a strong trigger that it’s daytime.”

Break your addiction by using a passcode on your phone and changing it once a week, suggests William Pollack, Ph.D., an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard medical school.

This forces you to pause before accessing the phone, breaking a behavior that’s often on autopilot. You’ll mentally register what you’re doing, which helps control the habit.

Check the phone once an hour or so before bed, and then cut yourself off, he says.

http://www.menshealth.com/health/10-things-that-screw-up-your-sleep

10 Surprising Things That Are Screwing up Your Sleep Part 1

Beyond the obvious sleep-wreckers like bad hotel beds and booze, a lot of things stand between you and a good night’s rest. Here are ten surprising factors that might be keeping you from catching a solid 8 hours a night.

Sleep Saboteur #1: A Hot Bed

Sure, during sex you want things to heat up. The rest of the time, though, you should keep your cool. Keeping your thermostat between 68° and 74°F promotes solid slumber, says psychiatrist and sleep specialist Tracey Marks, M.D., the author of Master Your Sleep.

Your body clock regulates your core temperature, and its fluctuations tell you when to sleep and when to wake up, she says.

“You’re coolest in the middle of the night, when sleep is deepest.” If you’re too warm, your internal alarm assumes it’s time to rise, and sleep becomes fitful.

If the idea of cooling your entire house gives you nightmares, consider installing a “slave thermostat” to regulate only your bedroom temp. You can also tackle the problem lying down by using 400-thread-count cotton sheets.

“It’s the opposite of memory foam, which retains your body heat,” says W. Christopher Winter, M.D., medical director of the sleep medicine center at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. “The gel maintains a surface temperature that’s lower than the mattress’s, creating cooler contact points.”

Sleep Saboteur #2: Money Worries

“Decreased financial resources leads to worry over paying bills, and you may be required to work more,” Dr. Marks says. “The physical and mental overload increases activity in your brain, causing you to ‘think yourself awake.’”

This is when frustrated insomniacs often resort to distraction tactics, such as television. But even though watching TV may calm your racing mind, the flickering light will interrupt secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin, causing a less-than-restful night.

You’ll need to wage chemical warfare. Stress triggers the release of the hormone cortisol, which has been linked to insomnia, says Dr. Marks. Endorphins, the brain’s “happy chemicals,” have a relaxing effect.

Sex or masturbation causes a rush of endorphins, but there’s an even quicker fix: humor. Try watching a funny 3-minute video on YouTube, Dr. Marks suggests.

If you still wake up fretting in the night, try counting sheep. Seriously. Counting occupies space in your brain’s “articulatory loop,” the part that processes ongoing information, according to a 2010 study review in Insomnia and Anxiety. The loop’s capacity is limited, so the fluffy guys crowd out unwanted thoughts.

Sleep Saboteur #3: Hellish Heartburn

If daytime heartburn is a pain, a midnight attack is a nightmare.

“It can stir you awake, often multiple times throughout the night,” says William Orr, Ph.D., a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Oklahoma.

Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, occur when the valve between your stomach and esophagus malfunctions, allowing acid to seep past. Some patients wake up choking or coughing, while others don’t consciously rouse but still feel drained in the morning. People with nighttime heartburn often wake up with a bitter taste in the mouth or a sore throat.

(Check out three more Surprising Causes of Heartburn.)

Beyond avoiding oversize meals and spicy food before bed, try a sleeping wedge to elevate your head a few inches above the rest of your body.

“It’s a lot easier for acid to creep out of your stomach and into your esophagus if you’re lying flat,” Dr. Winter says.

If you like to sleep on your side, curl up on your left side.

On you right side, the sphincter between your stomach and esophagus may stay open longer, letting acid flow freely, a study review in the Archives of Internal Medicine found.

Sleep Saboteur #4: A Squirming Bedmate

A limb-flinging, snoring, blanket-stealing partner will undeniably disrupt your sleep, but your bedmate may also be guilty of subtler offenses. Your partner’s teeth grinding, frequent bathroom trips, or even body heat can also spoil your slumber, says Dr. Winter.

If she tosses and turns, top your mattress with memory foam, which won’t shift with her body.

If that’s too warm, choose a mattress with pocket coils; these aren’t tied together, so movement won’t create a chain reaction.

If she’s a kicker, ask her to sleep on her back or stomach. “On her back, it becomes more of a toe-tapping movement,” says Dr. Winter.

Or consider “sleep vacations”—sleeping apart a few nights a week. “You’re ensured sound sleep, and there’s no guilt, because these are set nights,” Dr. Winter says.

Sleep Saboteur #5: You Read Non-Fiction

Stick to made-up stories before bed, advises sleep expert Michael Breus, M.D. Having a heated conversation prior to pillow-time is known to keep you up, but the same can go for what you’re reading.

“Non-fiction—self-help books, books about finance—may be too much about yourself,” says Dr. Breus.

Emotional, absorbing topics can also keep you awake, he adds.

With fiction, on some level you know what you’re reading is imaginary, which removes the emotional connection, he explains.

http://www.menshealth.com/health/10-things-that-screw-up-your-sleep

8 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

8 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

You’re choosing healthy foods, you’re exercising, you’ve cut out your late-night cookie habit… But the number on the scale isn't budging. Sound familiar? This diet head-scratcher happens to the best of us. I'm Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien, and I've got the 411 on eight reasons you’re NOT losing weight… 

 

1. Not Paying Attention to Calories

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Getty Images

This one is tough to swallow, but I’ve gotta say it… Even healthy food contains calories. Choosing nutritious foods is smart, but just because they’re good for you doesn’t mean you can eat unlimited amounts and continue losing weight. A dinner of salad, salmon, and whole-grain pasta is certainly healthy, but don't discount the numbers. A 6-oz. salmon fillet with two cups of whole-grain pasta clocks in at about 700 calories; a salad of lettuce and tomatoes with a tablespoon each olive oil and vinegar brings the total to well over 800 calories.

Weight loss is primarily a numbers game: calories in versus calories out. So choose nutritious foods, but count those calories! On a related note, read up on these seven surprisingly fattening foods. They only seem healthy...

2. Overcompensating for Exercise

Pat yourself on the back for fitting in a lunchtime run, but don’t consider it a free eating pass. It’s easy to miscalculate how many calories you’re actually burning. Your gym may promise that you’ll burn 500 calories with an hour of spinning, but every person is different -- you might burn just 300 calories. For the most accurate info, wear an activity monitor that tracks calorie burn. And remember, if you reward yourself with a treat equal in calories to the calories you burned, it's as if you never burned any calories at all...

3. Not Counting Condiments and Other Extras

Brace yourself for some not-so-fun facts... A single tablespoon of ketchup on your eggs or burger adds around 20 calories. (And most likely you're using more than one tablespoon!) An ounce of half & half (the kind you splash in your coffee) has about 40 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. A tablespoon of mayo adds 90 calories and 10 grams of fat to your sandwich. Even if you’re being super careful about your choices, it’s easy to forget about the little extras.

These items aren’t off-limits, but they definitely "count," and the numbers add up. So keep track of everything you eat and sip... Ignorance is not bliss! Now that you know to count 'em, check out these 15 condiments with 15 calories or less.

4. Dining Out... Even if You Are Counting the Calories

I love a good restaurant meal as much as anyone, but here’s the problem: You never know exactly what’s in your dish. Even if the restaurant provides nutritional info, those are just estimates based on precise recipes passed down by the folks in charge. Do you really think every member of the kitchen crew is weighing and measuring each ingredient? Now, there's nothing wrong with dining out -- especially if you ask questions and make smart choices.

But if you find that the number on the scale won't budge, you might want to consider cutting back..

5. Eating "Too Good to Be True" Foods

Do you regularly munch on some amazing snack you discovered... You know, the one with stats that are almost too good to be true? Whether it's an 80-calorie fudge brownie or a monstrous bag of chips claiming only 150 calories, it's possible your snack stats aren’t exactly right. Labels aren’t always accurate, especially when products come from our small mom-and-pop shop pals. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

6. Portion Distortion

You’ve definitely heard this before, but it bears repeating: Watch your portion sizes! Sure, that cereal box says 110 calories, but check the portion size... then check how much you're routinely pouring in your bowl! Another portion trap? Packaged snacks that look like single servings but are actually 2 to 3 servings. Read labels carefully, people! 

7. Falling into the "0-Calorie" Trap

Don’t consume unlimited amounts of “zero calorie” foods. As long as a product has less than 5 calories per serving, companies are allowed to round down to 0 calories per serving -- and often, the official serving sizes are unrealistically small. Watch out for salad dressings, sweetener packets, and cooking sprays.

8. Drinking Your Calories

Pop quiz: What has more calories: a 12-oz. glass of orange juice or a dozen almonds and a medium orange? That innocent little glass of OJ has around 165 calories, while the nuts-and-fruit combo clocks in at around 140. And the food is probably a whole lot more satisfying. The moral of this little story is to be careful what you drink. Personally, I'd rather chew my calories!

http://dietadvice.about.com/od/weight-loss-strategies/ss/8-Reasons-Youre-Not-Losing-Weight.htm#step9

How To Get Ripped Abs Without Crunches

Traditional ab exercises like sit ups and crunches are not the best way to get you ripped abs.  In fact, if you’ve read any of my past articles regarding ab/core exercises, you know that I don’t like anything that involves excessive movement of the spine. 

Your spine is strongest at it’s neutral position, which is a natural “s” curve.  And since your spine houses your spinal cord, it would make sense to have it in a position that can provide maximum support at all times.  This is why excessive flexion, extension and rotation is not recommended, since it compromises your spine’s ability to protect your spinal nervous system.

So, how do you work your abs?

Well “working” your abs doesn’t always have to come from movement.  In fact, trying to prevent your spine from moving is a great way to stimulate your abs and functionally it’s what your abs were designed to do.  Your abs protect your spine from excessive movements like flexion, extension and rotation. 

Now if you’re doubting that anti-movement patterns can work your abs, better than your traditional sit ups and crunches…try this ab exercise out and see for yourself.  This particular exercise involves anti-extension.  So your abs have to prevent your spine from extending.  And believe it or not, this simple exercise actually activates more abdominal muscles than crunches, twists and lateral bends combined.  Just a few reps of this exercise and you’ll feel like you got sucker punched in your gut the next day.

To achieve the best results combine these ab exercises with potent fat burning workouts and you’ll start shedding excess belly fat, so you can get ripped abs - quick.

http://www.maxworkouts.com/articles/entry/how-to-get-ripped-abs-without-crunches-video

Calisthenics Regressions for Strength Progress

by Matt Schifferle 

I once attended a very high level Taekwon-Do seminar taught by an Olympian ranked 3rd in the world. I was looking forward to learning a lot of advanced techniques–yet here we were, all of us black belts, simply learning how to stand still.

The instructor spent the rest of the day drilling us on how to improve the techniques we all learned years ago. Even though we never strayed beyond the “easy” kicks and punches, we all became much better by the end of the weekend. Since that seminar, I’ve taken that lesson to heart not only with Taekwon-Do but also calisthenics.

It’s always important to train your foundation no matter how advanced you become.

When I first discovered Convict Conditioning, I made the mistake of rushing into the more advanced steps. This was despite ample instruction not to do that in chapter 11! Even though I could (barely) meet a regression standard, I figured I had passed that level and no longer had any need for that technique. After all, I could do loads of close push-ups, so why would I ever need to practice push-ups on my knees?

But, just like my Taekwon-Do, I’ve learned that I’m never above the earlier steps. There are always a few nuggets to discover with the earlier steps no matter how many reps I can do of the more advanced techniques. Here are a few examples of how the earlier steps can still hold some value to your training.

1: Warming Up

It would be considered foolish to load a bar with your maximum working weight for your first set, yet that’s exactly what I used to do. I would go from 0-100 mph as I cranked out reps of the the hardest step I could muster. Is there any wonder why I was plagued with muscle control issues, balance issues, and sore joints after a few weeks?

These days I always start my workouts with some of the first level steps of each exercise. If I’m practicing bridges I still start with step 1 (short bridges) to wake up my posterior chain and loosen up my hips. As a bonus, this approach to my practice also allows me to fully dial in my mind-muscle connection. My body and mind will both be warmed up for the next steps. It also helps me get a feel for the state of my body, so I know if I can push hard or if I should take it easy that day.

2: Muscle Building High Fatigue Drop Sets

In Paul Wade’s article, “the Diesel 20″, he mentions using easier techniques to highly fatigue a muscle group towards the end of a workout.

On of my favorite methods is to start with archer push-ups, then drop down to the narrow push-ups, then normal push-ups, and finally push-ups on the knees.

Like all drop sets, it can be sort of funny to shake and struggle with an “easier” step. Watching myself struggle to get 6 knee push-ups is always a great way to keep myself humble.

3: Filling in Tension Gaps

For the longest time I’ve always noticed my back and biceps muscles would fully contract at the top of a pull-up but they tend to relax a bit towards the bottom of each rep.



I refer to these points as tension “gaps”. These gaps can be detrimental to muscle development, strength, power and can place more stress on the joints.

One of the best ways to fill in these gaps is to use an easier technique and practice proactively tensing the muscles at these weaker points in the range of motion. By going to the Jackknife pull-up, I was able to work on maintaining the tension in my back while keeping my shoulders and arms tight at the bottom of each rep. This is much easier on the earlier steps because my muscles are not overridden by a much higher level of resistance.

4: Learn What’s Missing

Many times I’ve struggled to advance because I was missing a critical technical detail.
The worst example was my journey into single leg squats. Again, I was foolish and just breezed through some of the earlier steps thinking I was above them. Within a couple of months, I was doing 10 single leg squats on each leg. The catch was I was tilting and moving all over the place and sometimes had to slightly bounce out of the squat. I also had to do them on an elevated surface so my front leg could extend below the level of my supporting foot.

After a year, I developed tendonitis in my right knee and it got so bad I had trouble walking up stairs. I struggled to figure out what was wrong for months, and was sometimes on the verge of tears with frustration. As a mountain athlete I need strong and healthy legs to hike, ski and pedal and here I was hobbling around like an old man.

I finally swallowed my pride and started all the way back at step 1 in the squat progressions. By the time I had made it to narrow squats, I had learned that my legs had exceptionally unbalanced development in the hips and hamstrings.

I still make close squats a staple of my training to keep my muscles balanced

It’s been over a year now and I’m back to doing single leg squats. Now there is no bounce, no tipping or wobble and I don’t need an elevated surface. Even though my numbers are far lower than before, my legs have never been stronger or healthier. I would never have figured out where my technique shortcomings were unless I went back and explored the earlier steps to a deeper level.

5: Learning to Use the Body Better

I believe Progressive Calisthenics is more than just a system for building strength and muscle. To me it’s a vehicle towards understanding my own body and learning how to use it better. Using the earlier steps has always been exceedingly helpful towards doing this. I can always control myself and dial in cleaner technique with an earlier step than I can with an advanced step. My mission is to learn why the earlier steps are so much cleaner and more stable. Once I know why, I work on bringing those qualities up to the more advanced moves. Of course, as my advanced moves become better so do my earlier steps and the whole process starts over again. In this way the quality of the earlier techniques feeds into the more advanced moves and the advanced moves make it possible to learn even more from the earlier moves. It’s a cycle that’s infinitely progressive.

In the martial arts, the student is always encouraged to retain the lessons they learned at the previous ranks. There’s a reason why students are encouraged to have a “white belt mindset.” The color black is made up of all of the rank colors that come before it so when you wear a black belt you’re still wearing a white belt, a green belt and so on. The earlier belts, and the exercises they represent are never discarded. They simply remain in the mix. The same thing is true for calisthenics, the earliest steps are never discarded but are recycled and re-purposed.
Discard nothing and gain everything!

****

Matt Schifferle a.k.a. The Fit Rebel made a switch to calisthenics training 5 years ago in an effort to rehab his weight lifting injuries. Since then he’s been on a personal quest to discover and teach the immense benefits of advanced body weight training. You can find some of his unique bodyweight training methods at RedDeltaProject.com.

http://pccblog.dragondoor.com/calisthenics-regressions-for-strength-progress/?inf_contact_key=5380101318d65ee623a5bc3c7faa57c71c960a9f00d687ccf0bc0609ce2f52f3

10 Secrets to the Perfect Pushup Part 3

8. Inhale down, exhale up

The benefit: You can use your breath to help you push yourself further and harder. Try it right now: Exhale all of the air from your lungs, says De Wispelaere. "Feel how your core muscles contracted to help you force out the last bit?" Like blocking your feet together, that tension in your core can help you amplify your stability and pushing power for better, stronger reps.

How to do it: As you lower towards the ground, take a deep breath in. As you push up, quickly exhale as much air as possible. Repeat with every repetition during slow and controlled sets.

9. Pull your chest to the floor

The benefit: Thinking about leading with your chest allows you to avoid both head bobbing and sagging hips. Pulling your chest towards the floor prevents you from just using gravity to lower you to the ground—therefore performing only half of the work, says De Wispelaere.

How it works: Get into a solid pushup position. As you lower, focus on using your lats and upper back to control your downward movement to pretend as if you're pulling yourself towards the floor.

And Finally

10. Lift the body as one solid unit

The benefit: When you get tired, it's easy to slip into bad form by arching or rounding your back. "But all of the cues that matter at the top of the pushup, also matter at the bottom," says De Wispelaere. Prevent your form from faltering by pushing your body away from the floor if it's a board. It will help you to keep the muscles from your head to your toes engaged as one rock-solid unit.

How it works: Do not let any muscles relax at the bottom of your pushup. Keep everything tight and imagine yourself as a solid tabletop hinging at the feet upwards from the floor.

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/10-secrets-perfect-pushup?cid=NL_DailyDoseNL_-_06162015_SecretsToPerfectPushup_Module1

10 Secrets to the Perfect Pushup Part 2

4. Draw your shoulders back

The benefit: Having your shoulders shrugged up around your ears puts your neck and upper back in a compromised position. "Not only are they not working to keep your upper body as one rock-solid unit, but it's also putting you at risk for injury, since movement in your shoulders when you perform the exercise will push your neck around," he explains.

How to do it: Pull your shoulders down and away from your ears and toward your feet. Then engage your back muscles by pretending as if you're trying to draw your shoulder blades together so they meet in the middle.

5. Pull your palms to your toes

The benefit: It's easy to allow your torso to sag or bow, especially when you're performing a lot of reps or you don't have a mirror to check your form. "But this cue actually helps you contract your core—like a mini crunch—enough to keep your back flat and your torso stable," says De Wispelaere

How to do it: After your upper body is fully in position. Try to pull your hands towards your feet by clenching your core.

6. Clench your glutes

The benefit: Your glutes play a vital role in performing a pushup, even though it might seem only like an upper-body exercise. "Squeezing them helps you lock your hips into place so your body can form one straight line from your heels to the top of your head," explains De Wispelaere. It will help take stress off of your lower back, reducing your risk for injury, and activate your core, making the pushup as much of an abs exercise as the plank.

How to do it: Get into a pushup position with your glutes relaxed. Feel how your lower back is being pulled towards the floor? Now squeeze your glute muscle as hard as possible to feel your hips rotate into place and remove the stress from your spine.

7. Pull your feet together

The benefit: Even though you're not standing flat on your feet, you still need them to form a firm base of support. "Pulling tightly toward each other allows you to transfer energy from your lower body, through your tensed muscles, into your core and upper body, amplifying your strength from head to toe," he says.

How to do it: Make sure your feet are touching. Then press them together by pretending like you’re trying to crack a nut between your ankles. trying to draw your ankles as close as possible to each other. You should feel the muscles in your legs activate and tense.

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/10-secrets-perfect-pushup?cid=NL_DailyDoseNL_-_06162015_SecretsToPerfectPushup_Module1

10 Secrets to the Perfect Pushup Part 1

10 Secrets to the Perfect Pushup 

The pushup looks incredibly simple. So much so, it’s a foregone conclusion that everyone knows how to do it.

But while most folks get the basics—lower your body to the floor by bending your elbows!—there are 10 ways you can make this exercise even better, says Sean Dispelaere, expert trainer for Men's Health Thrive. And we’ve detailed each of those technique tweaks here. Fair warning: You may not be able to remember each of these form tips the next time you do a pushup, so start by implementing one or two. Master those, and then focus on one or two more—and so on. 

And don’t get us wrong: The pushup is still simple, of course. Only now it’ll be even more effective.

1. Screw your hands into the floor

The benefit: This creates torque—external rotation force—between your hands and the floor. "That force naturally provides tension in your arms, shoulders, and upper back that will help you maintain a solid upper body throughout the movement," says De Wispelaere.

How to do it: Grip the floor with your hands and simultaneously drive your palms down and twist them as if you were trying to rip the floor between them. Your elbows and biceps should rotate so that they face forward.

2. Keep your neck in line with your spine

The benefit: "If you allow your head to reach towards the floor or tilt too far upward, you're putting your spine at risk of injury," says De Wispelaere. You're also upping the likelihood that you bob your head back and forth, giving you the illusion that you're performing quality reps when you aren't. Keeping a neutral neck—so your body forms a straight line from your head to your feet—allows you maintain control over the movement.

How to do it: Don't tuck your chin or look straight out in front of you. Instead, pick a spot on the floor that is about 6 to 10 inches in front of your fingers and keep your eyes focused on it as you perform the movement. This should keep your neck in a straight line with the rest of your body.

To test your form: Start by assuming a pushup position, and then have a friend place a broomstick along your back. It should touch your head, upper back, and butt; this indicates that your spine is in proper alignment. If the stick doesn't make contact at all three points, simply adjust your posture until it does. That's the position you need to hold.

3. Squeeze a business card in your armpit

The benefit: Imagining as if you're squeezing something super-thin—like a piece of paper—will help you activate your lat muscles to assist in the movement and to keep your upper body rock-solid.

How to do it: "Screwing your hands into the floor will get you 90-percent of the way there," explains De Wispelaere. "Achieve the remaining 10 percent by trying to squeeze your armpit as tightly as possible." 

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/10-secrets-perfect-pushup?cid=NL_DailyDoseNL_-_06162015_SecretsToPerfectPushup_Module1

See Part 2 tomorrow

4 Reasons Your Next Workout Should Be a Swim

4 Reasons Your Next Workout Should Be a Swim

Fear not the pool with these pro tips.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Getting into the pool generally connotes a relaxing tropical vacation or a cooling dip on a hot summer day. The concept of swimming laps, on the other hand, may evoke a very opposite feeling.

Don't let it! Swimming is awesome cardio, completely no-impact on your joints, and a calorie-torching total-body workout. It also stretches and lengthens your body—something your body probably doesn’t get enough of. "When was the last time you sat at your desk with your arms extended over your head?" says Earl Walton, a swim coach and owner/head coach at Tailwind Endurance in New York City. He has four awesome reasons that he recommends swimming for anyone, from the athletes he coaches to his mom (really).

1. Cross-Training
You've heard this before: For optimal fitness, it’s essential to mix it up. And with swimming being so different from any other workout you put your body through in the gym, on the road, or in a studio, it's ideal for working muscles that have been unintentionally neglected. "It’s a low-impact workout that gives runners, gym folks, and anyone that walks around or sits in a chair a break for the overworked and tired joints of your hips, knees and ankles," says Walton.

2. Awesome Abs
That swimming can strengthen your arms, legs, shoulders, and glutes is obvious. Less so is the benefit it has on your core. "Water is 724 times more dense than air and provides a constant and consistent resistance that forces the entire body to get involved in creating forward momentum," says Walton. The core, which holds everything together, gets amazing toning in the process, without a single crunch or situp.

3. A Stronger Heart
Swimming is a huge boon to your aerobic fitness, too. It forces your body to learn a new breathing pattern—being facedown in water will do that pretty quickly. "By expanding the depth and volume of each breath, you're forcing the lungs and heart to process oxygen more efficiently," says Walton. Your heart muscle will literally grow stronger.

4. Fearlessness
Swimming is a pretty great confidence booster, too. Learning or honing a new skill, overcoming the nerves associated with the potential risks, and finding the zone in which you're totally one with the water is extremely empowering. "Setting the goal to swim 25 yards [standard pool length] or more can be a life-changing experience," says Walton. "It's one that I see over and over again as a coach and, in my opinion, is possibly the greatest benefit of swimming for many people."

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/swim-workout

Five Safety Precautions for Lifting Weights

Lifting weights offers numerous benefits for your health. Photo Credit tracy lorna/iStock/Getty Images

Lifting weights offers numerous benefits for your general health in terms of stronger bones, bigger muscles and more. Unfortunately, all it takes is one injury to sideline you for weeks if not months. Before working out at home or hitting your local gym, run through a mental checklist of safety precautions to ensure you're practicing weight-lifting strategies that pose minimal risk of injury.

Step 1

Make sure you are wearing proper gym gear. Photo CreditIvanko_Brnjakovic/iStock/Getty Images

Put on the right gym gear, starting with closed-toe shoes that protect your feet in case you drop any of your weights. Exercise gloves are optional, but they protect your hands from callouses and enhance your grip on the weights for additional safety.

Step 2

Warm up with a brisk walk or slow jog. Photo Credit Dirima/iStock/Getty Images

Warm up your entire body with a brisk walk or slow jog for 10 to 15 minutes. The American Council on Exercise reports that warming up reduces the risk of injury by increasing your body's temperature, improving joint lubrication and boosting blood flow so your muscles can work better.

Step 3

Start lifting with a low weight load. Photo Credit Maridav/iStock/Getty Images

Start lifting with a low weight load, avoiding the temptation to try and outdo the person working out next to you. For the best results, choose a weight that you can lift for eight to 12 repetitions, or -- if you are elderly -- 10 to 15 repetitions. Trying to lift weights that are too heavy increases your risk of strains, sprains and similar injuries.

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Step 4

Maintain a good posture. Photo Credit Ibrakovic/iStock/Getty Images

Maintain a good posture. While every weight-lifting exercise requires different movements, all workouts should utilize a neutral, straight spine. Swaying your spine forward, backward or sideways, such as arching your back when doing a bench press, puts excessive pressure on your body and may lead to numerous problems.

Step 5

Have a friend serve as a spotter. Photo Credit matthiasdrobeck/iStock/Getty Images

Ask a friend to serve as a spotter if you're doing an exercise that involves pressing a weight above your head or positioning a bar over your body. Examples of such exercises are shoulder presses and bench presses. A spotter is someone who stands next to you and is ready to catch the weight in case your muscles become fatigued.

Warnings

• Always talk to a physician before starting a new exercise program.

Tips

• If you're trying to choose what shorts or shirts to wear to the gym, pick clothing that is breathable and form-fitting. Clothes that are too loose may get caught on gym equipment and create a safety hazard.

Things You'll Need

• Closed-toe shoes
• Exercise gloves

http://www.livestrong.com/article/121069-five-safety-precautions-lifting-weights/