All posts tagged: exercise

This trainer’s unique glute exercise has gone viral—here’s why you should try sumo fairies and how to do it

This trainer’s unique glute exercise has gone viral—here’s why you should try sumo fairies and how to do it

Published by Jenni Sidey

If you’re serious about training your glutes—the muscles in your butt—you will have tried Bulgarian split squats. It’s a staple of any good glute routine, along with hip thrusts, but Cassidy Morgan, who specializes in glute training for women, says there’s another essential glute move and it’s been taking social media by storm. She calls it the sumo fairy, a sumo squat with one foot elevated on a platform. “Sumo fairies are my go-to exercise for lifting saggy glutes and building a round, sculpted shape, especially by targeting the lower glute max, an area many traditional workouts miss,” Morgan tells Fit&Well. Article continues below You may like “It works by isolating each glute individually, creating a deeper stretch for more effective activation, improving hip mobility and control, and correcting glute imbalances through unilateral training. “Sumo fairies primarily bias the glute of the elevated leg, but both sides are working,” Morgan continues, adding that the standing leg is stabilising the body. Morgan has a program called the Core-to-Glute Method, which focuses on precise positioning to get …

When Exercise Becomes a Compulsion

When Exercise Becomes a Compulsion

Published by Jenni Sidey

As a psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders, I often talk about exercise in ways that make people pause. The pushback is real: People tell me they feel better when they work out and point to improved mood, focus, and stress relief as proof that nothing is wrong. That’s true, but incomplete. Movement can genuinely support mental and physical health. A walk, a class, or time in the garden can help someone feel more connected and regulated, which is exactly what makes this conversation so easy to dismiss. When Feeling Better Becomes a Trap Compulsive exercise is hard to recognize, partly because it works. It reduces anxiety, creates a sense of control, and quiets intrusive thoughts, which makes it easy to rely on without questioning the long-term impact. People understandably ask how something helpful could also be a problem, especially when it’s socially encouraged. But the issue isn’t whether exercise helps in the moment. It’s whether the behavior remains flexible and chosen. When Movement Stops Being a Choice The shift from supportive to compulsive is often …

Women in their 40s and 50s should be doing this one underrated type of exercise to improve balance and bone health, according to an expert

Women in their 40s and 50s should be doing this one underrated type of exercise to improve balance and bone health, according to an expert

Published by Jenni Sidey

You might assume that jumping exercises are something you should avoid as you get older, but you’d be mistaken. Although low-impact workouts are great for helping you build strength, recover from injury and protect sensitive joints, incorporating some high-impact moves into your routines could also support your body, particularly for women. “Jump training can improve bone health, balance, and your ability to perform all kinds of activities from walking up the stairs to catching yourself if you step off a curb,” says Dr Elizabeth Knight, who researches women’s health at menopause wellness platform Respin. Article continues below You may like “These are all key areas for long-term health, and midlife is the time when these indicators can start to decline, often slowly, so you might not notice until you’ve lost a lot,” she says. According to Knight, a solid workout routine includes strength, cardio, mobility and impact exercises—such as jumping movements. “Adding exercises like jump training to your routine before you experience falls, fractures and weakness is the goal,” she explains. “This is a proactive …

Early bird or night owl: Should you sync your exercise with your chronotype?

Early bird or night owl: Should you sync your exercise with your chronotype?

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore A new study suggests that exercising at times that match whether someone is naturally a morning or evening person could reduce their risk of heart problems. Researchers in the UK and Pakistan determined the chronotypes of 150 people aged between 40 to 60 through questionnaires and 48-hour core body temperature measurements. Chronotype refers to the tendency to be naturally more active or wakeful at a particular period of the day, according to Dictionary.com. All participants in the study – which was published in the journal Open Heart – had at least one cardiovascular risk factor, such as high blood pressure, obesity, or physical inactivity, and were randomly assigned to exercise at times that either aligned with their chronotype or did not. Workouts were scheduled either in the morning (8am–11am) or evening (6pm–9pm). Out of the group, 134 participants completed all 60 …

Best home exercise equipment for small spaces

Best home exercise equipment for small spaces

Published by Sam Flores

Latex bands have their place, but the fabric version is the one you’ll reach for on leg day. The woven construction means no rolling, no pinching, and no slow slide down your thighs mid-squat – problems that plague cheaper rubber alternatives. Mirafit’s set comes in three resistance levels (light, medium, heavy), all clearly colour-coded, so you can progress without guesswork. They’re compact enough to live in a drawer and tough enough for daily use. If you’re doing hip thrusts, lateral walks or glute bridges at home, these are the ones to have. Source link

Forget 10,000 steps: A rheumatologist reveals the true walking target if you’re over 60

Forget 10,000 steps: A rheumatologist reveals the true walking target if you’re over 60

Published by Daniella Wilson

Simple, accessible and suitable for all ages, walking as a form of exercise is almost always a great option, whether for heart health or weight loss.  While the 10,000-step goal is the iconic target that has been a health mainstay for years, experts confirm the ‘magic number’ for joint health if you’re past the age of 60 is actually a lower amount: 8,000 steps.   Science of course has shown that people who walk regularly generally achieve better physical and mental health outcomes compared to those who lead a sedentary life, and a daily stroll has also proven to be a powerful ally for people battling rheumatic conditions.  As Dr Raquel Almodóvar, a specialist in rheumatology, explains: “A small change like walking can significantly improve the health of those living with rheumatic diseases. Not only does it help improve pain, fatigue and stiffness, it also aids in relieving joint burden, strengthening muscles and boosting your mood.” Managing conditions through walking: Lupus to arthritis Systemic autoimmune rheumatic conditions (known as SARDs) – which cover everything from …

I’ve used this simple mobility exercise with every client I’ve ever coached to ease stiffness, boost mobility and improve posture

I’ve used this simple mobility exercise with every client I’ve ever coached to ease stiffness, boost mobility and improve posture

Published by Jenni Sidey

The internet is awash with complex mobility drills, promising scroll-stopping flexibility and range of motion, yet they require gymnast-level mobility to perform in the first place. There is, however, one simple exercise that I believe rarely gets the attention it deserves: shoulder dislocations. Don’t let the name put you off. Article continues below You may like This standing, beginner-friendly exercise helps release tightness in the chest, which can build up over the day when hunched over a keyboard. It can help mobilize and wake up your upper-back muscles, especially around the shoulder blades, to address poor posture. And with every repetition, it can help gently groove the shoulder socket to unlock improved range of motion and strength overhead. I love its restorative effect so much that I’ve prescribed it to every client I’ve ever coached, and rarely a day passes when I don’t rattle through a few reps at home or before workouts. Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox. Lately, I was also reminded of its …

Midlife exercise linked to a 50% longer life for women

Midlife exercise linked to a 50% longer life for women

Published by Jenni Sidey

Halfway through life, the body starts changing in ways that are easy to miss at first. Muscle mass begins to thin. Strength can slip gradually. Daily movement, once automatic, may take more planning than it did years earlier. A new study suggests that what women do during that stretch of life can shape what comes next in a very serious way: those who consistently met exercise guidelines in their 50s and 60s were about half as likely to die early as women who did not. The research, published in PLOS Medicine, followed 11,169 Australian women born between 1946 and 1951. Over 15 years, researchers tracked whether they were meeting the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The strongest finding was not about a short burst of fitness or a temporary health kick. It was about consistency. Women who kept meeting those activity targets across midlife had half the risk of death from any cause compared with women who consistently fell short. The study also found signs …

5 Things You Unknowingly Do Every Day That Can Affect Your Dementia Risk Later On | Linda DiBella

5 Things You Unknowingly Do Every Day That Can Affect Your Dementia Risk Later On | Linda DiBella

Published by Jenni Sidey

When we think of staying healthy, things like maintaining an ideal weight and strong muscles, a strong immune system, and a healthy heart come to mind. However, more widespread attention has been given to the connection between physical and mental health. People facing mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are on the rise.  Research has shown 28.8% of the population will suffer from an anxiety-related disorder, and 16.5% of the population is likely to experience some form of depressive disorder in their lifetime. The Alzheimer’s Association has found that one in nine people aged sixty-five and over has Alzheimer’s Disease(AD).  Even though some people may be at an increased risk for developing brain diseases, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is one of the best strategies for keeping the brain performing at its peak. Here are five things you unknowingly do every day that can affect your dementia risk later on: 1. Are you eating a balanced, whole-food diet? adriaticfoto via Shutterstock A study helped explain how a diet high in plant foods like …

An Exercise for Releasing Emotional Pain

An Exercise for Releasing Emotional Pain

Published by Jenni Sidey

Emotional pain that was created earlier in our lives (from beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and social situations) often ends up in the body, causing mental health issues, physical pain, and even illness (Van Der Kolk, 2003). Luckily, compelling evidence shows that expressing this pain through journaling can halt and possibly even reverse these issues (e.g., Pennebaker, 1997; Schubiner & Betzold, 2010). This type of journaling is not about recording your day or setting goals but about expressing your deepest thoughts and feelings.​ Emotional Pain and the Path to Well-Being As we reach the later stages on our path to well-being, we are able to observe more and more subtle experiences. For example, it’s easy to observe the physical pain of breaking your arm, regardless of which stage you’re in. But as we move into later stages, maybe we start to notice that we get anxious when we are around certain people. Eventually, we’ll be able to observe extremely subtle experiences such as efforting, resistance, wanting, and attachment.​It is through observing each of our experiences that we …