“Best and Worst Workouts, According to Science”

Go for It: Pilates - It's a low-impact workout that focuses on your core -- your hips, back, and abs. It uses your own body as resistance and taps into the mind-body connection. Pilates builds strength, makes you more flexible, and helps your joints move the way they should. 

Use Caution: CrossFit - This exercise program can be an effective calorie burner -- when done right. But take on this intense workout with care, or you could get injured. Moves are meant to push you out of your comfort zone to your limit. It can be great for some, but CrossFit definitely isn’t for everyone.

Go for It: Tai Chi - Studies have shown meditation is a big booster of mood and health. Tai chi takes meditation to the next level by putting it into motion. Its series of slow movements helps with balance and stress relief. It's good for all ages, too.

Use Caution: Crunches - They aren’t all bad, but crunches aren't great if you’ve got a bad back. They put pressure on your lower spine. They can tighten the muscles you use to sit, too. That can pull at your spine even further. If it’s a six-pack you're after, ask a fitness expert for other moves you can use that won’t wreck your back.

Go for It: Walking - This oldie but goodie is top-notch for both your body and your brain. You can do it just about anywhere. It’s easy on your joints, boosts your mood, and helps you stay heart healthy.

Use Caution: Spot Reduction - If you want to target tummy fat, you should hit the mat for some sit-ups, right? Wrong. You can’t zero in on any one area of fat when you work out. That’s a myth. A better approach, experts say, is training your whole body. It’s overall fitness, not focusing on specific areas, that burns fat best.

Go for It: Yoga - When it comes to your muscles, if you don’t use them, you lose them. Yoga’s gentle stretches keep you limber so you can enjoy an active life. It can also relieve stress, improve your breathing, tone your muscles, and give you more energy.

Go for It: Swimming - When it comes to workouts, swimming checks all the boxes: It’s kind to your joints, boosts heart health, improves your mood, and burns calories. It’s especially good if you’re dealing with an injury. The water takes the weight off your frame so you can get your heart pumping without pain.

Go for It: Running - If it’s calories you’re looking to burn, running will give you the most bang for your buck. An hour of it burns twice as many calories as biking or walking for the same amount of time.

Go for It: Weight Training - Also called strength training or resistance training, exercises with weights build your muscles, burn calories, and strengthen your bones. Weight training can also help your brain as you age.

Use Caution: Weight Training - However, good technique is crucial when you pump iron. Bad form can hurt you in a hurry. Especially risky moves include:

• Loading up with weights that are too heavy
• Bad posture
• Skipping a warmup
• Lifting without a spotter

Go for It: Elliptical - Not only can you get all the great benefits of walking with an elliptical machine, you can do it with less joint jarring. The moving handles it has add in arm exercises, too. You can also use it in reverse. That helps strengthen leg muscles beyond what a forward workout can do.

Go for it: Jumping Rope - It’s not just for playgrounds. It's a powerhouse workout you can do almost anywhere, and you only need a rope to do it. It can build lower leg muscles, improve your coordination, and create more pathways in your brain. That helps you stay sharp as you get older.

Use Caution: Plyometrics - Speaking of jumping, plyometrics is a form of exercise (also called jump training), that works on your muscle power and explosiveness with a series of jumps. When done right, it makes for strong leg muscles. But it’s easy to do it wrong, especially if you’re going it alone. Landing badly can cause injuries, including problems in your joints. Before you start, talk to a trainer to see if it’s the right choice for you.

Go for It: Dancing - Your heart is happiest when it gets exercise that moves both your legs and your arms. The rhythm and constant movement of dance can do that. And it’s fun, which will have you coming back for more.

Reviewed by: Tyler Wheeler, MD on February 01, 2018

Sources:

American Council on Exercise: “Pilates Primer,” “CrossFit -- Is the Gain Worth the Pain? ACE Experts Weigh In,” “CrossFit -- New Research Puts Popular Workout to the Test,” “Do We Really Need to Crunch? 5 Core Exercises That Don’t Require Crunching,” “Exercise Myths vs. Realities,” “Myths and Misconceptions: Spot Reduction and Feeling the Burn,” “7 Benefits of Jumping Rope,” “Plyometrics: Controlled Impact/Maximum Power

Harvard Health: “5 of the best exercises you can ever do.”

National Institute on Aging: “4 Types of Exercise.”

American Osteopathic Association: “The Benefits of Yoga.”

Mayo Clinic: “How Much Am I Burning?” “Are elliptical machines better than treadmills for basic aerobic workouts?”

American College of Sports Medicine: “Resistance Training for Health and Fitness,” “Selecting and Effectively Using Free Weights,” “The Basics of Starting and Progressing a Strength-Training Program.”

American Heart Association: “What Type of Physical Activity Is Best?”

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2Live

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.

“Use Exercise to Help Depression”

Start Slow: It may be the last thing you want to do when you're feeling down, but exercise releases feel-good chemicals in your brain and can help ease depression symptoms. You don’t have to do too much, maybe just go for a short walk. If you can push yourself to do it a few days in a row, you may not need as much of a push the following day.

Walk or Run: You don’t have to run a marathon or be a speed demon. You don’t even have to run. Start with walking, and you can decide if you want to go faster as you get stronger. It’s not just the exercise that helps -- the great outdoors can lift your mood, too.

Yoga: The fixed and moving poses of this meditative form of exercise can make you stronger and more flexible. That can give you energy and a sense of well-being. The breath control involved in yoga also can calm your emotions. You can look for videos online, but a class gets you out into the world and around other people. Namaste!

Garden: Touching soil may boost a key brain chemical called serotonin, and that can help lift depression. You'll also be active and outside. If you don’t have a patch of dirt of your own, call a local community garden to see if you could work a plot there.

Tennis: It’s good exercise and a great opportunity to let out some emotion without talking about your feelings. You can just hit the ball against a wall, but if you want it to come back across a net, you’ll need someone on the other side. That's a chance to socialize. And if you commit to a time with someone else, you’re more likely to stick to it.

Exercise at Work: If you need a distraction to get your mind off negative thoughts, take a few minutes and step away from your desk. Find a quiet place and do some stretching, or go up and down a flight of stairs -- anything that gets you moving can boost your mood.

Swim: It’s a great, whole-body workout, and some people find the water helps calm them. It doesn’t have to take a huge chunk out of your day: Just 30 minutes of exercise 3 to 5 times a week may be all you need.

Bike: You can get good exercise on a stationary one, but hitting the bike path is a great way to take in the world around you. You don’t need anything fancy -- any two-wheeler will do. Ride it to the store, the coffee shop, or your friend’s house. Just make sure to get it checked by a mechanic first, and don’t forget to wear a helmet.

Strength Training: You use weights, machines, or your own body resistance (like with pushups) to build strength, muscle mass, and flexibility. A simple set of hand weights will work, or even just the floor. The workout isn’t the only thing that improves your mood -- a sense of accomplishment and better body image can help, too.

Walk Your Dog: Fido can help ease your stress, and he may be just the motivator you need. Grab a leash and maybe a Frisbee and get out there. The fresh air won’t hurt, either.

Dance: It’s a win-win-win: exercise, social engagement, and fun. All those can lift your spirits, and you can start at home. While nobody’s watching, turn on a favorite track and let your body move to it. Even short dance sessions can feel good. As you gain your footing and confidence, check for classes at local dance schools or look for a group that gets together to dance.

Sprint: You may need to work up to it, but three 20-second sprints, with 2-minute breaks in between, may be as good for you as 50 minutes of moderate jogging. And they can be a quick way to release some pent-up emotion. Just make sure you warm up -- and ask your doctor if you don’t know if you’re healthy enough for that kind of high-intensity workout.

Basketball: It’s a great workout: You jog, sprint, jump, and throw. You can do it indoors and out, winter and summer, and in a large group or with just one other person. You can even shoot hoops by yourself.

Softball: The focus needed for a long game can help distract you from negative thoughts, and being part of a team adds a feeling of connection. And when you’ve got a whole team that expects you to show up, you’re more likely to, right? 

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD on January 28, 2017

CDC: “Take The Stairs,” “How much physical activity do adults need?”
Harvard Health Publications: “Dancing and the Brain,” “Yoga for anxiety and depression.”
Journal of Aging Research: “Use of Physical and Intellectual Activities and Socialization in the Management of Cognitive Decline of Aging and in Dementia: A Review.”
National Institutes of Health: “Use of Physical and Intellectual Activities and Socialization in the Management of Cognitive Decline of Aging and in Dementia: A Review,” “Scientific Evidence-Based Effects of Hydrotherapy on Various Systems of the Body,” “The Energy Expenditure of Stair Climbing One Step and Two Steps at a Time: Estimations from Measures of Heart Rate,” “Dog ownership and physical activity: a review of the evidence.”
Neuroscience (Journal): “The Energy Expenditure of Stair Climbing One Step and Two Steps at a Time: Estimations from Measures of Heart Rate.”
Mayo Clinic: “Fitness program: 5 steps to get started,” “Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms.”
MoveItMonday.org: “5 Ways to Add More Steps to Your Day.”
MSU Today: “Dog Walkers More Likely to Reach Exercise Benchmarks.”
PsychCentral.com: “How Swimming Reduces Depression.”
Science Daily: “Benefits of outdoor exercise confirmed.”

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2Live

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. WebMD and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by WebMD, WebMD employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of WebMD, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.