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Despite what many people believe, not all workouts are effective and conducive to losing weight and toning up.  There are several workouts that you will see people doing at your gym any given day of the week that are ineffective. 

 

Unless you have the best form and are using some of these machines like textbook, then you may be doing more harm than good to your body. 

The following are some examples of the least effective exercises that you can do: 

  • Behind the Head Lat Pull Downs: Unfortunately, only those with very mobile shoulder joints can keep their spine straight enough to get a good workout from the behind the back lat pull down bar. The move done wrong can tear the rotator cuff.
  • Behind the Head Military Press: This exercise done similarly to the behind the head lat pull down, can cause the same problems with the rotator cuff that other exercise could cause.
  • Lying Leg Press (with knees bent too deeply): This exercise is typically done to work your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes and is done on a machine where you use your feet to push a weighted plate up and down.  If you bend your knees too far, then you can seriously injure your back and/or knees.
  • Squats on a Smith Machine: While the Smith Machine is generally an effective machine, the bar on the machine doesn’t give, which can force the body into risky positions, including placing their feet too far in front of them while doing their squats.
  • Using Bad Form on Cardio Machines: While using bad form is not good on any machine, using bad form on cardio equipment is a big no-no. Hunching over can throw off your alignment, jarring your spine, shoulders and elbows.
  • Always Lifting with a Weight Belt: Unless you have a back injury, are lifting a lot of weight or if you have some other medical reason, then a weight belt is not necessary.  Wearing a weight belt too often can weaken your core muscles, throwing off your entire workout.

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  • Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A in the form of beta carotene and vitamin C.
  • The nutrients in sweet potatoes are also anti-inflammatory, which means that besides being great tasting, sweet potatoes can help reduce the severity of conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
  • In addition, sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6.

Recipe: Golden Sweet Potato Brownies 

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups peeled and finely shredded sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Fold in the shredded yam. Spread the batter evenly in the greased baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Mix together the confectioners' sugar, butter and milk until smooth. Spread over the brownies while they are still warm.

Recipe: Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

  • 6 sweet potatoes cut into French fries
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a plastic bag, combine the sweet potatoes, canola oil, taco seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Close and shake the bag until the fries are evenly coated. Spread the fries out in a single layer on two large baking sheets.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until crispy and brown on one side. Turn the fries over using a spatula, and cook for another 30 minutes, or until they are all crispy on the outside and tender inside. Thinner fries may not take as long.

 

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Last year, Consumer Reports sent a survey team to several schools to find out how much weight kids were lifting … in their backpacks.  Parents were shocked to learn that of the students surveyed, the average weight hauled by second-graders was 5.3 pounds, fourth-graders carried 4.6 pounds and sixth-graders averaged 18.4 pounds.

To help alleviate some of the back pain and stress, Consumer Reports suggest that parents should keep the following factors in mind:

  1. Check for good stitching that can hold a decent amount of weight.
  2. Shoulder straps anchors should be about 1- to 2- inches below the top of the shoulder.
  3. The bottom of the backpack should go along the curve of the lower back and the backpack itself should not fall more than 4 inches below the waist.

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It’s a sign of the times that more people are using computers, iPad, and other electronic devices for large amounts of their day. And while these devices have made our lives easier and more convenient in many ways, they have also done a number on our eyes.

There is even now a diagnosed disorder for the chronic eyestrain caused by looking at a screen too much – Computer Vision Syndrome or CVS.

Symptoms of CVS include dry and burning eyes, aching back, neck, shoulders or head, and blurry vision.

Here are some ways that you can avoid eye strain and prevent CVS from getting to you.

  • “Take a break.” Every 15 minutes take an eye break from your screen. Look from side to side, then gaze into the distance. Roll your shoulders while you are taking your eye break to stretch out your neck, too.
  • “Look down, not up.” Tilt your screen (if you can) downwards so that it is 4-8 inches below your eye level.
  • “Stand up.” Take a 10-minute bathroom break – even if you don’t have to go – at least every 2 hours. Walk around, back and forth, letting your eyes idle. Avoid looking your phone during this idle break and let your eyes wander. Do anything except something that requires intense eye focusing.
  • “Use Eye Drops.” People tend to blink less when they are staring at a screen which results in dry eyes. Keep eye drops nearby and squeeze in some artificial tears when necessary.
  • “Check your glasses.” People wear glasses for reading and for seeing things far away, but most glasses are not intended for reading type on a computer screen that is 20 inches away from you. Consult an optometrist about getting a pair of computer glasses.

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Being physically active is a good idea for everyone, but it is especially important for people with diabetes. According to experts with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “being active makes your body more sensitive to insulin which helps manage your diabetes.”

Other additional benefits include maintaining a healthy weight, losing weight, sleeping better, improving your memory, lowering your blood pressure, and feeling happier.

For those that suffer from diabetes, experts say that the goal is to get approximately 150 minutes of exercise each week. One way to do this is to get about 20-25 minutes of exercise each day, including about 2 days of a full-body workout – or using as many body parts as possible that you can during your workout.

Some great ways to get your 20-25 minutes per day include:

  • Walking briskly
  • Doing housework
  • Mowing the lawn
  • Playing a sport
  • Swimming
  • Biking
  • Dancing

All these activities work your larger muscles, increase your heart rate, and make you breathe harder which are all good for you and important goals for fitness.
As with any exercise program, be sure to consult your doctor before starting physical activity. Your doctor can also steer you towards activities that are the best for you.