Tips for Increasing Physical Activity

Choose activities that you enjoy and can do regularly. Fitting activity into a daily routine can be easy — such as taking a brisk 10 minute walk to and from the parking lot, bus stop, or subway station. Or, join an exercise class. Keep it interesting by trying something different on alternate days. Every little bit adds up and doing something is better than doing nothing.

Make sure to do at least 10 minutes of activity at a time, shorter bursts of activity will not have the same health benefits. For example, walking the dog for 10 minutes before and after work or adding a 10 minute walk at lunchtime can add to your weekly goal. Mix it up. Swim, take a yoga class, garden or lift weights. To be ready anytime, keep some comfortable clothes and a pair of walking or running shoes in the car and at the office.

More ways to increase physical activity

At home:

Join a walking group in the neighborhood or at the local shopping mall. Recruit a partner for support and encouragement.

Push the baby in a stroller.
Get the whole family involved — enjoy an afternoon bike ride with your kids.

Walk up and down the soccer or softball field sidelines while watching the kids play.

Walk the dog — don’t just watch the dog walk.

Clean the house or wash the car.

Walk, skate, or cycle more, and drive less.

Do stretches, exercises, or pedal a stationary bike while watching television.

Mow the lawn with a push mower.

Plant and care for a vegetable or flower garden.

Play with the kids — tumble in the leaves, build a snowman, splash in a puddle, or dance to favorite music.

Exercise to a workout video.

At work:

Get off the bus or subway one stop early and walk or skate the rest of the way.businessman on bike

Replace a coffee break with a brisk 10-minute walk. Ask a friend to go with you.

Take part in an exercise program at work or a nearby gym.

Join the office softball team or walking group.

At play:

Walk, jog, skate, or cycle.

Swim or do water aerobics.

Take a class in martial arts, dance, or yoga.

Golf (pull cart or carry clubs).

Canoe, row, or kayak.

Play racquetball, tennis, or squash.

Ski cross-country or downhill.

Play basketball, softball, or soccer.

Hand cycle or play wheelchair sports.

Take a nature walk.

Most important — have fun while being active!
(Source: ChooseMyPlate.gov)

Massage Envy Spa Membership

As a Massage Envy Spa member, you have full access to both Massage Envy and Massage Envy Spa. This includes customized spa massage therapy and Murad® Healthy Skin facials, which are similar to most day spas but without the steep price. Memberships include a one-hour massage therapy session with a professional massage therapist every month, or for only $10 more a one-hour affordable day spa facial. Members also receive unlimited additional spa massages and facials at the member rate, free upgrades, special splitting and sharing privileges and more. And since your membership is valid nationwide, you can find relief at over 850 Massage Envy and Massage Envy Spa locations…hard to find that at a traditional day spa.

Massage Therapy Relieves Tension Headaches

In the United States alone, more than 60% of the 45 million Americans who suffer from chronic headaches suffer from migraines. The disorder can be debilitating and typically results from high stress levels and/or lack of sleep. So it’s no wonder why so many people want to know how to relieve tension headaches.
Massage has two roles when it comes to treating migraines and tension related headaches:

In a proactive role, massage treatments are performed on a regular basis to help the body maintain an optimal level of relaxation and stress-relief. This approach reduces the chances of migraine attacks and tension headaches significantly by relaxing muscle spasms and trigger points.

In a comfort role, massage is done to ease the pressure brought on during a migraine or tension related headache. By focusing on the neck, shoulders, and head, massage can decrease the pain and discomfort brought on by migraine or tension headaches.

A recent study showed that massage therapy recipients exhibited fewer migraines and better sleep quality during the weeks they received massage, and the three weeks following, than did participants that did not receive massage therapy. Another study found that in adults with migraine headaches, massage therapy decreased the occurrence of headaches, sleep disturbances and distress symptoms. It also increased serotonin levels, believed to play an important role in the regulation of mood, sleep and appetite.

Benefits of Relieving Tension-Related Headaches

Decreases occurrences of tension headaches, sleep disturbances and distress symptoms
Allows one to maintain a level of relaxation and stress-relief, reducing the chances of stress induced migraines
Massage for headaches can also reduce muscle spasms and trigger points

Strength Training for Women: 5 Exercises to Look Lean and Toned

You’ve done the cardio and counted calories, but you still haven’t seen the results you want. What gives? It may be a lack of iron — that is, of the dumbbell variety. As it turns out, dieting and cardio alone won’t change your shape. Chances are you’ll lose muscle, slowing down your metabolism. That’s why strength training for women is so important.

When you gain muscle, you gain a lot — more benefits, that is. Not only does hitting the weight room fend off flab, but it also protects against a variety of diseases, like heart disease and osteoporosis. And just 30 minutes of lifting of day can slash the risk of diabetes by as much as 34 percent, according to a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Other added bonuses include decreased blood pressure, improved sleep and enhanced balance and coordination.

More muscle mass also translates into a faster resting metabolism (the baseline number of calories you burn throughout the day). So even at rest, you’re incinerating extra fat.

In spite all of the benefits, many women still avoid weight room. Intimidated or not sure where to start? I’ve got you covered. The following basic, effective routine is simple and easy to learn. Plus, it only takes 20 to 30 minutes from start to finish.

Worried about getting too pumped? Don’t be. Women lack the testosterone levels necessary for building bulky muscles. Instead, look forward to looking toned and lean. Strength Training for Women: The Workout

Stress Decreases Attractiveness In Women’s Faces, Study Finds

Stress makes its mark on the female face, according to a new study that finds men judge women with high levels of a stress hormone less attractive.

The finding is a gender turnaround on previous research that has found that women go for low-stress guys, too. Stress can suppress fertility, said study researcher Markus Rantala, a professor of biology at the University of Turku in Finland. Thus, Rantala told LiveScience, it’s no surprise that both men and women might have evolved to prefer chilled-out faces.

But the new study does suggest one intriguing gender difference: Men weren’t more attracted to women with stronger immune systems, another factor that can show up in facial features. Even so, previous research on men’s judgments of beauty has found that women prefer guys with strong immune responses.

“Our major finding is a little bit of a disappointment for us, because we didn’t find that immunology is linked to attractiveness in women,” Rantala said. [Busted! 6 Gender Myths in the Bedroom and Beyond]

Judgments of beauty are both cultural and individual, but psychologists and biologists find that humans the world over tend to agree on a few things. For example, men prefer younger women to older women, and neither men nor women tend to prefer people who look sick or diseased, Rantala said. The evolutionary drive to reproduce likely pushes people toward looks that indicate health and fertility.

Studies on women’s perceived attractiveness and their health have been mixed, however, Rantala said. He and his colleagues asked 52 Latvian women to have the photographs of their faces taken during fertile times in their menstrual cycles. The women also received a hepatitis B vaccination. A month before and after the shot, the researchers took a blood sample to measure the women’s hormones and antibodies, immune proteins that help the body defend against foreign invaders. The researchers also measured the women’s body-fat percentages.

Next, 18 men rated the photographs of the women’s faces for attractiveness on a scale of 0 to 11. The results revealed that the prettiest faces didn’t necessarily belong to the women with the strongest immune response — but the women with the lowest levels of the stress hormone cortisol were consistently ranked as hotter.

Body fat was also linked to attractiveness, such that the thinnest and fattest women were seen as the least attractive. As with stress, both obesity and being underweight can cause fertility problems, Rantala said, which could explain the finding.

Men may not cue into women’s immune strength the way women cue into men’s because of different reproductive strategies between the sexes. For men, reproduction is relatively cheap, so the goal, evolutionarily speaking, would be to have as many offspring as possible. For women, who have to gestate their offspring, giving each baby the best chance to survive to adulthood is far more important. The sex difference could explain why women might be more alert to facial signals of a strong immune system in a potential mate.

The researchers note to measure immunity they looked only at antibodies, which make up just one factor for immune response; the prettier women may have had immune advantages the researchers couldn’t measure. (Source: Huffington Post)

 

Murad® Healthy Skin facials

Murad® Healthy Skin facials feature groundbreaking Murad skincare products that are specially formulated for Massage Envy Spa facial treatments. All four types of facials offer essentially therapeutic solutions for guests with skin disorders and concerns.

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