Author: Lisa M. Douglas

Who wants a butt lift? Apparently a lot of us! A recent poll of plastic surgery trends from doctors nationwide has shown that the demand for butt implants has more than doubled in the past year. Thanks to Kim Kardashian and other celebs who are rocking their rounded booties, everyday folks are wanting the same. But you don’t need to pull out your plastic to insert plastic into your derrière. There are exercises that will help you get that look naturally. Do these simple moves three times a week to get yourself red carpet (or sandy beach) ready!
Perform each exercise for 12 to 15 repetitions, for 3 to 4 sets. Do these exercises three times a week for maximum results.

Deep Squat

(These squats build your butt, making it nice and rounded. Hold weights during this exercise if you can—the heavier, the better)
Start with both toes facing forward and feet hip distance apart. Bend your knees, sit back into your butt, and let your butt drop to slightly below your knees. Squeeze your butt and stand. Be sure that your knees don’t buckle outward.

Curtsy Lunge

(This is great for your butt proper, particularly the outside, and shapes your butt perfectly. Hold lighter weights during this exercise.)
Place your left foot forward and step your right foot behind and slightly to the left of your front foot. Keeping your hips square, bend your left knee and bring your right knee toward the ground. Keep your left knee over your left ankle. Repeat for a full set then switch to the other side.

Sumo Squat Into a Drag

(These work your butt proper, particularly the inside. Hold medium to heavy weights during this exercise.)
Start with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart, toes facing outward. Bend your knees and sit back into your butt. Lower down until your knees are at a right angle. As you stand, drag your right leg in and squeeze your butt. Step your right leg back out and repeat the squat with a drag with the left leg.

Lunge Into Hyperextension

(Ankle weights that are 2–8 pounds work well for this exercise.)
Place your left leg in front and extend your right leg behind you. Keeping your left knee over your left ankle, bend your right (back) knee toward the ground. As you rise up, lock your right leg and lift it off of the ground. Squeeze your butt the whole time. Lower your right leg and repeat for a full set. Then switch to the other side.

One-Legged Hip Bridges

(The bridges work the area that connects your butt and hamstring for a perky shape. You can place your feet on the floor or a BOSU balance trainer or chair to make it harder.)
Lie on your back and place your left foot down with your knee bent. Cross your right leg over your left, resting your right ankle on your left knee. With arms at your sides, squeeze your butt and lift your hips up to the height of your knee. Make sure to keep all of your weight in your left heel. Lower and repeat for a full set. Repeat on the other side.

It’s 10:00 at night and you’re texting with your friend on your smartphone while watching the latest episode of House of Cards on your Mac. Sound familiar? It should be. Polls conducted by the National Sleep Foundation show that 95 percent of Americans use some sort (or multiple sorts) of technology an hour before bed. Most of us don’t realize that this is a big problem.

Research reveals that using digital technology such as smartphones, iPads, computers, and some TV screens up to an hour before bedtime can disturb sleep schedules. The light from these screens messes with evening sleepiness and melatonin (the hormone that causes you to feel sleepy) because it confuses your circadian rhythm. 

Your circadian rhythm—also known as your body’s internal clock—is a 24-hour cycle determined by light and other environmental factors. Your circadian rhythm tells your body when it’s time to sleep, get up, eat, and other processes. It also determines when your body releases melatonin, which is essential for sleep. 

Basically, because of circadian rhythm, when bright light is present in your environment, your body knows it’s time to wake up. The trouble with using blue screen technology is that the screens are so bright during the evening/night (an odd time) that your body is tricked into believing that the sun is coming up and you should wake up. So it wakes up! This leads to restless nights and sleep deprivation.

What happens when you don’t get enough sleep? Nothing good, that’s for sure! Studies have also found that those who are consistently sleep deprived have trouble with short-term memory and cognitive function.

Sleep deprivation has also been linked to psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression, and physical disorders such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and obesity.

A Harvard study that put 10 people on a schedule that messed with their circadian rhythms found that participants’ blood sugar levels increased and their levels of leptin—the hormone that makes you feel full after eating—decreased. The participants became pre-diabetic and reported feeling hungrier and eating more all day.

But you like to keep connected at night and watch your favorite Netflix obsession, you say. I’m with you! Here are some suggestions we can all use to help us be healthier, brighter eyed, and more energized for the next day.

• Avoid looking at bright screens 2–3 hours before bed.
• Switch back to paper books or use a Kindle or non–blue-light-emitting device to read.
• Get lots of bright light outside during the day. Outdoor sunlight is best.
• Try using dim, red lights as nightlights. Red lights have the least power to mess with your circadian rhythm. Candlelight also works!
• Use blue-blocking glasses when reading or watching a show at night.
• Install a program on your computer that automatically adjusts the color and brightness of your screen.
• Charge your phone in another room at night so that notifications don’t wake you (and you’re not tempted to check email in the middle of the night).
• Don’t use your phone as an alarm clock.

Have you ever been in bad pain, with an ice pack in one hand and a heat pack in the other, trying to figure out which one to use? Often it seems as though everyone has different opinions and reasons for their recommendations, leaving you ready to throw both in the garbage. Well, the quick answer is that ice is for injuries, and heat is for muscles. But it’s a bit more complicated than that. Here’s the lowdown on the proper therapy for your issue so you can get your body better, quicker.

Ice therapy, also known as cryotherapy, is mostly used for acute (immediate) injuries. Acute injuries are short-term injuries with damaged tissues that are inflamed, hot, and swollen. Icing is not only a drug-free, mild way of dulling the pain of the inflammation, but it also helps to remove fluids from the site, allowing the injury to heal more quickly.

Here are some common acute injuries that you should use ice with:

• Ankle sprain
• Knee sprain
• Muscle or joint sprain
• Red, hot, or swollen body parts

When you ice, it’s important to make sure the ice source stays consistently cold. Ice packs, frozen produce, and frozen veggies tend to thaw as they stay on your skin, thus rendering themselves ineffective. The best thing to do is to put ice into a Ziplock storage bag and place it directly on the inflamed area for 15–20 minutes. It’ll feel pretty cold at first (especially if the area is really inflamed) but will quickly numb and feel better.

Heat therapy, also known as thermotherapy, is for the treatment of sore muscles, chronic pain, and stress. It’s for taking the edge off the pain of muscle spasms and trigger points, or conditions that they affect, like back pain and neck pain. It’s also good for soothing your nervous system and helping you manage stress; it can even help your muscles loosen up before you work out or stretch!

Basically, heat therapy does the opposite of what cold therapy does. Cold therapy constricts blood vessels, whereas heat allows your blood vessels to expand and your muscles to relax. Like cold therapy, it also can help you with pain by stimulating circulation and making your tissue more elastic.

Some common chronic conditions that you should use ice with are:

• Muscle pain or soreness
• Stiff joints
• Arthritis
• Old/recurring injuries

To give your muscles some heat you can use a hot, wet towel or heating pad/pack. Sometimes a hot bath or shower can do the trick as well!

So if you ice injuries and heat muscle pain, what do you do if you injure a muscle (tear or strain)? The right answer is…both! Start with icing the injury first. Then after a couple of days when you notice the swelling subside, switch to heat.

Most of these are recommendations and by no means rules! Ultimately, it comes down to your preference. 

It was recommended to me that I submerge my body in ice after every half marathon to avoid or quickly treat any minor acute injuries. Honestly, I tried it once and never did it again. It was torture! I’ve since taken to soaking in hot baths after my races and have fared just fine. It may take me just a bit longer to recover but I think it’s worth it. 

You can do the same. If you start to use one type of therapy and you don’t like the results you get, try the other. The whole point is to alleviate pain and to make you feel better, not worse.

However…as I say this I need to point out that there’s one thing you should never do. And that’s add heat to a fresh injury. Heat and inflammation are a particularly bad combination and you’ll end up making your injury worse. It’s also important to note that ice can make muscle tension and spasms worse, but that’s not always the case. If you have further questions about the best way to treat injuries, always check in with your healthcare provider. 

Statistics show that about one in five adults in the U.S. (20 percent), has at least one tattoo. Although the reasons people choose to get inked vary, good (or bad) health is hardly ever a consideration. But new studies show that it should be! There are a host of problems (other than regret) that are associated with getting a tattoo, but one interesting study shows there actually may be a “pro” to getting your favorite mantra permanently placed on your arm.

A new study published in the American Journal of Human Biology found that people who had multiple tattoos had stronger immune systems, potentially making them better able to fight off infections.

Scientists at the University of Alabama studied volunteers from a local tattoo shop and found that those who had only one tattoo had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower levels of immunoglobulin A (the antibody responsible for fighting colds and infections), making them more susceptible to getting sick. However, interestingly, the people who had multiple tattoos had higher levels of immunoglobulin A. Scientists believe that this happens because your body gets used to being stressed and beautifully compensates and adapts by strengthening its immune system in order to avoid getting sick.

If you’re now thinking that a boosted immune system is the perfect excuse to write your lover’s name down your leg, you may want to think again. Although it’s not widespread, about 10 percent of people with tattoos experience abnormal reactions. They range from not too harmful to really horrible. Here they are…listed from bad to worst:

Allergic reactions

Tattoo dyes aren’t regulated in the U.S. and can cause allergic skin reactions, such as an itchy rash at the tattoo site. Studies have found that the red dye, which contains nitrogen compounds, can cause reactions in some people. Studies also found that the more often red is used (and used with multiple colors), the more often problems arise.

Skin infections and other skin problems

Not only can the area around your tattoo become infected but unsightly bumps called granulomas can also form around the tattoo. Additionally, raised areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue (called keloids) can grow.

Bloodborne diseases

If the equipment used to create your tattoo is contaminated with infected blood, you can contract nasty bloodborne diseases like tetanus, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.

Neurological problems and cancer

Studies show that the nanoparticles that are found most particularly in black ink are readily penetrated into your bloodstream and can be toxic to your brain and cause nerve damage and possibly cancer.

Once ink regret has set in, the unfortunate part of getting rid of the tattoo comes with its own set of problems. There is always risk of infection, you can be left with a “ghost image” (the tattoo doesn’t fully disappear and you can still partly see it), and there’s a small possibility of a dangerous anaphylactic reaction (allergic reaction that involves the closing of the throat and a sharp drop in blood pressure).

Whether you’re a rebellious adult, doing as a rite of passage, or simply love the look of art on your body, the most prudent advice would be to “think before you ink.”

Without a doubt running is really good for your body: It builds bone density, it gets you into crazy shape by building endurance, and it makes your heart strong and revs your metabolism. Running also burns an impressive 10 calories per minute, making it one of the top cardiovascular choices for losing weight. But running isn’t for everyone. It can be tough on your joints (especially your knees and ankles). It can also increase your chances of overuse injuries such as tendinitis. Believe it or not, it can also be tough on your bladder. And lastly, some people just don’t like the feeling of running!

The good news is that you don’t have to run to burn mega calories and get into great shape! Here are four cardio exercises that will keep your heart pumping and your metabolism kicking just as well as if you were running. They not only burn lots of calories but they also work different muscles, keeping you stronger and healthier.

1. Indoor rowing is a total body trainer that not only works your core and legs but is also one of the best exercises for building the muscles in your back, arms, and chest. It’s a great option because it’s low impact and the risk of injury is very low. Also, studies show that the rhythmic movement of rowing is calming and good for stress management. It burns an impressive 12.5 calories per minute.

2. Jumping rope is a great exercise that can be done anywhere without expensive equipment. Because it requires quite a bit of coordination, it works your body and brain at the same time. Studies show that this is good for relaxing your body and helps to further improve coordination and agility. It also helps fight degenerative brain diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Additionally, the exercise itself improves foot and ankle stability, increases endurance, improves bone density, and strengthens your heart. Jumping rope burns 13 calories per minute at moderate intensity (100-120 skips per minute).

3. Cross-country skiing is one of the most phenomenal total body workouts that you can choose because it employs virtually every muscle group. The push/pull motion is great for building balanced strength that’s low impact. It’s also an effective way to strengthen your core, upper body, and cardiovascular system. If you choose to ski outside, the connection with nature is considered one of the best stress-management therapies. Cross-country skiing burns 12 calories per minute.

And last but by no means least:

4. Fat biking is a crazy, fun activity in which you pedal heavy, hard-to-turn monster bikes on various terrains. Because you’re maneuvering a bike over places like wet stone, muddy paths, snowy hills, and sandy beaches, it’s an unbelievably effective cardiovascular workout that strengthens your legs, core, and heart. The bikes are specially made and have only one speed, so you must keep working extra hard up hills, employing all of the muscles in your body to continue. It’s also great for balance and is low impact. Fat biking burns a whopping 25 calories per minute!

A foot massage is great for so many things. You’ve probably experienced that it’s not only super relaxing, but it also helps ease your foot pain and it can rev up your sex life. But foot massages can do so much more than that!
Reflexology is an ancient healing practice based on the principle that there are reflex points on your feet that correspond to your body’s different organs and glands. Combined with a regular foot massage, reflexology has been shown to do surprising wonders for your psychological and physical health. Here are just a few:

1. It can help you detox.

Foot massage helps improve blood circulation, pushing the flow of nutrients to the tissues and stimulating the secretion of sweat glands, which helps push out both toxins and fat. Additionally, research shows that reflexology may play a role in regulating blood flow to inner organs such as the lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines.

2. It can help your headache.

A 3-month study that evaluated 32 patients with headaches after a daily prescription of reflexology showed that it was at least as effective as drug therapy. Pressing certain parts of the foot can not only ease the pain of headaches and migraines but can also help alleviate their frequency and duration.

3. It can help with your flat feet.

People with flat feet have something called excessive ligament laxity, which causes them to have an abnormal collapsed foot arch. Regular massage can help with the chronic muscular pain associated with flat feet and can also help heal the joint pain that goes along with it.

4. It can reduce high blood pressure and stress.

Research shows that a 10-minute foot massage performed three times a week results in less stress and anxiety and lower blood pressure. The findings have been so significant that reflexology is now being used as a form of presurgical care. Patients receiving reflexology before varicose vein surgery reported significantly lower intraoperative anxiety and shorter pain duration than participants receiving treatment as usual. This may have something to do with the solar plexus reflex that’s situated on both feet (the place where all of your stress is stored). Ancient reflexology techniques combine pressure and stroking on this point to release stress and renew the body.

5. It helps with PMS.

Pressure applied to certain areas of the foot up to 2 weeks before your period can help you fight against the most common symptoms of premenstrual syndrome—and even menopause—such as mood swings, anxiety, fatigue, bloating, and headaches.

6. It can get you in the mood.

The touching and massaging of your feet by your partner not only feels super sensual but can also boost [linkbuilder id=”6459″ text=”your sex drive”] more by bringing blood flow to your sexual organs.

7. It can help your sinuses.

A recent study of treatments for chronic sinusitis revealed that reflexology is as effective as nasal irrigation, the most commonly prescribed treatment. After 2 weeks of a daily regimen of each, results showed equal improvement in both participating groups.