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“I only need to do strength training since I want to build muscle.”
“To get rid of this belly and get a defined mid-section you need to focus on doing an hour of ab crunches every day.”

The above and many more such declarations are routinely heard in any gym or a fitness studio amongst a group of fitness enthusiasts. However well-intentioned these statements may be, they are based on an individual’s perception of what he or she thinks will work for them. And of course, very often even those needs and goals are based more on preferences than actual needs.

Your fitness needs are not only about your current favorite activities, but also about functional strength and comprehensive exercise programs that can help you deal with lifestyle-related illnesses and many other health concerns.

By mixing it up and introducing variety into your fitness program you not only cross-train your body and keep the mind engaged but also maximize the effort and time you put into your workouts. The idea is to keep your workouts interesting, challenging, comprehensive and result-oriented while you engage in your favorite sport or activity. Follow these tips to assure a complete workout for yourself. (more…)

This revelation of the effects of smoking, especially on your eyes is astonishing. An approximate amount of 4000 chemicals present in the cigarette smoke gets into the bloodstream of smokers and may cause damage to the eye. It can even cause the thinning of the membrane covering the eye, (conjunctiva) resulting in bloodspot and irritate the eyes.

Age-related macular degeneration and other diseases have also been linked to effects of smoking. The causes of macular degeneration are not completely understood, but smoking is believed to be the main preventable risk factor. Smoking directly is linked to the rising of intraocular pressure that can lead to glaucoma and accompanying optic nerve damage. Although the effects of smoking stretches to several eye diseases, including nuclear cataract and thyroid eye disease, the most common cause of smoking related blindness is age related macular degeneration, which results in severe irreversible loss of central vision.

How does smoking damage the eyes? (more…)