How to Exercise Your Eyes

We all know how important it is to keep our bodies fit by doing things like going to the gym, jogging, and swimming. But, did you know that you can exercise your eyes as well? While eye exercising won't improve your vision, it will keep your eyes healthy and help minimize eyestrain.

Steps

1. Sit comfortably on a chair. Rub your hands together until they feel warm. Close your eyes and cover them lightly with your cupped palms. Avoid applying pressure on your eyeballs. Place your palms so that the nose remains uncovered, and the eyes remain behind the slight hollow of the palms. Make sure that no light rays enter the eyes, and leave no gaps between fingers or between the edge of the palms and the nose. You may still see other lingering traces of colors. Imagine deep blackness and focus on the blackness. Take deep breaths slowly and evenly, while thinking of some happy incident; or visualize a distant scene. After your eyes see nothing but blackness, remove your palms from your eyes. Repeat the palming for 3 minutes or more.

2. Close your eyes tightly for 3-5 seconds, then open them for 3-5 seconds. Repeat this 7 or 8 times.

3. Close your eyes and massage them with circular movements of your fingers for 1-2 minutes. Make sure you press very lightly; otherwise, you could hurt your eyes.

4. Press three fingers of each hand against your upper eyelids, and hold them there for 1-2 seconds, then release. Repeat 5 times.

5. Sit and relax. Roll your eyes clockwise, then counter-clockwise. Repeat 5 times, and blink in between each time.

6. Sit about 6 inches (200 mm) from the window. Make a mark on the glass at your eye level (a small sticker, black or red, would be perfect). Look through this mark and focus on something far away for 10-15 seconds; then focus on the mark again.

7. Hold a pencil in front of you at arm's length. Move your arm slowly to your nose, and follow the pencil with your eyes until you can't keep it in focus. Repeat 10 times.

8. Look in front of you at the opposite wall and pretend that you are writing with your eyes, without turning your head. It may seem difficult at first, but with a bit of practice it is really fun. The bigger the letters, the better the effect.

9. Imagine that you are standing in front of a really big clock. Look at the middle of the clock. Then look at any hour mark, without turning your head. Look back at the center. Then look at another hour mark. Do this at least 12 times. You can also do this exercise with your eyes closed.

10. Focus on a distant object (over 150 feet or 50 m away) for several seconds and slowly refocus your eyes on a nearby object (less than 30 feet or 10 m away) that's in the same direction. Focus for several seconds and go back to the distant object. Do this 5 times.

11. Focus on an object in the distance (as far as possible) with a low contrasting background. Do this for a few minutes every half hour or so. This does not improve your vision, nor does any other technique. It can, however, maintain your best eyesight level during the day and prevent significant further vision deterioration.

Tips

* It's more important to do the exercises regularly than to do them for a long time. Even 30-60 seconds of eye movement every hour is very helpful. For example, when your computer takes its sweet time to do something, most people just swear at the poor thing and waste the time, but you can make a few circles with your eyes. Even the first day you do this, you should notice that, when you finish working, your eyes aren't as tired as usual.

* Taking short breaks from near work (e.g. staring at a computer monitor) to stare out to the distance also relieves some strain.

Warnings

* Consult your eye doctor before doing any of these exercises. The last thing you want to do is add further strain to your eyes, or damage them permanently.

* When doing these exercises, make sure that you're not facing anybody, or that they know you're doing eye exercises. Otherwise they might think you've gone nuts.

* Extensive peer reviewed research has shown that visual clarity is not improved by exercise. Some people have weakness in the ability to turn their eye in or out. You may have esotropia (eye naturally turned in) or exotropia (eye naturally turned out). Exercise may help these conditions.

* Doing these exercises when you wear contacts may cause them suction to your eyeball. They might also move around and possibly become folded and/or dislodged, which can be extremely uncomfortable as well.

* Do not apply pressure on your eyes.

Things You'll Need

* Pencil

How to Start Walking for Exercise

Walking is great exercise that can be accomplished by almost anyone. This article describes how to start a walking program.

Steps

1. Set your expectations reasonably. If you have been sedentary for a long period of time, (i.e. your idea of walking is from your couch to your refrigerator and back) you will want to start out slow and go only a short distance.

2. Find a good place to walk. Many times you can just walk around your block, but what do you do if the terrain is too steep, curvey, or just isn't what you're looking for? There are some easy solutions. You can go to your nearest high school; most schools allow town residents to walk the track when not being used. Take your car to a park if it's too far away to walk; parks are always flat and very peaceful.

3. Pick an easy first walk. Make sure that no matter how far you get from your starting point, you are able to get back there. Walking on an oval track no more than a quarter mile around should be perfect.

4. Pay no attention to how far you walk. It matters more that you walk for a longer period of time. Faster and farther walks will come later.

5. Set a time. When you first start walking, decide how many minutes you will walk.
Choose a length of time you know you can make. Do not worry about how short that period is. Just keep moving until you reach it. 2-5 minutes each day is a good start. That time will increase from week to week.

6. Increase your time. Each walk, increase your walking time by thirty seconds to one minute until you are able to sustain a 10 minute walk. Again, do not fret if you can't go longer than the day before. Set the goal and keep at it and you will reach it faster than you think. After reaching 10 minutes, the increases may take a bit longer; however, try to increase your time by 5 minutes each week.

7. Work on speed and difficulty. After you are able to walk 45 minutes a day, you can work on speed and difficulty. Try moving off of the oval and onto the city streets: You will encounter hills and declines, and that will increase the difficulty of your walk.

8. Determine your target and maximum heart rate. See "How to Calculate Your Target Heart Rate". If you are under your target heart rate (THR), you need to increase walking speed for it to be beneficial; if you are above your THR, decrease your walking speed. Again, weight loss and aerobic health will come through sustained effort, not through increased speed or distance.

9. Try interval training. Walk at an increased rate for one to two minutes, then slow back to your normal rate for two minutes. Every day or two add an interval until you reach your desired total time, including rest periods. As you become more physically fit, reduce your rest periods until they are down to a minute or less.

Tips

* Bend your knees to find balance.

* Buy a pedometer to count how many steps you have walked each day. Write down the number of steps you have taken every night, and try to "beat" that number the next day. Walking programs often suggest 10,000 a day You can even organize yourselves into teams, perhaps with co-workers and have competitions to see which team walks the most steps over 5 weeks.

* Swing your arms as you walk.

* In the beginning it is not necessary to warm up, however once you really start to put stress on your legs, you should participate in some light stretching.

* Walk with a good posture. Stand completely straight, put your shoulders back, and take long strides.

* Try to walk no less than 3 times per week. 6-7 times is 'not too much.

* On weekends or holidays, try to increase your walking time to an hour or more. On some walks, try interval training by walking much faster for 30 to 60 seconds, then going back to your normal speed.

* Be sure to make notes about your walk: note your route, the weather; homes you appreciated; animals, wildlife or plant life you observed; and the thoughts and feelings you experienced. Keep them in a log along with your maximum heart rate, target heart rate, and the most time you've spent on a walk.

* Try using an iPod or other MP3 player to add entertainment to the walk. Books on tape make the walk go by faster and you may want to walk longer.

* When you are able to get, and stay, on your target heart rate, you will want to cool down a bit at the end of your walk. If you have been able to stay in the target rate for 20 minutes or so, spend about 5 minutes at the end of the walk trying to bring your heart rate back to where it was pre-walk. Slowing your pace down and doing some more light stretching can accomplish this. Do not stop walking to slow your heart rate in a cool down. It defeats the purpose of a cool down.

* You might find ways to incorporate walking into your daily routine if you can't find the time to go walking for the sake of it: take the stairs instead of the escalator or the lift; walk to the shops if they're close by; if you visit a friend who doesn't live too far away, leave the car at home. It's surprising how much difference it can make when you regularly climb a few flights of stairs and take frequent short walks.

* Remember that we live in an age that requires little physical activity. Now that we no longer toil in the fields or even (in most cases) factories, the avoidance of physical effort is not a gain, it's a loss. We should take advantage of all the small opportunities we can use to keep our bodies in shape, such as using the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.

* Many people recognize the local mall as an excellent place to walk for exercise -- safe, warm and fun.

* Walking may cause cramps. If a cramp occurs, place your hands on your head and begin breathing through your nose and out your mouth at a slow steady rate. Be sure to bring a water bottle with you.

* If you drive, park your car a block or two away from where you live, that way you have to walk to or coming back.

Warnings

* Before undertaking this or any other exercise program, be sure to check with your doctor, especially if you haven't been physically active in more than 6 months.

* Be prepared for your walk. Take water with you. Also take along a whistle in case you get into trouble with dogs or unsavory people. Carrying a cell phone is also a good idea.

* If you are walking and become short of breath, slow down or stop. Ask for help if you need it.

* Don't carry weights with you as you walk. This extra weight throws your gait out of balance.

* Be sure to wear proper footwear. Sandals, flip-flops, and even fashion athletics do not support the various muscles, tendons, and joints in your foot and can therefore cause strain and injury.


Things You'll Need

* Drink water during walks of ten minutes or more whether you feel thirsty or not. (Yes, this applies to cold weather and warm weather.)

* Good, comfortable walking shoes or sneakers and thick socks. If you have thin socks you may get blisters.

* A cell phone for emergencies.

* A whistle to call for help should you run into trouble of the criminal type.

* A hat and sun block on sunny days.

Get Fit, Slim and SMART

A fit Slim and Smart Person is also the center of everyone's attention, and here I am going to give you some tips to make you stunning and Attractive.
Being "fit" essentially means being able to perform well in a wide variety of physically exerting circumstances. For some people, it also means being able to "fit" into their favorite clothes. Either way, if you find yourself running out of breath when doing simple things like walking up a few stairs or playing catch, it's time to improve your physical condition.

Steps

1. Incorporate more physical activity into your daily routine. You're probably out of shape because you don't regularly challenge your body to do anything out of the daily range of motion. So start your own exercise regimen and stick to it.

2. Switch things up. Any physical activity that causes at least a little bit of strain will help you get fit, but it's important to remember that variety is the spice of life. Keep both your body and your mind guessing by enjoying a diversity of activities and having fun:

* Get started in Bikram yoga, a specific type of yoga in which classes are held in a hot, humid room.

* Dance for exercise. Anything from ballet dance to breakdancing will increase your fitness if you stick with it.

* Jump in the pool. It doesn't matter if you're treading water, dog paddling, or mastering the butterfly stroke. Swimming is a good form of exercise that can be fun, too.

3. Give your body fuel. As you become more active, you'll need more food, but not just any food--you need healthy, energy-laden food that'll jump start the next phase of your day, not weigh it down. Learn how to eat healthy and drink more water everyday.

4. Let your body rest. When you're giving your body a run for its money with varied physical activities, you also need to let it recover and renew by getting sufficient sleep. Determine how many hours of sleep you need in order to feel refreshed in the morning, then discipline yourself to wake up and go to bed at the same times on a daily basis.

5. Get a check-up. To stay fit in the long run, you should perform regular maintenance on your body, just as you would with a car. Take yourself to the doctor and dentist regularly to make sure everything is running smoothly on the inside and to prevent any potential problems from arising.

Tips

* The benefits of a healthy lifestyle and physical fitness are easy to obtain with a small amount of know-how and a serious commitment. If you have decided that you're going to work out, you have to follow through, and not look for excuses to ignore the routine.

Warnings

* Always consult a physician before beginning an exercise or diet regimen.

Stay Safe......Live Well.....

Exercise to Become a Better Swimmer

If you find yourself getting out of breath before you finish a lap, maybe you need to try some new techniques in the pool. This guide will help you to improve your swimming easily.

Dry Workouts

1. Do other exercises/sports besides swimming to build muscle and endurance. If you're going to be serious, you should devote all your free time to this. When you're not swimming, and not at work or school, bike, run, or do a similar sport. Soccer is great, and you can try gymnastics/acrobatics if you are feeling confident.

2. Perform a variety of exercises every morning and evening that suit your style.

* Breaststrokers and flyers should be doing a lot of leg exercises, squats, squatting jumps, and weight exercises, but don't use weights that are heavier than you can handle. Start out light and work your way up.

* Freestylers and backstrokers should concentrate on their back and core muscles, and a little on their arms. Do the plank (get down on your toes and elbows, similar to push up position, and try to keep your body as straight and rigid as possible, and hold for a few minutes) a lot, as it is great for abs, back, and obliques.

Wet Workouts

1. Work with a coach whenever possible.

2. Pay attention to your breathing. Don't breathe too much. When racing, freestylers should be taking no more than 7 breaths every two lengths for short distances like the 50 and the 100, and for longer distances they should be breathing every 3 to 5 strokes. Breaststrokers should breathe every stroke, and flyers should breathe every 2 to 3 strokes. Flyers and freestylers should never breathe inside the flags.

3. Reach as far forward as you can during your stroke. If it helps, pretend that you're four, and you can't reach the cookie jar, and you really want a cookie.

4. Kick hard; pretend your legs really tickle, and you just want to get rid of the tickly feeling.

5. Remember that when racing, the wall is your only friend, and that during a race, your sole objective in life is to reach the wall. Nothing else matters.

6. You can also pretend that a shark is out to get you and you need to get out as soon as you can, this will make you swim a LOT faster.

Tips

* Always have drinking water available.

* At a swim meet, only eat things that will replenish the chemicals in your body but not be too heavy. IE: trail mix, dried fruit, etc.

* Before racing, think about your race. Don't talk to anybody, think about everything you practiced, and concentrate.

* If during practice there is someone better than you, because they are older or have more skill, you should ask them for pointers and tips, as usually it is taken as a compliment, and you will seldom be turned down.

* Shave your body hair, arms, legs, chest, and have a short haircut, this will make you more streamlined and you will flow better through the water.

* Practice your turns at the wall, nothing saves more time than a good turn, ask someone who's more professional than you to give you some tips, and or show you some of they're techniques.

Warnings

* Never use weights that are too heavy for you, as you will hurt yourself, no matter how big your muscles are. Start with light weights that are easy and work your way up.

Use Exercise to Help You Lose Weight

Use exercise wisely as a tool to help you lose weight. It is very difficult to lose weight through exercise alone. When coupled with a sensible diet, exercise can be a very good tool to help us lose weight and keep it off.

Steps

Select an exercise regimen that is appropriate for you. Choose activities that you like, exercise at convenient times of the day, and have a variety of exercises to chose from to avoid getting bored.

Familiarize yourself with the benefits and potential risks of the exercises you are considering. You will want to know approximately how many calories are being expended, what muscle groups are being used, and how long you should perform the exercises.

Spend most of your time on aerobic exercises. Remember that aerobic exercises are best for weight loss and weight maintenance. You can burn many more calories in a span of time doing aerobic exercise than doing strength training exercises.

Do include strength training exercise, as well. Building muscle mass is important - especially since dieting can cause loss of muscle mass. Muscles burn more calories than fat over the long term, so consider strength training to be an investment in long-term weight maintenance.

Work up to exercising at least 30 to 45 minutes per day, 4 or 5 days per week. Depending on your level of fitness, you may want to work up to that gradually. Lesser amounts of exercise are adequate if your goal is longevity or a healthy body and mind. If your goal is to lose weight, you need to work towards exercising most days.

Know approximately how many calories you are burning. Many exercise machines give approximations and you can find lists of estimates online. Those numbers are never going to be exactly correct, but you never really know how many calories you are consuming either. So consider it an estimate.

Avoid eating extra snacks or treats and telling yourself "it's ok, I exercised earlier" if your goal is to lose weight. It is much easier to eat 200 calories than to burn it off with exercise. A small snack could negate the entire workout.

Put your all into whatever exercises you choose. You can sluggishly make it through any exercise routine, but if you put a lot of energy into it you will burn a lot more calories.

Continue to challenge yourself. If your exercise routine is feeling, well, routine, then it is time to shake it up a bit. Try increasing the intensity, duration or try some new exercises.

Include more natural activity in your daily life. Walk a little extra; don't take the short cuts; find excuses to move. Fidget in your chair. Park further from the door. Take the stairs. Don't count this towards your total exercise time, but consider it little bonus fat blasts.

Remember to stretch after your workout, and stop if you feel pain. Talk to your doctor if you have any reason to be concerned about exercising.

Tips

Try to exercise at the same time each day so that you make it a routine that will fit naturally into your lifestyle.

If you are feeling lazy and are tempted to skip the exercise, try negotiating with yourself. Perhaps exercise for just 10 minutes. Once you start, you may want to continue and do the full routine.

If you are a people person, join a gym or exercise club, exercise with friends, or find an exercise buddy. If you are independent and like doing things on your own, consider getting an exercise machine or participate in activities like running. If you are a competitive person, consider working up to races or other competitive sporting events.

If you feel that you are too overweight to workout or are embarrassed to exercise in public, please give yourself a break! There is absolutely no need to be embarrassed about exercising. You do not have to wear skimpy aerobic outfits or tight shorts. Find clothes to exercise in that are comfortable. Force yourself to participate. Once you have done it several times you will realize that you deserve to be there as much as anyone else.

If you aren't on a fitness machine that will help tell you, a good guideline for activity level is how hard you're breathing. You should be able to talk, but a bit too breathless to sing.

Warnings

It is normal to have muscle soreness or stiffness when you are beginning a new exercise routine. You may ease that by warming up with some light walking and then gently stretching. Stretching may be a bit painful at first, but it helps to reduce the soreness.

Do not exercise again until the soreness is just about gone.

If you experience more than normal muscle soreness, please consult a doctor.

Stop exercising if you feel faint or ill.

Things You'll Need

Appropriate shoes are very important to safe exercising. Fitness shoes can be expensive, but they are the single most important investment you can make. Select shoes for the activity you chose. If you want to run, running shoes are what you need. For activities such as biking and the elliptical machine, all around fitness shoes are fine.

Select clothes for the temperature as well as the activity. There are differences between running shorts and tennis shorts. Yoga leggings are not the same as aerobics leggings. You will find that they are designed to help you move comfortably for particular exercises.

Trim Your Hips and Thighs!

The lower body is a big trouble spot for most women. But, by cutting back on super-size portions and snacks, you can shed the excess fat, and with the simple exercises described below, you can firm your lower-body muscles for toned, sleek legs. Do two sets of 10 to 12 reps on each leg, two or three times a week (leave a day of rest between workouts).

Single-leg Squat

Stand with your feet together and arms by your sides, shift your weight onto your right foot. Rest the toe of your left foot next to your right foot for balance.

Keep your back straight, bend at your hips and knees, and slowly sit back onto your right leg, raising your arms straight in front of you as you lower (hold onto the back of a chair for balance, if you need to). Stop when your thighs are almost parallel to the floor, and hold for a second. Then press into your right foot through the heel and stand back up.

Bent-knee Crossover

Get down on all fours, keeping your back flat and head down in line with your back.

With your left knee bent at a 90-degree angle, lift your left leg up and back so the sole of your left foot is facing the ceiling. Then cross it over the calf of your right leg. Keeping your buttocks tight at all times, return to the starting position. Do one set, then repeat with the other leg.

Standing Abduction

Hold onto a wall with your left hand for balance, and stand straight up with your knees slightly bent.

Keep your right leg extended (knee soft) and right foot flexed, lift the right leg out to the side. Lift as far as you can without moving your upper body. Pause for a second, then, return to the starting position. Complete a set, then repeat with the opposite leg.

Double Leg Lift

Lie on your left side with your legs stacked on top of each other. Prop yourself up on your left elbow. Rest the fingertips of your right hand in front of you for balance.

Raise your right leg about a foot, then slowly raise your left leg to meet it. Hold for 2 seconds, then lower each leg separately. Repeat this Exercise.

Lunge

Stand with your feet together, hold dumbbells(if you don’t have dumbbells use any other sort of loads) down at your sides with palms facing in toward your thighs. Take one big step forward with your right leg. Firmly place your right foot on ground, then, slowly lower your left knee toward the floor. Your right knee should be at a 90-degree angle, and back straight. Press into your right foot, and push yourself back to the starting position. Repeat with your left leg.