Fitness isn't just a plan you embark on, along with a diet, to lose weight. Physical exercise and activity is an integral part of your mental and physical health. Regular exercise can reduce your risk of disease. Find new ideas for workouts so that you can choose a workout routine you can stick with for lifelong health. Read more: Workout Routines & Ideas Article
Multimedia: Slideshows, Images & Quizzes
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How to Lower Blood Pressure: Exercise and Tips
Trying to lower high blood pressure (hypertension)? Discover exercises good for lowering blood pressure, along with other...
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Exercises for Knee Osteoarthritis and Joint Pain
Learn about osteoarthritis and exercises that relieve knee osteoarthritis pain, stiffness and strengthen the knee joint and...
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Exercises for Seniors: Tips for Core, Balance, Stretching
Exercise for seniors is important for healthy and successful aging. Learn about core strengthening, balance exercises, and...
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How to Lose Weight Without Dieting: 24 Fast Facts
Get surprising weight loss tips to help you slim down without starving or following a complicated diet. Lose weight without...
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Exercises: Joint-Friendly Workouts
Regular exercise boosts fitness and helps reverse joint stiffness for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). WebMD demonstrates...
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Build a Better Butt: Workouts for Slim and Shapely Glutes
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Pictures of the 7 Most Effective Exercises to Do at the Gym or Home (and Tips to Improve Form)
These seven exercises deliver fitness results at home or in the gym. Start your training to better physical health with the most...
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No-Gym Workout in Pictures: Equipment, Routines, and More
Learn about this no-gym, at home quick workout. It can get you into great shape at home and shows the best moves for flat abs and...
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Pictures of the 7 Riskiest Workout Moves, and How to Improve Them
Working out is supposed to make you healthier--but some exercises can leave your body at risk of pain or injury. Some exercises...
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The 30-Minute Fitness Routine in Pictures
This quick, high-intensity 30-minute workout routine can make you look better and feel better. Discover the right way to do...
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Exercise Tips for Kids and the Whole Family
Exercise is great for kids, and fun activities for the whole family are there if you know how to find them. Learn how to lose...
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10 Muscle-Building Exercises for Diabetes
Watch this slideshow on Diabetes and Exercise. If you have diabetes, see how strengthening your muscles with these 10 weight...
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17 Must-Try Fitness Workouts in Pictures
Learn the latest exercise crazes such as TRX, pole dancing, Zumba, Kangoo jumps, boot camps, exergames and more that are designed...
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Pictures of the Best Flat-Abs Moves for Men
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Beach Body Essentials: Workouts, Flat Abs, and More With Pictures
Watch this slideshow on beach body essentials for men. Get yourself beach ready before you hit the sand with our visual guide to...
QUESTION
Muscle weighs more than fat. See AnswerRelated Disease Conditions
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Obesity and Overweight
Get the facts on obesity and being overweight, including the health risks, causes, reviews of weight-loss diet plans, BMI chart, symptoms, causes, surgical and nonsurgical treatments, and medications.
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Staph (Staphylococcus) Infection
Staphylococcus or staph is a group of bacteria that can cause a multitude of diseases. Staph infections can cause illness directly by infection or indirectly by the toxins they produce. Symptoms and signs of a staph infection include redness, swelling, pain, and drainage of pus. Minor skin infections are treated with an antibiotic ointment, while more serious infections are treated with intravenous antibiotics.
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Broken Foot
Broken bones in the foot are a common injury. Symptoms include pain, swelling, redness, bruising, and limping on the affected foot. Learn about treatment and recovery time.
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Heat Stroke (A Very Serious Condition)
Heat stroke (heatstroke or sun stroke) is a form of hyperthermia. Heat stroke is a true medical emergency that can be fatal if not promptly and properly treated. Symptoms of heat stroke include high body temperature, absence of sweating, hot red or flushed dry skin, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, strange behavior, hallucinations, confusion, agitation, disorientation, seizure, and coma. A victim of heat stroke must receive immediate treatment to avoid permanent organ damage.
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Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is the diminished ability of cells to respond to the action of insulin in transporting glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into muscle and other tissues. There are no signs or symptoms of insulin resistance. Causes of insulin can include conditions such as stress, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and steroid use. Some of the risk factors for insulin resistance include fatty liver, heart disease, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, high cholesterol, and smoking. Treatment for insulin resistance are lifestyle changes and if necessary, medication.
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Pregnancy Planning (Tips)
Pregnancy planning is an important step in preparation for starting or expanding a family. Planning for a pregnancy includes taking prenatal vitamins, eating healthy for you and your baby, disease prevention (for both parents and baby) to prevent birth defects and infections, avoiding certain medications that may be harmful to your baby, how much weight gain is healthy exercise safety and pregnancy, travel during pregnancy.
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Hyponatremia (Low Blood Sodium)
Hyponatremia is a condition in which the levels of sodium in the blood is too low. Some of the symptoms of hyponatremia include headaches, muscle cramps or spasm, seizures, weakness, restlessness, and confusion. Hyponatremia can occur from excess fluid in the body, or a loss of sodium in body fluid. Causes of low levels of sodium in the blood include chronic diseases like kidney or congestive heart failure, adrenal gland problems, hypothyroidism, and liver cirrhosis, and some medications. Diet and other lifestyle changes in addition to treatment with electrolyte replacement with an IV. Other treatments for hyponatremia depend upon the cause.
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What Is a Good Gym Routine for Beginners?
As a beginner, it's wise to engage a fitness professional or certified gym instructor during your first few workouts. To sustain the benefits of working out, you will need to keep exercising regularly and create a schedule, or set goals to guide you.
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Varicose Veins
A varicose vein is a dilated (widened) tortuous (twisting) vein, usually involving a superficial vein in the leg, often associated with incompetency of the valves in the vein. These visible and bulging veins are often associated with symptoms such as tired, heavy, or aching limbs. Spider veins are a group of widened veins that can be seen through the surface of the skin.
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Diabetes Foot Problems
Diabetes related foot problems can affect your health with two problems: diabetic neuropathy, where diabetes affects the nerves, and peripheral vascular disease, where diabetes affects the flow of blood. Common foot problems for people with diabetes include athlete's foot, fungal infection of nails, calluses, corns, blisters, bunions, dry skin, foot ulcers, hammertoes, ingrown toenails, and plantar warts.
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What Are Stretch Marks?
Stretch marks occur in the dermis, the elastic middle layer of skin that allows it to retain its shape. When the skin is constantly stretched, the dermis can break down, leaving behind stretch marks.
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Metabolic Syndrome
The main features of metabolic syndrome include insulin resistance, hypertension (high blood pressure), cholesterol abnormalities, and an increased risk for clotting. Patients are most often overweight or obese. Lifestyle modification such as the Mediterranean diet, exercise, and quitting smoking are the preferred treatment of metabolic syndrome.
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Heart Attacks in Women
Heart disease, particularly coronary artery disease is the leading cause of heart attacks. Women are more likely to die from a heart attack than men. High cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, and high triglycerides are contributors to heart disease. Some of the common symptoms of a heart attack in women include chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, feeling faint or woozy, and more. Heart disease can be prevented by lifestyle changes and controlling high blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and diseases such as diabetes.
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High Cholesterol: Frequently Asked Questions
Cholesterol occurs naturally in the body. High blood cholesterol levels increase a person's risk of developing heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, TIAs, and more. In addition to medication (fibrates, statins, bile acid sequestrants, and niacin), lifestyle changes can be made to lower blood cholesterol levels
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Alzheimer's Disease Patient Caregiver Guide
Caring for a loved one or patient with Alzheimer's can become a difficult and overwhelming task at times. This guide helps caregivers of individual's with Alzheimer's deal with communicating, bathing, and dressing; as well as problem solving with incontinence, sleeping, wandering; and coping with difficulties Alzheimer's patients present.
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How Many Days a Week Should You Not Workout?
Working out is key to staying fit and healthy, but people sometimes overdo it. Research shows that most adults should take one or two full rest days every week. The exact number of recommended rest days depends on a range of factors like your age and activity levels.
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Are Workout Machines Bad?
Workout machines are effective ways to exercise and gain muscle. Workout machines are not necessarily bad, but there are risks associated with using these machines.
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Vitamins & Exercise: Heart Attack Prevention Series
Vitamins and exercise can lower your risk for heart attack and heart disease. Folic acid, vitamins, and homocysteine levels are interconnected and affect your risk for heart disease or heart attack. For better heart health, avoid the following fried foods, hard margarine, commercial baked goods, most packaged and processed snack foods, high fat dairy, and processed meats such as bacon, sausage, and deli meats.
Treatment & Diagnosis
- Drinking Too Much Water While Exercising Can Be Dangerous
- Skip Rope, Not Your Workout
- 7 Most Effective Exercises
- Prediabetes Symptoms and Diagnosis
- Butt Exercises: Expert Tips to a Better Butt
- Fit Mom, Fit Kids: Slimmer You, Healthier Family
- Strength Training Exercises for Women
- Fitness -- Let's Get Going
- Post Pregnancy Fitness: Lose Postpartum Pounds
- Yoga -- Anyone Can Do It
Medications & Supplements
Prevention & Wellness
- Strength Training Is No Slouch for Shedding Pounds
- Could High-Tempo Tunes Help Maximize Your Workout?
- Music Does Give Your Workout a Boost
- Health Tip: Understanding Pre-Workout Supplements
- Exercise Tweaks to Revitalize Your Workout Regimen
- Say Yes to Foam Roller Workouts
- Health Tip: Making the Most of Workouts
- AHA News: Protein Made During Long Workouts May Warn of Heart Problems
- How Working Out in Anger Can Put You at Risk
- Workouts: A Prescription to Ease Severe Chronic Anxiety?
- The Surprising Benefits of Weekend Workouts
- Can't Work Out During the Week? 'Weekend Warriors' Still Benefit
- The 7-Minute Workout
- AHA News: For the Best Health, Does the Intensity of Your Workout Matter?
- The Right Way to Fuel Up Before Workouts
- Working Workouts Into Your Life
- Eating Before Early Workout Helps Burn Carbs
- To Get More Fit, Find a Stronger Workout Partner
- Physical Activity Boosts Brain Health
- Top 10 Fitness Trends Picked for 2013
- Ryan Lochte's Olympics Training Includes Beer Kegs
- With Weights, You Can Lighten Your Load
- High Reps With Low Weights Builds Muscle, Too
- Dumb Jocks? Not if They're Good at the Game
- Increase in Resting Heart Rate Over Time Linked to Heart Disease Death
- Want to Live Longer? Fit Outweighs Fat
- Therapy, Exercise Help Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Exercise Recommended for Cancer Patients
- Computer Use, Exercise May Save Memory
- Good and Bad Health Habits in U.S.
- Colorado, California Cities Dominate Slimmest Cities List
- Cholesterol Facts
- Heart Attack Symptoms in Women
- In One Year, Out the Other
- Exercise: How Much Is Enough?
- Fitness Basics: Walking for Fitness & Fun
- Arm Exercises: Best to Tighten and Tone your Arms
- Fitness 101: Beginner's Guide to Exercise
- At-Home Workouts: Essential Items for a Home Gym
- Workout Trends for 2008
- Passive Exercise: Whole-Body Vibration and More
- Exercise at Home or Work
- Fitness Boot Camps: Should You Enlist?
- The 300 Workout: Can You Handle It?
- Heart Rate Training Zone
- Cross Training: Get Stronger and Leaner
- Exercise Tubing and Bands
- Fitness Blitz: The 30-Minute Workout
- Holiday Fitness Program Tips to Stay Fit
- Fitness Basics: Learning to Love Tennis
- Kickboxing for Fitness
- Lunch Hour Workout
- Workouts: The New Wave of Watery Workouts
- Fitness Basics: Swimming, No Pain, Plenty of Gain
- Fitness Basics: Strength Training, Better Health
- Workouts with Strollers Help New Moms Get Fit
- Fitness through Gardening: Get Fit in the Garden
- Fitness for Couch Potatoes
- Fitness Basics: Stretching Important to Fitness
- Cycling: Staging Your Personal Tour de France
- Circuit Training: Take a Shortcut to Fitness
- Fitness: Great Summer Workouts
- Fitness Basics: Tips to Help You Start Running
- Family Fitness Across the Generations
- Workout: Try a Kinder, Gentler Workout
- Weight Training Basics: Lift Weights Injury-Free
- Walking: Fitness Walking Brings Bushel of Benefits
- Beach Workouts: Fun, Variety to Exercise Routine
- Chest Exercises to Help Tone and More
- Back Exercises: Sculpt a Healthy Back
- Fitness Basics: Exercise Bike
- Spring Cleaning, Burn Calories While You Clean
- Abs: Striving for Those Six-Pack Abs
- Fitness Basics: Dance Your Way to Fitness
- Cardio Striptease: Strip Aerobic Classes Offer Fun
- Exercise at Your Desk: The At-Work Workout
- Butt and Thigh Exercises: Firmer Thighs & Backside
- Shoulder Exercises, Sculpt and Tighten
- Yoga: Slim Bodies, Strong Minds
- Fitness Programs That Fit
- Cardio Exercise: Maximize Muscle Burn
- Fitness: Toning Your Body -- and Your Thighs
- Hiking Your Way to Better Health
- Winter Workouts: Keeping Fit in Cold Weather
- Workout Personality? Find Your Fitness Program
- Running: You Can Become a Runner
- Chi Running Exercise
- Exercise Ball: Target Forgotten Muscles
- Run-Walk: Wogging
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