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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Exercises for Knee Osteoarthritis and Joint Pain
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Pictures of the 7 Most Effective Exercises to Do at the Gym or Home (and Tips to Improve Form)
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How to Lose Weight Without Dieting: 24 Fast Facts
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Build a Better Butt: Workouts for Slim and Shapely Glutes
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Pictures of 10 Muscle-Building Exercises for Diabetes
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17 Must-Try Fitness Workouts in Pictures
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Exercise Tips for Seniors
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Pictures of the 7 Riskiest Workout Moves, and How to Improve Them
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The 30-Minute Fitness Routine in Pictures
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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
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Exercise Tips for Kids and the Whole Family
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SLIDESHOW
Pictures of the 7 Most Effective Exercises to Do at the Gym or Home (and Tips to Improve Form) See SlideshowRelated Disease Conditions
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Staph Infection (Staphylococcus Aureus)
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
A broken foot is a common injury. There are 26 bones in the foot, and these bones can be broken (fractured) in a variety of ways. Signs and symptoms of a broken bone in the foot are pain, swelling, redness, bruising, and limping because the person is not able to walk on the affected foot. You can tell if you have a broken foot by medical examination that includes imaging studies. The healing and recovery time for a broken bone in the foot depends upon the type of fracture and the bones broken.
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Obesity
Obesity is the state of being well above one's normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obese if they are more than 20% over their ideal weight. That ideal weight must take into account the person's height, age, sex, and build.
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Insulin Resistance (Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Reversal))
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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. Antioxidants and exercise also play a key role in heart attack and heart disease prevention. Lower your risk factors for heart disease and heart attack by: lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, diabetes prevention, and smoking cesssation. Here are a few things you can do to prevent heart attacks: Eat whole, natural, fresh foods, eat five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, eat more omega-3 fatty acids, drink water, tea, non-fat dairy and red wine, eat lean proteins, limit glycemic foods, and exercise daily.
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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.
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
- 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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