Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Exercise

Couple exercising in a park.
 by Mayank

Resveralife Live Well: Best Outdoor Exercises

The sun is shining bright, the grass is turning green once again and the birds are chirping happy songs. It’s spring. Most people look forward to heading outdoors as soon as the weather is nice enough. Make your outdoor time do double duty by planning not just to get some fresh air and vitamin D, but a total body workout as well. This Resveralife Live Well Guide highlights the best moves that will work your entire body while you enjoy the refreshing and invigorating spring weather.

Woman jogging in a park.

Walk/Jog/Run
A simple walk around your neighborhood or along a local hiking trail help you to get in shape. You most likely know that walking/jogging/running is great to help shed pounds and burn calories, but you may not be aware that there are significant benefits to your mind as well. During cardiovascular exercise, your heart pumps blood to other organs in your body. One of these organs is the brain. The oxygen and other nutrients can improve your clarity, mood and memory. As little as 30 minutes is all it takes to get enhanced brain power.

Woman performing push-ups on a park bench.

Park Bench Push-Ups
Work the arms, chest and core with a twist on the classic push-up. Begin by placing your hands on the edge of the park bench and walk your feet out. Stop when your legs are fully extended. Bend your arms and lower your chest. Repeat 10 times. Beginners may want to stick with three reps, while those with a bit more strength may complete as many as 10 reps.

Woman using a park bench for tricep dips.

Park Bench Tricep Dips
Tricep dips work the arms, specifically as the name suggests, the triceps. Begin by sitting on the bench and placing your arms firmly behind you shoulder-width apart. When your arms are in place, slide off of the park bench and slide forward. Some prefer to fully extend their legs while completing this exercise while others find it more beneficial to keep the knees bent. Straighten your arms then bend your elbows and entire lower body until the elbows reach a 90 degree angle. Push yourself back up and that counts as one rep. Aim for two to three sets of 15 reps each.

Woman doing mountain climbing exercise on a park bench.

Park Bench Mountain Climbers
Take a twist on regular mountain climbers and use the park bench to support your weight. Begin in the same position you would for a park bench push-up with your palms on the park bench and your legs fully extended. From this position bring your knees to your chest switching legs each rep. You can repeat sets by the number you choose (15 complete climbers is a great place to start) or simply do this as a timed exercise and spending about 30 seconds per set.

Getting outside and into nature helps so much more than your body. Strengthen your body, and mind, by getting out of the gym and into the fresh air. As an added bonus, your daily dose of vitamin D helps you strengthen bones naturally as you strengthen your muscles. If it’s been a while since you last exercised, it is a good idea to consult with your doctor to make sure that you get in shape in a safe and healthy way.

in Live Well 0 comments
Happy fitness woman lifting dumbbells smiling cheerful, fresh and energetic. Mixed race Asian Caucasian fitness girl training isolated on white background.
 by Mayank

The Resveralife Life Well Guide: Boost Your Workout 

Haven’t you gone for a workout with the intention of putting in a lot of effort, only to feel exhausted within the first 15 minutes? Anyone who has ever gone to a workout class has been there and it can be really depressing. The simplest way to enjoy your exercise and ensure that it doesn’t feel like a chore is to improve your endurance levels. This Resveralife Live Well Guide helps you to learn how to build up your endurance levels with the help of 5 simple exercises that can be combined to create a circuit-training routine to boost your strength, speed and stamina. To follow this routine, you need to perform one set of all 5 exercises without any breaks, rest for about 30 seconds and repeat the process two more times. You might feel tired and jaded when you start off with this routine, but as time progresses, you should be able to fly through the circuit. And once this circuit becomes easy, your workout classes will be simpler and more enjoyable.

Exercise # 1 – Knee Tuck

This exercise always starts from the top-of-a-plank position. Your hands should be wider than shoulder width and you need to keep your arms straight. The next step is to perform a single pushup by placing your toes on a glider. You can use a paper plate or a washcloth for the glider. The next step is to pull your knees towards the chest and hold the posture when the knees are about 3 inches in front of the hips. Before doing this, don’t forget to ensure that you place your weight in the balls of your feet. Hold the posture for a second and allow your legs slide back to the top-of-a-plank position. Repeat the entire set for about 30 seconds.

Exercise # 2 – Frog Jump

This exercise always starts in a squat position or a sumo position. Bring your palms next to each other in front of the chest, turn your toes outwards at a 45 degree angle, put your feet wider than hip-width and ensure that your quads are parallel to the floor. Jump up and land back in the sumo-squat position. Repeat the jump, only to land back a few inches. Continue jumping backwards and forwards for about 30 seconds.

Exercise # 3 – Crouching Push Ups

This exercise always starts in a push-up position. Place your hands wider than shoulder width, lower the chest towards the floor, bend the knees and press back to bring the knees right under your hips. Lift the hips to straighten the legs and round the spine so as to articulate each vertebra. Once this is done, move back into your starting position. Repeat the entire process for about 30 seconds.

Exercise # 4 – Squat Jumps

This exercise always starts in a squat position. Place your knees in line with your ankles and allow your butt to sink back. The posture should be as if you are just about to sit down in a chair. Clasp the hands in front of your chest and jump. Land with your right leg in front in a lunge position. Repeat the jump and land in a squat position. Repeat the jump and land with your left leg in front in a lunge position. Keep repeating the entire set for about 30 seconds.

Exercise # 5 – The Bridge Exercise

This exercise always starts by lying on your back with the knees bent and the feet placed on gliders. You can use paper plates or washcloths for the glider. Place your weight in your heels, straighten your arms by your sides with the palms facing downwards and lift your hips so that your body resembles a bridge. While the hips are lifted, push the gliders until your legs almost become straight and then pull back your heels to come back to the starting position. Repeat this entire set 20 times.

in Live Well 0 comments
 by Mayank

Live Well: Get In Shape Without Leaving Home

If you want to get fitter and are totally against joining a health club because of the distance, the time taken or the cost factor, you don’t need to fret. No one ever said that it is not possible to get fit without going to a gym. After all, people were fit long before these things were invented. You wouldn’t believe it, but you can easily stay fit without having to leave the house.  All you need to understand is that consistency and the fact that you actually do something on a regular basis is the key to staying fit. There are a number of inexpensive things like dumbbells, fit balls, exercise bands and push-up bars that you can use to stay fit at home. But, you should be able to do so even if you don’t have any of these props or machines. Resveralife  discovered that all you need to stay fit is to understand the five basic elements of fitness – warm up, cardiovascular workout, resistance exercises, flexibility moves and cool downs.

All you need for a warm up is a treadmill or an easy walk. For the cardiovascular routine, you can do brisk walking or step aerobics or use a jump rope. The resistance portion is as simple as abdominal crunches, weight bars, squats, small dumbbells, push ups, tubing or bands. You need to increase your body flexibility with things like yoga poses and floor stretches. And the cool down always needs to be similar to the warm up. It is possible to do the strength work and the aerobic work in the same workout, but you need to ensure that you warm up your body and cool it down every time you exercise.

If you’re pressed for time on particular days, all you have to do is to increase the intensity of your fitness routine. For example, instead of the usual 40 minute exercise routine, you can opt for a harder 25 minute routine. You can also step up the pace of your strength workouts by doing compound exercises, exercises that work on multiple muscle groups at the same time.

Getting started with at-home exercises  

If you’re a beginner, try to aim for about 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at least 3 times a week. Add 20 – 30 minutes of strength work at least 3 times every week into this equation. This should be more than enough to start off with. Irrespective of your exercise routine or the type of exercise you do, make sure that you start off slowly and increase the intensity and the time gradually. And, always listen to your body. Try to focus on the muscles that need more attention and determine if you feel it there. Working out at home has its obvious advantages, but there are a few obstacles as well. One of the main obstacles of working out at home is those frequent distractions that can derail your routines. Therefore, it always helps to exercise early in the morning because these routines are more likely to stick.

Tips for people who exercise at home

  • Try to make things interesting so that you don’t end up getting bored of your routine. Use pictures or videos as a guide for your form and technique.
  • Find a partner to exercise with. You are more likely to continue with your workout routines if you have someone to exercise with.
  • Have a fixed time for your workouts and put it on your daily schedule.
  • Set specific goals that are not too difficult, and not too easy either. They should be things that are within reach, but cannot be achieved immediately.
  • Finally, make exercise an integral part of your life. You need to look at exercise as a lifestyle change, a change that needs to become a constant in your everyday life.
in Live Well 0 comments
 by Mayank

Resveralife on How to Extend Healthy Years of Your Life

One thing is very clear. Exercising your way to old age is probably the best thing that you can do to ensure that you grow old properly. Exercising throughout your young age means that you grow old with the least amount of deterioration of your physiological functions and the lowest number of infirmities. Exercise helps you to improve your health as well as the number of years where you enjoy good health.

However, separating the impact of the different factors that lead to physical decline in the human body is extremely difficult. Researchers tried to answer all sorts of questions like “does the body deteriorate because people are increasingly sedentary as the body ages” and “does the passage of time take a toll on the mind and the body of an individual”, but failed to do so.

Resveralife  recently reviewed an amazing study that was published in The Journal of Physiology. This study tried to isolate the impact of a sedentary lifestyle by basing their judgments on 125 cyclists from the age group of 55 – 79. These cyclists might not belong to the elite bracket, but the men had to be able to ride a total of 100kms in under 6.5 hours and women had to be able to ride a total of 60kms in under 5.5 hours in order to qualify for the study. The research didn’t produce a single reliable marker of aging, and ended up highlighting the complexity of aging instead.

According to Stephen D. R. Harridge, a researcher associated with this study and a professor at the King’s College London, the study determined that the relationship between the measuring factor and aging isn’t clear. He said that even though the researchers studied a diverse range of indices, it was not possible to identify a single physiological marker that can be reliably used to predict the age of a person. He also mentioned that the study determined that the relationship between most functions and chronological age is complex. Therefore, even when the aging process is free from its limiting factors, it is bound to be very individualistic.

The study also made it clear that physical activity is extremely good for the body as one grows old. Researchers actually discovered that the overall results obtained by physically fit older people were quite similar to those obtained by younger people. This made them very different from others in the same age bracket who led a sedentary lifestyle. Furthermore, the study tried to determine the sense of well-being for its participants and found out that most of the cyclists were high-functioning and healthy individuals. This actually speaks volumes on the amount of importance exercise  holds in extending the healthy years of one’s life.

Resveralife  reviewed another study conducted by the Director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, Benjamin Levine. This study mentioned that four to five cardiovascular workouts every week seemed to be the ideal defense against failing cardiac strength. Levine mentioned that even if one starts off with exercises in his or her late middle age, the effects on the blood vessels and the heart should be substantial.

in Live Well 0 comments
Happy young woman exercising in winter
 by Mayank

Resveralife Live Well Guide: Safe Exercise Tips for the Winter Months

The benefits of exercising during the winter months go well beyond being beneficial for your skin. Exercising during the winters can also prove to be extremely satisfying and it can go a long way in helping you improve your mood, particularly when you exercise in the mornings. However, exercising in the cold winter months can also be quite risky. This Resveralife Live Well Guide from Vine Vera examines some of the best tips to follow while exercising during the winter months.

Warm up your body before going outdoors

It is very important to start off with your warm-ups while you’re still indoors. Allow the body a chance to be able to ease into the workout routine. To do so, all you need to do is warm up for a few minutes while you’re still indoors. Once you’re outside, take a 30 second break in every few minutes for the first 10 minutes to allow your body to be able to adjust to the chilly conditions.

Cool down over a period of time

Cooling down the right way is as important as a proper warm up. You need to start cooling down over three to four minutes before the end of your routine by slowly easing up on the pressure. Once you get back indoors, remove a few layers of your clothing and make sure that you’re active for another 5 – 10 minutes to allow your body to cool down properly. If you end up experiencing some muscle soreness, apply a pain relieving gel on the problem area.

Dress properly

Don’t forget to layer up properly before venturing outdoors. You might want to wear layers that can be removed once you complete your warm ups in order to avoid any sort of discomfort. The ideal way to do so is to start off with a thin layer of synthetic materials like polypropylene to ensure that the sweat stays away from your body. The next layer should always be an insulator layer like wool or fleece and the topmost layer should be waterproof with a breathable shell. It is also important to cover up your hands, ears, neck, head and feet, depending on the conditions outside. These body parts are the ones that are most affected by the cold. Don’t forget to add reflective panels on your clothing if it’s still dark outside.

Take proper care of your feet

Making sure that you keep your feet warm and dry is very important for ensuring that you don’t end up with blisters. Wear sports socks which help you to draw away perspiration from your skin and use shoes that have a decent tread.   

Don’t ignore the importance of weather reports

Don’t forget to check the weather report before heading out. Things like pelting rain and biting winds won’t do you any favors. It is essential to be flexible with your workout timings during the winter months. And if things look really bad, take a rain check on your exercise.

Chalk out your route

Have a pre-fixed route in mind and don’t forget to keep to well lit areas when it’s dark or damp. Try to perform loops around your neighborhood and repeat them. You can also head over to the local park, provided that it is well lit.  Make sure that someone is aware of your route, in case something goes south.

Don’t ease up on your hydration

Just because you’re sweating less during the winters doesn’t mean that you need less water. Don’t ease up on your water intake and stick to a minimum of 10 – 12 glasses of water each day. Try drinking water before, during and after your workouts. Force yourself to a glass of water if you don’t feel thirsty.

in Live Well 45 comments
 by Resveralife

Resveralife Brings You the Fall Edition of Living Well, Eating Well and Looking Well

Resveralife knows that looking well, eating well and living well are three of the most important concerns of modern day man. It might be easier said than done, but with the right kind of advice, you can easily transform your lifestyle to incorporate all three features into your life. The Resveralife guide to living, eating, and looking well offers you the best and the hottest tips to transform the way you live, the way you eat and the way you look this fall season.


Living Well – 5 Exercise Routines to Try

Living well is all about experiencing the best that life has to offer. And the good news is that living well isn’t overtly difficult. Exercise is an important factor of living well. One of the best ways to incorporate fitness in your life is to add a few simple exercise routines into your daily routine. This guide to living well acquaints you with some of  the best and most effective exercises.

  1. Zumba – Zumba is an aerobic dance routine that is famous in studios and clubs all the way from Los Angeles to Miami. The Latin music tends to make you feel happier and the refreshing routine can recharge your body and your soul.
  2. Ugi Ball – The Ugi ball is everything that medicine balls are not – it is squishy, weighted, stylish and extremely beautiful. It is an ideal functional fitness tool because it challenges you to use all your muscle groups at the same time.
  3. Bosu Balance Trainer – The Bosu Balance Trainer resembles an exercise ball that has been cut into half. It offers you an exciting way to exercise and it has become a staple inclusions at most gyms and health clubs. The Bosu Balance Trainer is ideal for targeting multiple fitness areas like stability, balance, endurance and strength.
  4. CrossFit – It is impossible to talk about exercise routines without mentioning CrossFit. Considered to be one of the most beginner friendly exercises, CrossFit is a high-intensity program that can be completely scaled to your fitness ability. From athletes to lazy bums, this exercise can suit all sorts of people.
  5. Body Weight Training – The benefits of Body Weight Training have been discussed millions of times before, and we’re about to do it all over again. This routine doesn’t need any fancy gym equipment and it allows you to build your balance, strength and flexibility.

Eating Well – 5 Side Dishes to Try

The eating well guide can offer you the perfect starting point when it comes to adding some healthy side dishes to your diet. Eating a balance diet – a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, proteins and dairy products – is a must when it comes to leading a healthy life. It’s OK to indulge in a treat every now and then, but your overall food choices on a daily basis are very important. This eating well guide brings you some of the best side dishes that are high on the taste factor and also on the healthy quotient.

  1. Roasted Brussels Sprouts – Remove the brown ends of the sprouts and pull off the outer yellow colored leaves. Mix them with salt, pepper and olive oil and spread them out on a sheet pan. Roast for 35 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and serve.
  2. Butternut Squash Soup – Chop squash and onion into large sized chunks and crush garlic. Pour oil in a roasting tin and throw in thyme, onions, garlic and squash. Roast for about 30 – 40 minutes at 350F. Place the roasted vegetables in a blender, add a few spoons of stock and blend. Add more stock if you want to make the soup thinner. Season and serve.
  3. Italian Kale – Cook kale in a large saucepan over medium heat until the leaves begin to wilt. When the volume of kale in the saucepan is reduced by half, add olive oil, garlic and vinegar. Cook for a couple more minutes and serve with salt and pepper.
  4. Wild Rice – Dress up long-grain and wild rice mix by adding some marsala and fresh mushrooms. This side dish is guaranteed to be a big hit at the dining table.
  5. Spicy Collard Greens – Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook until it becomes brown. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add black pepper, bacon, cayenne pepper, salt, collard greens and vinegar. Boil until greens become tender.

Looking Well – 5 Makeup Looks to Try

If you don’t have perfect looking skin you more than likely use makeup to improve its appearance. If you do have amazing skin you probably still want to change up your look with some makeup. Resveralife is here to help with tips to apply your makeup right way and look amazing. 1. Cat-eye Eyeliner – Cat-eye eyeliner is super fashionable and fun look to rock. It can give you a flattering look, irrespective of your eye shape and make you look mysterious even when you go low-key with the rest of your makeup. Here’s how to get the perfect cat-eye look:Closeup of a model wearing berry-colored makeup. and a cat eye

  1. Start off in the middle of your upper eyelid and draw a line as close to your lashes as possible. Draw this line in a single stroke or using numerous short strokes, depending on how skilled you are. With practice, you should be able to get it right in one go.
  2. Next move to the inner corner of your eye and draw a fine line towards the one that you just drew.
  3. Draw a line from the last lash to create the wing. You can decide upon the angle and length. A good trick to get the angle right is to imagine that your extending extension from you lower lashline
  4. Draw a line connecting the tip of your wing tail to the line near your eyelashes, this should create a triangle shape.
  5. Color in your triangle.
  6. Finish off the look with thickening black mascara. Use 2-3 coats for best results.

2. Cranberry Eyeshadow – Cranberry eyeshadow can give you an easy and sleek look that is ideal to sport during the changing seasons. Pair it with nude or berry lips for best results.

  1. Prime your lids using your favorite primer.
  2. Add a light colored base shadow which stretches from the brow bone to the crease.
  3. Use a matte, medium eyeshadow shade on your crease. Using a clean brush blend it towards your brow.
  4. Use a matte, deep maroon shade in the corners of your lids and in the corner of your crease.
  5. Blend all edges with a clean blending brush.
  6. Apply a metallic burgundy shade on the center of the eyelid.
  7. Apply a matte, neutral medium toned shade on the lower lash line.
  8. Use a liner brush to apply the matte, deep maroon shade closer to the lash line.
  9. Add a touch of the metallic burgundy shade to your lower lash line.
  10. Highlight using a shimmer, warm off-white shade.

3. Eggplant Nail Polish – Eggplant nail polish is a perennial fall favorite. Use a shade that almost looks black in color and appears to be all nineties and vampy. The secret is that when light falls on this shade, it gives off gleaming hints of purple. This is what makes eggplant nail polish so enchanting. 4. Dark, vampy lips – Dark, vampy lips were seen at fall fashion shows all over the world. That is not to mention the numerous celebrities who have already been sporting this look everywhere. The best part is that with all sorts wine stained and berry colored shades to choose from, you can easily find a shade that suits you perfectly. 5. Berry cheeks – Berry cheeks are definitely worth your while this fall. They go well with your cranberry eyeshadow as well and vampy lips.

in Eat Well / Live Well 0 comments
 by Resveralife

Resveralife Asks: Can Wine Replace the Gym?

Some might consider wine to be a toxic irritant in the system, but recent reports seem to show that the ancients might have got it right once again by substituting water with wines in their diets. A number of studies now state that this grape based intoxicant might have antioxidant qualities to offer to the human body. This simply makes us wonder whether wine can help us feel healthier or not and how much of wine should we be drinking. After all, drinking more wine is what the entire French Paradox is about, isn’t it?

 

Wine was considered to be a staple in ancient times because water was more or less contaminated with pathogens and deadly diseases. Moreover, in many places water ended up becoming a luxury, whereas wine could be found everywhere. Such was its popularity, that it managed to linger on for centuries when countless other alcohols came and went. And as many wine lovers would love to swear by, they still seem younger than many of their non-drinking buddies.

 

In a recent study that was conducted to determine whether wine consumption had any benefits, researchers have discovered that red wine contains an active ingredient known as Resveratrol, an ingredient that is commonly found in nuts and red grapes. Resveratrol is considered to offer significant anti-aging benefits with regular use and it is also believed to be one of the most powerful antioxidants in the world. Numerous wine based studies also confirm that Resveratrol has a way of improving the cardiovascular health of our elderly, when used in the right doses.

 

In fact, another study also mentioned out that red wine could be effectively termed as a substitute to exercising because it helped to protect muscle loss and preserve muscle tone. However, despite these results, Resveratrol studies are still in their nascent stages and it is always best to drink wine in moderation.

 

What you can do is that you can alter your daily routines to accommodate some red wine and give your body with the wondrous benefits that Resveratrol has to offer. And No. Don’t be lazy. We don’t mean that skipping out on your daily exercise is ok. Here are a few things that you can do.

  • Maintain your daily exercise routine. Resveratrol might be helping you with muscle toning and preventing muscle loss, but exercising is about a lot more than maintaining your muscles. It also has a lot to do with keeping you healthy. What you can do is that you could wind down with a glass of wine. This helps you to look good as well as feel good.
  • Bring in the reds. Dessert wines might taste fantabulous, but they don’t offer you with any Resveratrol whatsoever. So, cut out on the tastes that a Chardonnay has to offer. Red wine is just as tasty and its extremely healthy too.
  • Always drink in moderation. Resveratrol might be beneficial for your body, but always drink wine in moderation. Wine also contains alcoholic content and sugar that can accumulate toxins and poisons in your body. Drinking too much of wine can also cause a lot of internal damage to your body. Remember, wine can act as a Resveratrol supplement, it cannot act as a replacement for healthy lifestyles.

 

To sum up, can wine replace the gym? Nope!

in Live Well 0 comments

logo

UNLOCK
20% OFF

Sign up and get 20% off your first purchase!

No thanks, I'll pay full price