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While traditional sports like running, cycling and swimming are seen as the face of what weight loss and general fitness looks like, many unconventional sports hold their own while teaching practitioners additional skills - martial arts being one of these activities. Skipping, jumping and static exercises are just the preliminary steps before getting into the meat of your training. While all martial arts implement some form of said exercises, here are the best ones for you to maintain the best fitness.  Top martial arts for muscle-building and weightloss Muay Thai While many martial arts are seeing proper representation by fight companies like One FC and UFC, the sport that has everyone talking is Muay Thai. It is possibly one of the most prevalent striking martial arts in the competitive and casual scene right now and for good reason. Read Tips to Get Marathon Level Endurance and Stamina Aside from being known for its eight limb technique (shoulders, elbows included), clinches and sparring are other tiring routines to expect in a Muay Thai class. As the entire body is constantly engaged, and having a larger selection of strikes than most other martial arts, it’s key to keep it all together with decent stamina and endurance at the very least. While Muay Thai may be gruelling and every strike is meant to be practical and not flashy, the classes that represent the art know better than to throw newbies off the deep end when they first start - hence the appeal to newcomers. If you’re interested in getting fit fast and having fun while learning to defend yourself, there are few striking martial arts that can top Muay Thai.  Read Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Brazillian Jiu Jitsu Many casual martial artists tend to have varied preferences that are based on body type, style and ultimately practicality. Like Muay thai, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is the dominant art of its category, that being grappling. When the fight happens on the ground, there are few who know exactly what to do in situations like those to defend themselves - which is where this martial art fills a void in the industry. Many classes offer a gi-based way of training that measures skill by belt colors, but more casual versions, without grading are also available. Read How to choose the best shoes for running BJJ requires a strong core, flexibility and stamina to endure escaping locks and having strength to subdue your opponent. While cardio is important to keep going on the ground, stamina is slightly more prevalent here as your muscles will have a substantial time under tension when wrestling. If you don’t mind getting into your opponent’s face, this could be the choice for you.  Wrestling  Another grappling art that requires a lot of physical contact, wrestling has been a reliable tradition that has lasted this long due to how effective it can be when done correctly. Despite being a grapple sort, wrestling requires far more endurance than one might assume. Sussing the opponent out and finding the right opportunity for a takedown. Read Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? Going through the motion of wide-arching swings and pinning the opponent requires big movements, involving multiple muscle groups. When doing this frequently, you can imagine how easy it is to run out of breath and strength in a matter of minutes. Keeping up with an hour of lifting people and watching out for injuries can be daunting, however wrestling classes are safe hands that will prepare you for the art with a good mix of cardio and strength training. If you are slightly on the heavier side, this martial art could be made for you.  Read Is There an Age Limit to Put On Muscle? Boxing This stylish and sophisticated martial art has been around for a long time and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. To say that boxing puts up a sweat is an understatement. While boxing favours upper body strikes and tons of different ways of punching (jabs, hooks, uppercuts, etc), the feet are doing more than meets the eye. Constantly maneuvering and bending to ensure your hips are thrusted correctly as you extend each arm for a punch can be a lot to deal with, especially when smaller movements are required for evasion of any sort. Ducks and weaves are a core buster, relying on many muscles from the hips down to the ankles. Overall, it is a well rounded striking sport that is respected for how much it keeps fighters on their feet at all times.  Read How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? Judo Similar to wrestling, Judo does require a lot of throws and takedowns, but is slightly different from the other grapple sports. While each of these grappling techniques require the fighter to understand exactly how to safely land to avoid injury, Judo training does have a fair amount of cardio involved while also prioritising on mental wellness. This is often a gi-focused martial art which requires a proper uniform and grading system. It may not have the same level of fame as BJJ, but many professional fighters use Judo to this day for its ability to use minimal effort to get a takedown in. Judo is slightly more passive and requires more techniques that are based on reacting, but it is still crucial to maintain a good amount of stamina while waiting for the right throw.  Read The risks of the extreme diet Mixed Martial Arts Of course, this is by far the most staple “fighting style” in the martial arts scene and for good reason. In the entertainment and fitness industry, many look up to the versatility and customizability of mixed martial arts (MMA) as it can always be improved on by fighting geniuses and still be considered “correct” if it works in a competitive environment. From throwing to striking to groundwork; there are many ways to tackle your unique approach to MMA, however if you are not a risk taker, the combination of Muay Thai and BJJ will be a safe combination to try out. Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? Be warned that since you are juggling multiple techniques, practicing often is good in order to ensure that you are getting the most out of the different aspects of your combination. Also, keeping fit while learning these special techniques is a must and that can’t be done without practice. 

From team sports to martial arts, almost every form of exercise requires some level of physical endurance and stamina. Learning techniques in games like tennis and football for example, certainly holds a lot of value, but is eventually moot if one does not have the fundamental stamina to last an entire session of said sports. Here are some tips to get marathon levels of stamina and endurance and why it’s so important. Why Are Stamina and Endurance So Important? A comparison can be drawn to music to explain the necessity of both stamina and endurance. If one does not know how to read music or know what notes are, it is certainly not possible to even move to more advanced lessons. Stamina and endurance are the same: without both, you won’t be meeting the basic standard in the activity you are practicing. Read How to choose the best shoes for running Running out of breath after the first dance routine in an hour long class or being burnt out on the third round of an 11 point game in badminton are examples of how the basic tasks your sport sets for you can’t even be met. Naturally, not everyone can attain the peak level of human performance in sports or fitness, but some level of performance is required in order to fully participate in the fitness activity of your choice. Thankfully neither are purely genetic and can be trained with enough motivation and discipline. The deed of getting better endurance stems from the openness to break barriers. Constantly setting goals with time and pacing of your regime and surpassing previous goals is the definition of training and is the essence of building both these attributes up. Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? The Partnership of Stamina & Endurance When thinking about said goals, stamina and endurance have a large part about how you establish your goals in the first place. While stamina focuses on muscle groups and its ability to perform at the height of its capacity, endurance is defined by time and how long the specific muscle group can perform optimally. Dr. Sullivan from Nova Chiropractic and Wellness Center gives the comparison between doing a push up versus running laps. Failing at the former is the result of poor stamina as the targeted muscle group is not capable of executing the task, while running out of breath after a certain number of laps is where endurance starts to dip. Read Off Road Vs Road Cycling: Know the Difference While both have technical differences, stamina is linked to performing at an optimal level, while endurance is about performing a task as long as possible - both are equally important and go hand in hand with each other for any physical activity. On a more cardiovascular front, endurance will be tested, but muscular durability will be where your stamina will be relevant. Training Stamina As it is muscle related, Strength Training is possibly one of the most direct ways to train your muscles to better endure any form of exercise. While it may appear to mirror the types of exercises done in bodybuilding, working on back, shoulders, legs, arms and core are all critical for a well-rounded improvement in stamina. Read How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? Exercises like barbell walks, lunges, shoulder raises and even deadlifts are good exercises to train specific muscle groups, but that doesn’t mean that you need to go heavy. Seeing as aesthetics are not the goal, light weights that allow you to only tire after 20 repetitions are ideal to train your muscles to be under tension for a set amount of time. Alternatively, you can approach the weights HIITS style and time your weight-based activities to a minute and rotate between a variety of exercises. Dumbbell squats, kettlebell swings and even planks are all effective ways to either isolate or work on multiple muscle groups. Read Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? When first starting, there could be feelings of discomfort from the sheer amount of pressure your muscles are going through. The shock will wear off after consistent practice and enough patience. You will start seeing results when your legs or back stop aching as you continue with your sport. Running, throwing, jumping and more will be seamless as you progress further into your strength training. Training Endurance Not everyone is a fan of cardio; thankfully running a marathon isn’t quite your goal either, which means starting with brisk walking, jogging and static cycling are viable options. The goal is to expand your cardiovascular system and condition your lungs in order to ensure that you don’t run out of breath after a certain amount of time. Read Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Tempo runs are a great way to get started if jogging and brisk walking are too slow paced for you. Running certain short distances in bursts, and reducing the pace for double the time is a classic HIIT move that has proven to work wonderfully in countless fitness surveys. On a practical standpoint, it can be identical to playing team sports, where the tempo of sprinting and brisk jogging are often alternated. Unfortunately, cycling and swimming are the only other options that yield the most effective training. Both will require some time and a basic understanding of technique in order to properly train the muscles. Read Effectiveness of Compound Exercises for Muscle Definition However swimming is more for the whole body and is a popular pick for those looking to elevate their heart rate for a gradual amount of time without pouring out tons of sweat or worrying about travelling. There is no way to escape cardio if you want to continuously improve your endurance, but setting the time alone to try and better yourself far surpasses not trying at all.

Running shoes are a critical component for performance when going for a run. Despite equipment being scarce for the sport, your shoes will define how well you perform for your daily jogs. If not chosen properly, long term injuries and other unnecessary risks could surface. Here are some tips to show you how to choose the right shoes for running.  Factor to consider while choosing shoes for running Finding The Right Fit Identifying the arch of your feet is possibly the most important thing, but the width and length of your foot in its entirety isn’t something to brush off. For example, if you have wide feet, a narrow pair of shoes may suffocate your feet and cause discomfort and even bruising. Oddly enough, the spacing between your toes and length of them from your mid foot is equally important. Cramming your toes into a nice pair of shoes won’t do you good if blisters and swells start to surface after some time. Ultimately, looking online can only help so much, but trying different pairs on will give you a proper feel that will make your decision much easier. Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? Knowing Your Foot Arch Other than shoe size, there doesn’t appear to be anything else to look for - but with running, you’d be surprised. Every foot has an arch and determines how well your feet can traverse terrain and how much damage one might sustain after some time. High arched feet and flat feet will cause strain to the foot and muscle aches when running long distances, and certain shoes have the proper technology to minimise said risks. According to studies by podiatrists, low arch feet are the best feet for runners as they have a higher amount of flexibility while still offering support between each stride.  Read How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? Identifying Your Gait Now we’re getting into more technical territory. Gait is basically how your feet react when they make contact with the ground when running. Overpronation occurs primarily with those who have low arch feet who make contact with the heel before other parts of the foot. The motion is followed by the foot rolling inwards ever so slightly which will cause a lack of stability.  Neutral gaits are common for those with medium arches where the middle part of the heel makes contact with the ground before anything else. Although it will bend inwards too, there is more stability and does a better job at absorbing the impact of each stride. Supination is for those who have high arches and this results in the outer part of the heel making the main impact on the ground when running. This is possibly the most dangerous as the foot is not capable of absorbing shock when impacting the ground.  Read Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Knowing Your Running Route Before even choosing your shoes, it’s important to plan your route and understand whether it could affect your balance, joints and overall momentum. If your running posture is rather sporadic and has the potential to cause great injuries, simple shoes for sidewalks and brick roads would be the ideal choice. While it is rarer to find a strong community taking the time to get a jog in offroad, it isn’t unheard of and definitely can be done.  Read Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? Setting Your Running Goals In tandem with understanding the route you want to take for your regular jogs, understanding the purpose of your runs and what you are training to accomplish is a big consideration before picking the right pair of shoes. If it is speed and racing, shoes that are better at dealing with friction would make sense. Shoes that are better suited for tar and concrete would be perfect for such a goal.  Alternatively, it could just be for keeping fit. If that is the case, you could be less picky about your footwear, however if your route has a chance of uneven terrain and even unpredictable weather, getting a durable pair of shoes would be the wisest choice.  Read How to sanitise fruits & veggies: Safety tips during the pandemic Starting With Walking The common saying is that people should learn how to walk before they can run and it is possibly the most apt adage to remember for this sport. By walking at a steady pace and observing your methods of walking, you start to have a rough idea on how you would be as you pick up speed. As your walks turn into brisk walks and eventual jogs, your arm motions, stride distances and even pacing will determine the kind of runner you’ll end up being. While it is possible to alter your running style through training and a staggering amount of self awareness, it’s easier to play to your strengths and work with what comes naturally to you.  Read Barbells vs. Dumbbells: Which is better for Workout, Strength, and Muscle Growth? Types Of Running Shoes Stability running shoes are designed for those who either have their feet rolling inward or outward most of the time. While this doesn’t hurt the feet on its own, this type of footwear does its best to restrict excess movement so that your running can have a straighter form and better stability. High arched feet will find comfort in Cushioned running shoes, specifically designed with a soft base to ensure that every impact on each step is softened, minimising long term damage.  Last but not least, neutral running shoes are for those that don't fall into extremes of arches or have glaring running habits. Medium height arches need the least amount of assistance as this archetype is better at handling impact while retaining stability. In essence, these are the most common pairs of shoes that are easy to find and simple to customise from a fashion standpoint. As these are the majority on the market, chances are that you won’t run into problems finding the right pair for you.  Read Best Health Clubs and Gyms in Dhaka in 2021

Losing weight is a daunting process that forces people to be strong-willed and disciplined throughout the entire process. Dieting alone is not only a significant aspect of it, but also a tough one. Physical activities like running and cycling may be effective for losing weight. However, doing these activities along can create boredom or displeasure. If you have a healthy group of friends or even co-workers who are on the same journey as you, here are some of the best team sports to accelerate your weight loss journey. Which Team Sport Can Help You to Reduce Weight Faster? Martial Arts While martial arts isn’t exactly a sport that involves a team, many gyms implore students to take up lessons with others to establish strong bonds, reliable sparring partners and even teammates in the competitive scene. Muay Thai and Brazillian Jiu Jitsu for example emphasise on endurance, conducting classes that have tons of running and skipping even before hitting the pads and punching bags. Lasting in a fight is key to success in this sport and you can be sure that you’ll get your cardiovascular fix while learning how to defend yourself and making friends along the way. Read Off Road Vs Road Cycling: Know the Difference Basketball One of the most popular sports in the entire industry, basketball has been renowned for making waves for both enjoyability, versatility and entertainment. Renowned basketball legends are known to non-players which is a testament to the sport’s impressive popularity. This reason alone should pique the interest of budding sportsmen who are keen to lose weight enjoyably. Shuttle runs, laps and jumps are mandatory and the sport can help to burn over 700 calories in just an hour! Its popularity also means that finding other players won’t be the hardest thing to do. Football When playing on an actual field, there’s no doubt that running relatively long distances would be expected. Football is one of the biggest sports in the world and places of rich and poor can get in on this passion and bring people together. Rather than running across a smaller space like many indoor sports, playing on an open field will get your body conditioned to conserve stamina over a set period of time, rather than expelling it all in one go. This is a good method to train endurance, but the lack of sprinting will offer significantly less muscle definition. Proper footwork and skills of dribbling does change up the pace if you choose to play that position, but generally, long strides across the pitch to retrieve the ball and position properly will be the main thing to expect. Read Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Ice Skating/Roller Blading Ice skating and rollerblading aren’t exactly the most convenient sports to frequent, but there is no doubt that committing to this hobby with a group of friends will make the sport enjoyable and burning fat will not seem like a chore. Learning the rules of a sport is one thing, but the effort taken to learn how to skate can possibly rival the skill it takes to ride a bike. The added benefit is that there is a mechanical skill to improve on while working on long distance skates. This sport activates the core and muscles at the lower body - a perfect way to train your legs while burning calories.   Volleyball Contrary to popular belief, volleyball does not have to be on a beach to be playable. A court with a high net (and a ball, obviously) is all you need before rallying friends to play. Volleyball is ideally played in teams of six with each person given a role. Dives, jumps and spikes will keep the body in a confined space, but it does wonders for your cardiovascular system - elevating the heart rate and respiratory system. Volleyball is one of the most team-dependent sports and definitely worth a shot if commeradory is your forte in sports. Read Equipment You Don’t Need at The Gym Badminton  Much like Volleyball, Badminton doesn’t quite give you the space a full court or field would, but your movement is constant. As a racket sport, your upper and lower body will constantly be engaged and sudden bursts of speed are necessary to act and react to the shuttlecock in game. Since Badminton strokes are done with the wrist, upper body strength isn’t so much of a priority as running is. With proper practice and a consistent routine, Badminton can definitely trip fat effectively within an hour, done three times a week minimum. Tennis While both are racket sports, a tennis court spans across far more space and uses completely different muscles when handling the racket. With big swings that use both arms and shoulders, tennis pays less attention to finesse and more on upper body strength, endurance and fast reactions. While running from side to side is expected of each player when trying to return the ball, players will also need to consciously mind footwork and hip movement to effectively play. Read Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? HIIT Classes While this is not exactly a team sport, there is no doubt that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is one of the most effective ways to burn calories that doesn’t involve staring ahead and spacing out. HIIT classes these days encourage communities of like minded individuals to achieve their goal as a class. Many stations in circuit training require two people (medicine ball throws, sit ups, back to back squats) and is a great way to still establish bonds. Each station is timed and things won’t get boring too quickly as your exercises are rotated every minute or so.

If you have decided to embark on a harsh diet to shed the flab, it's high time that you consulted a good doctor. This is because you might end up doing more harm to your body than good. Harsh diets can help move the needle on the weighing scale in a short time but could take a toll on your health in the long run. Let's explore the impact of harsh diets. Different types of harsh diets Crash diet plans can be of two types -- low carb or keto diet, and a very low-calorie diet. In a low-carb diet, sugary foods are excluded. The keto diet includes 5% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 70% fat. Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits and healthy fats are eaten more. Read Benefits of Leg Workouts: Why You Should Never Skip Leg Day Low-calorie diets usually involve eating very low-calorie foods for a short time. Say, 200 calories on the first day, 400 calories on the second day, 600 calories on the third day, 600 calories on the fourth day, and then fasting. Thus the routine continues.  This type of diet plan is very tempting due to desired weight loss of 1.5 to 2.5 kg per week. Low-calorie foods include eggs, bread, salads, sour yogurt, whole meal bread, soup, potatoes, eggplant, low-fat milk, red spinach and sweet pumpkin.  Low-carb and low-calorie diets are followed by a low-fat diet. Here the diet contains less than 30% of the total calories in fat. Low-fat foods include corn, popcorn, honey, rice, oatmeal, vegetable noodles, vegetable soup, beans, lentils, egg whites and tuna. Read Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? Risk of death in strict diet An uncontrolled harsh diet can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Furthermore, it can cause death through respiratory damage, kidney failure, and multiple organ damage at the same time. The ominous impacts of harsh diet have been observed in the media world for ages. The most dangerous of these is anorexia nervosa. This is the final stage of a mental illness that results from excessive weight loss. It is mainly triggered by the intense fear of weight gain. In 1936, Irene Fenwick, the actress of the American silent film, died at 49 of anorexia nervosa, which was referred to as ‘over-dieting’ at the time. Read How to sanitise fruits & veggies: Safety tips during the pandemic American singer Karen Carpenter died of heart failure in 1983 at the age of 32. She was on a low-carb hard diet as well as taking extra medication to lose weight. In 2006, Uruguayan fashion model Luisel Ramos died of excessive fasting at the age of 22. In the wake of Ramos' death, that year Italian fashion designers banned the size zero models for catwalks. And, 2006’s Madrid Fashion Week set BMI 18 as the minimum requirement for all models. Brazilian fashion model Anna Carolina Reston followed a diet with only apples and tomatoes for years. At the time of her death in 2006, she weighed only 40 kg. Read Kick-start your day with a healthy breakfast Hila Elmalich, an Israeli fashion model, had to be taken to the hospital frequently due to excess weight loss. At the time of her death in 2007, the 34-year-old model weighed only 27 kg. French model and actress Isabel Caro (28) suffered from a respiratory illness for almost two weeks before she died in 2010. It is said that she suffered from immunodeficiency due to anorexia. German Instagram star Josi Maria (24) passed away in 2020. In social media, she shared her experiences regarding anorexia before her death. Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? On October 2, 2020, Bollywood actress Mishti Mukherjee (27) died due to kidney failure linked to keto diet. English TV star Nicki Graham (38) died on April 9 in 2021. According to doctors, Nikki's cause of death was Anorexia Nervosa. The ill-effects of harsh diet  Muscle breakdown You might experience muscle breakdown as well as fat loss due to a harsh diet. When the fat-to-muscle ratio becomes unstable, muscle breakdown begins resulting a decrease in metabolic rate. Weak muscles make it difficult to carry out daily activities such as carrying groceries or climbing up the stairs. Read Intermittent Fasting: Health Benefits and Risks Dehydration The primary energy that the body uses when consuming calories or carbs comes from glycogen. It is a form of carbohydrate that is stored in the liver and muscles. Water is present in every gram with it. The fewer carbs or calories you consume, the more water you lose. This can lead to headaches, fatigue, and dizziness. Imbalance of internal physical activities Any kind of imbalance in the elements by which our physical activities are conducted becomes a cause of danger. The resulted complicacies may include convulsions, irregular heartbeat, the activity of cells, and formation of cell wall layer. Disruption of every little action might gradually lead the whole body system to collapse. Increasing hairfall Eating a low-calorie diet may increase your chances of experiencing hairfall. This is because the lack of adequate nutrition disrupts the normal functioning of your hair cells. Read Best Health Clubs and Gyms in Dhaka in 2021 Malnutrition Extreme weight loss deprives your body from the nutrients required for healthy activities. Especially, nutritional deficiencies of vitamin D and calcium can impair the normal development of health. Malnutrition might lead to diverse diseases such as anemia, weakness, loss of consciousness. Stones in gallbladder During the formation of gallbladder stones, severe pain is felt in the gallbladder. These stones are formed slowly, when the digestive juices are not excreted in the gallbladder due to a lack of digestive food. Day by day these juices get hardened inside the gallbladder and block the gateway of the gallbladder. It results to indigestion causing pain and discomfort. Decreased physical strength Excessive calorie consumption would leave a detrimental effect on your energy. Besides feeling physically tired, your brain activity would be disrupted along with your body performance. Your mood can also be affected. Severe weight loss often leads to constant anger. Read Muscle Building Diet: Best Foods for Muscle Gains, Definition and Fat Reduction Depression and inferiority complex Most diets fail. And this repeated failure leads to long-term weight loss. Chronic dieters consistently experience guilt, anxiety and frustration, lack of concentration, and fatigue. And, many people even choose to commit suicide because they are mentally depressed due to weight gain. Pilling Up Above all, to avoid the risk of a harsh diet, it is best to get enough exercise with a natural diet while maintaining your normal lifestyle. If you can get used to proper physical exercises with a balanced diet from a young age, you will benefit. Read Quit Smoking: How to prevent Nicotine addiction

The cycling industry has boomed in recent years; as Covid-19 has confined many to their quarters, more are picking up the bicycle as an outlet for fitness. As more start to commit to cycling full time, the activity becomes a hobby and the community begins to diverge between off road and road cycling. Neither is better than the other, but the skills required can be vastly different. Here is how you can know the difference between off road cycling and road cycling. Versatile Benefits of Cycling as a Mode of Transport Cycling isn’t exactly the newest sport around, but it has seemingly made a comeback with bicycles becoming increasingly popular globally, notably ever since the pandemic. According to the BBC, many have lost trust in the reliability of public transport and have found the need to get into shape whilst under lockdown. The demand has caught bike manufacturers off guard as the demand has superseded supply quite significantly.  Convenient Transport While fitness and the convenience of transport is one thing, many home delivery services have faced a surplus in business due to the majority being homebound. Therefore, orders for deliveries have spiked and the bicycle is an affordable way to get into the business for quick income.  Read:Equipment You Don’t Need at The Gym Helps to Maintain Fitness While runners and joggers have seen an impressive growth since the pandemic began, the bicycle is a more versatile tool that allows for many opportunities that a simple run cannot. Fitness facilities have been closed for months in some countries and the bicycle can grant anyone a proper workout, while serving as necessary, free transportation.  Environment-friendly On the sustainable front, many progreen individuals have seen the value of a “zero CO2 emission” method of transportation. While the description may put road bikes on the pedestal due to its sheer practicality, the passion-driven off road experience is not one to disregard, as there is much to enjoy from that experience too.  Read:Is There an Age Limit to Put On Muscle? Benefits of Off Road Cycling While off road cycling isn’t as practical as road cycling in terms of utility, there are benefits of having a bike that can excel on almost all terrain and designed for durability and a variety of weather conditions.  The first benefit that stands out is how mechanically savvy riders will have to be with the off road bikes in order to utilise all its functions. Mountain biking for example needs to balance proper weight distribution and conservation of energy in order to adapt to extreme slopes, terrain and other obstacles.  Additionally, building power and keeping momentum in your strides are important to comfortably ride on roots, rocks, mud and more as these conditions will inevitably force you to moderate your speed regularly to ensure you don’t fly off of your bike.  Read Cycling Benefits: How Indoor and Outdoor Cycling Strengthens Your Immune System Off Road bikes tend to put more emphasis on resistance and gear settings which will play a big part in making your experience easier depending on the terrain. While road bikes are generally easier as pavements would be the go-to terrain, having an intricate amount of knowledge on using suspensions, flat handlebars could expand your cycling skills as a whole.  Advantages of Road Cycling Light, narrow tires and drop handlebars are what you can expect when you opt for the route of traditional road cycling. This form of cycling is all about speed, and that is exactly what the bicycles are designed to do. Its light frame and thin tires to reduce friction are engineered to forgo unnecessary bulk to make room for aerodynamism. Read:How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? The rider’s posture is also significantly lower to enable better weight distribution for better mobility. While there is no doubt that there is skill necessary in order to make the best out of road cycling, there are significantly less variables to consider in terms of terrain and obstacles.  Many have chosen this form of transport over the off road experience as pavements are normally everywhere; from homes to schools, offices, grocery stores and more. Because of this, the bulkier tires and full suspension mechanics aren’t really needed.  Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? Additionally, when it comes to convenience or doing the job, speed does matter more to most than the luxury of cycling in general. As a practical tool, the road bike is the preferred choice, but it does not come with as much as the former and it can break easier if not maintained properly.  Choosing Between the Two: Road Cycling & Off-road Cycling As stated in the introduction, one isn’t objectively better than the other, and it comes down to more of preferences than anything else.  Road cycling has a lot more practicality than off road, but if you are hoping to hone your knowledge and skills as an avid cyclist, the offroad will teach you way more. There are ‘hybrid’ bikes that blend the lightness of road bikes and Mountain bike’s ruggedness, and are possibly the most versatile as a third option. Read Top 7 Biking, Cycling Games on Android/IOS The problem with the hybrid is that the combination fails to truly excel at either extreme, which means it would lose out to more intentional models - whether it is the durability of a mountain bike or the sheer lightness of a road bike.  Ultimately, it is the user’s choice as to what he or she wants from the bicycle. Lovers for convenience and delivery services would work wonders with a road bike to reach your end point quicker, but if biking has become a guilty pleasure of some sort, the off road could be your best bet to truly explore the potential of this industry.  Read Bicycle Price in Bangladesh with Buyers' Guide

When hitting the gym, it’s perfectly normal to desire a muscular body that will grant you the attention of your friends and family. Usually when people define muscularity, large chests, bulging biceps and broad shoulders come to mind. Legs have always been the furthest thing from being at the center of attention, therefore has become forgotten in many gym rats’ routines. The oversight of such an important body part has become a regular joke on the internet and for good reason. Here are a few reasons why you should never skip leg day. Read:Equipment You Don’t Need at The Gym What Is Leg Day? When people tend to take the route of body building, or muscle growth in general, it is incredibly common to split workouts into separate days based on the body part at that time. The reason for this is because when one exerts himself or herself during each workout, they won’t possibly have the same amount of energy to optimise their workouts with multiple compound exercises across various body parts. Leg Day is a day dedicated to just training legs and is often joked as being one of the most skipped days in the gyming community.  Top Reasons Why Leg Day is Important It’s Half of Your Body In terms of proportions, neglecting an entire half of your body will look strange. The term “Chicken Legs” is commonly used in the gymming scene to mock those who neglect basic bodybuilding “rules’ for short term gratification. Glutes, hamstrings, calves are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to important muscles to work on. Many jokes have been thrown around about looking like an upside down triangle and you wouldn’t want to fall under that category. Good glutes and calves will bring about a proper balance in aesthetics along with other crucial benefits.  Read:Is There an Age Limit to Put On Muscle? To Minimise Struggle in Sports  Whether it is a team sport or a solo activity, there are incredibly few sports you’d be able to do if your legs are severely weaker than your upper body. Big bursts of sprints, shuttle run-like movement and even long jobs will become significantly less efficient due to the unbalanced weight distribution. Aside from being susceptible to injury, having an underdeveloped lower body will certainly limit you in the sport of your choosing. Clever movement and technical footwork are important for rugby, football, basketball, running and so much more. If you are keen to start taking your leg days to the next level, working on hamstrings, glutes and quads are the way to go.  To Build a Strong Body If you’re serious about working out, it’s important to know about the “Big Three’. Squats, deadlifts and bench press are the trinity that defines the journey of every lifter and missing out on one of them would hurt your overall progress. As the big three are compound exercises, you would be getting a “full body” workout when engaging the routine immediately. Putting off squats, the leg exercise of the big three, will be disregarding the body’s ability to progress in unity. Weak legs will affect your strength when you choose to do exercises like standing Military press, flies and even bicep curls. Having half a strong body will hamper your ability to perform certain movements and we highly recommend going for legs weekly.  Read:How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? To Grow Up Quickly Your body has a neat way of balancing itself as it grows so that everything will be in proportion. A huge part of this is maximising the amount of hormonal output such as growth hormones and testosterone. By limiting your bodily exertion to literally half, there will not be nearly as much of said chemicals to give you the optimal growing experience. It is noted that the more body parts that are engaged, the more hormones will be released. It means that the big three are optimal to kickstart a healthy chemical reaction, and neglecting even one of them will hurt your overall progress.  To Burn out Extra Fat and Loss Weight While weightlifting isn’t cardio by any stretch of the imagination, it can increase your body’s metabolism to an extent and it does make a significant difference. Interestingly, lower body exercises burn the most amount of calories in a single workout and tend to keep the metabolism high even after the workout has been completed. Additional factors like default metabolic rate, muscle mass and dieting are all to be considered when assessing your ability to burn fat - but skipping leg day will make a huge difference in your pursuit for weight loss and definition that add to the impact of the other variables.  Read:Effectiveness of Compound Exercises for Muscle Definition To Minimise the Risk of Injury It’s no surprise that if you continue to work on your upper body, you will put on weight overtime. As you continue to get heavier at the top, an untrained bottom will start feeling the pain of constantly carrying a heavy top. This will not only hamper your ability to do certain weighted exercises that put pressure on the legs, but it can also result in long term knee injuries too. For example, deadlifts utilise a multitude of leg muscles, and the strain on adding more weight on under trained legs can lead to long term damage and even more severe bone illnesses.  Recommended Leg Exercises Now that we know important legs are to our gym routines, what are some of the best exercises to get started? As previously mentioned, squats will definitely be mandatory and ideally the first exercise you start off with during your leg session. Following that, dumbbells can be used with lunges. Since lunges are rather hard on the knees, feel free to use lighter weights when moving across your gym. Alternatively, you could do it stationary or without dumbbells too, this exercise is rather flexible.  Read:Best Health Clubs and Gyms in Dhaka in 2021 Lastly, machines are going to be your best friend. Leg curls, leg press and weighted calve raises are phenomenal options to ensure that you target those isolated leg muscles. These are particularly important if you are keen to sculpt your legs and ensure that your legs get a proper, all-encompassing workout. Your legs have the power to determine how much muscle you put on and how much weight you can lose, so don’t ever forget to do legs at least once a week!

To many, the gym can be an extremely intimidating place to begin. Although big scary guys may add to that fear, the sheer number of options at your disposal tends to throw many off and go down a route that may not be optimal. Many companies have jumped in on the increasing trend of fitness and see potential to take advantage of a market with an ever growing demand. With that, many products have been shoehorned into the gym setting without much of a place. That is why we are going to give you a breakdown on some equipment you don’t need at the gym. Which equipment you don’t require at the gym? Smith Machine (For Most Exercises) The Smith Machine intends to give users machine-like precision in exercises that are normally free weights. While this may seem good on paper, your movements start to become unnatural as you continue on. Exercises like Deadlifts and Squats for example require a plethora of muscles to ensure that the weights are carried naturally, but when your movements are locked into an incredibly restricted range of motion, it can lead up to poor posture and even slowed growth. The muscles needed to stabilize the body to achieve proper form are often overlooked but critical for muscle building. For machines that are slightly less reliant on a group of muscles like bench press and seated shoulder press are still doable. Exercises to avoid on the Smith Machine include deadlifts, squats, rows and standing shoulder presses. Read:Which Swimming Style Is Best For Fat Loss? Leg Extension Machine It is true that machines are amazing for isolating muscles to build strength and definition, but the way the Leg Extension Machine works to “enable” the body to do so may cause more harm than good. Simple tasks like walking, jogging or even strafing require many leg muscles to work in tandem with each other; but to isolate all these muscles at different points of time is rather awkward. For the Leg Extension machine to truly work, it’s important to put in the same amount of time and effort to every other isolated leg muscle to benefit the muscle group as a whole. If you intend to do that, exercises like squats or lunges would work better. Overall, it takes a lot to make the Leg Extension machine work, and if you are strapped for time, it’s not worth it. Read:Is There an Age Limit to Put On Muscle? Inner and outer Thigh Machine This is one of the biggest tricks that many fitness studios refuse to address. Inner and Outer Thigh Machine is more of a gimmick that makes a lot of sense in theory, but falls flat in terms of execution. The machine was designed to define the inner and outer thigh, while burning fat around the waist, but it fails to do that. There is a reason why weighted exercises directed towards the hips are few and far between - it is because there is no need for it. Like the Leg Extension Machine, the optimal way to target large muscles for your legs is to do compound movements that will inevitably help develop your legs as a whole. Deadlifts in particular put a lot of natural pressure on the inner and outer thighs, while tackling your hamstrings and glutes all at once.  A machine like this not only isn’t optimal like many other leg-based machines, but it will not provide much results, despite your best efforts. Read TRX vs. Other Gym Equipments: A Detailed Comparison Ab Crunch Machine If there are any machines out there that are justified for alluring newcomers, it’d be the Ab Crunch Machine. It makes a lot of sense to simulate crunches and situps in the form of a machine, which has the added benefit of stacking on weights for a more challenging workout. The only problem is, that many underestimate the impact a machine like this would have on the user’s back. The machine forces the user to deliberately hunch which is a direct sabotage to good postures that all your back exercises are made to provide. Additionally, core visibility and definition is heavily dependent on dieting and having a low body fat count. If this is achieved, planks and sit ups are more than enough to give the same results. Abs do require a little bit of bulk for your six pack to be more prominent, but are not nearly as necessary as every other body part. Read:How Effective Are Machines At The Gym? Extremely Light Weights To emphasise on “extreme”, lightweights below 2.5kg are completely unnecessary, regardless of how weak you are. If you can lift a bag of groceries, you definitely don’t need to go backwards in terms of strength just because you have underestimated your strength. While light weights are perfect for definition, going too light will make the point of using weights redundant in the first place. The golden rule of doing definition-based workouts is that if you can do more than 15 repetitions, you are not lifting heavy enough, even if your goal is to tone. Weights that aren’t even a challenge to carry on the daily will only waste your time at the gym if you choose to continue using them. Read Barbells vs. Dumbbells: Which is better for Workout, Strength, and Muscle Growth? Elliptical Machine This device is probably the least useless on the list, but it doesn’t benefit the user with a whole bunch of benefits either. Many who have joint injuries gravitate towards this machine and it is understandable. It functions somewhat like a treadmill, but is significantly less intense. In terms of definition, many other exercises like running, jumping and skipping will allow for a wider range of movement that the aforementioned machine will struggle to provide. Because it is less intense, it also fails to stimulate the body’s cardiovascular system, which ultimately results in burning less fat. It isn’t the worst gadget at the gym by any means, but users should quickly graduate from this machine once they are more comfortable with intensifying their cardio workouts. Read:Effectiveness of Compound Exercises for Muscle Definition

Swimming not only soothes the soul but also helps in fat loss. However, finding a swimming pool, and learning how to swim may pose a challenge to many people. Learning how to exert effectively to burn the most calories is a regimen that many people get wrong. There is a myriad of swimming styles to choose from that vary the amount of calories burned. So here is how we can find out which swimming style is best for fat loss. Benefits of Swimming If you are having joint problems, swimming does wonders and can even be seen as a “low-intensity” workout, but being mindful of your limits is important. Every stroke burns at the very least an average amount of calories and is certainly still worth doing if the more intensive strokes are difficult to execute consistently. For example, doing ten laps of a less strenuous stroke will still burn more calories than ten laps with a harder stroke and the wrong technique. Swimming within your means is a must and being able to identify your strong stroke would be just what you need to get started. Why Swimming is different from running and cycling? Running, swimming and cycling are the holy trinities of traditional cardio; all three are renowned for skyrocketing one’s endurance when trained for a certain amount of time. While running and cycling are easily accessible and take very little time to prepare, swimming may present new challenges to some. It’s not difficult to see why this can be a daunting task. Not only can you not gauge your workout by how much you sweat, but you also have to choose the right style of swimming among diverse styles. Read Running vs. Swimming vs. Cycling: Which Is Best for Burning Fat? Why is it essential to choose the best swimming stroke? While cycling does require one to learn how to ride a bike, the skill floor is almost gone once this has been learned. There are ways of adjusting your cycling position to get the most out of your workout, but not nearly to the same degree as swimming. In the case of swimming, mastering the technique is critical before even trying to assess the best stroke for you. Unlike swimming, it’s difficult to run “wrong” or cycle wrong once you’ve properly learned how to do so. There are four main strokes that everyone will have to learn at some point if they choose to take swimming seriously enough to make it a staple in their everyday life. Swimming is unique in terms of the requirement of actually needing to learn how to perform the strokes, which may take more time than one, might expect. Focusing on pacing each breath, the motion of the body, and the amount of force exerted can make or break the quality of your strokes, which will eventually lead to unproductive swimming sessions that you may not have known about. To solve this, learning how to float, aligning the body to be parallel to the water floor, and balancing the amount of energy exerted from your upper and lower body are good ways to learn. Read Muscle Building Diet: Best Foods for Muscle Gains, Definition and Fat Reduction Advantages of Breaststroke If we are talking about purely boosting cardiovascular functions, Breaststroke is the optimal exercise. While still burning an average calorie count of 200 per half hour, the main highlight is its ability to stimulate blood circulation better than the other strokes. While the motion is rather different compared to the other arm-over-shoulder, it is because of this that this style has swimmers focus most of their attention on the core and staying afloat, while being the lowest impact out of the four. While the technique of coordinating your hands and legs to synchronize is slightly trickier than Freestyle, for example, this is the best pick for those who are not comfortable holding their breath. There are multiple ways of executing this technique, the first being known as the DPS style. IT’s a classic technique that uses traditional methods to optimise energy output in relation to distance. It does so by encouraging large, powerful movements from the swimmer that will have him or her glide across the water with every stroke, rather than expelling energy needlessly with a smaller range of motion. Read Barbells vs. Dumbbells: Which is better for Workout, Strength, and Muscle Growth? The Rapid Turnover style exchanges the distance covered within each stroke for the speed at which one retracts his or her arms after extending them during the stroke itself. It is highly technical but has been making waves in the professional swimming scene lately. Backstroke for fat loss Moving on to the more conventional styles on the list, backstroke burns approximately 250 calories per half hour and is the third-best style for burning fat - but is by no means bad. Lying on your back while moving poses quite the challenge for newcomers, but after getting the hang of things, you can expect to start seeing more defined legs, arms and shoulders. It does wonders for the hips and can even lengthen the spine if done regularly enough. Ultimately it strikes a good balance between burning a respectable amount of calories, improving posture, and defining many major muscle groups. However, if you are looking for speed and efficiency, there are better strokes to choose from. Read Effectiveness of Compound Exercises for Muscle Definition Freestyle for Muscle Building Arguably the most basic and most common of the styles, freestyle is normally the standard one many gravitate towards when they learn how to swim. As an added bonus, it is also the style that burns 300 calories every half an hour, the second-best of the four! Freestyle also has the best reputation for toning muscles such as the back, shoulders, core, and glutes. It is the easiest style to get into and serves as a good starting point before branching out to other strokes. If you are afraid of seeing the definition of your body or wish to test yourself on a technical basis, there are others that would suit you more. Butterfly for improving Cardiac health By far the hardest stroke among the four, but also the most effective as it can burn a whopping 450 calories in half an hour. The stroke requires a lot of emphasis on precision when your legs are tucked together and moving in a “wave” like rhythm with the upper part of your body. Both arms need to be extended together and your head must be in sync with each repetition to get proper breathing. It’s quite a lot to manage, but can be the best with enough time and practice. Best to start slow with this style while getting your cardio fix with freestyle or breaststroke first. Read Best Swimming Games for Android/IOS

Pandemic or not, rinsing fruits and vegetables with water before eating them has always been an important habit -- as it helps remove many harmful bacteria, including salmonella, from the surface of the farm produce.  Covid-19 has only reinforced the need for washing fruits and vegetables under a running tap before consuming them. Not adhering to the practice could turn out to be a recipe for disaster -- food poisoning. Salmonella, for instance, causes salmonellosis that can lead to an upset stomach, fever and cramps in the belly. Children, pregnant women, and the aged are the most vulnerable. And if the infection gets into your blood, it can lead to serious complications. How to sanitise the fresh farm produce at home First step Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling eggs, raw meat, and seafood. Then wash fruits and vegetables under a running tap and rub them properly. Otherwise, germs on their surface can get inside while peeling them. Don’t wash the farm produce with soap or detergents. Also wash utensils, the cutting board, dishes and the kitchen top with hot water and liquid soap after preparing each dish and before embarking on the next one. Make it a point not to wash raw meat and eggs just before cooking. Otherwise, germs on them can spread to other food items, utensils, and kitchen surfaces. Read: How to identify adulterated milk at home Second step Wash raw meat, seafood, and eggs separately soon after bringing them home. You should wash them in the kitchen sink again but before disinfecting the utensils and the kitchen top. You should keep the unused eggs in the original carton and inside the refrigerator. Meanwhile, the cracked eggs should be discarded. Final step Using a food thermometer is the best way to ensure that foods are cooked to the right temperature. Fix the temperature at 63°C for beef, mutton, and fish. Eggs are needed to cook until both the yolk and white become firm. Don’t put cooked food on a plate that has already been used once for keeping raw meat, seafood, or eggs. Read: Kick-start your day with a healthy breakfast How to sanitize your kitchen after cooking Undoubtedly, the kitchen top is the most vulnerable area in the kitchen. It's used most of the time daily --  be it for preparing food or unpacking groceries. So, it is necessary to keep them clean all the time. Pay attention to the leftovers Bacteria generally tends to grow in tiny pieces of food lingering on your kitchen top. Wiping the spillover food by disinfecting your kitchen top will prevent the food residue and bacteria from building up over time accordingly. Read: Intermittent Fasting: Health Benefits and Risks Keep your sponge clean first Your sponges and dishcloths harbor billions of bacteria. So you must disinfect them in a bleach solution so that you can reuse them. Alternatively, you can wash your sponge and warm it in the microwave for 2.5 minutes. You can wash your dishcloths in the washing machine. Keep your kitchen top dry Salmonella spreads in a moist environment. So whatever the process you use to disinfect your kitchen top, make sure to completely dry them afterward. It can be as simple as wiping down the surface areas such as around the sink where the place is wet due to accumulating condensation. To sum up, always disinfect the fruits and vegetables that you bring home. Read:IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret to a Long Healthy life