f you can find even five to 10 minutes a day for running, a new study suggests your risk of premature death would be significantly lower than that of people who don’t run or engage in any type of strenuous exercise. These findings come from a review that examined data from 55,137 people between the ages of 18 and 100 who had check-ups at the Cooper Clinic and Cooper Institute in Dallas, during which they had fitness tests and responded to questionnaires about their exercise habits. The researchers found that the daily runners had a 30 percent lower risk of dying from any cause than non-runners and a 45 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease, even if they were overweight or smoked. All told, the runners lived three years longer than the non-runners. The report didn’t delve into the mechanisms behind the benefits of running and didn’t try to determine whether it was the only type of strenuous exercise that lowered the risk of premature death.

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If you work out at home, the thought of germ-infested elliptical machines and icy winter roads to the gym make your living room workout bliss that much better. Here are reasons why your home gym is where it’s at this season.

1. You Never Have to Face the Cold
All warm and cozy in your house? Good thing your gym is 10 feet in front of you.

2. Gym Schedules Don’t Dictate Your Routine
Gym closed because of a snowstorm? Shaun T is still waiting for you in your living room, shouting, “Let’s GOOOO!” You won’t have to miss a chance to “dig deeper”.

3. You Don’t Have to Care How You Look
Rocking polka dot leggings with a striped sports bra? Haven’t brushed your hair? Does it matter? Nope. (Unless you’re going to take an Instagram selfie later…then you might wanna do a booger check.)

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Today sucked. You felt tense, stressed, and sulky.

Want tomorrow to be different? Want to be in a better mood the whole day? It’s easy: Work out early, for about 20 minutes, before you start your day.

You probably already know that exercise is energizing.

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If you’re looking to lose weight or improve your health, you may be trying to do everything in your power to ensure your success: you eat right, sleep well, exercise daily. You may have even wondered whether exercising at a certain time of day could thwart or ensure your success.

Well, according to some researchers, there is a best time of day to exercise to keep your physique — especially if you’ve been hitting up the comfort foods. It may seem counterintuitive, but the best time to exercise is early in the morning, before breakfast.    

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Aging may be a fact of life, but with a graceful-aging plan based on a healthy, active lifestyle, you can counteract Mother Nature.

Aging is a fact of life. Loss of muscle tone and bone density, increased fat stores, skin aging and poor posture are all part of the aging process. However, this doesn’t mean you should just sit around and watch your body deteriorate. You can’t prevent aging, but with a graceful aging plan based on a healthy, active lifestyle, you can counteract Mother Nature.

It’s never too late to get started with an exercise routine and even a small amount of activity can help you to improve the way you feel. Staying active will allow your joints to stay mobile and if you include resistance exercises as part of your plan, you can retain muscular control and stability as you age.

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You put in the time and effort, show up at the gym, and pride yourself in not taking shortcuts. So why is the scale not budging? Chances are, poor exercise form or bad workout habits are costing you precious calories. Fitness experts reveal the most common ways people cheat at their workouts without even realizing it, and offer ways to kick those saboteurs to the curb.

You’re a swinger

Momentum comes in handy when you’re attempting a long jump, but not if you’re lifting weights. Each exercise involves two phases: a concentric (contracting) move and an eccentric (stretch) phase. “Building momentum by swinging your arms when doing a move like a bicep curl or a tricep push-down sacrifices results by not controlling the eccentric phase, and also increases your risk of injury,” says Irv Rubenstein, PhD, exercise physiologist and founder of STEPS Fitness, a science-based fitness facility in Nashville, Tenn. Practice a two-second count on the concentric move and four to five count on the eccentric.

You hold on for dear life

Grasping the sidebars when walking on the treadmill or hanging on tight to the handles of the elliptical trainer cheats you out of the largest possible calorie burn, says Rubenstein. “In addition, if you’re using your arms to make it easier on your legs, you’ll tire faster, because your arms can’t work as hard as your legs,” he says. Instead, use the rails only as a guide, keeping your fingertips lightly on them. If you find it impossible to maintain proper form without clutching the bars, try lowering the incline or slowing down your pace.

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Here are the warning signs that you are overdoing it and probably have been for some time.

No one can squeeze more hours into a day, but we certainty try. Unfortunately, too many of us extend the hours of our day by cutting back on sleep. Here are the warning signs that you are overdoing it and probably have been for some time.

You Need an Alarm Clock to Wake Up

If you can’t wake up on time without electronic help, this is a sign that you’re sleep deprived. If you’re jolted out of a deep sleep every workday or feel the need to repeatedly hit the snooze button, you’re not getting enough sleep.

Impaired Decision Making

Chronic sleep deprivation impairs our ability to make minor decisions. The decisions could be as inconsequential as where to sit in a movie theater, what movie to see, or whether to take a window or an aisle seat on a flight.

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In the winter most people don’t want to go outside, especially to exercise. But when it gets cold and dark it’s even more important to get your body moving. The reason is simple: your psychology follows your physiology. And it turns out that exercise and overall fitness not only improves your health, but can change your mood.

Lots of people get depressed in the winter whereas they might ordinarily be happy throughout the rest of the year. They don’t like to be stuck in the house and it makes them anxious or depressed. So they slump their shoulders down, point their eyes to the ground, and tend to not move a lot. What’s really happening is that we are using our body to protect ourselves from the cold, but our physiology can put our psychology into a state of depression.

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