Some people decide to exercise for health, others to improve their physical appearance. Regardless of the reason, physical activity has multiple benefits for the human body, among which the following stand out: “Some benefits of physical activity for brain health occur immediately following a session of moderate or intense physical activity. These benefits include better thinking ability or cognitive ability among children ages 6 to 13 and fewer short-term feelings of anxiety among adults.
Performing physical activity is not limited to any space. Although many people believe that you can only exercise in a gym, this is not the case. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most common physical activities are “walk, ride a bike, pedaling, playing sports, participating in recreational activities and games; all of them can be done with any level of ability and for the enjoyment of all”.
The pectorals are a part of the body that, generally, are the men who train the most. Jordi Notario, coach of the DIR clubs (in Spain), told the Iberian newspaper The vanguard regarding the belief that some people have of chest training. “There is a belief that women cannot, or do not need, to train the pectoral because that influences the breasts, but the size or position of the breasts has to do with other variables, such as diet or the percentage of fat, and not with the development of the pectoral muscles”, explained the expert.
Likewise, he affirms that exercise in this part of the body is important because “the development of the chest will help us maintain muscle tone, as with men, managing to keep the breasts in place, through their structural function of support, and then other exercises prioritize the upper pectoral, which is the visible area (upper or clavicular) for women”, explained Notario.
The Men’sHealth web portal explains how to perform various exercises to tone your pecs.
1. Resistance band warm up
For this exercise, a resistance band must be used and it must be passed through a fixed support so that it works as a stop when stretching the arms. Then warm up with your back, facing the support, grab one end of the band and bring both arms together, applying pressure. It is important to lean forward at the hips and not round your back when warming up.
2. Dumbbells once morest the chest
Lie down on a bench. With a dumbbell in each hand, stretch your arms vertical to your chest, allowing the weights to touch. Then lower the dumbbells to your chest, dropping all of your weight.
3. Press inclined bench
Lie down on a bench with a 45 degree incline. Take a dumbbell in each hand. Stretch your arms out from your chest. Return to the starting position and repeat.
4. Weighted push-ups
Put a disc as a weight on your back (a sandbag or vest can also be used). Then, get into push-up position: bend your arms, lowering your body until your chest almost reaches the ground.
Personal care
In addition to physical activity, it is important to maintain a lifestyle that helps to have a healthy body. The National Institutes of Health of the United States (NIH, for its acronym in English) mention some recommendations that help to have a healthy body:
- Have a balanced diet.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water during the day.
- Move, exercise and physical activity.
- Sleep and rest for at least 6 to 8 hours.
- Moderate alcohol consumption.
- Avoid smoking and tobacco products.
- Occupy time in activities that contribute to the well-being of the body. Choose and try to create a favorite hobby individually or together with family or friends.
- Reduce salt.
- Limit the consumption of added sugars.
