By Jennifer Whyte Uncategorized

What Is the Difference between Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid?

When you’re in the market for an exfoliator, you may have trouble choosing between salicylic acid and glycolic acid. Both of these components are found in many skin care products, particularly skin tones, facial cleansers, and serums.

What does glycolic and salicylic acid do? They are skin exfoliators that help prevent acne and diminish the presence of acne on your skin once it’s there.

However, they are different from one another in some keyways, and we are going to talk about what they do and what sets them apart from one another.

There are certain advantages and disadvantages to using each one, and we will cover those for you so that you can make a more informed decision.

What Is the Difference between Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid?

Let’s look briefly at what glycolic acid and salicylic acid do, sharing their differences and similarities.

Glycolic acid comes from sugar cane naturally, but it can be man-made as well. Because the glycolic acid molecule is so tiny, it permeates the skin easily, being absorbed by your skin quickly. This acid molecule helps your skin to keep moisture in and then exfoliates by pushing off the dead skin cells that may be hanging around on your epidermis. This makes it easy for new skin cells to grow and flourish.

One of the benefits of this skincare component is that it helps keep out UV radiation. It can protect your skin from some of the harmful rays of the sun. It’s also really good for bringing inflammation down and treating acne breakouts by fighting against acne caused by bacteria.

As a de-ager and skin toner, it can help reduce the appearance of skin spots and hyperpigmentation. It could also brighten your skin, lightning it by evening out the skin tone. It helps to cover up the appearance of pores and make your skin firmer as well. You can have some idea then how nicely it works to de-age your skin.

There are some potentially negative side effects with using glycolic acid. If a product has high glycolic acid concentrations of above 10%, it may cause skin irritation. Even in small amounts, glycolic acid can increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight and sun damage.

Salicylic acid comes from wintergreen leaves and willow bark, but like glycolic acid, it can be manufactured artificially.

It’s a good exfoliator as well, and it helps to open up and cleanse your pores by reducing the production of sebum in the body and cutting down on excess sebum oil production. On top of that, salicylic acid fights microbes and inflammation. Like glycolic acid, salicylic acid is really good at treating acne and preventing it from forming.

There is potential for salicylic acid to cause an allergic reaction, but this is very rare.

When to Use Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid Together

There are times when you might want to use both of them together and experience their dual benefits. You can layer cleansing acids on your skin for a more powerful exfoliation treatment. They both work well for acne, so you can use products that contain these ingredients as part of your acne treatment routine.

You may want to use multiple products for more comprehensive treatment to both prevent the growth of new acne and reduce the appearance of existing acne.

How to use salicylic acid and glycolic acid together? You may want to use salicylic acid cleanser and then a toner with glycolic acid to treat skin that is shiny and oily.

You should only use them in tandem when it makes sense, and because they offer a lot of the same benefits, there may not always be much sense in combining products that contain these two components.

What Is the Difference between Glycolic and Salicylic Acid?

We’ve looked at some of the details of each of these two acids. However, you should understand when to use one or the other for their particular benefits.

In general, salicylic acid is best for skin that is oily or that is suffering from acne or spots. It’s really good at treating blackheads and dealing with hyperpigmentation. clear skin that suffers from these kinds of conditions is better treated with salicylic acid than glycolic acid. On the other hand, glycolic acid is a better choice for dry skin that may be dehydrated or in need of nourishment. It’s also better for combination skin.

This is really the key difference between these two acids. They both offer many of the same benefits, but they don’t work equally as well on the same kind of skin and the same skin problems.

How to Use Glycolic and Salicylic Acid in a Chemical Peel

You can use a chemical peel to get rid of the dead skin cells that are hanging out on your skin. You might not even realize they’re there because they could comprise most of your epidermal or outer layer of skin.

However, dead skin cells can make your skin look dry, dull, and lifeless. Once that outer layer of dead skin cells is peeled away using a chemical peel, your skin can appear brighter, shinier, and full of life.

If you use a chemical peel properly, you can give your skin a more even, natural tone and get rid of dead skin cells that keep new skin cells from growing like they should.

How to use glycolic acid and salicylic acid together in a chemical peel? You may want to use them separately for this process. Glycolic acid gets into your skin really fast, helping with exfoliation and ensuring that your skin stays really moist. Remember the glycolic acid molecules are super small, so they penetrate the skin fast and easy.

If you’re using a chemical peel treatment with salicylic acid, your skin can dry out. In other words, you may not want to use it if you already have dry skin. It can have the same effect or a similar effect on combination skin as well. The problem with using salicylic acid in a chemical peel is that it can get rid of too much of the sebum in your skin, which is actually used to make your skin shiny and naturally oily.

So, if you have a chemical peel with salicylic acid, it’s best to save that oily skin treatment. Those with dry or combination skin should stick with a chemical peel that contains glycolyl acid.

Treating Acne with Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid

There are benefits to using products with either one of these acids in them for treating acne. However, there is a clear winner here when it comes to choosing one acid over another for treating acne.

Salicylic acid fights acne by reducing the amount of sebum oil the skin produces. That’s really important in the fight against acne, as it not only reduces the presence of acne on the skin, making it less visible and severe, but it also prevents acne from even forming. That gives you a lot less work to do in handling acne outbreaks.

The sebum oil can block up your pores, making it easy for dirt and oil to get stuck there and then acne pustules to form. If you have too much sebum being produced by your skin, then you will likely suffer from bacterial growth that leads to acne outbreaks.

Remember that salicylic acid is used in exfoliators and skin cleansers, and these products can really help to treat acne and improve the health of your skin so that acne is less likely to flourish. These products can remove dead skin cells that block pores and reduce inflammation in the skin. They can also kill microbes through their antimicrobial properties.

Glycolic acid-based acne treatments can work as well, but someone who has acne will likely have oily skin, and like we said, glycolic acid is better saved for people who have combination or dry skin. Oily, acne prone skin can be treated best with a salicylic-based product to stop a lot of the acne issues at their source.

Keep in mind that bad acne is the result of underlying skin issues, and you will need treat them at the root to keep acne from forming and from spreading as easily. With the right product, you can get it under control, but using the wrong kind of acne treatment for your skin type can be unwise.

Closing Thoughts

It’s important to understand how different skin treatments will affect you. Whenever you are using a skincare product, be sure to follow the directions and recommendations listed on the packaging. Those can save you a lot of problems later on, advising you how to use the product and when it would be best to use something else.

Also make sure that you are using products that are ideal for your skin type. As you can see, these two acids have their pros and cons, and they also work with specific skin types.

Gua Sha in womans hands
By Jennifer Whyte Beauty, Skincare

How to Clean a Gua Sha

It’s important to make sure that you clean your skincare equipment regularly and thoroughly. If they’re not kept clean, bacteria from your skin and the surrounding environment can build up on skincare tools like gua sha equipment and cause an infection or other health problem.

You should clean gua sha tools carefully and frequently to keep yourself safe, avoiding unnecessary health risks. This is especially true if you use gua sha equipment on other people. Shared germs and bacteria can spread infection quickly and even cause minor health issues like skin irritation.

Maybe you do wipe down your gua sha paraphernalia after you use it, but what about the bacteria that’s hanging around in the environment? That can attach itself to your tools and spread to the skin of whoever is using them even after the tools have been cleaned.

Would you keep using the same bath towel again and again or share it between multiple people and not be concerned about contamination or dirtiness? With that thought in mind, let’s discuss how to clean gua sha tools.

Hand Washing Gua Sha Tools

The simplest and most practical method for how to clean a gua sha is to wash it by hand similarly to the way you would clean dishes or cosmetic tools. You can use liquid dish soap and a soft cloth (like a microfiber cloth) as your cleaning tools. Run warm water over your hands and add a little liquid dish soap onto your hands. Rub them together to make a lather and then wash the tools by hand, gently rubbing at them. Then you can rinse the tools off in warm water and dry them using your soft cloth.

This is a great preliminary method for basic cleaning, and it will deal with most of the germs and debris on the gua sha equipment. Just be cautious about how you handle your gua sha stones and other tools with soapy hands. They can slip out of your grip and fall, getting damaged in the process. Be aware of how you are handling your tools as you clean them so that there isn’t an unfortunate accident.

Soak the Tools for a Powerful Cleaning

It’s a good idea to clean your tools with a more thorough method than simply handwashing them. Soaking them in a cleaning solution is an excellent way to loosen oils, kill germs, and make the gua sha items easier to clean.

How to clean your gua sha by soaking it? You can create a bath of warm, soapy water. Don’t use hot water and don’t use a soap that is really strong and acidic. Try to avoid soap that contains lemon, lime, or orange to prevent damage to the delicate gua sha tools.

Warm, soapy water in a bowl is really all you need for this cleaning method, and liquid hand soap with antibacterial properties is ideal. That’s not the only thing that will work, though. You could also use facial cleansers, which some people prefer for cleaning their gua sha tools, since those tools are typically used on the face.

Scrub Gua Sha Tools Effectively

You might not be able to clean all for your gua sha tools by hand or by using a soaking method. Some of them have features like ridges, prongs, or curved edges that make them a little tricker to clean.

How to clean gua sha tool with these kinds of features? You can use a soft brush with soft bristles. A toothbrush is ideal, if you don’t want to buy a dedicated cleaning tool. Just gently work the brush between the ridges or prongs to loosen the debris and oil that could be trapped in there. This is an essential method for cleansing the tools and making them sanitary.

How to Clean Gua Sha Stone

Gua sha stones can be very porous and tough to clean. Some are made from rose quartz or jade and are very smooth, so they don’t retain bacteria and dirt very well, but the rougher, porous materials can be a bit tricker to clean.

Those may require a combination of cleaning techniques, like soaking, brushing, and wiping down.

How to clean rose quartz gua sha? The smooth surface of a rose quartz gua sha stone makes for easy cleaning. You can wipe it down with warm, soapy water and be able to clean it quite well this way. Be careful about using steam cleaners or ultrasonic cleaners on rose quartz, though. You might not even think to use something like that on a gua sha stone, but it needs to be said that they can damage the rose quartz stone.

How to Clean Wooden Gua Sha Tools

Semi-porous materials like wood are difficult to clean as well, and you want to be careful about letting these soak, as you can damage the wood. The best way to clean wooden tools is to wash them down and then oil them. If you don’t lubricate the wood properly after it has been washed, repeated washing will cause the wood to eventually crack.

If treated properly, though your wooden gua sha tools can last for many years.

Clean Daily

It’s wise to clean your gua sha tools every single day, or at least as often as you use them. How to wash a gua sha tool for routine cleaning? Just use the handwashing method listed first in this article. That should be gentle enough to not wear down the tools prematurely, and it does a good job of eliminating germs and keeping the tools sanitary.

It’s best to clean the tools right after using them. The longer they sit with oils and other particles on them, the more likely they are to become damaged over time or cause skin irritation when used. Cleaning them right away makes them easier to clean, and you will have to put more effort into cleaning tools that were left dirty for a while.

Sanitize the Tools

We have talked about how to wash gua sha tools in a few different ways, but you also want to take care to kill germs effectively. Normal washing methods might not be enough to sanitize the tools properly, and you can sanitize by spraying a little alcohol solution onto the tools. Any kind of disinfectant spray that includes alcohol will work, as long as it won’t cause skin irritation.

This kills germs that could be hiding out on the tools, destroying bacteria that won’t be handled with typical washing techniques. If alcohol residue on the tools causes skin irritation, just simply rinse off the tools and then dry them right before use.

How to Store Gua Sha Tools

Keeping your gua sha tools clean involves not just washing and disinfecting them, but you also need to be storing them properly so that they are kept safe from bacteria and irritants that could be in the environment. They can be stored in an airtight resealable plastic bag. This will help to keep the bacteria off of them after they have been cleaned.

They can also be stored in a dry area that has enough ventilation. The ventilation is important since it keeps mold and mildew off of your tools.

woman spraying curly hair
By linkliverpool73 Haircare, Beauty

How to Do an Invisible Part with Curly Hair

Invisible part weaves give you away to let people see your scalp but not allowing individual hair strands too stand out too much. The part may be visible, but the fact that you used a weave or hair extensions to create a part is not visible.

This can be a kind of deceptive term, calling it an invisible part when really the part is easy to see. If you put in an invisible part properly, the tracks and wefts won’t be visible. It looks then like the hair extensions you put in are coming from your scalp directly.

So, with this technique, you can use artificial hair and artificial lengthening methods and make it look natural. You’ve probably seen people with invisible parts and didn’t even realize they were using hair extensions or weaves.

You may want to try asking a professional for help the first time this is done and watch closely how they do it. It can be tricky to pull it off right, and you may be disappointed with the results the first time you try.

It can be a little trickier if your hair is curly, as straight hair is usually easier to part. People who try to do an invisible part with curly hair or do it themselves without getting any help the first time don’t always look very good.

I’ve seen some really awful ones in my time that have caused me to recommend people get help the first time they try it.

If you’re going to do an invisible part with curly hair for your weave, make sure you use the sew-in method or the glue-in one.

What is an Invisible Part

Invisible parts are done with weaves, and they give you a a weave part that looks really natural. They can fool people into thinking that the hair is growing straight from your scalp and that there’s no weave involved. It’s really cool once you can pull it off.

You have some freedom to try different hairstyles and mess with the colors, so if you want to try dyeing your hair a different color and not expose the uncolored roots, try this method. You can dye your hair more effectively, covering up the roots, and giving yourself a more natural look. You’ll want to get the invisible part just right, though, as people would be able to tell it’s not natural if you mess it up.

Making an Invisible Part Weave

You can give yourself a whole new hairstyle with this part, and you can use the quick sew-in weave method or glue-in method to do it.

If you’re going to do the sew-in method, leave the glue out and use a stocking cap. You’ll also need some gel to help mold your hair so that you have a flattened base to work from. If you want, you can use glued hair and put that on the inside of the stocking cap, sticking it there, before you place it on your head.

You may want to try this out on a mannequin head to see if you can get it to look right before you try it out on your own or on a friend’s head.

You’ll need scissors, comb and brush, glue, weave tracks, and a stocking cap.

Step 1:

Start by combing your hair out to untangle it and remove any knots that might be there.

Then, wash your hair thoroughly with shampoo and conditioner. Clean hair works best for this process. If the weave is staying in your hair for a few weeks, washing it is very important.

Step 2:

Then, spread holding gel through the hair, ensuring that it gets throughout the entire hair, even the ends.

From there, figure out where you want to make the part. It doesn’t have to be in the middle. Use the comb to make a part and then wrap it with gel. Push the hair down flat onto your scalp, making sure that nothing is sticking up.

Then, go through your entire hair and mold it so that it holds in place smoothly.

Step 3:

Now it’s time to dry your hair. You can use a hair dryer to get the excess moisture out of the gel. Drying it is important, as it keeps the tracks from getting through your stocking cap.

Step 4:

When your hair is fully dry, you can put on the stocking cap. Place the cap to create a shape for the back of your head, not to keep the part down.

You can fix the tracks in place at that point, applying bonding glue into your stocking cap. You don’t want to use a lot of glue, and a thin layer will be enough. Once the glue is in, you can put the end of the tracks in, working on the nape or back of your head to start with. Once the tracks are in, you want to press them down so that they stick.

Do this with all of the tracks, making sure you put pressure on them to keep them stuck in. Don’t cover the parting with the tracks at all, as you wanted to be visible.

Step 5:

Finally, you’ll be making the part. You can cut down some of the track from the row closest to the part and stick that in at the crown but make sure that the angle doesn’t put it in your face. Then, glue in the rest of the tracks or sew them in, depending on the method you’re using.

To create the closure, put some glue on a small stretch of track and then attach it to the stocking cap.

This should create a rolled piece that you can guide to make the closure part. From there, you can style it how you want.

And that is how to do an invisible part with curly hair.

man breaking through wall
By Jennifer Whyte Wellbeing, Emotional Wellbeing

How to Break Patterns – Relationship, Behavioural, Obsessive & More

Are there negative patterns in your life or in your thought processes that are bothering you? Maybe you’ve determined to stop thinking those negative thoughts and yet they keep coming back. How to break thought patterns so that they no longer have such a grip on you?

Let’s look at a few different types of bad mental patterns that can develop and give you some tips on how to conquer them.

How to Break Codependency Patterns

You may find yourself overly dependent on someone in your life. It’s a good thing to rely on others for help and strength from time to time, but you shouldn’t need their constant support in order to function on a basic level.

One of the best ways to break these kind of codependency patterns is to start doing some things for yourself. Try to go somewhere on your own, make a decision for yourself, finish a project without any help, or do whatever it is that you have trouble doing on your own. That sounds scary, right, but the trick is to start small.

If you feel that you need someone to be with you wherever you go, try walking a block or two on your own.

If you feel like you cannot complete a task or project on your own, start with something very small and manageable.

How to Break Obsessive Thought Patterns

Do you find yourself obsessing over someone or something? Obsessive thought patterns are hard to break because they are always with us. They are such a part of who we are that it becomes hard to believe that they would ever not be a part of us.

To break this kind of pattern, it can help to write down all of the triggers that cause the thoughts to start. Listing those triggers helps you to identify what could be the catalyst for those thoughts and then to take the next step of doing something about that.

You can also try calming techniques, like meditation, slow beathing, relaxing music, and going for a walk. Sometimes, our obsessive, intrusive thoughts are the result of an overactive mind. The mind can be too active because the body is not getting enough exercise. Try working out a little each day and see if that doesn’t help to exhaust you a bit more and keep your mind from being overactive. This can reduce manic energy that often leads to agitated, erratic, and obsessive thoughts.

How to Break Toxic Relationship Patterns

Do you find yourself in one relationship after another where the other person is toxic to you? Maybe you are both toxic to each other, but whatever the case may be, the relationship is unhealthy. How do you break that pattern of getting yourself into toxic relationships?

It starts by being careful about getting into a relationship in the first place. Look for any red flags early on and then do not ignore them.

Make a list of your past toxic relationships and write down any red flags that you noticed early on and then disregarded. It’s human to jump into a relationship too quickly and ignore warning signs just because we are lonely or emotionally vulnerable.

Determine to take your time the next time a relationship opportunity presents itself. As you see a relationship starting, begin listing the pros and cons of being with that person so that you can logically and pragmatically weigh them against one another and determine if that person is right for you.

How to Break Out of Negative Thought Patterns

What causes us to experience a constant flow of negative thoughts? It may seem like sometimes you just start on a negative thought and you cannot stop yourself. Your thoughts cascade down further and further into a place where you don’t want them to be and you end up dwelling on awful, negative things as a result.

To break that, you need to condition yourself to think positive, good thoughts. Look for influences in your life that cause the negative thoughts to permeate your mind. One of the biggest culprits is the news. Most of it is bad news, so you need to try to cut that out as much as possible, limiting your exposure to it. One of the other biggest triggers of negative thoughts is social media. Cut back on that or take a break from it and see if that helps.

What you put into your mind is what will fuel your thoughts. Take account of everything that you let get into your head, every influence around you, and then identify the negative ones so you can start filtering them out and cutting them down. Replace them with positive influences to break those negative thought patterns.

How to Break Patterns of Behavior

When you find yourself doing the same things over and over again that you wish you would not do, you can deal with that by using the replacement principle. You take a negative action and replace it with a positive one.

So, the times you would normally be spending wasting your day on social media, for example, you can replace that with time spent reading a book or going for a walk.

This replacement method is a great place to start, but you may also need a change of environment. Changing where you live, who you hang out with, and how you spend your free time will help to change your behaviors. It does take time to change our habits and the way we behave, so be patient. It’s not enough to determine to change; most people will need some stimulus that will help to spur those behavioral changes.

How to break bad patterns in the way you behave? Try looking at informative material that dives deep into the consequences of those actions. Keep reminding yourself of the end result of that behavior, perhaps by placing notes around your workstation or in your home. This can be the stimulus you need to change the behavior.

How to Break Self Destructive Patterns

Finally, let’s look at how to change the behavior that is harmful to yourself. Some people will tell you that you need to just build up your self-worth to change that destructive behavior but it is not always caused by low self-esteem. It is often caused by boredom and thinking too much about ourselves. To change that, try making it a habit to do something for other people.

You can spend time helping out at homeless shelters or making food for the disadvantaged. You can spend time helping out family members, perhaps cutting their grass or doing housework for them.

As you start to do things for other people, you will see your worth in their lives and you won’t be as prone to the boredom and self-loathing that leads to self-destructive behavior.

These are just a few little tips you can try and some changes you can make. There are many more ways you can break these harmful patterns, but I hope this information gives you a good place to start from to make a change in your life.

How to do the perfect plie squat
By Ellis Francis How to Guides, Fitness ,

How to Do Plie Squats the Right Way

What Is a Plie Squat?

There are multiple different types of squats, from Sumo squat, Bulgarian squat and many more and I want to share with you here how to do a plie squat.

This is a strengthening exercise that works your calves, legs, and glutes, and it will also help give you more flexibility in your hip area. You’ll enjoy a greater range of motion in your lower body by doing this particular type of squat.

It’s known by some other names, also called the sumo squat, and it targets the inner thighs in particular, as well as your glutes and your hamstrings.

This squat originally came from the Plie ballet position, and it uses a similar form and motion where your back needs to stay straight while you do it and your knees are bent. It’s always a wide stance squat with your toes turned out from the rest of your body.

How to Do a Plie Squat – The Right Way

Now, I want to share with you how to do plie squats. Doing it the correct way ensures that you get all the benefits and don’t injure yourself.

Start by standing with your feet wide apart. You want them a little wider than your shoulders. Point your toes out at about a 45-degree angle and then bend your knees. As you bend, you want to lower your torso and make sure that your abs are kept tight. Your back should be kept straight the entire time you’re doing this exercise.

You’ll enjoy a greater range of motion in your lower body by doing this particular type of squat.

You should continue to bend down until your thighs are almost parallel with the floor. Then, squeeze your glutes and return to the starting position

plie squat correct

You can also add weights to the plie squats to work the upper body a little bit and gain some extra muscles. This method for how to do plie squats keeps things simple and easy, but there are ways to modify it and make it more challenging for yourself.

You can also try pulsing at the bottom of these squats for about 15 seconds, which is a quick up and down movement that doesn’t put you fully back up to the standing position.

You can also increase the speed and intensity of these squats to make them more powerful for you.

Why Do Plie Squats

The advantage of doing this kind of squat over some of the other ones is that they target specific muscles, particularly your inner thighs and glutes.

If you’re looking to get strong, toned legs or a shapely, taut bottom, then plie squats are an excellent exercise to use. They also work your hamstrings and your quads, so they help you to build strong legs for quick, nimble movement.

What are the Benefits of Doing the Plie Squat

  • Improved range of motion
  • Stronger inner thighs
  • Strengthens the abductor muscle

You’ll improve your range of motion and be able to do more without feeling sore or stretched.

Plie squats put a lot of focus on the inner thighs and adductor muscle, which are not worked by a lot of other kinds of exercises.

If you’re looking to tone up these parts of the body, plie squats are one of the best ways to do that. You can get great-looking thighs that are lean and strong, especially when you pair plie squats as part of a regular exercise regimen with a healthy diet.

What Muscles do Plie Squats Work

Plie Squats open up your hips and put you in a little bit of a different stance than regualr squats do. You’ll be able to stretch muscles that may not normally get stretched, so be careful about going too fast and hard with these at first.

But if you want to work some of your underworked muscles and get a great-looking, toned lower body all around, then you’ll need to do exercises like these.

You will probably start to feel a burn in the inner thigh when you do these exercises, and that’s a good thing. It means your muscles are being worked, and they’re going to strengthen.

If you want to build muscle there, you’ll need to couple these squats with a protein-rich diet. Protein is essential for building muscles.

protien

Any kind of exercise that strengthens your glutes is going to tone and shape your buttocks. Plie squats are great for doing that, and they’re working the largest muscle in the body.

You will benefit more from this exercise than just getting a great-looking tush. You’ll also boost your overall athletic capabilities, enabling you to run faster, jump higher, and do more.

You’ll also make it easier to do just about any kind of workout because of how useful and well utilized the gluteus maximus muscle is.

Do You Need Gym Equipment for a Plie Squat

You don’t need any gym equipment, and you don’t even need much space. They can be done in the comfort of your own home, and you don’t even need to change into gym clothes to pull them off.

It’s a good exercise that can be done anywhere, even when you’re traveling or taking a break at work. The accessibility, convenience, and ease of these exercises make them a great anywhere workout you can fit into your day whenever you want to burn a few calories or make progress towards your fitness goals.

They’re also excellent at improving your stability and your balance. That’s not terribly surprising since the plie squats come from ballet movements. The stance required for this exercise means you’re having to focus on your balance a little bit.

You’ll put your body in positions it’s not used to in order to pull off this kind of squat, so that’s going to benefit your balance and stability, even when you’re not in that particular pose.

You’ll improve core stability and lower body stability as well. Keep at these exercises, and you’ll see all kinds of benefits.

However if you enjoy doing a plie squat and you’re just looking for ways to make your favourite squat harder, add a barbell weight and keep increasing over time. This will help to build additional muscle.

plie squat with weights

Should Plie Squats Be a Warmup

Any good exercise regimen has warm up exercises to help limber up your muscles and prevent muscle soreness following the workout. Where should you incorporate plie squats into your workout routine? Can you use them as your warmup exercise?

I wouldn’t recommend starting your workout routine with this kind of squat. That’s because you tend to bend pretty far for plie squats, and you’re putting a lot of force on your thighs when you do this exercise.

I would suggest instead starting with a more traditional stretch, particularly to stretch out your lower body before you move on to these squats. They are a great secondary exercise or something you might open up your workout routine with after you’ve done your warm-up stretches.

You’ll improve core stability and lower body stability as well. Keep at these exercises, and you’ll see all kinds of benefits.

From there, you can move on to the plie squats and then go on to something more intense. Because they’re not too intense and the speed can be pretty relaxed, there are good exercise to put near the beginning of your workout or near the end to help your body wind down.

You can do about 10 squats for a single set, take a break, and move onto additional sets. Try to get in about three sets two or three times a week in order to see good results.

Once you’re comfortable doing the regular plie squats, you can add weights to them or make them more intense or even do the pulsing movement for some of them. This way, you’ll get even better results from your workouts.

How to Get Rid of Under the Skin Pimples Overnight
By Jennifer Whyte Skincare, Beauty ,

How to Get Rid of Under the Skin Pimples Overnight

Acne is the blight of teenagers everywhere, and it’s not just teenagers. Acne can form at almost any age after puberty, but it’s not always visible on the outside of the skin.

Sometimes, acne forms underneath the skin, creating what are known as blind pimples or under the skin pimples. These little cysts nodules will feel like a small bump under the skin.

If you frequently have acne and notice a bump underneath your outer layer of skin where acne tends to form, it’s possible that you have a blind pimple.

Should you squeeze spots

It’s a kind of acne that’s tough to get rid of, but I’ll show you how to get rid of under the skin pimples overnight. Using some of the following treatments, this acne can disappear quickly, and in many cases, it can be gone by the next day.

It may also be greatly reduced by the time you wake up, if you are following a proper skin care routine, like what I’m going to lay out below for you.

Should You Squeeze Spots

How to get rid of hard pimples under the skin? As with any kind of pimple, you want to avoid touching it at all. You can put oils on the pimple, making it worse and irritating the skin around it. You should also avoid squeezing or poking it.

Trying to squeeze a pimple down can get rid of the pus, but can also irritate and inflame the skin, making the pimple come back worse, leaving behind a scar, or creating other skin problems.

One of the best things you can do to care for your pimple is to simply leave it alone.

Whether it’s above the skin or under the skin, keeping your hands away from the pimple and not bothering it will allow it to go away naturally.

Do Antibiotics Help with Spots and Acne

I told you one of the best methods so far for how to get rid of pimples under the skin is to not touch them. However, you can help make sure the pimple goes away faster by treating it properly.

Before you apply any lotion, cream, or other treatment to pimples and skin where pimples form, you should wash your hands thoroughly and dry them completely. This gets rid of dirt, debris, and oils on your hands and fingers that could cause irritation or creating new pimples.

There may be bacteria that’s causing the blind pimple or making it worse, and using a topical antibiotic can treat the bacteria problem at the source.

This reduces inflammation and helps to get rid of the problem of recurring blind pimples.

You can use a topical antibiotic on not just a pimple but also in the surrounding area.

This helps treat that area and prevent further flare ups.

Which topical antibiotics should you use if you’re looking for how to get rid of painful pimples under the skin? Erythromycin and clindamycin are common topical antibiotics that are both gels that need to be applied twice a day.

Anyone with sensitive skin may want to only use them once and then monitor their skin’s reaction to the treatment. If there’s no problem, you can move to use the gel twice a day.

You should also use the topical antibiotic in conjunction with specific acne treatment. Benzoyl peroxide helps to rid your body of whatever is nourishing it. It dries it out as the antibiotic kills the bacteria reduces inflammation.

These work together as effective partners in ridding your body of blind pimples.

Does a Warm Compress Reduce Pimples

Applying heat to pimples can be an effective way to get rid of them quickly. If you’re looking for how to get rid of under the skin pimples fast, you can use heat, but you want to use the right kind.

A warm compress is the preferred heat treatment for pimples.

A warm compress can be used when there’s a whitehead forming, and they can help to get rid of the pain that acne causes. They are very effective at helping acne to heal, as they release puss and reduce soreness.

How to get rid of pimples that are under the skin by using a warm compress? Use the compress for about 10 to 15 minutes each day, applying it three to four times every day. This will make a huge impact on your activity, and if you can fit in all those warm compress sessions in one day, you should see a big difference overnight and how it looks and feels.

If you own a warm compress, you can heat it up in the microwave to make it warm enough to use. However, you don’t have to buy a compress. You can use things you already have at home, like a clean washcloth soaked in hot water.

Check the temperature of the water to make sure it’s not too hot for your skin. Then, apply the wet, hot towel to the affected area directly. Make sure it’s not dripping wet and ring it out some before you use it.

How Does Tea Tree Oil Help Pimples

How to get rid of big under the skin pimples using natural treatment methods? I’ve given you a few already, but I want to share with you another one that works very well.

Tea tree oil uses natural components to treat acne, but you should be aware that it’s dangerous when ingested. This is a topical treatment only. If you’re using it correctly, it can be applied every day with no risks.

tea tree benefits

It’s a good option if you’re looking for something different from the over-the-counter drugs and man-made treatment methods. Tea tree oil products that contain tea tree oil should be available in most pharmacies.

So, how to get rid of big pimples under the skin using tea tree oil?  Make sure you’re using a product that contains at least 5% tea tree oil. Use it twice every day until you don’t notice the pimple anymore. It works well on surface pimples as well as blind pimples.

Make sure you’re not using pure tea tree oil. That can be too potent. You should dilute one part tea tree oil with one part of some other carrier oil like jojoba, olive oil, coconut.

Allow the tea tree oil mixture to stay on the skin overnight, and then rinse your skin in the morning.

Under the Skin Pimples – How to Get Rid of Them Fast

For any treatment of pimples and how to get rid of painful under the skin pimples, you need to have a good face cleansing routine. You should wash your face gently but thoroughly every evening before you go to bed and first thing in the morning.

Washing your face before you go to bed cleanses olive oil and dirt off your skin and ensures that your pillow stays nice and clean while you sleep. If you don’t cleanse your face before bed then, you can push dirt and oil up against your pores, blocking them.

Washing your face in the morning helps to get rid of any accumulated oil, sweat, and other debris on your face that could block your pores and cause morning acne.

Woman Having a Hard Time Doing Planking
By Ellis Francis Exercise, Fitness

Why Are Planks So Hard & Are they Worth the Pain

It seems like planks are everywhere these days, finding their way into everybody’s workouts. Every time I look up a new workout regimen, I expect to see planks.

They’re ubiquitous at this point, but for some people, they’re not the easy exercise they are for others.

Some people wouldn’t even consider planks to be an exercise, thinking of them as more of a stretch, a warmup or cool down activity. If you are wondering why are planks so hard, you’re not alone.

A lot of people struggle with this exercise, and I want to dive into why that may be.

Planks are considered easy according to most exercise programs and fitness professionals. They are supposed to be like an introductory exercise or something that’s fit for beginners and people who aren’t necessarily physically fit.

If you’re struggling with planks, though, there could be a good reason why.

What Makes Planking So Hard?

Why are planks so hard for me? A plank is a holding pose. It’s usually an exercise you do on the ground, holding yourself up with your arms and feet. Depending on the position you’re in, a plank can require a decent amount of strength.

A lot of that strength is going to come from your shoulders and chest.

So, if these parts of your body are weak and underdeveloped, you’re going to have some difficulty holding the plank position.

If you’re struggling with planks, building up your upper body strength will help a lot. You may want to start with an easy version of planks to do that, called wall planks.

For this plank, you stand about an arms-length away from the wall and then lean forward, pressing your hands against the wall. In this position, your weight should be on your palms and your feet.

As you lean towards the wall, bend your elbows outward. Hold that position for a few seconds, and then push yourself back to the standing position.

This is a low intensity push up or planking exercise that can be substituted for the more strenuous versions. It’s a great way to build up your arm and shoulder strength. You can also use resistance bands to help build up those areas of the body.

Doing arm stretches while using resistance bands can help to strengthen your shoulders and forearms, giving you the strength you need to pull off planks easily.

plank variations

Low Endurance Levels

Another reason why planks are so hard for some people is because they have very little endurance.

You might wonder how much endurance is really needed for something that’s only supposed to last for 10 or 20 seconds. However, for some people, that’s a long time to hold an exercise position and stay in the plank.

There are a number of reasons why you may have low endurance, and it could just be down to your age, or it could be due to underlying health conditions.

Some of these things aren’t necessarily something you can change, but there are some changes you can make that will help build up endurance.

Doing exercises like running or swimming that require you to work out for a long time can help. If these are too strenuous for you, you can work your way up to them by starting with walking.

You may also have low lung capacity. One of the more common reasons why that could be is because of a smoking habit. If you quit smoking, over time, your lung capacity will improve.

This won’t happen right away, though, but you’ll be on the road to recovery and be able to do planks more easily.

People who smoke frequently tend to have very poor endurance levels due to their low lung capacity.

Poor endurance could also come down to a poor sleep schedule or inadequate nutrition. In both of these cases, the problem is low energy. Nutritious food gives you the energy you need for your day, ensuring you get the vitamins and minerals your body requires for proper functioning.

Getting enough rest and staying on a regular sleep schedule normalizes your energy levels and keeps you from being tired all the time.

A Weak Core Can Make Planking Harder

“If you’re asking why are side planks so hard for me?” you should consider the muscles that are involved in this exercise. Of course, your feet, shoulders, and arms, are all engaged when you do planks. These are the parts of your body that are supporting you and keeping the rest of your body off the ground.

You’re also using your core, though. Your abdominal muscles are engaged when you perform a plank. If your core muscles are not very strong, it’s going to be tough to hold that plank for long. That limits your ability to support the middle of your body when you plank.

This means that your hips are going to sag as you try to make up for weak abdominal muscles. This gives you a poor form and puts a lot of pressure on your back. That’s not good for your back health, especially if you already have a bad back.

To help with your muscle weakness, you can do crunches, elevated planks, or the standing core press. All of these help to build up your abdominal muscles and strengthen your core. You need to have a balanced program that prepares your body for plank holds.

Elevated planks are a good place to start. They don’t require as much of your core, but they do strengthen your core. The angle you’re doing the planks at is much easier than the horizontal angle required for floor planks.

Once you can do those successfully, you may be able to transition down to the floor planks.

Why Are Planks So Hard – Powerlifting Tips

As you’re trying to build up your strength to do planks, you may want to do some weightlifting. Cardio exercises aren’t really where it’s at for strengthening your body for planks.

Cardio helps you become more athletic and it can definitely help you with your endurance, but as far as developing strength for holding that plank and strength for your arms and abs, powerlifting is what you want to go for.

powerlifting

If planks are hard for you, then powerlifting maybe a good way to ease into the planks. As with all the exercises I’ve recommended so far for this article, I suggest you start off easy.

Use weights that are small enough for you to handle but heavy enough that you’re going to make some gains. As you powerlift, you’ll build up strength in your upper arms and chest, and these are core muscle groups used in planks.

Weightlifting can help you identify some of your weak areas, if you feel pain in your chest after weightlifting or stretching in that area, that means it’s an area that needs some improvement.

If your arms are sore after weightlifting, this tells you that you could benefit from muscle development there.

I suggest alternating weightlifting and cardio from day to day. This way, you’re not exhausting yourself too much and wearing your muscles out. If you do one kind of exercise repeatedly for about five days in a row or so for the week, that can cause a lot of muscle soreness.

It can take you a long time to recover, and you may feel like you never fully recover from your workouts. This is why I suggest alternating days and changing up your exercise routine every so often.

Try doing cardio one day and then weightlifting the next day, and pretty soon you’ll be planking like a pro.

Still Hungry After Eating
By Ellis Francis Cooking Guides, Nutrition , ,

Why Am I Still Hungry After Eating – Eat More or Go Hungry?

Do you ever finish a meal and then maybe half an hour later feel hungry again? Perhaps this is a recurring problem for you, where you feel hungry after having a meal.

Hunger is your body’s way of telling you that you didn’t get enough food. So, why am I still hungry after eating? I want to discuss some of the reasons why you may still be hungry after a meal and why your food isn’t always as filling as it ought to be.

If you’re Still Hungry After Eating, Have you Eaten Enough?

The simplest and most obvious reason is because you’re not eating enough. If you’re starting a diet and trying to cut back on food, you may not be eating as much food as your stomach expects.

You may want to eat less food, but your stomach might not be prepared for that yet.

It could take a while to get your portion sizes down to where your stomach agrees that you had enough food.

If the hunger pangs are severe, you may want to consider having a bit more food, particularly focusing on foods that are healthy and that won’t add to your waistline. You may also want to drink some more water with your meal, as water can help you feel full.

food serving

You do want to be careful about your dieting habits. If you’re constantly starving yourself, you can lose not just fat but muscle tissue as well. You may also be constantly fatigued, irritable, and malnourished.

If you’re not eating enough, you may end up focusing on foods that are not healthy for you and eating too much of them, without saving space for foods that are good for you.

The answer to the question of, “Why am I still hungry after eating a meal?” can come down to something as simple as the fact that you need to eat more food. Don’t skimp if your body says you are starving.

Are you Getting the Right Nutrients in your Meals

Have you ever eaten a few different snacks and yet still felt hungry? That could be because the snacks don’t contain anything of nutritional value. If you’re just eating what’s known as “food fluff”, your hunger won’t be sated. It’s going to take a lot of food to fill you up if you’re just eating salt, sugar, and other unhealthy foods.

The makeup of your meal determines how filling it is. Some foods are a whole lot more filling than others, particularly those with protein, fiber, and carbohydrates.

Why am I still hungry after eating vegetables? It’s likely that you’re not getting enough protein and carbs to go with them. Vegetables are healthy for you, but they’re not very filling, unless we’re talking about starchy vegetables like potatoes.

macronutrientsProtein can be somewhat filling, but not as filling as carbs and fiber tend to be. Why am I still hungry after eating protein? You may need to complement it with some carbohydrates and fiber for a more complete and filling meal.

You might find yourself feeling hungry frequently if you’re not getting enough fiber.

Fiber takes longer to digest than other types of food, so it leaves you feeling full for longer. If you want to minimize hunger pains, eat something that’s high in fiber.

Eating too Quickly Can Leave you Feeling Hungry after a Meal

Why am I still hungry after eating a lot? Sometimes it’s not how much you eat but the way you eat that makes you feel full. Do you sometimes scarf your food down, gobbling it up in seconds instead of minutes? You may be wondering if eating too quickly has an effect on how full you feel.

Being mindful of what you eat and not being distracted while you eat can help you to feel fuller. It makes you more aware of the way your body is feeling and allows you to pay attention to your internal receptors.

Two people can eat the same amount of food, but if one person is distracted and wolfs their food down and the other person takes their time to slowly eat, they might not both feel as full. That’s the kind of effect paying attention to your food can have.

Why am I still hungry after eating so much? If you slow down and focus on what you’re eating, you might not feel hungry so often. You’re less likely to feel hungry shortly after you eat, particularly if you remove distractions.

So, eating your food without having a screen in front of you or scrolling through your phone or even talking to someone can all help you to feel more full by the time you’re done eating. This can allow you to pay attention to the way your body is feeling, and you will probably enjoy your food more.

Are you Working Out Too Much and Not Eating Enough

Why am I still hungry after eating pasta and other carbs? These are foods that are supposed to be filling, but you might not be getting enough if you live an active lifestyle. If you work out a lot, you’re using a lot of energy. You need to constantly restore that energy by eating.

The trap many people fall into when they try to get fit or lose weight is that they exercise a lot and diet a lot. Those can both be very effective for helping you get into shape and get rid of fatty weight, but doing them to such a degree that you’re starving yourself is not very healthy.

food and exercise

You’re not going to get the fit, athletic form you may be wanting if you’re not consuming enough fiber, protein, and carbohydrates. You may end up starving yourself and destroying your muscles, as your body tries to pull nutrients from somewhere.

That’s why it’s so important to have a balance between exercise and dieting. If you’re doing both to an extreme, you can starve yourself. You may end up feeling hungry all the time, even though you’re eating the same amount of food you used to.

Consider how much you’re working out and how many calories you’re burning. Compare that to how many calories you’re consuming.

If you up your physical activity levels and lower your calorie consumption, you are going to feel hungry.

If you end up feeling hungry all the time, you’ll probably want to quit your diet and exercise routine after a while.

Could it be a Medical Issue

If you’ve considered the possibilities that I listed earlier and nothing seems to fit, there may be an underlying health issue that needs to be addressed. It’s not a bad idea to talk to your doctor if you constantly feel hungry and there doesn’t seem to be any reasonable explanation for it. Your doctor may be able to recommend medication or other treatment that can help, as well as changes to your diet that can benefit you too.

There are so many reasons why you might still feel hungry after eating a lot of food. I hope this article helps you to get a better idea of why you may be feeling hungry and finally be able to tackle this issue.

jump rope for exercise
By Ellis Francis How to Guides, Fitness ,

How to Jump Rope for Exercise

The jump rope is one of the best cardio exercises you can do, as it boosts your endurance, heart strength, and circulation. It’s not an exercise that everybody can do easily, though.

If you’re looking to use the jump rope to burn calories, get in shape, improve your lower body strength, or boost flexibility and stability, you may want to know how to get better at jump rope.

If this is an exercise that you struggle to do, you might have come here looking for some tips on how to improve your form and how to make the jump rope easier to use.

I want to share with you some tips on strengthening your body and perfecting your form so that the jump rope isn’t quite as challenging for you.

There are some common mistakes that people make while jumping rope as well, and we’re going to get into those, so you don’t have to make the same ones.

Things to Avoid When Jump Roping

Let’s start first with those common missteps. The biggest one is probably landing too hard on your feet.

If you land with a lot of force on the flat of your feet when jumping rope, you’re putting stress on your ankles and feet, and you could be damaging your knees.

Jumping rope with poor posture and poor form can cause micro fractures. You can cause severe damage to your lower body by the way you land, which is why jumping exercises like the jump rope are something you have to be really careful with. You can’t just do them any way you want.

When you land each time you jump with the rope, you want to land softly. If you land loudly and put a lot of pressure on your knees, you’re going to hurt yourself, especially over the long run.

Even people with knee problems, arthritis, and other lower body issues can use the jump rope. They just have to make sure they’re using it properly.

Landing hard on your feet can be painful and make it very difficult to use the jump rope for extended periods of time.

You also want to be careful about jumping too high. When jumping rope, you are not trying to jump as high as possible.

You need to pace yourself, because jumping too high when you wear yourself out quickly. You won’t get the full benefit of jumping rope if you’re trying to jump as high as possible for each jump.

You only need to jump high enough to get over the rope as it passes under you. This should just be a few inches off the ground, so even if you don’t have much of a vertical jump, you can still use the jump rope for exercise.

What Muscles Does Jump Rope Work?

If jumping rope is proving difficult for you, you can work on some of those muscle groups that you use for it. Let’s consider the muscles used to jump rope- calves, quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings.

If you build those up, jumping rope will become much easier. You will be able to jump quickly and lightly with strong lower body muscles.

Any exercises that help to build up these leg muscles will improve your jumping rope sessions. You’ll be able to jump rope for longer without feeling exhausted and sore.

You’ll also be able to jump quickly over the rope without hesitation, keeping up a continuous jumping rope rhythm for long periods of time.

Stopping and starting the exercise means that you’re not getting as many benefits as you could compared to if you were able to keep up in regular rhythm for a long period of time. So, if you’re building up these lower body muscles, you need to be consistent and maximize your workout benefits.

You can do leg presses to build up those muscles, as well as running, swimming, and squats. These are some of the best ways to strengthen those leg muscles and develop them for improved jump rope sessions.

If you’re really struggling to do jump rope, I suggest working some leg exercises and lower body exercises into your regular workout routine.

Squats are probably the best lower body exercise to target all those muscles that are used in jumping rope. If you want to boost your jump rope performance very quickly, then you’ll need to challenge yourself with squats.

This will mean doing squats more quickly or for longer periods of time, or it can mean adding weights to your squats.

Using a weighted vest, ankle weights, or dumbbells with your squats can make them far more effective.

Another way to boost the effectiveness of squats is to do box jump squats. This is an intense exercise that works your body with a jumping motion similar to jumping rope, but you will be jumping much higher and farther than what’s required for jumping rope. It builds up all those same muscles. This may be a good way for you to work your way up to jumping rope.

Why I suggest the box jump squats is because you don’t have to keep a rhythm. You can rest between each jump, and you will build up the muscles necessary for jumping rope.

How to Get Better at Jumping Rope

Use Music to Keep a Rythm

Another way to help with your jumping jacks is to develop a proper rhythm. Some people struggle with their jump rope, and what might help is to play some music with a fast tempo when you jump.

This prepares your body for those jumps, increasing heart rate and blood flow through the speed of the music. It’s a known fact that listening to fast music increases your heart rate and the rhythms of your body.

It makes sense, then, that with the right kind of music, you can build up a rhythm that would be helpful for jumping rope.

Try playing some fast music next time you’re jumping rope, if you’re struggling with keeping up a steady rhythm.

See if it makes a difference at all, as this little tip has helped many people improve their jump rope performance and keep a steady rhythm for their exercise session.

Stretch before You Jump

I want to leave you with one last bit of advice that can really make a difference in your jumping rope exercises. That would be to spend time stretching out before you start jumping rope.

This prepares your body for the motions you go through, helping get rid of tension and stretching out your muscles so they are less likely to become injured.

It’s really vital that you warm up before you do a high intensity exercise like jumping rope. If you don’t, you may have to quit early because you don’t feel very good.

You may also take longer to recover from the workout due to muscle soreness.

Stretching also gets your body ready for exercise. It gets the blood flowing and the heart pumping so that your body is prepared for what’s to come in.

That way, you are not shocking your body by going from a state of almost no activity into the high intensity requirements of jumping rope.

If you ease into this exercise by warming up your muscles first, you hurt your body less and will be at less risk of injury.

You don’t have to give up on jumping rope just because it’s proving difficult for you. If you follow the tips I’ve given you, you should have a lot less trouble jumping rope.

It may take a little while to build up your body to get it to a state where it can handle jumping rope, but you’ll get there in time.

Sit and Reach
By Ellis Francis How to Guides, Fitness , ,

How to Improve Sit and Reach

The sit and reach stretch is a great warmup or cooldown exercise that can help you to release tension in your muscles, limber up your arms and legs, and reduce muscle recovery time after a workout.

Doing this exercise properly can offer you great benefits in your flexibility and your ability to do a variety of exercises.

Do you struggle with some exercises that require you to reach far, bend over, or stretch? If you know how to improve sit and reach, then you can stretch farther and do exercises more easily.

The sit and reach test tells you a lot about your flexibility and how easily you may be able to stretch your body.

This isn’t just a warmup exercise. It’s also a way for you to test your limits and find out what you’re capable of. If you haven’t exercised in a while, doing the sit and reach test will help you assess where you are at.

I’ll show you how to improve sit and reach test so that you can stretch farther and so you know for sure that you’re doing the test properly.

This will help you to avoid trying exercises that you aren’t ready for. A lot of people injure themselves when they first get back into exercising and when they haven’t exercised for a while before then. They think that they’re capable of more than they really are, and they end up injuring themselves by stretching too far, bending too much, or just overexerting themselves.

While the sit and reach test will limber you up and stretch out your muscle so that they’re less likely to be injured, it also shows you where your limits are and helps you prepare for the workout ahead.

How to Do the Sit and Reach Test

In order to know how to improve your sit and reach test, you should know how to do the basic test first. This test can help measure your hamstring flexibility, as well as the flexibility of your glutes and lower back.

To do it, sit down on the floor and extend your legs in front of you. You want your feet to rest against the edge of what is called a sit and reach box. This box has measurements marked off on it to show you how far you’re reaching. This box is not absolutely required for the test.

You can test your flexibility without the box, but you won’t know exactly how long your reach is without it.

Your arm should be extended in front of you, and you’ll need to bend forward from the waist and push the tab that’s on the top of the box forward as far as you can.

How to Improve on Your Sit and Reach?

If you want to score better on the sit and reach test, then you should undergo a flexibility program. This should be a workout program that’s not necessarily high intensity but that stretches out and works the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles.

The reason you may not be scoring very well on the test is because these muscles might not be getting worked very much. If they’re not stretching on a regular basis, then they probably won’t be able to stretch far enough for you to get a decent score on the test.

How to improve sit and reach test score? You’ll need to do some flexibility exercises.

Toe Touches

I think toe touches are a good place to start. For this exercise, you need to stand with your feet either directly side by side or with a little space between your feet (not a full shoulder’s length). From that position, bend at the waist with your arms extended and try to reach your toes with your fingertips extended straight out.

You may not be able to reach all the way to your toes at first. Reach as far as you can and try to push yourself just a little further. Don’t push too hard, but rather gently stretch toward your toes.

Then return back to the starting position and repeat the move a few times. After a while, your flexibility should improve and you should be able to reach farther until eventually you reach your toes.

toe touches

Seated Hamstring Stretches

This is another fairly simple exercise that is a great method for how to improve flexibility for sit and reach test. It targets your glute muscles and hamstrings in particular. You can make this a part of your regular exercise routine to help build up those muscles.

To do this stretching exercise, you want to start by sitting on the floor with your legs extended in front of you fully. Then, pull your toes upwards in the direction of your shins as you flex your ankles. Keep your knees straight and bend forward from the waist, stretching your hands in the direction of your feet.

This works both of your hamstrings at once, but you can target each hamstring on its own. You can do what are called single leg seated hamstring stretches. For this stretch, you’ll keep one leg extended straight and then bend the knee for the other leg.

Your bent foot should be tucked just inside of the thigh of the outstretched leg. As you do this stretch, make sure your shoulders are kept square in relation to the extended leg’s foot as you bend forward. Once you do one side, switch the legs and do the other side.

Banded Hamstring Stretches

Are you looking for how to improve sit and reach in under 24 hours? You may need to increase the intensity of your stretches.

To do that, we want to bring in resistance bands. These make you exert yourself more, and doing hamstring stretches with resistance bands is a great method for how to improve sit and reach fast.

This gives you a pretty intense stretch for your hamstrings and your glutes, and you can use either a rope or resistance band. You’re going for an increase in tension with this exercise.

To do this stretch, you want to start by lying on your back and extend a single leg out across the floor straight forward. Then, place the band in a loop around your other foot and extend that leg upward, pointing it at the ceiling.

With your hands, hold the ends of the band and keep your knee as straight as possible. You also want to lift your leg up as high as you can while you do this. You can pull on the bands with your hands to make them stretch more and to increase resistance.

Keep that tension there for about 30 seconds, and then release it, switching legs and doing the move again with the other leg.

hamstring stretch

These methods for how to improve on the sit and reach test are some of the most common ways people will boost their flexibility and train their body how to stretch farther.

You can either fit them into your current workout regimen or just do these stretches alone until your flexibility improves.

You may not feel confident doing other exercises when your flexibility is poor. Once you’ve done some of these sit and reach improvement stretches, though, you’ll start to notice a difference. You should be able to work out easier, stretch farther, and feel much more flexible.