Overview
A stress test, also called an exercise stress test, shows how your heart works during physical activity. Because exercise makes your heart pump harder and faster, an exercise stress test can reveal problems with blood flow within your heart.

A stress test usually involves walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike your heart rhythm, blood pressure and breathing are monitored. Or you'll receive a drug that mimics the effects of exercise.

Your doctor may recommend a stress test if you have signs or symptoms of coronary artery disease or an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia). The test may also guide treatment decisions, measure the effectiveness of treatment or determine the severity if you've already been diagnosed with a heart condition.

Why it's done
Your doctor may recommend a stress test to:

Diagnose coronary artery disease. Your coronary arteries are the major blood vessels that supply your heart with blood, oxygen and nutrients. Coronary artery disease develops when these arteries become damaged or diseased usually due to a buildup of deposits containing cholesterol and other substances (plaques).
Diagnose heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias). Heart arrhythmias occur when the electrical impulses that coordinate your heart rhythm don't function properly, causing your heart to beat too fast, too slowly or irregularly.
Guide treatment of heart disorders. If you've already been diagnosed with a heart condition, an exercise stress test can help your doctor find out how well treatment is working. It may also be used to help establish the treatment plan for you by showing how much exercise your heart can handle.

Your doctor may use a stress test to help determine the timing of cardiac surgery, such as valve replacement. In some people with heart failure, stress test results may help the doctor determine whether you need a heart transplant or other advanced therapies.

Your doctor may recommend a test with imaging, such as a nuclear stress test or echocardiographic stress test, if an exercise stress test doesn't pinpoint the cause of your symptoms.

Risks
A stress test is generally safe, and complications are rare. But, as with any medical procedure, there is a risk of complications, including:

Low blood pressure. Blood pressure may drop during or immediately after exercise, possibly causing you to feel dizzy or faint. The problem should go away after you stop exercising.
Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Arrhythmias brought on by an exercise stress test usually go away soon after you stop exercising.
Heart attack (myocardial infarction). Although exceedingly rare, it's possible that an exercise stress test could cause a heart attack.
How you prepare
Your doctor will give you specific instructions on how to prepare for your stress test.

Food and medications
You may be asked not to eat, drink or smoke for a period of time before a stress test. You may need to avoid caffeine the day before and the day of the test.

Ask your doctor if it's safe for you to continue taking all of your prescription and over-the-counter medications before the test, because they might interfere with certain stress tests.

If you use an inhaler for asthma or other breathing problems, bring it to the test. Make sure your doctor and the health care team member monitoring your stress test know that you use an inhaler.

Clothing and personal items
Wear or bring comfortable clothes and walking shoes. If you're having a nuclear stress test, don't apply oil, lotion or cream to your skin that day.

What you can expect
Your stress test will take around an hour, including both your prep time and the time it takes to perform the actual test. The actual test takes only around 15 minutes. You may have an exercise stress test in which you walk on a treadmill or pedal a stationary bicycle. If you aren't able to exercise, you'll receive a drug through an IV that mimics exercise by increasing blood flow to your heart.

Before a stress test
First, your doctor will ask you some questions about your medical history and how often and strenuously you exercise. This helps determine the amount of exercise that's appropriate for you during the test. Your doctor will also listen to your heart and lungs for any abnormalities that might affect your test results.

During a stress test
A nurse or technician will place sticky patches (electrodes) on your chest, legs and arms. Some areas may need to be shaved to help them stick. The electrodes have wires connected to an electrocardiogram machine, which records the electrical signals that trigger your heartbeats. A cuff on your arm checks your blood pressure during the test. You may be asked to breathe into a tube during the test to show how well you're able to breathe during exercise.

If you're not exercising, your doctor will inject the drug into your IV that increases blood flow to your heart. You might feel flushed or short of breath, just as you would if you were exercising. You might get a headache.

You'll probably exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike, starting slowly. As the test progresses, the exercise gets more difficult. You can use the railing on the treadmill for balance. Don't hang on tightly, as this may skew the results.

You continue exercising until your heart rate has reached a set target or until you develop symptoms that don't allow you to continue. These signs and symptoms may include:

Moderate to severe chest pain
Severe shortness of breath
Abnormally high or low blood pressure
An abnormal heart rhythm
Dizziness
Fatigue
Certain changes in your electrocardiogram
You and your doctor will discuss your safe limits for exercise. You may stop the test anytime you're too uncomfortable to continue exercising.

After a stress test
After you stop exercising, you may be asked to stand still for several seconds and then lie down for a period of time with the monitors in place. Your doctor can watch for any abnormalities as your heart rate and breathing return to normal.

When your exercise stress test is complete, you may return to your normal activities unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

Results
If the information gathered during your exercise stress test shows your heart function to be normal, you may not need any further tests.

However, if the results are normal and your symptoms continue to worsen, your doctor might recommend a nuclear stress test or another stress test that includes an echocardiogram before and after exercise or medications to increase blood flow to your heart. These tests are more accurate and provide more information about your heart function, but they are also more expensive.

If your stress test results suggest that you might have coronary artery disease or show an arrhythmia, your doctor will use the information to develop a treatment plan. You may need additional tests, such as a coronary angiogram.

If you had a stress test to help determine treatment for a heart condition, your doctor will use the results to plan or change your treatment.

Very few people are lucky enough to reap the benefits of a good metabolic system. Being overweight could be a serious problem as it complicates existing health problems and can even result in unusual diseases and disorders. Cribbing about increased body weight, low energy levels and a protruding paunch is too common a phenomenon to be ignored.

People try out bizarre ways to deal with an excess of adipose tissues. They run, jog, cycle and do dieting. The numerous efforts made in losing weight go down the drain in most cases. The reason behind this is simple; you are not doing things the right way.

Exercising in combination with a balanced diet is necessary to keep yourself fit and healthy. However, weight loss is not a silly affair without a rule book. One must keep to a set of norms to reduce weight effectively.

Valuable tips to lose those extra kilos:-

You may lose weight in whichever way you want but doubt remains regarding the consistency of such reduction. Weight loss could be drastic but things might revert to square one as soon as you slacken from a rigorous regimen. Try out tips that suit your subjective case and find yourself in good shape.

1. Breakfast is the most important meal of a day- Being on an empty stomach for long stretches can result in bloating. In such a situation a person feels lethargic and tends to give up after least physical exertion. If you intend to retain your appetite for dinner by skipping breakfast, you are slowly moving towards obesity. Have a heavy breakfast every single day.

2. Stop being a couch potato- Sitting in front of the television set or computer screen for long hours can make you gain weight. Remind yourself to indulge in these activities in restriction.

3. Have a high- fiber diet- A high- fiber diet is good for digestive processes. It rids your body of excess gases and acids making you feel light. Such kind of food can be easily broken down to produce energy.

4. Exercise regularly or at least thrice a week- Exercising is extremely important to keep the extra kilos in check. It also adds strength to your muscles. Exercising can improve a person's mental agility as well.

5. Have four meals a day- Having small but frequent meals throughout the day is the best possible way to maintain optimal body weight. Through this practice, the body is assured of regular food supply and hence won't store fat.

These tips will help you lose weight easily. All you need is to get rid of laziness, follow a proper diet plan and do regular exercise to lose weight. Thus, you will get good results in a short span of time.

It is a debate which has been going on for a while now. There are a few who will suggest to run on a treadmill as it is convenient. However, there are others also who strongly support outdoor jogging, because it increases the stamina and of course, provides some much-needed fresh air (as long as you are not in Delhi NCR).

There are pros and cons of both treadmill and jogging. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that jogging outside has more pros than cons.

Let us compare which one is better: Jogging or Treadmill

Interesting everyday: Nothing can beat the feeling of running outside on a gorgeous day with fresh air. Jogging outside can never be boring, unlike treadmill running. There are endless routines which can be taken and discover new places every day. Regular routine can dull the day. However, with jogging, taking different routines will keep the jogging experience interesting.

Weather: A bad weather can make the jogging difficult or impossible. Heavy rains, inclement cold, or too much heat can be a bit demotivating for jogging. However, treadmill would be a good choice in such scenarios, as you won’t be impacted by any extreme weather conditions.

Different Surfaces: There are different surfaces in jogging, which are not available in treadmill, as there is only one plain surface to walk or run on. While jogging outside, there are different levels for jogging and different textures to jog on. For example, running on the beach or sand helps in burning more calories as pushing forward on sand is harder than on a treadmill. Jogging on the road can be challenging, but improves balance and coordination. Henceforth, it strengthens the muscles and joints. On a treadmill, a person runs on the same flat platform for a long stretch which can be really boring and monotonous. Jogging outside is unpredictable and fun.

Mental Health: On a morning jog, people can escape from their monotonous life and away from the gadgets. Breathing fresh air and feeling the breeze can help in improving not just physical health but mental health as well. There is a greater energy when people hit the run than on the treadmill. Treadmill limits the experience of running or jogging. And, even in the gym people sometimes actively use their smartphone, which does not bring any mental peace.

Cost Effective: One of the major advantages of jogging is that it is cost effective. There is no need to spend big bucks on jogging. However, running on a treadmill is costlier; one needs to either buy a treadmill or a gym membership.

Availability: It is quite common to make excuses for not going to the gym or hitting the treadmill. Jogging takes less time from the day and it is very convenient to fit into a daily life. Jogging can basically be done anytime anywhere.

Body Function: Jogging requires full body movement and mental awareness. A daily jog from point A to B is satisfying. Jogging outside with different elements, like wind resistance or terrains, increases the effort, and helps to burn more calories. However, on treadmill, people sometimes run blindly without being aware and majorly stressing their legs.

Conditions:

After considering the pros and cons of both methods, it is quite clear that jogging is the way to go. Jogging helps bones get stronger, increases stamina, and prevents many diseases like arthritis. It helps to move the joints on a regular basis, maintains blood pressure, and expands the lungs, which ends up increasing lung capacity.

Most people would agree that toning arms is not as easy as it looks. Even if you want to bulk up, there is a lot of hard work involved. Toned arms always look good, and if you want to get started right away then we have you covered. Start with simple exercises and then gradually increase the intensity.
Here are some easy exercises you can do at home:

Wall push-ups
* Stand while facing the wall.

* Lift your arms to your shoulder level.

* Place your palms firmly on the wall.

* Lower your chest and head by using your elbows. Keep your head in a neutral position.

* Now exert pressure and come as close as you can to the wall.

* Keep your arms straight.

Close grip push-ups
* Lower yourself down into a push-up position.

* Bring your hands close to each other at chest level.

* Keep your spine straight. Now lower yourself, bending your elbows at a 45-degree angle.

* Make sure that your elbows are locked in place while you are doing the push-up.

Floor dips
* Sit down with your feet in front of your body. Stretch your legs and keep your back straight.

* Pull your feet to support your lower back.

* Put your hands behind your hips and lie flat.

* With the help of your flatly pressed palms, raise your hips and then drop down.

* Keep your chest open and exert force on your triceps.

Resistance band bicep curls
* Hold the two ends of a resistance band and place the centrr of the band under your feet as an anchor.

* Keep your chest straight and then bend your elbows, and try to raise your hands to your shoulders, pulling the resistance band taut.

* Slowly lower your arms. Repeat.

Planks
* Put your hands under your shoulder.

* Keep your spine and neck straight.

* Keep your head in line with your back.

* Hold this position for 20 seconds.
There are several variations of a plank. Choose the one you will be comfortable doing.

Most of us these days are constantly tapping away at the keyboards and hardly find the time to be away from our computers. Several studies have established the relationship between sitting at a desk for long hours, gaining weight and back pain. According to a study published in the International Journal of Advances in Medicine, 44.7% persons who participated in the study and suffered from lower back pain were either overweight or obese and had lower back pain due to the excess weight, while 28.6% had LBP due to sitting for long periods.

If you are chained to your desk and want to improve your fitness level, do not worry, we have you covered. Here is a list of exercises you can try out while at your desk that will improve your fitness levels and keep you strong and flexible.

Foot drill
It’s a simple and easy exercise and you can take frequent breaks to perform it. While you are seated on your chair, try tapping your feet for 30 seconds at a time, or longer if you can. Repeat it.

Chair dips
With the help of your armrest, you can perform shoulder dips every once in a while at your desk. Place your hands on the armrest of your chair. Move your bottom to the front of your chair and dip down, then hold for 10 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat four more times.

Shoulder raise
It is a great way to relieve tension from your shoulder and neck area. All you have to do is, sit straight and raise your shoulders up towards your ears. Hold it for 10-20 seconds and release. Repeat. If you want to add some weight to it, try doing it by holding a full water bottle in your hands.

Seat squeeze
Try out this isometric glutes exercise if you want to tone your glutes. The best part about it is, no one would even know you are exercising. Squeeze your glutes and hold it for 10 seconds. Release, relax and repeat.