Health

7 Reasons Why a Slam Ball is Beneficial During Workouts

You may execute various exercises with a slam ball, often called a medicine ball. Using slam balls to aid in rehabilitation dates back centuries; it was a prevalent practice in Ancient Greece some three thousand years ago.

The wide range of slam ball weights available, from 5 kg to 15 kg and beyond, provides a wide range of options for people looking to get in shape. A medicine ball is common in fitness centers, but why should you care? Here, we’ll review the benefits of using slam balls in your exercises.

1. Boosts Your Overall Strength and Power

If you want to get stronger, there’s no better tool than a slam ball. You need the right kind of slam ball that fits your needs because they come in different sizes, weights, and materials, thus affecting performance. With the right slam ball and balanced workouts, you will boost your body strength. Strength is crucial for fully using your body’s range of motion, allowing you to complete tasks with much less effort and risk injury.

Strength and speed in a single, explosive motion can be developed with push workouts. Those who play various sports, from baseball and tennis to golf, will find this a very useful feature. You can conduct various push exercises with a slam ball of 10kg.

The ‘ball throw downs’ are a fantastic push workout that can be done with a medicine ball. That is where you use your considerable jumping ability to launch the ball into the air and hurl it to the ground with great force. This excellent full-body workout will increase strength in the arms, shoulders, legs, glutes, and core, and extra fat will be burned off.

2. Boosts Balance and Posture

7 Reasons Why a Slam Ball is Beneficial During Workouts

A good posture is essential for daily tasks. Muscles are overworked, and the spine is harmed if you don’t have it. Maintaining an upright posture has numerous positive effects on one’s well-being. By including a variety of movements that target balance, posture, and overall flexibility, slam ball exercises are excellent for strengthening the core muscles.

From novices to seasoned athletes, people of all skill levels can use a medicine ball to improve their balance and posture. To target these deep abdominal muscles and enhance one’s posture and balance simultaneously, many experts employ medicine ball workouts that cause them to feel temporarily off balance.

3. Effective In Cardio Fitness

7 Reasons Why a Slam Ball is Beneficial During Workouts

Many individuals automatically think of cardio machines like treadmills and bikes when they wish to get in better shape. However, the slam ball is typically overlooked when it comes to cardiovascular exercise. That is supported by research showing that slam ball exercises are just as taxing as more traditional aerobic activities like jogging and swimming.

Using slam balls, such as the 5,10, or 15kg, in mixed cardio routines focusing on strength and stamina can further increase its efficacy as a cardio training tool. The ball toss to burpee is a wonderful cardio exercise that uses the slam ball. Your cardiovascular health will greatly benefit from this. Throwing the ball upwards, catching it, and then releasing it before completing a burpee and repeating the exercise is a great way to develop cardiovascular strength and get the blood pumping.

4. Have Injury Recovery Benefits

One of the underappreciated benefits of slam balls is their positive effect on various rehabilitation exercises. They promote healing, boost stamina, and enhance the body’s reaction. They are especially useful for people with back, knee, or shoulder ailments.

To avoid aggravating a healing injury, switching to smaller, lighter balls than those used for building muscle or increasing stamina is best. That is to prevent further damage to the injured area. It would help to gradually increase your weight over time to avoid injuring your muscles and joints. That will allow you to fully recover and return to using the weight you were using before the injury.

Core exercises should be a primary focus during injury rehabilitation. A strong core houses the primary muscles for functional mobility and injury prevention. Because of its simplicity, the Russian Twist is frequently employed as a rehabilitation exercise following injury. It’s as easy as sitting up straight, rotating your torso to the appropriate side, and passing the slam ball from your left hand to your right. This is fantastic because it helps strengthen your core without causing undue stress on your joints.

5. Increase the Range of Motions

7 Reasons Why a Slam Ball is Beneficial During Workouts

While using free weights or a machine, you often only move in a few fixed planes of motion, such as up and down, forward and back, or side to side. More muscles and joints benefit from using a slam ball during exercise. Get more dynamic and fluid in your motions. To become physically fit, increasing one’s range of motion is essential.

Your improved coordination and balance will allow you to move with greater agility and speed. Both professional and amateur athletes can benefit greatly from this because of the frequent need to switch between different planes of motion inherent in most sports.

6. Are Crucial for Dynamic Warm-Ups

First, you need to get your muscles ready to work before exercising. Doing exercises on cold muscles is quite risky. Injuries as little as cramping and as severe as tears are possible results of this. Nothing beats a game of slam ball when you need to get your blood pumping and your muscles warmed up.

For instance, slamming a ball before your regular workout can prime your muscles for action, increase your heart rate and blood flow, and link your brain to your muscles. Because of this, you’ll be able to do better on your bench presses and deadlifts when you get around to doing them.

7. Useful for Conditioning Your Body

You might have heard of body conditioning, but its meaning may be lost. To build on your fitness level and muscle tone, you must condition your body to respond favorably to frequent exercise. As we touched on briefly, control and power are crucial, and slam balls are great tools for developing your muscular control and generating more speed and impact.

That is especially true while practicing slamming and flinging techniques with a slam ball. Slamming the ball over and over again can put a strain on your heart and lungs. You may immediately improve your physical condition by doing a few sets of slam balls, and the activity itself is a lot of fun.

Final Thought

An excellent addition to any strength training routine, the slam ball exercise is best suited for those with intermediate to advanced fitness levels. Doing out with slam balls for a few sets will help you become a calorie-burning machine by increasing your heart rate and improving your cardiovascular fitness. Most of your body’s muscular groups can also benefit from this. To put more strain on your muscles, try out some variants on the standard slam ball squat or work up to using a heavier ball.

Health

Report Causes Pfizer Stock to Climb Approximately $1 Billion Acquired by Starboard

(VOR News) – According to a rumor that activist investor Pfizer Starboard Value has taken a holding in the struggling pharmaceutical business that is expected to be worth around one billion dollars, the stock of Pfizer (PFE) is on the increase in premarket trading on Monday.

This comes after the report was made public. The report was made available to the general public following this. Starboard Value was successful in moving forward with the acquisition of the position.

Starboard is said to have approached Ian Read, a former chief executive officer of Pfizer, and Frank D’Amelio, a former chief financial officer, in order to seek assistance with its goals of boosting the performance of the company, according to the Wall Street Journal. Read and D’Amelio are both former Pfizer executives.

The purpose of this is to facilitate the accomplishment of its objectives, which include enhancing the overall performance of the firm.

In their previous jobs, D’Amelio and Read were chief financial officers.

It is stated in the report that the hedge fund is of the opinion that Pfizer, which is currently being managed by Albert Bourla, who succeeded Read as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in 2019, does not demonstrate the same level of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) discipline that Read did. Bourla took over for Read in 2019. Read was succeeded by Bourla in the year 2019.

Pfizer, a multinational pharmaceutical conglomerate, has made substantial investments in the acquisition of more companies that are involved in the research and development of cancer medicines.

These businesses have been acquired for billions of dollars. The biotechnology company Seagen, which was acquired by Pfizer in the previous year for a price of $43 billion, is included in this category. One of the businesses that can be classified as belonging to this category is Seagen.

In spite of the fact that the S&P 500 Index experienced a 21% increase in 2024.

No major trading occurred in Pfizer stock that year.

Due to the fact that the demand for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines fell after the firm reached its pandemic peak in 2021, the share price of the corporation has decreased by over fifty percent since that time.

This drop has occurred ever since the company’s shares reached their maximum peak, which was during the time that this decline occurred. Not only have they not changed at all, but they have also remained essentially stable. This is in contrast to the S&P 500, which has gained 21% since the beginning of this year.

Recently, the corporation was forced to take a hit when it decided to recall all of the sickle cell illness medications that it had distributed all over the world.

Fears that the prescription could lead patients to experience severe agony and possibly even death were the impetus for the decision to recall the product. In spite of the fact that Pfizer’s stock is increasing by almost three percent as a result of the news that followed the company’s decision, this is the circumstance that has come about.

SOURCE: IPN

Health

New Study Reveals Drinking Soda Pop Increases the Risk of Stroke

If you drink too much soda, fruit juice and coffee, beware!

A recent report from global research indicates that excessive consumption of coffee or soda pop is associated with an increased risk of stroke, although the intake of black and green tea is correlated with a reduced risk. Excessive consumption of soda pop or coffee warrants caution!

Recent research indicates that it may substantially elevate the risk of stroke.

Consuming four cups of coffee daily elevates the risk of stroke, according to studies, although ingesting 3-4 cups of black or green tea daily typically offers protection against stroke. Additionally, consume more coffee; it may reduce your risk of mortality.

Recent findings from global research studies co-led by the University of Galway and McMaster University, alongside an international consortium of stroke researchers, indicate that soda, encompassing both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened variants such as diet or zero sugar, is associated with a 22 percent heightened risk of stroke. The risk escalated significantly with the consumption of two or more of these beverages daily.

Stroke Risk Fizzy Drinks and Soda Pop

The correlation between fizzy drinks consumption and stroke risk was most pronounced in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Women exhibit the most elevated risk of stroke from bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage) associated with fruit juice beverages. Consuming over 7 cups of water daily diminishes the likelihood of stroke due to a clot.

Researchers observed that numerous items advertised as fruit juice are derived from concentrates and have added sugars and preservatives, potentially negating the advantages often associated with fresh fruit and instead elevating stroke risk.

Fruit juice beverages were associated with a 37 percent heightened risk of stroke resulting from bleeding (intracranial hemorrhage). Consuming two of these beverages daily increases the risk thrice.

Consuming over four cups of coffee daily elevates the risk of stroke by 37 percent, although lower consumption levels do not correlate with stroke risk. Conversely, tea consumption was associated with an 18-20 percent reduction in stroke risk. Additionally, consuming 3-4 cups daily of black tea, such as Breakfast and Earl Grey varieties, excluding green and herbal teas, was associated with a 29 percent reduced risk of stroke.

Consuming 3-4 cups of green tea daily was associated with a 27 percent reduction in stroke risk. Notably, the addition of milk may diminish or inhibit the advantageous effects of antioxidants present in tea. The lower risk of stroke associated with tea consumption was negated for individuals who added milk.

Disclaimer: This article is intended solely for informational reasons and should not be considered a replacement for professional medical counsel. Consistently consult your physician regarding any inquiries pertaining to a medical problem.

Starbucks Faces Sales Decline Amid Price Fatigue and Rising Competition

Starbucks Faces Sales Decline Amid Price Fatigue and Rising Competition

Health

Following a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer, What Else Should You Know?

(VOR News) – Even though breast cancer affects one in eight American women, receiving a diagnosis can make a woman feel isolated.

Experts in breast cancer from the American College of Physicians (ACS) advise patients on how to manage their disease so that they may better cope with this awful information.

First, the kind and stage of breast cancer dictates the course of your care.

In addition to immunotherapy and chemotherapy, there are various surgical options available for the treatment of breast cancer.

Women of African descent are disproportionately affected by triple-negative breast cancer, an extremely aggressive form of the disease that has never proven easy to treat.

According to the American Cancer Society, pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an immunotherapy, has been shown to be helpful when combined with chemotherapy and is currently the recommended course of treatment for certain combinations of triple-negative breast cancer.

In her presentation, Dr. Katharine Yao said, “It’s really important that the patient and physician discuss the patient’s preferences and values when deciding what type of treatment to pursue and that they have an honest, individualized discussion with their care team.”

She is currently responsible for developing breast cancer treatment recommendations for more than 575 hospitals and institutions nationwide in her role as chair of the American College of Surgeons’ National Accreditation Program for Breast Institutions (NAPBC).

Yao, vice chair of research at Endeavor Health NorthShore Hospitals in New York, pointed out that each decision made about a patient’s treatment plan should take her preferences and diagnosis into consideration.

She ought to think about whether she would prefer a mastectomy—a surgical procedure that involves removing the entire breast with or without reconstruction—or a lumpectomy, which involves a surgical procedure that spares part of the breast tissue.

She stated that “the breast cancer you have may be very different from the breast cancer you hear about in your neighbor, colleague, or friend” in a press release issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS).

“Consider that while discussing breast cancer with others.”

Throughout your journey, it is critical that you look after your emotional health because having breast cancer may have a detrimental impact on your mental health.

“Getting a cancer diagnosis does not mean that everything in your life stops to be normal.” Director of the Fellowship in the Diseases of the Breast program at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas and state head of the American Cancer Society Commission on Cancer for Arkansas, Dr. Daniela Ochoa She thinks adding the burden of a cancer diagnosis and treatment to all the other pressures in life may be taxing.

“Managing stress and emotional health is vital component of a treatment plan.”

Ochoa recommends clinically trained psychologists and social workers who have assisted people in coping with cancer to anyone receiving treatment. Learning coping techniques might also be facilitated by joining cancer support groups or cancer wellness initiatives.

Breast cancer specialists say your care team is crucial.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) defines comprehensive care as having support at every stage of the procedure from surgeons, oncologists, patient navigators, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and other specialists.

After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, women should see a surgeon or medical oncologist to explore their options; nevertheless, treatment shouldn’t be discontinued after just one appointment or after surgery is over.

Additionally, you can ask trustworthy friends or family members to accompany you to appointments and aid you with research or notes. They could serve as a network of support for you.

Yao stated in his talk that “one of the most important things is that patients should search out a team they have confidence in, that they trust will have their back when they need it, and a team they feel they can get access to and that will help them when they are in need.”

SOURCE: MP