Whether you're lifting heavy weights at the gym or sitting for long hours at your desk, a strong set of glutes is essential for overall health and functionality. Gluteus maximus—the largest muscle in the body—plays a crucial role in supporting your spine and assisting in movements like walking, running, and jumping. Now, when you think about this muscle, you think about complex exercises like deadlifts or kettlebell swings, however one simple yet effective move you can do anywhere is the glute bridges.

Why Should You Do Glute Bridges?

The glute bridge is an easy exercise which is accessible to anyone, regardless of skill level and can be performed anywhere. It can be done at the gym, on the floor at home, or even at the office. Fitness experts call it a versatile exercise that activates not only your glutes but also your hamstrings and core. Moreover, it is an excellent warm-up for experienced lifters before heavy training.

Which Muscles Are Targeted By This Exercise?

While this exercise primarily targets the glutes, it also engages the hamstrings and core, helping to stabilize the body and improve posture. It is pertinent to note that a strong core is pivotal to performing daily activities.

How To Perform Glute Bridges

2. Squeeze your core to create tension, and think about pulling your shoulder blades down toward your hips.

3. Lift your hips toward the ceiling by squeezing your glutes and pushing through your heels. Avoid arching your lower back.

4. Hold at the top for one to two seconds, then lower your hips back down to the ground.

Your goal should be to form a straight line from your knees to shoulders, ensuring no arching in the back. Beginners may not raise their hips very high at first, but with practice, they can aim for a perfect alignment.

When And How Often Should We Do Glute Bridges

The glute bridge can be incorporated into your workout routine as a warm-up or stand-alone exercise. Beginners should aim for 3–4 sets of 10–12 reps, focusing on proper form. Advanced trainees may use the glute bridge as a warm-up for heavier exercises, doing 30-second intervals with short rests. If you spend long hours sitting, try doing a few sets throughout the day to keep your posterior muscles engaged.

Besides Glute Bridges You Can Perform These Exercises For Stronger Glutes

1. Squats: Classic and powerful, squats target your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. You can do bodyweight squats or add dumbbells/barbells for more intensity.

2. Lunges: Forward, reverse, and walking lunges are excellent for engaging the glutes while also improving balance and coordination.

3. Step-Ups: Using a bench or sturdy platform, step-ups activate the glutes, especially when you push through your heel on the working legs.

4. Deadlifts (especially Romanian or Single-Leg Deadlifts): These strengthen the glutes and hamstrings while also working your lower back and core.

5. Donkey Kicks: This bodyweight move isolates the glute muscles and is great for glute activation. You can add ankle weights or resistance bands for an extra challenge.

Your heart health does not depend on how much or intensely you exercised when as a young adult. Instead, a new study shows adults need five hours of exercise weekly to keep their heart healthy. This new research suggests that staying active through middle age is the key to preventing high blood pressure (hypertension) later in life

A long-term study published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine. of over 5,000 people found that while many people start out active in their 20s, those habits often slip away as they get older.

How Many Hours Do You Need To Exercise?

The study, led by experts at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), tracked participants for 30 years. They found that the current minimum exercise recommendations for adults might not be enough to regulate high blood pressure.

Currently, the standard advice is about 2.5 hours of moderate exercise per week. However, scientists found that people who worked out for five hours a week, double the minimum right now, and significantly lowered their risk. The benefit was strongest for those who kept up this routine until they reached age 60.

Why Does The Older Generation Need To Exercise More?

Between the ages of 18 and 40, most people’s activity levels drop significantly. As young adults move into college, start careers, or become parents, leisure time disappears, and exercise often falls to the bottom of the priority list.

Researchers noted that nearly half of the young adults in the study weren't active enough, which directly linked to seeing their blood pressure rise as they entered middle age.

High blood pressure is often called a "silent killer" because most people don’t feel any symptoms, yet it affects billions of people worldwide. If left unchecked, it can lead to:

• Heart attacks and strokes.
• An increased risk of dementia.
• General heart disease.

The World Health Organization reports that more than 25 percent of men and 20 percent of women deal with this condition.

Researchers pointed out that things like neighborhood safety, work responsibilities, and socioeconomic challenges can make it harder for some groups to maintain a consistent workout routine over several decades.

Easy and Cost Effective Ways To Control Hypertension

Controlling high blood pressure doesn't have to be expensive. By making simple lifestyle adjustments, you can significantly improve your heart health. Mayo Clinic suggests,

Move More and Sit Less

You should aim for 30 minutes of daily aerobic activity like walking, cycling, or dancing. Adding strength training twice a week helps even more. Regular movement can lower your blood pressure by 5 to 8 mm Hg. Replacing habits like driving to a nearby place with walking and taking the stairs instead of the elevator can also help.

Eat Smart and Reduce Salt

Diets like the Mediterranean diets, which has fruits, vegetables, and whole grains helps a lot. By lowering salt intake to 1,500 mg daily and eating potassium-rich foods can drop blood pressure by up to 11 mm Hg. Mayo clinic suggest that one must avoid processed foods and use herbs instead of table salt.

Ditch Harmful Habits

Limiting alcohol and quitting smoking are two of the fastest ways to improve your numbers. Smoking spikes blood pressure immediately, while excessive drinking makes heart medications less effective.

Prioritize Rest and Stress Relief

Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep, stress management is equally important, so practice saying "no" to extra tasks, focus on things you can control, and take time for hobbies.

Monitor and Support

Track your blood pressure at home and keep regular doctor appointments. Don't go it alone; involve friends or join a support group to stay motivated.

Tired of following multiple weight-loss diets and not seeing any results?

While many may recommend combining a strict, high-intensity workout routine with healthy food, Instagram-famous fitness trainer Tarn Kaur, who managed to lose nearly 40kg in less than a year, has revealed the 'weird' habits that helped her get back in shape instead.

Here is what the former lawyer, now online coach, recommends:

1. Keeping Treats Out Of Sight

Kaur noted in a lengthy Instagram post: "If I don’t see it, i don’t eat it. Hiding tempting foods has saved me from so many unnecessary snacks. out of sight, really, does mean out of mind."

2. Chewing Gum Like A Lifeline

The fitness expert revealed that she likes to eat a piece of mint after meals or whenever junk food cravings hit. "It’s like a little pause button for my brain and stops me from reaching for junk," she noted.

3. Planning Indulgences Ahead

In order to avoid binge eating or consuming excessive calories, Kaur logs her treats in an app even before she consumes them. She clarified that she likes to track her treats so as not restrict herself from eating but to 'take control and enjoy food without guilt'.

4. Checking If It's Worth It

Kaur explained: "If a food won’t give me pure satisfaction, I skip it. Life’s too short to feel bloated for something mediocre. My body deserves better." The trainer believes life is too short to feel bloated over something mediocre and feels her body deserves better.

5. Saying “I'm Full” Out Loud

Kaur mentioned that saying “I'm full” out loud helps signal her brain that she's done eating and prevents mindless bites when she's not paying attention.

6. Skipping Bread And Extras

Citing the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind', Kaur admitted that restaurants used to once be her downfall but now she steers clear from bread baskets and chips while dining out.

7. Portion Awareness With Clothing

The trainer also mentioned that she steers clear of comfy joggers as they often led to endless grazing for her, while fitted clothes served as a gentle reminder to respect portions and stay mindful of her body.

8. Throwing Away What Doesn't Serve You

Lastly, Kaur told her viewers that while leftovers tempt her, they do not align with her goals go straight into the bin. For her, it is not about guilt but about choosing herself first.

Apart from this, Kaur also recommends swapping traditional Indian tea with black coffee, white rice with cauliflower rice, packaged juices with electrolytes, fried snacks with baked veggie chips, sugary biscuits with almond flour cookies and white bread with wholegrain bread to maximize benefits.

Looking for a short daily exercise that can improve your heart health and make you live longer by about two decades?

In a podcast episode of The Diary Of A CEO, Dr Rhonda Patrick has claimed that the Norwegian 4x4 exercise, a cardio-focused intense workout, can help your heart become stronger and increase the body's oxygen-burning ability.

The scientist and health educator commented: "Everyone's obsessed with steps. I need to get my 10,000 steps in, my 10,000 steps. But I think we need to change the 10,000 steps to at least 10 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise.

"You could do 10 minutes of any type of exercise that's really going to get your heart rate up and it's going to be so much better."

What Is The Norwegian 4x4?

It involves performing four minutes of intense exercise at a 85 to 95 percent max heart rate, followed by three minutes of recovery. This type of HIIT exercise is meant to be repeated four times for maximum benefits.

While this style of working out can be applied to a variety of sports including cycling, swimming and rowing, Dr Patrick suggests using the 4x4 method while brisk walking and 'tailoring' it to your preference.

"I would say the Norwegian 4x4 is the gold standard. Specifically how I do that, I do my warm up and then I do four minutes of hard exercise. I take a break and the exercise I'm doing in those four minutes can be an assault bike. You can do a rowing machine. You could do a stationary cycling machine as well," she said.

When asked if running was a viable option, Dr Patrick added: "You can. I think it's better than doing like maybe a bike or a salt bike or something. And you are going as hard as you can for that four minutes and maintain within that four minutes."

READ MORE: This 2 Hour Activity Can Reduce Your Breast Cancer Risk, Study Shows

Not only can the 4x4 improve cardiovascular function by making the heart stronger, it can also increase the body's ability to use oxygen, a critical part of maintaining overall fitness as well as shows significant fitness gains in a short amount of time, making it ideal for busy schedules.

"You want to kind of work your way up that, but then work your way up as you as you do it one week, two weeks, you know, a month later, two months later. That being part of an exercise protocol was shown to reverse the structural changes that occur with age in the heart by 20 years," the expert added.

How Much You Should Exercise To Maintain Heart Health?

The American Health Association recommends performing at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as brisk walking, dancing and gardening or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, such as hiking, running, cycling or and playing tennis or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week to maintain heart health.

Moreover, regular exercise can also reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia and Alzheimer’s, several types of cancer. It can also help improve sleep, cognition, including memory, attention and processing speed.

Dr Hayes recommends opting for a cardiac evaluation such as an electrocardiogram, or EKG; stress test; a cardiac MRI or CT scan to generate images of your heart if you notice changes in your ability to exercise or cannot perform consistent levels of exercise.