Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Losing Weight For Women

If you are a women, you pretty much know where your body gains fat. You can look in the mirror and point out every flaw that you have, although everyone is their own worst critic. But for the most part, women usually gain weight in their lower abs and thighs. Unfortunately for women as you get older, flabby arms start to become a problem too.

So how do you attack those areas of opposition? What type of game plan should you have so you can defeat the enemy of stubborn fat? First, you need to change the way you eat. There are certain foods that you can be eating that will help your body not hold onto fat. Foods that have whole wheat and whole grains are great to eat because they can actually help flatten your stomach if you eat the right portions and balanced portions. I know most of us do not like to hear this, but we need to watch what we eat, it is the most important aspect to losing weight. Lean meats, fish, chicken, vegetables, fruits, nuts, non fat dairy, are all things that we should be incorporating into our diets. Ladies, no more late night snacking or eating your feelings.

Next, you need to start up a workout plan, it can be something simple to start off with. Walking a couple miles is a good start, but as you start getting in better shape, you will need to up your workouts. Start running, bicycling, rowing, dancing, or you can even do some weight lifting. Do not be afraid of bulking up, because there are ways you can lift weights that promote lean muscle mass instead of bulkiness.

If you follow these two steps then you should have no problem in staying or getting in shape. If you have some trouble figuring out what type of workouts or nutrition plan you should do. Then check out Slim in 6 or Chalean Extreme. They are both great workouts, plus have wonderful nutrition plans.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Swimming Aerobics

Swimming is a great exercise to tone the entire body. Swimming also helps to improve posture, muscle strength, flexibility, endurance, and cardiovascular conditioning. It is a great way to exercise in a low impact way. Unlike running, swimming is not as hard on the knees or back because there is not a constant impact.

Swimming works both the upper body and the lower body at the same time. Since you are working so many muscles at one time swimming burns a lot of calories. On average someone who swims burns around three calories per mile, per pound of body weight.

Many people enjoy swimming for exercise during the summer months because they are in the water, and do not have to worry about overheating.

Swimming is also great exercise for women who are pregnant because it allows them to get an all over workout, without adding extra strain. The same can be said for people who suffer from arthritis and lower back and leg problems.

Some things to remember while swimming are:

Stop when you are tired. Do not try to push for too long or you may end us with a cramp, which can be very dangerous in the water.

Be careful where you swim. Different bodies of water have different dangers. Rivers, ponds, and lakes are often full of bacteria which can cause ear infections, along with other problems. Due to this factor you may want to avoid swimming in these areas after heavy rainfalls.

There are several different swimming strokes that may be use to reduce the risk of boredom, and to work different muscle groups.

Swimming is a great way to get in your cardio and stay cool at the same time. If you are considering swimming you may want to invest in a good pair of goggles, and you may even want to get a pair of ear plugs if you plan to swim a lot. Swimming can definitely compliment your P90x workout or your 10 minute trainer workout.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Reasons for Massages

I do not know about you, but one of my dreams is to have a personal masseuse in my house, on call at any moment. Now whether that will ever happen? I do not know. And whether my wife would ever allow that is a different question. But besides massages just feeling great, what are some of the other benefits you can get from a massage or bodywork treatment. I am going to write about ten benefits that you can get from a body massage, although there are way more than just ten benefits.

1. Helps with back pains and range of motion - Have you ever hurt your back or neck in a car wreck? Therapists will use massage therapy to help relieve you of your pain.
2. Helps to decrease anxiety - Can you say, relax?
3. Helps muscles - If you are a person who works out normally or you are an athlete, than a massage can help your muscles recover quickly from a hard workout.
4. Improves Circulation - Massages can help blood flow, by allowing nutrients into your tissue.
5. Stretches tight muscles - Many times we get knots in our muscles, which can cause discomfort and pain, even headaches.
6. It's a pain killer - Helps release amino acids into the body
7. Reduces Swelling - Any time you experience an injury, bodywork treatment can help the swelling.
8. Improves Joints
9. Helps your immune system - We can all use a better immune system
10. Improves Skin Tissue - Can help with avoiding stretch marks

Those are just ten easy reasons why getting a massage once in awhile is important, and the list could go on. We live such busy lives, all of the stress and all of the wear and tear can really take a toll on our bodies, but if we just take the time to give our bodies a treat, we can live happier and healthier lives. Do you ever wonder why we are aging faster, it is because of stress, stress and stress. In fact stress can actually cause disease in our bodies. Massage therapy helps us to release the stress of our daily lives and promotes us to have better sleep, better energy and better focus. If you workout out with the p90x fitness routine or the 10 minute trainer, you could become tense and a massage could be needed.

My dad always used a term with me when I got hit by a pitch in baseball, he said, "walk it off, son." Now, I often tell people to 'walk it off" as a joke when I see them stub a toe or get hurt in some sort of way. But we can use that term in our daily lives, just switch out the word "walk" with "massage." Boss yelled at you today? Massage it off! Your son is learning how to play the drums? Massage it off! Family did not like your cooking? Massage it off! Do you catch my drift? Obviously we are not going to get some bodywork done whenever something bad happens, because we might be in the therapy room 24/7, but do not forget to give your body a little treat here and there.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Cutting Through The Fat

Most fat is not good for your diet, and trans fat is dangerous to your heart. Cutting fat from your diet does not just help you keep your waistline; it helps you prolong your life. It is important to realize that there are healthy fats and the body needs a certain amount of fat each day. Determine you calorie needs, based upon carbohydrates, protein, and fats and then aim for the required fat amounts each day. Choosing foods with healthy fat will go a long way and helps ensure that you are not consuming the wrong type of fat.

Knowing the properties of the food you eat is an important step in reducing fat. If you love a food, but it has a high amount of fat, then look for low fat, healthy alternatives. The best way to learn the nutritional content of food is by reading food labels. Pay close attention, however, to labels that state 0 trans fat. Many times these foods do have small amounts of trans fat and if consumed in large amounts, that fat adds up. If you have not noticed by now, there are a lot of restaurants showing their nutritional values as of late, but if you want to continue to go to your favorites restaurants, I suggest that you do not read them. If you care about your body and what you put in it, then I suggest you take a look, you will be amazed how much bad fat and sodium is in the food. There are a few restraints that I stay away from now.

When it comes to dieting, it is important to understand that the body uses fuel from three sources: sugars, carbohydrates, and fats. Sugar is the first source that is burned for fuel, followed by carbohydrates, and then fat. This means that if you have a large amount of your calories coming from fat, you are at a greater risk to storing those calories as fat. By reducing your fat content, you will burn calories more efficiently.

If the focus on diet and nutrition is placed solely on reducing fat grams to lose weight you might be disappointed. Recent studies and weight gain trends show that reducing fat alone is not enough to lose weight. The goal is to monitor all of your calories and create a plan that focuses not solely on fat, but on carbohydrates, proteins, and sugar as well.

If you drink milk, choose low fat versions to cut back on fat grams. Substituting butter, margarine, or mayonnaise with low fat alternatives will go a long way. Choose olive or canola oil as these are healthier sources of fats. When eating foods that are sources of fat, choose those that are high in Omega 3 oils. Healthy fats must be included in the diet but the key is moderation. By knowing the best fats to eat and incorporating a variety of ways to reduce fat in your diet you can lose weight and protect your health.

Workouts that have great nutrition plans are the P90x workout and the Slim in six.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Get a Gorgeous Body With Home Workouts

Lots of people look through a fitness magazine to find good workout routines they can do at home. Unfortunately, if you are looking in magazines for a home fitness routine you will probably end up disappointed. A lot of times you will only find big workout machines and if you do come across a home workout routine then it is probably only for your abs. But what about home workout routines that not only focus on your abs but also focus on every other muscle group of your body and address the workout plateau.

The hardest part about working out at home is working out at home. For many people home is a place of rest and they find it hard to be focused or motivated to exercise when they have a lazy boy and a television three feet away from them, but if someone can take the time and find the discipline, they can find that an in home workout routine is not only the most cost affective way but also more affective than the gym.

Most people who already workout at home have a bench press or some type of workout machine that looks more like a torture machine. But what if you do not have a bench press or a torture machine or have the money for that equipment, what can you do? Technically, you really only need a pull up bar for your back and biceps. For your abs, all you need is a floor, and for your chest, you can do a variety of push-ups. You can even workout your legs by doing squats and lunges. But lets say you want to venture into more than just the basics, what kind of equipment should you get? How can you have the potential of a gym inside your house?

A bench press machine is great to have, but it takes up quite a bit of room. Do you know what does not take up much room? Dumbbells. Dumbbells are incredible, you can do a bench press routine easily with dumbbells, plus 100 different exercise with them too! If you still think that dumbbells are too much, than try resistance bands, they are cheaper, take up less room and are just as affective. Another piece of equipment I would suggest is an exercise ball. It might just look like a ball, but there are hundreds of full body workouts that you can do with a Swiss ball.

Obviously the main idea of home workouts is so you can workout at home. All you really need to know is what you are doing and what muscles you are exercising. If you feel like you need more assistance, there are tons of home workouts like, Tony Horton's 10 Minute trainer and Slim in 6 that will help you along and even teach you nutritional and physical values.

The important thing to realize here are that you can achieve gym results in your own house with a fraction of the price. You do not need fancy machines to get a body like Brad Pitt or Jessica Alba, but you just need a few pieces of equipment so you can target every muscle group of your body.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Getting ready for Insanity

So I have to admit I am a little nervous to start the Insanity workout, it is very important to me that I hit this workout head on. It is kind of one of those feelings where I really don't know what I am getting myself into, but I believe I can do it, and I am excited to see the results that I will get from the Insanity workouts. Cardio is something that I have been wanting to do more of, especially adding more cardio to compliment my weight lifting routines. I hope my ankle feels good enough to start on Monday, I will probably risk it anyways. I went and got a little brace for it today, so hopefully that helps the healing process.

But mark the calendar on 09/14/09 is when I start the ChaLean Extreme and Shaun T insanity workout

Insanity Workout

Friday, September 11, 2009

Yoga is no joke!

A lot of people want to live a healthier life. They want to be more flexible, be able to climb a flight of stairs without running out of breath and feel energetic all day long. The major problem is that usually people do not have hundreds of dollars to spend on a gym membership or the time it takes to dedicate their lives to working out on a daily basis. Either that or they feel uncomfortable working out in a gym environment. Being surrounded by muscular men and women can be an intimidating experience, to say the least.

The best way to alter your lifestyle is to find something you enjoy doing. It is far easier to work up the energy to do something if you are enjoying what it is you are doing. And that is really the bottom line.

For many people, Yoga is the answer to their prayers. If you have some extra money, you can join a class, but if you do not, you can always pick up a Yoga book at the nearest bookstore or library. Yoga can be done at home, too, which makes it a convenient pastime. A good Yoga mat and some Yoga blocks is pretty much all the equipment you need in order to get started, and they are relatively cheap to buy.

How Yoga Will Benefit You

Yoga will help build flexibility in your joints as well as build strength and endurance in your muscles. Stretching may not look particularly hard, but it is harder than it looks. Yoga will also teach you breathing techniques to help calm your frazzled nerves in times of stress. In today's economic environment, we need all the stress busting tips we can get.

Yoga also helps detoxify the body. Stretching muscles joints and massaging various organs will ensure that you get maximum blood flow to your organs and muscles, which in turn help your body flush out any toxins lingering in these areas.

If you are looking to work up a sweat, you can try Power Yoga, which is a form of Yoga that combines Yoga and aerobics in order to give you the best work out possible. However, if you are just starting out, it is probably a good idea to start out in a regular Yoga class, since Power Yoga is intense and can lead to injury if you are not careful.
Yoga is a safe and fun way to increase the amount of exercise you do. It will help you burn off excess fat, make you more flexible and ensure that your body has the necessary blood flow to flush out toxins.

Obviously, there are a lot of women who do Yoga, but it is also great for men to do it too and there are great workout programs like the P90x fitness routine or 10 minute trainer that have great yoga routines. If you are a guy who loves to lift weights and build muscle, than Yoga is great, not only will it help your muscles develop, but also Yoga will prevent you from becoming stiff. What is the point of building all the muscles if you can't even straighten your arm out? With Yoga you can build the flexibility to compliment those muscles.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Cigarettes Suck!!

If you are addicted to smoking, you know that quitting is not easy. Chances are you have tried before. Some times it takes multiple attempts before you can successfully quit smoking. It is important to realize that as with any addiction, the more you refrain from smoking, the easier it will be. The most difficult time is in the first two weeks. Once you can abstain from smoking for two weeks chances of permanent success are great. You might find that speaking with your health care provider is the best way to begin quitting. Your health care provider might determine that the best course of treatment is a prescription method to help fight cravings.

The benefits for quitting smoking are vast and if you are on a diet and exercise program while smoking you are causing serious damage to your body. By quitting smoking you will increase oxygen production and derive more benefits throughout your workouts. Smoking also robs the body of vital nutrients, particularly vitamin C, and can cause premature aging. Though many are concerned that if they quit smoking they will gain additional weight, it is better to gain a few pounds that can be burned off through exercise, then to suffer from lung cancer. If you want to live a truly healthy life, you have to quit smoking. Smoking has no place in a healthy lifestyle.

Smoking is a physical addiction and your body will crave nicotine until you get passed the first several weeks. Avoiding situations where you know people will be smoking is important and can reduce the amount of temptations you are surrounded by. Preparing for temptations and craving is an important aspect of getting through the first two weeks. Keeping the hands busy can help you resist the urge to smoke. Most people do not realize this but the hand motion of smoking, bringing the cigarette to you mouth, is also a very hard habit to break.

So if you have a hobby, consider spending more time to your hobby. If you do not have one, then now is a great time to begin one. Activities such as carpentry, building projects, gardening, knitting, crocheting, sewing, playing sports, baking, scrap booking, or playing an instrument can occupy your mind and help you resist cravings. Understand, we are people of habit, if you are a smoker you probably smoke after certain enjoyable events, like eating food; many people are in the habit of smoking after a big meal. Habits can be broken with discipline and hard work, and new good habits can be made.

When you feel as though temptations are strong, try taking a brisk walk. Breathe deeply and remind yourself that you are enjoying fresh, clean air in your lungs. Since you might become more irritable or anxious, try adding several yoga workouts to your routine. Yoga can help fight cravings, reduce stress and tension, and relax your body. The breathing techniques can be performed anywhere and will help you overcome the urge to smoke. Smoking makes it hard to workout anyways, it does not help the cause of helping your body to get in shape. If you are looking into doing a a Tony Horton workout or the Insanity workout than you are definitely going to want to quit smoking

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Restore Your Muscle Fast

Those who are serious about their workouts understand the importance of Glutamine and muscle recovery. Glutamine is an amino acid and it provides many important benefits for the body. As an immune system booster, Glutamine maintains white blood cells and low or depleted levels of Glutamine will lead to sickness and infection in the body. Glutamine is stored in many organs but primarily it is stored in muscles. Periods of sickness, trauma to the body, surgery or infection, disease, stress, and times of intense exercise can cause the muscles to deplete stores of Glutamine. Taking supplements that contain Glutamine after working out will ensure that your body retains this very important element.

The body makes Glutamine, however when the body is undergoing periods of stress, Glutamine might be used at a pace faster than the body can produce it. When this occurs, it is imperative to take supplements. Some of the symptoms of low levels of Glutamine include depression, tiredness, loss of energy, increased risk of sickness, and developing infections. Though Glutamine might be exhausted from the body through sickness, it can also result from Over Training Syndrome. Many fitness enthusiasts make the mistake of over training at some point, and it is imperative that supplementation is used to prevent the harmful effects of Over Training Syndrome.

Effective dosage for Glutamine is between 8 and 20 grams. This can be taken in smaller increments, several times throughout the day. It is important to realize that excessive amounts of Glutamine will be excreted through the urine, so it is not advised to take more than 20 grams per day. Glutamine has a direct effect on the Immune System and by taking Glutamine after working out; you will increase muscle recovery and prevent exercise related illness.

It is the depletion of Glutamine that is the underlying cause of exercise related illnesses. For those who expend a great deal of energy exercising, or performing endurance related activities for extended periods of time, developing post exercise related illness is common. As Glutamine stores vanish, the body is left with a weakened and compromised immune system and is vulnerable to illness. Taking Glutamine and utilizing other healthy tips can help prevent these illnesses from occurring. In addition to regularly taking Glutamine other steps that you can take include making sure you get plenty of sleep each night, taking Vitamin C on a regular basis, avoiding excessive or over training, and keeping your life free from stress. Always consult with your health care professional regarding any supplements that you are taking.

If you are not comfortable with taking supplements, there are others ways you can get Glutamine into your body. Food is a great way, and who does not like food? Some dietary sources of Glutamine include fish, milk, beef, chicken, wheat, beans, beets, cabbage and parsley. So whether you eat meat or not there are some ways you can get glutamine into your body so you can recover those muscles from a hard workout. Especially if you are doing a workout like Tony Horton's 10 minute trainer or Shaun T's insanity workout,

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

10 minute workouts

So there are tons of workouts out there, you can find them on the television, the internet, newspapers, even at your local gyms, but if you do not have time for working out what is the point? Even though you might not have tons of time to workout, it is still very important that you get some exercise, some muscle workouts in if you can, that is why 10 minute workouts are so important and great. There are a lot of specialized workouts out there for people who want to work on specific areas of there body, like 8 min abs, buns of steel and so on. But very few 10 minute workouts specialize in full body workouts.

Tony Horton's 10 minute trainer is probably one of the best 10 minute workouts out there. It comes with multiple workouts that will give you one of the best workouts you can have in ten minutes. The great thing about the 10 minute trainer is that you can stack the workouts. Since there are multiple workouts that are ten minutes long you can do just one workout, or if you have more time do three workouts for a total of 30 minutes. It is all up to you, it is the most flexible workout plan out there. There is even a guide that helps you choose how to stack your workouts. 10 minute trainer even comes with a resistance band and nutrition guides to help you eat healthy while you workout.

There really is no other workout like it. It will challenge you like crazy, plus help you get in the best shape you've probably been in for a long time.