Get Fit, Stay Fit, Today

Reaching the Six Pack Dream

Exercise Comments Off

Dec 162010

Want to have a six-pack? You can actually do it. It is quite simple if you truly dedicate yourself. Just follow these simple techniques on how to get a six pack fast.

To start, get flat abs first. Here is how to do it.

Eat healthy food. Choose foods that have low calorie content, but rich in nutrition. These include fruits vegetables, whole wheat, low fat milk and many more. Proper exercise to reach flat abs. Have cardio exercise to burn those excess fats. Remember that you can’t form the abdomen if you have fats hanging from there.

Do you have flat abs already?

Then proceed with the best six pack workout. Basically consist of different exercise that focuses on forming the abdominal muscles and strengthening them.

First is Crunches

Do this by lying down flat on your back, with knees bent. Place your hand behind your head, and then try to curl forward. Keep your head leveled, and once curled up try to maintain that position for a while before going down again. Do these repetitions. Recommended is to start 20 to 30 for the first day. Try to add the numbers if tolerated.

Bicycling

Lie down, flat on the floor. Raise legs at the hips and place your hands near or beside the head. Then just like bicycling do it with your feet on the air. This targets a wide area of your abdominal muscles, making it firm.

Twisting crunches

It is a variation of crunches, where you basically do the same but go to the direction of the opposite knee. Example your left arm trying to hit the right knee when curling up. Good to form the upper portion of the abdomen, make sure you do it evenly with left and right.

Seated jackknife

Lie supine on the floor, usually having a pad under the hips. This is done by simultaneous pull of the legs back with knees flexed and your head and shoulders arms forward to “jackknife” position. You can have 30 repetitions, and increase as tolerated.

Leg raise

This is done by lying supine on the floor with legs extended and straight, and hands beside the hips, with palms flat on the floor. Raise the legs upwards and hold it for a while.

There you go for the best workouts. Do these religiously and you will have the six-pack in no time.

How our Health Benefits from our Relationships

Misc Comments Off

Dec 132010

As the age old adage goes, “no man is an island” and this could have its scientific basis after all. Recent studies have shown the correlation between our relationships and good health. As one suffers, so will our general well being. Relationships are an integral part of our existence, living in isolation can lead to a number of mental and physical disorders that may be harmful to us. Investing time in building and strengthening our relations towards our loved ones are therefore essential.

This does not however mean that you are given the leeway to be an incessant pick up artist and date as much as you want. The relationships referred to here are those that cultivate love and lasting companionship. Still need convincing? Here are proofs as to how relationship affects our general well being.

Physical Health

Based on the study of the US Health and Human Services Department, married couples are recorded to have fewer visits to the doctor. Perhaps this is due to the fact that relationships have been known to help boost our body’s immunity against most diseases. A US based research showed that women who are unhappy in their relationships show lower defenses against the most common disease while those involved in positive relationships exhibits otherwise. As we struggle in an unfulfilled relationship, we greatly suffer from stress that takes its toll on our body’s natural immunity protection.

Maintaining loving relationships is literally and figuratively healthy for one’s heart. Engaging in a negative relationship has been shown to contribute to an increase in heart problems by almost 30%.

Mental Health

Healthy relationships also boost our mental health. Studies reveal that the more we connect with our loved ones, the slower we would suffer from memory loss in the future. Relationships have also been seen to reduce one’s risk for Alzheimer’s as evidenced by a research conducted in Chicago among 800 senior citizens.

The nature of our relationship also takes its fee on our mental well being, a majority of those who are afflicted by depression are seen to have been in an unhappy and harmful relationship at one point in their lives.

Emotional Health

Perhaps the most obvious and notable effect of a happy relationship is demonstrated in our emotional well being. Those who have a strong and stable relationship support network suffer from less anxiety and stress. As person’s in love increases their dopamine, which allows them to easily ward off these negative emotions. Staying in an amorous relationship also allows us to better cope with pain and stress.

Using Meal Replacement Shakes

Weight Loss Comments Off

Dec 132010

There are many different meal replacement for weight loss alternatives but can get very confusing trying to discern which is right for you. Just because it tastes good doesn’t mean that it is healthy, not to mention that you may very well gain pounds with the wrong food choice.

Why Meal Replacements?

In order for us to lose weight, instead of the standard 3 meals, we have to adopt a new healthy fitness diet regimen that splits our portions to 6 meals a day over the course of the day.

Why 6 meals?

It takes your body an average of 3 hours to digest food. When the nutrients from food can’t be fed on any more, your body will start feeding off your water weight and muscle though fat ironically diminishes less during starvation compared to those other two sources. This is why you see people who regularly starve themselves, lose weight but are actually gaining fat.

A skinny person is worse off than a muscular person. The reason why, is that the mere existence of muscles increase metabolism to maintain your additional lean mass. Over the course of a year, you could burn an additional 10-20 pounds of fat simply because of additional lean mass.

Not only does the food preserve muscle mass, but that consistent amount of food with nutrients helps to pick up your metabolic rate as well. If you are eating small portions with a combination of lean proteins, complex carbs, and periodically essential fats, then those portions don’t go to waste and are immediately metabolized.

Meal replacements are intended for people on the go. Many people are busy with their work, family activities, and countless other responsibilities, that they don’t have the comfort of eating a meal at the table. These replacements are intended to be consumed 1-2 times a day and at the max 3 times a day. Meal replacement bars however, should not entirely be your only food source, since more nutrients can be taken in directly from real, natural, organic food.

How do I know if a nutrition bar or shake is right for me?

So you have to find the best meal replacement shakes or meal replacement bars for you. Each person, depending on their body type and body mass should have different daily consumption for calories.

The Katch-McArdle formula to figure out your daily caloric consumption, helps give you an idea of where you stand.

According to exercise physiologists William McArdle and Frank Katch, the average caloric maintenance level for men is between 2700-2900 calories daily, while for women it is between 2000-2100 calories daily. The caloric maintenance level is the amount you eat to maintain your current body composition.

To cut down fat however, you should decrease 15-20% of that caloric maintenance level:

Men should eat 2200-2700 calories/day
Women should eat 1400-1800 calories/day

To gain muscle is the exact opposite. You should increase your caloric intake by 15-20%:

Men should eat 3200-4000 calories/day
Women should eat 2200-2500 calories/day

Macronutrient Levels

Macronutrient levels consist of the right number of fats, carbs, and protein. As there are a lot of ideas on what is the right macronutrient ratio, there is no exactly correct answer. Experiment on your daily caloric intake based on your progress. If you are either cutting fat or gaining muscle, then you are on the right track, otherwise make adjustments such as dropping your daily calories or zigzagging your calories between your maintenance level and the deficit level.

One common ratio level is 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat. This might not be the right one for novices, so you may need a slight adjustment depending on the goals you want.

Next we need to figure out how many grams exist in each one of the major macronutrient areas so we can better read those nutrition labels.

1 g of carb = 4 calories

1 g of protein = 4 calories

1 g of fat = 9 calories

Notice how fats are denser? Don’t shirk fats however, especially the essential fats like poly and mono saturated.

Let’s provide an example of a male with a 2400 daily caloric intake.

Remember that we said that carbohydrates will represent 50% of the calories, 30% of protien, and 20% from fat:

2400 X .5 = 1200 calories of carbs

2400 X .3 = 720 calories of protein

2400 X .2 = 480 calories of fat

Now remember every 4 calories of carbs and protein equal 1 gram and every 9 calories of fat equals 1 gram:

1200 calories of carbs/4 = 300 grams of carbs a day

720 calories of protein/4 = 180 grams of protein a day

480 calories of fats/9 = 53 grams of fat a day

Let’s divide the daily total by 6 and that should give us a rough estimate of what this male should have each meal:

300 grams of carbs/6 = 50 grams of carbs per meal

180 grams of protein/6 = 30 grams of protein per meal

53 grams of fats/6 = 9 grams of fats per meal

So now you have a rough idea of how many calories and grams this male should be looking for in a meal replacement. Remember that calories can always be burned through exercise and nutrients are vital to maintaining your energy to workout 30-45 minutes daily.

Make sure to find bars or drinks that have little or no sugar since “healthy” meal replacements sometimes can be deceiving and may actually contain high levels of sugar and calories. The best meal replacement shakes should provide a low calorie, low sugar, high nutritional content.

If you start eating healthy, not only will you look great, you will feel great as well.

1 Hour Full Body Workout

Gym Equipment Comments Off

Dec 132010

The vast majority of those that don’t work out as much as they should cite lack of time as their main reason. The assumption is that if you don’t spend hours in the gym every day you won’t see results. But that is not the case at all. What it comes down to is how focused you are and having a clear game plan before going in to your workout.

You may need to take a few lengthier visits to the gym to learn where everything is located, but once you are comfortable in your surroundings, you can easily get a full body workout in an hour. Since your working your entire body, it is important to remember to do give your body a full days rest after the workout. Ideally, you could do this 3 or 4 times a week.

Start with fifteen to twenty minutes of cardio. The first few minutes should be for you to warm up and get your heart rate in your target area. Once you are warmed up, push yourself by running faster with a higher incline on your treadmill or increasing the resistance on other cardio machines. As soon as you are done with your cardio, go immediately to your first gym machine.

Using gym machines is very convenient, but you could also use dumbbells and other weights instead. Choose ten machines that cover a wide variety of muscle groups. Keeping your heart rate in its target area will help burn more calories and build muscles faster, so with each machine, do two minutes of repetitions without stopping. Take a minute to get to your next machine and repeat. For a run down on all of the many gym machine options you could use, go to the Gym Machines Intro Guide.

If you keep to schedule of two minutes of workout and one minute to get to the next machine, you will have used a half an hour. Use your last time left in the hour by hopping on a different cardio machine than you used earlier and after going at a rapid pace, use the last few minutes to cool down.

At the end of the hour, you will have burnt several hundred calories and have sufficiently worked every muscle group. All it takes is three hours a week of pushing yourself to the limit. I know you have three hours, so get out there and give it a shot!

Insanity vs P90X, They're Crazy but Work!

Exercise Comments Off

Dec 102010

Work out DVDs are flooding the market. These are meant for home buddies who don’t want to get caught exercising in the public anyway, but they can be boring. Imagine yourself doing the routine and high-fiving yourself for a perfect execution. What a shame. It could have been the most viewed or top favorite video on you tube.

Out of the ashes of dashed and burnt out dreams rise the best yet in DVD-centered workout regimens that’s taking the world by firestorm. There’s nothing below zero about this military type drill but all at 100⁰F tops, not for wimps and cream puffs. Worst, there are two of them and you’ll be hard pressed which of the two muscle crunching routines to pick for yourself. Insanity vs. P90X; what will it be? Only hardcore disciples are allowed.

What will it be, 90 day torture or 60 day punishment? It’s not called P90X for nothing, but Insanity will last you much less. Some would say, however, by the time you’re finished with your P90X, you’re almost twice around with Insanity already. It’s your, call double or one. So, who’s sorry, I mean sissy now?

P90X routines last from 45 to 90 minutes. Satisfaction guaranteed or money back after ninety days. Insanity has only 30 days satisfaction money back guarantee with each exercise workouts lasting from 40 to 60 minutes; maybe the longer the warranty the better. P90X would be a better choice here.

With one point a piece, the third one will be the tie-breaker. We’ll only choose 3 categories. The price you’d say, maybe not; they cost almost the same. P90X will cost around $119. 85 against Insanity’s $119.95.

Each of the exercise routines has different approaches and different techniques. They seem too far apart to be competitors. One can supplement the other. Who is what, that’s going to be hard to determine since both claim to have the leading role. Both can work to your benefit, especially on how to lose fat weight fast.

Dieting and nutrition are very important parts of any workout regimen, and these are not lost in both workouts. Nutrition in both regimens, although have contrasting style, still work for the benefit of their adherents. They are well tailored to the degree of the difficulty of the exercises.

Next time you see an ad of Insanity vs, P90X, take it with a grain of salt. One can be as good as the other.

Best Fat Burning Foods to Help You Lose Weight

Weight Loss Comments Off

Dec 102010

There are certain foods that can add calories into your body. However, the body could also burn calories during the digestive process. Foods that can increase your body’s metabolic rate can also speed up the process of burning fats. So what are the best fat burning foods? Take note that foods rich in protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber are very helpful in losing weight. How to lose weight? Then it is best to include these foods into your diet to speed up the process of burning fats and calories. These foods include:

Citrus fruit: certain fruits such as oranges, lime, grapefruit, and lemons are great fat burning foods. It would take many calories in order to burn this type of foods.
Apples: this is a natural fat burning food as long as they are being eaten with skin. The skin is the primary source of fiber and is very helpful in burning fats.
Low Fat Dairy Items: these types of items contain huge amount of calcium. Various studies have shown that these foods can boost the fat burning process of the body and speeds up the breakdown of fat in cells.
Chilies: foods such as hot peppers contain capsaicin, which is helpful in boosting the body’s metabolism and helps burn lots of fats in the body.
Beans: various types of beans contain huge amounts of calories, protein calories to be exact so you do not have to worry about weight gain.
Broccoli: contains high amounts of calcium and is one of the most recommended foods when trying to lose weight.
Lettuce: this is one of the most beneficial types of vegetables as it is rich in fiber and is helpful in burning fats. This does not contain too much calories so it is safe to add into your list of foods for your diet menu.

These are some of the most helpful foods when it comes to burning the excess fats and calories and losing weight. However, before resorting into any of these or deciding to shift into another diet regime, make sure to consult your doctor first. This is to make sure that the diet regime you will opt for will not cause any complication to your overall health, especially if you are on a diabetes diet. So to make sure that your diet is safe, ask the opinion of your physician about the diet you have in mind and know if this is good and beneficial for you or not.

The Warning Signs of Depression

Ailments/Diseases Comments Off

Dec 092010

One of the reasons that you may not be hitting your fitness goals is could be due to problems in your mental fitness. Are you overwhelmed by bouts of negative emotions clouding your every mood preventing you to function normally and productively? Do you feel at times abandoned or neglected? Are you confused at what you are feeling and yet don’t know how to fight it? Are you just sad or is it so much more complex than that? If you said yes to any of these, then it is best to seek proper help and medical counsel for this could be the warning signs of depression. This issue can make day to day functioning very difficult, and healthy living and physical activity nearly impossible.

Depression is a disease of the mind that prohibits you from enjoying life. It is usually manifested by extreme emotions of grave sadness or an overpowering sense of despair. Like the disease, the figures for this disorder is sadly depressing, it has plagued almost 10 percent or an estimated 20 million of the entire American population. This, by any standards, poses a grave and alarming threat.

The best way to help someone, knowingly or unknowingly, facing this condition is to recognize its symptoms. The warning signs of depression ranges from physical, mental and behavioral changes, some of the most common tell tale signs are:

Visible loss or reduced pleasure (Anhedonia). This is usually made apparent by a perceptible sense of disinterest or disassociation in certain activities that the individual previously finds pleasure in.

Apparent change in appetite and sleep. A shift of one’s food consumption which can either cause a significant gain or loss of the individual’s weight.

Emotional Instability. This is usually characterized by swift alterations in one’s temper from despair, to self disgust, peevishness to a disturbingly violent personality that may cause an individual to resort to taking one’s life. In recent statistics, Depression is placed as the second reason of most American suicides.

Recurring Fatigue. During Depression, one undergoes a sudden change in vigor; feeling tired and deeply exhausted most of the time.

Disrupted Thought Patterns. When one suffers from this disorder, one loses his mental stability thereby unable to make rational ideas and decisions, lacks the intensity to focus and make credible judgments.

Physical Impairment. A depressed individual becomes more prone to becoming physically weak and would ceaselessly be experiencing mild to severe aches.

Is it sadness? If you are undergoing at least 5 or more of these warning signs relentlessly over a period of time, chances are, you are experiencing Depression. And the earlier you admit this and seek help, the better the chances of an immediate recovery.

Decide How to Lose Weight

Weight Loss Comments Off

Dec 042010

How to lose weight fast without pills can simply mean a healthy diet. So at this point in time what you need to do is actually start understanding the amount and kind of food that you take in every day. It’s time to create that goal of how to lose weight fast and safe by first knowing your fat percentage.

You can start your own fitness training through proper nutrition. As you do that, you only need to follow these intelligent tips;

Eat unsaturated fats and avoid saturated fats

Unsaturated fats improve your overall energy for better workouts. They are essential fatty acids like Omega 3 & Omega 6 found in nuts, plant oils, seeds and fish. They should consist 15-20% of your diet. Essential Fats slow down carbs being discharged into the bloodstream which helps to prevent blood sugar spiking. It also helps against over eating. On the other hand, saturated fats can lead you to cardiovascular, heart problems and an increase in bad cholesterol.

2. You can shift dairy calories to lean protein calories

When you consume dairy foods, less of the calories burn when you digest it compared to protein. Eating more protein than dairy is how to lose weight fast.

3. You can shift fruit consumption to vegetables

If you want to learn how to lose weight fast at home, you may want to consider this option. There’s a higher thermal effect in vegetables which causes a faster metabolism. It has higher nutrients compared to other carbs. Instead of fruit servings try whole wheat products instead.

4. Never let your overall carbs go below 25% of your daily servings

People have a leaning towards high protein or high fat diets. Actually, carbs should consist 30-50% of your diet. If you go down lesser than that, it should not last for more than a month. With the amount of daily exercise you will need to lose fat, carbs are necessary to supply energy. Many runners and elite athletes will even raise their carbs to 60-70% during training to help lose weight even more. This idea of zigzag calories will direct us to the next discussion.

5. Zig-Zag your food sources

If your protein diet consumes 40-50% of your nutrition, your body should keep guessing when it comes to calories and the type of foods you are eating. Increase your carbs every 3-4 days to replenish glycogen levels or have 2-3 days of higher carb intake to make a zig-zag outcome. Increase 50-60% “higher carb intake” to be safe.

6. Zig-Zag your calories

As you shift your calories from carbs to protein, you should also shift the entire amount of calories you take in daily. Physiologists William McArdle and Frank Katch said that the caloric maintenance level of men is between 2700-2900 and women at 2000-2100 calories a day. To maintain the body composition, there are calories required to consume to keep the body composition. They should drop to 15-20% daily calories if they want to lose fat. This is what you call a calorie deficit intake. You can stay at 2-3 days at your calorie deficit level and then a day at your calorie maintenance level. To keep your body guessing, continue that pattern. The more variety you give to your body, the faster your metabolism goes.

There are numerous steps how to lose weight fast and easy. It is important to be patient and consistent to achieve your goals!

Preparing Your Own Daily Diet Plan

Weight Loss Comments Off

Dec 022010

Having a balanced diet is important in order to maintain a healthy body and learn how to lose weight. However, before making a chart for your diet plan, you have to make sure that you know what a balanced diet is. There are six basic nutrients needed to have a balanced diet and these nutrients are essential for your body’s growth and development. These nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, fibers, and minerals. The mentioned nutrients can be found in various types of foods and you should make sure that these foods are included in your diet.

Proteins – poultry, eggs, milk, curd, cheese, beans, nuts, legumes, dried fruits, seafood
Fats – butter, oil, lard, cheese, margarine, cream, meat
Carbohydrates – bread, cereals, potato, rice, pasta
Fibers – whole grains, oat meals, fruits and vegetables
Vitamins and Minerals – various types of fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, banana, lettuce, berries and oranges

As mentioned above, a balanced daily diet plan should include all the essential nutrients but these should be consumed in adequate amounts. For women, a diet that is rich in iron is important because of their menstrual period. During this time, they are losing high amount of iron from their body. Aside from that, women’s diet should also be rich in calcium to make sure their bones do not get weaker, especially during the time of their pregnancy. For those who are overweight, it is important to follow a diet plan that is low on calories and fats and it is important for them to increase their physical activities. To make sure that you are not going out of your diet plan and you are maintaining a daily balanced diet, make sure that you remember the following tips:

Consume all the essential nutrients you need in the morning.
Make sure to include at least two nutrients in each meal.
Opt for a heavy breakfast, light lunch, and lighter dinner. Avoid fatty and high-caloric foods, especially for dinner.
Increase the calorie intake in the morning so that your body can make use of it throughout the day.
Eat your dinner at least 2 to 3 hours before going to bed.
Do not forget to include lots of fruits and vegetables in your meals.
Avoid consuming caffeinated and aerated drinks.
Consume at least 8 to 10 glasses of water every day.
Break your meals into 5 to 7 smaller meals.
Avoid the consumption of foods that are fried, sweet, and oily.

These tips can help you stick into your balanced diet to make sure that you will be able to achieve your goal. Also, when you are on a diet, make sure to stay with the plan for 6 weeks straight, and leave 1 day where you can let yourself eat anything you want.

Fats Are Out, Curves Are In!

Exercise Comments Off

Dec 022010

They say that men and women have different aesthetic needs. At some point, it’s true. There are things that women care about which men think is not essential and is just materialistic; and there are things the men care about which women think is pure non-sense. However, there are also exceptions to this general rule, and maybe, the most common of it all is exercise. Exercises are generally done for health purposes. However, in a very cosmopolitan world we have today, people exercise not only to have its health benefits, but also to look good.

The idea of losing weight became very popular to men and women alike when being skinny became the new black. The word ‘fat’ was dreaded by people around the world as if it is a plague or pestilence or something to that effect. Specifically, fats around one’s belly were condemned like hell. That is why belly fat exercises became well-liked by a lot of people, which is also understandable because these exercises are more preferable than plastic surgery.

Belly fats could be the easiest to get rid of if one is in a very strict diet and exercise routine. However, it could also be the most difficult because men and women just love to eat. Sometimes, they are all too busy to strictly follow the recommended routines, which most of time are very rigid. Therefore, it is very important that one gets and follows an exercise routine that is not as time-consuming and as difficult as the traditional routines but is as effective.

One good exercise that will surely trim off some of your belly fats is that which has something to do with a jumping rope. It only lasts for 10 minutes, so even working people can do it at any time they want. This work out starts by doing the jumping rope for two minutes and squat thrust to push up for another two minutes.

After that, do the jump rope and squat thrust exercises for the same amount of time. The last two minutes of this exercise routine shall be spent doing the jumping rope for the last time, but this time jumping twice for every turn. Once you do this religiously everyday you will be burning a significant amount of belly fats in a week or so. What’s more interesting about this exercise other than its quick to do is the fact that it is also very handy that you can do this even inside your work office.

In short, if exercising indeed became something that is done both for health and aesthetic purposes, then there should be more reasons for it to be fun and exciting. Like when you are wishing to lose some pounds, there are several bodyweight exercises that are not too severe. So don’t you worry a thing if you think that your body fats are slowly eating you up and you do not have time to shed them off. There are so many ways to stay in shape and get the curves you want.

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