No need to be worried by sagging jowls, crow's feet or frown lines even if you hate the thought of surgery. Facial exercise can help you look younger without the pain and expense of a facelift.
Facial exercise is the non-invasive approach to lifting and toning your facial features. Exercising the muscles under your skin increases the amount of oxygen to the facial muscles and helps rejuvenate the cells, giving your face a younger and healthier appearance.
Doing the right facial exercises regularly can lift and tone your whole face - including your chin, cheeks, and eyebrows - and what's more, it should take no more than just a few minutes of your day. It's never too early to start - even if you are under 40 - you should start facial exercises to maintain the great muscle tone you have for as long as possible.
To understand just how facial exercise works, you first need to understand what wrinkles and lines are. You may assume that wrinkles are the result of the skin stretching - but the truth is that skin wrinkles when the underlying muscle weakens and is no longer able to offer support. The result - sagging skin, bags, lines and wrinkles.
Unlike other muscles in your body, the muscles of your face are connected to both the skin and the bone, forming a cushion for the skin to rest on. It's when your face muscles start to lose their tone that wrinkles and lines appear. Facial exercise like any other exercise - can tone up those muscles resulting in smoother, healthier looking skin.
You may be worried that facial exercise may actually cause wrinkles because of the repeated facial movement. This is a popular misconception that simply isn't true. With regular facial exercise you strengthen the underlying muscle which will improve your appearance, defining facial features and making you look much younger.
It is important to remember, though, that just as with any other kind of exercise, facial exercise can cause problems if you don't do them properly. You need to learn how to do each exercise by following clear diagrams and instructions, attending a class or watching a video.
While facial exercises do lift your face - the results aren't as dramatic as a surgical facelift. Do the exercises regularly though and the difference in your face may be enough to make people think you've had cosmetic surgery.
And there are some big advantages over cosmetic surgery. Unlike cosmetic surgery facial exercising won't cost you a lot of money. Nor will you need to undergo a second painful and expensive procedure after 5-10 years as gravity undoes the surgeon's work.
Facial exercise - like any form of physical exercise - brings extra oxygen to the skin's surface reducing toxins and enhancing the delivery of essential nutrients. The result is more youthful looking skin that glows. You certainly won't get that from cosmetic surgery.
Of course you do have to build in time to do your facial exercises into your day. To start with if your face muscles are seriously weakened it may take you a little while to bring back tone and develop muscle mass. Just like going to the gym after you've neglected your body for a long time.
Once your face is toned and lifted and your face muscles are at their optimum strength then it should take no more than half an hour two or three times a week to maintain your new youthful look. Not a lot of time to spend on looking younger and the results will last as long as you want them to.
Advice On The Best Body Building Exercises
In a body building program, the exercises that you do can make all the difference between an effective program and one that wont do much good. The good thing is that there are many, many body building exercises you can incorporate into your workout that will help grow your muscles and keep you fit and trim.
For big legs, youll want to do a lot of barbell squats and dead lifts. The resistance you are putting on your legs when you perform these types of exercises will push your muscles to make them grow. Thats the point of an intense workout program in the first place. Lifting weights with your legs instead of your arms will help the quadriceps and hamstrings become tight and fit.
When working your arms, the body building exercises you should count on will consist a lot of barbell and dumbbell curls and well as bench presses. Its easy when performing these exercises to just concentrate on lifting the weights, but what you really need to do is focus on the strain the weights are putting on your arm muscles. Really push them as you are lifting and feel how they are working in response.
Great abs are formed much in the same way as any other muscle group. They need to be worked, strained, and pushed in order to become toned. You can get that toned, sculpted look by doing simple sit ups and crunches, but weights can help too. Try hanging from a chin up bar and lifting your knees up, or get on a machine specially designed to tone the ab muscles.
When working the upper back, a pull-down bar machine will make all the difference in the world. This is a two handled curved bar that is attached to weights with a pulley system. You pull the bar down with your shoulders behind you.
Its important when choosing body building exercises that you pick the ones that you are physically able to do. Then be very conscious of the way the exercise is supposed to be performed. If you dont pay special attention to your form, you risk injury which can set back your body building program significantly.
Do your research on what types of body building exercises will work specific muscle groups and then incorporate them into your workout regimen. Pick a variety of exercises that will make your body everything you dreamed it could be and do them on a regular basis. The reward is a toned, fit body that you can be proud of!
For big legs, youll want to do a lot of barbell squats and dead lifts. The resistance you are putting on your legs when you perform these types of exercises will push your muscles to make them grow. Thats the point of an intense workout program in the first place. Lifting weights with your legs instead of your arms will help the quadriceps and hamstrings become tight and fit.
When working your arms, the body building exercises you should count on will consist a lot of barbell and dumbbell curls and well as bench presses. Its easy when performing these exercises to just concentrate on lifting the weights, but what you really need to do is focus on the strain the weights are putting on your arm muscles. Really push them as you are lifting and feel how they are working in response.
Great abs are formed much in the same way as any other muscle group. They need to be worked, strained, and pushed in order to become toned. You can get that toned, sculpted look by doing simple sit ups and crunches, but weights can help too. Try hanging from a chin up bar and lifting your knees up, or get on a machine specially designed to tone the ab muscles.
When working the upper back, a pull-down bar machine will make all the difference in the world. This is a two handled curved bar that is attached to weights with a pulley system. You pull the bar down with your shoulders behind you.
Its important when choosing body building exercises that you pick the ones that you are physically able to do. Then be very conscious of the way the exercise is supposed to be performed. If you dont pay special attention to your form, you risk injury which can set back your body building program significantly.
Do your research on what types of body building exercises will work specific muscle groups and then incorporate them into your workout regimen. Pick a variety of exercises that will make your body everything you dreamed it could be and do them on a regular basis. The reward is a toned, fit body that you can be proud of!
12 Ways to Shock Your Muscles Into Growing
For every athlete that follows a set "routine" eventually what used to make your muscles grow like crazy does not seem to work any more. This is because the muscle is constantly adapting to everything to you do. If you are a creature of habit in the weight room, which many of us are, you most likely repeat a set pattern of lifting. This would involve choosing similar weights every workout, staying right around a certain rep range, maintaining a particular tempo and following much the same order. This is how not to grow. Here are some ways you can shock your muscles for more growth:
1. Change the time of day you lift.
2. If you are doing three different exercises for one muscle group you may mix up the rep ranges with each lift to target fast twitch A and B fibers as well as Slow twitch fibers (i.e. 5 reps, 12 reps and 40 rep sets)
3. Change the order of exercises you use each workout and never repeat the same order for at least 6-7 workouts.
4. Change the speed of each positive (raising) and negative (lowering) each workout. You may focus on a super slow positive or negative set on occasion. You may also add more of an explosive component once in a while.
5. Rest pause between reps for a couple of extra seconds to recover more fibers during your set. This will help you break through any plateaus you may be experiencing.
6. On the other hand you may hold the contraction at the top of the lift for three seconds to recruit additional fibers you may not be hitting in your normal lifting tempo.
7. You may do partial sets. Do a full rep, followed by a rep, followed by a full rep, followed by a rep, followed by a full rep, followed by rep. This sequence may be repeated three times through without rest. (Be ready to work with extra intensity for this one.)
8. Add Plyo-metric sets. Mix in an explosive style of training by executing clap push ups, alternate jumping split squats, leap frog jumps, box jumps, etc.
9. Do highly focused stretching in-between sets. Thoroughly stretch the muscle group you are targeting for a solid 10-15 seconds between sets and hold the stretch. Do this every time you rest for one week and observe the results.
10. Perform a "giant set" of 3-4 exercises. Set up the exercise area and weights in advance and rotate from one exercise to the next without resting. When you complete the giant set and go all the way around, then rest and repeat again.
11. Double your reps on every lift once a month. Get yourself out of your own comfort zone.
12. Challenge yourself by focusing on the negative (lowering) part of the lift. Using a weight that is 40% heavier than you normally lift for a comfortable set up 10 have someone spot you on the positive (raising) and you take over lowering the weight slowly. It is best to do only about 3-5 negatives in this style since this does shock the muscle big time.
Those are a few to keep mixing things up. Have fun experimenting with variations of your normal routine. The best workout you can do is the one you have not tried yet. Go in to the weight room each time with the intention to shock your muscles. If you do, you will soon be rewarded with incredible gains. Hit it hard!
1. Change the time of day you lift.
2. If you are doing three different exercises for one muscle group you may mix up the rep ranges with each lift to target fast twitch A and B fibers as well as Slow twitch fibers (i.e. 5 reps, 12 reps and 40 rep sets)
3. Change the order of exercises you use each workout and never repeat the same order for at least 6-7 workouts.
4. Change the speed of each positive (raising) and negative (lowering) each workout. You may focus on a super slow positive or negative set on occasion. You may also add more of an explosive component once in a while.
5. Rest pause between reps for a couple of extra seconds to recover more fibers during your set. This will help you break through any plateaus you may be experiencing.
6. On the other hand you may hold the contraction at the top of the lift for three seconds to recruit additional fibers you may not be hitting in your normal lifting tempo.
7. You may do partial sets. Do a full rep, followed by a rep, followed by a full rep, followed by a rep, followed by a full rep, followed by rep. This sequence may be repeated three times through without rest. (Be ready to work with extra intensity for this one.)
8. Add Plyo-metric sets. Mix in an explosive style of training by executing clap push ups, alternate jumping split squats, leap frog jumps, box jumps, etc.
9. Do highly focused stretching in-between sets. Thoroughly stretch the muscle group you are targeting for a solid 10-15 seconds between sets and hold the stretch. Do this every time you rest for one week and observe the results.
10. Perform a "giant set" of 3-4 exercises. Set up the exercise area and weights in advance and rotate from one exercise to the next without resting. When you complete the giant set and go all the way around, then rest and repeat again.
11. Double your reps on every lift once a month. Get yourself out of your own comfort zone.
12. Challenge yourself by focusing on the negative (lowering) part of the lift. Using a weight that is 40% heavier than you normally lift for a comfortable set up 10 have someone spot you on the positive (raising) and you take over lowering the weight slowly. It is best to do only about 3-5 negatives in this style since this does shock the muscle big time.
Those are a few to keep mixing things up. Have fun experimenting with variations of your normal routine. The best workout you can do is the one you have not tried yet. Go in to the weight room each time with the intention to shock your muscles. If you do, you will soon be rewarded with incredible gains. Hit it hard!
Correct Breathing In Pilates Is Essential
Breathing In Pilates
There is a lot more to Pilates than working out. It's something that you should feel good about doing, requiring application of the mind and energised after you have done a Pilates session. If you follow a Pilates exercise program consistently you will become leaner and stronger, not to mention fitter and feel good on the inside too.
Nobody is going to hand the body you want to you on a plate. To achieve the body you would like is going to take work. Anything we want in this life requires some application, and Pilates is no different. That said, it's something that isn't so hard on the body that you can't do it every day if you wanted to. Pilates will give your body core strength and strong abdominal muscles. When you are working and doing the exercises you will notice huge improvements in this area of your physical fitness. You can find out more about Pilates exercises at http://www.pilatesworkoutzone.com
Pilates is also about breathing correctly and practising breathing techniques. The more you do this, the better you will get at the exercises you are performing. Doing a Pilates workout is not something that you should dread. Create a positive forward image by looking forward to each and every session, spending time in the moment and getting the most out of each one. Pilates requires mental focus and precise movements. You need to really keep positive mentally so that you stick with it and achieve your goals.
You will find that most Pilates exercises come complete with instructional advice on how you should breath. In our day to day lives, most people don't breath correctly despite the fact it is autonomous.
Pilates helps you use up your full lung capacity with breathing right down to your abdominal area. Rib expansion to accommodate a higher volume of air is also an aspect of correct breathing technique. Breathing whilst concentrating on your exercise is an integral part of Pilates exercise.
There is a lot more to Pilates than working out. It's something that you should feel good about doing, requiring application of the mind and energised after you have done a Pilates session. If you follow a Pilates exercise program consistently you will become leaner and stronger, not to mention fitter and feel good on the inside too.
Nobody is going to hand the body you want to you on a plate. To achieve the body you would like is going to take work. Anything we want in this life requires some application, and Pilates is no different. That said, it's something that isn't so hard on the body that you can't do it every day if you wanted to. Pilates will give your body core strength and strong abdominal muscles. When you are working and doing the exercises you will notice huge improvements in this area of your physical fitness. You can find out more about Pilates exercises at http://www.pilatesworkoutzone.com
Pilates is also about breathing correctly and practising breathing techniques. The more you do this, the better you will get at the exercises you are performing. Doing a Pilates workout is not something that you should dread. Create a positive forward image by looking forward to each and every session, spending time in the moment and getting the most out of each one. Pilates requires mental focus and precise movements. You need to really keep positive mentally so that you stick with it and achieve your goals.
You will find that most Pilates exercises come complete with instructional advice on how you should breath. In our day to day lives, most people don't breath correctly despite the fact it is autonomous.
Pilates helps you use up your full lung capacity with breathing right down to your abdominal area. Rib expansion to accommodate a higher volume of air is also an aspect of correct breathing technique. Breathing whilst concentrating on your exercise is an integral part of Pilates exercise.
The Secret to Effortless Power Is Spinning
Over the years Ive always been amazed how thin little girls could drive the ball almost as far as men. What is the root to effortless power? It must not be the muscular arms and upper body because certainly Michelle Wie lacks that, yet drives the ball close to 300 yards with her tall elastic frame.
I like to refer to my old teaching mentor, Percy Boomer, and his chapter As a Dancer Sees It.
This instruction was based on Percy teaching a well known dance instructress. During this lesson, Percy's pupil said that she visualized the golf swing as an upright pillar with a number of circles around it. In an earlier chapter, I recall Percy teaching a lady that was slightly overweight. Quoting Percy, "I took up a wooden tee between my thumb and forefinger and spun it around, then told her: This is golf power in its simplest and purest form."
She responded, "You don't expect a stout old lady like me to spin do you?"
He stated, "Why not? You do on the dance floor."
I told her that a friend of mine once told me that the lightest partner he ever danced with was a lady who weighed over 200 pounds. From the quizzical way that she looked at me, I knew I had scored a point. I held up the tee again and said to her, "If you turn on the pivot you will play great golf, but so long as you slide you are doomed."
Power is definitely produced through a centrifuge-type motion or spinning of the torso while your feet remain fixed to the ground. Trying to power the ball by use of the hands, arms and shoulders alone without a turn on the backswing and twist on the through swing of the torso results in a serious loss of energy and clubhead speed.
A drill to help you feel and imagine the twist would be: Standing at attention with your arms down at your side and just turning from your hips. Imagine you are turning in a torpedo tube. It is this pirouette type twist which will sling the club up and around on both sides of the swing. This, I assure you, is not a new twist on power but is the secret to effortless velocity in the golf swing.
I like to refer to my old teaching mentor, Percy Boomer, and his chapter As a Dancer Sees It.
This instruction was based on Percy teaching a well known dance instructress. During this lesson, Percy's pupil said that she visualized the golf swing as an upright pillar with a number of circles around it. In an earlier chapter, I recall Percy teaching a lady that was slightly overweight. Quoting Percy, "I took up a wooden tee between my thumb and forefinger and spun it around, then told her: This is golf power in its simplest and purest form."
She responded, "You don't expect a stout old lady like me to spin do you?"
He stated, "Why not? You do on the dance floor."
I told her that a friend of mine once told me that the lightest partner he ever danced with was a lady who weighed over 200 pounds. From the quizzical way that she looked at me, I knew I had scored a point. I held up the tee again and said to her, "If you turn on the pivot you will play great golf, but so long as you slide you are doomed."
Power is definitely produced through a centrifuge-type motion or spinning of the torso while your feet remain fixed to the ground. Trying to power the ball by use of the hands, arms and shoulders alone without a turn on the backswing and twist on the through swing of the torso results in a serious loss of energy and clubhead speed.
A drill to help you feel and imagine the twist would be: Standing at attention with your arms down at your side and just turning from your hips. Imagine you are turning in a torpedo tube. It is this pirouette type twist which will sling the club up and around on both sides of the swing. This, I assure you, is not a new twist on power but is the secret to effortless velocity in the golf swing.
Pilates For Weight Loss And A Healthier Body
Pilates For Weight Loss
Before you begin reading this article, please bear in mind that the creator of Pilates methods did not originally intend for Pilates to be something just used to lose weight. Its intention is to build core strength and muscle tone. You will also be able to keep in good shape performing Pilates exercises providing you are also following a sound diet regime.
Joseph Pilates introduced the methods to America in the 1920's and it has now become hugely popular around the world. Pilates is a low intensity way to work out. This is confusing to some people as they don't quite 'get it' how you can have such a program that also allows you to lose weight. As long as you are moving and working your body, you don't need to use heavy resistance or overly strenuous apparatus in order to lose weight. Maintaing a good Pilates exercise regime and a healthy diet will ensure you lose the extra pounds. It's also nice to know that going to exercise won't be something you dread as much as having your teeth pulled at your local dentists.
Going to the gym and enjoy it by taking a Pilates class. You will learn how to properly stretch your muscles and get rid of that excess flab. After a while you will start to notice changes in your physical appearance as well.
There are a multitude of reasons why devotees use Pilates for the purpose of achieving weight loss. You won't just lose the weight though, you'll also feel healthier as well.
Your balance and posture will improve. You will even notice that you may have sharper mental acuity.
Famous celebrities have latched on to the Pilates methods to tone and get rid of the excess fat. However, for best results you should really practice it daily or almost daily.
Having a good diet will also give you the energy you will need to maintain this kind of regular routine.
If you want to train from home, get hold of some Pilates exercise equipment and some instructional dvd's for the exercises. Keep an eye on that diet and you will soon be at the weight you wish to achieve.
Before you begin reading this article, please bear in mind that the creator of Pilates methods did not originally intend for Pilates to be something just used to lose weight. Its intention is to build core strength and muscle tone. You will also be able to keep in good shape performing Pilates exercises providing you are also following a sound diet regime.
Joseph Pilates introduced the methods to America in the 1920's and it has now become hugely popular around the world. Pilates is a low intensity way to work out. This is confusing to some people as they don't quite 'get it' how you can have such a program that also allows you to lose weight. As long as you are moving and working your body, you don't need to use heavy resistance or overly strenuous apparatus in order to lose weight. Maintaing a good Pilates exercise regime and a healthy diet will ensure you lose the extra pounds. It's also nice to know that going to exercise won't be something you dread as much as having your teeth pulled at your local dentists.
Going to the gym and enjoy it by taking a Pilates class. You will learn how to properly stretch your muscles and get rid of that excess flab. After a while you will start to notice changes in your physical appearance as well.
There are a multitude of reasons why devotees use Pilates for the purpose of achieving weight loss. You won't just lose the weight though, you'll also feel healthier as well.
Your balance and posture will improve. You will even notice that you may have sharper mental acuity.
Famous celebrities have latched on to the Pilates methods to tone and get rid of the excess fat. However, for best results you should really practice it daily or almost daily.
Having a good diet will also give you the energy you will need to maintain this kind of regular routine.
If you want to train from home, get hold of some Pilates exercise equipment and some instructional dvd's for the exercises. Keep an eye on that diet and you will soon be at the weight you wish to achieve.
Fitness - Getting Serious About Your Health
Since you are reading this article on fitness, you should be asked this question. Do you still feel that you knew all that was to be known about fitness?
Obesity is rampant in this country, and the reason for this is simple. We have come to a point in our society where we would rather hit the drive through for lunch than pack our own. We are, as a society, lazy and our waists are growing, but there is something we can do about it. If we are going to combat obesity in this country, then we are going to have to get serious about fitness.
Change Doesnt Have to be Difficult
When you think about fitness, you probably think of salads, long workouts, and high-priced health clubs. You probably think that you have to completely change your lifestyle, and many people do not want to change. The thought of a change sounds too overwhelming to even think about. Thats why most people dont start and then wonder why they are getting fatter.
The thing is, committing to fitness doesnt need to include drastic changes in your lifestyle. If you want to be more fitness-oriented, simply eat better, exercise more, and make better lifestyle choices. You can still live your life and be fitness-minded. Its easy, can be fun, and the best part is, youll look and feel great.
Eat Better
Eating better doesnt mean you have to eat like a rabbit. You can enjoy the foods you love, just not as much of it. There is a myth that you have to go hungry; however, experts say that you should eat less food more often. For example, they recommend you eat every few hours to keep your metabolism high. This doesnt mean you should raid the fridge every few hours. A small meal eaten every few hours should raise your metabolism and you wont even think about being hungry.
Drink Water
In addition, you should drink eight to ten glasses of water a day, because water helps your body to work more efficiently. Not only that, but water actually helps slim you down, so try this, drink a glass of water before each meal. Water fills you up so youll feel less hungry. If you eat smaller, more frequent meals and you consume water before each one, you should be able to get your daily requirement in fairly easily.
Exercise
Exercise is part of any fitness regimen, so work out if you want to remain fit and healthy. Working out does not have to include two-hour long workouts youre not training for the Olympics, after all you are just trying to improve your health. Try walking for twenty to thirty minutes every night after dinner, and if you cant go for that long, go for as long as you can.
The key to fitness is the old adage, something is better than nothing. Walk for as long as you can and build up to twenty or thirty minutes. Doing this for two weeks will not only improve your cardiovascular health, but your legs and lower body will appear and feel stronger and more defined.
If walking isnt possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away from your destination just do anything you can to get your heart going. Remember, something is better than nothing.
Use fitness to your advantage, the key is to eat less but more often, get a little more exercise, and make better lifestyle choices. Try the above steps for two weeks and you will definitely see results. In fitness, the results give us the main motivation, and even if you dont see it, your friends and family definitely will. They will love the way you look and will definitely want to know your secret.
What we intended with this article was making our readers interested in fitness and hopefully we have been successful in doing that.
We strive to provide only quality articles, so if there is a specific topic related to fitness that you would like us to cover, please contact us at any time.
Obesity is rampant in this country, and the reason for this is simple. We have come to a point in our society where we would rather hit the drive through for lunch than pack our own. We are, as a society, lazy and our waists are growing, but there is something we can do about it. If we are going to combat obesity in this country, then we are going to have to get serious about fitness.
Change Doesnt Have to be Difficult
When you think about fitness, you probably think of salads, long workouts, and high-priced health clubs. You probably think that you have to completely change your lifestyle, and many people do not want to change. The thought of a change sounds too overwhelming to even think about. Thats why most people dont start and then wonder why they are getting fatter.
The thing is, committing to fitness doesnt need to include drastic changes in your lifestyle. If you want to be more fitness-oriented, simply eat better, exercise more, and make better lifestyle choices. You can still live your life and be fitness-minded. Its easy, can be fun, and the best part is, youll look and feel great.
Eat Better
Eating better doesnt mean you have to eat like a rabbit. You can enjoy the foods you love, just not as much of it. There is a myth that you have to go hungry; however, experts say that you should eat less food more often. For example, they recommend you eat every few hours to keep your metabolism high. This doesnt mean you should raid the fridge every few hours. A small meal eaten every few hours should raise your metabolism and you wont even think about being hungry.
Drink Water
In addition, you should drink eight to ten glasses of water a day, because water helps your body to work more efficiently. Not only that, but water actually helps slim you down, so try this, drink a glass of water before each meal. Water fills you up so youll feel less hungry. If you eat smaller, more frequent meals and you consume water before each one, you should be able to get your daily requirement in fairly easily.
Exercise
Exercise is part of any fitness regimen, so work out if you want to remain fit and healthy. Working out does not have to include two-hour long workouts youre not training for the Olympics, after all you are just trying to improve your health. Try walking for twenty to thirty minutes every night after dinner, and if you cant go for that long, go for as long as you can.
The key to fitness is the old adage, something is better than nothing. Walk for as long as you can and build up to twenty or thirty minutes. Doing this for two weeks will not only improve your cardiovascular health, but your legs and lower body will appear and feel stronger and more defined.
If walking isnt possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away from your destination just do anything you can to get your heart going. Remember, something is better than nothing.
Use fitness to your advantage, the key is to eat less but more often, get a little more exercise, and make better lifestyle choices. Try the above steps for two weeks and you will definitely see results. In fitness, the results give us the main motivation, and even if you dont see it, your friends and family definitely will. They will love the way you look and will definitely want to know your secret.
What we intended with this article was making our readers interested in fitness and hopefully we have been successful in doing that.
We strive to provide only quality articles, so if there is a specific topic related to fitness that you would like us to cover, please contact us at any time.
Tips for Choosing a Great Jogging Stroller
One of the biggest problems faced by new mothers is how best to get back in shape. With the demands of the new baby, along with work and family commitments, going back to a regular exercise regimen can seem impossible, but buying a jogging stroller is a great way to solve two problems at once. With a jogging stroller, the new baby gets to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air, while his or her mother gets to enjoy a stimulating workout.
As great as jogging strollers are, however, not all jogging strollers are created equal, and it is important for new mothers to shop carefully for the stroller that best meets their needs. One of the most critical decisions to be made is whether to choose a fixed wheel stroller or opt for a swivel wheel. Both choices have their own advantages, and it is important to consider those advantages carefully.
A fixed wheel jogging stroller will generally provide for greater stability and straighter tracking. In addition, the front wheel on most fixed wheel jogging strollers will be larger, providing the baby with a smoother ride. The fixed wheel jogging stroller should also be better equipped to handle bumps in the road. When deciding on a fixed wheel stroller versus a swivel wheel model, it is important for mothers to think about the areas where they will be jogging and to make their selection accordingly.
On the other hand, a swivel wheel jogging stroller can be an excellent choice for those who will not often be running with eh stroller. Jogging strollers with swivel wheels can be great choices for indoor use, such as in shopping malls and at the grocery store. The wheel on this type of stroller will generally measure 12 or less, while the wheel on a fixed wheel jogging stroller will usually be around 16. It is important, of course, for each parent to consider how the stroller will be used when making a purchasing decision.
No matter which type of jogging stroller is chosen, it is important for the stroller shopper to consider which amenities are most important. Is it important, for instance, that the stroller come with an easy folding mechanism. A jogging stroller that folds easily will be easier to transport than one that does not. Biking enthusiasts may want to look for a jogging stroller that also comes with a bike trailer. Those who plan to run off road or in rough terrain should look for a jogging stroller with a heavy duty frame and a sturdy frame.
As great as jogging strollers are, however, not all jogging strollers are created equal, and it is important for new mothers to shop carefully for the stroller that best meets their needs. One of the most critical decisions to be made is whether to choose a fixed wheel stroller or opt for a swivel wheel. Both choices have their own advantages, and it is important to consider those advantages carefully.
A fixed wheel jogging stroller will generally provide for greater stability and straighter tracking. In addition, the front wheel on most fixed wheel jogging strollers will be larger, providing the baby with a smoother ride. The fixed wheel jogging stroller should also be better equipped to handle bumps in the road. When deciding on a fixed wheel stroller versus a swivel wheel model, it is important for mothers to think about the areas where they will be jogging and to make their selection accordingly.
On the other hand, a swivel wheel jogging stroller can be an excellent choice for those who will not often be running with eh stroller. Jogging strollers with swivel wheels can be great choices for indoor use, such as in shopping malls and at the grocery store. The wheel on this type of stroller will generally measure 12 or less, while the wheel on a fixed wheel jogging stroller will usually be around 16. It is important, of course, for each parent to consider how the stroller will be used when making a purchasing decision.
No matter which type of jogging stroller is chosen, it is important for the stroller shopper to consider which amenities are most important. Is it important, for instance, that the stroller come with an easy folding mechanism. A jogging stroller that folds easily will be easier to transport than one that does not. Biking enthusiasts may want to look for a jogging stroller that also comes with a bike trailer. Those who plan to run off road or in rough terrain should look for a jogging stroller with a heavy duty frame and a sturdy frame.
The Miraculous Healing Power of Tai Chi
It is likely that you have heard about Tai Chi but know very little information about it. This article is going to discuss what Tai Chi is and the benefits you can receive by practicing it regularly.
Tai Chi is the ancient Chinese system of exercise that strengthens the body and the energy within it. The slow, flowing movements of Tai Chi help to relax the mind and body, while at the same time bringing you a sense of vitality and wellness. Daily practice of Tai Chi has a profound impact not only on the body but also the mind.
People who take part in Tai Chi for any length of time note an increase in self-confidence and thought clarity. This is because Tai Chi increases the life energy within the body, bringing about clearer thoughts and actions that lead to more positive thinking and self-confidence.
Here are some of the benefits you can expect to receive with a daily practice of Tai Chi.
Increased strength of core muscles and ligaments. The Tai Chi form works to increase the strength and flexibility of muscles and ligaments by the slow shifting of weight from one side of the body to the other. This tones muscles, tendons and ligaments while improving flexibility and strength throughout the whole body.
Deep relaxation. Tai Chi has the effect of inducing deep relaxation in the body. You may find yourself yawning and taking spontaneous deep breaths that release a great deal of physical tension during your practice. Not only does this feel great, it is also very beneficial. Less tension in the body conserves energy and provides a sense of well being and ease in your life.
Improves oxygen absorption. The ability to absorb more oxygen into the body has untold health benefits. Your brain works more efficiently, your heart and lungs become healthier, and energy is drastically increased. Basically, a system wide rejuvenation occurs.
Oxygen is absolutely critical to a healthy life. Most of us go along with just enough oxygen in our system to continue living. Few people have excess amounts of oxygen within their system. Having extra oxygen in the body is the key to vibrant health. It has even been discovered that cancer cells cannot survive in a highly oxygenated system. This shows the far-reaching implications of your bodys oxygen content.
Improves coordination. Tai Chi is wonderful for making your mind and body more connected. The movements of Tai Chi help to make the body far more agile and coordinated. This is of great benefit to anyone who feels disconnected to their body or is frequently clumsy. Your reflexes will become sharper and quicker, helping you in all aspects of your life.
This is just a taste of what Tai Chi offers. Very few forms of exercise offer such striking health and wellness benefits. The daily practice of Tai Chi can take under twenty minutes a day and will improve every aspect of your life. Try getting a beginner Tai Chi DVD to start learning the movements. You will feel a difference almost immediately. If you stick with your practice on a regular basis, your life will drastically soar in health.
Tai Chi is the ancient Chinese system of exercise that strengthens the body and the energy within it. The slow, flowing movements of Tai Chi help to relax the mind and body, while at the same time bringing you a sense of vitality and wellness. Daily practice of Tai Chi has a profound impact not only on the body but also the mind.
People who take part in Tai Chi for any length of time note an increase in self-confidence and thought clarity. This is because Tai Chi increases the life energy within the body, bringing about clearer thoughts and actions that lead to more positive thinking and self-confidence.
Here are some of the benefits you can expect to receive with a daily practice of Tai Chi.
Increased strength of core muscles and ligaments. The Tai Chi form works to increase the strength and flexibility of muscles and ligaments by the slow shifting of weight from one side of the body to the other. This tones muscles, tendons and ligaments while improving flexibility and strength throughout the whole body.
Deep relaxation. Tai Chi has the effect of inducing deep relaxation in the body. You may find yourself yawning and taking spontaneous deep breaths that release a great deal of physical tension during your practice. Not only does this feel great, it is also very beneficial. Less tension in the body conserves energy and provides a sense of well being and ease in your life.
Improves oxygen absorption. The ability to absorb more oxygen into the body has untold health benefits. Your brain works more efficiently, your heart and lungs become healthier, and energy is drastically increased. Basically, a system wide rejuvenation occurs.
Oxygen is absolutely critical to a healthy life. Most of us go along with just enough oxygen in our system to continue living. Few people have excess amounts of oxygen within their system. Having extra oxygen in the body is the key to vibrant health. It has even been discovered that cancer cells cannot survive in a highly oxygenated system. This shows the far-reaching implications of your bodys oxygen content.
Improves coordination. Tai Chi is wonderful for making your mind and body more connected. The movements of Tai Chi help to make the body far more agile and coordinated. This is of great benefit to anyone who feels disconnected to their body or is frequently clumsy. Your reflexes will become sharper and quicker, helping you in all aspects of your life.
This is just a taste of what Tai Chi offers. Very few forms of exercise offer such striking health and wellness benefits. The daily practice of Tai Chi can take under twenty minutes a day and will improve every aspect of your life. Try getting a beginner Tai Chi DVD to start learning the movements. You will feel a difference almost immediately. If you stick with your practice on a regular basis, your life will drastically soar in health.
Jogging Stroller for new Moms and Dads
Since the introduction of the first jogging stroller in the early 1980s, they have been seen as mainly the choice of the super-fit, ever active parent. But dont be fooled, jogger strollers arent just for serious fitness fans.
The strollers 41 cm to 51 cm wheels make them more versatile and usable than any other stroller on the market today. The standard 5 point harness offers advanced safety for the child and will keep them securely fastened in their seat during any sudden stops and bumpy terrain. The suspension system and shock absorbers are also important features of the jogger stroller. Depending on the parents need for them, strollers can be found with integral shock absorbers for running and for jogging or walking on rocky ground. But a good suspension system is advisable even if parents only use the stroller on the sidewalk. Without it, cracks and bumps in flagstones can cause a rough ride for baby.
Jogger strollers are, of course, perfect for parents who jog or run. They enable the parent to continue with an exercise program already in place or to create a new one after the birth of baby that will incorporate the child. Many mums worry about the extra weight a pregnancy brings and how they are going to loose it. So this is the ideal way to keep fit, shed the pounds and get out and about with your new baby all in one go.
Days out with your baby will be free of maneuverability problems. Jogger strollers are easy to push on any surface. Anyone who has used a traditional lightweight stroller with smaller wheels will know how hard they can be to negotiate on uneven surfaces, a day at the beach or just walking in parks can be difficult and tiresome. Jogger strollers offer freedom and choice for parents.
As with all modern strollers, jogger strollers have washable seats, a canopy, ample storage for baby accessories and come in a variety of shades. Double strollers are also available for parents with more than one child to push.
One thing to consider is the strollers ability to fold for storage. Parents who want a stroller that fits snugly in their car or who travel frequently will want a quick disassembling, collapsible stroller. These are available, some advanced models offering releasable wheels for extra compactness.
Children from 5 months to 5 years can be pushed in the jogger stroller. Some models with a reclining seat can accommodate babies from 3 months.
So parents dont have to leave their little one behind to get out and get fit. With a jogger stroller parents and baby can carry out their activities together.
The strollers 41 cm to 51 cm wheels make them more versatile and usable than any other stroller on the market today. The standard 5 point harness offers advanced safety for the child and will keep them securely fastened in their seat during any sudden stops and bumpy terrain. The suspension system and shock absorbers are also important features of the jogger stroller. Depending on the parents need for them, strollers can be found with integral shock absorbers for running and for jogging or walking on rocky ground. But a good suspension system is advisable even if parents only use the stroller on the sidewalk. Without it, cracks and bumps in flagstones can cause a rough ride for baby.
Jogger strollers are, of course, perfect for parents who jog or run. They enable the parent to continue with an exercise program already in place or to create a new one after the birth of baby that will incorporate the child. Many mums worry about the extra weight a pregnancy brings and how they are going to loose it. So this is the ideal way to keep fit, shed the pounds and get out and about with your new baby all in one go.
Days out with your baby will be free of maneuverability problems. Jogger strollers are easy to push on any surface. Anyone who has used a traditional lightweight stroller with smaller wheels will know how hard they can be to negotiate on uneven surfaces, a day at the beach or just walking in parks can be difficult and tiresome. Jogger strollers offer freedom and choice for parents.
As with all modern strollers, jogger strollers have washable seats, a canopy, ample storage for baby accessories and come in a variety of shades. Double strollers are also available for parents with more than one child to push.
One thing to consider is the strollers ability to fold for storage. Parents who want a stroller that fits snugly in their car or who travel frequently will want a quick disassembling, collapsible stroller. These are available, some advanced models offering releasable wheels for extra compactness.
Children from 5 months to 5 years can be pushed in the jogger stroller. Some models with a reclining seat can accommodate babies from 3 months.
So parents dont have to leave their little one behind to get out and get fit. With a jogger stroller parents and baby can carry out their activities together.
Bowflex The Weight Loss Home Gym
It is really interesting hearing about a new workout machine, abs solution, or a re-make of a similar home gym that guarantees incredible results. People spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the newest weight loss solution that they see on TV commercials and figure if they buy this product they will receive amazing results like the people on TV.
Boy are they being fed by lies.
Being updated and educated on about every aspect in the health and fitness realm has myself noticing the confusion people have when deciding how they will lose weight and take that step towards better health. You may begin to believe that you have to spend all that money on different weight loss supplements, programs, and home gyms before you find what works for you.
This is absolutely wrong.
There is one home gym that has been around longer than the majority of workout machine hypes and is still giving the same incredible results it promise years ago. So which one am I talking about that is for real and can make the difference towards that deciding factor of achieving phenomenal results.
The one and only Bowflex is the absolute best home gym ever design for toning your body, firing up your metabolism, and making weight loss easier than ever. I have experience bowflex hands on with other home gyms and fitness equipment but nothing compares to bowflex.
Some of the best things about this piece of equipment are that it gives results, its easy and not time consuming, and the power rod resistance makes it a favor for thousands. Bowflex Power Rods give you resistance, or weight, that feels as good as or better than free weights but without the inertia or risk of joint pain usually associated with free weights. The workouts will never be the same again.
They have several models like Bowflex Ultimate 2, Bowflex Ultimate, Bowflex Xtreme 2, Bowflex Xtreme SE, Bowflex Blaze , and Bowflex Versatrainer. My own opinion is that Bowflex Ultimate 2 is #1 in my book.
I just want to say last that I had to quite my gym membership as bowflex even cost less than most gym membership including mine. I was paying about $39 a month with a $50 equipment maintenance fee, and as always a start up fee. My gym membership cost me around $700 for the year and traveling there made me spend more money on gas.
With the bowflex I paid $34 a month and they shipped it to me for absolutely nothing. I come out to only paying about $400, plus the money on gas and time I wasted traveling to the gym.
Bowflex in about every way is the best way to go if you want to improve your fitness level while not sacrificing time and money away from things you love to do and your family.
If you know of another home gym that you believe to be outstanding than contact me so I can put my two cents in.
Have a great day and God bless!
Boy are they being fed by lies.
Being updated and educated on about every aspect in the health and fitness realm has myself noticing the confusion people have when deciding how they will lose weight and take that step towards better health. You may begin to believe that you have to spend all that money on different weight loss supplements, programs, and home gyms before you find what works for you.
This is absolutely wrong.
There is one home gym that has been around longer than the majority of workout machine hypes and is still giving the same incredible results it promise years ago. So which one am I talking about that is for real and can make the difference towards that deciding factor of achieving phenomenal results.
The one and only Bowflex is the absolute best home gym ever design for toning your body, firing up your metabolism, and making weight loss easier than ever. I have experience bowflex hands on with other home gyms and fitness equipment but nothing compares to bowflex.
Some of the best things about this piece of equipment are that it gives results, its easy and not time consuming, and the power rod resistance makes it a favor for thousands. Bowflex Power Rods give you resistance, or weight, that feels as good as or better than free weights but without the inertia or risk of joint pain usually associated with free weights. The workouts will never be the same again.
They have several models like Bowflex Ultimate 2, Bowflex Ultimate, Bowflex Xtreme 2, Bowflex Xtreme SE, Bowflex Blaze , and Bowflex Versatrainer. My own opinion is that Bowflex Ultimate 2 is #1 in my book.
I just want to say last that I had to quite my gym membership as bowflex even cost less than most gym membership including mine. I was paying about $39 a month with a $50 equipment maintenance fee, and as always a start up fee. My gym membership cost me around $700 for the year and traveling there made me spend more money on gas.
With the bowflex I paid $34 a month and they shipped it to me for absolutely nothing. I come out to only paying about $400, plus the money on gas and time I wasted traveling to the gym.
Bowflex in about every way is the best way to go if you want to improve your fitness level while not sacrificing time and money away from things you love to do and your family.
If you know of another home gym that you believe to be outstanding than contact me so I can put my two cents in.
Have a great day and God bless!
Top Tips for Choosing a Jogging Stroller
Jogging strollers have been around for probably longer than we think. A great idea, they afford greater freedom and hands-free flexibility for active mums and dads. Kids think they're great; in fact it can be quite some job to prize them away from their life-style of effortless transport. Dads love them too; some are demanding super-sized jogging strollers so their wives can push them to the week-end ball game or even just to the fridge.
Most jogging strollers on the market today are of good quality, but it still pays to do a little research to know what your looking at and recognize the most crucial points when considering your purchase. Here are some handy tips:
Jogging strollers should ideally not exceed about 10 kilos (22 pounds) in weight. Bear in mind that you will be collapsing and storing it regularly, at home, to put in the trunk and so on. Often you'll only have one arm available, so weight and ease of collapsibility really are quite important. So try out your intended purchase to evaluate how easy to collapse it and reassemble it actually is in practise.
A jogging stroller must be robust and hard wearing. Most are constructed from an aluminium frame but make sure it's strong enough to take the inevitable heavy use it will get. And do remember to check out its stability. Babies move about a great deal and often try to grab things just out of their reach, thus overbalancing. So assure yourself that the stroller is designed to avoid tipping.
Jogging strollers should have seat recliners and guard bars that are adjustable. They should be designed to be adapted to the changing size of your child.
Essential for safety are a sturdy multi-point harness, a robust fender, a bicycle style handbrake and rear wheel brakes. A safety bell is more a bit of fun than a prerequisite.
Test carefully how much the handlebar is adjustable depending on who you know will be doing the pushing. A painful back due to stooping leads to fatigue, if not worse, thus rendering the whole idea of a jogging stroller pointless.
Make sure your child won't become cramped in the stroller as he or she grows. To be comfortable a child needs a little bit of room to wriggle when necessary.
Look for the amount of storage available on the stroller; the whole point is to have your hands free of encumbrances, so you won't want a couple of bags slung round your wrists as you stroll.
Finally, take a good look at the multifarious optional extras on offer. Try them out; some a great, others quite useless. Suppliers may also be willing to include certain extras within the base price. As always, shop around!
Most jogging strollers on the market today are of good quality, but it still pays to do a little research to know what your looking at and recognize the most crucial points when considering your purchase. Here are some handy tips:
Jogging strollers should ideally not exceed about 10 kilos (22 pounds) in weight. Bear in mind that you will be collapsing and storing it regularly, at home, to put in the trunk and so on. Often you'll only have one arm available, so weight and ease of collapsibility really are quite important. So try out your intended purchase to evaluate how easy to collapse it and reassemble it actually is in practise.
A jogging stroller must be robust and hard wearing. Most are constructed from an aluminium frame but make sure it's strong enough to take the inevitable heavy use it will get. And do remember to check out its stability. Babies move about a great deal and often try to grab things just out of their reach, thus overbalancing. So assure yourself that the stroller is designed to avoid tipping.
Jogging strollers should have seat recliners and guard bars that are adjustable. They should be designed to be adapted to the changing size of your child.
Essential for safety are a sturdy multi-point harness, a robust fender, a bicycle style handbrake and rear wheel brakes. A safety bell is more a bit of fun than a prerequisite.
Test carefully how much the handlebar is adjustable depending on who you know will be doing the pushing. A painful back due to stooping leads to fatigue, if not worse, thus rendering the whole idea of a jogging stroller pointless.
Make sure your child won't become cramped in the stroller as he or she grows. To be comfortable a child needs a little bit of room to wriggle when necessary.
Look for the amount of storage available on the stroller; the whole point is to have your hands free of encumbrances, so you won't want a couple of bags slung round your wrists as you stroll.
Finally, take a good look at the multifarious optional extras on offer. Try them out; some a great, others quite useless. Suppliers may also be willing to include certain extras within the base price. As always, shop around!
Treadmill Parts - Fixing Your Exercise Equipment
Purchasing treadmill parts can save you the hassle and the cost of buying a new machine. In order to decide which treadmill parts are right for you, though, you will need to decide what is wrong with your current treadmill. Replacement of certain parts may be required, and repair of other parts may help fix your machine. It is best to consult the diagram of your treadmill in your owner's manual before you undergo any kind of repairs.
Where Can I Get Parts For My Treadmill?
Treadmill parts are available in a number of different locations. Your local exercise outlet may carry parts for your brand, whether it be Proform, Nordic Trac, Sears, or something else entirely. If you do not have a nearby exercise equipment outlet, you may have to turn to the internet to find parts for your treadmill. There are a number of websites dedicated to the sale of parts for treadmills and other exercise equipment pieces like the Total Gym.
Where Do I Start?
When you get ready to repair your treadmill, there are several places to check for problems. The best place to start looking is the belt and the deck. Each step described will, of course, depend on the model and brand you have. To check out the deck and the belt, you must loosen the tension roller. Be careful, though. If you get it too loose, you will lose the bolts out of the roller shaft. Next, inspect the belt itself for a smooth, consistent feel. Any uneven wear or potential seam failure requires a complete replacement of the belt. The deck should also be very smooth.
You may also want to test your treadmill's motor. You can do this by hooking a battery into the treadmill's power supply. You can use a cordless drill battery, a car battery, or a lantern battery. Checking the roller sleeve is also a good idea. On a number of treadmills, the drive roller has a traction sleeve that helps the belt operate at a lower level to prolong the life of the machine. The sleeve can slip off to one side, causing problems with the treadmill itself.
Where Can I Get Parts For My Treadmill?
Treadmill parts are available in a number of different locations. Your local exercise outlet may carry parts for your brand, whether it be Proform, Nordic Trac, Sears, or something else entirely. If you do not have a nearby exercise equipment outlet, you may have to turn to the internet to find parts for your treadmill. There are a number of websites dedicated to the sale of parts for treadmills and other exercise equipment pieces like the Total Gym.
Where Do I Start?
When you get ready to repair your treadmill, there are several places to check for problems. The best place to start looking is the belt and the deck. Each step described will, of course, depend on the model and brand you have. To check out the deck and the belt, you must loosen the tension roller. Be careful, though. If you get it too loose, you will lose the bolts out of the roller shaft. Next, inspect the belt itself for a smooth, consistent feel. Any uneven wear or potential seam failure requires a complete replacement of the belt. The deck should also be very smooth.
You may also want to test your treadmill's motor. You can do this by hooking a battery into the treadmill's power supply. You can use a cordless drill battery, a car battery, or a lantern battery. Checking the roller sleeve is also a good idea. On a number of treadmills, the drive roller has a traction sleeve that helps the belt operate at a lower level to prolong the life of the machine. The sleeve can slip off to one side, causing problems with the treadmill itself.
Treadmill Buying Guide For Beginners
Treadmills are one of the most popular pieces of exercise equipment available for the home market. Sometimes, though, a treadmill buying guide is necessary when you begin to weave your way through the options, features, and other difficulties involved in choosing a treadmill.
Things for Buyers To Consider
There are a number of different things to consider before you make your treadmill purchase. The first treadmill buying guide component is the type of motor on the model you are looking at. Treadmills come with either an AC or DC motor. Most consumer home units run on DC current. Most commercial models come with the option of either. AC motors are usually much louder, and they will require a dedicated power line. As a result, if you decide to buy a commercial model to use in your home, be sure you can run it with DC power.
The next treadmill buying guide component is the running belt. You want to consider the level of thickness in the belt with any model you buy. Models with one-ply belts tend to be cheaper, but models with two-ply belts are much stronger. The belts are a bit tougher, and they are far less likely to experience curling at the sides over the course of time.
An additional treadmill buying guide component is the type of incline adjustment. Adjusting the incline of your treadmill can change the intensity level of your workout. Some are electronic, and some are manual. The more expensive the model, the more electronic incline adjustment features you get. For example, on the most expensive models, the incline adjusts according to your target heart rate. On the least expensive models, you don't have electronic adjustment. You have to manually adjust the incline with a knob before you begin your workout.
The final treadmill buying guide component is the minimum and maximum speed of the machine. Most low end models go to around five miles per hour. Higher end models can go up to twelve miles per hour. You need to choose a model that fits your treadmill needs. For example, if you intend to use your treadmill for running, you want something that has faster speeds.
Considering all of these components is essential before you make your treadmill purchase.
Things for Buyers To Consider
There are a number of different things to consider before you make your treadmill purchase. The first treadmill buying guide component is the type of motor on the model you are looking at. Treadmills come with either an AC or DC motor. Most consumer home units run on DC current. Most commercial models come with the option of either. AC motors are usually much louder, and they will require a dedicated power line. As a result, if you decide to buy a commercial model to use in your home, be sure you can run it with DC power.
The next treadmill buying guide component is the running belt. You want to consider the level of thickness in the belt with any model you buy. Models with one-ply belts tend to be cheaper, but models with two-ply belts are much stronger. The belts are a bit tougher, and they are far less likely to experience curling at the sides over the course of time.
An additional treadmill buying guide component is the type of incline adjustment. Adjusting the incline of your treadmill can change the intensity level of your workout. Some are electronic, and some are manual. The more expensive the model, the more electronic incline adjustment features you get. For example, on the most expensive models, the incline adjusts according to your target heart rate. On the least expensive models, you don't have electronic adjustment. You have to manually adjust the incline with a knob before you begin your workout.
The final treadmill buying guide component is the minimum and maximum speed of the machine. Most low end models go to around five miles per hour. Higher end models can go up to twelve miles per hour. You need to choose a model that fits your treadmill needs. For example, if you intend to use your treadmill for running, you want something that has faster speeds.
Considering all of these components is essential before you make your treadmill purchase.
Use of Herb Compresses in Massage
Massage therapy in and of itself can by very therapeutic, as many people can attest to. In many cases massage is done with certain oils; sometimes to simply make the massage easier, in other cases they can add beneficial aroma therapy. One way to take the benefit of massage even further however, is to add herb compresses. There are probably as many combinations of herb compresses for massage as there are masseuses who use them. Many herb compresses, however, have become very popular and established due to their continuing success.
A compress of such elements as ginger, mint, and citrus given during or after a massage can promote a feeling of energy in a subject. Ginger is a very mild irritant to the skin, which is why in the right doses it can stimulate nerve endings and help bring blood to the skin, leaving that part of the body feeling energized and speeding the process of healing. Camphor can also work in this way, as well as citrus herbs. Especially when the massage is focused on promoting energy, this type of herb compress can be a great way to enhance the overall process.
When it comes to massage for relaxation, other types of herbs can be used. Lavender leaves or oil mixed with chamomile are often used as herb compresses to promote relaxation during or after a massage. There are even herb compresses used in massage to help with the sex drive, relieve constipation, ease the symptoms of hay fever, and release feelings of anger. Though massage treatment with these types of herb compresses is often controversial, what really matters most is what each person gets from them. Herb compresses in massage are rarely dangerous, but are both stimulating and detoxifying and you would expect an experienced massage therapist to be educated well enough to know how to use herb compresses and in what quantities.
When using herb compresses for massage, the usual first step is to steep the herbs in water or some type of oil before using them. Though herbs can be applied directly to the skin, combinations of herbs are often combined in a tied cloth bag after being prepared, and then the bag is steamed to warm it and gently rubbed, held or patted over the skin, or the parts of the body where it will be most useful. The key to doing this properly is to study how each herb must be prepared. Sometimes the herbs are prepared separately; sometimes they are steeped together in the water or the oil. The herbs can be applied to the skin separately as well, depending on the effect that the masseuse is going for. There are several good books on using herbal compresses for massage, as well as classes that you can take from licensed masseuses. If you are already a licensed masseuse and would like to venture into the realm of using herbal compresses to enhance the massage experience, it can often be beneficial to simply find a fellow masseuse who has used this method for a while, find out where they trained and then if possible, help him or her with preparation of the herbal compresses. Experiencing it first hand in this manner can be a great way to learn quickly, and in the correct way.
A compress of such elements as ginger, mint, and citrus given during or after a massage can promote a feeling of energy in a subject. Ginger is a very mild irritant to the skin, which is why in the right doses it can stimulate nerve endings and help bring blood to the skin, leaving that part of the body feeling energized and speeding the process of healing. Camphor can also work in this way, as well as citrus herbs. Especially when the massage is focused on promoting energy, this type of herb compress can be a great way to enhance the overall process.
When it comes to massage for relaxation, other types of herbs can be used. Lavender leaves or oil mixed with chamomile are often used as herb compresses to promote relaxation during or after a massage. There are even herb compresses used in massage to help with the sex drive, relieve constipation, ease the symptoms of hay fever, and release feelings of anger. Though massage treatment with these types of herb compresses is often controversial, what really matters most is what each person gets from them. Herb compresses in massage are rarely dangerous, but are both stimulating and detoxifying and you would expect an experienced massage therapist to be educated well enough to know how to use herb compresses and in what quantities.
When using herb compresses for massage, the usual first step is to steep the herbs in water or some type of oil before using them. Though herbs can be applied directly to the skin, combinations of herbs are often combined in a tied cloth bag after being prepared, and then the bag is steamed to warm it and gently rubbed, held or patted over the skin, or the parts of the body where it will be most useful. The key to doing this properly is to study how each herb must be prepared. Sometimes the herbs are prepared separately; sometimes they are steeped together in the water or the oil. The herbs can be applied to the skin separately as well, depending on the effect that the masseuse is going for. There are several good books on using herbal compresses for massage, as well as classes that you can take from licensed masseuses. If you are already a licensed masseuse and would like to venture into the realm of using herbal compresses to enhance the massage experience, it can often be beneficial to simply find a fellow masseuse who has used this method for a while, find out where they trained and then if possible, help him or her with preparation of the herbal compresses. Experiencing it first hand in this manner can be a great way to learn quickly, and in the correct way.
Arthritis and Exercise - Arthritis Herbal Remedies
Your bones hang out in a lot of joints. There are knee joints and hip joints. The joints in your fingers and the joints in your toes.
Wherever bones meet, there is also cartilage, a rubbery, protective layer that ensures your joints bend smoothly and painlessly. But even cartilage cannot do this tremendous job alone. A thin membrane called the synovium provides fluid that lubricates the moving parts of the joint. When the cartilage wears out or the synovium becomes inflamed, the result is generally a case of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
In osteoarthritis, the cartilage can be eroded so much that bone does rub on bone. This type of arthritis develops gradually over a lifetime as a simple result of the wear and tear placed on your joints over the years. Very few people escape some degree of osteoarthritis, though the severity varies a great deal.
As a matter of fact, if you are over the age of 50, you are likely to have at least one joint affected by osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis affects men and women equally and is by far the most common type of arthritis, with almost 16 million Americans in the list.
In rheumatoid arthritis, damage to the synovium is at the source of trouble. Doctors and researchers are not absolutely sure what causes it, but most think that rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system actually attacks certain tissues in the body, including those that connect the joints and the synovium.
Rheumatoid arthritis begins with swollen, red, stiff, and painful joints, but it may progress until scar tissue forms in the joint or, in extreme cases, until the bones actually fuse together. Almost 75% of the 2 million people with rheumatoid arthritis in the United States are women. The disease can hit as early as teen years.
Your Prevention Options:
Investing a little time in developing a good weight-bearing low-impact exercise and stretching plan can add up to great results when it comes to staving off arthritis pain. Strong muscles help protect the joints from wear and tear and the movement keeps joints flexible.
That is why the quest for fitness is at hand, even if you are 50 years and over. However, most Americans over 50 are still right where they always were sitting back and watching others jog by. Most of them contend that that is just for people who have been athletic all their life, or some say exercise is for young people and engaging into exercise will do them more harm than good.
There are still some that insist on excusing themselves in exercise routines because they do not just have time or they have less energy than ever before. These are all lame excuses. Hence, it is time to start to get rid of those pains. Start exercising.
Consequently, preventing arthritis is not an exact science, but physicians have discovered a few ways to lower your risk. Here is how:
1. Do not weight around
The single most important measure anyone can take to prevent osteoarthritis of the knee is to lose weight if they are overweight. Extra weight puts extra stress on your knees. If you are 10 pounds overweight, for example, you put 60 pounds per square inch of extra pressure on your knees every time you take a step. That extra pressure can slowly but surely erode the cartilage in your knees, leading to arthritis.
A study has clearly supported the theory that weight loss weighs in on the side of prevention. In the study, overweight women who lost 11 pounds or more over a 10-year period decreased their risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee by 50%.
2. Stretch those muscles
Any kind of stretching is good as long as you do not bounce, according to some of the professors of clinical medicine in New York City.
Try to hold a slow, steady stretch for 15 to 20 seconds, then relax and repeat. It is best to flex up by stretching before any exercise, especially running and walking. But it is also a good idea to stretch each day. Ask your doctor to teach you stretch that focuses on potential arthritis trouble spots, such as the knees or the lower back.
3. Walking is always the best exercise.
Take a good long walk at least three times a week or participate in a step-aerobics or low-impact exercise routine for maximum results. There is no proof that running is bad for the joints, but remember, it may aggravate an injury if you already have one. Just remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.
The bottom line is that of all the healthful habits, exercise is the most important. This is because people are designed to be active. Hence, it is really important for people to exercise in order to stay healthy and keep those joints free from wear and tear.
Just keep in mind that the unexercised body, even if free from the symptoms of illness or problems like arthritis, is not at its full potential. Hence, start exercising right now!
Wherever bones meet, there is also cartilage, a rubbery, protective layer that ensures your joints bend smoothly and painlessly. But even cartilage cannot do this tremendous job alone. A thin membrane called the synovium provides fluid that lubricates the moving parts of the joint. When the cartilage wears out or the synovium becomes inflamed, the result is generally a case of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
In osteoarthritis, the cartilage can be eroded so much that bone does rub on bone. This type of arthritis develops gradually over a lifetime as a simple result of the wear and tear placed on your joints over the years. Very few people escape some degree of osteoarthritis, though the severity varies a great deal.
As a matter of fact, if you are over the age of 50, you are likely to have at least one joint affected by osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis affects men and women equally and is by far the most common type of arthritis, with almost 16 million Americans in the list.
In rheumatoid arthritis, damage to the synovium is at the source of trouble. Doctors and researchers are not absolutely sure what causes it, but most think that rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system actually attacks certain tissues in the body, including those that connect the joints and the synovium.
Rheumatoid arthritis begins with swollen, red, stiff, and painful joints, but it may progress until scar tissue forms in the joint or, in extreme cases, until the bones actually fuse together. Almost 75% of the 2 million people with rheumatoid arthritis in the United States are women. The disease can hit as early as teen years.
Your Prevention Options:
Investing a little time in developing a good weight-bearing low-impact exercise and stretching plan can add up to great results when it comes to staving off arthritis pain. Strong muscles help protect the joints from wear and tear and the movement keeps joints flexible.
That is why the quest for fitness is at hand, even if you are 50 years and over. However, most Americans over 50 are still right where they always were sitting back and watching others jog by. Most of them contend that that is just for people who have been athletic all their life, or some say exercise is for young people and engaging into exercise will do them more harm than good.
There are still some that insist on excusing themselves in exercise routines because they do not just have time or they have less energy than ever before. These are all lame excuses. Hence, it is time to start to get rid of those pains. Start exercising.
Consequently, preventing arthritis is not an exact science, but physicians have discovered a few ways to lower your risk. Here is how:
1. Do not weight around
The single most important measure anyone can take to prevent osteoarthritis of the knee is to lose weight if they are overweight. Extra weight puts extra stress on your knees. If you are 10 pounds overweight, for example, you put 60 pounds per square inch of extra pressure on your knees every time you take a step. That extra pressure can slowly but surely erode the cartilage in your knees, leading to arthritis.
A study has clearly supported the theory that weight loss weighs in on the side of prevention. In the study, overweight women who lost 11 pounds or more over a 10-year period decreased their risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee by 50%.
2. Stretch those muscles
Any kind of stretching is good as long as you do not bounce, according to some of the professors of clinical medicine in New York City.
Try to hold a slow, steady stretch for 15 to 20 seconds, then relax and repeat. It is best to flex up by stretching before any exercise, especially running and walking. But it is also a good idea to stretch each day. Ask your doctor to teach you stretch that focuses on potential arthritis trouble spots, such as the knees or the lower back.
3. Walking is always the best exercise.
Take a good long walk at least three times a week or participate in a step-aerobics or low-impact exercise routine for maximum results. There is no proof that running is bad for the joints, but remember, it may aggravate an injury if you already have one. Just remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.
The bottom line is that of all the healthful habits, exercise is the most important. This is because people are designed to be active. Hence, it is really important for people to exercise in order to stay healthy and keep those joints free from wear and tear.
Just keep in mind that the unexercised body, even if free from the symptoms of illness or problems like arthritis, is not at its full potential. Hence, start exercising right now!
Stairclimber and Elliptical Exercise Machines
Elliptical Exercise and Stairclimber machines are a great way to burn calories, pump up your heart rate, and work the quads, hamstrings, and butt. It is also a good exercise to take the pressure off your knees from running. Most Elliptical exercise machines feature an interactive display that shows you how long youve been stepping, how many calories youve expended, and your level of intensity. Stairclimbers will send your feet marching up and down, while elliptical exercise machines move your feet in a pattern of a flattened-out circle.
The Routine: Heres how to get more out of your stepping or climbing workout.
-Start slowly:
Its best to step or climb for 30 minutes and work up from there.
-Position your feet well:
Users may feel their toes become numb and tingly before the end of the session. If youre getting weird messages from your southernmost reaches, youre probably putting too much pressure on the balls of your feet, pinching off blood circulation to your toes.
Move your feet forward or back on the foot pads until you find a position the lets them feel normal. Also wiggle your toes periodically to ward off the tingles.
-Step away from the arm rest:
Youll get more work out of your workout when you dont lean heavily on the armrest. For starters, youll be bearing and moving around more of your own weight, and burning more calories as a result. Second, when you stand up straight, you give your abs a better workout because they have to support you during exercise. You can also burn more calories, add your arms to the action, pumping them as you would during a run. You can burn up to 30% more calories by not using the armrest, which makes the workout more efficient
-Warmup and Cooldown:
Be sure to ease into your workout to allow your muscles to warm up, and slow down at the end of the session to cool down. Youll probably find that your machine has warmups and cooldowns built into its workouts.
The Routine: Heres how to get more out of your stepping or climbing workout.
-Start slowly:
Its best to step or climb for 30 minutes and work up from there.
-Position your feet well:
Users may feel their toes become numb and tingly before the end of the session. If youre getting weird messages from your southernmost reaches, youre probably putting too much pressure on the balls of your feet, pinching off blood circulation to your toes.
Move your feet forward or back on the foot pads until you find a position the lets them feel normal. Also wiggle your toes periodically to ward off the tingles.
-Step away from the arm rest:
Youll get more work out of your workout when you dont lean heavily on the armrest. For starters, youll be bearing and moving around more of your own weight, and burning more calories as a result. Second, when you stand up straight, you give your abs a better workout because they have to support you during exercise. You can also burn more calories, add your arms to the action, pumping them as you would during a run. You can burn up to 30% more calories by not using the armrest, which makes the workout more efficient
-Warmup and Cooldown:
Be sure to ease into your workout to allow your muscles to warm up, and slow down at the end of the session to cool down. Youll probably find that your machine has warmups and cooldowns built into its workouts.
Grow New Brain Cells with Exercise
Exercise is excellent for our physical health. We know that it's good for our heart and weight and now there's proof that it's good for our brain. There are studies that suggest exercise can actually grow new brain cells. This is something that was believed impossible not long ago.
Age-related memory usually starts to decline around age 30, but exercise can help you fight this decline and prevent Alzheimer's.
Test with mice has shown they developed new brain cells in the dentate gyrus region. This is part of the hippocampus that affects age-related memory. These studies do show a natural pattern, which proves that people can also grow new brain cells with exercise.
A test was performed on 11 adults that went though a three month exercise program. Test with MRIs of their brains demonstrated increased blood flow to the dentate gyrus region, similar to the mice.
This is very exciting news! We now know that we can do more to fight back against memory decline. Exercise can build new brain cells as we get in shape both mentally and physically.
In the future physicians may prescribe particular exercise routines to patients that have mental decline. This is much more promising than drugs.
Exercise optimizes your brain to learn, improves circulation, boosts metabolism, decreases stress and improves attention and mood.
The brain cells work better when you exercise, making it easier for the neurons to communicate back and forth.
Basically if you exercise regularly, you will become smarter, more alert and be able to carry out all of your tasks better. You will also feel better.
Even brisk walking a few times a week will help. Start there and build up. Your body and mind will thank you. Another benefit is that this will help flatten your stomach. Most of us will like that idea.
If you want to stay fit and eliminate your dependency on others as you age, then start an exercise routine now.
If you combine an exercise routine with a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and low in processed junk food, then your results could be amazing. Blueberries and bilberries also seem to help the brain's neurons to communicate better. This can improve motor behavior in the aging.
Why not start today? Begin by going for a short stroll and increase the distance in the days ahead. This is not a quick fix, but a new lifestyle that will help bring you health, peace and happiness, if you truly want it enough to go the distance.
Age-related memory usually starts to decline around age 30, but exercise can help you fight this decline and prevent Alzheimer's.
Test with mice has shown they developed new brain cells in the dentate gyrus region. This is part of the hippocampus that affects age-related memory. These studies do show a natural pattern, which proves that people can also grow new brain cells with exercise.
A test was performed on 11 adults that went though a three month exercise program. Test with MRIs of their brains demonstrated increased blood flow to the dentate gyrus region, similar to the mice.
This is very exciting news! We now know that we can do more to fight back against memory decline. Exercise can build new brain cells as we get in shape both mentally and physically.
In the future physicians may prescribe particular exercise routines to patients that have mental decline. This is much more promising than drugs.
Exercise optimizes your brain to learn, improves circulation, boosts metabolism, decreases stress and improves attention and mood.
The brain cells work better when you exercise, making it easier for the neurons to communicate back and forth.
Basically if you exercise regularly, you will become smarter, more alert and be able to carry out all of your tasks better. You will also feel better.
Even brisk walking a few times a week will help. Start there and build up. Your body and mind will thank you. Another benefit is that this will help flatten your stomach. Most of us will like that idea.
If you want to stay fit and eliminate your dependency on others as you age, then start an exercise routine now.
If you combine an exercise routine with a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and low in processed junk food, then your results could be amazing. Blueberries and bilberries also seem to help the brain's neurons to communicate better. This can improve motor behavior in the aging.
Why not start today? Begin by going for a short stroll and increase the distance in the days ahead. This is not a quick fix, but a new lifestyle that will help bring you health, peace and happiness, if you truly want it enough to go the distance.
Ways to Maintain Your Bones and Joint Health
Your skeleton is the frame upon which your body depends for support. It is more than a simple structure. Its bones conceal and protect vital organs. Without the bones to provide shape and support, you are as formless as the Blob. A joint is the place where two or more bones meet. Joints provide flexibility to the skeletal structure. They allow smooth movement, bending and elasticity. Without joints, you would be like the Tin Man.
Keeping healthy bones and joints is essential. If you do not take care of their health, you may feel the effects grow worse over the years. What, then, is the answer to keeping your bones and joints healthy? There are a number of ways of maintaining a healthy skeletal and joint system. Doctors stress various factors in your day-to-day life. They analyze your individual problems, genetic background and current life choices. They then focus on two distinct fields: diet and lifestyle. Within these two areas are five specific ways to maintain healthy bones and joints.
Diet
You are, so the saying goes, what you eat. There are certain foods connected with healthy bones and joints. Milk, milk alternatives, milk products and green vegetables are among the list of "musts." The reason is simple. They all contain high levels of calcium. Calcium is necessary for providing and maintaining healthy bones and joints.
Calcium is one of the essential ingredients behind the growth of healthy bones. It is aptly called the backbone of your skeleton. About 99 per cent of your calcium resides in your bones. It is stored there. When your body requires more calcium and you are absorbing insufficient amounts, your body withdraws it from your bones.
Other substances you need to consider are Magnesium (About 70 percent of it is in your bones.), Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C. These are also essential to ensuring healthy bones. Vitamin C helps nourish healthy joints and bones. Calcium, magnesium, and other mineral and vitamin deficiencies can be corrected by diet and/or the addition of various supplements. Keep in mind, however, that the specific requirements change with age.
Rule number one, therefore, is to ensure your body obtains and maintains the correct amount of calcium and other bone-friendly vitamins and minerals. The best way to accomplish this is to follow the government food guides. These handbooks list the correct amount of the various food groups required to remain healthy. Be sure to include lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and their alternatives e.g. tofu, cheese, yogurt.
Realize, however, many minerals, vitamins and other necessary bone and joint strengtheners and builders cannot work on their own. They require something to increase their absorption into the body. Vitamin D is one of the better known. It helps the gut absorb calcium. It is available naturally but you can also take it in supplement form.
Rule number two, therefore, is to include Vitamin D and other enablers as part of your diet. Vitamin D is less common naturally than vitamin C. Foods rich in vitamin D include salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, eel, shiitake mushrooms and eggs. Other foods such as cereal and milk are fortified with vitamin D. It, too, is available in supplement form.
Rule number three: reduce the loss of calcium. Your body loses this mineral through sweat, urine and gut secretion. Furthermore, North American diets drive out bone and joint strengthening through their high-level intakes of sodium and protein and their low-level absorption of potassium and bicarbonate. If you add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, you can reverse the trend towards bone and joint concerns.
Lifestyle
You have a choice on how you want to live your life. This extends beyond eating sensibly into such factors as smoking and drinking. The smoking of cigarettes, the intake of various drugs and the drinking of caffeine and alcohol negatively affect your ability to maintain healthy bones and joints. Rule number four is to reduce or remove these habits. Everything in moderation is the key to maintaining a healthy life with healthy bones and joints.
The final way of maintaining and even increasing bone and joint health is through exercise. Regular exercise, particularly load bearing exercise, is good for you and all parts of your body. Walking daily can keep your body fit. It will keep your bones and joints strong and supple.
The five rules or ways to follow are simple. Eat properly, stressing bone-friendly foods. Include in your diet bone enablers and strengtheners. Avoid food and substances that subtract calcium from your bones and get off the couch and exercise your way to healthy bones and joints.
Keeping healthy bones and joints is essential. If you do not take care of their health, you may feel the effects grow worse over the years. What, then, is the answer to keeping your bones and joints healthy? There are a number of ways of maintaining a healthy skeletal and joint system. Doctors stress various factors in your day-to-day life. They analyze your individual problems, genetic background and current life choices. They then focus on two distinct fields: diet and lifestyle. Within these two areas are five specific ways to maintain healthy bones and joints.
Diet
You are, so the saying goes, what you eat. There are certain foods connected with healthy bones and joints. Milk, milk alternatives, milk products and green vegetables are among the list of "musts." The reason is simple. They all contain high levels of calcium. Calcium is necessary for providing and maintaining healthy bones and joints.
Calcium is one of the essential ingredients behind the growth of healthy bones. It is aptly called the backbone of your skeleton. About 99 per cent of your calcium resides in your bones. It is stored there. When your body requires more calcium and you are absorbing insufficient amounts, your body withdraws it from your bones.
Other substances you need to consider are Magnesium (About 70 percent of it is in your bones.), Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C. These are also essential to ensuring healthy bones. Vitamin C helps nourish healthy joints and bones. Calcium, magnesium, and other mineral and vitamin deficiencies can be corrected by diet and/or the addition of various supplements. Keep in mind, however, that the specific requirements change with age.
Rule number one, therefore, is to ensure your body obtains and maintains the correct amount of calcium and other bone-friendly vitamins and minerals. The best way to accomplish this is to follow the government food guides. These handbooks list the correct amount of the various food groups required to remain healthy. Be sure to include lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and their alternatives e.g. tofu, cheese, yogurt.
Realize, however, many minerals, vitamins and other necessary bone and joint strengtheners and builders cannot work on their own. They require something to increase their absorption into the body. Vitamin D is one of the better known. It helps the gut absorb calcium. It is available naturally but you can also take it in supplement form.
Rule number two, therefore, is to include Vitamin D and other enablers as part of your diet. Vitamin D is less common naturally than vitamin C. Foods rich in vitamin D include salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, eel, shiitake mushrooms and eggs. Other foods such as cereal and milk are fortified with vitamin D. It, too, is available in supplement form.
Rule number three: reduce the loss of calcium. Your body loses this mineral through sweat, urine and gut secretion. Furthermore, North American diets drive out bone and joint strengthening through their high-level intakes of sodium and protein and their low-level absorption of potassium and bicarbonate. If you add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, you can reverse the trend towards bone and joint concerns.
Lifestyle
You have a choice on how you want to live your life. This extends beyond eating sensibly into such factors as smoking and drinking. The smoking of cigarettes, the intake of various drugs and the drinking of caffeine and alcohol negatively affect your ability to maintain healthy bones and joints. Rule number four is to reduce or remove these habits. Everything in moderation is the key to maintaining a healthy life with healthy bones and joints.
The final way of maintaining and even increasing bone and joint health is through exercise. Regular exercise, particularly load bearing exercise, is good for you and all parts of your body. Walking daily can keep your body fit. It will keep your bones and joints strong and supple.
The five rules or ways to follow are simple. Eat properly, stressing bone-friendly foods. Include in your diet bone enablers and strengtheners. Avoid food and substances that subtract calcium from your bones and get off the couch and exercise your way to healthy bones and joints.
Bodybuilding: Secret Template for Life Success
"In the foundation of every building or house that I have built, I have a barbell plate"
These are the words of the late Ray "Thunder" Stern , a legend in professional wrestling, bodybuilding, and entrepreneurial success.(1) In fact, dare I say; in a world inundated with advice on how to be successful, nothing compares to the now out-of-print book Power of Thunder, co-written by Mr. Stern and Robert Wolff, Ph.D. In it, Ray Stern highlighted and explained his principles for success in such a manner that authentic and effectual' are the most forthcoming words of distinction when comparing it to the countless books on the self-help shelves today.
And yes, the symbolic ritual within the context of edifice development was explained. Mr. Stern, a real estate investor and pioneer of the fitness industry, cemented a big barbell plate in the foundation of the buildings and homes he developed. "I do this as a testament that anything and everything I have in life, I owe to bodybuilding", wrote Mr. Stern.(2)
But what is it about fitness and bodybuilding that can provide such a template for life success? How can the ability to make positive and lasting changes to your physique translate to practical lessons of wisdom in goal setting and achievement?
Regardless of one's personal aspirations or definition of success, physique improvement can provide a microcosmic blueprint for bringing dreams into reality. It does so with such eerie precision as to even warn us of the pitfalls of attempted shortcuts. Example: who among us long-term bodybuilding enthusiasts hasn't witnessed the neophyte muscle-builder who thinks steroids are the key to physique improvement? The fleeting benefits and oft-resulting dependence on such drugs can have detrimental long-term outcomes on even the appearance of one's physique. Expanding this observation out to context, it seems reminiscent of a life success principle from the words of Ray Stern: "Being great in whatever you do takes time. Short-term gain always equals long-term pain and don't let anyone tell you differently."(3)
Goals: The First Page in Your Success Blueprint
In order to achieve anything worthwhile, we must have a vivid internal representation of what we want. A vague idea will not generate optimal results. If we drift through life with day-to-day thoughts such as I'd like to be more muscular' or I want to lose some body fat', our odds of identifying a strategy for accomplishment and our resolve to carry it out will fade as fast as the ambiguous images in our minds. Conversely, when our goals are specific; I want eight percent body fat'; 'I want seventeen inch biceps'; 'I want a fifteen inch ratio between my torso measurement and my waistline', our chances of making these things a reality goes up exponentially. This practice can then be carried over to other contexts of your life. In fact, when you get good at setting specific goals for your body, this skill will likely be etched into your subconscious mind for effective retrieval when you need it elsewhere-career, health, relationships, etc.
A Powerful Strategy: The bulk of Your Blueprint
Nothing will extinguish motivation to achieve a goal faster than an ineffective strategy with no clue as to where to find or how to develop an effective one. In the gym, it usually happens like this: The beginner reads that he or she should work the biceps once per week. The generic routine this individual is given recommends doing some well-rounded selection of exercises for a reasonable number of sets of six to ten reps. It encourages this person to increase exercise weight when possible and to work out with "intensity" (with no real definition of this fuzzy term). Oh, and let's not forget good form; it's to be used on all biceps exercises.
But what's wrong with this picture? Well, nothing for the first few weeks. But all it takes is a slight, undetectable negative variable to throw the unsuspecting natural trainer into the clutches of a progress plateau. Maybe his or her set numbers are just slightly too high for the number of rest days provided a factor not only tied to individual genetics, but variables in weekly sleep patterns and stress levels as well. Another possibility: a reaction to unsatisfying progress leads the trainee to inadvertently train harder with the plateau having been brought on by inadequate recuperation. When this becomes perpetual, it's a recipe for motivation-sapping frustration.
The solution to this is to develop what I call a powerful strategy, not just an effective one. A strategy becomes powerful in its effectiveness when it's designed in such a way as to provide flexibility and micro-feedback. Flexibility means the structure of your workout and recovery system lends itself to small adjustments that can make a big difference. Micro-feedback means it's structured in such a way that you can easily see from one workout to the next whether you're on track to your goals. The feedback is a tool applied to the building blocks of flexibility. Any workout in which this feedback isn't observed and responded to is a waste of time. Well, only if you're a person who likes to enjoy rewarding results as opposed to going through motions.
How important is flexibility and attention to feedback in establishing an effective strategy to achieve our goals? Let's look at the words of Ray Stern in Power of Thunder: "The real winners in business, bodybuilding, sports or whatever, are those who have a big dream or goal, yet have many plans that they can use in order to achieve it."(4)
Visualization: Your Homing Device
The legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger said he visualized his biceps being giant mountains on his arms. Ray Stern wrote "Think, think, think about your goals and dreams and never stop believing"(5)
Visualization, practiced and utilized for physique improvement, is a skill of achievement that can be transferred to any area of life you'd like to improve. Even better, it becomes easy-to-use and a more effective tool the more it's practiced. Better still, when we visualize a goal and accompany that internal representation with positive emotion and excitement, our chances of reaching it go up dramatically. All this really requires is a few minutes of quiet time each day. When a window of time is used regularly to play your goals out in your mind, the subconscious will work out many of the details, even while you're sleeping. That's why this tool acts as a homing device in guiding us toward what we want.
So what specifically should you visualize and emotionalize? The very last step that will tell you your goal has been accomplished. If it's gaining ten pounds of muscle, see yourself standing in front of the mirror and on the bathroom scale with those contoured slabs of meat on your frame. If it's losing twenty pounds of unwanted fat, visualize the new and leaner you in the mirror. Maybe it's a job promotion; see your boss sitting you down in his or her office and telling you of your advancement as you feel the positive charge of emotion that this will elicit from you.
Bodybuilding and Fitness: The Ultimate Success Practice Ground
Bodybuilding, along with any type of physique improvement, represents the rawest form of merging the world of your desires with the power to make them happen. It's just you, your body, and some equipment. The results you get depend upon how well you utilize your mind and an outer strategy to mold something better than what you started with. If you really "get it" really hone in on the formula for success within this elementally pristine context you can ingrain the "success mindset" into your physiology.
When I sadly learned that Ray Thunder' Stern passed away in March, 2007, I saw a quote by his wife, former fitness model Debi Lee, that seemed poignantly revealing: " He was a very unusual man with visions and the energy and know-how to make things happen".(6)
Judging by words in his book, these are attributes that he would likely credit to his passion for bodybuilding. They are characteristics not elusive to the rest of us, should we be as observant and receptive as Ray Stern to the inherent wisdom and powerful lessons that bodybuilding can offer us.
References: (1) Stern, Ray. Wolff, Robert. Power of Thunder Wolff Creative Group, Calabasas, CA. 1994 (Page 126) (2) Stern, page 126 (3) Stern, page 84 (4) Stern, page 109 (5) Stern, page 64 (6) Oliver, Greg. Ray "Thunder" Stern dead at 74 Slam Wrestling, March 2007(Paragraph 21)
These are the words of the late Ray "Thunder" Stern , a legend in professional wrestling, bodybuilding, and entrepreneurial success.(1) In fact, dare I say; in a world inundated with advice on how to be successful, nothing compares to the now out-of-print book Power of Thunder, co-written by Mr. Stern and Robert Wolff, Ph.D. In it, Ray Stern highlighted and explained his principles for success in such a manner that authentic and effectual' are the most forthcoming words of distinction when comparing it to the countless books on the self-help shelves today.
And yes, the symbolic ritual within the context of edifice development was explained. Mr. Stern, a real estate investor and pioneer of the fitness industry, cemented a big barbell plate in the foundation of the buildings and homes he developed. "I do this as a testament that anything and everything I have in life, I owe to bodybuilding", wrote Mr. Stern.(2)
But what is it about fitness and bodybuilding that can provide such a template for life success? How can the ability to make positive and lasting changes to your physique translate to practical lessons of wisdom in goal setting and achievement?
Regardless of one's personal aspirations or definition of success, physique improvement can provide a microcosmic blueprint for bringing dreams into reality. It does so with such eerie precision as to even warn us of the pitfalls of attempted shortcuts. Example: who among us long-term bodybuilding enthusiasts hasn't witnessed the neophyte muscle-builder who thinks steroids are the key to physique improvement? The fleeting benefits and oft-resulting dependence on such drugs can have detrimental long-term outcomes on even the appearance of one's physique. Expanding this observation out to context, it seems reminiscent of a life success principle from the words of Ray Stern: "Being great in whatever you do takes time. Short-term gain always equals long-term pain and don't let anyone tell you differently."(3)
Goals: The First Page in Your Success Blueprint
In order to achieve anything worthwhile, we must have a vivid internal representation of what we want. A vague idea will not generate optimal results. If we drift through life with day-to-day thoughts such as I'd like to be more muscular' or I want to lose some body fat', our odds of identifying a strategy for accomplishment and our resolve to carry it out will fade as fast as the ambiguous images in our minds. Conversely, when our goals are specific; I want eight percent body fat'; 'I want seventeen inch biceps'; 'I want a fifteen inch ratio between my torso measurement and my waistline', our chances of making these things a reality goes up exponentially. This practice can then be carried over to other contexts of your life. In fact, when you get good at setting specific goals for your body, this skill will likely be etched into your subconscious mind for effective retrieval when you need it elsewhere-career, health, relationships, etc.
A Powerful Strategy: The bulk of Your Blueprint
Nothing will extinguish motivation to achieve a goal faster than an ineffective strategy with no clue as to where to find or how to develop an effective one. In the gym, it usually happens like this: The beginner reads that he or she should work the biceps once per week. The generic routine this individual is given recommends doing some well-rounded selection of exercises for a reasonable number of sets of six to ten reps. It encourages this person to increase exercise weight when possible and to work out with "intensity" (with no real definition of this fuzzy term). Oh, and let's not forget good form; it's to be used on all biceps exercises.
But what's wrong with this picture? Well, nothing for the first few weeks. But all it takes is a slight, undetectable negative variable to throw the unsuspecting natural trainer into the clutches of a progress plateau. Maybe his or her set numbers are just slightly too high for the number of rest days provided a factor not only tied to individual genetics, but variables in weekly sleep patterns and stress levels as well. Another possibility: a reaction to unsatisfying progress leads the trainee to inadvertently train harder with the plateau having been brought on by inadequate recuperation. When this becomes perpetual, it's a recipe for motivation-sapping frustration.
The solution to this is to develop what I call a powerful strategy, not just an effective one. A strategy becomes powerful in its effectiveness when it's designed in such a way as to provide flexibility and micro-feedback. Flexibility means the structure of your workout and recovery system lends itself to small adjustments that can make a big difference. Micro-feedback means it's structured in such a way that you can easily see from one workout to the next whether you're on track to your goals. The feedback is a tool applied to the building blocks of flexibility. Any workout in which this feedback isn't observed and responded to is a waste of time. Well, only if you're a person who likes to enjoy rewarding results as opposed to going through motions.
How important is flexibility and attention to feedback in establishing an effective strategy to achieve our goals? Let's look at the words of Ray Stern in Power of Thunder: "The real winners in business, bodybuilding, sports or whatever, are those who have a big dream or goal, yet have many plans that they can use in order to achieve it."(4)
Visualization: Your Homing Device
The legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger said he visualized his biceps being giant mountains on his arms. Ray Stern wrote "Think, think, think about your goals and dreams and never stop believing"(5)
Visualization, practiced and utilized for physique improvement, is a skill of achievement that can be transferred to any area of life you'd like to improve. Even better, it becomes easy-to-use and a more effective tool the more it's practiced. Better still, when we visualize a goal and accompany that internal representation with positive emotion and excitement, our chances of reaching it go up dramatically. All this really requires is a few minutes of quiet time each day. When a window of time is used regularly to play your goals out in your mind, the subconscious will work out many of the details, even while you're sleeping. That's why this tool acts as a homing device in guiding us toward what we want.
So what specifically should you visualize and emotionalize? The very last step that will tell you your goal has been accomplished. If it's gaining ten pounds of muscle, see yourself standing in front of the mirror and on the bathroom scale with those contoured slabs of meat on your frame. If it's losing twenty pounds of unwanted fat, visualize the new and leaner you in the mirror. Maybe it's a job promotion; see your boss sitting you down in his or her office and telling you of your advancement as you feel the positive charge of emotion that this will elicit from you.
Bodybuilding and Fitness: The Ultimate Success Practice Ground
Bodybuilding, along with any type of physique improvement, represents the rawest form of merging the world of your desires with the power to make them happen. It's just you, your body, and some equipment. The results you get depend upon how well you utilize your mind and an outer strategy to mold something better than what you started with. If you really "get it" really hone in on the formula for success within this elementally pristine context you can ingrain the "success mindset" into your physiology.
When I sadly learned that Ray Thunder' Stern passed away in March, 2007, I saw a quote by his wife, former fitness model Debi Lee, that seemed poignantly revealing: " He was a very unusual man with visions and the energy and know-how to make things happen".(6)
Judging by words in his book, these are attributes that he would likely credit to his passion for bodybuilding. They are characteristics not elusive to the rest of us, should we be as observant and receptive as Ray Stern to the inherent wisdom and powerful lessons that bodybuilding can offer us.
References: (1) Stern, Ray. Wolff, Robert. Power of Thunder Wolff Creative Group, Calabasas, CA. 1994 (Page 126) (2) Stern, page 126 (3) Stern, page 84 (4) Stern, page 109 (5) Stern, page 64 (6) Oliver, Greg. Ray "Thunder" Stern dead at 74 Slam Wrestling, March 2007(Paragraph 21)
Buying Exercise Equipment At a Discount
If you are like me, you like to save money!
The process of buying exercise equipment can actually save you money. In fact, it can be done without a dent in your wallet, if you know how to shop for discount exercise equipment.
There are a lot of equipment wholesalers available on the web, and that's a good place to start. There are many places where you can find discount exercise equipment. In this article, you will learn where you can get discount exercise equipment and how you should go about buying. After all, there is no reason for you to pay the regular price for equipment when you can get discount exercise equipment.
Before you decide to buy, evaluate your fitness goals, which parts of our body we want to target. There are many different types of equipment that work out a specific part of our body and these machines can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars each. Most of us want to have a complete workout, so we go to the gym, but even gyms have their drawbacks such as convenience (or rather, the lack of). If you want a full body training routine, the equipment may be expensive.
Before you buy, remember that you do not have to pay the retail price, and that there is always room for negotiation. Have you considered visiting your local gym, sports supply store, or even on the internet? There are many bargains as long as you know where to look.
The main reason deals are available, is that new equipment comes along all the time, and it is not necessarily better, just better designed! The faster new exercise equipment becomes available, "late" models will be offered as discount exercise equipment. Older exercise equipment work as well, sometimes better than recent models, which tend to be more dependent on additional, sometimes unnecessary components that add glamour. For instance, a new model treadmill may have an adjustable chest strap to monitor your heart or even built in cooling fans on the electronic panel, whereas the discount exercise equipment may not.
Once you have figured out exactly what kind of discount exercise equipment you want, you need to do your research in the different models and the average prices of both discount exercise equipment AND retail priced exercise equipment. The reason being that even though discount exercise equipment is lower than the retail price, you still might not be getting the best deal you can get.
If you surf the web to make a purchase like many individuals do these days, my advice is that you visit your local sporting goods store and try their goods to get a feel of which equipment you like. The key is to narrow down your selection to a specific make and model. Once you finish this task, everything else is easy Just browse the internet for which places are offering that exact model at a price that fits within your budget.
One last word of advice: refer to a source that offers comprehensive reviews on exercise equipment, so that you can read about different types of exercise equipment before you buy. Never rush with your purchase decision.
The process of buying exercise equipment can actually save you money. In fact, it can be done without a dent in your wallet, if you know how to shop for discount exercise equipment.
There are a lot of equipment wholesalers available on the web, and that's a good place to start. There are many places where you can find discount exercise equipment. In this article, you will learn where you can get discount exercise equipment and how you should go about buying. After all, there is no reason for you to pay the regular price for equipment when you can get discount exercise equipment.
Before you decide to buy, evaluate your fitness goals, which parts of our body we want to target. There are many different types of equipment that work out a specific part of our body and these machines can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars each. Most of us want to have a complete workout, so we go to the gym, but even gyms have their drawbacks such as convenience (or rather, the lack of). If you want a full body training routine, the equipment may be expensive.
Before you buy, remember that you do not have to pay the retail price, and that there is always room for negotiation. Have you considered visiting your local gym, sports supply store, or even on the internet? There are many bargains as long as you know where to look.
The main reason deals are available, is that new equipment comes along all the time, and it is not necessarily better, just better designed! The faster new exercise equipment becomes available, "late" models will be offered as discount exercise equipment. Older exercise equipment work as well, sometimes better than recent models, which tend to be more dependent on additional, sometimes unnecessary components that add glamour. For instance, a new model treadmill may have an adjustable chest strap to monitor your heart or even built in cooling fans on the electronic panel, whereas the discount exercise equipment may not.
Once you have figured out exactly what kind of discount exercise equipment you want, you need to do your research in the different models and the average prices of both discount exercise equipment AND retail priced exercise equipment. The reason being that even though discount exercise equipment is lower than the retail price, you still might not be getting the best deal you can get.
If you surf the web to make a purchase like many individuals do these days, my advice is that you visit your local sporting goods store and try their goods to get a feel of which equipment you like. The key is to narrow down your selection to a specific make and model. Once you finish this task, everything else is easy Just browse the internet for which places are offering that exact model at a price that fits within your budget.
One last word of advice: refer to a source that offers comprehensive reviews on exercise equipment, so that you can read about different types of exercise equipment before you buy. Never rush with your purchase decision.
Body Sculpting for Moms Without Time
When it comes to body sculpting for moms, there are a lot of obstacles standing in the way. If you have a new infant, you have more responsibilities on your mind and less time to do them in. Add in the fact that you probably aren't getting enough sleep and exercise becomes less and less of a priority. But in order to maintain your health and fitness levels, you may want to follow some of these body sculpting for moms' tips that will help you squeeze in exercise even on your busiest days. All you need is a little imagination (and if you have older children, they can join in too).
The main ingredient for body sculpting for moms is finding exercise equipment that's all around you. You want to focus on finding things that will add resistance to your daily chores, adding a workout without your having to even change into athletic shoes. For example, your newborn is a great piece of free weight equipment whenever you lift them up and down. As they grow older, they become heavier, adding even more resistance. You can also use ordinary objects to help create a body sculpting routine i.e. soap cans, milk jugs, grocery bags, etc. Look around for things that you can lift and move in order to add some tone to your body.
Next, you will want to find ways to add more movement to your days. Body sculpting for moms can include lifting toys off the ground and then placing them back, lifting them up again and then placing them back adding up to more calories burned. You might also want to take the stairs whenever you can to help increase the sculpting for your lower body. Playing with your children can be a body sculpting experience too when you lift them and move them or when you actually play interactive games that require running or moving.
To further increase your time for body sculpting for moms, you will want to look for someone to watch your children when you do want to workout in more standard ways i.e. fitness videos, online routines, etc. Have someone watch your children even when you're in the same house. This will allow you to go check on them if anything happens, but you can still workout without being interrupted. There are also many fitness centers that will watch your children if you are attending a class at the location. Body sculpting for moms doesn't have to add stress to your day when you simply find new ways to increase the fitness in your life. By using objects from around the house, playing with your children, or attending a fitness class, you can maintain or improve your fitness all without missing a beat of your child's life.
The main ingredient for body sculpting for moms is finding exercise equipment that's all around you. You want to focus on finding things that will add resistance to your daily chores, adding a workout without your having to even change into athletic shoes. For example, your newborn is a great piece of free weight equipment whenever you lift them up and down. As they grow older, they become heavier, adding even more resistance. You can also use ordinary objects to help create a body sculpting routine i.e. soap cans, milk jugs, grocery bags, etc. Look around for things that you can lift and move in order to add some tone to your body.
Next, you will want to find ways to add more movement to your days. Body sculpting for moms can include lifting toys off the ground and then placing them back, lifting them up again and then placing them back adding up to more calories burned. You might also want to take the stairs whenever you can to help increase the sculpting for your lower body. Playing with your children can be a body sculpting experience too when you lift them and move them or when you actually play interactive games that require running or moving.
To further increase your time for body sculpting for moms, you will want to look for someone to watch your children when you do want to workout in more standard ways i.e. fitness videos, online routines, etc. Have someone watch your children even when you're in the same house. This will allow you to go check on them if anything happens, but you can still workout without being interrupted. There are also many fitness centers that will watch your children if you are attending a class at the location. Body sculpting for moms doesn't have to add stress to your day when you simply find new ways to increase the fitness in your life. By using objects from around the house, playing with your children, or attending a fitness class, you can maintain or improve your fitness all without missing a beat of your child's life.
How to Choose the Best Fitness Program for You
Many people do not know where to begin when trying to start a fitness program. The search for an adequate fitness program can sometimes feel frustrating, because there are many different kinds of programs, and a lot of them contain conflicting information!
There are a few basic guidelines to follow when searching for a quality fitness program. Every fitness program should incorporate a few standard things.
The first thing a good fitness program will include is weight training. This may be accomplished by the use of large machines, barbells, or simple handheld free weights. Some people have also found that alternative types of resistance training, such as resistance bands, work well for their specific fitness program. The important thing is that there is some type of resistance training in your fitness program. Using weights even just a few times a week within your fitness program can increase your overall health, including bone density. Also, lifting weights as part of your fitness program increases your bodys muscle mass. This means that you will replace fat with muscle. Muscle is more attractive than fat, and takes up less space. It burns calories even while you are resting! These are just a few reasons why a weight-training regimen should be included in your overall fitness program.
The second thing you should check for in a quality fitness program, is a good amount of cardiovascular exercise. This is simply any exercise that increases your heart rate and keeps it elevated for an adequate amount of time. There should be at least twenty minute of cardiovascular exercise in your fitness program three times a week, and this is a minimum for any fitness program. Bicycling, fast walking, running or jogging, dancing, aerobic classes, etc. are all examples of cardiovascular exercise that could be incorporated into your fitness program. A fitness program should include this type of exercise because it is excellent for your heart and overall bodily health. However, another benefit of adding it to your fitness program is that it burns calories, which, in turn, helps you to lose weight.
Finally, any good fitness program should begin and end with stretching. This is a way to ensure that your muscles and ligaments are well taken care of throughout your fitness program, and stretching also has an elongating effect.
Any fitness program that includes these three things will be a fitness program you can feel positive about beginning. Its always a challenge to begin a fitness program, but if you stick with your fitness program past the first few days and weeks, you will begin to look and feel better than ever.
There are a few basic guidelines to follow when searching for a quality fitness program. Every fitness program should incorporate a few standard things.
The first thing a good fitness program will include is weight training. This may be accomplished by the use of large machines, barbells, or simple handheld free weights. Some people have also found that alternative types of resistance training, such as resistance bands, work well for their specific fitness program. The important thing is that there is some type of resistance training in your fitness program. Using weights even just a few times a week within your fitness program can increase your overall health, including bone density. Also, lifting weights as part of your fitness program increases your bodys muscle mass. This means that you will replace fat with muscle. Muscle is more attractive than fat, and takes up less space. It burns calories even while you are resting! These are just a few reasons why a weight-training regimen should be included in your overall fitness program.
The second thing you should check for in a quality fitness program, is a good amount of cardiovascular exercise. This is simply any exercise that increases your heart rate and keeps it elevated for an adequate amount of time. There should be at least twenty minute of cardiovascular exercise in your fitness program three times a week, and this is a minimum for any fitness program. Bicycling, fast walking, running or jogging, dancing, aerobic classes, etc. are all examples of cardiovascular exercise that could be incorporated into your fitness program. A fitness program should include this type of exercise because it is excellent for your heart and overall bodily health. However, another benefit of adding it to your fitness program is that it burns calories, which, in turn, helps you to lose weight.
Finally, any good fitness program should begin and end with stretching. This is a way to ensure that your muscles and ligaments are well taken care of throughout your fitness program, and stretching also has an elongating effect.
Any fitness program that includes these three things will be a fitness program you can feel positive about beginning. Its always a challenge to begin a fitness program, but if you stick with your fitness program past the first few days and weeks, you will begin to look and feel better than ever.
Finding Quality Online Body Sculpting Programs
There are so many online body sculpting programs available, it can be overwhelming when you first do a search. You see ones that are tailored to certain body parts, others that focus on creating certain body types, etc. With so many choices, you need a way to discern which programs are safe, which programs are effective, and which programs are enjoyable. After all, online body sculpting programs are only going to work if you do them why not have a little fun too?
Before you can begin any online body sculpting programs, you need to be assured that these are safe for your body. Getting injured is not supposed to be a part of any well-rounded program. While you can expect some soreness after exercise, the exercises should be designed to challenge your muscles and not overstrain them.
You can determine the safety of a program by looking at the credentials of the person who as designed it. These credentials should include being a fitness trainer or being some sort of physical health professional (i.e. a physical therapist). The person needs to be knowledgeable in how the body moves in order to give you advice in how to move it. While online programs can certainly be created by non-fitness professionals who profess to be certified, having those credentials listed is a good place to begin your fitness program search.
In terms of effectiveness, this is more of a grey area for online body sculpting programs. You can't really be sure if the program is effective until you try it, but you want to know if it is effective before you start what a conundrum. To help you determine the effectiveness, look at the muscle groups that are targeted. If the program focuses on the major groups of muscles in the body legs, arms, and torso you can make a reasonable assumption that the program will be effective. But in order to create the results you want, you will need to follow the directions precisely.
Fun should be a part of all online body sculpting programs because you're not going to have the personal interaction that you might in a class or personal training setting. Look for programs that utilize martial arts moves or dance motion to help you have more fun when you workout on your own. You might also want to look for programs that continuously change in order to keep things from getting too boring when you're on a long term workout plan. Choosing the best online body sculpting programs requires that you take some time before you grab your free weights and get started. You need to look at safety, effectiveness, and the fun factor before you commit to any program. By combining all of these, you're guaranteeing that you're going to get the results that you want without becoming injured or bored.
Before you can begin any online body sculpting programs, you need to be assured that these are safe for your body. Getting injured is not supposed to be a part of any well-rounded program. While you can expect some soreness after exercise, the exercises should be designed to challenge your muscles and not overstrain them.
You can determine the safety of a program by looking at the credentials of the person who as designed it. These credentials should include being a fitness trainer or being some sort of physical health professional (i.e. a physical therapist). The person needs to be knowledgeable in how the body moves in order to give you advice in how to move it. While online programs can certainly be created by non-fitness professionals who profess to be certified, having those credentials listed is a good place to begin your fitness program search.
In terms of effectiveness, this is more of a grey area for online body sculpting programs. You can't really be sure if the program is effective until you try it, but you want to know if it is effective before you start what a conundrum. To help you determine the effectiveness, look at the muscle groups that are targeted. If the program focuses on the major groups of muscles in the body legs, arms, and torso you can make a reasonable assumption that the program will be effective. But in order to create the results you want, you will need to follow the directions precisely.
Fun should be a part of all online body sculpting programs because you're not going to have the personal interaction that you might in a class or personal training setting. Look for programs that utilize martial arts moves or dance motion to help you have more fun when you workout on your own. You might also want to look for programs that continuously change in order to keep things from getting too boring when you're on a long term workout plan. Choosing the best online body sculpting programs requires that you take some time before you grab your free weights and get started. You need to look at safety, effectiveness, and the fun factor before you commit to any program. By combining all of these, you're guaranteeing that you're going to get the results that you want without becoming injured or bored.
Dieting and exercise - a natural marriage
Diet and exercises are indeed a natural marriage. To lose weight successfully and maintain your new look it is very important to not only have a healthy diet but exercise as well. Sadly many people do not understand this and this makes their weight loss programs not only hard to achieve but almost impossible to maintain.
Some people think that they can eat any unhealthy food and then just burn it off at the gym, but in reality this is not the best way to lose weight. Your body needs proper fuel to function, especially with the quite strenuous workouts that are necessary for weight reduction. It's simply pointless to work out when you're feeding yourself junk food. What's the point of trying to get fit on an unhealthy diet.
In fact exercising in this way can be bad for your health. If your body does not have adequate nutrition you will find exercising difficult and experience quite a bit of discomfort. This can be a large factor in your giving up and abandoning your goals of weight loss.
Others rely solely on diets to reduce weight, but this will not be truly effective in the long run. It is true that diets do help you lose weight initially, but when you have lost those pounds and return to a normal diet, what happens? That's right... the weight come back... with a vengeance. It will be a waste of your hard work, and you'll end up feeling worse than ever. This can lead to added stress and affect your mental and physical health.
In the real world, it's a combination of diet and exercise that will help you achieve your fitness goals. Here is how they work. A diet takes care of fuelling your body the right way. In that when you diet you will cut out junk food and reduce fats, sugars, and carbohydrates. These last 3 categories of foods are the ones that are high in calories and when eaten in excess these foods will often lead to weight increase. Cutting down these foods will help you lose weight. Regular exercise will help you burn calories and also help you to reduce weight.
When you use both methods, you'll lose weight more quickly. Here comes the main issue... maintaining your weight and fitness. The question to ask yourself is... what happens to your weight when you stop your get-thin-fast diet? An exercise routine helps to burn calories and maintain an optimal weight. As you can see exercise is a double-edged weapon against obesity. It helps in both reduction and maintenance.
As you can see diet and exercise are both a vital part of your weight loss plan. When you use both diet and exercise you will be setting yourself up for success. Once you utilize these two powerful weapons against obesity, you will be successful in your weight loss program and feel better both mentally and physically.
Some people think that they can eat any unhealthy food and then just burn it off at the gym, but in reality this is not the best way to lose weight. Your body needs proper fuel to function, especially with the quite strenuous workouts that are necessary for weight reduction. It's simply pointless to work out when you're feeding yourself junk food. What's the point of trying to get fit on an unhealthy diet.
In fact exercising in this way can be bad for your health. If your body does not have adequate nutrition you will find exercising difficult and experience quite a bit of discomfort. This can be a large factor in your giving up and abandoning your goals of weight loss.
Others rely solely on diets to reduce weight, but this will not be truly effective in the long run. It is true that diets do help you lose weight initially, but when you have lost those pounds and return to a normal diet, what happens? That's right... the weight come back... with a vengeance. It will be a waste of your hard work, and you'll end up feeling worse than ever. This can lead to added stress and affect your mental and physical health.
In the real world, it's a combination of diet and exercise that will help you achieve your fitness goals. Here is how they work. A diet takes care of fuelling your body the right way. In that when you diet you will cut out junk food and reduce fats, sugars, and carbohydrates. These last 3 categories of foods are the ones that are high in calories and when eaten in excess these foods will often lead to weight increase. Cutting down these foods will help you lose weight. Regular exercise will help you burn calories and also help you to reduce weight.
When you use both methods, you'll lose weight more quickly. Here comes the main issue... maintaining your weight and fitness. The question to ask yourself is... what happens to your weight when you stop your get-thin-fast diet? An exercise routine helps to burn calories and maintain an optimal weight. As you can see exercise is a double-edged weapon against obesity. It helps in both reduction and maintenance.
As you can see diet and exercise are both a vital part of your weight loss plan. When you use both diet and exercise you will be setting yourself up for success. Once you utilize these two powerful weapons against obesity, you will be successful in your weight loss program and feel better both mentally and physically.
5 Top Tips to Get the Most Out Of Your Treadmill
Ensuring you stay fit and healthy involves not only eating well, but also exercising regularly. Treadmill training is becoming an increasingly popular way to ensure you stay in shape, take your fitness to the next level or even just ensure that you keep your heart healthy. Whether you use a treadmill at the gym or you have one at home, using the tips provided in this article will ensure you get the most out of the time you spend on a treadmill.
Set Targets
Target setting is one of the most integral parts of success without targets it is hard to ensure you get the most out of anything. When setting targets you need to be careful to be realistic, if you aim too high you will end up missing your targets and feeling demoralized to the stage that your success will come under jeopardy. One great way to ensure that you always stick to your targets is to increase them in increments as your fitness improves. So for example, if you start off doing 10 minutes a day, then you could gradually increase that by an additional 2 minutes at a stage when you feel capable.
Keep Hydrated
When working out staying hydrated is important for a number of reasons, not least your general health but also as a means of ensuring you can push your body to new levels. Although staying hydrated is important, like wise drinking too much could leave you feeling bloated and lead to cramps. You should always have a water bottle beside your treadmill as you exercise and try to take drinks regularly in small amounts.
Warm Up
If you usually run at a speed of 10km per hour peak then simply going on the treadmill and starting off at this pace is not the best approach to take. You should start off at a gentle walk, build into a fast walk and then into a jog or run. Without warming up your muscles do not get a chance to warm up and you may run the risk of straining yourself.
Push Yourself
To ensure you get the most out of your treadmill training it is best that you push yourself towards the end; just before your warm down. For example, when you reach the end of your training session you should up the pace and see how long you can go for. This burst of anaerobic exercise will help to increase your stamina and will ensure you push your body to the absolute maximum level that it can take.
Warm Down
When working out on a treadmill it is important that you work down towards the end. One great way to do this is gradually slow down the speed that you are doing by in increments over a 5 minute period. Without doing a warm down you may find you will feel strained and recover from exercise slower than you otherwise would.
Set Targets
Target setting is one of the most integral parts of success without targets it is hard to ensure you get the most out of anything. When setting targets you need to be careful to be realistic, if you aim too high you will end up missing your targets and feeling demoralized to the stage that your success will come under jeopardy. One great way to ensure that you always stick to your targets is to increase them in increments as your fitness improves. So for example, if you start off doing 10 minutes a day, then you could gradually increase that by an additional 2 minutes at a stage when you feel capable.
Keep Hydrated
When working out staying hydrated is important for a number of reasons, not least your general health but also as a means of ensuring you can push your body to new levels. Although staying hydrated is important, like wise drinking too much could leave you feeling bloated and lead to cramps. You should always have a water bottle beside your treadmill as you exercise and try to take drinks regularly in small amounts.
Warm Up
If you usually run at a speed of 10km per hour peak then simply going on the treadmill and starting off at this pace is not the best approach to take. You should start off at a gentle walk, build into a fast walk and then into a jog or run. Without warming up your muscles do not get a chance to warm up and you may run the risk of straining yourself.
Push Yourself
To ensure you get the most out of your treadmill training it is best that you push yourself towards the end; just before your warm down. For example, when you reach the end of your training session you should up the pace and see how long you can go for. This burst of anaerobic exercise will help to increase your stamina and will ensure you push your body to the absolute maximum level that it can take.
Warm Down
When working out on a treadmill it is important that you work down towards the end. One great way to do this is gradually slow down the speed that you are doing by in increments over a 5 minute period. Without doing a warm down you may find you will feel strained and recover from exercise slower than you otherwise would.
A Bodybuilding Back Routine Day
May 14, 2007 - It's competition time! Get ready for a killer back routine day in the life of a pre-contest bodybuilder.
A tale of stacks and carbs - Two weeks out from competition:
4:30AM-Kick-in-the-chest! I rip the covers off and swing my arm over to turn off the fan that has been sucking the moisture out of my brain all night. There's got to be an alarm tone that won't induce a mild heart attack every morning. It takes a minute of clutching my chest to make sure my heart doesn't make a run for it. I can never figure out if I am going to sleep in a pool of sweat or have cold chills all night, I usually know half way through the night if I have to flip my soaked pillow. It has become an adventure to make it to the bathroom with my eyes glued shut from dehydration.
In truth I cant wait to wake up because between the crazy dreams from the stack and my growling stomach. Wake up time is an end to the 360 flips I do all night. I get to have breakfast. The thought of three shredded wheat biscuits and 4.6 oz of chicken is a touch of heaven in this cruel land of depletion. I just need to make it through morning cardio first. That means a stack to get rid of the jitters and a liter of water to unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth. I enjoy feeling full for about ten minutes after breakfast, and waiting another two and half-hours to calm the gremlins again.
I can tell this is going to be one of those days where I get to spend 45 minutes of treadmill time watching leg press lockouts and coffee pot seminars at the water fountain. Wow, these people really enjoy their social outings. Shmucks.
Isn't this special? I hope someone decides to do stretches on the back hyper machine again, just so I cant bring in my lower back in time for the contest. Nice, now that Mr.Buttercup in the corner is all loosened up on the back hyper, I can warm-up myself.
9:00 finishes off my first client of the day and now its home to eat and take a nap before I phone Jay "the freak" Riddell to make sure we are still on for back today. He's six weeks out from provincials and we're pushing hard. The phone call confirms it, 11:30, parking lot of Mac's by the L.R.T. in downtown Calgary. Sounds like the callout for S.W.A.T. Time to drop my second stack of the day and put a liter of distilled water down range.
Doesn't seem to matter how much of this stuff I drink, it feels like I got sand in my eyes every time I blink. The training pace has picked up so much that we don't have time to grab water any more. It's almost tempting to lick the sweat off the bench so I can swallow.
"Hey Ray", huh? There's that little evil voice again. Keeps saying I need extra carbs today because I'm looking flat. I hate that guy. Every time I start to lean out this voice decides to put up residence in my head. He gets really loud and annoying about 11:00 at night when I want to sleep. Usually something like, "Don't you need an extra ounce of beef with those veggies so you don't go catabolic during sleep?" Like I said: I hate that guy.
Heading down town now to get Jay, that is if this creeping pedestrian will ever get his sluggish, overweight butt off the cross walk. Bet you he enjoys his donut every morning, just two more weeks Ray and I get all the treats I want. I think the diet is kicking in nice now; I sit at stop signs, not just lights, waiting for them to turn green, hmmmm. Every day of crankiness is another percentage of body fat though, so it's worth it. There's Jay now. This is hilarious; I don't think he even knows where he is. He looks like a drunk trying to act sober. Better honk the horn or he will walk right by. Braaaaamp! Yeah! " Hey there! Good morning sunshine!" Life is always much more fun when someone is suffering as much as you are.
I guess all us meatheads are all a little jaded and off some way. Misery loves company. I should be pumping up mentally for the workout, but all I can think about is the half a deck of tomato and basil rice cakes I get after back. My "bad" for the day. Jay jumps (well more of a climb, crawl combo) into the truck. We exchange a couple grunts and other one syllable greetings and we're off to do some damage.
To keep Reading Look For Part 2 Under The Same Title.
A tale of stacks and carbs - Two weeks out from competition:
4:30AM-Kick-in-the-chest! I rip the covers off and swing my arm over to turn off the fan that has been sucking the moisture out of my brain all night. There's got to be an alarm tone that won't induce a mild heart attack every morning. It takes a minute of clutching my chest to make sure my heart doesn't make a run for it. I can never figure out if I am going to sleep in a pool of sweat or have cold chills all night, I usually know half way through the night if I have to flip my soaked pillow. It has become an adventure to make it to the bathroom with my eyes glued shut from dehydration.
In truth I cant wait to wake up because between the crazy dreams from the stack and my growling stomach. Wake up time is an end to the 360 flips I do all night. I get to have breakfast. The thought of three shredded wheat biscuits and 4.6 oz of chicken is a touch of heaven in this cruel land of depletion. I just need to make it through morning cardio first. That means a stack to get rid of the jitters and a liter of water to unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth. I enjoy feeling full for about ten minutes after breakfast, and waiting another two and half-hours to calm the gremlins again.
I can tell this is going to be one of those days where I get to spend 45 minutes of treadmill time watching leg press lockouts and coffee pot seminars at the water fountain. Wow, these people really enjoy their social outings. Shmucks.
Isn't this special? I hope someone decides to do stretches on the back hyper machine again, just so I cant bring in my lower back in time for the contest. Nice, now that Mr.Buttercup in the corner is all loosened up on the back hyper, I can warm-up myself.
9:00 finishes off my first client of the day and now its home to eat and take a nap before I phone Jay "the freak" Riddell to make sure we are still on for back today. He's six weeks out from provincials and we're pushing hard. The phone call confirms it, 11:30, parking lot of Mac's by the L.R.T. in downtown Calgary. Sounds like the callout for S.W.A.T. Time to drop my second stack of the day and put a liter of distilled water down range.
Doesn't seem to matter how much of this stuff I drink, it feels like I got sand in my eyes every time I blink. The training pace has picked up so much that we don't have time to grab water any more. It's almost tempting to lick the sweat off the bench so I can swallow.
"Hey Ray", huh? There's that little evil voice again. Keeps saying I need extra carbs today because I'm looking flat. I hate that guy. Every time I start to lean out this voice decides to put up residence in my head. He gets really loud and annoying about 11:00 at night when I want to sleep. Usually something like, "Don't you need an extra ounce of beef with those veggies so you don't go catabolic during sleep?" Like I said: I hate that guy.
Heading down town now to get Jay, that is if this creeping pedestrian will ever get his sluggish, overweight butt off the cross walk. Bet you he enjoys his donut every morning, just two more weeks Ray and I get all the treats I want. I think the diet is kicking in nice now; I sit at stop signs, not just lights, waiting for them to turn green, hmmmm. Every day of crankiness is another percentage of body fat though, so it's worth it. There's Jay now. This is hilarious; I don't think he even knows where he is. He looks like a drunk trying to act sober. Better honk the horn or he will walk right by. Braaaaamp! Yeah! " Hey there! Good morning sunshine!" Life is always much more fun when someone is suffering as much as you are.
I guess all us meatheads are all a little jaded and off some way. Misery loves company. I should be pumping up mentally for the workout, but all I can think about is the half a deck of tomato and basil rice cakes I get after back. My "bad" for the day. Jay jumps (well more of a climb, crawl combo) into the truck. We exchange a couple grunts and other one syllable greetings and we're off to do some damage.
To keep Reading Look For Part 2 Under The Same Title.
Designing Your Own Body Sculpting Workout Plan
A body sculpting work out plan can be hard on your body. By using intense resistance exercises and multiple repetitions, you can define your muscles, tighten any loose' areas, and reshape your figure. But all the information you find on the internet and in magazines may have you wondering if it's even possible for you to find one body sculpting work out plan that will work for you there are just too many choices out there. In truth, you can design a body sculpting plan that will work for you.
Here's how: When you want to create your own body sculpting work out plan, you need to look at what your body needs. Are you looking to add muscle tone or are you new to exercise altogether? Once you determine your goals, you will be able to create a plan that's custom-made for you.
Make a list of all the goals you want to achieve with this fitness plan and then consider the following body areas you can target:
Upper body Abdominals Lower body
While you may have certain areas that need more toning than others, you will want to create a body sculpting work out plan that includes all of the major areas of your body. This allows you to have a balanced look instead of creating a body that's toned in some areas, but not in others. And it's also good to note that spot reducing is not possible. Trying to reduce the size of your thighs is not something a body sculpting plan can do necessarily possible, but when you increase the muscle in your arms and torso, your thighs can look thinner in comparison as well as be tighter from your fitness work.
There are seven exercises that every body sculpting work out plan should include:
Basic abdominal crunches Pushups Shoulder presses Bench presses Squats Lunges Calf raises
While these exercises might seem too simple, they are simply the most effective choices for a beginning plan. As you progress, you can add more exercises to the routine or reconfigure the routine entirely. After all, why make your body sculpting work out plan more complicated than it needs to be? To make your body sculpting work out plan effective, we sure to workout out certain muscle groups every other day. For example, you should workout your upper body one day and the lower body the next. Or you can do all of your exercises on one day and then rest the day after. You need to include this rest in order for your muscles to repair themselves and be ready to work hard the next time.
Here's how: When you want to create your own body sculpting work out plan, you need to look at what your body needs. Are you looking to add muscle tone or are you new to exercise altogether? Once you determine your goals, you will be able to create a plan that's custom-made for you.
Make a list of all the goals you want to achieve with this fitness plan and then consider the following body areas you can target:
Upper body Abdominals Lower body
While you may have certain areas that need more toning than others, you will want to create a body sculpting work out plan that includes all of the major areas of your body. This allows you to have a balanced look instead of creating a body that's toned in some areas, but not in others. And it's also good to note that spot reducing is not possible. Trying to reduce the size of your thighs is not something a body sculpting plan can do necessarily possible, but when you increase the muscle in your arms and torso, your thighs can look thinner in comparison as well as be tighter from your fitness work.
There are seven exercises that every body sculpting work out plan should include:
Basic abdominal crunches Pushups Shoulder presses Bench presses Squats Lunges Calf raises
While these exercises might seem too simple, they are simply the most effective choices for a beginning plan. As you progress, you can add more exercises to the routine or reconfigure the routine entirely. After all, why make your body sculpting work out plan more complicated than it needs to be? To make your body sculpting work out plan effective, we sure to workout out certain muscle groups every other day. For example, you should workout your upper body one day and the lower body the next. Or you can do all of your exercises on one day and then rest the day after. You need to include this rest in order for your muscles to repair themselves and be ready to work hard the next time.
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