Thursday, February 28, 2013
Free Vegetarian Weight Loss Plan
An effective vegetarian weight loss plan must encompass 3 things - a proven vegetarian weight loss diet, a set of sure-fire fat-burning workouts and easy-to-follow weight loss tips. They work just like your brain, heart and kidney. Short of one and your weight loss regimen will likely fail. Let's run through a free sample of vegetarian weight loss plan to show you precisely what you need so that you can use it as a guide to customize your own vegetarian weight loss diet plan.
To make it easy for you to follow through this free vegetarian weight loss plan, I'll insert tips alongside the vegetarian weight loss diet as well as the fat-burning workouts.
Free Vegetarian Weight Loss Plan - Diet
You need 5 vegetarian weight loss meals to power your day - boost metabolism, burn fat, feed energy to fuel your activities. In this meal plan, your breakfast, lunch and dinner should contain about 40 - 60% fibrous food. If you feel too much for your condition, you can do some adjustments accordingly. You'll insert snack in between them to help you remain metabolically active and keep you going.
In each of these main vegetarian weight loss meals, your breakfast, lunch and dinner should each keep you full up to 70% only, while your snack 30 - 40%. When you fill your stomach to the brim in every meal, you'll abuse your insulin level, and over time you'll suffer from diabetic condition. Also, as more blood flows to aid in food digestion, less blood carrying oxygen will flow to your brain, resulting in sleepiness. Therefore, 70% for main meal is the ideal level. Bear in mind.
Here's a brief sample vegetarian weight loss diet to give you an idea.
Breakfast - Oatmeal. You can sprinkle some dried apricots, dried cranberries, pistachio nuts, flaxseeds over to improve its nutritional value and make it look more appealing.
Morning Snack - Mixed fruits.
Lunch - Veggie burger. Use pan-seared Portobello mushroom as the meat substitute (you can prepare this early in the morning before you leave for work). Then top the mushroom with some shredded veggies. Add a piece of vegan cheese and a dash of curried lentil sauce. You can also spice it up moderately with cayenne pepper which produces thermogenic effect to help you burn more fat.
Afternoon Snack - Mixed grains, nuts and seeds.
Dinner - Rainbow salad. Include any salad vegetables and chopped fruits of your favorite. Mix 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil as salad dressing.
You should make your dinner rich in fiber so that you won't crave for supper or night snack, and should last you till the following morning.
Free Vegetarian Weight Loss Plan - exercise
You can go with any exercise so long as you feel comfortable. But if you want to maximize your vegetarian fat loss, you should do high-intensity interval training. For example, you'll cycle at normal speed for a minute, and then on next minute you increase the speed. After a minute, you drop your speed back to normal again. Scientists and researchers have proven that such low-high-low intensity pattern will help you burn more fat.
For best fat loss effect, do it in the morning, preferably before 7 A.M. Any other times in the day works fine if you can't make it so early. The truth is, you'll still burn fat, albeit lesser.
Bonus Vegetarian Weight Loss Tips
Take this free vegetarian weight loss plan and do some customization to fit into your own needs and schedules. You may need to find out the list of foods available in your nearby stores to make sure you always have the ingredients at your disposal to whip up delicious fat loss meals.
For fat-burning workouts, you need not buy expensive equipment or gadgets (if you want to save on that). You can use full bodyweight exercises such as jumping jacks, plank, side plank, pushups, lying hip extension, step-ups, bicycle crunch, mountain climbers, Spiderman climbs, prisoner squat etc. You can perform them in the comfort of your own home. You'll lose fat just as effective.
Last but not least, your vegetarian weight loss plan should also include getting quality sleep and consume adequate amount of water for proper hydration, so that you can detox optimally and lose weight effectively as a vegetarian with half the effort and time.
Exercise Your Face to Look Healthier & Younger
Do you have a problem area on your face that you would like to change? Double chin, droopy eyes, jowls, pouches, crows feet or marionette lines? Aging is as sneaky as sun damage and it seems that in a twinkling of an eye, your face can look so different that you might wonder just who is that person staring back at you in the mirror?
Could facial exercise be the answer to the age old question –“Can I maintain a youthful appearance?” Must I spend my children’s inheritance to stave off Mother Nature’s footprints across my face?
You can certainly turn back the clock with facial exercise that employs resistance and isometric contractions of the muscles using the thumbs and fingers. This doesn’t mean that you will look sixteen or even twenty again but shaving off ten or fifteen years from your appearance with exercise rivals the results of most plastic surgery procedures.
Plastic surgery techniques do not stop the aging process; muscles in the face continue to make their downward slide dragging the skin unnaturally, creating the need for more and more surgical procedures. With exercise, the muscles become stronger, the skin looks revitalized and lifted. Most importantly, facial exercises can be performed inexpensively at home.
The muscles of the face elongate just like the muscles in your arms, thighs and buttocks; in fact, the muscles in the face will have elongated about one-half inch by the time most people have reached the age of 55. The elongation is the result of atrophy of the muscles and gravity. Even though we talk, sing or laugh, the muscles continue to soften and become lax; it’s only when the facial muscles are specifically exercised do they begin to plump up and support your skin better.
The elongation of facial muscles affects every area of your face. For instance, the “apples” in your upper cheeks may not be positioned prominently, in fact, when a smile is made, rather than seeing fullness high on the cheeks, the muscles may appear flat and midway between the nose and mouth.
If you add one-half inch to the length of your forehead, your eye area suffers because the downward motion compresses into the brows. What happens if you add one-half inch or more to the area under the chin? The dreaded wattle is developing. One-half inch added to the jaw line means jowls are forming.
Beginning a facial exercise program to sculpt and contour the face may seem daunting at first because the movements and positioning feel somewhat awkward. Remember when you first learned to ride a bicycle? It was so scary! But after a few days of lumps and bumps, you were pedaling like you were a pro. It’s the same with facial exercise, once you become familiar with the movements, you will marvel that these simple steps can easily produce a younger looking face.
You will want to take beginning photos before you start a facial exercise regimen so that you can track your progress and you will want to update your photos at the end of every third week. In about three weeks friends and colleagues will begin noticing that something is definitely different about you. They may think you have changed your hair in some way or that you are sleeping better but you will know what they’re seeing is your pretty face returning.
In hardly any time at all, you will notice how smooth and refreshed your skin looks; your face glows with radiance from increased oxygenation to the muscles and those sagging, droopy muscles are now portraying a more youthful looking you. Without surgery, drugs or anything harmful you can turn back the clock and look at least 10-15 years younger.
The Advantages of Boxing Training for Fitness
Lots of people see great outcome from boxing trainings. You may build stronger and better defined arms and legs. These programs and classes also motivate you to chieve a sense of inner strength and mental balance.
Boxing training classes got across towards the mainstream of physical fitness training a few years back. They've already seen the advantages about the cardiovascular and toning of the muscular areas by these boxing training workouts. Tae bo workout videos also popularized these boxing and kickboxing exercises.
Cardio boxing training classes and also the modern variations on the sparring jabs, power punches, defense, and fitness has all mixes of aerobics exercises. You will understand the right execution of the punch and kick combinations for a more rigorous workout which can help you in turn become stronger and more confident.
The combinations you carry out about the blocks, jabs, and kicks are executed for an imagined opponent. You may see classes where members throw punches and kicks on the air. You'll also find training boot camps that have quality equipment for example punching bags and you will also have the choice of getting a partner which has padded hands.
You can even enjoy a lot more benefits besides the physical areas of boxing trainings. Cardio kick boxing exercises let you burn out 350 to 500 calories in exactly an hour. It also helps maintaining the heart rate at 75 percent to 85 percent normal beat. This has been proven for being good and is the suggested range in case you are exercising or into training.
Also, these boxing training classes boost your resistance, strength and speed . Overall flexibility along with the reflexes in the muscles are likewise enhanced. Repetitive motion on arms by sparring and jogging as you punch helps your arms and legs gain power and strength.
These kinds of workout routines also allow your joint movements to produce very efficient fitness outcomes.
These movements need you to develop balance and coordination that enables your whole body to become stable and have a good figure.
These types of physical advantages you obtain from boxing and kickboxing are simply few of the advantages they can provide. There you'll be able to learn more about defense mechanism skills, that you simply could use in the event of unwanted instances. You'll feel the satisfaction whenever you punch or kick. Relaxation and self-motivation is likewise developed.
You will feel a sigh of relief and also feel that you are released from stressed. It also helps you to eliminate that anger that's inside of you. Once these elements are releases, you will feel lightness into your body and peace of mind as well.
Many aerobic and fitness experts suggest boxing training classes for novice. It will let you workout on your desired pace and body condition. Boxing classes allow you to to push yourself to your limit as long as you are safe and well conditioned.
Positive results await you with boxing training. You are going to enjoy a in good physical shape body and will keep you in better shape. You have the option working out and exercising at your preferred level and skill. Enjoy the fun of these boxing training programs.
Jacob Sterling is an expert in fitness and boxing. He is a guest blogger on a lot of fitness blogs. As part of his free time, Rob likes to go shopping for a Cast Iron Bed and Headboards for Beds
Video Source: Youtube
How To Build Muscle Mass Quickly Through Workouts With Dumbbells
As a once skinny guy who had a ridiculously difficult time gaining even a single pound of bodyweight, my mind was constantly nudged with the question of how to build muscle mass quickly. I was very self-conscious with my lanky frame and the thought of joining a gym full of muscle-bound folks made me shudder with embarrassment, hence my initial foray into the world of muscle building began at home, performing workouts with dumbbells.
The need for professional gym equipment cannot be overemphasized when it comes to building muscle. Tools like the squat rack, an Olympic or standard bar, and a set of weight plates provide access to a wider array of workouts and ultimately offers the greatest amount of muscle gains, but be that as it may, it's still POSSIBLE for a beginner to have a noticeably muscular physique with just a pair of adjustable dumbbells, along with a trusty weight bench. These are the only tools I used in my initial attempt to build muscles and combined with a sensible mass building diet plan, the results were nothing short of encouraging!
Now you can stop thinking about how to build muscle mass quickly and commence training with maximum intensity using the following workouts with dumbbells. These are what you call "compound" based movements"; they stimulate the greatest amount of muscle fibers and should be treated as the bread and butter of your training routine.
1. Training the legs - Heavy dumbbell squats are your best friend when it comes to developing a set of powerful legs. It's a totally intense exercise and requires the synergist of every muscle of the legs in order to be properly executed. No two ways about it, if you're serious about adding pounds of solid muscles, this exercise is a must-do. Another decent leg workout is the dumbbell lunges which also help to develop your quads and hamstrings.
2. Training Your Back - For adding thickness to your back, you can opt for the one-arm rows or the dumbbell bent-over rows. These two exercises are excellent for squeezing the muscles of the back, allowing the muscle fiber to be maximally recruited for increased muscle growth and strength. Looking for a more intense dumbbell exercise to stimulate your back muscles? Then look no further than the deadlifts! Many lifters swear by this exercise, and rightly so, as this movement is capable of hammering the entire back complex resulting in a fast and unprecedented muscle development. A lot of folks prefer to use the barbell when performing this exercise but a pair of dumbbells can get the job done just as well.
3. Training Your Arms - There are many workouts with dumbbells to choose from in order to train the smallest yet, highly favored muscle group of the body The traditional dumbbell curls or preacher curls work great for your biceps and should you wish to put a little emphasis on the forearm region, you could opt for the hammer curls. As for the triceps, the following exercises come to mind; one-arm extensions, dumbbell kickbacks, and of course the classic overhead dumbbell extensions.
4. Training Your Shoulders - The dumbbell shoulder press is a critical movement for the overall development of your shoulder muscles. It hits the middle part of your deltoids giving them a nice round, protruding look. Ever heard of the Arnold press? It's basically a variation of the traditional shoulder press and is also a worthy addition to your dumbbell training armory. For hitting the front and rear part of the shoulders, I'd recommend the front dumbbell raise and the bent-over lateral raise respectively.
5. Training Your Chest - You need a solid, adjustable incline/decline weight bench in order to execute the most powerful chest exercise ever invented. What is the exercise you ask? Why it's none other than the classic bench press. The granddaddy of all chest movements! Why do you need an "adjustable incline/decline" weight bench? Well, it's best that you include the incline and decline version of this exercise when training your chest so you may vary the angle of push for better growth in the upper and lower part of the chest muscles.
These are the workouts with dumbbells that address the standard newbie question of "how to build muscle mass quickly". Trust me, just a pair of adjustable dumbbells and weight bench along with a decent mass gaining diet plan can work wonders for your body.
To YOUR Muscle Building SUCCESS
Eugene Armand was a skinny bloke who wanted a muscular body for the longest time. His wish finally came true thanks to his persistence and thirst for muscle building knowledge. Discover how to obtain a noticeably muscular physique in just 6 short weeks at:
http://www.absopositively.info/muscle-building-success.html
Video Source: Youtube
Blast Your Bench Press Through The Roof: How To Do It!
“7 Tips To Help You Power Up On The Bench Press”
Let’s face it, we all want a big bench press. There is something magical about the bench press. It's the feeling you get when you pump the chest, deltoid, and triceps up, working the weight up and down.
There's no other feeling like preparing for a large bench press, getting your mind and body ready, lying down on the bench and wrapping your fingers slowly around the cold Olympic bar.
As you look at the shiny chrome bar, you concentrate only on the weight, you hear nothing else but the sound of your own breathing. You feel strong. You have to love that feeling!!
With that being said, I see way too many people using the bench press as a means to simply show off and to totally abuse the movement. I see it everyday, and I cringe every time I see someone trying to move a weight that they couldn’t even take off the racks.
So, what I’d like to do is to give you some bench press tips that will help you get over your plateau or to help you get on the right track to help pack on the muscle and power to your bench press.
Bench press tip #1 - Prioritize your chest
It is of the utmost importance that you train your chest first and foremost. Your priority should be on making your chest the main focus of your training. Chest should be number one and your other body parts number two. In order to do this, you must train chest alone. Do not train any other body part when you train chest.
All of your energy must focus on your chest. You will have to cut down on the amount of energy you expend on other body parts, saving it for the chest workouts.
You cannot continue to go full out on other body parts while turning up the throttle on your chest workouts. You want your chest to recuperate fully before each workout, otherwise, you'll exhaust your body and your bench press won’t go anywhere.
Bench press tip #2 - Added progressive resistance
If you want to boost your bench press by 10%, you're going to have to continuously add progressive resistance. Progressive resistance is to add more weight over different time periods at varying rep cycles. What you want to do here is find out how much you can currently bench press.
Take that number and multiply it by 10%. For example, lets say your current bench press is 250 pounds. Take 250 pounds and multiply it by 10% and you have your goal. In this case it is 275 pounds (250 x .1 = 25 pounds plus 250).
I think even the most advanced trainer can attain a 10% increase in their bench press, especially if you've never done a bench press specialization routine before. The next step is to plan out how you need to attain your goal in the upcoming weeks. A 10% increase over a 8 to 10 week period is possible depending on your training development.
Of course, what you don't want to do is go for all out one rep maximums every chest workout. This will lead to burn out and/or torn pec. Trust me, you don't want this.
Your goal is to make small improvements while slowly lowering the amount of reps your do. You want to use progressively heavier weights while reducing the amount of reps you use.
At the end of the cycle, you may try for a single max. In each of your progressive sets, you will add progressive resistance to each set. That is, you will add more and more weight until you reach your desired amount of reps for that set.
It is important to note that you will not be taking your first couple of sets to failure. The very last set should be taken to failure. Also keep adding weight each week as you get stronger.
Bench press tip #3 - Proper form and mechanics
Make sure your bench mechanics are correct. Proper form is inducive to optimal growth and strength. Focus on moving the weight with your chest allowing for a controlled and fluid movement.
Drive the bar up with muscle strength. Follow these techniques and your will ensure that you achieve full stimulation of the pectoralis muscles.
• Always warm up properly first and foremost. Start by warming up by performing two sets of 15 to 20. Always stretch before, during and after your chest workout. You want to be warm when you start doing the bench press.
• Use a slightly wider than shoulder width grip. What you want to ensure is that your elbows are directly under the bar and are vertical in the bottom position. A quick trick to doing this is to use an empty bar and lower it to the bottom position. Your elbows should be vertical in this position. Don’t space your grip to far out and don’t space your grip too far in.
• The most important part of bench pressing is ensuring that you set up you pec girdle correctly. Lie back on the bench, take a tight grip and press your shoulders down toward your waist and back into the bench. That is, push your shoulder blades together and puff your chest out. Make sure that you thrust your chest forward when you start.
This way, you set up your position that is optimal for pressing the weight. It will take some practice but after a couple of sessions, you should get the hang of it.
• Always use a spotter when using the heavier weights. Never feel that you won't need a spotter because you will. If you are in doubt about the weight, always ask for a spot. Trust me, you don’t want to be stuck on the bench with a couple of hundred pounds on your chest.
• Your feet should be firmly planted on the floor with your butt on the bench at all times. Don’t lift your legs or put them on the bench. I don’t know why people always do this. It takes away from your core power since you want stability and the only way to do this is to keep your feet firmly planted on the floor. This way you have balance and you are able to adjust to the different stages of the lift. Remember, don’t place your feet on the bench and always keep them flat on the floor. Don’t move your feet around while you are doing the lift since this will take away from the success of your lift.
• Try using chalk on the bar. I know, sounds too simple but I’ve noticed that if my grip feels good on the bench, I usually have a pretty strong workout. Simply add some chalk to the bar and you’ll notice a difference immediately.
• Grip the bar hard. Really give it a good squeeze and get a feel for the weight. Find the proper grip spacings and pretend like your revving up a bike with both hands and squeeze. This way, you push your shoulders down and puff your pec girdle up.
• As you un rack the weight, slowly lower the weight and never drop it. Always keep your eyes on the bar, and lower it in a slow and controlled manner.
• Always inhale as the weight goes up and exhale as the weight comes down. Try taking a nice deep breath through your nose on the way down and exhale through your lips on the way up.
• Lightly touch your chest at the bottom of the movement and never bounce the weight. Once you start bouncing the weight, you take away from the effectiveness of the exercise. Remember, you want to build power and size in the chest so this means controlling the movement at all times.
• Keep your elbows in a vertical line with the bar. That is, your elbows should be directly under the bar. This way, you work the chest and keep the movement controlled.
• Use an over hand grip. I seen this one guy use an underhand grip and the weight slid off his hands and on to his chest. He had 520 pounds on the bar. Ouch! Plus, I find the underhand grip a little unnatural.
• Always make sure the weight is controlled. Once the weight starts to get away from you, lighten the load. You can get it next workout.
• Remember, you want to be completely warm before the bench workout. When I’m gearing up for a hard and heavy bench workout, I’ll drink one cup of tea ½ hour before I workout. However, you must remember to drink one or two glasses of water before your workout as caffeine tends to sap your water.
• If you need to see an illustration of how the bench press looks, click here to go to building muscle 101's weight lifting exercise page.
Bench press tip # 4 - Use core chest exercises to support the bench press
When I mean core, I don't mean cable cross overs or pec deck. I'm talking basic chest movements that support power and size. You will want to include movements like the bench press (of course!), incline presses, and dips.
Nothing fancy here, just the basics. With a full week to rest your chest between workouts, and reduced intensity for your other body parts, you should be able to pack on the weight. Remember, use core movements for your other body parts as well such as squats.
Squats are a must and should be trained once a week. When you are doing the bench press, you will actually use some of your leg power to help you power up the weight, provided your legs are flat on the floor.
For some strange reason, squats tends to make your whole body strong. So hit the squats hard on your leg day. You should also be doing core movements for your shoulders, back, and arms. This includes deadlifts, barbell bent over rowing, military presses, close grip benches and barbell curls. Forget the isolation movements when trying to improve your bench press.
Bench press tip # 5 - Boosting deltoid and triceps strength
If you want a strong bench press, your gonna have to have strong delts and triceps. These two muscles are fundamental when doing the bench press.
If you have weak triceps, your gonna have a weak bench press. Remember that when you do the bench press, the first muscles to give out are the delts and triceps. Therefore, to achieve a big bench, you have to concentrate on improving these two body parts.
You should design your program to improve not only your bench press but also to improve the secondary muscles that support the movement. Chest should be completed on day one in your program with delts and triceps being completed on day four.
This allows ample time for your pushing muscles to completely recover. The shoulder and triceps workout uses core exercises to support maximum power and strength. Remember, concentrate on core movement such as close grip bench pressing for your triceps and military style pressing for your shoulders.
Bench press tip # 6 - Using supporting movements to blast through your sticking points
I remember when I first started out and all I lived to do was bench. After a couple of months, my bench went stale and I was starting to actually get weaker. So, one of the owners of the gym gave me some very important advice. Stop bench pressing for awhile. Yep, stop benching altogether and start using dumbbells.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! Stop bench pressing! Not a chance. However, he convinced me that I was at a plateau and that I needed to use other movements such as the dumbbell bench press to concentrate on my sticking point. Which of course was the bottom part of the movement.
I decided to give it a shot and he showed me the correct way of doing a dumbbell bench press. To really get an effective dumbbell bench press, you must really lower the weight slowly and go past the point where the bar stopped. This way, your not limited by the bars range and you get a better range of motion.
After awhile, I really got the hang of the movement and after a couple of months, I hit the barbell bench press again and wouldn’t you know it, my bench press sky rocketed.
If you’ve found that you are at a sticking point with the barbell bench press and have been for quite some time, stop doing the barbell bench press and start using dumbbells. Your body is telling that it’s tired of the barbell bench press movement.
Bench press tip # 7 - Increase your caloric intake by 500 calories per day
I’m not going to lie to you, your not going to make huge strength gains if you’re dieting to lose weight or your not eating properly. I cannot stress the importance of quality nutrition when it comes to adding strength and building muscle.
If you really want to increase your bench press, your going to have to start eating right and in the proper amounts. There is simply no way that you are going to get stronger if you eat poor meals, 2 to 3 times a day with each meal spaced 4 hours apart.
What you need to do is make sure that you get quality nutrients into your body every 2 hours. Try adding an additional 500 “quality” calories to your diet every day. I don’t mean an extra cheese burger, I mean real “whole” food. For more detailed information on this subject, please see building muscle 101's weight lifting diet page here.
There you have it, follow these techniques and bench press tips and you may well be on your way to a monster bench.
Stubborn Weight? Your Liver May Be The Problem.
The liver is a very commonly-overlooked source of weight problems. Most people are aware that the liver is involved in detoxifying certain chemicals in the body - the most familiar being alcohol, but the liver does many other things. With regards to weight control, liver function is extremely important from two perspectives - water retention, and the production and/or activation of ALL of the body's fat-burning hormones. Good liver function is absolutely essential to being able to achieve natural weight loss.
Due to chronic abuse of the liver through things like heavy alcohol use, using medications and drugs, and bad eating habits, especially an overconsumption of fats and heavy animal-based proteins, the liver can become overloaded and irritation can result. This results in an inflammatory response in the abominal cavity, which results in an accumulation of fluid (called ascites). As the retained fluids collect in the stomach area, the stomach will often begin to protrude outward, producing the appearance that is sometimes called a "beer belly". In women, the problem can get bad enough that the protruding belly makes them look pregnant when they are not. For people with this water weight deposition, weight loss can be frustrating because exercise will not "burn it off" - because it's not fat. Since natural weight loss approaches fail to get results in these situations, some people resort to diet drugs, which may work at first, but ultimately harm the liver even more and create even more abdominal water retention.
Ironically, with water weight gain associated with liver dysfunction, some diet plans and weight loss products can actually make the situation worse and lead to even more fluid retention. The Atkin's diet, because it is so high in protein and fat, tends to be hard on the liver and will often lead to even more retaining of fluid. Some weight loss aids contain drugs or chemicals that the liver must process, and again, create even more liver irritation and subsequent water retention.
In addition to the water retention issue, good liver function is necessary for the proper production and/or activation of the hormones that stimulate fat burning. For instance, the liver is needed to convert the inactive form of thyroid hormone (T4) to the active form (T3). When the liver is overworked and cannot do the hormone conversions efficiently, the body cannot burn fat efficiently, no matter how much exercise you may do or what other natural weight loss steps you take.
The liver also produces a fat-burning hormone of its own, called insulin-like growth factor (IGF). IGF controls blood sugar during the relatively long-period that you go without eating during sleep. When you are asleep at night, your blood sugar levels fall and the liver generates IGF to cause the fat tissues to burn fat to boost blood sugar. Again, if liver function is not as good as it should be, this hormone is not produced efficiently and you don't burn as much fat. The other thing that occurs is that your blood sugar will go lower than it should and you wake up in the morning feeling very fatigued and irritable.
At this point you may be wondering what steps you need to take to help improve liver function to help alleviate abdominal water retention and to help better activate your fat burning hormones to stimulate natural weight loss? To begin with, it is important to reduce the detoxification load on the liver. Drastically reducing alcohol consumption and avoiding all but those medications that are absolutely necessary is an important step. If possible, I recommend avoiding alcohol and non-essential medications entirely for at least a few weeks to give the liver an opportunity to recover.
The next step is to clean up you diet to make things as easy as possible on the liver. Probably the simplest and most effective approach is to eat pretty much a vegetarian diet for 14 to 21 days, sticking to mostly fresh vegetables and fresh fruit and using beans, seeds, nuts, and nut and seed butters as your main protein sources. If you can't do that, it is advisable to at least cut out fried and greasy foods and high-fat meats for a while. The better your diet, the faster you'll lose the retained water in the abdomen and the faster you'll make real progress on losing weight.
Herbal and nutritional products are sometimes sold as liver "detoxifiers", and such products do sometimes provide support for the liver. These can be useful in more extreme cases or for those who simply aren't willing to take the dietary and other lifestyle measures just described. In my opinion, changing the diet and implementing the other natural weight loss lifestyle factors is a much more effective way to go, but using a liver detoxification product is probably better than doing nothing. Because some of these products contain herbs that can interact with certain prescription medications, it is strongly recommended that you consult with a physician or a pharmacist before using any of these products if you are on prescription drugs.
In addition to weight loss, as liver function improves, your skin usually becomes clearer and your mood and energy level will typically improve, especially in the morning. People with chronic headaches often notice that the headaches become less frequent and may go away altogether. Likewise, people with chronic pains in the upper back along the right shoulder blade often report that those pains go away as they begin to take better care of the liver.
It should be noted that as the liver recovers and the body stops retaining water in the abdomen, you will typically lose weight very rapidly (it could be 5 pounds or more per day!) and you will need to urinate frequently (that's how the body gets rid of the excess water). As the body rids itself of the excess fluid, the rate of weight loss will decrease significantly. If you continue on a natural weight loss program, a reasonable expectation after you have lost the water weight is about 1 to 2 pounds per week.
High Blood Pressure and Isometric Exercise
Because of this doctors do not recommend isometric exercise to people that have high blood pressure because those with weak blood vessels or heart trouble could rupture a blood vessel or get irregular heart beats. In contrast, exercising with weights does not seem to have the same consequences so is safer for those with high blood pressure. You must remember to breathe when performing these exercises, holding your breath will also increase you blood pressure.
On the flip side of this is a program that some are doing that claim is lowering their blood pressure. It's a form of isometrics called "brief maximal extensive isometric exercise" that is done by simultaneously tensing all the muscles in the body for 60 seconds. It can be done three times a day. They have found that the blood pressure does increase for five to eight weeks then the pressure dropped down to the normal ranges. I recommend that you talk to your doctor about this and investigate on line before trying this program.
I
Isometrics are an excellent way to work out, just keep in mind the possibility of increased blood pressure and how it may affect you. We want to get stronger but not at the expense of causing other medical complications.
For more information on how you can benefit from isometric exercises go to href="http://www.squidoo.com/isometric-exercise">Isometric Exercise Tips
. Tim Archbold's lifelong interests are fitness training and health.
Abdominal Exercise And Weight Loss
Abdominal exercise
When most people start on a weight-loss regime the first thing they wish to attack is their waistline. They start off with visions of turning a beer gut into an abdominal six-pack. After a few weeks of strenuous exercise nothing appears to happen and soon they lose confidence and give up.
This article is designed to explain, in laymen's terms, why this happens and why you may be using the wrong exercises, or possibly the right exercises at the wrong time. Either way you are doing yourself no favors.
Never give up because only losers quit. We've all heard the old saying: "The height of stupidity is to repeat the same thing and expect a different result." If it isn't working you try a different routine and you keep doing that until you find the routine that does work, that is the way of winners.
Why These Exercises do not Reduce Waist
The first thing you must accept is that all abdominal exercises only strengthen abdominal muscles, if those muscles are covered by a layer of fat when you start they will still be covered by the same layer of fat when you finish. You will have stronger abdominal muscles but you will not look any different. Therefore your attempt to create figure from fat will have failed. The secret to making these abdominal exercises work is to lose fat first. You lose fat by diet and aerobic exercise, by burning more calories than you take in with food. When you have reduced your waistline to a more natural size you can then take up abdominal exercises and start working on that perfect six-pack.
Weight Loss
In a nutshell you need to reduce your calorie intake and burn some calories off by using light exercise. Losing weight can only be achieved by eating less and moving more. Forget the complicated scientific formulae, it all boils down to eating less and moving more.
Exercise Wisdom
Conventional wisdom claims that you need to exercise for 30-minutes each day and that this demand can be broken down to six five minute sessions or three ten minute sessions, whichever suits you best. You can carry out aerobic exercise using simple methods like parking your car as far from the store as possible and forcing yourself to walk further. Maybe walking up the stairs instead of using the escalator, any small act of this nature that adds to your normal exercise output is aerobic exercise and burns calories.
Eating habits
Furthermore it makes sense to eat five or six meals each day rather than two or three. Why? Because you will eat smaller meals and it is better for your metabolism to deal with smaller meals rather than large meals. You can also eat between these meals providing you restrict it to a piece of fruit or a raw carrot. Dieting doesn't have to be hard it has to be sensible.
Your brain doesn't get the message that your stomach is full for at least twenty minutes after it is full. How often have you eaten way beyond the capacity that is required simply because the message hasn't got through?
Conclusion
There is no point in attempting abdominal exercises while you still have a layer of fat and expecting a figure improvement. Muscle building and weight loss are separate subjects that should be approached individually if you are to get the best results.
This article is (c) Copyright David McCarthy 2005 and may be reproduced in its entirety with no additions.
Discover Gary Roberts Workout Routine
For example, Women Thin people can gain muscle mass and weight fast the right combination of exercise and weight loss diet. However, to achieve more muscular bodybuilders, like physical effort.
Should be done before the training session. The most effective weight training exercises to sculpt your body bench press Lat Pull ups, B?rbel curls, hammer curls , etc.
Follow these tips and you will get bigger faster than you would otherwise Triceps. 1st Does weight training - is one part of the body Triceps thats easy to use your body weight resistance. Weight Triceps Triceps exercises make it easy to work at home a minimum of equipment.
If you ever go to the gym, look around the dumbbell rack. Usually, the biggest and strongest men and women in the gym. This speaks volumes to the effectiveness of training Dumbbell.
Shoulder height standing with weights in hands on exercises to get started. And then lower them gently to remove the halter. Repeat three sets of 25 repetitions of movement.
Well as a negative chin is simple: jump and grab and boot overhead bar to remove the bar on the chin. This start position, so the bar would be to install. Very, very slowly down your arms completely flat until I get off the exercise itself.
Although any one of them, before I remember having a proper warm. The heating is very important to ensure better results for the year. On this basis, minimizes the chance of injury to some exercises prepares the body for the physical requirements.
The feeling in the muscle pumped to work caused by back pressure of blood flow and lactic acid in the capillary. This has nothing to do with the exercise of compensation between recovery and tissue growth. Therefore, whether the change in our exercise routine makes us imagine and actually feel better pump, not an indication of real progress. But the facts have not stopped from feeding the myth of muscle confusion. Gary Roberts workouts Routine.
Hand in the box under the floor and arms extended. Make sure you always come back flat. Now take a deep breath and squeezed his upper body.
You see, because people mistakenly think that you need to lift heavy weights or fancy equipment used to build muscle because that is what they want you to say. Who are they? Commercial gym owners and equipment manufacturers. But the truth is that many men are built very muscular physique without lifting weights or expensive equipment. This article, patient, through three different other than the individual muscles and built a new building on the strength without weight training or access to a shopping center.
Another advantage to rebuild the human muscle to create the classic V shape provides the perfect shape of the muscles in the front and provide a strong framework to help maintain the attitude. I exercise more dimensions combined to create a common muscle to help bring more large weight to be used to rebuild muscles, such as. In addition, these muscles is important to remember to set back both horizontal and vertical movement by pulling back in operation by pulling the muscles.
But just to add, is now a third variable to work so you do not lose their jobs. How often very complex very quickly so you can find the answers to grow. But most people build more muscle can help streamline noted that some general rules.
Exercise weight training is the revolution that made the return, and sweep the world. You remember the harsh tone and the body of an old boxer or a strong person.
Video Source: Youtube
Exercise During Pregnancy
One of the best things you can do for yourself and your unborn child during pregnancy is exercise. There are numerous studies that show that women who exercise during pregnancy are more likely to have easy labor and deliveries and faster recoveries.
Before you start any exercise program during pregnancy it is essential that you consult with your healthcare provider. For some women it may be more dangerous than beneficial to exercise during pregnancy.
Once you get the go ahead from your doctor, you can embark on an exercise program that is suitable to your stage in pregnancy.
Here are just a few of the benefits associated with exercise during pregnancy:
- Exercise helps combat fatigue.
- Exercise helps minimize back pain because it helps strengthen back muscles.
- Exercise can help promote a smaller amount of fat gain during pregnancy.
- Exercise provides an exceptional form of stress relief.
- Women who exercising during pregnancy are less likely to experience difficult labors.
- Women who exercise during pregnancy are more likely to return to their pre-pregnancy weight faster and recover more quickly after delivery.
There are some forms of activity that are better than others during pregnancy. Certain exercises can help promote physical fitness and are less likely to result in injury. Among the best exercises for pregnant moms include:
- Walking
- Swimming
- Stretching
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Dancing
- Stationary Cycling
- Low Impact Prenatal Aerobics
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Effective Cardio Workouts In Only 20 Minutes
The perfect workout routine is one that combines strength training and some form of cardio. The problem is, most people hate doing cardio and will make up any excuse not to do it. A popular excuse is not having enough time. This article, however, will show you how you can spend only 20 minutes on a cardio workout and still reap the benefits.
So first of all, why is it necessary that you add cardio to your workouts? Most people understand the benefits of strength training because it adds muscle and muscle makes you healthier, more lean and stronger overall.
But what are the benefits of cardio? Here is a short list that names just a few:
- it helps reduce stress
- it burns calories which leads to weight loss
- it makes your heart and lungs stronger
- it reduces your risk of certain diseases
- it reduces depression and increases confidence
- it gives you more energy and helps you sleep better
To sum it up, adding cardio to your workout improves your health and well-being which leads to a better quality of life. Combine this with strength training and you're on your way to feeling great, fast.
So how can you reap the benefits of cardio in only 20 minutes per workout? It's called Interval Training and it can be applied to many different forms of cardio including boxing, running and biking.
The concept in a nutshell is shorter workouts, but higher intensity. This is accomplished by pushing hard for say two minutes and then slowing down for two minutes. If you repeat this cycle four more times then you have your 20 minutes. You could also do one minute hard, one minute easy and then repeat this nine more times.
Here is an example:
Interval training is perfect for running. If you're working out on a treadmill or running outdoors, it's the same routine. Start out with a warm up jog followed by two minutes of a challenging pace. This won't be your all out because you have to maintain it for two minutes, but a pace that will be very hard for you. You then follow this with two minutes of either a walk or a very slow jog. Repeat four more times and you've got yourself an effective cardio workout in only 20 minutes.
This concept can be applied to many different forms of cardio: two minutes hard, two minutes easy, repeat four more times. Or one minute hard, one minute easy, repeat nine more times.
You'll get your blood flowing, your heart pumping and reap all the benefits cardio has to offer...all in only 20 minutes.
Dangerous Weight Loss Methods
We’re all looking for that magic pill. You know - the one that we can take and lose weight without really trying!
What would you give up to be skinny? How about your health? Well, some of the methods of weight loss may cost you exactly that. Before you decide that the way to lose weight is to follow one of the below regimens, take a second look. Do your research and be sure that you understand the risks.
Are you considering one of these dangerous weight loss methods?
*Prescription diet pills
Amphetamines are available only by prescription, and most doctors are leery of handing them out these days. While they do suppress appetite, you learn nothing about healthy eating, you don’t change your eating habits, and you are likely to gain the weight back the moment you stop taking them. In addition, they can be habit forming. The side effects include high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia, sleeplessness, hallucinations and delusions.
*Ephedra
This all natural Asian herb is found in many herbal remedies and weight loss powders. It has a powerful appetite suppressant effect, but has been implicated in over 70 deaths.
*Phentermine Fenfluramine-phentermine (fen-phen)
Fen-phen was a popular weight loss supplement in the 90’s until it was implicated in deaths due to heart-valve damage. Phentermine alone is still sold in many weight loss aids. The side effects include headaches, dizziness, heart arrhythmia, high blood pressure and insomnia.
*Laxatives
One of the popular home remedies, used for purging. Regular use and abuse of laxatives can result in low potassium, arrhythmia, and pancreatic damage.
*Artificial Sweeteners
Aspartame, the most commonly used artificial sweetener, has been implicated in multiple lawsuits alleging damages that include blindness, seizures and brain damage.
*Smoking
Afraid you’ll gain weight if you quit smoking? The National Institute of Diabetes says that you’d have to gain 100-150 pounds to match the health risks you invoke by smoking. Instead, set up healthy strategies to help you deal with food cravings and put down the cigarettes.
*Purging
Like laxatives, purging by forcing oneself to vomit or taking emetics can have very damaging effects on health. Depletion of nutrients like potassium and vitamins, damage to the esophagus from stomach acids, and esophageal rupture are all possible side effects.
*Diuretics
Taking diuretics encourages your body to rid itself of fluids - including vital electrolytes. The depletion can lead to dehydration, and cause your body to start retaining water, starting a vicious cycle. Repeated or prolonged use of diuretics can lead to kidney damage and serious electrolyte imbalances, which may result in kidney or heart failure.
*Herbal Remedies
We have a tendency to equate ‘herbal’ with ‘harmless’, but say nutritionists, this isn’t always the case. Remember that many medications are derived from herbs, and because of the lack of regulation, dosages of active ingredients can vary widely from one manufacturer to another. Below is a list of some of the most common ingredients found in herbal weight loss powders, along with cautions about their effects in certain conditions.
Ephedra (ma huang, ephedrine, ephedra extract, epitonin, ephdra sinica and sida cordifolia) should not be taken by people with heart, thyroid or kidney disease, or with hypertension
Cascara and Senna should not be taken by people taking diuretics (both are often found in herbal weight loss teas)
Selenium and Capsaicin should not be taken by people with bowel or digestive disorders
Kava should be avoided by people with mood disorders who are taking mood altering medication, and people with Parkinson’s disease.
Gingko biloba, licorice root, and dong quay should not be taken by people who are taking blood thinners or anti-coagulants.
While weight loss is a worthwhile goal, guarding your health is an even more important one. Be sure that whatever weight loss method you choose it won’t lead to other serious medical conditions.
Copyright 2005 Adam Waxler
Simple Leg Toning Exercises for Shaping Sexy Legs
Are you interested in easy, but greatly effective, leg toning exercises that you can do anywhere, anytime - without having to deal with the hassles of 'going to the gym'?
Fitness centers and health clubs are filled with big, expensive machines.
No matter what kind of leg exercise program you are looking for, the instructors are going to put you through a typical general lower body workout circuit doing one set on each machine for twelve reps and so on.
Of course, they are not going to show you a workout routine that doesn't need a single exercise machine. They'd be out of business!
The truth is, toning and firming up your leg, hip and thigh area is not achieved by using all those weight machines, and heavy dumbbells and barbells that could get you all pumped up with much more muscle than you were looking to build, or cause serious, long term injuries! (we've all heard these horrible stories, right?)
The real magic of a properly structured leg exercise program lies in the combination of non-weighted and body weight exercises, put together in a sequence that targets all the muscles in AND around the legs, hips and thighs. The program should also emphasize proper form AND speed of movement along with breathing - these are elements that are lacking from most 'modern' leg workouts and fitness programs.
Here is an example of a highly effective, but simple leg toning and shaping exercise:
First you'll need a staircase or a utility step - 9 to 12 inches high is good.
You may have one you can use in your garage or a closet - just make sure it is sturdy.
If using a staircase - stand on the second step with both feet. If using a utility step - try to use one that is about 10 - 15 inches high & stand on it with both feet. This is one of the simplest yet most effective leg exercises for women.
Place your hands on your hips or hold them out in front of you, or out to the side. SLOWLY, step down with your left foot & LIGHTLY touch the floor with your toes & the ball of the foot (keep your heel off the ground).
Then bring your left foot back up & lightly touch the step and repeat this 15 times with the left foot.
Take a 10 second rest and then do the right leg.
IMPORTANT - The leg that stays on the step is the one doing the most work & you should feel a nice 'burn' in that leg.
This means you are doing the exercise right.
If it is too easy - you may be moving too fast - the key is to move slowly to 'use the muscles properly'.
Or the step may be too low - try a higher step to increase the intensity of this leg toning exercise.
Try to build up to 3 sets of 15 reps (per leg) with 20 seconds rest between sets. If you haven't been exercising your legs, or are a beginner - you can do this 2 or 3 times each week.
If you have been exercising you can simply add it right into your current leg workout routine.
Often times, too much focus is placed on machines, gadgets and high intensity, 'no pain - no gain' concepts. Most of this is for marketing reasons and sometimes just a pure lack of understanding of what the female body needs in terms of the correct leg exercises and overall fitness programming.
Joey Atlas, Exercise Physiologist, is the fitness mastermind behind The Best Leg Exercises for Women.
Go to
Flat Stomach Exercises for stomach toning advice & tips.
Video Source: Youtube
Car Body Work and Your Accident Compensation Claim
Auto Insurance companies will review a claim, quantify the degree of damage, estimate the cost of repairs, arrange reimbursement to the vehicle owner, and pay the body service shop. Based on the projected cost, the auto service shop will massage their numbers to obtain the most profit; in other words, they want as much of the insurance claims cash as possible. They do this by adding labor fees, finder fees, process costs, and handling cost. They will, often, also perform a fix using pre-owned parts, low quality parts, and inferior materials like bondo and fiberglass. To ensure that you, the automobile owner, get the best possible repair on your vehicle, do the following:
1. Never deliver the accident compensation claim money to the auto repair shop until the work has been completed. Auto service shops may tell you half-truths about why they cannot complete the work with the quality you anticipate them to perform. Don't forget, the repair shop should not get paid until you are satisfied and do not budge in this.
2. Inform them that the old damaged vehicle body sections have to be swapped for completely new auto body components. Regrettably, you cannot avoid using body putty or fiberglass when it comes to making junctions level; nevertheless, you can escape from applying body putty and/or fiberglass to cover indentations by instead using new components. Over-using body putty and/or fiberglass can reduce the value of the automobile.
3. Let them know that pre-owned auto body components are unacceptable. Don't forget, your investment in an insurance policy is to make sure that if a crash really does happen, the insurance company must be responsible for payment of a settlement to repair the automobile to its pre-accident form. The only time you require pre-owned materials is in a case where completely new materials are unavailable.
14 Days Brazilian Diet - How To Lose 10 Pounds Fast
If you still do not know how to lose 10 pounds fast I would recommend what best worked for me. Very popular Brazilian, or some people call it 14 days diet, allows you to lose 10 pounds in 14 days time. There are a lot of different opinions about this diet, but I know that what worked best for me will work for other people. Definitely this is not a healthy type of diet and not recommended without consulting your doctor or certified nutrition specialist.
Brazilian diet:
Day 1:
1 egg, a cup of coffee without any sweeteners and 1 apple. Use this menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 2
Repeat menu of day 1
Day 3:
Breakfast - 2 eggs
Lunch - 100 g of boiled low-fat beef with spinach.
Dinner - 1 apple
Day 4:
Breakfast - 1 egg
Lunch - 100 g of boiled low-fat fish
Dinner - 2 eggs, a cup of coffee without any sweeteners.
Day 5:
Breakfast - 1 egg, a cup of coffee without any sweeteners
Lunch - 2 eggs and 1 big tomato
Dinner - 100 g of boiled low-fat fish with vegetables
Day 6:
Breakfast - 1 egg, a cup of coffee without any sweeteners
Lunch - 100 g of boiled low-fat beef and a cucumber
Dinner - 100 g of boiled chicken breast without skin and a cup of coffee with 1 teaspoon of honey
Day 7:
Breakfast - a cup of coffee with 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 egg
Lunch - 100 g of boiled chicken without skin with vegetables
Dinner - 100 g of boiled chicken without skin with vegetables, an apple and a cup of coffee without any sweeteners
Repeat first week for second week.
Don't forget to drink a big glass of non-carbonated water before each meal and try to consume more water during the day, but do not drink for one hour after the meal.
Get details of a remarkably successful quick weight loss strategy that will help you to
Lose Pounds Fast.
For more information on this carefully designed and widely regarded program can also be found at:http://lose-pounds-fast.howtoeasyway.com/lose-pounds-fast/
How To Get A Flat, Toned Stomach
One of the most common fitness questions this time of year is “How can I tone my stomach for swimsuit season”? Typically, people believe that the guaranteed quick route to obtaining a rock-solid six-pack is a path packed with hundreds of sit-ups or abdominal crunches. Wrong!
The reality is that even if you do crunches every day you aren’t guaranteed to get the stomach you desire. Getting those highly sought after, toned abs requires more work than just abdominal exercises. Plus, as far as stomach exercises go, sit-ups or crunches alone are not the solution.
We won’t go into detail about the muscles that make up the abdominal wall, but it’s good to know the basic information. At a high-level the abdominal/trunk area consists of 5 major muscles. It’s necessary that all of these muscles be exercised. It’s also important to utilize different types of training techniques like concentric, eccentric and isometric.
In addition to training those muscles, it is imperative that you also reduce the fat in your stomach area. If you don’t decrease the fat in this area, then you’ll never see well-defined abdominal muscles not matter how long and hard you train them.
The key to reducing body fat is a comprehensive workout program that consists of cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility exercises. Plus, don’t forget a healthy diet. Good examples of cardio exercises are: walking, swimming, aerobics, and jogging. Strength training can be done with dumbbells, resistance bands and even just your own body weight. Flexibility can be as simple as a few stretches held in place for about 20 seconds.
Now, back to the specifics of abdominal training. Traditional crunches can be a part of your abdominal training, but should be limited and certainly shouldn’t be the only part. To most effectively work your stomach area, it’s necessary to include about 80% rotational work. Rotational exercises are those that include twisting-type methods. Simple crunches do not fall into the rotational category because you simply lift your body straight up and down.
To most effectively train your abs, incorporate a lot of variety, including different positions and equipment. This will allow your muscles to continually be challenged, which is what will help make them stronger and more defined. Remember that you don’t have to lie on your back in the supine position to work your stomach area. There are hundreds of different ways to work them, including exercises in a standing position, on your side, raised on a ball, hanging from a bar, etc.
Don’t forget the importance of form. If you don’t use correct form when performing abdominal exercises, you’ll severely limit the effectiveness not to mention possibly cause an injury. Tips for correct form include:
- Don’t ever pull on your neck or head
- Don’t allow your legs to move, they should remain still -- let your abs do all the work
- Try to keep your belly button pulled in toward the floor throughout the entire move.
To get you started, below are a few sample exercises* with instructions. Start working out today, and you can show-off your toned abs in time for summer.
Basic Crunch: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands lightly behind your head for support. Using your abdominal muscles lift your shoulders a few inches off the ground, pause briefly and return to start position. Complete at least one set of 10-12 reps.
Standing Towel Circle: Stand tall and hold a small towel (or resistance band) taut overhead. Contract abs and slowly draw a large, wide circle over your head and around your torso with your hands. Keep towel pulled taut throughout. Return to beginning position and reverse the circular direction. Complete at least one set of 8-10 reps in each direction.
Oblique Twist With Ball: Begin by sitting on the ball. Walk feet forward until ball is resting under your back -- body is now parallel to the floor. Place hands lightly behind head for support. Using your abdominal muscles slowly crunch up lifting your shoulder blades off of the ball and rotate left shoulder toward right hip. Return to starting parallel position and repeat then switch sides.
For access to a huge library of exercises demonstrations (including demos for the above exercises), visit: http://www.workoutsforyou.com
*You should always consult your physician before trying any new exercise programs.
Beach Body Abs
With the return of warm weather in the spring, thoughts can never be too far behind of the approaching summer and the many wonderful outdoor activities that we’ll often associate with it and among our top favorite summertime activities will always be the trip to the beach. Warm blue skies, refreshing ocean breezes, hot sand, cool waves and the many attempts at constructing the perfect sand castle; you can swear you’re almost there just thinking of it. But that mental image just wouldn’t be complete without also including images of hard, bronze bodies in attractive swimsuits soaking up the sun. Let’s face it, attractive physiques will always be a top draw at the beach and the abs, or midsection, is the first thing that everyone notices.
But showing off beach body caliber abs certainly don’t come easy. Successful ab training is a combination of a healthy, lean diet, consistent cardio work, and a comprehensive abdominal training plan. While all of that may sound daunting, it is certainly within your ability to attain a chiseled midsection that other beach goers will positively ogle at, and you certainly still have enough time to do so. This article will provide you with the steps you’ll need to take to help you look your beach-body best.
Diet
The first thing you’re going to have to change will be your diet. It goes without saying that even if you had the best abs in the world, it will still look pretty ordinary if a layer of bodyfat covers it. Diet plays a crucial role in defining your midsection so some modifications will be required in order for your body to look it’s best. To begin with, get into the habit of using a diet log to keep track of your meals. Everyone is less likely to cheat when they know they have to write down everything they’ve eaten each day. An elaborate journal isn’t necessary either; a simple notepad can work just fine. Also, begin switching to six small meals a day now instead of three larger ones to help rev up your metabolism as well as prevent the stretching of the stomach and the abdominal walls which occurs when one gorges themselves in food.
Next, you’ll want to start creating a slight caloric deficit each day to help burn away the bodyfat. It is recommended that you work on losing only a pound or two, a week, of bodyfat. The weekly loss of any more weight than this, for the typical person, probably includes substantial amounts of water weight and muscle tissue and can wreck havoc on your metabolism. Remember, it’s the bodyfat that’s covering your abs that you’ll want to lose so a good rule of thumb is to cut back your daily energy requirements by only around 500 calories a day.
Now if you’re not sure what your daily energy requirements are for your current bodyweight (or the amount of calories you will have to consume each day to stay at your current weight), you can use this easy-to-remember formula as a guide. To estimate your daily total caloric needs, multiply 24 times 1.0 (if you’re a man) or 0.9 (if you’re a woman) by each kilogram of bodyweight you weigh. Then multiply that result by 1.7 (for a moderately active man) or 1.6 (for a moderately active woman).
(Men) 1.7 x 24 x 1.0 x bodyweight (in kg)
(Women) 1.6 x 24 x 0.9 x bodyweight (in kg)
To determine how many kilograms you weigh, divide your bodyweight in pounds by 2.2. Remember though that this formula is only a guide. It is highly recommended that you use the formula as a starting point, and then pay close attention to your body in order to fine-tune your calories according to how your body responds to your efforts. Look at your body in a mirror, if it doesn’t appear (or feel) as if your body is losing any weight after a week or two, then reduce the amount of calories you ingest even more.
Cardio
You’ll next want to start including cardio (aerobic exercises) into your weekly routine. There are few short-term options that can burn calories and strip away the bodyfat better than sessions of aerobic activities. It is no coincidence that even top-level bodybuilders will steadily increase their cardio workouts as a contest approaches to help really bring out their muscle definition. Begin by working out 3-4 times per week for 20 to 30 minutes at a time on a treadmill or a stationary exercise bike. Then work your way up to more intense sessions of at least moderate intensity for 45 minutes or longer by weeks 3 and 4. The last few weeks before you hit the beach, you’ll want to include interval training into your routine to really help blast away the last few pounds of bodyfat.
Exercise
Spot-reducing your way to abdominal definition is a myth. It is impossible to localize fat loss over any one specific area of your body and is the reason why it is important for you to also watch your diet and include aerobic training if you truly wish to showcase some beach-body abs. But the inclusion of some solid abdominal training is still important for great abs. Strengthening the abdominal wall will tone and help reduce, if not prevent, any unnecessary sagging of the belly. Also, abdominal workouts will certainly develop the muscles of the ab (particularly the rectus abdominus and the external obliques) and enable them to easily become more visible, sharper and tight.
While there are literally hundreds of abdominal exercises to choose from, it is important that several considerations are first kept in mind before performing any of them. First, it is strongly recommended that you learn how to focus on feeling the contraction of your abs when exercising and really squeeze the muscle at the top of any rep. There are many individuals out there who lay claim to performing several hundred sit-ups per day, but it is the quality that counts here and not necessarily the quantity. Become more efficient when performing your abdominal exercises and allow the muscle do the work and do not use the mechanical involvement of other bodyparts or even momentum to help swing the body in order to complete any reps. Additionally, make sure that you maintain continuous tension while performing your reps and never allow your body to rest at the bottom of a movement. Finally, be sure to breathe in during the relaxation phase of your movements and exhale during the contraction phase of the reps.
Having now prepared yourself, choose three exercises to perform for your abs and complete 2 sets, of 15 – 20 reps on each exercise, three times a week. Once again, focus on squeezing the muscle at the top of the movement and go in a slow, deliberate manner during each repetition. Recommended abdominal exercises for beginners during their first week would be crunches (with legs supported on a bench), seated twists, and knee-ups or lying leg raises. As the next few weeks progresses and your conditioning improves, you will need to increase the intensity factor for the abs to really shine. Begin by increasing the number of sets of each exercise from two to three and then add additional, more advanced, movements to allow for up to five exercises for your abs. Recommended abdominal exercises during this stage could include reverse crunches, crunches on an incline board, vertical leg raises, medicine-ball twists and decline-bench twisting crunches. You literally have from hundreds of movements to choose from. During the last two weeks before you hit the beach, begin cutting back on the rest time between your sets and also start to include supersets of your exercises in which you complete one set of each exercise without stop.
While there are still other factors that could be included for consideration of your ab training, consistently eating a lean diet, performing cardio work and exercising your abs with sufficient intensity will always remain at its core. Put in the work on those three tenets of abdominal development and you’ll be sure to possess a beach-body that will look great in a bathing suit and absolutely turn heads this summer!
Jerry Hill's Dirty 30 CrossFit Workout
If you loved the "300 workout" and found the "Beowulf workout" to be a perfectly painful challenge then you'll also enjoy this lung burner called "Dirty 30". This is another high intensity interval strength Training workout that produces dramatic results when attacked with an "all in" attitude. It takes a lot of power, endurance, and mental toughness to gut through it in record time.
"Jerry Hill's Dirty 30 CrossFit Workout"
*30 reps each once through for time*
Kettlebell Swing (35lb Women - 55lb Men)
Wallball (12W - 15M)
Box Jump (26"W - 32"M)
Hang Clean to a Push press (55W - 75M)
Pushup
Jumping Pullup
Kettlebell High Pull (52W - 70M)
Jumping Slamball (12W - 15M)
Dumbbell Situp and Press (15W - 25M)
Burpees!
*Scaled the load as need*
If you can perform the workout with the prescribed weights here are some times to shoot for:
Sub 15 minutes: Off the charts, you are a fitness legend!
15-17 minutes: Not many fitter than you
17-19: Capable of tough tasks, you're in top shape
19-21: Right there, almost at the top level
21+ Keep working on you conditioning, you are almost there!
Kettlebell Swing
Tip: Keep your spine extended, chest up Dip the hips back, letting the Kettlebell naturally fall underneath you - Explosively drive your hips forward to the Kettlebell - the goal is to create momentum and elevation so the Kettlebell becomes weightless - absorb the force of the returning Kettlebell by dipping your hips back again and quickly re-direct forward again. Standard: The Kettlebell should be swung high enough so it's out of your direct line of vision - Hands convincingly above head level.
Wallball
Tip: Squat with a medicine ball held High and Close to your chest. As you explosively rise out of the squat continue your vertical momentum and aggressively throw the medicine ball to an 8-10 foot target. With hands held high catch the ball on the rebound and continue the cycle for multiple repetitions. Keep the movement fluid and cyclic. Standard: Squat to slightly below parallel Use a barrier if you want a consistent standard of depth.
Box Jump
Tip: Explosively jump up on a bench, mats, or box - stick your landing and come to a standing position - hop back down or step backwards down - repeat process. Standard: Fully extend your hips at the top (STAND UP!)
Hang Clean to a Push Press
Tip: Hang power clean Stand with barbell - grip should be slightly outside the thighs Quickly dip the bar until it touches mid-thigh Keep your shoulders over the bar with spine extended Jump up, extending the hips, shrug the shoulders, keep bar close to body Arms are straight - They don't bend until your hips are fully extended As bar is elevated quickly dip under it, whip elbows under and around the bar and catch bar on your shoulders Push Press From the above catch position (hips are dipped slightly) jump and punch the barbell to the overhead position of support Standard: Correct overhead position of support is "elbows in ear". Oh and, Rest Later...
Pushup
Tip: Start in arms straight, body tight, plank pushup position Keep your head up, neck neutral - draw navel in Bend arms, keep body straight, drop chest, hips, and chin to the ground All 3 should touch at the same time Extend arms, keep body straight, stay tight. Standard: Chest, Hips, Chin touch the ground at the same time Arms fully extended (straight) at the top
Jumping Pullups
Tip: Grab a chin-up bar, rope, or tree branch so that your feet still touch the ground and your arms are almost straight overhead but not locked - jump with your legs and pull with your arms simultaneously until you get your chin over your hands. Standard: Jump and pull fist's to chest - Arms extended on the bottom
Kettlebell High Pull
Tip: First time exercisers can pick up the basic movement of the Highpull in a few minutes. However, most people tend to muscle the Kettlebell making it a segmented movement. Instead, try to create momentum and elevation on the Kettlebell using vertical hip drive. Standard: Let the Kettlebell touch the ground for each repetition Bring KB to throat, keep elbows high
Jumping Slamball
Tip: Jump up with a medicine ball, arms straight overhead (full extension) and then SLAM the BALL on the ground. Quickly drop your butt down and go straight into squat in order to catch the Medicine ball at the bottom; both are essential to get all the benefits of this movement. Once you get rolling you can really get into a rhythm of jumping up (full extension) and slam down. *Warning* You need a special Slamming medicine ball to do this movement. Most traditional Medicine balls bounce too much - If you slam a bouncing medicine ball it will come back up and knock you out, break your nose, or bust your teeth! The same movement of Jumping straight up then landing down in a squat can be duplicated by hanging on to the Medicine ball and tapping it on the ground. Standard: Arms straight at top Hips low at the bottom (full squat)
Dumbbell Situp and Press
Tip: Hold Dumbbell by Ends, start on chest As you situp start to press the weight Finish the movement with arms straight over your head fully seated Standard: Get to the proper overhead position of support Elbows in ears
Burpees
Tip: Squat down, place hands on ground wider than the feet - shoot your legs back until you are in a top pushup position, perform a pushup Quickly hop your feet forward back to the hands on ground squat position Jump up and reach into the air Standard: Full Pushup - Full extension on the Jump (be aware of forward lean/piking on jump)
DISCLAIMER
The author and publisher of this material are not responsible in any manner whatsoever for any harm or injury that may occur through following the instructions in this material. Specifically, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this special report. The activities, physical and otherwise, described herein are for informational purposes only, and may be too strenuous or dangerous for some people. The reader should consult his or her physician before engaging in them.
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For a full report on how to perform the exercises in this workout including 35+ pictures go to; http://www.crossfitchallenge.com/dirty30/
Video Source: Youtube
Workout Routines Perfect for Women - P90X
Two examples of such women, who have achieved great fitness levels by following the p90x workout plan, are Audra S. and Tracy H. There is a marked difference in the number of repetitions of various exercise forms that these women could handle before, and after going on the routine. There is also a visible difference in the body measurements of both these women. All the facts and figures have been taken from the official beachbody website, and can be counter-confirmed from there, if needed. While Audra could manage only up to 27 push-ups before going in for the program, she can now manage 54. Her toe stretch has increased from 6" to 8" and her heartbeat has reduced from 116 to 109 after taking a four minute rest. From the before-after pictures, it is quite visible that Audra has given a phenomenal shape to her abs, breasts and legs, while maintaining a strikingly erect posture.
While Audra had a good fitness level before she adapted to the p90x system, Tracy remains a strikingly opposite example. Tracy could not do even 4 push ups before joining the program. Today, she can handle 16 push ups at a time. Although 16 is not too impressive a number, yet it is four times of what Tracy could otherwise manage. Her leg lifts have seen a remarkable change and have increased from a meager 96 to 300 after the completion of her 90 day workout program. Similarly, Adrian and Marren are two other prime examples of women who have made the best use of the p90x workout routines for women, and achieved the results they had always desired.
The formation of the "plateau" is said to be a more prominent process in the case of women, as compared to men. "Plateau", in fitness terms, refers to the process of the muscles getting accustomed to various exercise routines, which results in diminishing of the effectiveness of these routines. Muscle confusion, the principle on which the p90x system works, eliminates plateau formation and helps in keeping the peak effectiveness of an exercise intact. Basically, the body is in a constant change of motion for the complete period of 90 days, which means that it will never get accustomed to a particular type of exercise and it also means that you would not get bored of repeating the same routines over and over again.
Development of skill, flexibility and working coordination between the muscles and the senses is very important, all the more in the case of women. P90x, with its ever-changing routines composed of aerobics, power lifting workouts, yoga and cardiovascular routines helps you develop essentially these skills, and therefore, can go a long way in making you a better person altogether.
This author lives in Flemington, NJ with her husband and 5 month old daughter and is an expert contributing author for an exercise and fitness p90x site offering variety of p90x workouts and p90x supplements.
Video Source: Youtube
Get a 6-Pack Abs in 7 Days!
Are there only 3 steps you must take to get a six pack? Well that might be debated by various people. However, I can promise you that if you don't follow the 3 things I am going to show you that a six pack won't be in your future. Unfortunately there is no magic red pill to take that will give you abs. By following these steps you'll be ahead of 99% of everyone else.
Tip #1-
The first step is to not make any excuses. I don't care how bad your genetics are. I don't care what you were or weren't born with. Anyone can get a six pack if that is what they really want in life. Go out and make it happen by taking action. Most people don't get anywhere because they don't take action. However, it's fun for them to fantasize about what might have been. Don't be a casualty. Take action on the next 2 tips.
Tip #2-
Did you know that abs are made in the kitchen? That's right, if you don't eat right you'll never see your abs no matter how hard you work. You can do all of the exercises your trainer gave you but you still won't see your abs. By eating the right foods you'll prevent any more fat build up around your abdominal region. You'll even start burning fat by eating healthier.
Tip #3-
The last tip is to throw out any exercises see other people doing. The only exercise I really like for training the abdominal region is doing decline sit-ups with a weight. When the weight becomes too light add another 5 pounds. Most people will do crunches all day long and never see their abs. You need to add resistance if you ever want to develop your muscles. It's also important to workout your whole body because this will put your body in a fat burning state.
You can get more fitness and nutrition information by visiting http://tinyurl.com/awfgv4
Video Source: Youtube
Knock Out Weight Loss Strategies: 7 Dynamic Ways To A New You
I got the phone call early on a Monday. It was from California and I had no idea what I was about to learn from the amazing Dr. Berneathy. Dr. B, as he is affectionately known, has created a dynamite weight loss formula for his patients in his Chiropractic clinic. I was about to embark on a real education.
If you want to lose the weight then you will have to lose any type of victim mentality and get positive. I learned from Dr. B that weight loss was not that hard to do. This guy had the secret that so many other programs out there seemed to miss.
I am going to tell you some of these strategies now.
Lesson 1: You Got To Detoxify – Now what does this exactly mean? You have to get rid of all the junk in your diet. If you are serious about weight loss then you must get rid of the excess garbage in your daily diet. There is a time period here that you will have to observe. This is a multi-step process that you must start on if you want to lose the unwanted pounds.
Lesson 2: Keeping A Positive Mindset – Getting powerful results starts with a healthy mindset. I suggest getting rid of all the substances in your daily pattern that lead to racing thoughts. In this category I include caffeinated drinks, alcohol, sugar and other stimulants. I recently switched to herbal teas from around the world and noticed a huge difference in every aspect of my life.
Lesson 3: Move – You got to get in motion if you want to lose weight. Life is about motion, it is about doing, it is about experiencing new things, you got to get out of your living environment and breathe fresh air. Even if you are not used to exercising you have to get up and out. Mobility is everything. This is going to help you build up your mindset to finally exercise.
Lesson 4: Water Based Foods – Just like Dr. B said do not eat junk foods. Artificial colors and flavors are ultimately bad for you and they must be avoided. Taking the bold step to water based foods will take some imagination There are a lots of great things to be said about what kind of vegetables you buy. You can either buy organic produce, eat vegan, or go totally vegetarian. Avoid taking too many radical steps to reach your goal. Your shifts in this area should be gradual.
Lesson 5: Love Yourself – I always found that I usually got the munchies around 10 PM every night. This became a problem but I found ways around it. I was never tempted by late night advertising by Taco Bell because I had problems with dairy and my sinuses. I was able to find some guilt free snacks to help tide me over. I found things like black bean dip and blue corn chips that were fat free. I also found this amazing Green Tea Non Dairy Ice Cream. If you are willing to stretch your imagination you will come across some incredible finds. This is totally up to you. The other thing I can tell you is to get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water.
Lesson 6: Take Control – Avoid being a victim whenever possible. Avoid living in a constant state of “reaction”, (ex: you’ll never believe what this guy said to me, you’ll never believe what happened to me today, I could only get that promotion if so and so was out of the way etc.). These types of inner conflicts are not healthy for the mind. You are controlling the situations around you. It is for this reason you must have self mastery.
Lesson 7: Eat Often – You can achieve great things with smaller meals. You can eat multiple times a day and not have to worry about going hungry. If you are eating the right things in the right combination then hunger pangs are a thing of the past. You are going to be well settled and will not have to worry about calorie counting. The body will start to adjust to your eating habits and you won’t have to worry about how much you need to eat. Your portions will be smaller.
Dr. Berneathy is well schooled in all of these areas. He is an abundant wealth of knowledge and I decided to take him on as a client. These areas of weight loss intrigued me and yet I wondered how I could apply these rules to my life.
We talked about fundamentals and what it would take to get fantastic results. Weight loss is a complicated game if you don’t approach it the right way. That is why there are so many diets that fail and fall off the market place. But talking to Dr. B made things really simple. We need to stop stuffing ourselves with fake food. But more importantly we had to follow a process that would help eliminate waste before the pounds would fall off.
The importance of this subject matter cannot be underplayed. Disease can settle in if the body is not where it should be. Losing weight is a very serious subject matter and you should take proper steps to take care of your body.
As Dr. Berneathy says, “You only got one you!”. And I couldn’t agree more.