Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Rollerblades: A Good Workout?

Rollerblades, a good workout or a bad idea? We will look at both sides of this question. Sports equipment is important for a few reasons. In today's world, all we hear about in the news and read about in the papers is how more and more people need to lose weight. Doctors say any exercise that you enjoy or will stick with is a good exercise. But everyday, doctors treat patients who have been injured while roller blading. Is the health benefit worth the safety issues?

First let's look at the good aspects of using Rollerblades. There are many of these, and using Rollerblades does count as cardiovascular exercise as long as you are actually skating with them and not just standing in them. They give the muscles in your calves, thighs, abdominal muscles, and butt muscles. Rollerblades provide a great all over workout to help tone and tighten your body while boosting your circulation and metabolism. By using Rollerblades, you will be getting the exercise that we all so desperately need, but yet enjoying yourself so it will not feel like exercise. This means that you are more likely to stick with this exercise and stay healthier because of it. Rollerblades can be a very important piece of sports equipment to help in your exercise routine. This can be done by using Rollerblades alone, or with other sports equipment to round out your routine. There are even televised Roller Derby competitions where members of two competing teams race and they get flatten stomach fast.

There can be drawbacks to using Rollerblades, as with any sports equipment. There are the usual muscle problems when you first start any exercise that gives you a good workout. Muscle aches and pains, pulled muscles, overexertion from doing too much too soon, and these types of assorted minor injuries. If you are doing strenuous roller blading in a warm environment, like the summer heat, heat exhaustion or dehydration can occur if you do it for too long at one time. Make sure to drink lots of water while exercising. Another slight risk is serious injury if you fall. Anytime you are on wheels, balance comes into play and you could fall. A helmet and the proper pads can help minimize this risk and make this sport a lot safer. Anytime you participate in a sport, the appropriate sports equipment should be used for safety.


5 Unique Fat Burning Tips

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author,
Turbulence Training

I was just reviewing a big file of all the new exercise, diet, and research proven fat burning tips I wrote down for 2009, and I wanted to share 5 BIGGIES that can help your clients get more results AND make your awesome workers even better..

So here we go:

#5 - Recent research shows shuttle-running is tougher than running intervals in a straight line...

...so if you want to burn fat faster than ever, make sure you incorporate old-school shuttle runs (i.e. classic suicide type drills) into your fat burning interval programs.

#4 - Use a food log.

"According to Men's Health (Feb 2009, p 38), keeping a food log helped subjects lose 3.5 more pounds than subjects that didn't keep the log."

#3 - Hit a personal best in each workout.

This is an oldie, but a goodie. There are a few reasons you need to do this:

a) First of all, everyone loves progress, and if you can achieve a personal record in each workout (i.e. could be # of pushups, plank time, etc.), then you will feel a HUGE sense of accomplishment.

b) More personal bests = more results. Plain and simple.

c) You will get addicted to the workouts, and always want to come back for more attempts at breaking records.

#2 - Get a trainer or join a bootcamp

"According to Men's Health magazine, (Dec, 2009), beginners who work with trainers get more results than beginners who workout by themselves". Guaranteed.

#1 - Read a motivational quote every morning.

I promise you that it will elevate your motivation and inspire you to reach your fat loss goals.

Here's the first motivational quote you can read tomorrow morning:

"Be loud and proud of the healthy changes you are making in your life. There are many more folks secretly wishing someone will take charge and be a healthy role model for them. It might not happen overnight, but if you continue to lead by healthy example – without preaching or being condescending - you can build an entourage that will help you reach the next level." - Craig Ballantyne

Those are 5 unique tips to help you lose fat.

For more fat burning workouts visit:

=> http://bit.ly/8ASh80

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Abs Diet For Women

What woman doesn’t want a washboard stomach?
Men’s Health Editor David Zinczenko is the founder of the ground-breaking weight-loss program, The Diet to get sflatten stomach fast. Now, he’s following up with the Abs Diet for Women, a plan specifically targeted to the female population desperate to tone their tummies.
From celebrities like Nelly Furtado to the average Jane who just wants to shed those post-pregnancy pounds, the Abs Diet for Women is for every woman. Unlike the original Abs Diet, the Abs Diet for Women gives guidelines for calorie counting, following a vegetarian lifestyle and coping with hormonal problems that complicate weight loss.
Of course, the main focus of the program is to tighten that tummy. Basically, you want to strengthen your entire core - focusing on the upper section of abs, the lower section, the obliques (sides), the deep supportive muscle (the transverse abdominis), and the lower back.
Ab work is done just two or three times a week with a few exercises at a time - enough to strengthen your core, without doing so much that you're going to look like a bodybuilder. That way, the goal is a flat, toned stomach.
In the Abs Diet, the primary component is the eating principles -- specifically, making sure that the individual eats often enough to keep her metabolism revved and making sure she eats the right fat-burning and good-for-you Abs Diet Powerfoods that will help keep her satisfied all day long.
All of the Abs Diet Powerfoods are crucial. They are easy to remember, because of the ABS DIET POWER acronym:

A Almonds and nuts
B Beans
S Spinach and green vegetables

D Dairy, low-fat
I Instant oatmeal
E Eggs
T Turkey and lean meats

P Peanut butter, all-natural
O Olive oil
W Whole grains
E Extra protein (whey)
R Raspberries and other berries

Center your meals around those Powerfoods and you'll fuel your body with the necessary nutrients-protein, good carbs, good fat, fiber. Pay special attention to protein because it helps build that meal muscle that will help burn fat faster and get flatten stomach fast.
The magic bullet is the exercise plan - a circuit of exercises that both gets your hear rate up and also adds lean, toned muscle, which in itself will increase the rate in which you burn fat. A total body workout, the Abs Diet for Women targets the legs, upper body, abs and offers a high-intensity interval session to boost metabolic rate.
Below is an example of one of the short workouts featured in the Abs Diet for Women.
Abs: Do each exercise right after another. Then repeat.
Crunch
Bent-Leg Knee Raise
Oblique V-Up
Bridge
Back Extension

Circuit: Do one exercise right after another with no more than 30 seconds of rest in between. Do 10-12 reps, and repeat the circuit. Do two or three total circuits.
Squat
Bench Press
Pulldown
Military Press
Upright Row
Triceps Extension
Leg Extension
Biceps Curl
Leg Curl

It's not unusual to have women to lose 15 pounds (some up to 20 or more) in six weeks. But perhaps, even more important, is the change in shape. A woman can certainly lose inches from her waist, and she can change her shape and tone with our circuit training that targets both the upper and lower body.

Non-Fad Way to Achieve Six Pack Abs

Hard abdominal muscles can make a person look healthy and attractive. But it requires hard work in order to get flatten stomach fast.
In spite of what the commercial world would have you believe, there is no magic pill you can take or no one exercise that will help you achieve it instantaneously. It takes hard work, determination, and most importantly a healthy lifestyle.

The first step to achieve six pack abs is to lower your total percentage of body fat. Although it is possible to strengthen, tone, and increase the size of your abdominal muscles without this step, those muscles will be surrounded by fat and therefore obscured. This will not give you the look that you are after. Men need to be at ten percent body fat or lower, and women need to be at fifteen percent. To achieve this, it is important to get regular cardiovascular exercise and eat healthily and you can get flatten stomach fast.

Don't starve yourself, as this will only make your body conserve fat, but do make sure that you are eating no more than the recommended calories for your gender and size. Moreover, each of these calories should be from a good source, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grain, and lean protein.

Exercise should consist of 40-45 minutes of cardio work at least 5 days a week. Anyway, it is recommended not to lose more than 2 pounds a week. Any more than that is not good for your health.Once you are within a healthy weight and body fat range, you can begin to target your abdominal muscles for those six pack abs.

Be aware, however, that this can not be done with only one exercise. It requires a varied, well rounded workout routine that targets all of the muscle groups in the abdominal area. Of course, this includes crunches. To be affective, these must be done with your back flat against the floor and your elbows back. Lift yourself up with your abdominal muscles, rather than pulling on your neck.

A well-rounded abdominal exercise routine also consists of reverse crunches, which consist of lying on your back and pulling the knees toward the chest, and twisting exercises that target the oblique muscles.It is not necessary to do an outrageous number of repetitions of these exercises get six pack abs fast.
If you are doing the exercises properly and performing a variety of them, three sets of each for 12 to 20 repetitions should be enough. It is suggested to work with a trainer. Not only can he make sure you are doing the exercises properly, but he will help to keep you motivated.

Low Fat High Protein Foods – How To Get Your Lean Protein

by Mike Roussell PhD(c)

All the foods that you eat greatly impact your ability to lose weight. Protein, carbohydrates, and fats each have important roles and specific qualities that make them essential to a fat loss diet. What is interesting this is that the USDA, National Cholesterol Education Program, American Heart Association, and many scientists have previously essentially written off the benefit of protein above the body’s minimal requirement. “15% of calories or 0.8g/kg is all you need” We’ve heard that before.

However, there has been a surge of research and buzz around the importance of increased protein intake for not just weight loss but cardiovascular disease reduction, blood sugar control, and lowering blood pressure.

If you are looking to maximize fat loss then you are going to need to make sure that you get more than ‘adequate’ protein levels. When you increase your protein intake and decrease your carbohydrate intake, from a biochemical perspective you are removing an insulin stimulating nutrient (carbohydrates) and replacing it with a nutrient that has a much lesser effect on insulin (protein). Protein also causes your body to release another hormone called glucogon which counteracts insulin. Control insulin and you control the rate in which you burn fat.

Here are some great tips for choosing and maximizing lean protein consumption for fat loss (surprisingly from the US Government).

Start with a lean choice:
*The leanest beef cuts include round steaks and roasts (round eye, top round, bottom round, round tip), top loin, top sirloin, and chuck shoulder and arm roasts.
*The leanest pork choices include pork loin, tenderloin, center loin, and ham.
*Choose extra lean ground beef. The label should say at least “90% lean”. You may be able to find ground beef that is 93% or 95% lean.
*Buy skinless chicken parts, or take off the skin before cooking.
*Boneless skinless chicken breasts and turkey cutlets are the leanest poultry choices.
*Choose lean turkey, roast beef, ham, or low-fat luncheon meats for sandwiches instead of luncheon meats with more fat, such as regular bologna or salami.

Keep it lean:
*Trim away all of the visible fat from meats and poultry before cooking.
*Broil, grill, roast, poach, or boil meat, poultry, or fish instead of frying.
*Drain off any fat that appears during cooking.
*Skip or limit the breading on meat, poultry, or fish. Breading adds fat and calories. It will also cause the food to soak up more fat during frying.
*Prepare dry beans and peas without added fats.
*Choose and prepare foods without high fat sauces or gravies.

Use these tips to add high quality, low fat, high protein foods to your diet. The quality of your diet will improve, your weight loss will increase, and you’ll be an all around healthier person.

About the Author/More Info:

Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete 28 day diet and training system crafted to help you lose 10,15, or 20lbs of body fat in just 28 day. To start losing weight fast visit WarpSpeedFatLoss.com. Mike Roussell is a nutrition doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania. Mike's writings can be found in magazines such as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Testosterone Nation. Mike specializes in fat loss nutrition and diets for busy men and women who need to lose weight fast without it interfering with their lives. Warp Speed Fat Loss (WarpSpeedFatLoss.com) is a complete Done-for-You A-Z Fat Loss Blueprint that gives you exactly everything you need to eat to lose weight in record time.

Monday, January 18, 2010

How to Build Flat Abs with Your Own Formula

There are two maxims of old that you will need from the outset if you want to know how to get flatten stomach fast  and then keep them for good. The first goes something like, 'Rome was not built in a day'. Flat abs must accrue from a process of self-improvement not an instantaneous pill. Having a sagging belly is a symptom of a condition and not a disease to be cured by medication. The second one is more common around gyms. It states that, 'no pain, no gain'. Getting flat abs is not as easy as you may want it to be. It involves work, consistency and self-determination. That is why flat-tummied guys are rare to come by.
Once these two maxims are accepted as facts then you are ready to know how to get flatten stomach fast. You must integrate dieting strategies and workout routines in your lifestyle as the only way of getting flat abs. With a little patience, consistence, perseverance and discipline, it gets easy as you go along and soon enough you will get in the flow. Abdominal exercises must be viewed as just but a part of the jigsaw towards flat abs. Flat abs only accrue from comprehensive abdominal rehabilitation efforts that integrate highly disciplined dieting and exercising regimes.
Doing countless crunches and sit-ups will hold you back instead of help you towards flat abs. Your abdominals easily adapt to the crunches and sit-ups and slip into a plateau where nothing much happens. Integrate cardiovascular exercises like running, swimming, rope jumping, running, frog jumps, biking, etc with weight exercises for a diverse program the abs can't get used to.
Your abs will never attain a flat posture until you have burnt all the body fat in your belly. Your body fat percentage must dip as low as 9% or lower if you want flat abs. That is why sit-ups and crunches will not be enough to flatten out your tummy. Burn the fats using cardio exercises and ensure that the calories you ingest in the daily diet are much less than what you burn during exercise. One other directive on how to get six pack abs fast is to ingest high volumes of plain water every day.
One way of ensuring the belly fat is reduced and then maintained at the minimal most level is avoiding food that are rich in concentrated fats. Saturated fats go straight to deposit sites. Red meat and other foods with high levels of fats must be reduced. Run away from junk food and embrace natural wholemeal foods. Vegetables and fruits must be incorporated in the diet. Ensure that the diet has a lot
of nutrients but low on calories. Alcohol for instance, should be avoided since it ingests many calories and has no nutritional value. Besides that, alcohol increases your appetite for oily and fatty foods.
If you have been wondering how to get flat abs, there you have it. A bit of hard work and determination will get it done. Many people are not willing to sacrifice as much and no wonder they have phenomenal belly fat proportions to confront in the mirror every morning as they shave. Escape that route and exert yourself for a while. The result will give a little bounce to your walk and a little confidence in your outlook to life.Good luck with getting  six pack abs fast.

Enjoying the Process of finding your Abs

So you want a fit body and get six pack abs fast? Time to hit the floor for a crunches, right? Please. Crunching alone isn't necessarily the best--and certainly not the most enjoyable--way to flatten your belly. We talked to dozens of people, who've toned their abs, we discovered their secrets include fun activities such as gardening, tennis, and dancing. Leading weight loss and fitness experts say, some simple lifestyle changes will provide you with a complete belly-flattening program.

Let me ask you a question, how many lives to you get? Just one and life itself can be hard enough. The truth is if you don't find fun or pleasure in what your doing it probley wont last.

10 Suggestions to help in the process of a leaner body  and to get flatten stomach fast.

1. Calm down. Too much stress can contribute to a potbelly. Stress increases levels of cortisol, a hormone that seems to direct fat to our middle. To keep levels low, try this 5- to 10-minute stress reducer: Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. Next, take several slow, deep breaths to help clear your mind. Continue breathing deeply and repeat the word "one" to yourself as you exhale. (If you get distracted, just bring back your focus to the word "one.") Practice this for 5 to 10 minutes a few times a day. Another words, Chill Out!

2. Make sure to eat more fiber. Not only is fiber great for overall fat loss (it fills you up so you don't eat so offten). To get regular, aim for 25 to 35 g of fiber a day by eating more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

3. Easy with the alcohol. That glass of wine with dinner may be part of the reason your struggling to lose weight. Alcohol also tends to raise cortisol levels, turning it into fat in your belly.

If you don't smoke skip to step 5

4. Stop smoking now. For many reasons but for this lesson we will stick to the fat loss issue "It keeps me thin," proclaim many smokers. The truth is that smokers tend to have more abdominal fat than nonsmokers. The stress hormone cortisol seems to be the cause here. When people stop smoking, the amount of abdominal fat actually decreases. However at first you may over eat, so make sure to get control of the over eating and stop blaming it on smoking.


5. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids through out the day. You may fill bloated at first but that will soon pass through the system.

6. All the ab exercises in the world won't do a thing unless you lose the fat covering your abdominal muscles. Aerobic exercises for 45 to 60 minutes, four to five times a week.

7. Tuck your tummy exercises are easy and you can do them anywhere. Practice the tuck until it becomes comfortable, and soon it will come natural, like breathing. "Do it every chance you can.

8. When your ready hit the weights. Aim for two or three weight workouts a week.

9. Do bonus ab workouts. Stand when doing weight-lifting exercises. That way your abs work as well. " Concentrate on keeping your abs tight and maintaining good posture.

10. If you're age 50 or over, be sure to get six pack abs fast..