Posts Tagged Fitness
Top 7 Time Wasters At The Gym
Posted by Patch Adams in Fitness on March 17, 2009
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s nearly impossible to set aside the time you need at the gym each day. It seems there are always more “important” things to be doing. When you do get into the gym, avoid these 7 time wasters.
1) Believe it or not, one of the first things that wastes your time in the gym, is spending too much time at the gym. I realize that may not make sense, but it’s true. You don’t necessarily need to do cardio for 90 minutes everyday. Once you go beyond what your body needs, you’re wasting time.
2 – No more long rest periods between exercises. Usually this happens when you see a friend and you spend 10 minutes chatting about fitness. Talking about getting fit isn’t going to help you get fit. Don’t take as many breaks and instead schedule some time over coffee when you’re both of you are away from the gym.
3 – Plan your workouts. Make sure you know what exercises you’re going to do, how many reps you’ll do of each and how much weight you’re going to use. If you’re constantly trying to figure things out on the fly, you’ll double your time in the gym.
4. Not having a backup plan- There is nothing more frustrating then going to the gym with your plan in hand and someone is already using the machine! Having a backup plan ensures you spend more of your time in the gym exercising and less time feeling frustrated. If someone is using the chest machine, no big deal: Do push-ups instead.
5 – Get intense! Push yourself further than you thought you could go. Physical gains don’t happen when you’re barely pushing yourself. You need to be going to failure on almost every exercise. Even if you’re just building strength and have no interest in bulk, you should still work to failure, just at a higher level. Remember, bulk comes between 8 and 10 reps and strength comes when you’re doing between 12 and 15.
6) Form is vital. Doing too many “cheat” reps will kill your time in the gym. Focus on the right form and you’ll benefit greatly from every rep. Each time you do an exercise wrong, that’s one more wasted rep.
7. Not seeking the advice of a professional- If all the top athletes have coaches and professional trainers, don’t you think you could use their advice? Having a trainer will help you to get further along in your training then trying to do it by yourself. He or she will help you to use proper form, technique, rep ranges, tempo, rest intervals and exercise combinations to maximize your results and minimize your frustrations
I’m sure you didn’t relate to all seven items. You may only relate to one of them. If that’s the case, fix that one time and gain back some time for other areas in your life. If you could relate to them, focus on a few at a time and lean out your gym time while you lean out your body.
Children and Athletic Ankle Supports
Posted by Kenneth Elliott in Health on March 11, 2009
Sporting activities and athletic ankle supports are a good combination for children in sports. They help to keep children out of danger from major leg injuries that are common. Children are still growing and bone injuries can slow down bone growth on occasion, especially if the injury occurs on a growth plate. Athletic ankle supports can help to prevent major accidents from children landing in the wrong positions. They make sure that key ankle positions are maintained as to not allowing ankle injuries. There are still is a chance that a major ankle injury can happen but wearing athletic ankle supports are there for preventative measures.
When deciding on an ankle brace for your child it is important answer two questions in your mind. What is the brace made from and does the brace allow for total range of motion. In terms of total range of motion, for those children who have not had any previous ankle problems you would not want to purchase a brace that immobilizes the ankle. You would just want a brace that are designed to just provide pressure in key areas and keep the ankle in fairly the same place. Immobilizing ankle braces are a hindrance rather than a benefit if you were to purchase this kind of brace. A lightweight athletic elastic ankle support should be just fine for a child athlete.
So what is the best ankle brace to purchase? The best ankle supports are made of neoprene and they not only support your ankle but increase your bounce, make your landings softer and keep your muscles warm. Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene. It is used in a wide variety of environments, such as in wetsuits, laptop sleeves, electrical insulation, and car fan belts. It is also a synthetic rubber that is resistant to oils and aging.
Are you still thinking that you may not need ankle supports for you child. Maybe you are thinking that the high top sneakers that you brought yesterday are enough support needed. Yes, high top ankle sneakers do provide ankle support, but they just have the minimum support needed. Step up your security for your child and get the maximum support needed. Athletic ankle supports will provide what you need.
Six Super hot Fat loss tips
Posted by Sarah Simpson in Health on March 8, 2009
More than just the way you look, being fat can affect a person in several ways. This could and most probably would affect your quality of life, low self-esteem, cause depression, health risks, and physical limitations.
I once was on the path path of destruction and decided one day that enough was enough and searched for some facts on how I could get rid of the fat and keep it off. Once I started to see results many positive changes started to happen and you would not have been able to stop me with a Bulldozer.
The best thing that a person suffering from being over weight should do is seek some good advice from their local health practitioner recommend a safe fat loss program. First your GP should give you a complete physical examination from top to toe. This will let you know how safe it is for you to start exercising and anything that you should look out for.
The answer to losing that fat fast is to draw a line in the sand and commit yourself to making a complete lifestyle change. This is not a short time fix you will need to dedicate yourself to this for the rest of your life. This will mean formulating a healthy balanced diet, an exercise program, working out a meal schedule and braking bad habits.
Here are 6 of the best fast fat loss tips that may change your life forever:
Fat loss tip 1
For fast fat loss you will need to be multi-faceted as just one thing will accomplish your goals but moreover a group of things to make a whole * Change your Mindset * exercise * supplements * A healthy diet
Fat loss tip 2
Write down your goals and make sure that that are obtainable, put them in a prominent place where you will see them many times a day. I like to keep my in my car on my dash board. By seeing them regularly you will be helping your motivation levels and taking it in at a sub-conscious level. You will get there a lot faster if you practice this technique because it is very powerful indeed.
Fat loss tip 3
You are your best judge, listen to what your body is telling you, do not over stress your body at the start. A lot of people fall into the trap of overdoing things, sometimes less is more. If you do to much you will either cause yourself an injury or you will burn out and stop exercising altogether. We are all different and will need to start at different stages and levels, experiment, what works for me may not work for you, it is just a matter of finding what works for you. Walking briskly is a good place to star and build up to a jog.
Fat loss tip 4
Want to speed up your results, well then consume more fiber, it is a great weapon in ensuring that you will not over eat as it gives you that full tummy feeling before you over indulge which is great news. Whole grains, cereal, fresh fruits are an excellent source.
Fat loss tip 5
Fried foods are a definite no no, erase them from your mind as they are a dieters worst nightmare and will undo all your great work literally over night. Also cut of all visible fat from meats and take the skin off your chicken. Cook healthy by grilling or broiling foods.
Fat loss tip 6
Drink plenty of water through out your day and aim to stay hydrated. Your urine should be the color of lemon juice and not dark which is a definite indicator of being dehydrated. 6 – 8 glasses a day should be your minimum for health. We are mainly made up entirely of water and our body needs it to carry out its functions, including getting rid of fat and toxins.
Change your lifestyle and change the way you look and feel. You are worth it are you not and you owe it to your family to be healthy and able to support them and share a good quality of life. Be consistent and be stubborn, do not settle for average and be the best that you can be. Bring it on.
All the best – Sarah Simpson
Tips for Younger Looking Philosophy Skin Care
Posted by Sarah Cove in Health on March 8, 2009
Getting older and starting to see signs of aging like wrinkles and lines in your skin? Then better start working on these signs now and discover the ways on how you can keep your skin look vibrant and younger looking despite aging.
As of today, there are several things you can do to keep your skin at its best. And these include:
1. Regular Cleansing of Skin
This will indeed help you have a healthy, bright skin. Cleansing your skin at least once a day will remove dirt and grime in your pores. This will also keep you away from skin diseases caused by bacteria and fungus. However, remember not to be harsh on your skin when you cleanse. Always pat dry.
2. Good Intake of Water
Drinking lots of water everyday is indeed one of the simplest things you can do to keep your skin better-looking and youthful. You must know that dryness and dehydration are bad for your skin, affecting your skin’s suppleness, elasticity and over all health.
3. Decrease in Sugar Consumption
You maybe unaware but sugar can damage collagen and elastin, which are both vital in keeping skin firm and supple. This then facilitates wrinkles and at the same time makes skin dull. And also, sugar generates free-radicals which are not good for your skin. Thus, it will help if you reduce your sugar intake.
4. Reduce Intake of Saturated Fats
Too much saturated fats can be really bad for your skin. Typically, they can be found in ice cream, red meat, poultry, baked foods and chocolate. As much as possible, avoid having these foods in your diet but if you cant avoid having them just remember not to ingest more than 10% of your total food intake in the form of these fats.
5. Smoking Cessation
If you smoke, it will really help if you stop immediately. Smoking increases cell membrane free-radical damage caused by oxidization which can then lead to poor nutrient delivery and moisture retention. Thus, when you smoke your skin will age quickly. And so if you can, stop smoking. It will be difficult to stop so you must be very patient and determined.
A Choice Of Weights: Free Or Machine Weights?
Posted by gabriel monroe in Health on March 1, 2009
For years, those doing strength training have been debating which method works better-working with free weights or machine weights. There are those that say that working with free weigh is better, while there are those that claim that machine weights are more effective. Suffice to say, enough arguments have been raised regarding this issue.
In this case, there are no right or wrong answers. While each method may have it’s pros and cons, both still are just as good in improving your muscle strength. It really all depends on ones personal preferences, and the amount of training one puts in. So let’s look at the positives and negatives of working with both free and machine weights.
Benefits of Working With Machine Weights: Since they are safer and generally easier to use, machine weights are perfect for beginners, allowing to build strength while doing basic movements. Machine weights are also ideal if you only want to work on a specific muscle group.
Not only that, but it also gives you enough support when doing the proper movements, allow you to keep the perfect posture when lifting, even when your muscles start to tire. Something which is hard to do when working with free weights. Adjusting the resistance in most machine weights is also easier, since you have to do is simply key in a code or insert a pin.
The Disadvantages of Using Machine Weights: The disadvantage of machine weights is that it’s good for only one kind of exercise, since it gives you a limited range of movement. So if you’re bigger, or more petite, then it may be harder to recalibrate the machine weights to suit your particular body type.
And since the machine aids you in having perfect balance, your stabilizer muscles may not be able to get the maximum workout due to the added support.
The Benefits of Using Free Weights: Free weights not only offer a wider, more natural wave of movement, but they also make your stablilizer muscles work harder since you still have to balance yourself.
Free weights also allow you to work different muscles groups, since you can do an unlimited number of exercises just by switching positions. They’re also cheaper, and are a lot more compact, so you won’t have a problem with storage.
The Disadvantages of Using Free Weights Using free weights can be difficult, since it’s hard to balance, and offers no support. If not correctly, working with free weights may cause injuries, especially for exercises that call you to lift it over your head. Working out specific muscles can also be a bit of a challenge, as certain motions and techniques need to be applied, movements that a beginner may not quite know.
When trying to build muscles, you need to lift the weights instead of swing them, which is what happens when you’re working out with free weights.
So now that we’ve discussed the pros and cons of machines weights versus free weights, which one do you think fits you? For beginners, machine weights are a lot more intiuitive and safer to use, something which you’ll need during your first three months of training.
Free weights may be better if if you’re already in a more advanced strength training program, since it teaches you how to balance and gives you a wider range of natural movements. Still, there’s nothing wrong with using both machine weights and free weights. Who knows, it may even make your work out sessions a lot more motivating.
Wu Yi Tea For Weight Loss: A Safe, Natural Alternative
Posted by Scott Foster in Health on February 28, 2009
You’ve probably heard something about Wu Yi tea by now – there are a lot of news stories out there about people using Wu Yi tea for weight loss. But what’s the truth about this tea? Can it really help you to lose weight? As it happens, people have been drinking Wu Yi tea in China for centuries; of course, the Chinese are known for their slim waistlines and good health. So how does Wu Yi tea for weight loss work? Let’s look at the facts.
A lot of research has been done on the health benefits of Wu Yi tea. Wu Yi tea is an oolong tea (the sort of tea commonly served in Chinese restaurants) which is grown around Mount Wu Yi on the Chinese province of Fujian. The soil of the region has a high mineral content, which along with the way the tea is processed after harvest is believed to give this tea its beneficial properties.
All tea contains polyphenols, but Wu Yi tea is an especially good source of these natural compounds. Polyphenols are also the reason that Wu Yi tea for weight loss is a winning strategy. Polyphenols cause your body to start producing more of the enzymes which break down fat stored in your body. Since Wu Yi tea helps your body use its natural fat burning abilities, it is a safe and natural way to step up your weight loss program.
The effects of polyphenols on weight loss have been studied, with the results showing that using Wu Yi Tea for weight loss just plain makes sense. One study showed that after drinking Wu Yi tea, the participants burned calories at a rate 10% higher than the control group, who drank water instead. Now, while you may not think this sounds that impressive, just think about what burning 10% more calories could mean for you when combined with a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine. This is the kind of edge you need to lose weight faster.
Besides this metabolism boosting effect and helping you to break down fat, Wu Yi tea may also be able to prevent you from absorbing some of the fat in foods you eat. A study performed in Japan showed that after drinking oolong tea, the participants absorbed less fat from a snack of potato chips than did their non-oolong drinking counterparts. Looks like there’s more than one way that drinking Wu Yi tea for weight loss can help you to meet your target weight faster.
If you’d like to find out more about how you can lose weight with Wu Yi tea, there is plenty of information out there; you can even read Wu Yi tea reviews in order to see what others are saying.
There are a lot of other great benefits which Wu Yi tea can offer. The taste alone makes it something well worth adding to your diet as a regular basis. It’s all natural, healthy and drinking Wu Yi tea for weight loss may be just what you need to get past the dreaded weight loss plateau.