Category : Article
Posted in Article on February 16, 2012
Many would agree that we often ignore the lower back part of our body. While we strive too hard to work on all the other body parts we forget that our lower back is as important as any other part of our body and needs equal care as shoulders or middle back. The fact that most of us ignore our lower back is because we aren?t aware that it supports the upper part of our body thereby affecting almost every activity that you perform.
We often lay more importance on abs work out and forget our back workout completely. Due to this an imbalance is caused between your abs and your lower back which leads to severe back pains. So strengthening your lower back muscle is as important as strengthening your abs.
The lower back extension is the best exercise that is recommended by the doctors and the fitness experts to fight your back pain and also to strengthen your back muscles to avoid any future risks. It also helps you in loosening; tight or sore back muscles that may be caused due to over sitting or lack of back exercises. It can be done anywhere as it doesn?t require any equipment and is really simple to perform.
Lower back extension exercise:
As always, start with warm up exercises. Preferably a light aerobics exercise for 10-15 minutes. This is a very good exercising strategy to be followed before getting into your regular exercise regimen.
Lie down straight on the floor with your hands and arms kept flat at your sides and your legs extended like in a standing position. But actually lying down. This will be your starting position.
Now raise yourself slowly above the ground level. By using your lower muscles raise above your upper body part, but do not over extend. Just raise your body up to 45 degrees above the ground level, to the point where you feel comfortable and beneficial. When you raise yourself above the ground level see that you tighten your buttocks and totally exert pressure on your lower back. Hold this movement for a count of 3-5.
After holding the position for a count of 3 or so, lower your body back to the floor in the same manner as your starting position.
While performing this exercise don?t forget to breath. Breathe in as your raise your body and hold your position and then breath out when you lower yourself.
Repeat this exercise until the sets are completed. Each set should comprise of 12-15 reps. Likewise start with 2 sets for the first two weeks, increase it to 3 sets of 15-20 reps in the 3-4 week and then let it progress as per your capability. However one thumb rule to be followed here is do not overdo it, as it may increase your back pain than eliminating it completely. Perform this exercise just 2-3 times a week and the rest of the day?s work out on other body parts.
Initially you might find it difficult to do this exercise. You may not be able to raise your body very high. But that?s totally fine, as you progress you will be able to lift yourself higher. So let?s not waste anymore time, let?s get going.
Posted in Article on February 15, 2012
How do you find the best lose weight recipes? Where do you turn to find good food to prepare on a diet? And, what ingredients should you look for – and avoid – when choosing a meal. This article will look at weight loss recipes.
First of all, let’s look at sources for lose weight recipes. The internet is full of recipes. WebMd, Epicurious, iVillage, and even BeliefNet all have low calorie recipes on them. You can also find recipes for just about any specific dish by typing “dish low calorie” into a search engine like Google.
You also have traditional sources such as low calorie cookbooks to find lose weight recipes. You can find lose weight recipes tied to specific diets such as Adkins or Mediterranean in these books.
Cooking shows on television often feature low calorie recipes. Food network provides details of their low calorie recipes online.
Another thing you can do is use a recipe you love, but swap out some of the ingredients for things that don’t change the texture or taste of the food but lower the calories. For instance, with pancakes, cut the oil and butter, switch to whole-wheat flour, use raspberry sauce instead of syrup, then add more fresh fruit on top. For pasta with red sauce, puree cauliflower and broccoli to mix into the sauce, and add whole vegetables as well to make it more filling and healthier.
But, it’s not enough to know how to make an individual recipe low calorie, you need to have a good idea of what ingredients make a dish off limits. That way, you can plan substitutes.
For instance, whole wheat bread (not reduced calorie) has 70 calories but a low fat bagel has 150. So, eating a “diet” brand isn’t necessarily a cure-all for dieting.
You should also start incorporating the so called “superfoods” into as many lose weight recipes as you can. The superfoods are: blueberries, black beans, spinach, yogurt, tomatoes, carrots, oats, and walnuts.
When a recipe for a baked product such as cake requires oil, substitute apple sauce. It will have no impact on the baking process or the taste, but save a whopping 15/16 of the calories! (1 tablespoon of oil is 120 calories. 1 tablespoon of apple sauce is 6.5 calories).
Other recipe substitutes include:
- Turkey bacon for bacon
- Cooking spray for butter
- Rolled oats for bread crumbs
- Ground turkey breast for ground beef
- Wine or fruit juice for oil based marinades
If you are looking for lose weight recipes, the good news is that you are not alone. There is a wealth of information out there for people wanting to cook healthy at home.
Posted in Article on February 13, 2012
It can be really difficult to get your kids to exercise these days. They are so involved with video and computer games as well as their homework, that they don?t seem to think about exercising at all. As a parent you need to come up with some inventive ways of getting your kids outside into the fresh air.
The first tip that I can give you is to make exercise fun and more of a game. This can be done in several ways.
Going for a scenic hike
Playing a game of soccer, volleyball or baseball with your kids
Going for a family bike ride
Going camping for a weekend
Jumping rope
Using an outdoor trampoline
Swimming at the pool or beach
For example if the entire family goes on a camping trip your kids can go looking for firewood, swimming and even fishing. This provides them with exercise and fun at the same time.
Back at home even building a new picnic table or tree fort is exercise. You don?t have to think about running or doing pushups and jumping jacks to get exercise. The more fun and less like a regimented exercise the activity is, the more likelihood your child will enjoy their time and want to do it again.
It really is important to get your children into the habit of exercising regularly. Obesity in children in the Western world is at an all time high. This is mainly due to lack of exercise both at home and because of cutbacks in the education system. Many schools today offer very limited programs when it comes to sports.
Other easy tips to encourage your kids to exercise more are to get them to take the stairs instead of using an elevator. As a family when you visit the mall park your car further away so everyone has to walk further to get to the entrance.
Get into the habit of going for a family walk or go swimming together on the weekends. Depending on where you live you can go ice skating or cross country ski-ing and even skateboarding together. This way you are actually practicing what you preach to your children and this can make a huge difference.
Setting limits for television, video, computer and cell phones is sometimes a necessity in order to get your children active again. As your child becomes more active they will sleep better, have more energy and will probably lose a few pounds in the process too.
Posted in Article on February 9, 2012
Exercise is good for everyone, but for some it can prove to be more difficult to get the proper amount of exercise time in each week. If you are dealing with some type of health issue you will understand just how difficult it can be to exercise every day.
For certain conditions low impact exercises can be really beneficial. Regular exercise has actually been shown to help those who are suffering from depression, anxiety attacks, and can even help slow down osteoporosis.
Low impact exercises help to release the endorphins in your brain which in turn make you feel more alive and alert. If you suffer from achy and sore joints exercise will help make you feel better. The tough part is just getting going!
If exercising is challenging because your body hurts then there are a couple of things you can do.
Take a warm bath or shower to warm your joints before exercising
Start exercising very slowly
Visualize yourself exercising
Listen to music while warming up
These tips have been very helpful to people who have to live with the pain of arthritis each day. Sometimes not focusing so much on your body actually allows you to get moving a little quicker each day.
Every time you exercise you must always pay attention to your body. If your routine is too much then slow the pace down. Don?t try to keep up with the rest of the class.
After exercising your body may feel a little sore and tired. This is to be expected and perfectly normal. But if you are experiencing lots of pain more than 2 ? 3 hours later then you may want to seek medical attention.
Always inform your doctor when starting any new exercise program especially if you have a health challenge. They can possibly recommend ways and methods to help ease your body into your new routine.
If you suffer from asthma your doctor can advise you on how to use your inhaler so that you can get the most out of your exercise routine without having an attack. Many Olympic athletes deal with asthma and still manage to exercise and train daily.
Once you have found ways to exercise around your health issue you will find that your mind and your body both feel much better. Within a couple of weeks you will probably notice that you can exercise a little longer without feeling so sore afterwards. Don?t let any health problem stop you from exercising, with a little help and determination you can manage anything.
Posted in Article on February 7, 2012
If you travel a lot then it can be difficult to fit in an exercise routine. If you are on a business trip you are most likely working long days and don’t want to visit the hotel gym. It may be more convenient to go for a swim or do some simple exercises in your hotel room.
Hotel rooms are famous for having large telephone directories, so why not take advantage of this! Simply use these large books as a weight and do some repetitions with them. You could even balance the book on your lower legs while doing some leg raises. Or how about sitting on a chair with the phone book between your knees and squeezing to stop the book from falling!
The phone book can be used to lift up and over your head and even to hold while doing side twists with your body. You could get very creative with just this one item!
See, there are some simple ways to keep fit when travelling that don’t involve the hotel gym. Another very simple solution is to simply take the stairs as much as possible during the day. By doing this you won’t even need to do a separate workout after dinner.
If your business trip is leaving you feeling stressed out then go for a nice evening stroll after dinner. This gets you away from the hustle and bustle of the hotel and allows you time to regroup. Walking any time is a great de-stressor.
Your bed can be used to do push ups against and a sturdy chair will allow you to perform knee bends and squats. Even sitting on the edge of the bed and performing shadowing boxing movements is a good workout in itself. This is also ideal if you are dealing with any type of lower body injury.
Lunges, calf raises, leg raises, arm circles, side leg lifts, sit ups, push ups and walking on the spot can all be done in a hotel room. You could also pack resistance bands in your suitcase and use these for resistance exercises while away.
Even though it is hard on your body to travel, whether you are away on business or on vacation there really isn’t any need to forgo your exercise routine. Most hotels have some type of exercise room and many today have a pool. Don’t forget there is always those dreaded stairs to help you burn off those extra calories you may have consumed during your visit.
Posted in Article on February 1, 2012
As a resource to help weight loss, printable weight loss charts are up there with the best of them. Anyone looking for as much help as they can to lose weight could do themselves a huge favor by using a simple weight loss chart.
This is because charts have been a basic tool used by anyone who is trying to achieve a goal. A chart that is updated regularly will show a snap shot of the users progress and will motivate and inspire. It will also show if the user is off track and needs to reassess their program to get back on track. Using a chart to help lose weight is no different to using a chart to achieve any other goal. Furthermore, finding printable weight loss charts online is not difficult since there are many sites that offer free charts that can be printed off and used.
Once you have your chart, make a note of your measurements and weight so that you know exactly where you started. Then make a note of how much weight you expect to lose per week. It is vital that when filling in your weight loss chart that you be realistic. Nothing will demoralize a dieter faster than not seeing the prescribed results. If you are aiming for three pounds weight loss per week, then that is what you should put down, putting down a figure higher than what can realistic be achieved means you’re setting yourself up for failure.
What is also great about printable weight loss charts is that achievements and goals can be very easily plotted and seen. If you hit a goal sooner than you hoped for then you know for a fact that your efforts are paying fruit. If you can see that there is no way that you will hit a particular weight when you are estimated to, then you can change and reassess your weight loss plans. And this really is the beauty of these charts. They can alert you to any necessary changes that you might need to make quickly and keep your morale high.
What these printable weight loss charts also do, is act as a great way for you to bring in the people around you who care about you. If you’re brave enough to pin one up in a public place where others can see it, they too can cheer you on towards success.
Above all use the chart as a way for you to document your progress and to keep a record of what you did and when you did it. That way you can look back and feel proud at where you started and where you have ended up!
Posted in Article on January 31, 2012
Getting a well chiselled abdomen totally depends on how you work them ? no one was born with a six pack abs. You will have to understand that just like any muscle, if you want to build definition, you will have to hit your muscles with various resistances and at various angles. Well, regular crunches will help you tone your abs, but if you really want the chiselled look, you will have to abdominal machine too.
What You Need to Perform machine Crunches
You will an abdominal crunch machine, time and dedication.
How to Perform Machine Crunches
Look for the abdominal crunch machine at the gym. This machine has a seat that is attached to a weight stack. You will also notice that a padded area is also attached to the weight stack, around the area where your chest should be when you sit down (on the seat). It is not uncommon to mistake this machine for the back extension ? this is because these two machines look very similar. The one and only difference between the abdominal crunch machine and the back extension machine is way the padded bar moves. The padded bar moves backward on the back extension machine and moves forward on the abdominal crunch machine.
Start with a light weight so that you see what you can successfully handle for repetitions. Choose a weight that you can handle for at least 10 repetitions. You should also make sure that you adjust the height of the seat and the placement of the padding according to your height. Some abdominal crunch machines have charts that provide institution for appropriate settings for both the padding and the seating.
When you sit in the machine, place both feet flat on the ground. You should place your chest on the padding and make sure you place your hands where you feel the most comfortable. You can place them on the pad or place them on the handles attached to the seat. Make sure that you keep your back and abdominal muscles tight all through the movement in order to avoid injury and to also get the best out of the exercise. As soon as you are seated in this position with your chest placed on the pad, you are ready to start this exercise ? this will be the starting position.
You should push your chest forward on the pad and ensure that your abdominal muscles do a lot of the work. When you lean face first towards the ground, you should begin to feel a tightness in your abdominal muscles. Do not over do it! Just make sure you lean as far forward as you possibly can until you feel a tightness/contraction. When you feel the tightness in your abdominal muscles, hold the position for up to a couple of seconds.
Go back to the starting position, and repeat the exercise for at least ten (10) repetitions. Stop if you feel that your abdominal muscles are beginning to cramp. It is really a great idea to warm up the abdominal muscles before, during and after the exercise in order to avoid discomfort or injury.
Posted in Article on January 29, 2012
This is another exercise mainly aimed at working out the Tricep Muscle, although it also works out the chest and shoulders. It will help to build up strength and stamina, as well as muscle mass, and is also a good fat burner.
You will need a dumbbell or other appropriate weight to use during this routine. This exercise is best performed with a second person to assist you when needed.
You will need two benches, set parallel to each other, with enough space between them to enable you to easily reach with both your arms and legs semi-extended. The height of the benches should allow for a full range of movements.
With one bench in front of you, and the other behind you, position yourself so that your hands grip the edge of the bench at your back, shoulder width apart and arms fully extended.
Extend your legs so that your heels are resting on the bench in front of you. With your legs parallel to the floor, and your torso perpendicular to it, cross one foot over the other so that your ankles are touching.
Have your assistant place the dumbbell or other weight onto your lap.
This will now become your starting position.
Lower your body slowly while inhaling by bending your elbows. Keep working slowly until you have lowered yourself to an angle of roughly 90 degrees between your forearm and upper arm. Tip: By keeping your elbows as close as possible and your forearms pointing down throughout the exercise, you will maximize impact and effect.
While exhaling, use your Triceps to raise your body back to the starting position. Pause while contracting your Triceps.
Do the required number of repetitions of the same movement.
Warning: When first attempting this exercise, practice without the weights until you are sure you have the movements correct. When you start to add the weights, go slowly and add them gradually. The more weights added, the higher risk of injury.
For those more experienced in weighted bench dips, there are some variations of the exercise.
Position yourself in the starting position with your arms, but keep your feet on the ground in front of you. Stretch your legs straight out without bending the knees, and either place both feet firmly on the floor, or cross one foot over the other so the ankles are touching.
Slowly lower yourself while inhaling as you would if you were using two benches.
Using your Triceps, raise yourself back to the starting position. Pause while contracting your Tricep muscles, and start again.
Instead of having a weight added to your lap, have your assistant place it on top of your thighs.
Do the required number of repetitions of the same movement.
Warning: As always, practice without the weights until you are sure of the movements. Then build up the weights gradually until you have reached your target weight.
If carried out properly, this is a very effective exercise for both your tricep and chest muscles.
Posted in Article on January 28, 2012
The things that you can do for your health, exercise, reduce size and just plain feel great are much simpler than you might think. Getting out on the road and going for a brisk walk doesn’t take a great amount of your time. You will gain some health benefits and an increase in your confidence as you lose weight and reduce your dress size.
So what can you do for your health? Exercise, reduce size, and eat a well balanced diet are the beginnings to living a long and healthy life. Not only will you look and feel better, but the benefit to your confidence is one that will carry you through even the most difficult times of your routine. Watching the numbers on the scale move down and your clothes starting to fit better and looser, you will begin to enjoy your new lifestyle and love what it is doing for your health.
One of the most critical decisions that you will ever make is the decision to improve your health. Exercise, reduce size and focusing on the health benefits of your new lifestyle will give you the longer and happier life that you always wanted. You will begin to see an improvement in your energy almost immediately from your decision to include exercise and a well balanced diet in your life.
Many of the diseases that plague a number of people such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and many others can be successfully controlled with a few lifestyle changes that will have you feeling better in an amazingly short period of time. Just start off small with a simple walk and watch how quickly your body responds positively to that little bit of exercise.
When it is time to improve your health, exercise, reduce size and eliminate chronic illnesses, you should consider the type of exercise that you most enjoy doing. This is the way that many people have found to keep exercise a consistent practice in their daily life. For instance, if you love dancing, use it to your advantage and dance for exercise.
Making these changes in your life is a sure way to help you look and feel younger for a much longer period of time than any cosmetic surgery can provide. Exercise can improve your health, skin, muscle tone and appearance. Take some time to explore all of the benefits of including exercise in your life every day for more benefits than you ever thought possible.
For your health, reduce size and gain your confidence along with your well balanced lifestyle. You will be amazed at what a few lifestyle changes can do for your life. When your clothes start to feel better and you gain your confidence once again, the improvement to your life will be limitless. Confidence is key in many areas of your life and just living a healthy life with diet and exercise has the power to give all of that to you. Find an exercise that you enjoy and participate every day.
Posted in Article on January 26, 2012
If you thought that the One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls is hard, well…let?s just say that the barbell biceps curls is a workout that is not meant for beginners. This exercise combines the use of heavy weights with a special movement that helps to place virtually all the pressure exactly where you want it ? on the muscles of your abs. Some people would prefer to work with a trainer until they get used to the exercise
Yes, everyone wants to Get Ripped, but as mentioned earlier on, this exercise is NOT MEANT for beginners! If you have mastered all the exercises that have been explained to you in the past series, then you are good to go.
What You Will Need to Perform This Exercise
In order to perform this exercise, you will need a large barbell, two weight plates that weigh ten pounds (at least) and two weight clips.
How to Perform the Barbell biceps Curls
First set the weight plates on the barbell, then use the clips to hold the weight plates close to the middle of the barbell as much as possible. These plates need to spin freely ? this way, the barbell will roll (they mustn?t wobble).
Then, kneel in front of the barbell, make sure that your knees are shoulder width apart; you should have a firm grip of the barbell with both hands. Ensure that your hands are a bit wider than shoulder width apart.
You should extend both feet behind you ? this way, your body weight will balance on not just your toes but also on your straight arms as well. Your arms should of course be straight but not locked.
Now, roll the barbell ahead of you in way that your body drops almost to the floor. But you will need to nearly lock your arms to do this. Keep looking forward and down and also make sure that your body is in a straight line.
You will then need to push the barbell and yourself back into the push-up position. Make sure you don?t bend your arms or even arch your back when performing this exercise. Ensuring that you keep your body straight will of course need serious concentration on your part and a lot of abdominal strength.
You can repeat this exercise for as many times as you please. But at first, you should do few repetitions in every set and also make sure that you take note of your body position. As you begin to gain endurance and your comfort level with this exercise rises, then you can go on to increase the number of repetitions. You need to understand that it is a lot better (and safer) to do fewer repetitions and execute them perfectly than to do lots of repetitions and do them incorrectly.
It is important to immediately stop if you feel any back or neck pain while performing this exercise and consult your physician before you even attempt to do the barbell biceps curls again.
