How Training Can Help You to Lose Weight
June 9, 2009 by admin
Filed under Diet and Nutrition, Fitness Products, Men's Health, Weight Loss, Women's Health
How training can help you to lose weight
People who are obese in weight will require some kind of a plan to work on, that will certainly help them to lose weight. Training to lose weight can help you to achieve the desired results, only if you plan it properly and workout accordingly.
There are some limitations to lose weight for instance using diet pills along with training to lose weight can have serious health related problems. These pills are often used by people to lose weight fast without proper knowledge that outcome in undesired results.
Training to lose weight will require proper understanding and a proper plan that will help you to lose weight effectively. Understand and plan realistic achievable goals that will keep you motivated. It requires commitment and motivation to lose weight and trying shortcuts can often lead you to undesirable results. There is no thing such as fast weight loss pills or drinks.
You need to focus on your goal to lose weight by proper training. Think positive, that will help you to keep motivated for instance, a simple fact that it took time to get the load on so will it take time to shed it off and for sure it will take some time.
Do not think that you can lose weight overnight or in a month or two. You need to understand the point using fast techniques to lose weight is not permanent weight loss and after some time you will be in the same position or even worse and for sure you do not want that to happen. All you require to lose weight is the right set of mind that is motivated enough to stick on the plan setup to lose weight.
Consult a professional trainer to help you understand and get the right set of training exercises to lose weight effectively.
Thomas writes articles and guides for people who want to lose weight. Take a look at newest Weight Loss Tips and Articles on my blog.
Weight Training For Women
June 4, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fitness Products, Women's Health
Weight Training For Women
Copyright (c) 2009 Stephen Smith
If you speak to women about their physical goals the most common response you get is that they want to lose weight and tone up.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of women who want to lose weight and tone up won’t even consider incorporating weight training into their lifestyle.
Weight training is a principle shrouded in mystery and myths and is the most under-estimated way to dramatically change body composition (to one with less fat and more
muscle) in a very short period of time. Furthermore, not using this principle when trying to lose weight almost guarantees that the weight you lose will be put straight back on!
Many women avoid incorporating weight training into their lifestyle under the mistaken belief that they will get big or look like a man!
Despite this, weight training for women is certainly growing in popularity even though the image of women lifting weights still summons fears of losing sex appeal and femininity in many.
Before we examine the benefits of weight training for women, we first need to understand a few basic physiological facts.
- Women produce less testosterone than men. It is especially difficult for women to increase their muscle mass because they do not naturally produce as much testosterone as men. The majority of overly muscular women take anabolic steroids to increase their muscle mass.
If you don’t take anabolic steroids, it is impossible to look like a man.
- Women have less muscle mass to begin with. Most women have significantly fewer muscle fibres in each muscle group than men, which means their ability to build muscle is reduced. Despite this fact, it doesn’t mean that weight training for women isn’t beneficial.
- Weight training ‘tones’ faster. Women who consistently train with weights achieve a ‘toned’ look to their body very quickly. ‘Toning up’ is a process whereby you lose body fat and gain muscle simultaneously to achieve a ‘harder-looking’ body.
- Muscles cannot harden up, get flabby or get soft. Muscles can only increase in size (hypertrophy) or decrease in size (atrophy). They cannot actually ‘harden up’ themselves. The part of the body that is exercised may feel harder simply because the muscles have experienced hypertrophy, and since muscle is a denser tissue than fat, the body part, not the muscle itself feels harder.
- Muscles can’t grow indefinitely. The body limits how much muscle it builds because muscle is a very metabolically-active tissue, which means it burns up a lot of energy. Therefore, if you ever experienced a famine, you would perish quickly because your energy stores (fat) would be burnt up. This is an ancient survival mechanism that the human body still carries.
Plus, more muscle means your body needs more food. People wanting to continually increase their muscle mass, must continually increase their food intake. This is why bodybuilders eat 3-4 times the average person’s food intake. Their bodies are like furnaces, constantly burning up energy.
If you choose to maintain a moderate food intake, then your muscle size can only increase slightly (if at all). If you don’t increase your food intake, then your body will only increase its muscle mass up to a certain point. Through continued weight training you will be able to maintain this amount of muscle and therefore keep your metabolic rate elevated, which will result in more fat being burnt and a more ‘toned’ body being achieved.
Weight training for women really is the best way to achieve a ‘toned’ body.
- An increase in muscle must be maintained. If you ever feel that your muscles are getting too big, however unlikely, simply stop training for two weeks and your muscles will shrink back to their original size.
- Muscle cannot turn into fat. You’ve probably heard the comment, ‘when you stop training the muscle turns into fat!’ This is a popular comment from many well-intentioned but ignorant people. These people usually have very little knowledge of human physiology or weight training and have likely never trained themselves. They are also probably envious of the fact that you are doing something positive for your body and they’re not!
It is a physiological impossibility to turn muscle tissue into fat tissue. Muscle and fat have totally different chemical compositions. Muscle is made up of protein and water whereas fat is made of triglycerides (fatty acids and glycerol). The two are completely different.
WHY CAN’T YOU JUST DIET AND/ OR PERFORM AEROBIC EXERCISE TO LOSE WEIGHT AND TONE UP?
If you only diet and/or perform aerobic exercise to lose fat, up to half of the weight lost will come from muscle tissue because you’re not forcing your body to maintain it, which is what weight training for women does.
Since muscle has an enormous effect on our metabolic rate, a loss of muscle results in a reduction of our metabolic rate, thereby making continual fat-loss very difficult.
Without resistance training, there will still be a layer of fat on your body that just won’t budge! The metabolism-enhancing effects of weight training for women cannot be under estimated in dramatically reducing your body fat to levels you never thought possible.
DO YOU HAVE TO LIFT WEIGHTS?
Weight training for women doesn’t mean you can only lift weights in order to receive the benefits it offers. Any form of resistance exercise can provide the same effects.
The goal is to simply challenge the muscles to work beyond their normal capacities.
A similar effect can also be achieved by using a swiss ball, rubber bands or by performing bodyweight exercises like, calisthenics, yoga and pilates. You can even perform a workout using canned food or household furniture!
However, the best results come from lifting weights.
BENEFITS OF WEIGHT (RESISTANCE) TRAINING:
Weight (resistance) training will provide you with an enormous number of benefits including:
- Enhanced feminine body shape. The natural female body shape is enhanced by increasing your muscle mass and reducing your fat mass. Furthermore, weight training for women is the only way to modify your body shape if you desire to do so. Just like an artist, you can use weights to turn a pear-shaped figure into an hour-glass figure.
- Younger-looking body. As we age, we tend to lose muscle and put on body fat. Weight training for women can help in maintaining our muscle mass as we age we can maintain a younger-looking body.
- Elevated metabolism. As mentioned earlier, muscle is one of the most metabolically-active tissues in the body, which means it burns up the most energy. Therefore, by increasing your muscle mass you can dramatically boost your metabolism.
- Lower level of body fat. Since your metabolism is elevated by increasing your muscle mass, it is much easier to achieve a lower level of body fat.
- Less ‘cellulite’. ‘Cellulite’ is actually just normal fat stored above connective tissue that is structured differently. By losing body fat you also lose ‘cellulite’.
- Reduced risk of osteoporosis. Weight training not only strengthens your muscles but also strengthens your bones.
It has been proven to be far more effective than simply increasing your intake of calcium from food or supplements.
- Improved body functioning. Stronger muscles mean everyday activities become much easier. For example, carrying bags of groceries from the car into the house, putting heavy boxes into an overhead cupboard or spending time in the garden are all tasks that stronger muscles make easier.
- Increased self-esteem. When you look good, you feel great and weight training can certainly provide that benefit.
Plus, exercise has been shown to be better at fighting clinical depression than drugs since the body produces natural opiates (endorphins) in response to exercise.
- Reduced risk of heart disease. It is believed that weight training has a ‘massaging-effect’ on the blood vessels as well as promoting a vasodilating effect (increasing the
diameter) on the blood vessels. This may strengthen them and reduce your risk of heart attack.
- Longer life. Since the risk associated with many diseases, including diabetes, is reduced your chances of living a longer is increased dramatically.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NEXT…
In order to get the benefits from weight training you only need to train twice a week for 30 minutes each session (minimum). For best results, seek the services of a qualified and experienced personal trainer. They can teach you how to perform the exercises correctly and safely and can help keep you motivated so you achieve the results you want. Plus, they make the workouts much more fun.
It should now be obvious that weight training for women is essential if they want to lose fat and achieve a ‘toned’
body. Without weights, women will continually struggle to achieve their ideal body.
Furthermore, the sooner the myths regarding weight training are dispelled, the sooner women will become aware of the benefits that can be gained by lifting weights and the sooner they will make themselves happier as well as many more men in the world!
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Stephen Smith is the part-owner of Body Concepts, an Australian supplement company, and Focus On, a health and lifestyle magazine. Stephen has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 18 years and has a science degree from UWA. Lots of free articles and interesting weight loss information can be found on his website:
http://www.quick-weight-loss-principles.com
Lose The Belly Fat Fast
May 25, 2009 by admin
Filed under Diet and Nutrition, Women's Health
Losing your belly is really a simple process but must be worked on every day to achieve success. If you want to lose belly fat, you can. With a careful diet and consistent moderate exercise, you can lose belly fat, and keep it off!
Don’t get suckered into Fast Track diet programs. These programs, as scientific research shows, are only good while they last. Rapid weight loss often results ironically, to rapid weight gain. people who undergo low carbohydrate or low calorie diets normally revert back to old eating habits simply because human beings can not actually live on with this type of diet scheme for the rest of their lives.
The most common mistake people make when trying to lose belly fat is thinking that starving themselves will work. If you don’t eat but exercise strenuously, you’ll find yourself drained, hungry and still not losing weight. Another common strategy is to eat very little but fail to exercise. This approach won’t lose that belly fat either.
The body doesn’t operate that way. With inadequate food, your metabolism slows to compensate for the lack of food. So fat will be burned, but much less than with a combination of diet and exercise.
The secret to losing that fat is to reduce food portions, and get daily exercise. You can eat whatever you want, as long as it’s nutritious and portions are smaller. Smaller portions allow you all the tastes you already enjoy, but because you’re eating less, your body will be a fat burning machine without the awful side effects and dangers of starvation.
If you’re going to consume 1500 calories per day, then a half-hour of belly exercise will be enough to slowly burn weight. If you want to ramp it up, then increase the amount of exercise as you see fit (pun intended). But 30 minutes of stomach exercises are usually hard enough for a person to do.
Why is this? Why does it seem harder to lose belly fat than anywhere else on your body? It’s not that you aren’t burning fat, it’s just that the stomach naturally has more padding. Also, when people try to lose belly fat, they usually aren’t making the most of their exercise program. They stop between sit-ups, which slows down the fat burning process. Instead, when you exercise, go all the way through the routine, stopping only when absolutely necessary. Another very effective way to lose your belly fat is to do some twisting exercises. Standing with legs apart, twist the upper half of your body from side to side, with arms stretched out to the sides. Toe-touches are also a good exercise. These all promote a smaller waist and flatter tummy.
When you start your diet and exercise program, remember not to slack off. Missing “just” one day will lead to missing “just” two days, and soon you’re eating burger after burger while breaking that couch in a little more. After you lose fat, don’t stop your exercise program. Now you’re fit, so keep yourself that way!
Hey, the truth is no pain, no gain. If someone wants a thin and beautiful body, you must burn the calories out. And as for those rapid weight loss products coming out on the market, if they are too good to be true, they probably are not.
By: Dominic Ferrara
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Here is a Free Fat Cure Report “Get Thin Without A Gym”, Go to http://WeightLossDietPro.com : Find out how to lose weight Naturally and keep it off forever.
How to Lose Belly Fat Fast – Wipe Out Belly Fat Now!
May 25, 2009 by admin
Filed under Diet and Nutrition, Weight Loss, Women's Health
For people who want to discover how to lose belly fat fast, read on. This special article provides some fantastic methods and tips on how to lose belly fat fast so you can go out to the world and show them your �assets�.
There�s no need for heavy duty dieting or intense workouts; all you need to do is to know and apply the belly fat busting secrets that I will be teaching in this article to attain your desired physique.
Just imagine how good it feels to be the envy of everyone and have their eyes staring in amazement at the sight of your outstanding body figure. Studies have also shown that having less belly fat means lower blood pressure and improves performance in school or at work.
It�s time to stop dreaming and start applying these powerful tips to lose belly fat fast to improve your sense of well being and gain the respect of everyone.
1) Eat 5 to 6 times a day to lose belly fat fast.
Does that sound like a dream come true to food lovers out there? Well, not exactly. You see, you are not allowed to pig out and eat all you can for 5 to 6 times a day. That�s insane!
You should just eat smaller portions more often. Many believe that eating fewer times in a day would make them slimmer. Not a chance! When you eat only about 3 times a day, you will tend to binge when you finally get to eat. Binging is one of the worst things you can do if you want to lose belly fat fast.
Regular eating 5 to 6 times a day prevents you from overeating as a result of missed meals. It also boosts your metabolism due to the burning effect of the foods you eat.
Although you are eating 5 to 6 smaller meals a day, it is highly recommendable to eat the most during the start of the day and eat less as the day comes to an end.
2) Eat fat burning foods more often to lose belly fat fast.
Eat foods that contain lots of proteins, and those with less carbohydrates and saturated fats.
Here we go. The healthiest fat burning foods to lose belly fat fast include brown rice, oats, bran, whole grain/whole wheat foods, vegetables, natural fruits that are not canned or sweetened (like apples, oranges, and banana), skim milk, chicken breast and other lean meats, egg whites, and seafood.
Foods you should avoid to lose belly fat fast include the ones that are the most tempting to eat (how ironic can it be). These includes the usual pizzas, hamburgers, ice cream, french fries, all oily or deep-fried foods, bakery foods (including pies, cakes, white bread, pastries, and donuts), chocolates, fatty meats, foods that contain lots of sugar, potato chips and junk foods.
It is perfectly fine to indulge two times in a week because not eating �satisfying� foods for a long time may alarm your body to store body fat to prevent itself from going into starvation mode. So this is your ideal excuse to enjoy some great-tasting foods once in a while without the guilt. Hey, you don�t have to worry about it if you know the proper way on how to lose belly fat fast.
Read Part 2 of this life-changing article about how to lose belly fat fast by super self-improvement expert Michael Lee at http://www.20daypersuasion.com/how-to-lose-belly-fat2.htm to discover more fat-burning secrets.
Food To Reduce Belly Fat
May 6, 2009 by admin
Filed under Diet and Nutrition, Weight Loss, Women's Health
It has become obvious to health care workers that the risks of heart attack increase with the amount of belly fat a person carries
Wider waistlines are attributed to unhealthy consumption of fats and lack of physical exercise, both of which are major factors of heart disease.
Diet does play a very important role in your battle against the bulge. But this does not necessarily mean that you have to starve yourself just to lose belly fat. In fact, when working towards a leaner silhouette, your body will need the appropriate types of food to fuel exercise and support your body’s metabolism.
It’s all about healthy eating and not about total food deprivation. Every now and then we hear of fad diets that focus on one food group while excluding the rest. The problem with consuming only one kind of food, such as an all protein or strictly vegetarian diet, is that you hardly feel satisfied and may even crave for other types of food that you exclude from your meals.
The more that you crave for other food, the greater is the temptation to break your diet, and when you do you are most likely to go on an eating binge. Ultimately you fail to lose that belly fat.
So what should you eat in order to burn belly fat without experiencing hunger pangs?
* Lots of protein. Any serious weight loss diet must have quality protein. Food like nuts, fish and lean meats are high in protein and have a negative calorific effect. “Negative calorie effect” means that your body will burn more calories in order to digest certain types of food. It’s like helping your body burn fat simply by eating protein.
* Carbohydrates with lots of fiber. Despite what many fad diet creators assert, carbs alone do not make people fat. What you should avoid though are carbohydrates taken from processed foods, refined sugars and refined grains. These are not easily digested and remain longer in your stomach. Instead of getting your carbohydrate intake from processed foods, aim for natural food sources like fresh vegetables, fruits and unrefined grains. If you must have rice, treat yourself to brown or red rice in lieu of white rice. Fiber not only makes you feel full longer, but it also has a low glycemic index, to help you get lean.
* Healthy fats. There are bad and good fats. Good fats are responsible for regulating your body’s hormone levels. Poor diet is the reason that women suffering from anorexia experience hormonal imbalance. While some people may lose weight because of hormonal changes, there are more people who put on weight as a result of hormonal imbalance.
In the consumption of fat, moderation is key. Examples of fat that you can have are those found in nuts, nut butters, avocados, olive oil, coconuts and virgin coconut oil. On the other hand, you should avoid anything that contains trans fats.
These are usually found in processed foods. Make it a habit to check food labels to see if what you are about to buy contains trans fats which is the leading cause of belly fat.
Indeed, losing belly fat entails regular exercise and proper diet. With the food suggestions here, you may have to change your eating habits. But the good news is that your diet can be a satisfying experience as you have more choices for your taste.
Be mindful of eating smaller portions, and the right types of food. In time, you will lose your belly fat and keep it off permanently.
Stop the huffing and puffing – get the inside information on how to lose that belly fat NOW.
Contact the Author
Workouts for Women – The Golden Ticket To Staying In Shape
May 6, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fitness Products, Weight Loss, Women's Health
Workouts for Women – The Golden Ticket To Staying In Shape Working out is something that everyone probably wants to do. Some people enjoy it, and work out daily out of routine habit. Others, not so much, they have no motivational desires to work out and some don’t even care about their help or how they look. When it comes to workouts for women, a lot of them should automatically be interested in working out due to the high priority that looks take with women.
For me (and I’m a guy), working out is quite relaxing, and I enjoy hanging out at the gym and doing a daily workout (most days, at least.) Workouts do not always have to involve intense heat and sweat, and if you do not like to workout outside during the summer months, then there are plenty indoor alternatives to working out.
Certain women will have much more success when they workout in a group. With this thought in mind, it may be a good idea for women to start a workout clique of friends, and then they can all work out together. Most women enjoy catching up on gossip, and this method of workouts for women can give them that opportunity to catch up on that gossip.
Here are a few good aerobic workouts to consider: walking, running, jogging, swimming, and bicycling. Since bicycle riding is something enjoyable, you could gather up your friends and go for a trail ride (assuming you all have your own bikes.) Swimming is another really good workout and is encouraged whenever it is possible. You should make a combination of these workouts as well for best results.
These are all good workouts to do, and can give women fast results when they need to see results quickly.
When it comes to workout for women, these are just a few tips and guidelines that will hopefully get you motivated to once again start up your workout. Women need to stay in fit, and should be motivated to stay fit all the time. Some of them just need a small motivational talk, and hopefully that is hopefully what this article has done for you. Just remember that you can use these methods at any time, you have learned a few good aerobic exercises, and you should combine them for best results. You can also workout with friends if you need a bit of extra motivation. Doing so can help you stay motivated and focused over the long term.
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Raz Chan is a professional martial arts instructor teaching women’s cardio kickboxing and self-defense. To find out more about his online workout for women you can follow his workout for women blog at: http://blog.quickfitfemale.com or his workout for women online at:
Summer Is Here And I Need To Burn Fat Belly
May 4, 2009 by admin
Filed under Diet and Nutrition, Weight Loss, Women's Health
Is this you? Are you the one that is desperately shouting “summer is here and I need to burn fat belly?” Relax, there is still hope and you can do it. Keep a few basics in mind and you will get there! Read on and get all the tips.
If you need to burn fat belly, you have to realize that you will have to lose weight all over. A big midline is normally part of a body that has quite a few extra pounds to get rid off. So, sorry, you will have to diet and do exercise. Those six pack abs will only come with a little work.
So if you need to burn fat belly, you will have to follow the following plan:
* A good healthy diet * Cardio exercises * Strength exercise * Stretching 1. A good healthy diet:
Any weight loss plan or slimming plan needs to start with a healthy balanced diet. You really must not give in to the temptation to go onto one of the many fad diets doing the rounds. With a fad diet you lose mostly water and some muscle, but very little fat and as soon as you eat normally again, you will put all the weight back on.
You notice that I say you will also lose some muscle with a fad diet. This is really bad news if you want to get rid of a big tummy. You need those muscles to keep everything in place. If the muscles in your tummy area are not toned, you can even be skinny and you will still have a fat belly!
OK, so we know you have to go onto a good diet. There really are many available, and I think it is a good idea if I give you some pointers on what to look for:
First of all, you must not eat too little. If you are going to train those abs, you will need the energy to do it with. This energy has to come from the food you eat. So your diet needs to include a little carbs for energy.
Next you have to take your own preferences into account. If you have to eat a lot of food on a diet that you hate, there is no way that you will be able to stick to the diet. Starting with such a diet will only be a waste of time!
It is also necessary to take your lifestyle into consideration. Take into account the time you have available to prepare your meals and if you frequently eat out. Your eating plan must be able to fit into your lifestyle if you are going to be able to keep it up.
2. Cardio exercises:
First of all, it is important to warm up before you do any exercise. So start your cardio slow until your heartbeat has increased a little and then push more. Any exercise will do here, as your main objective is to increase your heartbeat and to start using some calories. You can go for a brisk walk, or jogging, swimming, the min-trampoline and even dancing will do!
3. Strength exercises:
Here is where you will do the specific exercises to target your abs. Always make sure you do the exercises controlled so that you do not use momentum to help you. Control is what will help you burn fat belly.
Keep in mind that to keep your skeleton correct and safe, you will have to strengthen all your muscles and not only your abs.
4. Stretches:
Stretching is usually the most neglected part of people’s routines. What you have to realize is that stretching does not only prevent damage to your muscles, but it actually helps with the slimming process. Stretching makes your muscles supple and give you that sculpted look. So, do not skimp on your stretches if you want to burn fat belly.
If you keep these tips in mind, you should burn fat belly without any trouble. Get a good diet and do stomach exercises. Visit Magriet’s site How To Lose Weight Calories for a good diet and you will also get easy stomach exercises to burn fat belly on her site.
Contact the Author
Magriet du Plessis
Weight Loss
Add 10 Years to Your Life by Losing Weight
May 1, 2009 by admin
Filed under Diet and Nutrition, Weight Loss, Women's Health
Add 10 Years to Your Life by Losing Weight If you are currently struggling to maintain a healthy weight, then it turns out there’s more than just a fashionable waistline to be gained by losing weight. In fact, a recent major international study shows that people who are overweight or obese are reducing their life expectancy by up to ONE DECADE. British researchers have pulled together studies that include a million people, including Australians, to look at how a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI) can be a predictor of early death. So if you are looking for motivation to lose weight, how does an extra ten years sound?
We’re often so caught up with the way we look in comparison to all those skinny supermodels out there, but I call this an unhealthy obsession with thin-ness. In fact, we should me aiming at maintaining a health weight for our age and height that allows us to enjoy our lives at every level.
Obviously if you are overweight, you’re not going to have a great quality of life. On the other hand if you starve yourself life isn’t exactly going to be a picnic either; balance is the key.
News reports quoted the following: “Almost 70,000 of the test subjects died during the study, and the fewest of these came from the group with a healthy body shape (BMI of
22.5 to 25). At the other end of the scale, people with a BMI indicating they were overweight (30 – 35 BMI) were shown to have died up to four years earlier than expected.
Those in the obese category (40 – 45 BMI) reduced their survival by eight to ten years, the same as life-long smokers.”
The study also found that with every five point increase in BMI, the person increased their chance of dying during the study by 30 per cent. The major causes of death were vascular and kidney problems such as heart attack or diabetes.
In case you haven’t hear of BMI before, a person’s BMI rating is a calculation which takes in their weight and height. For example, a person who is 170cm tall and who weighs 70kg has a BMI of 24.2 – this is considered to be within the healthy range. If you don’t want to do the calculations yourself, then you will find lots of BMI calculators on the internet that will do it for you.
Whatever the case, it’s worth finding out what your BMI is.
It will give you an indication of whether or not you are a healthy weight.
So if you need to lose weight when is the best time to get started? Well, now is as good a time as any. Many people view losing weight as something they will do ‘one day’ or ‘when they get around to it. That’s half the problem; then one day you wake up and you realize you’re 15 kilos overweight and struggling to enjoy life. As you get older, you must take better care of yourself. When we’re younger our metabolism is much faster, so we burn calories much more easily. This makes it easier to consume a diet of highly processed and fatty foods while still maintaining a healthy weight. But once you hit 25, it gets a little harder. This is the time when you may start to gain weight.
A few lifestyle changes such as regular weight bearing exercise and a diet rich in fresh, non-processed foods can make all the difference. That doesn’t mean you have to become a monk – you can sill enjoy some of the less nutritional foods and lose weight at the same time. My 37 year old client ‘Laurie’ discovered this after several years of trying to shift a couple of kilos that had settled rather uncomfortably around his belly. This was a bit of a shock to ‘Laurie’, who had been reed thin all his life until a couple of years ago.
And ‘Laurie’s’ diet reflected the indifference of a teenager; it was riddled with fat, sugar and salt; a surefire recipe for a heart-attack. But with a little tweaking, Laurie was able to drop the kilos and still enjoy some of the things he loved to eat. Whatever age you are, it’s never too late to change. Losing weight will help you to feel better about everything; furthermore, achieving a healthy weight will give you more time to enjoy life.
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Sonia Devine is one of Australia’s leading experts in weight loss hypnotherapy. Want to learn more about how to achieve permanent weight loss? Claim your FREE Weight Loss E-book here => http://loveyourselfslim.com.au/free_stuff
Weights for Women – Don’t Worry About the Weight!
April 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fitness Products, Women's Health
Weights for Women – Don’t Worry About the Weight!
Although weight training has traditionally been thought of as a male activity, research over the past 35 years has provided information that supports and refutes many of the previously held beliefs about the male/female differentiation in physiological performance. In spite of all the research, many of the questions asked all those years ago, are still being asked today.
Women, on the average, are about 65% as strong as men. Very few dispute this assertion due to obvious physical differences in males vs. females. On the other hand, when other factors are taken into consideration, there are great variations from one part of the body to another, and in various movements of the same body part. For example, even when body size is taken into consideration, men are as much as 60 – 65% stronger than women, in upper –body strength. Conversely, in terms of lean body mass, women are generally stronger than men in lower body strength.
As to the question of possible skeletal muscle differentiation between men and women, the actual muscle fibers are identical, although research suggests that there are subtle differences in the total makeup of muscle mass.
Researchers have seen that the cross-sectional area of muscle fibers is smaller in women, and there may be a difference in the number of fibers per specific muscle, versus men.
Generally, women have more Type I (slow twitch fibers) and men have more Type 2 (fast twitch) fibers. Type 2 fibers tend to get larger (hypertrophy), so males have a head start when it comes to increasing muscles mass.
Women sometimes avoid resistance training for fear of looking too muscular, and less than feminine. Society, traditionally, have expected men to appear muscular, and women to be leaner. Physiologically, it is difficult for women to add excessive muscular mass. Without supplementation, resistance training, for women, typically results in a reduction of the amount of fat over the existing musculature, with a moderate increase in muscle size. The resultant effect is more muscle definition. Certainly, a low-fat, lean-muscled female shape is not a negative. In the unlikely event of a resultant level of muscle hypertrophy that is unwelcome, program modifications will reduce that effect.
Although ancient by this time, the term muscle-bound continued to find life in some literature. Properly performed resistance training, far from decreasing flexibility, can actually increase average flexibility. There is no need for women to avoid strength training for fear of limiting flexibility. A pre-workout stretching regimen can not only increase flexibility, but may decrease the possibility of injury.
Although a traditional strength training program will have little, if any effect, on cardiovascular endurance, a circuit-training program has shown a beneficial cardio effect, in some studies. Generally, there should be no difference in the cardiovascular effect of strength training, between men and women.
Because of individual differences, standardized programs do not provide uniform change. Although women may not start at the same strength level as men, they have the ability to gain strength at the same rate as men.
Resistance training is equally valuable for both men and women.
Gregory Camp is a Director of Wellness, with 30 years experience in health/ fitness/ wellness with a large non-profit healthcare system in the state of Florida. Would you like to learn about fitness and exercise programs that are safe and effective? Learn how to dramatically improve your body image and lose the weight that you have always wanted.
http://www.fitnessishealth.com
Bodyweight Calisthenics Are Better Than Boring Cardio
April 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fitness Products, Men's Health, Women's Health
Bodyweight Calisthenics Are Better Than Boring Cardio Most exercises split their workouts into resistance training and cardio training. They use weighted resistance for the resistance part and some type of monotonous exercise like jogging, rowing or biking for the cardio part. But by neglecting bodyweight calisthenics they’ve just made a big mistake.
You see, you’ve just overlooked one of the best ways to get a great cardio workout as well as build a high-performance, athletic body… bodyweight calisthenics. You don’t need any equipment at all to get a great cardio workout. And there are added benefits for using bodyweight calisthenics instead of boring cardio.
You Can Do Bodyweight Calisthenics Anytime, Anywhere
The more you base your workouts (resistance or cardio) on equipment, the more excuses you have to NOT do the workout.
If you only use an exercise bike… what do you do when the exercise equipment is in use? What happens if the row machine breaks? Most people will use that as an excuse to skip the cardio workout all together.
On the other hand, if you have a functioning body, you can use bodyweight calisthenics. As you can see, there are no excuses left for missing the workout. using bodyweight exercises for your cardio means you are ready for a workout anytime, anywhere… rain or shine.
Bodyweight Calisthenics Prepare You For Real World Challenges
Most exercisers wrongly believe that only monotonous, boring exercise is “cardio” exercise. But the truth is, AND activity that increases your heart rate and breathing rate can improve heart and lung function. And a fast paced circuit of bodyweight calisthenics is definitely going to get your heart and breathing rates up.
The added benefit is being prepared for real world challenges. The fact is, endurance improvements are specific to the activity trained. That means if you run, your heart and lungs get better for running. This explains why you get out of breath easily doing an activity you don’t practice in your workout. But on the other hand, bodyweight workouts can be made up of so many different types of exercises that they prepare your for challenges both inside and outside the gym.
You’ve Probably Been Neglecting Your Bodyweight Exercises
The sad fact is, you probably don’t do enough bodyweight exercises. Exercise is made up of movement… both moving around the weight of your own body in various directions AND moving weighted objects around. Unfortunately, most exercises spend most of their time training weighted resistance and neglect bodyweight only exercises. So, using bodyweight calisthenics as your cardio portion of your workout not only improves hear and lung endurance, but trains your body to move.
As you can see, bodyweight calisthenics are a great option as a substitute for your regular cardio workout. You’ll never have an excuse to skip a workout. You’ll ultimately build a more high-performance body ready to meet life’s challenges with excellence. And you’ll fulfill a much needs training requirement… bodyweight exercise. No matter how you cut it… bodyweight calisthenics are a great way to get both a cardio workout and build a high performance, athletic body.
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To get a free copy of my Special Report “Bodyweight Exercise Cardio Intervals”, just go to:
http://bestathomeworkouts.com/bodyweight-exercise-cardio-int
ervals/ Here you’ll get the exact exercises I recommend with photos and detailed descriptions. Give boring cardio a kick in the pants here:
http://bestathomeworkouts.com/bodyweight-exercise-cardio-int
ervals/


