Health Free Articles

By: Linda Geyer
Slow metabolism is frequently blamed for excess weight. The good news is we no longer have to be the victim of slow metabolism. We can actually be the creator of our metabolism. Knowing how your body works and using that knowledge to achieve your health and fitness goals, will get you results sooner with less frustration and aggravation. My goal is to help you get the most from your effort and see results.

How your metabolism works. Metabolism is the speed at which your body burns through food. As you get older, your metabolism decreases and you dont require the same number of calories as when you were younger. The rate the metabolism decreases as we age is determined by the amount of muscle mass we have on our body. Greater muscle means higher metabolism. If youre over 40, you probably arent as active as you used to be. You arent playing sports or chasing kids around the house. If you dont use your muscle, youll lose it.

Digestion process burns calories. I teach my clients to eat 3 meals throughout the day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and then an additional 2 to 3 healthy snacks between meals. Many of us have been conditioned to think that if we eat less, we will weigh less. The opposite is true but we must be careful to eat quality instead of quantity. There is the thermic value of nutrients the actual calorie burning properties of nutrient digestion. This means that healthy, balanced eating offers a metabolic advantage. Eating is thermic or produces heat. Since a calorie is a measure of heat, balanced eating equals more calories expended.

Keep aerobic exercise moderate. Believing that aerobic exercise is the secret to burning fat is only half-correct. Too much aerobics subject us to a repetitive catabolic state where it literally is eating up muscle tissue. You can burn fat anytime you are in an aerobic state. If you are sitting and reading this article, you are in an aerobic state. You are in an aerobic state anytime you are meeting demands for oxygen. This is why proper nutrition and weight training is critical to maintain and build muscle. You can burn fat while you sleep with lean muscle mass. I use aerobic exercise to keep my heart, lungs and circulatory systems healthy and use weight training to burn calories and keep my metabolism healthy.

Muscle is metabolism. As we age, we begin to lose muscle. This is called muscle atrophy. The key is to preserve muscle to fight fat and keep your metabolism healthy. The muscle you have on your body is in direct correlation to the number of calories you burn at any given moment. Muscle doesnt know age. You can maintain or build muscle at any age with weight training. I believe training with weights is more important as you get older because you are typically less active and your muscle will get soft from lack of use. Dense muscle mass is key to having a strong and healthy metabolism. If you would like more information on how to increase your metabolism, send Linda an email and write maximize your metabolism in the subject line.

Build muscle, eat 5 6 small meals a day, and keep your aerobic activity moderate. For more information and tips on exercise, go to http://www.easyexercisetips.com

Article Source:http://www.contentfueled.com

By: Jack Smith
There are some major key parts to a successful body building routine. I will go over a routine that was created by a personal trainer for me, and it worked wonderfully.

The first thing is to remember that in order to build muscle, your body needs to feed your muscles. In order to gain muscle weight one must (only if he/she is working out) eat 1 gram of protein to 1 kilogram of body weight each day in order to have efficient muscle growth. Diet is essentially the most important part of body building. When trying to gain weight in muscle mass one should eat every 2-3 hours, or 6 small meals a day. Each meal should contain a serving of protein. Most meat the size of the palm of your hand has around 15 - 25 grams of protein in it. Along with the protein, lots of carbs and a good multi vitamin should be taken.

Second thing is to get a simple routine and stick to it. It is best to split your workout into 2 days.

Day one - For your chest and triceps do 3 sets of dumbell Press, 3 sets of incline dumbell press (or bench press) and 3 sets of dips. For your back and biceps do 3 sets of chin ups, 3 sets of one arm row, 2 sets of reverse flys, and 2 sets of bicep curls. This should only take an hour or 2.

Day two - For your legs, lower back and abs do 4 sets of squats, 4 sets of lunges, 2 sets of hamstring curls, 2 sets of calf raises, 4 sets of sit-ups, and 2 sets of lower back raises(done on a exercises ball). This should only take an hour or 2.

Rotate this 5 - 6 days a week.

For the first 2 weeks of your work out each set should consist of 15 reps. If you cant do 3 sets of 15 reps with the weight you’ve chosen, then use a lighter weight. If you cant do 15 reps of chin ups, don’t worry, do as many as you can!

The 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th week you should use a heavier weight and drop your reps down to 8 per set. Ill explain why below.

The 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th week lower your weight and raise your reps up to 12.

Finally after 11 weeks drop your weights again and do 15 - 20 reps for one final week.

The ways reps work are as followed

1-3 - Power
3-6 - Power
6-8 - Strength
8-10 - Strength
10-12 - Hypertrophy (muscle growth)
12-15 - Hypertrophy- Endurance
15-20 - Endurance

Include at least 5 hours a week of cardio exercise.

This simple work out routine should allow you to put on around 5 lbs of muscle mass if not more. Repeat and add to it if you feel like it, but its a very effective and simple routine that actually works if you stick to it faithfully.

Article Source:http://www.contentfueled.com

By: Michael Maroun
A proper training program can be one of the trickiest parts to come up with when you want to exercise for weight loss. If you ask 5 personal trainers what the best strength training routine is, then you will get 5 different answers. Below are five guidelines to use when building a strength training program. Each provides the basic foundation that all strength training programs go by. Learning the proper way to use free weights will greatly improve your strength, fitness and health.

We cannot strength train the same muscle group two days in a row because our body needs at least 24-36 hours of rest. If you lift and work the same muscle groups on consecutive days, this will lead to muscle fatigue and possible injury. Your routines must work all of the major muscle groups in your body 1-3 times per week. This includes your biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, back, abs, quads, hamstrings and calves. Leaving out muscle groups will create an imbalance.

Strength training routines must be planned according to your specific goals such as fat loss, maintaining weight or adding bulk. Whatever your goal is then you will have a different method that is best suited for optimal results. If you are trying to lose body fat then you will strength train differently than a person who is trying to increase muscle mass. When you have a specific goal, you are prepared to create the best strength training program possible that suits your needs.

Unfortunately, we cannot choose specific areas of our bodies to lose weight because we need to take the approach of trying to have an overall reduction in body fat. You will see the results you desire by reducing overall body fat through a healthy diet, regular exercise and proper rest.

Your strength training routines must be regular and consistent for results to be noticeable. It takes us years to put on the weight and it takes time to lose it. The most important thing to remember is that you are taking steps every day to reverse the damage so do not beat yourself up if you do not see immediate results. The end result of your fitness and strength training program will be a total lifestyle change where you replace bad habits with healthy ones and feel the benefits that come with your positive choice you made when you set out to lose weight.

Our bodies adapt quickly to change so you must change your routine every 4-6 weeks. This will prevent our body from hitting a plateau and the variety will keep things interesting. The easiest way to lose your consistent effort is from boredom. You can mix things up by changing your exercise program or by increasing your intensity level. By doing this, you will continually grow stronger as you progress with the fitness program.

By using these five guidelines, you should be able to build a beneficial and effective program. The idea is to develop a safe strength training routine that provides you with sustainable health and fitness benefits. Knowing how to build a strength training routine for your specific goals will move you one step closer to a fit body.

Article Source:http://www.contentfueled.com

By: Jenni Olsen
Exercise can be defined as a manual activity that helps develop or maintain ones physical health. In today’s day and age there are not too many people who can claim to be healthy. The mortality rate is very high in most countries. Our researchers and scientist claim that the biggest scare of diseases is what we face in these times. They claim that every country is battling with their ratio of obese people. The ratio is pretty appalling. Most countries have a ratio of; every one person out of ten is obese. That is truly an alarming ratio. It is only going to add to the mortality ratio. So if we are looking to ensure ourselves longer lives, we are going to want to train. Working out at the gym is a sure way of staying healthy. It even helps reduce weight. Go to any doctor and have his or her word on it. So yes, getting fit is really what your body requires. Not just exercise but regular strenuous and vigorous workouts on a daily basis. Exercise that makes you sweat and burn many calories. Regular training will also help build up some good stamina. All in all physical activity is good for you.

Exercising regularly can actually keep you fit and away from your doctor’s clinic. Physical exercise not only helps maintain your weight, it builds and maintains your body density, joint mobility, muscles, strengthens your immune system and reduces surgical risks. If you are suffering from diseases like type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, obesity, heart diseases, insomnia or even depression, exercising is recommended as part of the medical treatment. Working out can also help bring down diabetes and maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Blood pressure too can reduce considerably with regular physical activity. For those who are not suffering from these diseases, working out will help reduce your chances of getting these diseases.

Working out also helps to improve the mechanical efficiency of the heart by increasing its cardiac volume or its myocardial thickness. Exercise doesn’t help everyone in the same way. Some may lose weight fast with exercise while it may take another person a long time before it starts showing. Another key thing to remember is that the same exercise that shows results on your friend, may not show results on you. Keep changing your exercises regularly. Many times the body gets used to a certain exercise or activity and then it won’t help to lose weight. For instance if you keep walking 1km for a year, change your training, make it 2kms the next time or instead of walking, try jogging 1km. that way your body will continue to shed weight.

Another great thing about get fit is that you can begin anytime. You do not need to be any particular age to work out. You can begin when you are a kid and continue for the rest of your life or you can even begin in your middle age. In fact results show that workouts done by people in their middle age has led to better physical ability in their life later.

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By: Ron Gregory
Its a fact, America is becoming obese at an alarming rate and the rest of the world is following close behind. We are eating more (and more of the wrong stuff) and exercising less or getting no exercise at all. Our health is in steep decline and doctor and hospital visits are at all time highs. Just a brisk 30-minute walk a day can begin to turn that around.

You name it, we have it, and its getting worse. Heart and cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, out of control blood sugar levels, diabetes, obesity, and more. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends getting at least 20-30 minutes of moderate activity each day and many of us are falling far short of even that.

Studies show the average person takes about 3000 to 5000 steps a day, and some even much less. Lets face it, we just do not get the exercise our ancestors did a hundred or so years ago and we tend to eat more refined foods. For some of us, most of steps we take are from the easy chair in front of the TV to the fridge so we can fill up on snacks. For others, like me, we sit at a computer all day as part of our jobs.

Many fitness experts recommend we walk 10,000 steps a day to maintain our weight and overall good health. 10,000 steps are approximately 5 miles, give or take depending on the length of your stride. You will need to purchase and wear a pedometer to count how many steps you take each day. Follow the directions that usually come with the pedometer. Do this for a week or two and you will get a good average step count. Your goal is to reach 10,000 or more steps each day. There is nothing magical about 10,000, but it will put you in the right ballpark.

As a general rule, a person will burn about 100 calories walking a mile, depending on age, size, and fitness level. The heavier you are, the more calories you will burn.

Become creative on ways to increase your steps. At work, go for walks at lunchtime. Go for walks with your spouse or children. Walk the dog. Walk to the store instead of driving, or park at the far end of the parking lot. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. For me, I take brisk 2-mile walks around the neighborhood twice a day everyday (aerobic walking). Just do whatever works best for you, but do it! You will need good walking shoes and socks to prevent injury when walking for exercise (like aerobic walking).

Go to your favorite search engine and type in 10,000 steps to learn more about this life saving, life changing program. The information is abundant.

Article Source:http://www.contentfueled.com

By: Linda Geyer
Results in fitness are dependent on a three-part formula of lifestyle choices. One part of the formula does not work well without the other parts. Those who have tried one or two without the third know something is missing. This article is going to address the three-parts of the equation to help you make positive steps to a healthy body. A healthy body can provide you with a healthy mind, increased energy and stamina, more productivity and self-confidence.
Here are the three parts:

1. Cardiovascular training
2. Resistance and weight training
3. Balanced nutrition

Now, the questions are why, what, when, where and how? Many people diet without exercise and others exercise without eating right. Their intentions are good yet they dont get the results they want so badly to achieve. Allow me to simplify basic fitness and balanced nutrition principles. In the informational age in which we live, people are confused with what to do, so they do nothing. Let me be straight with you, achieving the ideal body isnt easy, you have to put effort, consistency, and commitment to achieve your desired results. The first step is to develop a positive mindset. If you think its impossible, it will be. If you think you can, you will. I cant speak strongly enough how important your mindset, mental thoughts, and self-talk play such an important role on your results.
So let me begin with foundational principles that will make a difference. Ill start with cardiovascular training. For the ease of understanding, cardiovascular, cardio-respiratory, cardio and aerobic training are all synonymous. The goal is to keep a healthy function of the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. Sustaining aerobic training for a period of time will increase the endurance of the cardio-respiratory system. Cardio training will also burn calories that will decrease body fat stored. Cardio training has been reported as beneficial for many health reasons including: decreasing blood pressure, cholesterol, and depression. It has also been reported to increase heart, lung, and circulatory function as well.
Dont worry about when is the best time to do your cardio exercise. Just do it. I like to get my cardio workout in during the morning. That way I wont be tempted to blow it off during the day and I wont be too tired at night to do it. But, if you are not a morning person, this might be more difficult. Schedule your exercise into your life just like all your other appointments. Your cardio workout is important to your health, just like your childs soccer game or tennis match is important to them. Put it on your calendar then check it off after you do it.
Cardiovascular exercise is one type of exercise where you dont need any equipment. Unless your doctor, restricts you, anyone can walk. I see people walking around my neighborhood, public school tracks, and in the shopping mall all year round. Other people prefer to do their cardio exercise in their home. Cardio equipment is available at most sporting stores, specialized exercise stores, and even at garage sales. Treadmills are the most popular cardio equipment, exercise stationary bikes, and stair steppers. The newest, most popular, are elliptical machines. Find what type of cardio training is best for you and be consistent with it. If you like variety and get bored easily, then a variety of cardio exercise works really well.
To get maximum results from your cardiovascular training keep track of your heart rate. I wear a heart rate monitor when I do my cardio exercise. Another way to check your heart rate is counting the heartbeats per minute. If you count your heartbeats for 6 seconds and add a zero behind the number you have your heart rate. By keeping track of your heart rate, you know how hard your heart is working or how much harder it needs to work.
Now, you need to figure out your maximum heart rate. A simple formula is to take the number 220 and subtract your age. That is your maximum heart rate. To burn fat, your heart should work at 65 75 percent of your maximum heart rate. For cardio-respiratory fitness your heart rate should be at 75 percent. Dont exceed 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.
For optimum conditioning, cardio five to six times a week for 30 60 minutes is best. Your training heart rate should be at 65 percent for a minimum of 20 minutes. Depending on your goal and the results you want to achieve, the minimum I would recommend is three times a week for 20 minutes.
If you take medication with beta blockers, or have any question about your health condition, always check with your doctor first to determine where your heart rate should be.
Now, I will explain why weight training is important and give you the basic principles of weight training.
Weight training is for everyone. I start clients as young as 8 years old and my oldest client was 99 years of age. Yes, their workout design is different, but everyone between those ages can and should exercise with weights. Weight training strengthens, firms, and builds muscle. If you dont use or challenge your muscles they will atrophy (get weak and wither away). You are never too old to weight train and muscle knows no age.
Lets talk briefly about metabolism. Your muscle is your metabolism. If you dont have good muscle tone, you will have a slower metabolism. The more muscle on your body, the faster your metabolism. There are three things that directly affect your metabolism:
1. Muscle
2. Nutrition
3. Hormonal Imbalances
You can control and change your metabolism by weight training and eating right.
For women, dont worry about bulking up. It doesnt happen by accident. Women bodybuilders take tremendous effort to lift heavy weight; they train for years and sometimes use anabolic steroids. This is not the fitness training we prescribe.
Any weight training should start with lighter weight and progress to moderate weight. Dont start to heavy; just use enough weight to challenge your muscle. I hand many of my new female clients a 5 or 8 pound dumbbell on their first visit. They get real nervous thinking its too heavy. I can pretty well guess that their purse weighs more than 5 pounds. Men, dont be in a hurry to look like Arnold by next week. It wont happen and youre only setting yourself up for injury.
There are a couple factors we use in designing workout programs. First, we look at your goal. Second, after determining your goals we decide the right mix of repetitions, sets and rest. Repetitions or reps are how many times you lift the weight. Sets are the number of times you perform a given number of reps per exercise session. Rest is the time you allow the muscle to recover before the next set.
Below is a general guideline to the proper mix of reps, sets and rest.
Muscle endurance:
12-20 reps, 1-3 sets, 20-30 second rest

Strength and size:
8-12 reps, 1-6 sets, 30-120 second rest

Strength and power:
4-8 reps, 1-5 sets, 2-5 minute rest

Since my average client is trying to lose body fat and get lean, I generally use 12-20 reps, with 3 sets and 30-60 second rest. I like to teach my clients to perform active stretching between their sets. This will increase their flexibility, prevent injury and further challenge the muscles. I also recommend exercising all major muscle groups. Make sure your program includes the following muscles: chest, back, shoulders, arms (bicep and triceps), lower back, abdominal, legs (quadriceps, hamstrings and calves) and gluts.
To fit most peoples lifestyle, I recommend weight training at least 2 times per week, however, 3 times is better. If you train 5 times a week your workout design will be much different from people who train 2-3 times per week. I tell my clients, the difference between 2-3 times per week is the difference in your time schedule (what is doable in your life), your goals and priorities.
One last important thing regarding weight training, if you do the same workout week after week, month after month, and year after yearyour muscles know exactly what you are asking them to do and you will reach a plateau. You are no longer challenging your muscles. You are only maintaining their current status. If you have not yet reached your goal, change your workout program once a month to challenge the muscles. Changes can be as simple as changing the order of exercise, the number of repetitions, the number of sets, your rest time, the pounds of weight, the intensity, or do circuit training. One or more of these changes will make a big difference in how your muscles respond to your workout. Have fun and keep lifting!
Are you tired of yo-yo dieting? Do you have a difficult time sticking to a diet? You are not alone. More people who diet fail rather than succeed. Dieting doesnt work. To get real results it takes a concentrated effort. Most people arent willing to do what it takes. They want a fast, quick solution thats not out there.
Why is eating right so challenging? Were all too busy and convenience foods seem limitless. We let our minds get in the way, we dont focus on our goals, and stress can play an important role in sabotaging our efforts.
If feeling good about yourself, being healthy and looking good is important to you, then you have to eat sensibly. Its true you are what you eat. Here are 4 tips on eating right. I call it my 4 Ps of Nutrition. Do these 4 things every week and youll be on your way to a leaner and healthier you.

1st P: Plan: Plan what you are going to eat either one-day at a time or a week in advance. Planning includes writing out a menu. For example, oatmeal for breakfast; chicken, yams and broccoli for lunch; fish, brown rice and green beans for dinner; apple and yogurt for snacks.
2nd P: Purchase: After you plan what youre going to eat, write out your grocery list. Remember that most of the items you need to purchase are around the perimeter of the store. If you only purchase what is on your list, you will save a lot of money and calories.
3rd P: Prepare: Now that you have all your ingredients, prepare your food. I work 6 days a week, 12-14 hours per day. What works for me is to prepare all my meals for the week on Sunday afternoon. It takes me only 2 hours in the kitchen. That takes the guess work out of my meals, it eliminates the what do I feel like eating, and saves me a ton of time throughout my week. Ive been preparing my familys meals like this for several years. Its just part of my routine and it works for me.
4th P: Package: After I prepare all my meals for the week, I put the food in plastic reusable containers and take the meals with me to work. This way I can control the portion size, quality of food, amount of fats and sugars and it makes my life a lot easier. This keeps me eating healthy every day.

These tips really work for me and will work for you. Once you get in the habit of planning, purchasing, preparing and packaging your meals you will see an improvement in your nutrition. You will have more control over your eating habits, portions size, healthy balance, and nutritional value in your meals.

Give yourself time to put all these steps together. If you need to, take baby steps. Practice one good habit each week, and soon you will have put cardio exercise, weight training and eating healthy all together and youll get great results. Youll get Your Ideal Body. For more free information and tips on exercise, motivation, and healthy eating, go to http://www.easyexercisetips.com

Article Source:http://www.contentfueled.com

By: Katrin Sanders
One of the problems that causes serious weight gain is the lack of desire to maintain a healthy diet. Many obese people want an easy way to lose weight making procedures such as liposuction an attractive alternative to diet and exercise. Lack of education concerning the procedure makes liposuction appear to be an easy alternative for those unwilling to control their weight with diet and exercise. For those patients it’s essential for the medical doctor to provide detailed information on liposuction before referring any patient to a cosmetic surgeon.
Depending on the surgeon and the procedure he uses, very few patients experience more than ten pounds of weight loss after having fat removed. They listen to exaggerated reports of people who claim they lost 50 pounds after having liposuction, but in reality what is happening is that when the fat is suctioned from the various areas of the body, it can give the appearance that the patient lost more weight than they really did. Only diet and exercise can promote healthy weight loss with liposuction being a tool that you can utilize to rid yourself of any fat the diet and exercise programs were unable to remove.
Liposuction has never been promoted as a substitute for weight loss and exercise nor would any good cosmetic surgeon attempt to provide information that might make it appear to exist for that purpose. Liposuction is a surgical procedure designed to remove excess fat from various parts of the body including the legs, arms, abdomen, buttocks and other regions-this will neither promote a substantial weight loss nor will it tone and firm any areas where the patient has lost fat cells through diet. Liposuction is a supplement to diet and exercise not a replacement.
If you are looking into liposuction as a way to remove fat from your body, you first need to engage in a healthy diet and exercise program. This is not only because you need to lose weight but also because you need to be as fit as possible before you undergo liposuction. If you are a smoker, you should plan to quit smoking several months prior to having a liposuction procedure. Your health is one of the most important aspects of your procedure, and it can be dangerous if you are in poor health. If you already have heart and lung problems, the procedure may cause more complications than your excess weight, but your surgeon will advise on you on whether you qualify for liposuction.
One of the best things you can do for your health is to research liposuction before you consider having the procedure. You want to make sure you know what to expect and what you should do to prepare for it. Any cosmetic procedure requires a great deal of thought in addition to education. The more you can learn prior to the procedure, the more comfortable you will be and the less likely you to experience complications from the liposuction procedure.

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By: Shawn Phillips
To tone your body, gain muscle, and lose fat, you must really be willing to change your habits and lifestyle. I will be the first to tell you that it is not easy to lose fat. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and consistency.

From my experience with clients, I have found that initially people are always, or ready and willing to train hard in the beginning; but what many lack is follow-through and consistency. In order to have success, you must be dedicated and consistent. Without these two principles as your motto, you are bound to fail in the long run.

I completely understand that you probably have more important priorities in your life such as family, work, religion, etc. It then becomes an issue of time management which is to fit all of these important priorities into your week. Taking this into consideration, I have put together a few tips that should help you along your way. The rest is up to you?

The following tips I use with my clients which should help you transform your body. They are broken up into the following categories: Diet, Strength Training (weight lifting), and Cardio.

You should be able to grade yourself in each category. Be honest and grade yourself between the letters A through F. For example, A is for a person who does extremely well within a particular category, C is doing okay, and F would be pretty much zero effort within a particular category. Ask yourself the question: Am I making an A in all three categories?

What I have found from working with my clients is that many people might do well in one or two categories, while completely ignoring another. In order to transform your body as efficiently and quickly as possible, you must grade yourself and get at least a B+ or higher in each category. Please be honest when your grading yourself.

Because of the lack of space, I won?t be able to elaborate on the physiological details as to why these tips work. However, the tips included in this article are an up-to-date reflection of the medical, bodybuilding, and scientific community.

Strength Training

Strength Training is a important aspect of changing your body. This is the #1 best way to increase your metabolism.

Rest time in between sets should vary between 60 to 120 seconds. There are cases where you should wait longer in between sets, but for most this is the ideal rest period for muscle growth.

Change your workouts every 4 to 10 weeks. Your body can grow accustomed to training with the same routine. In order for it to continuing adapting and growing you should change your workout routines.

Keep a workout journal. This tip is avoided by most people. Most people can?t remember exactly what they did in their last workout which had 10 to 15 sets. The workout journal will help you keep track of the weights that youve lifted in previous workouts.

Also, you need to either buy a stop watch or consistently use the clock to monitor time in between sets.

Lift more weight. Now that you?re keeping a workout journal, you know exactly how much you lifted last week and the week before. One of the fundamental principles of growing muscle is simply adding more weight at your next workout. Every time or every other time you workout you should be a little bit stronger than the last workout. Thereby, your next workout you should be able to go up in weight on various sets in your routine. Try increasing the weight by increments of 2.5 to 5 pounds.

Eat immediately after your weight training session. Your body will need the nutrition.

Many women do not lift weights and primarily focus on cardio and diet. While those two categories are important, you must not forgot to do strength training at least twice a week. Building some muscle will add shape to your body. It tones your arms, legs, and of course your backside. Trust me, you won’t look like a body builder or too masculine if you lift weights. Gaining muscle is a lot harder than you think.

Cardio

Switch up your cardio routines consistently. For example, on one day perform sprint training for 20 minutes; the next cardio routine try walking on an incline treadmill. Next workout use the stair master or spin classes, or elliptical, or the bike. Also, you can use 2 or 3 different cardio exercises in one workout. For example, 20 minutes workout on the bike, then 20 minutes on the stair master, then 20 minutes of boxing or kick boxing. Your body is an efficient machine. It will get used to habitual cardio workout routines. By changing it up, your body will continue to burn more calories then if you keep performing the same cardio routine month after month.

Diet and Nutrition

Drink lots of water. Your body will hold less excess water weight.

80% or more of your carbohydrates should be from oatmeal, vegetables, fruits, and beans.

Eat enough protein. This tip would be in relation to your body weight and how active you are. Athletes should consume about 1 gm for every pound of body weight. If you?re working out 2 to 3 days a week, then you would need within the range of .5 to .7 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

Eat 5 to 6 times a day or every 3 to 4 hours. Don?t skip meals.

Keep a food journal. If you have a trainer, have them review it weekly. If you don?t have a trainer, still keep a food journal. Having a journal will keep you aware and accountable with respect to your eating habits.

Your diet should be broken up into the following macro nutrients - approximately 30% Protein, 50% Carbs, and 20% fat.

If you feel like you need advice with your own training program, feel free to give me a call (310-720-8125) or email me shawn@perfectbodyinc.com. I am more than happy to personally help you achieve your goal. During our phone consultation I would customize a fitness program which would include outlining a nutritional plan and supplement protocol, and advice on the best cardio and strength training program based on your goals and lifestyle.

Good luck with your pursuit of a leaner and healthier body.

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By: Jason Sands
Current health studies show that our population is growing bigger and getting fatter each year. More than 50% is overweight! Obesity has now reached pandemic proportions and has become a serious problem to our personal health, making it a burden on our health system.

There are many health problems and diseases associated with being overweight and obese, for example: skeletal problems, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and sleep apnea to name a few. Studies have also shown that a relationship exists between excessive bodyweight and increased mortality. Increasing one’s body weight by 10kg will directly affect their lifespan by decreasing their living years. Obesity is a serious problem, however it can be fought and its effects reversed.

There are a variety of ways of combating obesity and preventing / reversing the health complications that arise from it. Obesity prevention can occur through a number of factors including 1.Dieting 2.Lowering Fat and Cholesterol. 3.Exercise.

1.Diet

Dieting can be extremely difficult, as a matter of fact, in the long term, more diets fail than succeed. So what is the secret to a sustainable and successful diet plan? The answer is lifestyle change. Change the way you eat and change the way you live. If you are seriously thinking of dieting, then think about the foods you eat on a daily basis and substitute them with healthier alternatives. Substitute the fast foods you would normally eat with fresh meats, cereals, fruits and vegetables. Keep score of your daily calorie intake and remember to exercise for at least 30 minutes per day.

2. Lowering Fat and Cholesterol

Inactivity, poor diet and lack of exercise lead to an increase in body fat and a rise in cholesterol. Cholesterol is a type of fat that is essential to the human body, however an excessive buildup of cholesterol in the blood and arteries can lead to serious health complications. Cholesterol is a major contributing factor in the cause of coronary artery disease which can lead to heart attacks. There primary cure for lowering the cholesterol levels is through dieting and reducing the amount of fat in your diet. A change of lifestyle and eating habits is also needed to have an overall impact in reducing and sustaining cholesterol. Below is a list of high cholesterol producing foods that should be avoided:

*Dairy intake Reduce you high fat dairy consumption by substituting high fat cheeses and milks with low fat ones. You will find many 99% fat free dairy products are now on offer in supermarkets.

*Avoid meats that are high in visible fats and substitute them with lean cut meats and skinless chickens.

*Use healthy cooking oils and margarines. Choose oils that are low in saturated fats such as virgin olive oils and margarines that include plant sterols which help the body absorb less cholesterol.

*Minimise your fast food intake such as pizzas, burgers, fish and chips, and deep fried foods in general.

When combating high cholesterol, changing poor eating habits is only part of the solution, you also need to reduce the amount calories you consume on a daily basis, and that can only be solved through proper dieting and exercise. If unsure about your cholesterol level, it is always advisable that you seek the medical attention from your local physician.

3. Exercise

Exercise is a vital and essential part to our wellbeing. Whether riding a bike or walking 30 minutes a day, mobility is the key to a healthy lifestyle. Regular physical exercise is essential in preventing many bodily disorders including coronary heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Exercise is also vital in the building of healthy bones, muscles and in bolstering the human immune system.

Dieting, exercise and healthy eating plans are essential factors in maintaining strong and healthy bodies. They are all however interrelated and should be practiced in conjunction with one another; reducing a high cholesterol level depends on healthy eating habits and proper dieting. A proper diet should also be supported with regular and frequent exercise in order to achieve weight loss and an overall healthy lifestyle.

Article Source:http://www.contentfueled.com

By: Lee Piel
If you want or feel you need to exercise, a home gym system can be one of the most convenient additions you make to you your home. No more driving to the gyms, no more constantly re-adjusting the settings on your favorite machines, and no more having to show off your not quite in shape body to the world.

But how can you invest in a home gym system without bursting a hole in your wallet? One way is to avoid paying retail for the exercise equipment. And you can do that in a variety of different ways:

1) Visit Local Ebay

Many people don’t realize that ebay has a feature where advertisers can auction and sell merchandise locally. Look though the eBay listing for your area and you’ll find a variety of consumer equipment available including home gym systems. Many times these are sold by people who are moving and looking to get a little money for their equipment instead of just junking it. Or they may be upgrading to a newer piece of equipment. Either way, you can find great local deals on eBay and if you win the auction you don’t have to worry about shipping charges, you can just drive over and pick it up.

2) Surf CraigsList

In those communities that have a Craig’s List, many seller advertise their garage sales or merchandise on the CraigsList website. You’ll be surprised at the variety of things you can buy there. You have the possibility of picking up a nice piece of exercise equipment for pennies on the dollar. The advertisers are nearly always local so you can stop by and even try it out to see if you like it before you buy. And then barter with the seller for the best deal.

3) Look for OverStocks

Ever wonder what happens to all of those exercise machines in home gym warehouses and outlets if they don’t sell? What usually happens is that they are sold to a liquidator who will dispose of them through various channels. Many times these machines are perfectly good pieces of equipment which just are not selling for some reason. Prices at these places are rarely set in stone and if you are willing to haggle with the manager you can often get yourself a very good deal. They would much rather sell it to you, even for a lower price than to a liquidator who will give them a fraction of what it’s worth.

4) Buy Refurbished and Closed Out Exercise Equipment

If you search the Internet or look through a yellow pages in a large city, you can find all sorts of refurbished exercise machines from a variety of manufacturers such as Life Fitness, Stairmaster, Trotter, Cybex, Precor, and many more. The equipment in most places is as good as new and the best companies will also give you a warranty. Many of these companies will also sell closeout equipment at closeout prices.

The bottom line is that you don’t have to spend an arm an a leg to outfit your home exercise room. You have many more options available to you than you might think.

Article Source:http://www.contentfueled.com