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Have you ever promised yourself you’d go to the fitness center tomorrow morning then decided not to? And all this because you do not feel like going through a couple of exercises? Although it happens to most of us, this does not mean that you should forget about the idea of staying fit altogether. What a lot of us have to understand is that keeping a fit body and eating the right kinds of food are essential to having a healthy body for a long time. If you know how your body reacts to a certain activity, then you can modify your diet and exercise to that which is best for you.

If you eat a lot, you can increase your physical activity to burn the excess fats your body does not need. Burning fats will release energy. To simplify it, eating the right kind of foods along with exercise will improve your metabolism. These will provide you with more energy and will let you perform more work with minimal effort. Exercise actually sends messages to the body and asks it to improve metabolism, strength, and its overall wellness and health. Every time you do this, your body reacts by improving its ability to burn fat for the entire day and even at night.

You do not have to do extreme exercise for it to work but you have to make sure that you are consistent with your workout. A good exercise regimen is regular cardiovascular workout four days a week for about 20 to 30 minutes per day, and doing rigorous training four days a week as well for about 20 to twenty-five minutes per day. This approach allows you to burn more fat (how to lose belly fat fast) and gives more oxygen while extreme training can increase body mass plus burn a lot calories around the area.

An example of an exercise regime that can probably work for you body is as follows:

• Warm Up – doing 7 to 8 minutes light aerobics can increase the flow of your blood. It can also lubricate and stretch tendons and joints.
• Extreme Training – Focus on your major muscle areas. You can do one or two sets per exercise then rest for forty-five seconds in between sets.
• Aerobics - Choose two of your favorite activities. It can be jogging, cycling, skiing, or whatever interests you. Do twelve to fifteen minutes of your first activity then continue for ten minutes of the next activity. For the last 5 minutes, focus on cooling down.
• Stretching - Finish your exercise with some stretching, proper breathing, relaxation and meditation. If you are going to start an exercise regimen, it is essential that you have realistic expectations.

Based on your original fitness level, you can achieve the following results:

• 1 to 8 weeks – - You will have more energy and you will start feeling better about yourself.
• 2 to 6 months – You will lose a few inches and obtain a leaner body. Your clothes will fit loosely and you will start to gain more muscles and lose fat.
• 6 months onwards – You will lose weight more rapidly. As soon as you start making a commitment to exercise, do not just stop there. And aside from doing exercise, you must also change your eating habits.

Instead of counting your calorie intake or calculating grams, you can follow these very easy guidelines:

• Eat small meals throughout the day (preferably four) and a few snacks in between.
• Make sure that every meal you eat is well-balanced – include palm-sized proteins such as fish, lean meat, and dairy items, fist-sized parts of carbohydrates such as pasta, potatoes, whole-wheat bread, also fist-sized parts of fruits and vegetables.
• Make sure that you have a limited intake of fat just enough to provide adequate flavor.
• Complete at least 8 glasses of water the entire day.
• Drink a multi-vitamins every day to make certain that your body gets the necessary vitamins and minerals.

That is all I can recommend for now but I know for certain that you can do more to maintain a healthy body. Special thanks to my doctor friend who helped me write this article. Be healthy to keep looking young!

Seven Day Program for Healthy Living: “The Path to Fitness” is a post from: Have a Better Life

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These past days I have been running from one place to another due to my jobless situation. There are some paper I have to fill up (what a waste of paper), I have to drive to a different city to deal with some related issues (what a waste of gas not to mention how many CO2 my car releases to the atmosphere) so I feel kind of tired. However I feel I’m doing exercise, not while driving but as I walk to an office, to another office, climbing stairs and it reflects on my legs and my back.

Some people think that hgh releasers are the solution for a young and muscle body but I still believe that exercise and a healthy diet are the ultimate solution. Of course we get tired while exercising but there are some light exercises we can do to improve ourselves.

For instance, on weekends usually I take a walk with my daughter, sometimes we ride the bicycle, play football on the back yard. That is also exercise. Having a 3 floor house, believe me, the stairs are a free exercise machine. Sometimes in the morning when I am preparing the kids to go to school, one forgot the coat, here I go running up the stairs and then down, sometimes I have to do it several times so by 8.30 AM I’m already tired.

What about you? Do you exercise? In a Gym or at home?

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Have you made your 2010 resolutions already? One of them is reduce your body weight?  Hummm I belive so. After all the parties, traditional dishes, traditional desserts for sure that crossed your mind.

New year is just a few days ahead but you still have time to made your to-do-weight-loss-list. Remember to add:

• Healthy food
• Lots of vegetables and fruits
• Outdoor exercises
• Use your ellipticals
• Use your home gym
• Take advantage of the good weather and go for a walk
• Ride your bicycle
• Make low carb meals

I know there are much more things you can do to lose weight, use your imagination and stay away from too many calories.

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I’ve said that before, my son is not a sporty boy. He tried Judo, Funk, Soccer and he gave up everything. The school program includes swimming as an additional activity to 4th grade but he doesn’t want to attend those classes. As it is an extra activity my son is not evaluated or graded for the activity so I made a formal request for him to be removed from the team.

Although I think sport is a very healthy part of his life, I feel I don’t have to force him to go and hear everyday that he wants to quit. Of course this is not an example of life, if one day he refuses to go to a certain class at school of course that is not even discussed.

Next school year he will go to 5th grade and he has physical class that he has to attend so next year there is no excuse and he just have to get used to go.

He’s a very active boy, he plays a lot of soccer during school breaks and after school, he runs and he plays other activities so I guess for now he just looks at sport class as an obligation and not pleasure. He even asked for sports gifts for his birthday and although he didn’t get want he wanted, he was pleased with a car race video game. He says it’s also a sport!

He’s 10, he is in 4th grade with only one teacher, next year he will be in 5th grade with around 10 different teachers. I guess this year I’m going to let him skip sport because next year responsibility will the king and time to play will be shorten. For now he is very into video games, online games and some traditional games.

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The weather is getting worse and those that enjoy exercising outdoors are in big trouble because the weather doesn’t offer good conditions and you might get a cold or another worse disease if you dare going outside and practice.

If you are following a weight loss program you shouldn’t stop exercising and

So, what do you need to exercise indoors? You have to look for exercise equipment. Don’t think that you are wasting money when you can have good weather in a few weeks. Imagine those summer days when you want to exercise and it’s too hot outside…you can use your exercise equipment you have inside your fresh house.

Which exercise equipment should you look for? Here are a few examples of the most popular equipments:

Treadmill:
There are different styles of treadmills and prices vary a lot so you have a good range of choice. Some are electric others powered by your walking. I’m sure you can find the right one for you at an affordable price.

Elliptical machine:
Ellipticals are very versatile and usually they combine different types of exercises. Advanced models even let you workout your lower and upper body.

Exercise bike: In my opinion this is the most common exercise equipment we find in our friends houses. There are a lot of models and styles than combine upper and lower body workout. Prices vary a lot depending on what the exercise bike offers to the person that will be using it.

Trampoline:
This is an optional exercise equipment that can used by all family member and depending on the size of the trampoline you can use it indoors or outdoors. Usually they are really affordable and you can have a good time playing with it while you exercise.

If you are looking for cheaper products you can always try other products used for Yoga and Pilate. You can also try resistance bands, exercise balls, weights and other small items that can be useful for your weight loss program or just to keep in shape.

I hope you enjoy your exercise plan indoors, just stay away from outdoors and from the bad weather.

Exercise safely and have a better life!

Stay fit with indoor exercise equipment is a post from: Have a Better Life

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Since I ended my physiotherapy due to my back pain problems I’ve been doing some stretch exercises at home and sometimes at work (during a work pause) to stretch my muscle and prevent back pain. The exercises I do where taught mt the physiotherapist that treated me and are only for back, neck and shoulder stretches.

However our whole body can be stretched in order to allow us to have a more relaxed and pain free life. Relax into Stretch is a DVD that show us through a specific training how to achieve a high level of flexibility.

The exercises that are shown in the Relax into Stretch DVD are:
1. The Souped Up Toe Touch
2. The Spine Decompression Hang
3. The Improved Cobra
4. The Side Bend
5. The Spine Rotation
6. The Lateral Neck and Trap Stretch
7. The Headache Buster
8. The Anti-Slouch Neck Stretch
9. The Head Turner
10. The Chest Opener
11. The Overhead Reach
12. The Biceps and Shoulder Stretch
13. The Shoulder Blade and Lat Stretch
14. The Upper Back Loosener
15. The Wrist Flexion
16. The Wrist Extension
17. The Good Morning Hamstring Stretch
1. standing
2. seated on a chair
3. seated on the floor
18. The Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch
19. The Lunge Hip Flexor Stretch
20. The Karate Stance Hip Flexor Stretch
21. The Karate Stance Groin Stretch Page 84
22. The Seated Groin Stretch Page 86
23. The Calf Stretch Page 89
24. The Shin and Instep Stretch Page 91

All these exercises are shown and taught by Pavel Tsatsouline, a former physical training instructor for Spetsnaz, the Soviet Special Forces.

This DVD comes with separate types of stretches allowing us to choose from a menu the stretch we are interested in. The stretches altogether go from head to toe stretching the whole body giving it complete flexibility. What makes this DVD a piece of art is that the instructions are given in a very simple and easy way to follow.

If you are interested in a relaxed and pain free lifestyle than this DVD is excellent for you. It is also available the Relax into Stretch Book version.

DragonDoor.com For supreme fitness and well being

Relax into Stretch: Instant Flexibility Through Mastering Muscle Tension is a post from: Have a Better Life

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Do you want to get fit, toned and shaped without leaving the comfort of your house? Now you can.

If you have the Wii Console
you have to buy the Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 Wii game. With this game you you really follow a workout program, check out the description:

Become new recruits in Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2009. Enroll in a unique training program composed of challenging fitness tests and an ever-changing series of workouts. Choose your workout from four types–Weight Loss, Strength Training, Intervals and Hill Climb–and set the intensity to light, medium or hard for a duration between 10 and 60 minutes. By completing exciting Wii Remote and Wii Balance Board motion-based challenges that range from crossing monkey bars to climbing ladders and rowing, you can also unlock lifestyle and fitness video tips from Jillian. You can even track your progress based on calories burned and workout intensity. In addition, a Competitive Party Mode lets two players race against each other through entertaining individual challenges or through the entire Physical Training course to earn the winning time.

This is the perfect training for those wanting to exercise indoors. Your whole body will work out and you will lose weight and exercise and at the same time having fun. The system memory available is great to maintain you informed of your performance and progress.

Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 Video

Released Today: Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009 Wii game is a post from: Have a Better Life

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There was an interesting documentary yesterday on TV about Anorexia Nervosa Disorder. The four cases that were shown were from four woman aged 15, 18, 23 and 32. The 32 years old is a person I know. I already knew she suffered for that disorder but I was never too close to ask for details.

All the four cases started with “a diet” just to lose a few pounds and the obsession for constant diet came afterwards when losing a few pounds wasn’t enough.

But what is Anorexia Nervosa?:

Anorexia nervosa is a type of eating disorder. People who have anorexia have an intense fear of gaining weight. They severely limit the amount of food they eat and can become dangerously thin.

Anorexia affects both the body and the mind. It may start as dieting, but it gets out of control. You think about food, dieting, and weight all the time. You have a distorted body image. Other people say you are too thin, but when you look in the mirror, you see a fat person. Continue reading here.

What causes anorexia?

Eating disorders are complex, and experts don’t really know what causes them. But they may be due to a mix of family history, social factors, and personality traits. You may be more likely to have anorexia if:

Other people in your family are obese, have an eating disorder, or have a mood disorder such as depression or anxiety.

You have a job or do a sport that stresses body size, such as ballet, modeling, or gymnastics.

You are the type of person who tries to be perfect all the time, never feels good enough, or worries a lot.

You are dealing with stressful life events, such as divorce, moving to a new town or school, or losing a loved one.

Continue reading here.

How is it treated?

All people who have anorexia need treatment. Even if you or someone you care about has only a couple of the signs of an eating disorder, get help now. Early treatment gives the best chance of overcoming anorexia.

Treatment can help you get back to and stay at a healthy weight, learn good eating habits, and learn to feel better about yourself. Because anorexia is both a physical and emotional problem, you may work with a doctor, a dietitian, and a counselor.

There are no medicines to treat anorexia. But if you are depressed or anxious, your doctor may prescribe an antidepressant medicine. Continue reading here

If you have teenagers, a relative, a friend that is on a diet and keeps trying to lose more and more weight, please make sure it is a simple diet and not a diet out of control. Those who suffer from Anorexia Nervosa can die if they don’t get help on time.

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Yes, it’s not advised to exercise with an empty stomach, however we shouldn’t exercise with a full stomach either.

The best option is to make a moderate breakfast with a good source of carbonate hydrates like bread or dry cookies. After 8 hours of night fasting we need to reestablish our energetic reserves. To practice good exercise we must have energy and exercise in fasting is not appropriate, because the body, in the absence of food (energy) is going to deteriorate the muscle to produce sugar and feed the chemical’s reactions of the body. The risk of accident or injure due to distraction or tiredness is bigger.

After an exercise session it’s important to eat a meal to regain the muscle glycogen. It’s also important to drink a lot of liquids to keep a good hydration of the body.

You can keep track of your liquid loses by weighing yourself before and after exercising.

Exercise is good for help but…exercise safely

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Even with a regular medical check-up (blood tests and ECG) all people practicing any kind of sport should be careful with excessive sweating and tiredness.

Drink a lot of ionized water and natural fruit juice in a regular way along the day, allow to manage the lose through sweating, breathing and urine, as well as the loss from the muscle “work”. Avoid sodas, drink with caffeine or other energetic drinks.

Some sports (biking, skate, roller skates, etc) continue to be the cause of several accidents that should be prevented. Protective accessories for the head, elbows, knee, resistant clothes and shoes should be used.

For outdoor sports the sun protector shouldn’t be forgotten in sunny days as well as sunglasses. During the hotter months sports should be practice at the begin or at the end of the day.

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