Saturday 30 June 2012

How to get rid of bingo wings/Bat wings for good.

How to get rid of bingo wings/Bat wings for good.

The triceps muscle is often overlooked and many people complain that they do not know any good exercises to firm them up.
This muscle located beneath the bicep is responsible for extending your arms and your biceps are used for contracting them.
The two need to work in synch so you cannot train one and neglect the other.
As the triceps is located beneath the arm and does not get as much day to day use as the bicep, it is more prone to the affects of gravity and ageing and can become flabby, hence the terms “bingo wings” or “bat wings.
The good news is this muscle in most cases responds fairly quickly to resistance exercises, so you can have your arms back in tip top condition within a few month of consistent training.
I shall out line today three of the very best triceps exercises which can be done at home or in a gym with a pair of dumbbells failing this any heavy object which can be handled safely can be used.
1. DIPS

Dips the bread and butter exercise for the triceps.
This is a compound move, involving both the elbow and the shoulder joint and it doesn't require any equipment, making it a great travel exercise.
This version shows modified dip with a chair but you can also use a bench at the gym.
  1. Sit on a bench or chair.
  2. Begin with the hands next to the hips.
  3. Lift up onto the hands and bring the hips forward.
  4. Bend the elbows (no lower than 90 degrees) and lower the hips down, keeping them very close to the chair. Keep the shoulders down.
  5. Push back up without locking the elbows and repeat for 10-16 reps.
Tips
  • Keep the shoulders down and away from the ears to protect them from injury.
  • Keep the hips close to the bench or chair to keep the focus on the triceps and not the shoulders.
  • To make it easier, move the feet closer in. To make it harder, walk the feet out or elevate them on another chair or bench.
  • Please note if you have any shoulder injuries it better not to preform these.
 2.KICKBACKS

The kickback is a common trieps exercise which involves extending the arm while the torso is in a bent position. For this exercise, you can do one arm at a time and use heavier weights or you can extend both arms at the same time, which will involve more lower back stabilization.
  1. Hold a medium weight in both hands and bend over until your torso is at a 45-degree angle or parallel to the floor (more advanced). Bend the knees if needed and keep the abs engaged to protect the lower back.
  2. Begin the movement by bending the arms and pulling the elbows up to torso level.
  3. Holding that position, straighten the arms out behind you, squeezing the triceps muscles.
  4. Bend the arms back to starting position and repeat for 10-16 reps.
Tips
  • Do this exercise one arm at a time if you're using heavier weights or need more support for the lower back.
  • Keep the abs engaged and the back flat throughout the movement.
  • At the end of the movement, your arms should extend along the body, palms facing each other.
  • Try not to swing the arms to get the weight up.
3. STANDING TRICEP EXTENSIONS


Triceps extensions are another great way to work the back of the arms.
Start with a light weight and remember to control the downward movement do not net the weight drop.
Stand erect and tall and extend the arms straight up above the head, palms face in. Use light-medium weights.
  1. Bend the elbows and lower the hands until they're next to the ears, elbows at about 90-degree angles.
  2. Squeeze the triceps to straighten the arms without locking the joints.
  3. Keep the elbows steady throughout the movement, only moving the forearms.
  4. Repeat for 1-3 sets of 10-16 reps.

Include these great exercises into you workouts once, or for best results twice a week and say goodbye to those bingo wings for good.

For even more great tips check out:
http://www.getabsatlast.com/

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Burn fat with the Deadlift

This month's featured exercise is the deadlift
One of the best full body exercises for burning fat is the deadlift.
When performed correctly it works you legs, back, buttocks, arms in fact most of the major muscle groups are involved.
After the squat this is the best exercise to build lean muscle get the heart pumping and increases your metabolic rate so you will still be burning calories long after your workout.
Deadlifts will also teach you to pick up an heavy object with a straight back - this will prevent injuries like hernias which usually result from repeatedly lifting with a round lower back.


How to Deadlift.
Proper technique is the key to deadlifting and preventing backpain.
Always start with the bar on the floor. Pulling from the safety pins is a Rack Pull. Deadlifting top down is a Romanian Deadlift. With conventional Deadlifs the bar must always start on the floor. Here's how to Deadlift in 5 easy steps:
1.    Stand with the bar above the center of your feet - your stance should be a bit more narrow than shoulder-width to give your arms room.
2.    Grab the bar overhand so your arms are vertical to the floor - if your hamstrings are tight, do Squat 2 stands to boost your hip flexibility.
3.    Bend through your knees until your shins hit the bar which must remain above the middle of your feet. Shoulder-blades directly over the bar.
4.    Lift your chest but don't squeeze your shoulder-blades like on Squats. Just put your shoulders back & down, head inline with rest of your spine.
5.    Pull - keep the bar close to your body, roll it over your knees and thighs until your hips and knees are locked. Do not lean back at the top.
And that's all there is to it. Lower the bar by pushing your hips back first, and then bend your knees once the bar reaches knee level (NOT before otherwise the bar will hit your knees). Repeat for 5 reps on StrongLifts 5x5.
(Check out this crazy fat burning routine)
This simple exercise can accelerate your fitness progress dramatically, and should be preformed by women as well as men.
You will find when you start doing deadlifts and squats the extra strength you gain carries over to all your other exercises, not to mention improved posture.
So what are you waiting for lets get deadlifting.

Get even more great tips here!

Sunday 24 June 2012

Top rules to burn fat fast!
Fat loss exercise tips
If like many people shifting those last few pounds of body fat and burning calories is one of your goals, these great top 10 fat loss tips will ensure you get the very most out of every fat burning exercise routine.


Being intense is better with your fat burning exercise
Don't be fooled by the so-called fat-burning zone. This is the misguided notion that working at a lower intensity is better for fat burning than working at a higher effort level (say, for example, walking instead of running.) Two hours of slow paced jogging is not necessarily better that a high impact intense 45 minute weight workout.
The harder you exercise the more calories you will burn and this is really the key element when it comes to burning fat faster.

Choose exercises carefully
Work out a routine that you will enjoy doing.
In my opinion weight training for both men and women offer’s the greatest most intense workouts in the shortest period of time.
With weights you also see the rewards quicker than with other types of workouts.
It is important to choose a routine which you will enjoy and therefore you will work harder towards your goals.

Exercise larger muscles first for greater calorie burn
Serious fat-burning activity uses the large muscle groups of the body – the thighs and bottom, chest and back.
Training the legs for example will burn much more calories than training the arms for the same period of time.
And all over body machines such as the rowing machine,
Burn fat much faster than say one of those one arm pulling machines.
The greater the muscle mass employed in the routine the more calories you will burn.

Sustainable exercise development
To fire up the calorie furnace, fat-burning activity has to be sustainable for a reasonable period.
So it is better to make your workouts intense, with very little rest time between sets for about 25-60 minutes 3-5 times per week for best results

Interval training to maximise calorie burn
Interval training, in which you mix hard efforts with bouts of recovery, is one of the best ways of maximising calorie expenditure, improving aerobic fitness and making use of limited time.
So a two minute intense exercise maybe followed by one minute rest to start with, cutting this down to 30 seconds as you gain experience.

Carrying the load is better
Activities that are weight bearing, such as walking and running, use more calories than those in which your weight is supported (such as swimming or cycling), simply because you have to shift your own body weight against gravity.
Adding a weight training routine to your exercise session will burn pounds even greater than walking and running put together.

Run on empty?
Exercising on an empty stomach may seem like a good idea at first.
And whilst it is true your body may dip into fat reserves if you eat nothing in the morning your lack of fuel may prevent you from working out for as long or intensely as you usually would.
It is better to have a small breakfast such as fruits or oatmeal to make the most of early morning training

Go for the after burn
One of the best things about high intensity exercise is that the fat-burning benefits continue long after you’ve got out the shower.
This 'after burn' (increased calorie expenditure) is far greater following exercise at 75% of maximum heart rate, or higher – another reason to forget those low-intensity workouts!

 

Increase exercise intensity

If you want to keep seeing results in your fat-burning programme, you must keep increasing the intensity.
This isn’t the same as increasing your effort, because as you get fitter, your body will be able to cope with increasing demands.
So you will have to either increase your poundage used in weight training or reduce your rest periods.
Another way to keep your results moving is to continually introduce new fresh exercises into your routine.

 

Keep moving to burn that fat

Maximise your daily fat burning by moving! Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found that leaner people tend to stand and move more than overweight people in normal daily life.
Their ‘non-exercise activity thermogenesis’ (NEAT) was as much as 350 calories higher each day. So don't just sit there, wiggle your toes, shake a leg, get up regularly and move your body!

Check out the No 1 Abs and fat burning programme on the web at:

http://www.getabsatlast.com/


Saturday 23 June 2012

Is Sugar Toxic to Your Body? 
Video shows how sugar not only causes heart disease and diabetes, but also feeds tumors and is as addictive as Cocaine to your brain

I think everybody needs to watch this video from a recent 60 Minutes episode to see just how harmful to your health sugar really is.

 I don't think most people understand the seriousness of this.  People seem to blindly eat and drink loads of sugar each day (Americans consume a whopping 1/3 lb of sugar per DAY on average) without thinking about how this internally affects your body and your biochemistry.

Please share this page with all of your family and friends to help protect their health.




Mike's comments:
As you can see in the video, it should be no surprise to anybody that studies clearly relate excess sugar consumption to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
You might argue that some natural sugars have always been in the human diet, so why is this an issue.
 Well, yes humans have always eaten small amounts of natural sugars from fruit as part of the ancestral diet, but we've never historically been exposed to the massive amounts of added sugars that we see in today's world of sweetened drinks, candies, cakes, cookies, as well as added sugars in everything from condiments to dressings to tomato sauces.

As you can see in the video, the average American eats a sickening 130 lbs of sugar per person per year, or 1/3 lb per day!  That's just nasty if you ask me, and shows how little most people respect their body, or even think about what they're putting in their body on a daily basis.

The video also mentions that in one controlled study, they replaced 25% of the daily calories of the subjects with sugary drinks, and took continual blood tests.  The tests showed that by replacing 25% of their daily calories with sugary drinks, the subjects increased their dangerous small dense LDL particles in their blood which causes arterial plaque and heart disease.  Yes, in fact, sugar and carbs in general contribute more to heart disease than fats do.

We also need to realize that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a relatively new invention in the human diet and is something that your body does not know how to properly handle.  HFCS didn't really become part of the human food supply until the 1970's and now it's found it fairly large quantities in almost every processed food on the grocery shelves.  As the video points out, HFCS consumption is clearly linked to increased heart disease and stroke risk.

One statement I don't agree with in the video above is that sugar and HFCS are "the same".  While I agree that they are both terrible for your health and both toxic, there are certainly big differences in how the body processes HFCS vs table sugar or other forms of sugar.

Also take note that the video mentions how sugar feeds tumors and can make cancer worse.
In addition, sugar activates reward centers in your brain, similar to drugs like cocaine, thereby making sugar addictive.  The part of the video where they do brain scans on him while he sips a sugary soda is interesting indeed.

One other thing to mention about this video... I don't fully agree with how they lump honey and real maple syrup in with table sugar or HFCS.  Although honey and real maple syrup are mostly sugar, and should be minimized overall, both of them at least have additional micronutrients and antioxidants that sugar or HFCS simply don't have.

In addition, another aspect that the video fails to mention is that it's not just added sugar that causes all of these negative effects in your body, but also fast-digesting carb sources like breads, pastas, bagels, muffins, rice, and other grain-based foods that spike your blood sugar just as quickly as regular table sugar.  For example, each piece of bread you eat is basically equivalent to eating about 20 grams of sugar since the response to your blood sugar and triglyceride levels is essentially the same.

The bottom line is that food manufacturers want you to be addicted to sugar and continue to buy all of their junk foods and sugary drinks which destroy your health.  But it's time to take control of your health for yourself and not support these giant businesses who only care about their corporate profit and not about how they are destroying your health.  Please share this video and article with your friends and family with easy sharing options below:
  7 odd foods that KILL your belly fat

Friday 22 June 2012

The Top 3 Things to AVOID at Restaurants to Stay Lean and Healthy

The Top 3 Things to to Stay Lean and Healthy,AVOID these at Restaurants
I have been traveling a lot away on business this year, and I have noticed that it is very eas to fall into the junk food trap when you are away from home.
Lets face it there are not many healthy options on the high street, so you find yourself just grabbing a quick burger.
In fact, eating out at restaurants frequently is one of the biggest reasons why so many people fatten up while traveling.
But there are a few tricks available to make eating out much more in keeping to your home diet.
These will help keep the calories down and stay in control.
The 3 most important things to avoid that are EVERYWHERE not just at restaurants are:
  • the deep fried foods
  • the refined starchy foods
  • and any sodas, juices, or other sugary foods (except whole fruits, which are great)
This eliminates the major food sources that do the worst damage in our food supply - the evil trans fats, the inflammatory refined vegetable oils, refined starches, and processed sugars.
This means trying to cut out the table bread they usually leave for you to snack on, skipping the french fries (that come with every single sandwich on every menu known to man), and reducing all of the large portions of rice and pasta that are often loaded on the plates as well.
Instead, try to order just meat, side vegetables, and a salad, asking for the vegetables or salad as a substitute for the typical fries, rice, or pasta that the meal probably comes with.
Almost every restaurant I've ever been to will always allow me to substitute veggies or a side salad for the fries or chips that almost always come with sandwiches or burgers.
Side note:  It always amazes me how many people scrutinize me because I substitute veggies for fries by telling me that I'm "not living" because I won't eat fries...
Yet they are always the first to complain that they are overweight and have "tried everything", yet can't lose weight.  I'm not sure why so many people think eating french fries equals "living it up"... I'm all for moderation with many things, but if there's 2 things that should be almost totally removed from everyone's diet because these foods are simply that evil... it's fries and sodas!
Take a look at the typical difference this simple substitution makes between choosing smart and doing what most people do...
Most people will eat a meal out such as this:
  • Sandwich or burger
  • fries or chips
  • soda or other sweetened drink
A MUCH smarter alternative for a leaner, healthier body is very simply this:
  • Sandwich or burger
  • veggies or salad
  • unsweetened iced tea or water with lemon (and no diet drinks -- unless you enjoy drinking carcinogenic poisonous artificial sweetener chemicals).
These 2 simple substitutions save at least 400 - 900 calories EACH time you dine out (depending on drink refills and fries portion sizes)... AND you're cutting out the most harmful foods to your body as well by avoiding the trannies and high fructose corn syrup.
Also, it may be rare to find this in most restaurants, but if you can find some that offer much healthier grass-fed beef burgers, it's a much smarter decision compared to grain fattened beef.
Side note:  a little-known way to eat full portions of rice, pasta, and breads and actually get away with it without packing on the bodyfat is to make sure to schedule a high intensity full body resistance training workout before your scheduled meal time.
Sometimes it may be hard to fit the workout into your schedule right before the meal event, but if you can, the meal can be your "post-workout meal", in which case, your body can handle a higher amount of carbs than normal to help replenish the muscle glycogen depletion you had during the intense workout.
A cardio workout WON'T cut it for this... it must be high intensity resistance training to deplete enough muscle glycogen to handle restaurant portions of carbohydrates.
I hope these dining tips help you choose smarter and healthier next time you eat out. Feel free to share this article with your friends.


Wednesday 20 June 2012

Crazy Belly Fat-Burning workout

Crazy Belly Fat-Burning Workout...
A uniquely different style of cardio combined with weight-training workout.
Burn belly fat fast with this crazy routine


When you get stuck and just cannot seem to shift those last stubbon traces of belly fat.
Then maybe it is time to shock your body and include these cool tips into your training routine.
Idea #1 - The weights / cardio high intensity 60 seconds combo workout...
This is a great unique way to structure your workouts and is great for breaking through a plateau and getting exciting new results.
Most people usually fit in their cardio workout at the end or beginning of their gym or home workout, or even dedicate a whole session to jogging, swimming, or whatever.
But if you are like me and find the whole cardio routine slow dull and boring,try these new tricks to liven things up and plus get two workouts for the price of one
Now the key to this workout is to alternate short 1-minute bursts of high intensity cardio work in between your usual weight training sets.
Now what this does is shock your body into increasing your metabolic rate by introducing something new, this in turn increases your fat burning rate dramatically
So for example, let's say that you're doing 4 sets of arm curls or 4 sets of bench press.... well, in between the weight training sets, you simply add in any type of cardio at a high intensity for 1 minute.
This 1 minute burst of cardio could be a 1 min blast at high speed on the treadmill, the bicycle or rowing machine at a high setting. You could even try grabbing a jump rope and banging out a super high speed intense 1 min of jump roping between sets.
So your routine would look something like this:
weight training set #1
1 minute high intensity cardio
weight training set #2
1 minute high intensity cardio
weight training set #3
1 minute high intensity cardio

etc, etc
new exercise weight training set #1
1 minute high intensity cardio

new exercise weight training set #2
1 minute high intensity cardio
etc, etc
Now this is a very powerful technique but please note it is quite tough and not for the beginner.
But if you have been working out for a while and have hit a wall and just cannot seem to shift those last few pounds, then try this tip and you will be pleasantly surprised just how fast this really works.
Idea #2:  the "quirky pullup"...
I've tried this on many occasions to mix up my pullups to give me a harder variation as a challenge and to increase my results.
This type of pullup is only for advanced trainees that can already do at least 8-10 normal pullups or more per set.
What you do on this challenging style of pullup is use 2 small towels and wrap them around the bar at about shoulder width for each towel. The small "hand towel" size towels work best, as a large towel will make too large of a grip for grabbing onto for pullups.  You wrap each towel around the pullup bar so that at least 6-8 inches of towel are hanging below the pullup bar.
Then grip the towels as hard as you can (from the hanging towel sections below the bar) and start doing pullups.  You're basically only gripping the hanging towel and not the pullup bar itself.  You won't be able to do as many pullups as normal because of the tough grip, so do a few extra sets.
I can tell you... these are HARD pullups and challenge your grip immensely! Only try these if you are already very strong on pullups.  Great variation though to mix things up.
I hope you enjoyed these tips today and they help you get better workout results!
To get the full programme please check out http://www.getabsatlast.com/
 Ive found some more great tips also on this site http://www.greatnnatural.com/

Tuesday 19 June 2012

The 2 Vital Secrets You Need for Losing Your Belly Fat for Good

The 2 Vital Secrets You Need for Losing Your Belly Fat for Good

I bet you're thinking that you've tried every technique in the world for losing your stubborn belly fat, but it just never seems to budge... right? I'm sure you see TONS of commercials and ads making all kinds of miracle claims for losing your belly fat overnight with their magic pill or wildly-hyped snake-oil supplement.

How about all of the bogus infomercial gadgets out there claiming you can shrink your stomach in a matter of days just by strapping some worthless "ab-belt" around your waist, or sizzle away the stomach fat by using their patented "ab-roller-rocker" do-hicky.
Come on now! I hope you've been insulted by all of these fraudulent marketers and the gimmicks and scams that they are pushing down your throat by trying to get you to believe that a fat-loss miracle is possible overnight.

So let's get past all of the scams and gimmicks and get right down to the hard science and reality behind what techniques and strategies really do help you for losing your stubborn belly fat and keeping it off for life!

1) The first important principle we'll discuss is how you structure your workouts. In order to stimulate fat-loss from your stomach, you need to stop wasting so much of your time doing all kinds of various abdominal exercises and hundreds of reps of crunches, leg lifts, and torso twists in the hopes of "spot-reducing" your belly and love handles.

I'm sure you know by now if you've read any reputable fitness publications over the last decade that spot-reduction DOES NOT occur. It's a myth that just won't seem to go away. The truth is, losing belly fat does NOT occur by doing exercises that target the stomach area. Unfortunately, even though most people by now do understand this (or at least they should), they still spend WAY too much of their training time trying to target the stomach with tons of abs exercises.
Now don't get me wrong, a certain amount of abdominals exercises are great and they do help to strengthen your core and help you maintain a healthy back. But the fact is that direct abs exercises should only be a small portion of your workout routines. The majority of your time should be spent focusing on big multi-joint exercises that work the largest muscle groups of the body like the legs, chest, and back.

Now that is one of the REAL secrets for ridding yourself of that sloppy belly fat for good. Focusing on big multi-joint exercises for the largest portions of your body greatly increases your metabolic rate both during the workout, and for 24-48 hours after the workout. In addition, this also stimulates an increase in fat-burning hormones within your body. You simply don't get this type of metabolic and hormonal response by wasting most of your time with "abs-pumping" exercises.

Want to lose your belly fat the right way... Well, get your butt under a barbell and do some squats, some lunges, some deadlifts, step-ups, some back and chest work. For you ladies, don't worry...it's not going to "bulk you up".

It doesn't matter per se if it's barbells, dumbbells, or even bodyweight exercises... the focus needs to be on big multi-joint exercises at a high intensity. That means no 5-minute rest periods between sets while you flap your gums with half of the people at the gym. Losing that stubborn belly for good requires some focus and intensity in your workouts! Anybody who tells you that you can do it while sitting on your couch watching TV with some "ab-belt" strapped to you, or doing only 2-minutes of crunching with your "ab-rocker-roller" is flat out lying to you!

2) The second important principle to rid yourself of that flabby belly revolves around your nutrition. The first thing you need to realize is that "diets" only work against your body in your effort to lose the stomach fat. You see, if you follow any of these fad diets like extremely low-carb, or low-fat, or the grapefruit diet, the soup diet, or anything else that restricts 1 or more of the macro-nutrients (protein, carbs, and fat), most of the time you will actually lose lean muscle and lower your metabolic rate. This only makes you fatter in the long run, when you start to eat normal again!
I could go into all kinds of details, but essentially you are messing up processes related to your hormonal balance in your body, the muscle glycogen process, insulin, blood sugar, etc., and this stops your fat loss dead in its tracks!
It's important to stop falling for the fad diet gimmicks, and understand that as humans, we are meant to eat a balanced diet full of a diverse array of foods from healthy natural sources of carbohydrates, proteins, AND fats. This gives your body all of the macro-nutrients as well as all of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that your body needs to run like a well-oiled fat-burning machine!

I could go on and on with dozens more strategies for losing your belly fat faster, the natural way, but I've rambled on long enough for one article. You can find all of my best fat-loss strategies to help you uncover those hidden abdominals of yours, laid out into actual programs for you to follow in my Truth about Six Pack Abs Program for

Losing Belly Fat

losing belly fat imageIf you've been thinking of getting a copy of The Truth about Six Pack Abs Program, but just haven't made the move yet, now is the time to take action, and get started on your lean ripped flat stomach today!

Saturday 16 June 2012

Eating what you want for one day a week can actually help you shed the pounds

Eating what you want for one day a week can actually help you shed the pounds.



Some times all this watching the calories and what you eat to lose weight can get a bit boring and get you down.
But do not despair today I have some good news for you.
Actually taking one day off a week from your diet actually helps weight loss, yes it’s true.

I usually take my day off on a Sunday but it doesn’t matter which day of the week you chose.

It give me the chance to stuff my face with ice cream, pizza chocolate and all my old favorite’s, to be honest at the end of the day I am a little bit nauseous and I do not want to see any more treats for the rest of the week.

So how can this help you lose weight? I hear you ask

Well dramatically increasing you caloric intake just once a week increases fat loss by ensuring that you metabolic rate (thyroid function, etc) doesn’t down regulate from extended caloric restriction.

In other words when you diet for an extended period your body adjusts to the lower food intake and you can find it very difficult to lose any more weight.

Who would have thought eating pure crap one day a week could actually help you shift the pounds.

Yipeeee anyone for ice cream?

http://www.greatnnatural.com/

Wednesday 13 June 2012

Get your cardio done in under 20 minutes!

If your like me and do not enjoy endless hours of cardio training trying to burn off stubborn body fat then read on.

One thing I have never enjoyed or included in my routine is the hours of jogging either on road or on the treadmill, I find it so boring not to mention the damage the long term impact can have on your knee joints.

Don’t get me wrong running has helped a lot of people achieve their fitness goals but I found it is just not for me.

The truth is you really do not need to run at all to achieve a toned fit body.

There is another great way to complete a cardio workout in only 15-20 minutes and get your heart pumping plus work all your major muscle groups at the same time.


Yes I am talking about the good old tried and tested rowing machine.

Rowing machines have moved on a great deal from the old flimsy looking models people used to hide under their beds.

They are now state of the art machines which can be programmed to give you a very intense workout all in under 20 minutes.

You could easily include this before or after your weights session to really get your body to shed the pounds and build lean muscle.

Here's how a rowing machine could help your weight or other exercise fitness:

.Uses upper leg muscles

.Uses shoulders

.Tones majority of muscle groups and helps improve power

.Burns fat fast and therefore keeps weight down

.Increases lung capacity

.Impact free, so less chance of injuries

.Allows you to monitor your fitness levels, by comparing your previous times

.Panders to your competitive nature!

.Enables you to do speed work or slower longer sessions

.Rowing machines are hard work, so you feel mentally as well as physically that you’ve had a good workout.

.Easy to increase resistance


With all this going for them, why wouldn’t you want to include them as part of your training schedule?


http://www.getabsatlast.com/

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Secret List of fat burning foods

List of Best Fat Burning Foods.




There are many foods which can aid the body in the natural fat burning process.
But before we get to the list of fat burning foods, it is important to understand the reasons we accumulate fat in the first place.

The process of fat accumalatation


A body needs food for acquiring the energy to feed/sustain its cells and for performing internal and external functions.

The energy present in a food can be measured loosely in terms of “calories”. The more calories that are present in a food, the more fuel/energy that the body can get from it. The body also needs to expend energy in order to digest the foods to get energy from them – so a small percentage of old fuel is burnt off in the process of acquiring new fuel.

The harder the food is to digest the more energy is expended by the body to digest it.

Macro-nutrients and their calories – There are three macro-nutrients, or fuel units, that can be present in a food – Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat. Fact, 1g of protein yields 4 calories, 1g of carbohydrate yields 4 calories and 1g of fat yields 9 calories. So basically fats can provide more (double) calories to the body compared to the other two nutrient units.

But please refrain from coming to the conclusion that fats are bad for you, they are not. Many healthy fats are essential for the harmonious functioning of the body and foods that provide these fats need to be an integral part of your diet.
The process of fat deposition in the body – When you consume foods, the body gets the fuel in the form of carbohydrates, proteins or fats. It starts generating energy from these fuels through the process of digestion and assimilation.

The body uses up a part of the fuel to fulfill its sustenance, and functional, requirements and the excess fuel is stored up eventually in the form of “Fat” in the “fat cells” of your body, some amount of fat is also stored around the kidneys and in the liver.


The reason for the “Flab” – One important point to understand is that a human body, under normal conditions, has “limited” fat cells and there is a limit to how much fat can be stored up in these cells. Once these cells reach their limit, the fats start getting stored up in muscle linings.

Fat cells are usually present in the regions of your chest, waist and hips. As more fats get deposited in these cells, the larger they grow in size and this enlargement is what shows up as flab around the chest, waist and hip regions in men and women. Once the fat cells reach the limit of their expansion, the fats start getting stored in the muscle linings of arms and thighs creating flabbiness in these limbs also.

How can foods help burn fat in the body?


Once you understand the process of fat deposition, you would question as to how a food can ever help in burning fat when it’s a source of calorie, and hence a possible source of fat creation rather than fat reduction. It’s true that all foods can be a possible sources of fat creation, but certain foods can help burn fat or reduce fat in the following ways.

• Some foods contain certain vitamins or minerals that help improve the metabolism, and improve the fat burning capacity, of the body and act as virtual fat burners.

• Some foods contain less calories while requiring more complex digestion and assimilation causing the expenditure of energy and thus acting as virtual calorie burners

• Some foods create a sense of satiation even when consumed in small amounts while also being low of calories

• Certain means of cooking reduces the calorie profile of the food and thus helps in reduce fat creation.

Eating these foods, in the right quantities, over a period of time will ensure that the fat profile starts reducing. When we talk about burning fat it also includes foods that help reduce the possibility of new fat creation, because this would indirectly help you burn fat at a faster pace through your activities (like
exercising).

A list of practical foods for burning fat (and reducing fat deposition)
A lot of people try to starve their nutrition in a bid to reduce fat. This approach can have spurious effects on the harmony of the body and is not a wise or healthy way to reduce fat.

The right way to reduce fats would be to eat foods that reduce the possibility of further fat deposition, or foods that assist in burning fats, while also taking up calorie-burning exercises (like aerobics, yoga and resistance/weight training) to use up the past-stored fat in your body. So here’s a compiled list of some easily available foods that can help in this process of burning fats or reducing the fat profile of your body.

Citrus Fruits


I would rank these as the best fat burning foods around. Eating a breakfast of citrus fruits, or other Vitamin C rich fruits, is one the best ways to start reducing the fat profile of your body. Citrus fruits provide the body with easy energy to hike up its metabolism while also supplying a rich amount of Vitamin C which is scientifically known to help burn fat as it’s a vital chemical used by the body in the process of fat metabolism.

Some citrus fruits you can try are Oranges, Kiwi fruit, Grape fruit, Tangerines, Kumquats, Clementine and Fresh Lime. While fruits like Strawberries, Apples, Tomatoes, Plums, Grapes, Cherries, Raspberries, are also good sources of vitamin C. Depending on your budget, and fruit availability, try to use a mix of these fruits for your breakfast to combine health with taste. You can also try out a “citrus fruit only” breakfast for a few weeks to see how effectively it helps in burning fat around your waist and hips. I’ve personally seen excellent results with this method of eating a fruit only breakfast.

Fruits in general are excellent foods for fat reduction because they are natural, they are rich in vitamins & minerals, high in water content and low on calories compared to refined foods. Fruits are known to improve body metabolism and reduce bad cholesterol. Papaya, bananas, mangoes, sapote, pomegranates and blueberries make for excellent snack foods as well as breakfast foods.

Oats


The benefit of eating cereals like Oats is that they contain a huge proportion of their calorie profile in terms of insoluble fiber. This insoluble fiber not only gives you a feeling of satiation and thus keeps you from feeling hungry for a long time but also does not contribute to any calorie addition to the body. In fact, any foods that contain a good amount of insoluble fiber would help you in the process of reducing the fat profile of the body. Raisin and Barn cereal is another good example of breakfast food that’s rich in insoluble fiber, so is cooked barley.

Vegetables

Except for certain calorie rich vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes or yams, most other vegetables have a low calorie profile while containing essential minerals and vitamin that improve the metabolism of the body. When you eat potatoes, if possible, cook them with their skin on because their skin is a good source of insoluble fiber. Veggies like broccoli, spinach, artichoke, lima beans, peas, cabbage and carrots are excellent sources of minerals while being low on calories. Veggies don’t contain fats either and their carbohydrate count is very low (even compared to fruits).
Cucumbers are excellent as a salad food, low on calories and rich in water content.
The best way to cook veggies would be to boil them or stir fry them with healthy oils like olive oil, sunflower oil, Soybean oil or sesame oil.

Lentils


These foods, also known as edible pulses, are not only filling and nutritious (in terms of minerals) but are also low on calories and rich in plant proteins/amino-acids. In countries like India, it’s very traditional to have lentil soups, broth and gravies with breads (wheat rotis) and rice. You can also make several food items using the flour of ground lentils. They are excellent sources of dietary fiber and are known to lower the bad-cholesterol (and thus contribute to heart health).

Poultry

If you are a non-vegetarian it would be a good option to eat more poultry than red meats. Poultry like chicken are low on fats and carbohydrates while have a good protein profile. Proteins are not only more complex to digest & assimilate (and thus require a higher expenditure of energy) but they also require more energy to be stored as fats. Go in for lean cuts and avoid eating the skin of the poultry as it contains a lot of fat. Red meats, or white meats, from lamb, beef or pork, can be consumed in moderate quantities a few times a week, instead of eating them regularly in your diet, because they have a high fat profile (but these meat are a good source of minerals and proteins that can assist in the over-all health of the body when consumed in moderation).

Eggs

An average adult can consume one or two eggs a day (whole eggs with yolk) and obtain necessary protein and minerals from it while also keep a low calorie profile. Eggs are not high on calories and are also low on unhealthy fats. The possibility of a variety of food preparations using eggs make them ideal as snack foods as well as regular meal foods. It’s been found, in many studies, that eggs don’t contribute to increasing your bad cholesterol profile but can serve to improve your good cholesterol (necessary for a healthy body) when eaten in moderation.

Almonds and walnuts

These are excellent snack foods and can help you feel satiated with just a fistful of these nuts. These nuts are a great source of healthy fats. It has been seen that people who don’t consume healthy fats are more likely to gain weight than people who do. This is the reason why it’s very imprudent to eliminate healthy fats from your diet in a bid to reduce weight. Remember that healthy fats are needed for a harmonious functioning of the body because most of the body’s cell structure is made from these fats.

Salmon

Fish is a good source of protein and healthy fats (rich in omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids), and makes for a great lunch or dinner meal. Salmon, mackerel, trout and tuna are not only tasty but are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids while also being low on calories and saturated fat content.

Water

Though water would not count as a food, because it has no calories, it would need to mentioned that water helps improve the over-all metabolism of the body and thus helps burn fat. And of course, water helps flush out toxins and thus improves the capacity of the body to stay healthy. Certain foods are rich in their water content and thus help in the process of fat reduction (also foods rich in water content make you feel satiated quickly), some examples are water melons, cantaloupes, cucumbers, snake gourd, papaya and chard.

The benefit of eating these water rich foods is that they supply minerals (electrolytes) along with water and hence do not cause “water intoxication” which can results from drinking too much water while not balancing out the minerals (especially during work outs).

In conclusion

Whole foods are better than refined or processed foods when it comes to reducing the fat profile of the body. If there is a choice between a processed foods (like pastries, pizza, pasta etc) and whole foods (like milk, eggs, chicken, vegetables and fruits), make it your second nature to make a bee-line for the latter. You can use the list of fat burning foods, given above, to come up with ideas for your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks on a daily basis to keep it enjoyable and healthy at the same time. Of course, don’t be hard on yourself – it’s totally okay to eat/drink foods that you like (that may not be totally healthy) once in a while in moderation, just don’t overdo it and make sure you workout or exercise to burn off the excess calories.

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