June 08, 2008

Jorge Cruise and Tyra Banks share a secret to the Perfect Six Pack

Could this really be the secret to a sexy six pack?

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May 28, 2008

Exercise and Supplements: Better in the Morning or at Night?

With 24 hours in a day, you should be able to find some time for exercise, right? While most people can find a few minutes here and there, the question remains: is it better to exercise in the morning or at night?

Most experts agree that if you are an average Joe, it does not matter when you exercise; as long as you are consistent. With that being said, if you are more interested in strength training and building muscle, you may be better off working out in the evening as your core body temperature will be higher which in turn allows you to achieve maximum results.

As far as taking supplements is concerned, you need to follow the instructions to the letter. If you are taking a muscle building supplement, such as Creatine , you will probably want to do so before working out. But once again, check the label to ensure that you are doing what is best for your body.

When it comes down to it, if you are not an elite athlete in training, you can get away with working out morning, noon, or night.

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May 14, 2008

Bodybuilding is a Lifelong Lifestyle

Although you may be in the best shape of your life right now, what do you think things will be like in 20 or 30 years? Do you plan on keeping with your workout regimen until the day that you die? Well, if you are like Walt Radke, the answer is yes.

Radke is 69 years old and still competing in bodybuilding competitions. In fact, he is doing more than competing. Most recently, he placed third overall in the over 60 class at the Emerald Cup competition.

Staying fit has a lot to do with the exercises that you complete, and the Hydroxytrol supplementsthat you take; this has never been denied. But at the same time, devotion to a better body will take you to new heights and allow you to stay there well into your golden years.

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Lose Weight for the Summer Months the Fun Way

Do you want to look better than ever before when you head to the beach this summer? If so, it is time for you to kick your exercise routine into high gear. While many think that exercise is a boring, necessary evil, this does not necessarily have to be the case.

Believe it or not, people all over the world are putting on their dancing shoes
as a way to lose weight and get in shape. What would your rather do? Dance the weight off, or spend hours on end running on a treadmill.

By combining fun exercise with diet pill supplements, such as the Hydroxytrol Ephedra Diet Pill, you will be able to shed the pounds and attract attention this summer!

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April 30, 2008

Spice Up Your Ab Workout

Pump up that ball! 5 Ways to Make Crunches on the Ball More Challenging can help give you the definition you need fast as summer is approaching.

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Spice Up Your Ab Workout

Pump up that ball! 5 Ways to Make Crunches on the Ball More Challenging can help give you the definition you need fast as summer is approaching.

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Summertime Workout

I always find it easier to complete a Summertime Workout . Summertime spurs on more energy than any other time of the year! For women, one part of the body that is often overlooked during your workouts as a main body part to work on is arms! Sexy arms are essential during the summertime! Two great exercises' to push yourself to incorporate into your workout are the Band Lat Pulldown and the good old PUSHUP!!!

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March 21, 2008

Too Stretch or Not too Stretch

Do you feel guilty when you’re running late to the gym and you finally arrive only to skip your stretching routine?! You don’t feel as though you have the time to stretch when your late on your reps! Eager to gulp down cool bottle of Endorush 12 RTD Energy Drinkand start feeling the sweat...the last thing you want to do is relax and stretch! Is it necessary?

Many people routinely stretch before working out and after a work. We are taught at a very young age to stretch before sporting activities, especially high cardio and weight lifting. Stretching is penciled into most classes thatare elected in gyms across the country.
But the question arises, To Stretch or Not to Stretch? The Answer is Elastic

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January 08, 2008

American Gladiators Revival

People are a buzz about the latest old show to make a comeback. People of all ages have enjoyed watching the Classic battle of strength between our American Gladiators and the average contestant. The original “American Gladiators” series ran for almost ten years from 1989 to 1996. After watching the series last night it was clear the contestants were all prepared to battle against the Gladiators. Supplements like creatine , or protein shakes clearly helped them attain the muscular physiques!

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December 30, 2007

Words to Live By

As we all start the New Year and take time to reflect on the past and look forward to our future goals for the year, we should take the time to ponder the words from Nick Scott, a wheelchair bodybuilder
Nick broke his back in a car accident back in high school that paralyzed him for life. Despite the setback, in the last two years Scott has completed and posed in 10 bodybuilding shows!

Scott states “life is not about having a glass half empty or half full.
It is just having a glass that is enough to be thankful about”.

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Is Physical Activity the Closest thing to a Fountain of Youth for the Brain?

Exercise does seem to slow and even reverse the metal slide that often accompanies aging.
Most people are already well aware of this concept, but researchers are finding more and more evidence to support this finding.

Since it is clear Regular physical exercise can by and large help improve a person’s quality of life, it is important to Take to exercise and harvest the benefits!

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December 26, 2007

Bodybuilding as A Natural Stress Reliever

Bodybuilding helps woman forget problems

With the New Year approaching now is the time to relieve stress, feel energetic and start working your way to a new you!

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Common Off-Season Mistakes

Bodybuilders take time away from the sport just like everybody else with a career. With that being said, bodybuilders need to keep their body in good shape so that they do not undo all of their hard work. Of course, this is easier said than done during an off-season break or vacation. There are many common mistakes that are made in this area. Some of the more popular include: not eating enough of the good foods, not keeping up with a cardio workout, and staying away from carbs. If you are interested in being the best possible bodybuilder, you need to work hard year round. This is not to say that you can never take a break, but when you do, you must still have the best interest of your body in mind.

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December 15, 2007

Raw Eggs for Building Muscle?

Believe it or not, many hard core bodybuilders have found that raw eggs are not among the best foods for building muscle. Yes, you heard that right. Even though this was a huge myth in the past, it is more or less dying down. Not only does the thought of eating raw eggs disgust many bodybuilders, but they are also high in cholesterol; which is obviously bad for your health.

Bodybuilders have found that they do not need to eat raw eggs in order to get the proper level of protein . Instead, they can rely on supplements as well as energy drinks such as Whey protein .

Bodybuilders may have gulped down a couple of raw eggs
per day in the past. But with so many supplements on the market today, this is no longer necessary.

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New Generation of Bodybuilding Supplements

With all of the negative talk about steroids in sports, it is about time that something good comes about. There is a new generation of bodybuilding supplements that are becoming quite popular among online retailers. These Pro-steroids are more or less a natural variation of illegal steroid supplements. As you can imagine, these have become very popular among both amateurs as well as those who are hoping to take their career to the next level.

While Pro-steroids are walking a fine line between legal and illegal, they have been around in some form for many years. For instance, androstenedione became very popular during the late 1990’s and is still widely used for the best performance.

It will be interesting to see if these drugs, such as Permadrol stick around or are simply a fad.

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December 04, 2007

5 Minuets A Day?

A Better Body in 5 Minuets’ is this realistic?!?!
Bodybuilders know it takes more than 5 mins. a day.

Nutritional & bodybuilding supplements, Hard Work, Eating Healthy outweighs the 5 mins a day that is portrayed in this article.

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3 Off Base Exercise Tips from a Celebrity Trainer!

Exercise and working out are something that a lot of people are interested in. Unfortunately, many people get off on the wrong foot because they listen to the many myths that are circulating the fitness industry.

Check out three of the worst exercise tips as given by celebrity fitness trainers

1. An over abundance of sit-ups will help you to get rid of excess belly fat.

2. Unlike men, women should stay away from weight training unless they want to add bulk.

3. Working out in the fat burning zone will produce the best results.

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November 26, 2007

Bulking Season

Countdown to 2008 is underway. The Bulking Season is around the corner! The weather is cold, the midriff is covered… this is the season to bulk up. Breaking up the year into a bulking up season and a cutting up season enables you to make gains that you would never be able to make by trying to do both at the same time.

Workouts: Cardiovascular endurance is very important for your overall health. But the sheer amount of calories it consumes can get in the way of a bulking up program. The solution is to make your cardio workouts short but intense. Sprints on your favorite exercise equipment are in order. Another solution is to occasionally skip the cardio portion of your workout in favor of a heart-pounding strength training session. The key to this is to move from exercise to exercise with little to no rest between. It works out your heart as well as surprises your muscles. Any change in your workout will increase your gains.

Most importantly, change your strength training sessions to utilize the extra calories and nutrition. Regularly change your routine, and in general, concentrate more on heavy weights and less on reps.

Diet: As appealing as it is to turn the bulking up season into a cheat season… resist the temptation! The goal is to gain muscle, but if that goal is accomplished with a good amount of fat you will be doing a huge disservice to yourself when spring rolls around. Instead, take this opportunity to not only bulk up on muscle, but the nutrition that you may have cut back on during the summer. Load up on the fruits and vegetables that were possibly excluded before… sweet potatoes, berries, oranges, kiwi, pomegranate juice.. Include produce from all spectrums of the rainbow to ensure a broad range of vitamins and antioxidants.

Finally, increase your Protein intake to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. A two hundred pound man would, thus, need to consume 300 grams of lean protein. Since this is such a huge amount, it’s very important to break it up into 7-8 meals. Any more protein than that in one sitting would be detrimental to your goals.

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November 01, 2007

Exorcise with Exercise

The last great holiday between summer and "the holidays" offers many great articles on exercise and fitness.

Exorcise Your Fitness Demons

• What are your fitness demons? Excuses? Desk job? Eating habits? Brewskis? This article helps dispell them thoroughly.

Stick to Your Exercise Program

• Tips on how to be consistent with your fitness routine.

Yawn — why exercise boosts the z z z-factor

• How exercise can help us sleep better -- or not.

Exercise for good health and well being

• Who achieves the most benefit from exercise? The answer: Everyone!
  

Happy Halloween!

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October 29, 2007

Don't Let Winter Throw You Off

Winter's coming, and you don't want the freezing temperatures or short days to derail your fitness progress. Here are some tips to keep you on track.

Don't let winter put freeze on fitness: Urge to 'hibernate' is hard to resist

Although it may be tempting to give it up entirely, head for the comfort food and hibernate when it's cold outside, exercise requirements for health and fitness don't drop just because the temperature does.

Rebel Nutrition: Falling into caffeine addictions

As the weather cools down it’s only natural to cozy up with warmer drinks such as coffee, but the extra caffeine may leave people with a daily habit in the spring.

Get healthy at work

There is a simple way to increase your efficiency and reduce your stress, even in cold weather: exercise while you work. Slip healthy physical activity into your working day.

 

 

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Californians Urged to Take a Fitness Break

Southern Californians are being urged not to do too much outdoor aerobic activity for the time being, as a result of poor air quality due to the wildfires that have plagued the area.

SanDiego.com's Fitness experts suggest a break from workouts reports:

"In San Diego County, normally a paradise for outdoor workout warriors, conditions are especially deceptive because the sun still shines through blue skies. The danger is what you can't see: noxious particulate matter from the wildfires.

"Vigorous exercise outdoors could bring chronic pulmonary problems, and some liken the air quality around the county to that of Ground Zero in New York after Sept. 11, 2001. Even near Ocean Beach, far removed from the fires, a thin layer of particles had to be wiped off windshields for the past two days."

So take a break and "don't inhale."  

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October 13, 2007

Obesity and Fish Oil in the News

For the first time in history, the world's overweight population outnumbers its underweight population. As reported in Worldwide Summit on Fruits, Vegetables Unite Medical, Agricultural Researchers, "The number of people across the globe who are underweight has declined to less than 1 billion in the last decade, while the world's overweight population grown to more than 1.1 billion." Their recommendation? Promote more widely the eating of fruits and vegetables.

In other news, fish oil is not a risk for mercury and alcohol may have social benefits, as reported in The New York Times' The Inbox: Answers About Fish Oil, Alcohol and Eggs. The column answers these questions:

• So I know fish oil is good for you, but is there mercury in it that can be bad for you?
• I always wonder about these studies linking alcohol with breast cancer. Did they take into consideration whether or not the women who drink more than three glasses a day might also ingest a higher level of fat? Did they also look into their intake of red meat?
• How about: drinking is enjoyable? Seems that should be some small part of the equation?
• In your article about eggs, a researcher noted that “the large majority can consume eggs in reasonable amounts.” What is a reasonable amount?

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October 05, 2007

Workout Tips: Nutrition and a Cold Bath

Matching nutrition to your fitness goals and easing discomfort after a hard workout are the subjects of two informative articles.

Linking your nutrition needs with your workouts

Many fitness experts agree that the average person who works out for about an hour a day doesn't require specialized food or drinks, especially if they're trying to lose weight.

Fitness tip: Take a cold bath

“After hard efforts you have microscopic tearing to your muscles,” said Scott. “That tearing causes inflammation, swelling, aches and pains the next day. You want to stop the bleeding and reduce the inflammation. When you use ice it starts to constrict the muscles. Then when the muscles warm up again, blood gorges into the muscles and flushes out the toxins.”

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September 22, 2007

Uplift from Exercise and Breathing

Exercise and relaxation techniques can do more for you than popping antidepressants, say two new articles.

Sweat the blues away, study finds exercise as effective as an antidepressant

Regular exercise could help lift the cloud of major depression as effectively as an antidepressant, research shows. "A lot of people know from their own experience that when they exercise, they feel better," says James A. Blumenthal, a professor of psychology at Duke University and lead author of the study. 

A 5-Step Breathing Exercise to Better Health, More Energy & Longer Life!

Just five to ten minutes practice of this qigong/chi kung diaphragmatic breathing exercise will do wonders for your mind and body.

 

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September 08, 2007

Exercise Important for Regeneration

It's never too late to be healthy. Even cancer survivors and heart patients are finding the benefits of exercise.

Exercise, Yoga Benefit Breast Cancer Survivors

According to two studies published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, exercise—whether traditional aerobic or resistance exercise or yoga—provides important benefits to breast cancer survivors.

Exercise creates heart vessels

Having a bad heart doesn't mean you can skip exercise. Exercise may even help your heart repair itself, doctors say.

 

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August 28, 2007

A Gym to Call Your Own

Home, fit home from naplesnews.com tells about the possibilities of working out at home.

"Some workouts aren’t meant to be shared in others’ gyms, with social pressures, strange sweat," the article proclaims. Many people share this sentement. Karen and Jason Taylor are both experienced bodybuilders who converted the office of their Berkshire Lakes home into a personal gym after becoming dissatisfied with public gyms.

So what will you do with that spare bedroom in your house?  

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Wide Benefits of Exercise

We all know that exercise is an integral part of health. Read these articles to find out more about specific regimens that increase wellbeing.

Weightlifting does a whole body good

"Bone is constantly remodeling -- that is, old bone is chewed up by a group of bone-eating cells that are followed along by a group of bone-making cells. This process of breaking down and building up of bone is encouraged by loading of the bone, or pushes and pulls on the bone."

Bodybuilding: From The Pros To The Everyday Trainers

The dedication put forth by the sport's top pros may be a bit much for the average person -- a daily diet of 5 lbs. of meat and truly grueling training is a lot to ask. However, impressive results are attainable with a more tempered approach. People willing to put in a few intense hours a week in the gym and show some diet savvy are finding that natural bodybuilding training techniques have true power. They are feeling and looking younger. They are getting stronger and experiencing the thrill of having their physiques demand double-takes.

Study claims exercise may help fight fatigue

Exercising is not what a lot of people want to do when they are fatigued, O'Connor said. However, when studying for an exam, a 15 minute walk can help ease fatigue.

Fitness DVD gives heart attack survivors expert guidance on what's next

For people who suffer a heart attack, surviving is just the first step. They then have to choose the best way to live to prevent another one.

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August 05, 2007

5 Surgeries That Are Overused

 

Ever wonder if the surgery that's being recommended is absolutely necessary? CNN.com enumerates five common surgeries that may have alternative solutions. Be sure to be fully informed before going under the knife if one of these surgeries are being proposed:

Hysterectomy
Episiotomy
Angioplasty
Heartburn surgery
Lower-back surgery

Look to the article for information on what you could do instead.

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July 30, 2007

Life-Long Fitness for Long Life and Health

It's never too late to adopt a fitness program for increased energy, health and strength, as these three articles show.

Ventura County women find bodybuilding boosts their fitness and self-confidence

Jeannette Martinez never wore a bikini before becoming a competitive bodybuilder. "Bodybuilding has changed my life in the way that I am more aggressive, more self-assured, and I wear things I never would have dreamed of wearing," Martinez said. "It's a great feeling." Now 48, the grandmother's greatest satisfaction is when her 19-year-old daughter and her friends say, "I wish I had your figure."

At any age, physical fitness key to lasting health

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends four types of senior exercises to improve strength, balance and flexibility and endurance. 1. Strength exercises 2. Balance exercises 3. Stretching exercises 4. Endurance exercises.

Weightlifting advised for heart patients

Pumping a little iron can help elderly nursing home residents and heart failure patients gain strength for everyday life, the American Heart Association says, expanding on earlier advice.

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July 27, 2007

The Fit List from MSNBC

MSNBC brings us a new blog, The Fit List: Workout Tips from Celebrity Trainers. Filled with great tips and sound advice, The Fit List includes entries from Jay Blahnik and Jeannette Jenkins.

Recent entries include:

• Seven Secrets to Avoiding Fitness Failure
• Hit the Stairs to Boost Your Booty
• Getting a Buff Beach Belly
• Your Home The Gymnasium

Visit the blog and browse around for some great fitness tips.  

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July 19, 2007

Wellness Programs at Work

Workplace Wellness from the San Francisco Chronicle tells how some pioneering companies are promoting better health at the workplace -- and they'd like to see their insurance costs go down because of it.

Wellness programs are a key component of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to overhaul health care. The governor views them as a method to reduce overall health spending. Several studies have shown that companies save about $3 in reduced medical claims and absenteeism for every $1 spent on health and wellness programs. "People don't call in sick as much, and we do have low turnover," said Stephen Dixon, Camico's vice president of human resources and administrative services. 

Getting an insurance break for going to the gym or doing cardio? Great idea!  

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July 09, 2007

Do I Look Shorter to You?

An alarming study shows that white and black Americans are now measuring in at shorter than their European counterparts, for the first time in over 100 years. We've been shrinking dramatically since WWII. To blame is junk food and shoddy health care.  

America's Declining Stature: How Did We Become Shorter Than Europe? explains: 

We had always been giants, with the tallest men in the world going back as far as the data exists (at least to the mid-19th century). During the First World War, American GIs still towered over the Europeans they liberated. But for three decades beginning at the end of World War Two, Americans' average height stagnated while Europeans continued the growth-spurt that one would expect to see during a period of relative peace and rising incomes.

Now, with an average height of 5'10", American men are now significantly shorter than men from countries like Denmark (6 footers) or the Netherlands (6' 1"). In fact, Americans -- men and women -- are now shorter, on average, than the citizens of every single country in Western and Northern Europe.

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Exercise Updates

Some exercise tidbits for this week:

It's better to spread your exercise time throughout the week

While spreading each day's total minutes out in three different sessions is good for your heart and metabolism, it is advised to get activity every day. Therefore, instead of trying to cram all of your working out for the week in a couple marathon days, spread it out.

Exercise can keep you fit beyond your years

King and his co-authors found that people 45 to 64 years old significantly dropped their risk for cardiovascular disease and death by more than a third by adopting four healthier habits: eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, exercising 2.5 hours per week, maintaining a body mass index or BMI between 18.5 and 30 and not smoking.

Exercise Is Tops For Blood Sugar Control

It's better to stick to exercise than to spread yourself too thin by trying to change your activity level, diet, and medication all at the same time.

A workout for your mind... and body!

A doctor named James Levine designed a piece of office equipment [pictured below] for the Mayo Clinic that not only housed a computer and a phone, but a full-sized treadmill. The idea was to keep moving while doing your desk job.

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June 25, 2007

Young and Old Pump Up at the Gym

These two articles show there are no age limits to keeping fit.

American Kids Shaping Up With Trainers

Kathleen Ballew decided her 7-year-old son, Jordan Sims, who will begin second grade in the fall, could benefit from some one-on-one time with a fitness professional. She had noticed he needed help with balance and coordination in soccer and karate. She'd also observed he was reluctant to do things kids normally do, like climbing on park equipment. Since Jordan began working out at Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center in Dallas with a trainer about a year ago, he moves more naturally and confidently, his mother said.

Gyms pumping up the gray-haired set

When it comes to designing a gym, it’s not all about attracting the hard bodies anymore, and when it comes to senior fitness, there’s more out there than water aerobics. As more of America’s baby boomers start entering their 60s, more startup gyms are homing in on a more mature market. Nifty After Fifty plays softer music than the typical gym, and uses smooth, air pressure-driven equipment for strength training as opposed to your typical metal weights. So does Healthfit, a club based in Needham, Mass., where paintings adorn the walls and the average client is over 50. FitWright — a club that opened last fall in Dedham, Mass., which has seen particular interest recently from people in their 60s and 70s — offers a special “gentle yoga” class for its less limber members.

Nice to know there will be a place for us when the time comes!

 

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June 11, 2007

Strength Training Comes in Many Forms

Take a little tour of strength and exercise information with these articles:

• The Real Deal: Dumbbell vs. Barbell:  A great little primer on the relative merits of barbell vs. dumbbell lifts.

• Stretch, strengthen with Tai Chi: Read about how the "moving meditation" exercise of Tai Chi strengthens mind and body.

• Recovering Addicts Use Exercise To Keep Sober: For another kind of strength training, learn how addicts use exercise to stay on track.

• And here's two brief exercise tidbits from What Doctors Don't Tell You:

Exercise: You need far less than you think in order to stay fit

Exercise: The best time is after a meal, not before

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June 10, 2007

Dance Your Way to Fitness

This summer, many people are finding a more fun way to get in that cardio -- dance.

As Dance to fitness this summer tells it: "Instead of just congregating around the TV, pounding away at your Wii or PS3, or frying your skin under that penetrating sun, learn how to dance hip-hop, salsa, merengue, cha-cha-cha, and numerous other exhilarating dance moves."

Weight watch: Dance fitness gets popular shows how "Fitness trainers are inducing an element of fun and adding that zing to the regular dance routines - be it bellydancing, dandia routines, variants of the Salsa or even Bhangara aerobics. The idea is to break the monotony of conventional exercise and revamp the workouts to suit today's lifestyle."

Here's a perspective on adding ballroom to schools in China from a commentator in Britian: Come dancing.

And, in New dance, fitness studio strives to get moms and dads on their feet, you can read how it would be fun for the whole family.

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May 29, 2007

Go Green While Staying Fit

A growing industry of green fitness products is helping to ensure that your fitness routine is as good for the planet as it is for you.

In Fitness feels the push to go green, new products are described, such as "organic, non-toxic, recycled or biodegradable balsa-wood-and-hemp surf boards," "environmentally friendly medicine balls filled with sand and iron," and "handmade, hand-loomed, recycled cotton yoga bags."

On a more serious note, the International Olympic Committee reports that snowboarders worry about global warming's effect on snow quality. Surfers have noticed that climate change is altering the face of the sea. Artificial ice-skating rinks and flood-lit golfing ranges and tennis courts are energy-intensive and trigger gas emissions linked with global warming.

It's in all of our best interests to make our workouts green, so we can keep enjoying the sports we've come to know and love.

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May 21, 2007

How to Keep Fit While on Vacation

It may be tempting to kick back and relax on those two weeks in the Caymans, but it could also throw off your fitness routine. Taking a vacation from fitness gives some tips on how to keep your fitness momentum going even while twiddling your toes in the pool.

• Indulge in activities such as snorkeling, skiing or taking the kids somewhere that requires walking -- like the zoo, a museum or a theme park.
  
• Book at a hotel that has an exercise room.
• Get to know the area by getting off the bus or out of the taxi and start walking. 
• And, if you still want to spend time at the pool... Two words: Aqua jogging.

 

 

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May 15, 2007

Study Shows Americans Can Control Their Health

An article from InfoZine, Who's in Control of Your Health?, reports:

"The majority of Americans believe they control their own health, according to a recent Zogby/UPI national poll. However, a much smaller proportion of Americans are actually taking control of their health by making lifestyle choices that can lower risk of the major adult chronic diseases."

The article goes on to delineate the three major ways to prevent health problems: balanced food choices, regular physical activity and tobacco avoidance. These practices are linked to the prevention of most major diseases. Disturbingly, only about a third of Americans practice these healthy choices regularly.

The article concludes, "Research has been emphasizing the power of healthy lifestyles to prevent major health problems for more than 25 years. Perhaps the recent Zogby/UPI poll shows that we've turned the corner on Americans seeing the impact they can have on their health. Now, more people need to move from awareness to action."

 

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May 07, 2007

New Trend? 24-Hour Fitness Clubs

Cadillac, Michigan, has a premier name and now a premier service: a 24-hour fitness club.

Read about it in New fitness club open 24 hours a day:

Cadillac — Can’t find time to work out?

A new fitness club called Anytime Fitness hopes to solve that problem by staying open 24-hours a day.

“With all of our busy lives, we thought this would fill a niche,” explained Kim Lee, who purchased the franchise with her husband Jim. “This works great when the babies go to sleep, you can run out and work out.”

Anytime Fitness is the world’s first 24-hour fitness and tanning franchise. It opened in Cadillac in mid-April with a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for Thursday.

A security-access card will be used to get into the club after hours when the doors are locked. “We have eight security cameras,” Lee explained. “With a computer chip in your key, only you can get in.”

So hey, no more excuses!   

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April 30, 2007

Get Moving!

Dance is taking hold as an excellent way to shed some pounds.

In Zumba your way to fitness, you can read about this new exercise program, combining salsa, merengue, samba, cumbia and reggaeton dance moves to create a fun, yet effective, aerobic workout. "If you walked into a Zumba class blindfolded, the booming Latin beats might make it seem like you were stepping onto the set of a music video shoot for Colombian-born pop-star Shakira - or maybe that of reggaeton artist Sean Paul. When you removed the blindfold, though, you would find a roomful of people just like you: eager to step into their best summer body with minimal drudgery."

For a quick exercise that will improve your balance and cardiovascular fitness level while strengthening your legs, check out Side-to-side hops great for balance, cardiac fitness.

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April 24, 2007

Tips Re: Fitness and Workouts

Two informative articles give details on how to improve your bodybuilding workout and your overall fitness program.

5 principles of increasing fitness

Remember these five principles:

1. Individual differences
2. Use/disuse
3. Adaptation
4. Overload
5. Progression

7 Best ways to improve your Bodybuilding Workouts without Injury

Remember these tips:

1. Prevention
2. Proper Warm Ups
3. The Perfect Stretching time
4. All time perfect Weight lifting tricks
5. Be focused on your workout
6. Be Serious about your injuries for quick recuperation
7. The goodness of supplements

Check out the articles for more details.

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Sculpting Catching On among Women

It's not just for bodybuilders.

Having sculpted muscles is becoming desirable across the board, especially among women.

In a study done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it was found that 17.5 percent of women did twice a week workouts in 2004, up from about 14.5 percent in 1998. Men, in contrast, held steady at around 21.5 percent.

"Body-celebrating women’s magazines like Oxygen and Shape are part of a cultural shift that has led more women to embrace weightlifting, some fitness experts said. 'Women see this as an ideal they’d like to achieve, and it makes weight-training more approachable to women,' said Teresa Moore, an associate professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina. Long-term concerns about bone loss, and a recognition that strength-training can help, may also be factors."

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April 17, 2007

Great Way to Cross-Train -- Boxing

Cincinnati.com's The Enquirer reports a new option for fitness: boxing.

From Boxing packs fitness punch: More climbing into the ring to slim down, reduce stress -- 

"Boxing for fitness isn't about competition. It's more about getting a good calorie burn, and improving core and muscle strength, balance and endurance, say trainers and enthusiasts. They say learning to box can even boost confidence. And you don't have to know anything about throwing a punch or fancy footwork. Trainers teach the punches - hooks, jabs, uppercuts - and how to move the feet, bob and weave and react quickly. Nationally, the trend has been called 'white-collar' or 'executive' boxing."

So, for your cardio, consider boxing!

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April 16, 2007

Kids' Fitness: Family and Fun

To keep a kid in shape, you need to main ingredients: family and fun.

Tennessean.com's Susan Cooper maintains that Family should take part in kids' health. Emphasizing good eating habits and increased physical activity, parents can have a huge impact on their children's health. And, it's important as well to teach by example.

In Download this, kids: Fitness really is fun, the OrlandoSentinel gives five tips for convincing a child to be more active:

1. Get up and get involved -- don't be a couch potato yourself.
2. Go on a media diet.
3. Commercial-cise! -- exercise during commercials.
4. Court the unathletic child with nonthreatening activities.
5. Make it fun.

Heck, some adults we know could use these tips!  

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March 26, 2007

Functional Fitness and Building Brain Power

WFAA.com gives a convincing report on the merits of functional fitness.

Go into any gym and you'll see people doing bench presses, but the reality is that you can work out more efficiently and benefit all of your body with functional fitness techniques. More of your body's muscles are working together in the way the body would normally move. You burn more calories faster, and your body's core will be stronger. ... If you're sold on functional fitness but lacking the funds for a trainer, Murphy suggests you save up for a couple of sessions, write down what you learn, and then start training yourself. 

In related news, CNN.com highlights a recent study showing how exercise benefits mental processes:

Exercise boosts brainpower by building new brain cells in a brain region linked with memory and memory loss, U.S. researchers reported Monday.

So not only do we look better, but we're smarter, too!

Posted by worldclass on 07:30 PM | Comments (0) |