“What Is A Frozen Shoulder?” An Overview!
October 31, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
“What is a frozen shoulder?” Frozen shoulder is a medical condition that is more popularly known by physicians as adhesive capsulitis. The symptoms of frozen shoulder are very similar to those of arthritis: stiffness and pain. However, arthritis and frozen shoulder are actually two very different conditions.
The symptoms of frozen shoulder can sometimes appear and go away gradually. Other times, they may appear very suddenly and then just be gone one day.
The sticky fluids from the bursa sac can increase in volume when the shoulder is inflamed. When this happens, raising the arm over the head or rotating the shoulder joint can be very difficult. The pain and stiffness caused by the added fluid in the bursa sac, the sticky tissues, and the inflammation in the shoulder joint can all give the patient the feeling that their shoulder is frozen in one place.
While some doctors will still prescribe physical therapy for frozen shoulder, most agree that the condition will resolve itself when rested and given the right amount of time. Physical therapy can sometimes put the patient through unnecessary pain and suffering that may or may not be beneficial in the long run. For this reason, most doctors will leave the patient to heal on their own and treat the frozen shoulder mostly with anti-inflammatories.
Popularity: 13% [?]
Cellulite Reduction Can Be Accomplished With Small Steps
October 27, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Getting rid of cellulite can seem like an impossible task requiring massive action. While it’s not easy to reduce cellulite, it is possible to work it into your schedule if you can take small but consistent steps toward improving the condition.
See if any of these strategies are missing from your daily habits:
1. Lose excess body fat by following a sound fat loss program. An excellent program that addresses cellulite reduction is called the Thin Thighs Program.
2. Eat a healthy and balanced diet. Cut out white flours, sugars and salt form your diet. Make it a point to eat plenty of fiber as well as nutrient-dense foods.
3. Drink plenty of water. Most people don’t drink enough so try to increase your intake. This helps to flush toxins out of your system.
4. Don’t smoke. In addition to the other health problems it causes, smoking leads to additional toxins in your body which can worsen cellulite.
5. Get plenty of exercise to help with fat loss, muscle development and circulation.
As a whole, these steps can seem overwhelming. But, if you try to implement one new strategy each week and continue with the process, you’ll be able to reduce cellulite and enjoy smoother, firmer skin before you know it.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Core Balance Training Exercises In Your Core Workout
October 25, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Body balance exercises are often neglected in fitness routines, but having good balance is an important part of overall joint health and injury prevention. One of the reasons that balance training is left out of fitness programs is that it has little impact on how your body looks. Instead, balance training is all about how well your body moves. There are a lot of good looking people whose bodies do work well.
Core Training and functional training is all about getting your body to move more efficiently. When your body moves more efficiently, you are less likely to get injured and you will perform regular activities and athletic activities at a higher level.
A balance exercise is an exercise that is done standing on 1 leg. Your center of gravity shifts when you stand on one leg, so your core muscles must work harder to stabilize your entire body over the standing leg. Running is a 1 legged exercise, so any sport or activity that involves running requires good balance.
Another hidden benefit of doing exercises to help balance while standing on one leg is ankle, knee and hip stability and strengthening. The small muscles around the foot and ankle really get challenged during balance exercises, and standing on one foot can strengthen the arch muscles. In addition, the small hip stabilizer muscles are strengthened when you stand on one leg, and strong hip stabilizers help to control and protect the knee from excessive stress.
When you have injuries to your legs, your coordination and balance on the injured side generally diminishes unless you work on restoring it. If you have twisted your ankle in the past, chances are that your balance on the side you injured is worse than the side that was never injured. The same holds true for knee and hip injuries.
Generally speaking when you have a leg injury, you avoid putting pressure on the injured side, and this leads to decreased coordination, decreased strength, and decreased balance. It is important to practice balance exercises if you have had leg injuries in the past.
Some simple balance exercises include, just standing on 1 leg for 30-60 seconds. In addition, you can stand on one leg while moving your opposite leg to constantly change your center of gravity. 1 leg squats and 1 leg hip hinges are also good balancing exercises.
Once you’ve mastered standing on 1 leg and basic exercises such as the 1 legged squat, you can further challenge your balance by using a wobble board, core board, bosu ball, foam pad, or any other unstable surface. Begin by just practicing standing on an unstable surface with 1 leg, and then progress to doing other exercises while standing on some type of core exercise equipment. If you want to have a complete core training routine, include balance exercises into your workout.
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Why Do People Fail In The Gym?
October 21, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
So here’s the million-dollar question: "What’s the number one reason people do not work out?"
Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the ideal workout plan?
Nope. It’s TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.
"We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn’t [exercise] and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time." This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.
Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who exercised "traditionally" — 90 to 120 minutes per day — with another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and only three days per week.
That’s a whopping one hour per week folks.
Did you know that Jon Benson’s "7 Minute Muscle" plan calls for only five 7-minute workouts with resistance training (weights or bodyweight) plus only 9 minutes cardio a few days per week?
And that actually works? Yeah… you bet it does.
If you do the math, that’s about an hour per week as well.
This is the "Level 1" workout. There are three levels depending on your goals and exercise tolerance.
Back to Gibala’s study:
In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the presence of oxygen.)
The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their improvement. Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with greater focus and more intensity — exactly how Jon suggests you train.
This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits of shorter but more intense workouts.
However, there is a catch: Train too hard and you will shut down your fat-burning furnace.
Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal sequence that says, "I’m being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!"
The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.
You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and recover.
Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.
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Popularity: 33% [?]
Most Valuable Vitamin for Body Builders
October 20, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
By Sean Nalewanyj
Natural Bodybuilding Expert & Best-Selling Fitness Author
Everybody knows that consuming sufficient amounts of vitamins through their diet is an important way to maintain overall health and to keep the muscle building and fat burning processes functioning optimally.
If you are deficient in just a single vitamin, it can potentially have negative effects on literally thousands of different processes within your body.
While every individual vitamin plays an important role in the overall picture, there is one that definitely stands out among the rest… especially when it comes to the specific needs of a hard training bodybuilder.
I’m talking about the water-soluble Vitamin C; the one vitamin that no serious lifter should be short on.
Here are 6 ways in which sufficient Vitamin C intake will benefit you both in and out of the gym…
1. It is a powerful antioxidant.
When oxygen combines with other compounds as a result of intense exercise and natural bodily processes, it can form what are known as “free radicals”. Free radicals are metabolic waste products that attack cells, mutate cell membranes and that have also been linked with many diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
Antioxidants battle against free radicals by either preventing their formation in the first place, or by latching on and neutralizing their effects. Through its effects as an antioxidant, Vitamin C protects the body from free radical damage.
2. It suppresses cortisol production.
Cortisol is a powerful catabolic hormone that is triggered as a result of stress, both from your workouts and from everyday life. Cortisol stimulates the breakdown of muscle tissue for use as energy, increases fat storage (particularly in the abdominal area), impairs nutrient transport into the muscles and inhibits muscle recovery in between workouts.
Vitamin C appears to have a measurable impact on reducing cortisol secretion in the body.
3. It assists in the formation of steroid hormones.
One of the major limiting factors that determines how much muscle a person can build is their natural anabolic hormone levels. Vitamin C assists in the formation of these hormones.
4. It enhances the absorption of iron.
Iron is what allows oxygen to bind to hemoglobin in the blood, which is then delivered to the muscles to enhance performance. Low iron levels will decrease the amount of weight you are able to lift in the gym and how long you are able to maintain a high level of intensity during your workouts.
5. It increases the integrity of the immune system.
Those following an intense training program should always be concerned with keeping their immune system functioning at optimal levels. This will help you to prevent sickness and to maintain top levels of performance throughout the week.
6. It reduces muscle soreness.
When taken close to workouts, Vitamin C has been shown to reduce muscle soreness in the days following a training session. While this doesn’t really have any direct positive physiological implications, it can be beneficial for those who would prefer to eliminate that deep aching that is usually felt in the muscles following a hard workout.
It should be clear by now that consuming adequate amounts of Vitamin C each day is an important part of maximizing the results from your program, whether your goal is to build muscle or to burn fat.
The recommend daily allowance for Vitamin C is just 60mg, however, this is a guideline set out for average everyday individuals and not for hard training athletes. Those who are following an intense muscle building and/or fat burning program will obviously require far higher amounts.
On the flipside, there are those who recommend taking “mega doses” of Vitamin C. Although Vitamin C is water-soluble (meaning the body can simply flush out an excess through the sweat and urine), mega-dosing is not natural to our biochemistry and could possibly interrupt other important bodily functions.
All things considered, I would recommend consuming Vitamin C in supplemental form in the range of 500mg-1500mg daily, spread out over 2-3 doses.
Try taking one dose in the morning, and another with your pre-workout meal. Most multivitamins will contain a small dose of Vitamin C in the range of 50-200mg, so purchasing a separate Vitamin C supplement is usually the best way to go.
You can also bump up your daily Vitamin C intake by increasing your consumption of natural foods such as tomatoes, apples, oranges and red/green peppers.
While you probably aren’t going to notice any immediate effects to your bottom line progress as a simple result of Vitamin C supplementation, it still can and should be part of an effective overall plan that will maximize your results over the long term.
If you want to gain access to more highly effective muscle building tips just like this, make sure to visit Muscle Gain Truth Site. You can read all about my hugely popular natural bodybuilding program, "The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System", and read my unbiased reviews on all of the top muscle building supplements available today.
CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE
Popularity: 29% [?]
Bodybuilding Tips For Beginners
October 20, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
By Sean Nalewanyj
Natural Bodybuilding Expert & Best-Selling Fitness Author
Let me ask you…
Have you packed on at least a good 15-25 pounds of clean, muscular body weight since you began your muscle building program?
Are you moving poundages on your squat, deadlift, bench press, row (and every other major compound exercise) that all feel substantially heavy for your body?
Have you added at least a couple of inches or more to all of your major muscle groups?
Are your clothes fitting significantly tighter? Are your friends and family noticing measurable changes in your physique? Are you generally beginning to gain a reputation as a muscular guy that people aspire to look like?
If you didn’t easily answer “yes” to all of the questions I just outlined above, then worrying about the smaller details of your physique is quite simply a waste of time at this point.
As a well known muscle building author, I receive all sorts of emails every single day from aspiring natural bodybuilders around the world. They’ll ask me questions such as…
- What can I do to target my inner chest?”
- Which exercise is best to build up the lower biceps?”
- My rear delts are lagging behind my front delts. What should I do?”
If you’re still in your bodybuilding “youth” and don’t already have a considerable amount of muscle mass to show for your efforts, I would strongly suggest taking these types of questions and eliminating them from your mind until you do.
Why?
It’s because diverting your focus onto these small and trivial issues will only serve to distract you from the most important and immediate task at hand.
And what is the most important and immediate task a hand?
It is to pack as much raw muscle size and strength onto your frame as humanly possible!
That’s right; forget about the nitty-gritty details of whether your biceps match your triceps or whether your chest is on par with your back. These are issues that you can worry about later on, but until you’ve thickened up your entire body as a whole to a significant degree, it’s simply not worth worrying about.
If you’re still a beginner and have been training consistently for less than a year, then stop obsessing over the details. Instead, place all of your focus on the most basic and obvious issues at hand…
- Get yourself onto a sensible, rational weight training schedule and stick to it religiously.
- Write down every single workout that you perform and place every ounce of energy you can muster on adding as much weight to the bar on a consistent basis as you possibly can.
- Grind out all of the biggest, most difficult compound exercises and blast through those discomfort zones with passion and intensity.
- Get yourself into the kitchen and pack in at least 5 or 6 properly balanced muscle building meals every day of the week, every week of the month and every month of the year.
- Drink your water, get your rest and take your supplements whenever necessary.
In other words: PAY YOUR DUES FIRST!
If you’re in this for the long haul (and you should be, as there are no temporary fixes to be had here), then get yourself on to the most efficient path possible. And the most efficient path possible is the one that focuses on the fundamentals first and the details later.
This is the mentality you need to bring to your bodybuilding program. Just as you wouldn’t attempt a complex guitar solo without learning basic chord shapes first, you also should not attempt to fine-tune and balance out your physique until you have a considerable amount of foundational muscle to work with first.
Building muscle is not rocket-science, but it is a task that requires consistent willpower and determination. And until you’ve been “in the trenches” and have earned yourself an impressive and muscular body…
Stop over-analyzing… Stop obsessing… Stop spreading out your focus onto every single minute issue that pops up…
Get into the gym and TRAIN!
If you want to "build your foundation" in the fastest and most efficient manner possible, make sure to visit Muscle Gain Truth Site. You can gain instant access to my renowned "Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System" and get all the tools you need to start building your dream body in record speed.
Popularity: 47% [?]
Fitness Model Program: fat burning and muscle toning
October 20, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
It’s no wonder that the movie “Sex and the City” made record breaking history with an estimated $57 million in sales this past opening weekend.
Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha exemplify the modern day multidimensional woman that has it all, including a super- fierce body that is confident, sexy, strong and fit!
And let’s face it ladies, when you look good, you feel good! If you feel like “Sex” has left your “City” it’s time to BRING YOUR SEXY BACK with The Fitness Model Program™
The Fitness Model Program™ will help you lose that darn ugly fat, blast cellulite and allow you to build feminine sleek and sexy muscle tone with only 4 short workouts per week! Some women are even experiencing the enjoyment of getting their hot body back and not only looking, but feeling years younger and even reporting having higher sexual energy with the help from the Fitness Model™ Program!
Bring Your Sexy Back with Fitness Model Program
The Fitness Model Program™ is a scientifically proven fat burning and muscle toning program which is endorsed by elite trainers and top female fitness magazines. It has been used by hundreds of women of all ages to gain that Fitness Model™ look! Most importantly it does not rely on hours of training; you DON’T have to live in the gym and work out 3 hours a day!
It is the ultimate Bikini Body Program that will give you a round butt, toned arms and flat abs!
Most importantly, it will help you get those flat abs that you have always wanted!
Summer is here- Are you bikini ready? Here are some of my favorite tips for six pack abs:
CRUNCHES: Don’t Count-Just “Burn” Them!
Abdominal exercises are your arsenal at sculpting and toning your tummy. I am strict when it comes to these, almost always exercising my abs until exhaustion. My militant mantra is “If you are not burning, you are not earning”, meaning you have to work for your washboard and a good indicator is that post work out soreness that sets in on the abs after my workouts.
Here I have highlighted my 3 top favorite abs exercises guaranteed to give you a run for your money!
A. BALL BUSTERS: Lay your back on a yoga ball with your knees bent 90 degrees and your workout buddy holding your feel down. Lean all the way back holding a small 5 pound weight behind your neck crunching up and actually curling your torso inwards towards your belly button and at the same time turning your pelvic muscles up.
B. HANGING KNEE RAISES: When I first put myself into these arm straps, I thought that it was some kind torture device! But know I only have my abs thanking me! Hang in 2 arm slings with elbows bent and locked, and gently raise your knees into your chest.
C. THE PENDULUM: Lay on the floor while holding your work out partner’s ankles. Bring your legs up and have your partner push them down to the floor and then snap your legs back up-the key is to use resistance when your legs are being pushed down.
CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL FITNESS MODEL PROGRAM
Popularity: 41% [?]
American Home Fitness: Things One Should Know
October 20, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Many people face fitness issues; however they have lot many choices from where they can resolve these issues and the same applies to american home fitness as well. In fact if we are required to define the term "american home fitness" then an apt definition would be any kind of fitness regimes, exercises that you follow in your daily routines or fitness machinery that you use. In other words if you are aware of general fitness levels and like to maintain a healthy body then this piece would definitely enhance your knowledge about the topic.
A variety of choices await all kinds of people interested in American home fitness. Irrespective of a person being a beginner or an experienced professional, there are many options available.
One of the primary decisions required to make for American home fitness is to decide on the kind of exercise equipment to be bought.
While rich people may have the luxury of affording a complete gym for them, normally a careful planning and budgeting is required to decide on what best options in terms of affordable exercise equipments are available within your price range that would help you to get started. Eventually, once you are comfortable with the initial steps you can always move ahead.
For example the primary investment thought of by most of the people is the treadmill which is not that cheap to start of with but nevertheless is unbelievable piece of equipment having multi-use features which include the option of performing various exercises.
This in turn decides the future course of action for you and plays an important role in deciding what other machines to start with keeping in mind that we are going ahead with only a couple of options to start with.
Weights are another important piece of exercise that is a definite must as a part of your equipment list. However while choosing weights one needs to be careful that the weights one has chosen are neither too heavy nor too light because light weights may actually end up making no impact at all while heavy weights tend to tire you easily. Weights combined with treadmill make a great combination to start your own gym.
All during the course remember to maintain a strong hold on expenses as this is not only good for your economics but also helps to maybe even save a few bucks in the end.
Popularity: 48% [?]
Home Fitness Tips #1
October 20, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Video about fitness tips, home Fitness, home fitness exercises, home fitness tips and home fitness training.
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Healthy Way Of Lifestyle - Home Fitness
October 20, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
With less time on their plates most of us desire to spend some time for working out at a local gym or community center but rarely have time for the same. It is here that home fitness regimes fit into the schedule of such people quite well.
It is not difficult to accommodate home fitness exercises in one’s routine as one needs to spend small amount of time, say 20 minutes for such sessions. Once you are through with the granularities of the routine one can easily go through the exercise routines while performing daily chores like watching television or listening to music.
Various Home Fitness Regimes
Some of the common and easy to perform yet widely acceptable forms of exercise include yoga, Pilates, dancing, aerobics and typical floor exercises. The point here is that these exercises are known since ages and have proved that practicing them can keep people fitter and healthier.
Yoga, an ancient technique that combines exercise with meditation is used by people to soothe their worries and sort out their daily issues in the form of relaxation obtained through stretching their body. Stretching ensures that body develops a certain amount of flexibility and facilitates lean muscle growth. One of the positive effects of yoga is to help people relax and get rid of stress and worries at any time of the day.
Another form of exercise is Pilates which concentrates on stomach and spinal muscles to enhance the body strength. Pilates is a form of exercise which combines the effects of yoga and floor exercises producing a different form of exercise in home fitness.
Richard Simmons, an exponent of dancing to the tunes of old beats made dancing quite a favorite among exercise followers. Except for "dancing to the oldies" other popular dance forms are available in the form of DVDs that practise following aerobics while listening to music. Its fun-exercise as you dance.
Although aerobics as an exercise practice may not be that popular amongst masses it still has some loyalists who swear by the advantages of aerobics. As a tested method of exercising it ensures that one stays fit in terms of weight and activity level.
The basic principle which aerobics follow is to increase the pace at which heart beats thus ensuring that one gives ample exercising to the most important muscle of human body and also doing away with extra calories and in turn working out rest of the body muscles.
Some other form of exercises are the basic floor exercises for e.g. crunches, push ups, leg lifts as effective home fitness regimes to maintain a fit body. These exercises not only help one to tone their body but also reduce body weight and bring it to their expected levels.
To ensure a long and healthy life one should practice at least one or more forms of home fitness routines. They help in heart exercises, reducing weight, general relaxation, calorie burning and ensure a good night’s sleep.
Popularity: 45% [?]
