Sunday, January 2, 2011

Basic Exercises for Increased Core Strength

When you talk about the core of an object, you think about the absolute center, the part that holds everything else together. If you?re serious about getting in shape, you need to think more about your core. Your abdomen and lower back muscles are the core of your physique. If you fail to keep your core in shape, the rest of your fitness goals will be hard to attain. Simply put, if the core is weak the rest of your body will follow suit.

There have been tons of exercises and programs developed over the past decade that put a heavy emphasis on core training. If you?re a member at a local gym or fitness center, they probably have a core training class available. You might want to take one of these classes, but you don?t have to in order to develop strong core muscles. It only takes a few basic exercises to start improving your core strength immediately.

Here are a few exercises that are simple to add to any workout routine to improve your core strength.

? Planks. There are lots of variations on the plank, but the basic version does the job ? if you practice it consistently. To do a basic plank, get into the top position of a push-up and hold your back and abdomen straight and tight. This isometric pose should be held for at least 30 seconds and up to two or three minutes. As you hold the plank pose focus on your abdomen and back muscles; don?t think about your arms. If you are having problems keeping your arms extended, you can hold the same position using your forearms flat on the floor as your base.

? Sit-Ups. A few years back the standard sit-up got a bad name. Everyone started doing crunches instead and insisted that sit-ups were bad for your back and neck. Doing sit-ups isn?t bad for you if you use proper form. Don?t yank on your neck or try to use momentum to get to the top. Secure your feet under something to provide stability and go through the full range of motion, even if you can only do a few. Sit-ups are great for core strength.

? Back Extensions. A lot of people skip over lower back training when they do core workouts. You have to achieve balance to have really strong core muscles. To do a basic back extension, lie down on the floor on your stomach and lace your fingers behind your head. Slowly extend your chest and head off of the floor and hold for a few seconds. Lower slowly and repeat. Avoid doing this movement quickly. You will be surprised how much stronger this movement makes your core muscles.

Add these three exercises to your weekly workout routine to achieve true core muscle fitness and strength.

Written by Sally Smith. A great P90x Chin Up Bar, and your top source for the Insanity Workout online.

Angie
Angie Schumacher is a Certified Fitness Professional who trains clients in her home and is a Women's Boot Camp Instructor in Colorado. She is the author of The Fat Blasting Boot Camp Program and has offered a one stop website to help you with all of your health and fitness needs. Please visit www.BuildingABetterU.com to find exactly what you are looking for!
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Source: http://fatburningtips4women.com/basic-exercises-for-increased-core-strength/

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NYC Will Appeal Judge?s Decision on Anti-Smoking Posters

New York City is aggressive with its public-health campaigns ? note its recent in-your-face subway ads discouraging binge drinking during the holidays.

A federal judge just ruled against one of its other high-profile efforts, a law that required convenience stores and other outlets selling cigarettes to post explicit anti-smoking posters near the point of sale. The posters showed images such as a diseased lung and rotting tooth.

As the New York Times reports, a judge ruled yesterday that only the federal government has the legal authority to regulate cigarettes in this way. The feds are already at work in this arena, having proposed new cigarette labels which, like the posters in NYC, aim to shock.

The health department tells us via email that the city?s law department says it will appeal. (We have contacted the law department for more details and will update when we get them.) The suit was brought by a convenience store trade group and three big cigarette makers, Phillip Morris, Lorillard and R.J. Reynolds.

In a statement, the health department said it is ?disappointed with and strongly disagrees with? the ruling, and that the signs ?portray completely factual messages about the dangers of smoking and advise that quitting is the best way for smokers to avoid contracting smoking-related illnesses? at the ?exact moment? smokers are making purchasing decisions.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wsj/health/feed/~3/hNpyp0HxEUo/

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A.M. Vitals: EPA Recommends Schools Replace Lights to Avoid PCBs

EPA Guidance: The Environmental Protection Agency is recommending that U.S. schools ditch certain electrical components of light fixtures that may leak PCBs and cause health harm over time, the WSJ reports. The problems are most likely to be found in schools built before 1979, and fixing them could carry a high cost ? an estimated $1 billion for New York City schools, the paper says.

Where?s the Beef Nutritional Info?: Sharp-eyed and nutritionally conscious shoppers know that meat, unlike other foods in the grocery store, doesn?t bear the standardized nutrition labels that other foods have. As the Los Angeles Times reports, that will change starting Jan. 1, 2012 now that the USDA has announced plans to require labels on 40 popular cuts of poultry, pork, beef and lamb. Thanks to a tip from NPR?s Shots Blog, we can point you to the USDA?s ?ground beef calculator? to tide you burger-lovers over until then.

3-D Warning: Nintendo is warning that the 3-D capability of its new 3DS hand-held game machine shouldn?t be used by kids younger than 6, whose eye development may be harmed by extended exposure to the images, the WSJ reports. Nintendo says those younger kids should use the player in 2-D mode and that older users should take breaks from 3-D games every half-hour. The WSJ?s Digits blog wrote recently about the vision problems that prevent some people from experiencing 3-D in all its glory.

First Donor: The donor in the first successful organ transplant has died, the Associated Press reports. Ronald Lee Herrick, who died in Maine at age 79, donated a kidney to his ailing twin brother in 1954. Herrick?s brother lived another eight years and the lead surgeon who performed the transplant later won the Nobel Prize.

Image: iStockphoto

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wsj/health/feed/~3/eIRNYaWR7wE/

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Surfing and Wakeboarding for Weight Loss

Are you looking for a way to lose weight that doesn't involve running, walking, aerobics or going to the gym? Most people would categorize surfing and wakeboarding as fun activities rather than weight loss activities, but this is not necessarily the case, because you can easily lose weight through surfing, wakeboarding and other fun and exciting water based activities, as long as you keep some basic things in mind.

- To get the most out of surfing, wakeboarding, body boarding and other water activities, you should warm up and do a little stretching first. Since you're near the water already, you may consider warming up simply by jumping around in the waves for a bit. Get yourself used to the water, and warm your muscles up. Once you are feeling more limber and more comfortable, you can move onto a basic stretch and then hit the water. Stretching and a warm up will allow your muscles to become more pliable, as you are more prone to injury when they are stiff and cold.

- Right off the bat, you should realize that you are burning calories and therefore losing weight when you are swimming out to find the wave. Swimming is an excellent way to burn calories, especially in the ocean where the waves are working against you. Natural resistance from the waves allows you to build stronger, leaner muscles, and also allows you to burn more calories than activities that do not involve resistance. It is like the difference between running on flat ground and running up a hill.

- Once you find the perfect wave, consider how much strength and conditioning goes into getting you up onto your board. You begin on your belly, and have to launch yourself up onto your feet, holding your balance as the wave comes up at you. Maintaining balance works the muscles in your entire body, and not only does getting yourself up on your feet burn calories, but it also conditions your body from head to toe.

- Everything that is involved in surfing, wakeboarding and other water sports promotes weight loss, building long, lean muscles, and conditioning your body from head to toe. Surfing, especially, is a challenging sport that involves conditioning your body, fighting the resistance of the water, and getting in shape. Surfing may not burn calories the same way sprinting would, but it certainly works your body over well. After your first few surfing activities you will probably find yourself feeling the ache in your muscles, a tell tale sign that you have worked them out thoroughly and that they are feeling the results.

Surfing and wakeboarding are two excellent examples of ways that you can lose weight non-traditionally, while still having a lot of fun in the process. Surfing every day may not be on your menu, but if you can hit the waves once a week, it may be the perfect way to toss up your workout regimen to keep things from getting stale.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-12-15 05:43:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Angie
Angie Schumacher is a Certified Fitness Professional who trains clients in her home and is a Women's Boot Camp Instructor in Colorado. She is the author of The Fat Blasting Boot Camp Program and has offered a one stop website to help you with all of your health and fitness needs. Please visit www.BuildingABetterU.com to find exactly what you are looking for!
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Basic Exercises for Increased Core Strength

When you talk about the core of an object, you think about the absolute center, the part that holds everything else together. If you?re serious about getting in shape, you need to think more about your core. Your abdomen and lower back muscles are the core of your physique. If you fail to keep your core in shape, the rest of your fitness goals will be hard to attain. Simply put, if the core is weak the rest of your body will follow suit.

There have been tons of exercises and programs developed over the past decade that put a heavy emphasis on core training. If you?re a member at a local gym or fitness center, they probably have a core training class available. You might want to take one of these classes, but you don?t have to in order to develop strong core muscles. It only takes a few basic exercises to start improving your core strength immediately.

Here are a few exercises that are simple to add to any workout routine to improve your core strength.

? Planks. There are lots of variations on the plank, but the basic version does the job ? if you practice it consistently. To do a basic plank, get into the top position of a push-up and hold your back and abdomen straight and tight. This isometric pose should be held for at least 30 seconds and up to two or three minutes. As you hold the plank pose focus on your abdomen and back muscles; don?t think about your arms. If you are having problems keeping your arms extended, you can hold the same position using your forearms flat on the floor as your base.

? Sit-Ups. A few years back the standard sit-up got a bad name. Everyone started doing crunches instead and insisted that sit-ups were bad for your back and neck. Doing sit-ups isn?t bad for you if you use proper form. Don?t yank on your neck or try to use momentum to get to the top. Secure your feet under something to provide stability and go through the full range of motion, even if you can only do a few. Sit-ups are great for core strength.

? Back Extensions. A lot of people skip over lower back training when they do core workouts. You have to achieve balance to have really strong core muscles. To do a basic back extension, lie down on the floor on your stomach and lace your fingers behind your head. Slowly extend your chest and head off of the floor and hold for a few seconds. Lower slowly and repeat. Avoid doing this movement quickly. You will be surprised how much stronger this movement makes your core muscles.

Add these three exercises to your weekly workout routine to achieve true core muscle fitness and strength.

Written by Sally Smith. A great P90x Chin Up Bar, and your top source for the Insanity Workout online.

Angie
Angie Schumacher is a Certified Fitness Professional who trains clients in her home and is a Women's Boot Camp Instructor in Colorado. She is the author of The Fat Blasting Boot Camp Program and has offered a one stop website to help you with all of your health and fitness needs. Please visit www.BuildingABetterU.com to find exactly what you are looking for!
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Popularity: 22% [?]

Source: http://fatburningtips4women.com/basic-exercises-for-increased-core-strength/

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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Calorie Cycling ? Is It a Sound Idea?

There has been a lot of buzz lately about calorie cycling and whether or not it is an effective means of losing weight. For some, it has enabled them to lose massive amounts of weight. For others, it may just not work. Let?s take a look at the theories behind calorie cycling and go further into depth on how this particular diet plan works.

First, the main theory behind calorie cycling is that dieting trains our bodies to need less calories. That means that as soon as you eat a little more, you may gain weight. Calorie cycling promotes changing up the amount of calories you eat every single day so that your body never really knows what is going on. For example, on a Monday you may eat 1500 calories, on Tuesday 2000 calories and on Wednesday 2500 calories, before dropping back down to 1500 on Thursday.

This diet is very popular due to the fact that you?re able to eat more and you don?t necessarily have to give up the food that you like. Exercise is also an important component of calorie cycling, but it will depend on the plan that you are following as to how much you?ll need to do. This is one of the more interesting diets out there and since some of the results are so dramatic, it has certainly become very popular.

The main concern over calorie cycling is the focus on being able to eat whatever you want, just as long as you are within your set calories for the day. While that sounds great in theory, over time it may lead to problems. Yes, it?s fine to stick within calorie guidelines, but some may be tempted to take that advice a little too far. It?s one thing to eat your set amount of calories, it?s another to get them from fried chicken.

Calorie cycling can be an effective means of losing weight, but it should not be viewed as your ticket to eat whatever you want. Smart food choices are essential, no matter what kind of diet you are on and food that is unhealthy is simply that ? unhealthy. Eat a little fried chicken now and then, but only occasionally and in moderation. Otherwise, you won?t be doing your arteries any favors.

Unlike many fad diets, calorie cycling does appear to work well, at least over the short term. However, unless you introduce lifestyle changes and a healthy exercise plan into the mix, those results may be short lived. If you do decide to follow one of these diet plans, don?t lose sight of your goals beyond weight loss, such as better health and a greater level of fitness.

By keeping your eyes on these goals, as well as the numbers on the scale, you?ll be well on your way to permanent weight loss, and you?ll feel better too. Give calorie cycling a try, but don?t use it as a license to remain unhealthy.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-11-11 05:30:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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