Feel the burn with wild eights

Sunday 11th May 2008 - 2:07:50 PM

shutterstock_18853621.JPG  Do you want to add some challenge into your workout? Try Wild Eights and move our workout into next level.

You do 8 sets of 8 repetition of a given exercise. You must time the rest period. Start with 30 second break between sets and gradually decrease it. Your goal is 5-10 seconds.
Don’t loose your form and if you can’t finish all 8 reps take a lighter weight.
This workout works best for a single joint movements like biceps curls, leg curl, lateral raise etc.
(by Marcela Vanharova)

You should read this book

Tuesday 29th April 2008 - 11:40:49 AM

61cj9k6rkal__sl160_pisitb-dp-arrowtopright21-23_sh30_ou01_aa115_.jpgOne of my clients showed me this book and it immediately got my attention.
If you eat out a lot this is the book you should read.
Slick and attractive, with full-color pictures.
This guide gives you heaps of smart choices to help you manage your weight so you can still go out to eat at great places without packing on as much weight. If you don’t know what you’re putting into your body, you can make huge mistakes when it comes to the choices you make. Sometimes your main meal could contain two days worth of fat, so Dave has given us these choices to still enjoy ourselves when eating out either at restaurants or fast food restaurants.
The book consists of eight chapters, each chapter being focused on a separate issue:

1. Foods recommended for every day, and foods to always avoid
2. The best and worst restaurant meals
3. Strategies for eating right when dining out
4. Advice for holiday eating
5. Strategies for grocery shopping
6. The ultimate guide to healthy beverages
7. What to eat in various situations (stress, tiredness, etc.)
8. Eating guide for children

You can check out this book EAT THIS NOT THAT (by David Zinczenko) at your local library, you can buy it for $ 19.95 at any book store. I just saw this book on Amazon.com for $ 10.
(by Marcela Vanharova)

Don’t be afraid to go behind a “fat-burning zone” when you do cardio.

Sunday 20th April 2008 - 6:17:43 PM

shutterstock_1681371.JPG 
Did you see a table with targeted heart rate on your cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical etc.)? The table has two zones - fat burning zone with lower heart rate and cardio zone with higher heart rate.  Some people keep their HR (heart rate) low and are afraid to go to cardio zone because they want to burn more fat. I think that this is one of the myths of training. When in cardio zone you’ll burn more calories and you’ll make your cardio-vascular system stronger. Number of burned calories is what counts in weight loss. You need to burn more calories that you take in.

Here is the example: You’ll work out for 40 minutes in fat-burning zone, you’ll burn 100 calories - 60% goes from fat that means that you’ll burn 60 calories from fat.
You’ll work out 40 minutes in cardio zone, you’ll burn 300 calories but only 30% goes from fat. When you do the actual math, you can see that you’ll burn 90 calories from fat.
It really makes sense to work in cardio zone and burn more calories. Do interval training if you are not able to stay in cardio zone for the whole training. You’ll burn more with intervals that if you’ll keep your intensity stable.
Remember, number of burned calories is what counts!

(by Marcela Vanharova)

Got milk after your weight training?

Sunday 13th April 2008 - 2:14:38 PM

milk.jpg  A liter of milk (just under 1/3 of a gallon) contains 32 grams of protein coming from two primary sources: casein and whey. The two of these are hands down the best kind of protein your body can get.

You can get it at any store and it’s relatively cheap considering the amount of protein you get. It’s great for drinking at night to keep the body out of a catabolic state and can even benefit your sleeping pattern!

So don’t buy a protein shake, save your money and drink milk. It is the best!

Check out this study:
At the study start, the researchers measured each participant’s body composition, noting the amount of lean mass and fat mass. They repeated the measurements at the end of the study.

The milk drinkers gained the most muscle. “The gains of muscle in the milk group were 8.8 pounds, vs. 6 pounds for the soy group, vs. 5.3 pounds for the control group [drinking the carbohydrate drink],” says Phillips. “The group that drank the milk gained 60% more muscle than the carbohydrate group and 40% more than the soy group,” Phillips says.

Those who drank milk also had more strength gains than the other two groups in two kinds of individual exercises: knee extensions and hamstring curls.

The milk drinkers also lost more body fat. “They lost almost 2 pounds of body fat,” he says. “The soy group barely changed in terms of body fat. It was about a third of a pound. In the control group (the carbohydrate drinkers) it was about a pound of body fat lost.”

Isn’t it great? Lets drink more milk, we will loose weight plus it may improve our health.

source: medicinenet.com, ezinearticles.com

(by Marcela Vanharova)

It’s never too late to get active

Monday 31st March 2008 - 8:08:56 PM

shutterstock_13223311.JPG   For life-long couch potatoes in their 60s, 70s and beyond, the prospect of starting an exercise program can be daunting — but it doesn’t have to be.

4 out of 10 older adults suffer from a chronic condition, like heart disease, high cholesterol, or arthritis. A lot of these older adults avoid exercise because they think they are going to hurt themselves or make their condition worse, when, in fact, almost all conditions can be helped by exercise.

Almost anyone can do some form of exercise and reap the benefits, which in the immediate-term include relaxation, stress and anxiety reduction, and enhanced mood. Long-term benefits of exercise, in addition to weight loss, are increased strength and balance, and improvement in chronic ailments, including improved mental health, a sense of belonging, increased life span and overall quality of life.

Miller, a PhD candidate at Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, suggests that older adults talk to their doctor first and work with a qualified trainer, at least initially. Having someone to exercise with is also a good idea.

“For older adults, once they start exercising and understand the benefits of exercise, they are more likely to stick with it than any other age demographic. It’s just getting them started,” Miller noted.

Because a person’s confidence that he or she can do a specific task decreases with age, Miller suggests building on what they’ve done in the past. For example, a former dancer could practice leg lifts; a former basketball player could start by shooting some hoops; a former runner could take up walking.

( by Megan Rauscher)

More info at: Reuters