work those abs..baby
Ab Exercises
Personal Trainer: Dance and Body Image
Nov 23rd
To have a beautiful body as a dancer or for wearing swimwear at the beach, you might benefit from the services of a personal trainer.
Your personal trainer will help you reach your goal of obtaining a beautiful, fit body. Your personal trainer will make you love yourself!
In the latest music video of the dancer Shakira, she sings about being a Gypsy. Shakira wears a criss-cross, sheer black material for her skimpy, almost tank-top-like V-shaped blouse with her belly revealed and a flowing long, black skirt with the same black, sheer material as her top. If any woman has an ideal body, then Shakira in this latest music video flaunts a most perfect body.
But she did not get that way without a lot of work exercising daily with the help of her personal trainer. A personal trainer knows the psychological factors that go through a woman’s mind. Every woman wants to have high self-esteem, to feel good about one’s body. Because when you feel good about yourself, you are happy. Positive body image can do a lot for self-confidence and a feeling of general well-being.
Think of your personal trainer as someone to talk to, someone who cares; think of your personal trainer as someone who will help you to achieve you fitness goals. You first need to have in your thought an image of the perfect you that you hope for and dream of: how you want to look, slim, trim, healthy, with flat abs. Then get the help of your personal trainer to achieve the fitness results you want.
When you feel healthy and fit after exercising with the encouragement and help of your personal trainer, your whole self radiates (it can be seen in your smile). The nice thing about your personal trainer is that he/she expresses a lot of compassion and encouragement. When things are going tough, when you feel tired or discouraged and you feel like you are not seeing results quick enough; then your personal trainer is there for you to keep you motivated.
Your personal trainer knows what it is like: battling weight loss and trying to stay fit. Your personal trainer knows what it takes to succeed. As your personal trainer, he/she takes pride and satisfaction in seeing you attain your fitness goals. It is because your personal trainer knows what it is like to feel happy after getting physically fit. Your personal trainer wants to share the good feelings from the good results you will achieve, with you.
Shakira, the notable singer and dancer, says that she has always wanted to work at and improve her body image because she has had low self-esteem. But look at the results she achieved with the help of her personal trainer! Shakira is known for her song with the words: “my hips don’t lie”. In fact, Shakira is known for her excellent hip-swaying belly-dance moves. Everyone can benefit from the help of a personal trainer. A personal trainer can give you the individualized attention you need to get fit and stay fit.
At times, you may feel overwhelmed and pressured. Your personal trainer will lead you in the right path you need to take regarding your physical fitness training. If you have the goal in mind, but you take it one step at a time, one fitness session at a time with your personal trainer, then the results you want will come naturally, easily, before you know it. Its not to say that you won’t do work; you will need to work up a sweat and get your heart pumping. But exercise can be fun if done to upbeat music with the encouragement of your personal trainer. Get started today, and don’t stop. Your personal trainer is someone who you need in your life. Where would Shakira be today, without the help of her personal trainer?
You will feel ten years younger after working out with the aide of your personal trainer. Shakira has said that it took a lot of hard work exercising to get her body in the beautiful shape she is in, and she has a body that is envied by women everywhere. And she is admired and loved as a sex symbol by men across the globe.
So what are you waiting for: get a beautiful, fit body, by working out with the help and instruction of your personal trainer.
Why Boot Camps Are Necessary for the Development of Teenagers?
Nov 22nd
There are approximately 1 billion teenagers in world today. This makes around 14 percent of the total population in world. You would have heard about several boot camps for adults but never heard for teenagers. The reason is basic mentality of the people. They think that the boot camp training is required to lose weight and to build muscle for adults only. There is a need to widen this mentality by applying it on teenagers also.
There are many disciplines in which teenagers need to be guided. One of them is the selection of right food for them. It is the job of parents to take care about the eating habits of their kids. It is difficult to train teenagers at home. So, it is better to register them in a good quality boot camp health program. This training will make them more disciplined and patient. These programs are conducted away from polluted and crowded atmosphere of the cities. The physical activity training includes hill climbing, rafting, trekking and hiking. The process of making a better and responsible person out of a normal teenager is neither simple for the trainer nor for the teen. Ultimately, boot camp activities will develop the strength and self-reliance in a teenager. Boot camps provide military type training to the teenagers. Slightest slip-up leads to punishment. To maintain the subordination amongst the teens, experts tell them to wear uniforms. Teens won’t have names as this can create a discrepancy about partial behavior between them. Experts tell them to prefer healthy food over high calorie meals. There are juvenile camps for outrageous teens to control their anger. Meditation and yoga exercises are also taught to calm their mind.
The merits of boot camp trainings are etiquettes, weight loss, proper food selection, discipline, self control and self confidence. So if you are a worried parent, then don’t waste your time. You just need to register your kid’s name in any of the boot camp training program before he becomes an obese patient.
Teens these days are lazy and don’t have enough to do to keep them out of trouble. The upcoming trend is boot camp style workouts. Teens get bored with traditional exercise so boot camps have designed programs that are in small to medium sized groups where you can meet new people and make friends but at the same time say active, burn fat, build muscle, prevent disease and have so many other great benefits.
Exercise and boot camps have shown to give them more energy, which means they are more alert in class, have more energy to get more done and they will probably be more successful in other things they do and probably carry themselves differently. It also is a huge confidence booster when you are fit.
To find a local boot camp for teens simply go to any search engine and google your city name with teen boot camps to find the best ones around. Also make sure it consists of resistance training, cardio and core strengthening within the hour. Another key factor is if they cover nutrition in their plan because teenagers these days have terrible eating habits and that needs to change if they want to live long lives.
The Top Secrets to Make You Slim
Nov 22nd
For those girls who want to lose weight, today I have the top 9 secrets to help you gradually get rid of fat and overweight without suffering. The most general ones are diet pills, rigorous workouts and starvation. You want a technique that is safe, fast and effective and will not cause any side effects.
1. Look for nutritional food: Consider the food you are going to take each meal not to be over your palm size. And when it comes to snacks time, forget those high-calorie cookies, cake or any sweets but look for fresh or baked fruits, or nuts.
2. Make body movement as much as you can: When walking, try to move your legs and wave your arms a bit strongly to exercise. Also do not stick to your seat over 30 minutes or you will get belly fat. So every 30 minute walking is great.
3. Change your habit and mind: Do not stand eating because you may take excessive food unconsciously. When going shopping, try to have something before going out because when feeling hungry we always buy stuff over more than the need. Also do not buy only your favorite stuff as you may stick to it all day and that’s impossible to lose your weight.
4. Find the tools to help: You may turn to eat with chopsticks so you can eat slowly with less amount of food. And try to stick a picture of slender woman on the mirror or fridge wall to make it your inspiration.
5. Eat outside: Change the location to the expensive restaurant and choose the single dish. Actually it is a trick that expensive food can make you eat less. What is more important is do not look at the menu more than 5 minutes because you might can’t stand ordering many dishes.
6. Choose the proper drink: When you are going to drink wine, you should avoid the sweet one as it has high calories up to 185 which are higher than in a piece of brownie. Use a small glass for your drink every time so you can gradually sip instead of drinking it once at time.
7. Control your thirst: When it comes to the party time, it is common for people to take much stuff but remind yourself not to overeating and you should avoid taking cake or sweets. Promise yourself to have only hors d’œuvre or appetizers and the drinks should be rum, diet coke, or any diet tonics.
8. Go traveling: During going traveling, forget any mini bar snacks but look for the fresh fruit. Opt for the hotel with fitness so you can do exercise everywhere though you are not at home. Going traveling is a good chance for you to walk more and this of course can help you lose weight.
9. Conceal your shape: Look for the little black dress to help conceal your shape and make you look slender. Wearing the high-heeled shoes can also make your legs look slender. Furthermore, choose the natural-tone makeup and do not put too much blush-on on your cheeks or your face looks round and big.
Be an Ex Smoker With This Appealing Plan
Nov 22nd
A few months ago, I wrote an article about the system I used to finally get myself rid of a 45 year old smoking habit. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised by the success of that article but it made me realize how many other folks are still in the same old battle that I was. Smoke, worry, quit, don’t worry, smoke again, worry, etc. Honestly, the worrying about my health was taking more of my time than the smoking was. So, maybe you, too, can become an ex-smoker with this plan. Part of what’s so appealing about this plan is that you get paid for not smoking.
In any event, an old friend of mine, stunned that I’d finally broken the cycle as well as the habit, recently asked me for help. While my electronic cigarette was a big part of my success, she and I sat down and together we came up with an elaboration of my original system for quitting. There’s quite a bit of flexibility in this plan that we worked out so in that sense, it’s more appealing than a number of other plans we’d come across.
While this system may at first appear rather elaborate, the habit of smoking itself is elaborate if you think about it: the tension of always checking to make sure you have cigarettes with you, the panic as you near the end of the pack, the sheer desperation of having gotten off a plane with cigarettes but no lighter or matches. Add to that today’s environment and trying constantly to find a non-offensive location to smoke in. Let’s not even talk about all the sneering looks. Goodness, all this utterly nerve wracking stuff everyday, all day long.
So, in moving on, please think of all that if, indeed, this system for quitting seems almost as neurotic as the habit itself.
First off, don’t set a quit date, we’ll do that later. Right now I just want you to start cutting down your daily intake of cigarettes. If you smoke 20 cigarettes/day, cut down to 15. After doing this for four days, pay yourself the $7 or whatever dollar amount a pack costs in your area (5 cigarettes times 4 days = one pack). Continue this pattern religiously. You might not be able to quit yet but you certainly can cut down. You’re paying yourself to do this and your money is going to add up quickly, believe me. Instead of counting the number of cigarettes you do smoke, you’ll be counting the number of cigarettes you don’t smoke which is much more motivating and hence, appealing.
Next, get a large clear plastic jar or such that has a tight lid on it. Put every cigarette butt you can in it. Screw the lid on tight after depositing your butts. Make sure this container is see thru and that you look very closely at it several times a day. Make sure that you put this container somewhere where you can’t miss seeing it regularly. This will be a strong reminder of what you’re putting into your body and will help you with the denial part of addiction. Denying the damage that smoking does to your body is a huge part of the problem with addiction so don’t skip over this part.
To further address the denial involved in cigarette smoking, go to the American Lung Association and get some photos of a smoker’s lungs. Paste those pictures where they are very visible and you’ll see them everyday. My friend posted his on his bathroom mirror.
Continue to cut down on your daily cigarette intake, making sure to pay yourself for every pack of cigarettes you don’t buy. Keep all this money in a safe place and just keep letting it accumulate. If you get to the point where you’ve cut down two paks a week at $7/pak at the end of the month, you’ll have $56 to spend on anything you want…..anything except cigarettes, that is. After six months, you’ll have $336 earned in your own “get paid to not smoke” stash. If you’re a heavy smoker and manage to cut your smoking in half, you can probably double that amount to earn $672!
When you have cut down to 5-6 cigarettes a day, consider buying an electronic cigarette and replace your tobacco cigarettes with it. You know yourself and whether or not electronic cigarettes might help you. The idea here is to phase out the tobacco cigarettes completely. Use the electronic cigarette with progressively less nicotine in the cartridges until you’re completely off the tobacco cigarettes. Using an electronic cigarette can help replace the habit and hand to mouth simulation of smoking.
Next, there are some things you can do to address cravings and the psychology behind smoking: everytime you crave, breath deeply several times. This simulates the relaxation you feel when you inhale. Secondly, DO NOT think about quitting for the rest of your life. Use the AA method and only think about quitting for one day at a time. Baby steps.
Lastly, you also might want to consider undertaking a lung detoxification program to help clear your lungs more quickly and reduce some of the damage smoking has caused.
Quitting smoking, an elaborate habit, may require elaborate measures. How elaborate your own plan to become an ex-smoker gets, it will be well worth it. And, by the way, I still pay myself for every pak I don’t smoke all these months later.
Popular Weight Loss Tips and Ideas
Nov 22nd
There are a variety of reasons to lose weight, and all of those reasons are valid. Some individuals simply want to shed a few pound to fit into old clothes, while others need to lose pounds to address serious health concerns. No matter what your situation is, there are a variety of weight loss tips and ideas that can make your struggle much easier.
It is very important that you take a realistic look at your situation. Setting unrealistic goals will lead you to disappointment when those goals are not met. This tends to lead to less enthusiasm, which is the first step in giving up on your goals. Losing weight and getting into shape is not an overnight process. Instead, it is a gradual shift that must be taken one step at a time. Every day that you stick to your goals is a victory.
Perhaps the most important part of this process is having a determined and focused mindset. This is a long process that will involve suffering. This means that you will have to deny yourself much of the foods that you love, and you must suffer through workouts that you may not want to do. Most people try fad diets and gimmicky products in an effort to find an easy answer to their weight loss goals. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer or solution. It is important that you accept the challenge laid out in front of you and embrace the difficulties along the way.
There are a variety of lifestyle changes that you will be forced to make if you are truly serious about this venture. Perhaps the biggest obstacle is addressing potentially poor dietary habits that directly contribute to obesity and weight gain. The key to effectively losing weight is getting healthy, and in order to do this, you must eat healthy. An inability to make serious changes will stall most of your progress.
Most people need to eliminate, or at the very least severely limit, the amount of sugar and saturated fats that are found in their diets. Unfortunately, this includes most fast food and many of the processed and packaged foods found in their local grocery store. Instead of these unhealthy options, opt to fill your diets with whole, natural, unprocessed foods when possible. This includes lean meats like chicken, turkey, and fish, whole fresh vegetables and fruits.
Another easily overlooked aspect of a good diet is the way that individuals hydrate themselves. Sports drinks, energy drinks, and sodas are simply not ideal, as they are very high in sugar and calories. Drinking lots of fresh, unflavored water is extremely important. Drinking water will reduce water retention, flush out unwanted toxins from the body, and will boost your energy levels. This seemingly trivial change can rapidly expedite the pace at which you lose weight.
You may also want to consider shaking up your eating schedule. Most people subscribe to the traditional “3 meals a day” philosophy. These three meals tend to be very large and often hurt our metabolism. Instead, try eating 5 or 6 smaller meals every day, approximately every 3 hours of so. Aim to make each meal between 300 or 400 calories each. It takes the body around 3 hours to digest food. Keeping a constant but controlled flow of food is great for keeping your energy levels and mood at their peak, but it will also keep your metabolism fired up and will increase your overall resting metabolic rate.
Addressing your diet properly is important, but your diet is best utilized when coupled with an active lifestyle. Try to endure several workouts every week that take advantage of both cardiovascular exercises and resistance training. Building muscle and staying active will help to burn off excess calories and will quicken your weight loss. Although your goals may seem far away, it is important that you take this process one step at a time. Weight loss is not impossible, but it is a commitment. Sticking with this will not only help you lose extra pounds, but it could add years to your life.
How Drinking Alcohol on the Weekends Affects Weight Loss
Nov 21st
You have decided to lose your weight. You have created a diet plan, bought one of the fitness equipment or enrolled in some bootcamp and you moved into the action! During the whole week you desperately try to hold the plan. You count calories and you are so proud of yourself.
Your better half is very proud of you, too! Then the weekend comes, your friends invite you for a beer, two, three … and your plan falls into the water!
Alcohol is a caloric bomb!
Alcohol is not food – we will all agree with that. There are more calories than in carbohydrates and proteins, and more over it also has slightly fewer calories from fat. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram! In other words, alcohol is almost twice fattening than the same amount of carbohydrates and protein! Let’s take a look:Carbohydrates: 4 calories per gramProtein: 4 calories per gramAlcohol: 7 calories per gramFat: 9 calories per gram
If you drink half a liter of wine with meals (say, 2 dl with lunch and dinner 3 dl) actually save took 250 empty calories.
If instead of wine, you take a scoop of cereal with skim milk and one small banana, you will also enter 250 calories. However, keep in mind that the second meal has the calorific value and it also covers 19% of daily requirements of protein, 34% of daily need for fiber, 21% of requirements of calcium and 56% of the need for iron.So, 250 calories from this meal will bring many more benefits to you!
Alcohol stimulates the appetite
All types of alcohol, as well as an aperitif stimulates appetite (for this reason 24/7 fast food restaurant is most visited on weekends in the evening).
Alcohol awakens a desire for carbohydrates and other substances that cause dependence.
After a few drinks you will be more difficult to decline a dessert after dinner or you will wish more peanuts with the beer,. However, if you drink to much you on your way to returning home you will search only for kiosks and restaurants that sell food.
Do not drink alcohol while you are on a diet
When you drink alcohol, the body stops burning fat and starts to handle alcohol, which stops the weight loss.When we start a diet, it is considered that we need to forget about our bad eating habits such as eating sweets, fatty and salty foods.
Diet requires extraordinary discipline and it would be devastating to destroy all your dedication and motivation just in the name of alcohol. There is no“Only this time“. This saying is not acceptable – while you’re on a diet, you should not enter alcohol at all!
Alcohol and weight loss simply do not go together! Find out how many calories are contained in some drinks. You will manage alone to calculate how many calories you have entered by consuming only one beer!
SO next time you go out to party, just think about all that hard work you put in the gym during the week.
3 Things to Keep in Mind When Practicing Resistance Training
Nov 20th
Resistance training makes use of weights either fixed or movable and sometimes even the body weight to strengthen the muscles and to help you achieve a perfect shaped body. They are gaining popularity because of their benefits like burning of calories, losing of weight, shedding off extra fats and much more. But we should pay attention to the following guidelines to extract more advantages from resistance training exercises.
Gradual increase in intensity: Do not try to practice all the exercises in a workout in a single day. Give your body sometime to get adjusted to the new routine. Start up with the warm up exercises. It is a perfect way to relax and make your body ready for resistance training. Gradually move on to the simple exercises. When they are mastered, move on to the complex exercises. It is always advisable to enroll yourself in a fitness program run by a certified instructors. The bootcamp workouts designed by the experts are well known to get you the desired results in the promised span of time without risking your time, energy and money.
Allot some time for rest: When you have prolonged periods of workouts without rest, you put yourself at the risk of both physical and mental fatigue. It is a good idea to sandwich your resistance training schedule with regular intervals of rest. Your body needs time to assimilate the benefits of exercise. The benefits may range from physical benefits like strengthening or repairing of muscles to psychological benefits like eradicating the mental fatigue. Do not push yourself against your body’s limit to withstand the strain. Try to avoid over exercising. Many people have the false notion that the frequency of doing the exercises will fasten the results but the fact is contradictory to this idea. Sticking to a regular schedule of few minutes of exercises proves good than over exercising for hours.
Follow a good diet chart: Recharge your body with necessary healthy foods like vegetables, fruits and cereals in good amounts to fuel up your body and give you that extra energy for performing various activities. Do keep a check on the type of food and the amount of it you take during your exercise regime. Energy drinks, bars and health foods are good only when taken in small quantities. Resistance training without proper diet causes more harm than good to your body. Consult a good nutrition expert to suggest you a good diet chart to be followed during your rigorous workout. Do keep your medical records in mind while planning out the workout and the diet with your fitness trainer and the nutritionist respectively.
Resistance training exercises are good option for young exercise enthusiasts keen on building up their muscles and hence their body. It is perfect for people who are eager to start an outdoor sport activity or who are already into it. It is sometimes recommended for senior citizens as a way for improving their mobility. Whatever may be the situation, these guidelines should be kept in mind in order to maximize the benefits from resistance training.
How Can Pilates Courses Help Pilates Instructors in Their Career?
Nov 20th
Many Pilates instructors may wonder whether doing courses and training can help with their career. Having additional knowledge in the field is bound to have some positive effect on the career as it will make the instructor more knowledgeable. Of course it is important that you know what is offered in the courses and the kind of training that can be undertaken.
Pilates courses
When looking at Pilates courses it is good to know that you do not need to have any prior academic knowledge to enter. However it is best if you do have some form of experience with movement therapy or are already doing something in Pilates. Courses are often offered as part of a diploma or a degree in Pilates instructor training.
Courses will often cover a large range of things and these are needed to register with exercise professional organizations. The courses you will need will include anatomy, physiology, the various levels of mat-work, working with specific groups of people, injury rehabilitation, first aid, supervised teaching practice as well as movement and physical analysis. All of these courses are designed to give the instructor a full understanding of how to help their clients.
There are many institutions that offer Pilates courses but you will want to pick the right one. The best idea would be to look at the institutes that are well known as this will help you get more clients when the training is complete. You will also need to see if they have the courses that you are interested in and how long the courses will take to complete.
Pilates training
Pilates training is usually geared toward people wanting to become an instructor. People who are already instructors can also go for additional training if they wish. This additional training can be very good for the person’s career as they can charge a higher hourly rate once the training is complete.
When looking at Pilates training you have to take into consideration what you want to focus on. Some training programs will be for people wanting to do work in rehabilitation or those who want to only do mat-work based sessions. It is also important to understand that the training will usually take hundreds of hours to complete and many institutes will want you to take continuing education classes once the training is complete.
If you want to continue working while furthering your studies then it is possible to do the training part time. Some institutes will have flexible modules that allow you to go through the curriculum when you have the time. Of course you will have to make sure that you are completing your course through a reputable and accredited institute or instructor.
Pilates courses and training should be looked at by Pilates instructors as they can be very beneficial to the career. They will allow the instructor to increase the hourly rate they charge and give them a broader knowledge of what they are doing. Additionally if the instructor wishes to change the direction of their sessions then they can learn about the new focus.
Sea Salt vs Table Salt
Nov 20th
There are basically two types of salt. Salt extracted from the ocean and rock salt. Rock salt in fact comes from ancient sea beds and can be found all over the world. You could say that all salt is really sea salt.
The main difference between the two salts is how they are mined. French farmers have a simple process of allowing ocean water to evaporate and the salt is then collected. Rock salt is usually blasted, collected and then processed.
It’s how salt is processed and the source of the salt beds that determines whether or not we end up with salt that is healthy or not. Water and salt is crucial for optimum survival but when we heat (up to 1200 degrees) and bleach the salt, we wash away necessary minerals and micro-nutrients. What we have left is dry sodium chloride, also known as table salt. It’s white and looks pretty but really from a health stand-point, there is not much left that the body can utilize. Salt manufacturers will tell you they are just taking out the impurities, but, those impurities are vital nutrients the body needs.
Pure unrefined salt and water detoxifies the body from harmful bacteria and helps to maintain alkaline/acidity in the body. According to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, too much table salt can over work the kidneys and upset the delicate balance of sodium, potassium and other minerals for proper cell metabolism.
Too much table salt can cause water retention. When you gain an extra pound or two on any given day, even though you may be watching your calorie intake, the most likely culprit is too much processed salt and not enough water. Your body goes into survival mode and will hang onto that water. Too much salt and not enough water long term can cause edema, which is evidenced by the swelling in the ankles, legs or hands. Your body is really telling you that you are very sick.
When you consume table salt, it requires a lot of water to break down the sodium chloride crystals into an ionic form where it can be neutralized and eliminated. The water is extracted from the cells in the body to accomplish this. It is the exact opposite of what the body needs and wants to do. The cells of the body need to take in the water for hydration and nourishment.
Consuming the table salt can upset the balance of fluids in the body, so much so, that for every gram of table salt we ingest, it can take up to 20 times the fluid out of the cells to metabolize it. The body essentially holds onto all that water and of course we get bloated.This is also one of the causes for cellulite. It is visible evidence that your fluid balance has been upset.
Unrefined sea salt (in small to moderate amounts) and plenty of water can have many health benefits, such as;
- Maintaining the quality of muscle tone and strength. Those who have urine leakage may be suffering from dehydration and low salt. Proper unrefined sea salt and water intake also controls muscles from cramping.
- Helps to keep the lungs clear from mucus and phlegm.
- Salt works with amylase in the mouth to start the digestion process and continues the proper digestion through-out the digestive tract.
- The minerals in salt are necessary for firm bone structure.
- Unrefined salt is also helpful in reducing varicose and spider veins. Some people have had success with treating varicose and spider veins with a homemade poultice of ½ cup of chopped green cabbage, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp of unrefined sea salt. Blend in a blender until you have a paste. Apply to affected area, cover with a large bandage or plastic wrap for at least 30 minutes twice a day.
- Unrefined sea salt acts as a strong anti-histamine.
- Helps to assist in the reduction of rheumatism, arthritis and gout.
- Unrefined salt in small doses helps to lower blood pressure for heart health
Drs have long told us to minimize salt intake for heart health and the reduction of high blood pressure. This should be revised to say, eliminate table salt and replace it with the daily requirement of unrefined sea salt. The fact is, that in conjunction with water, salt is necessary for regulating blood pressure.
It does not require a lot of salt for good health. A good rule of thumb is to have about ¼ of a tsp per gallon of water. Your body needs a lot of water each day, at least 8 cups and minimal salt. Do not have your daily intake of salt all at once. Unfortunately processed foods usually have high doses of table salt so to reduce this, it is best to prepare your own meals and control the amount of salt you ingest. The same goes for water. Spread your water intake through-out the day.
Shopping for sea salt can be tricky, even at health food stores. Pure white free flowing sea salt has been processed and is not much different from table salt. There is also an issue with evaporated sea salt because of the current pollution in our oceans. For these reasons, salt extracted from ancient sea beds may be the best choice.
Deep beneath the Rocky Mountains of Utah or the mountains of the Himalayas are valuable sources for these ancient salts. Not only can you taste the difference but you can see the difference. They are usually pinkish with some dark flexes, almost like crushed coral. Don’t be fooled into thinking these are flaws or impurities, they are in fact full of minerals and micro-nutrients essential to all life.
For better health and smooth glowing skin, try switching to unrefined sea salt and drink plenty of water.
How Much Cardio is Needed When Building Muscle? 5 Tips For Optimizing
Nov 19th
Building more muscle is smart for a lot of reasons. First, it just looks good to have a well-muscled, toned body. Also, having stronger muscles reduces your chances of incurring serious injuries. And, there is an added health benefit: the more muscular you are, the faster your body will burn fat naturally. That is because your resting metabolism rate – the rate at which you burn calories while at rest – actually increases when you have a lower body fat percentage.
People who have experience with working out with both weights and with cardio techniques (e.g., walking, jogging, swimming, biking, etc.) know that it can be hard to balance both within a regular workout routine. In other words: to really “go intense” with a cardio workout can take away from the energy and muscle strength you need for an intense bodybuilding workout – and vice versa.
Even if your primary goal is to build muscle while staying at least in fairly good shape from a cardio perspective, you still may be at a loss for just how much cardio to work into your weekly workout routine.
If you are wondering, “How much cardio is needed when building muscle?”, here are 5 tips for optimizing cardio in your workouts:
1. Too much cardio can detract from your muscle-building goals:While everybody is different, in general doing too much cardio each week can take away from your ability to build muscle at the maximum rate. This is because doing a lot of running, swimming, biking, etc. between workouts can deplete the muscle energy that you would otherwise be devoting to doing strength-building exercises.
2. But some cardio is a good idea:Still, even if your only real goal is to build bigger muscles, doing some cardio is a good idea. For example, cardio can help you to keep from getting winded during your weightlifting workouts, and it can also help to increase blood flow to your muscles.
3. Do cardio 2 or 3 times per week for about 20 minutes:By doing cardio exercises not more than 2-3 times per week for about 20 minutes at a time, you should be able to get enough exercise in to work your heart and burn some calories in a healthy way.
4. You will eventually want to choose to focus on either cardio or weight training:Of course, if down the road you believe that you will want to really focus on getting into shape on the cardio side of things – such as when you are gearing up for a marathon – you will likely need to scale back on your weight workouts. It is difficult for anybody to really focus with maximum intensity on both types of exercises for long periods of time.
5. Pay attention to the needs of your body:Remember, no matter what you read here or anywhere else, be sure to continue to listen to the needs of your body. Each person’s body is unique and it has its own wisdom. Listen to what your body is telling you in order to maximize your workouts for desired results.
Take these 5 tips into account as you focus on getting the balance right between cardio and doing strength-building exercises to build more muscle.