Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Share Diet and Fitness News With Lighthearted Approach

Diet is the buzzword of the week as everyone comes down off of those Christmas sugar highs and reluctantly looks down the barrel of the new year. The diet world is certainly a deep one to navigate and one you shouldn't have to go at alone without a good friend. Diets In Review is a premiere diet and wellness education site. In addition to providing informative reviews about hundreds of diets, weight loss programs, nutrition books, diet pills and supplements, exercise equipment and more, they have a team of dedicated diet and nutrition experts sharing the most up-to-date news and information.
Book mark the Diets In Review Diet Column, especially if you want more information about how to lose weight. It's a great source for all the diet, fitness news you'll need. The contributors update the site daily with news about the newest research studies, breakthrough information about how those using pedometers tend to lose more weight or how indulging in just a little dark chocolate each day actually does more good than harm and how to promote a healthy body image in the face of a media who knocks stars like Jennifer Love Hewitt for being a size 2. You'll also find intriguing posts about their personal experiences as they relate to their own journeys to lead healthy lives while balancing career, children and all the other mayhem of daily life.
Jason Knapfel is one of the major contributors who has experience in dieting and fitness. Most notably, he spent six years working with the online diet giant eDiets. His frequent posts are informative, somewhat personal and always have a touch of realistic humor.
Brandi Koskie has been writing both reviews and posts to the column since day one. Her level-headed approach is honest and also offers a funny tone. She has just completed an interview with Biggest Loser season 5 contestants Amanda and Neill Harmer that will be featured in the Diets In Review Diet Column. She'll also follow along with the season and post weekly updates. So definitely be sure to keep up with these exciting entries.
Newcomers to Diets In Review are Gretchen Wilcox and Heather Ashare. Just in time for the new year, they'll continue to keep readers updated with the most current dieting news, trends and tips.
Gretchen has a background with Jenny Craig. She is a master sommelier and can certainly advise about the health benefits of wine (if not the best ones to enjoy), as well as a bit of a foodie. She is currently completing a degree in psychology.
Heather joins with degrees in public health and psychology and has a true passion for writing about health and wellness. Her editorials have been featured in publications like The Detroit News and Smart Woman Chicago. She also practices and instructs Ashtanga yoga and studies Ayurveda medicine, ancient Indian health and healing.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Top Ten Ways to Improved Health and Fitness

Does it look as if your life is spiraling out of control? Getting rid of stress is all pertaining to taking charge: having to take charge of your current thought processes, your own feelings, your agenda, your own natural environment, along with the approach you deal with difficulties. Typically the supreme goal is actually a balanced life along with time for work, family relationships, rest and fun - additionally the fortitude to hold up under stress and also satisfy challenges head on.
1. Adequate Breath
Practice the following process on a day-to-day basis for 5-10 minutes. Lie on your back, placing a pillow wedge or similar support beneath your knees to relax your smaller back. Position a hand at your stomach and the other on your chest. Slowly and gradually inhale through your nostril and also make certain the only hand that will moves is actually the one upon ones belly. Try to keep the hand on your upper body as still as achievable. Let out your breath by means of pursed mouth and repeat. You actually might become briefly lightheaded following your 1st couple of breaths, but that is definitely a regular response to the particular increase in oxygen uptake by your body.
2. Organization
Are you beginning to feel weighed down through so much to do and so little time? Unclutter your life and also get organized in order to take back control.
3. Satisfactory Drinking water
Lack of fluids stresses your overall body and nervous system. Sufficient water absorption is important for cellular processes. So, just how much must you drink? My personal guidance, multiply your weight in lbs by 0.5 and 0.7. The amounts produced are the range, in ounces, of drinking water an individual should drink every day. There is no need to get started slamming down normal water today. Instead, gradually increase your intake over a four-week time period. Keep in mind that caffeinated drinks are usually natural dehydrators, so for every cup of caffeine beverage you consume, replace them by using 2 cups of standard water.
4. Balanced Snack
Eat balanced eat regularly to control blood sugar quantities. Consuming simply about three meals a day is insufficient with regard to keeping this delicate balance of hormones in check. This is actually recommended that in addition to consuming three normal meals a day, a person combine in 2-3 nutritious snacks. Anyone can notice a renewed feeling of energy and vitality because you deliver your body and brain with the nutrition it needs.
5. Exercising
Once you make it a part of your program, it may become an essential part regarding your healthy and balanced way of life. Make an effort to get 20 minutes a day of some type of physical exercise. Going for a walk is actually a excellent way to begin. Get outdoors in addition to enjoy the open atmosphere while at the exact same time clarifying your mind. Excessive pounds is also a stress on your body. Standard physical exercise may help to remove the pounds, improving your appearance, your health and fitness and your state of mind.
6. Finding "Me Time Period"
Take some solo time every morning prior to you start the actual day. Implement this period to reflect on yesterday and plan out present-day's events. It is a excellent time in order to put together your own "Top 5" list of important things you actually really want to accomplish for the day.
7. Listening to Songs
Favorite songs calms the spirit. This can trigger so many emotions and sense. Produce a specialized assortment of your popular tunes and play them any time you need to get away. Close your eyes along with take yourself back to a place which left a cherished opinion upon your own soul. That will help provide you a restored viewpoint upon your current situation.
8. Studying
Studying can truly alter your existence. Try in order to find twenty minutes a day to look over something positive and reassuring. Stay apart from newspapers and periodicals that are usually filled up with disaster and gloom.
9. Concentrating on Excellent Information
Turn on the TV these days and almost all you observe is certainly negative information. What happened to the actual great news? Precisely what you focus on turns into your actuality. Consequently stop paying attention on the actual poor things in life and concentrate within on the favourable.
10. Better Sleeping
Rest is essential with regard to the particular regeneration associated with body and mind. Lack of sleep leads stress on the immune system and can make you a lot more susceptible to disease. How much sleep should a particular person get every night? The particular answer will depend on on the personal; nevertheless it will be advised to get eight hours of slumber every evening for greatest benefit.
This usually takes thirty days to form a brand-new habit. Attempt these top 10 pressure busters for just 1 month and anyone can modify your current life. Perhaps if you cannot perform all of them, begin using a handful of and also observe just how much less tension you have in your life.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Like Xbox Kinect and Nintendo Wii, Can Improve Health and Fitness

The gaming industry is forever at the receiving end of wide-spread criticism from parents, teachers and critics. Most games are 'Violent' with nothing but "blood, gore and battles', it is often said. To a large extent, it's true and the gaming industry does have an Achilles heel. However, did you ever think that Health and Fitness can be improved by playing games on modern gadgets like Xbox and Nintendo Wii? Could playing games be possibly therapeutic? Some research seems to suggest so:
It reduces pain: If you are wondering how playing video games can reduce pain, according to the American Pain Society, our focus diverts away from any seemingly bothering pain points on your body and makes you to forget about pain, at least temporarily. More specifically, the study reports that patients undergoing Chemotherapy reported a great level of stress reduction and lessened fear. It is believed that the brain releases endorphins during gaming that generally makes us feel good.
Learning: While it might seem totally counter-intuitive, games play a crucial role in learning and development. According to an article on cited.org, games fall into the category of "interactive multimedia" where learning occurs through user control. For instance, a game called "Discover Babylon" enables students to scour through an ancient Mesopotamian route and time just by using basic skills like mathematics, reading and writing. In yet another game called Chemsense, students can tinker with chemical compounds and experiment virtually. Most of the other modern games on Xbox, Play station and Personal computers might be termed as 'violent' by critics, but there's a sense of spatial skills development, cognitive learning, adapting to various environments, etc.
Motivation: Games are intensely engaging and users usually experience a heightened state of excitement during play time. The scores, leader boards, team play, group wins, individual wins all provide a pumped up level of motivation for users - the very reason why games are so addictive. In fact, this addiction is a growing concern in the U.S alone with about 92%of kids under the age 18 play regularly. While the addiction part of the story is disconcerting indeed, when played in moderation games can really keep users' energy levels up, bring out a sense of "fighting to win" and invoke an increased level of action among users.
A Sharp and alert Mind: Playing video games, online games or even massive multi-player games have a direct impact on the level of alertness of your mind. CBS news mentions a report released at the University of Rochester, gamers who play games like Grand Theft Auto and Counter-strike have better visual skills, faster cognition, have quick reflexes and have a better ability to process information quickly.
When we believe that anything in excess is bad, it holds good for the time spent on video games. While there are alcoholics, smokers and gluttons there are addicted gamers too. As it stands for most things, moderate use is acceptable and even beneficial in many cases; so are games.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

The Three Simple C's to Ensure You Reach Your Health and Fitness Goals

Reducing body fat, increasing lean muscle mass or simply getting a bit fitter to cope with the vigor of everyday life can be a massive challenge. This challenge often becomes frustrating with results often coming very, very slowly. Losing weight, gaining muscle and trying to achieve health/fitness goals are based on a multidimensional parameter. Training type, training time, training frequency, nutrition intake, fluid intake, alcohol consumption, sleep patterns and stress can all play a huge part.
This short article isn't designed to look at the total picture and take every aspect of lifestyle management into consideration. I am simply going to look at the time spent in the gym and how following the 'Three C's' principle will make your time in the gym more efficient and more effective leaving you with more time to do the other things you enjoy in life. It will also make you look forward to your next gym visit and believe me...the RESULTS WILL COME!!!
As a Personal Trainer, I spend half my life in the gym environment and I see these three simple points carried out ineffectively by almost 80% of gym visitors. That means 80% of gym visitors are not implying simple strategies to help them achieve their goals. So what are the Three C's? The Three C's are Continuously, Consistently and Creativity. So let me explain each one individually and how if performed correctly will help you achieve your health and fitness goals.
This may sound strange but a recent survey found that 37% of gym members once they start training do not train continuously. By all means when training there are times when we obviously rest, these rest periods are incorporated into the training program. But coffee breaks, reading the news paper, constant chatting amongst gym members and a distinct lack of focus on the training session at hand is many frustrated exercises biggest downfall. So when we are in the gym lets ensure we are focused ad exercising continuously. A great point using weight loss for an example would be ensuring the heart rate remains above 60%, throughout the whole training session.
The second C is Consistency. Sure one great gym session is going to help, but that alone is not enough. To achieve our goals, for example weight loss we need to be exercising frequently (3 - 5 times per week). So Consistency in following your gym routine is crucial in order to get results.
The final C is Creativity. In order to train continuously and consistently your exercise routine needs to be creative. A creative routine will keep you both physically and mentally stimulated. Rather than using fixed machines three times a week in the same monotonous way, incorporate body weight exercises, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls and stability balls to keep challenging your body. For more advice on these types of equipment speak to a personal trainer at your gym or health club. I'm sure they'll be happy to help!
To sum up and more importantly, ensure that you put this into action follow the three simple points. They will lead to a Fitter, Healthier and revitalized you that gets results from the gym, enjoys the gym and attends the gym regularly:
1) Make sure we train continuously for the allocated period of time in accordance with our training program.
2) Make sure we train consistently on a weekly and monthly basis ensuring each training session is implemented as successfully as possible.
3) Make your routine as creative as possible to kick boredom in to touch. This will ensure long term our exercise routine is sustainable and both physically and mentally challenging.
Healthy Thanks
Sam O'Sullivan
(South Wales, Uk based Level 3 Advanced Personal Trainer)
Sam O'Sullivan is a Personal Trainer and Boot Camp Guru based in Cardiff, South Wales, UK. He is the creator of the highly successful SOS Executive Personal Training Company and Cardiff Kettlebell Boot Camp. His knowledge, enthusiasm as a Level 3 Advanced Personal Trainer with his innovative approach to training has changed many of his clients lives.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Alcohol Does Serious Damage!

Life is a precious gift and all through our growing years parents lovingly tend and nurture life, giving us strong healthy bodies that are bursting with vitality. Then we grow up and go off to do our own thing that includes being hell bent on destroying the health and fitness we enjoy. Alcohol is a killer, make no mistake about that! It is wonderful to party and get drunk and we tell ourselves that we are young and life is to be enjoyed. This article covers the repercussions of serious drinking on well being.
Medical research has indicated that a glass of wine or beer or one hard alcohol drink every day is good for the body. Who really stops with one drink? The reason being, alcohol is extremely addictive and once you get caught in its grip, getting out takes some serious effort. Society is plagued by alcoholism, even the young and the saddest part is that the numbers are on the rise, even among pre-teenagers.
You would be hard pressed to find few if any parts of the body that are not negatively affected by the effects of alcohol. Going into the details of every one of the side effects caused by alcohol on health and fitness will take forever; this article covers a few of the scarier aspects of alcoholism. There are short term effects of alcohol like ruined relationships, dysfunctional family life that involves abuse, driving impairment and negative reactions to prescribed medication. In the long term the problems that develop affect health in myriad ways by breaking down the body's defenses and organ functions leading to serious and even fatal health consequences.
The liver is one of the primary organs that is affected by alcohol very negatively. Inflammation of the liver leads to Hepatitis which includes abdominal pains, fever and jaundice. Prolonged abuse unfortunately can be fatal, the good news however, is that when you stop the effects are reversible. Cirrhosis of the liver, which is scarring of the organ is the ultimate result of the abuse and cannot be reversed and may require a liver transplant as a last resort.
The pancreas is the organ that regulates your body's blood sugar levels through the production of insulin and it also helps in digesting the food you eat. Inflammation of the pancreas through alcohol abuse leads to severe abdominal pains and weight loss that can eventually result in death.
Alcohol heightens the risk of various cancers attacking the body and the correlation between alcohol and cancer has been medically proven. Women can develop breast cancer in addition to cancers of the mouth, throat, liver, pancreas and colon.
Now that you are suitably enlightened on the dangers of alcohol abuse it is best to stay away from something that can fatally damage your health and fitness.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Healthy And Fit In 2 Weeks

It seems that nowadays each year sees the launch of a new diet solution product that is designed to bring about the so much wanted fit and healthy body. As you might suspect this year is no different, around spring people start to look for ways to lose weight they put on during the winter month or in the recent years. From the hyped up launches of these products to alternative and common sense solutions, losing weight is drawing much attention again. This article will explore the many exciting aspects of getting healthy and fit, the great method to achieve that and its impending impact on your body.
Like many mass marketed products from companies, weigh loss products promise that you achieve results within a short time frame only by popping in some pastilles every day without you changing your lifestyle or actively taking part in your progress towards health and fitness. We have seen how these "wonders of the year" quickly fade away to give place to a new, more exciting and promising "discovery of the year" solution leaving you feeling bitter and frustrated, what's more blaming yourself for not achieving what those advertised exceptional people claim. While there have been many reasons for following these trends, people have realised that these products don't usually bring results to the masses.
The ever green common sense solution is to eat less and exercise more. It's easy to say but how can it be implemented in one's everyday life? - you might ask. What exactly are the steps I personally have to take to see results? After failing with several magic products these questions are logical to ask. So maybe there is no magic pushbutton solution people want to believe in so hard... I'm sure a lot of people have given up hope that they can ever lose weight and be healthy and fit again. The good news is: they CAN achieve their dreams by turning their attention to alternative solutions that have worked for more than 7000 years. The best example of this is Chikong (Qigong, Chi Kung)
This method which has worked for such a long time brings results within the first 2 weeks. There is no magic pill involved in it - instead you must take part, actively be involved in order to achieve health and fitness. By this time after failing with so many programs I am sure you realized you have to take action as well. What is fantastic about Chikong is that with a little action from your part - that you actually enjoy doing within days - your body start transforming and you will see great results within the first 2 weeks of your involvement.
As you can probably tell by now you have to actively take your health into your hands instead of going for the new shiny magic pill. As you might suspect it is anticipated that more and more people realise this truth and start turning towards those methods that have worked for thousands of year. They will enjoy getting their health back, being fit and full of energy and a result of this enjoying their lives.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Health and Fitness Fairy to Wave Her Magic Wand

If you could have just one wish granted that related to your health and well being what would it be?
o Be stronger and fitter
o Have a great slim, firm body
o No worries about developing some dreaded disease
o Feel more self-confidence
o Be more relaxed and de-stressed
o Have more endurance and stamina
o Be more alert and focused
o Feel happier and more accepting with your lot in life
o Live longer and have a higher quality of life
The good news is...you don't need the magic fairy with her wand to grant you any of these wishes. You can have all of the wonderful benefits listed above and not have to wait for that fairy to pay you a visit.
You are now saying so, what is it and how do I get all of these things in my life?
The simple answer is 'proper exercise'.
But I hear you say "I hate exercise".
And the answer to this is: "Change your mindset".
Whether you like to exercise or not doesn't really matter. It is simply not an option but a choice and that choice is totally dependent on you. Somehow you need to change the "I hate" to "I love" to exercise. Tell yourself it makes you feel good, it will help you lose that excess body fat, it will help you be a calmer and saner person, it will make you live longer and the list goes on and on. Whatever it takes is what you need to do.
To be able to improve your life in every way and be the person you are meant to be means you must include proper physical activity into your life. If you don't feel this is necessary and that you can get by without it you are simply cheating yourself. Your life cannot be complete without proper exercise and to start making your life better this is the place to start.
Every one of us needs proper regular exercise. It is our natural state to be fit, strong and energetic. If we are not in this state we cannot function properly, either physically or mentally. We might get by without it in our younger days, but as the years pass the toll it takes will make itself apparent in many different negative ways. It will get to the point where the deterioration and degeneration will impact life greatly as the downward spiral accelerates.
It is so much easier to take charge and take action to guard against this. If you are new to exercise or do not understand what proper exercise means seek the help of a fitness professional. If you fail to do your program correctly, or fail to use the right exercise such as strength training exercise you will not get the results you hope to get. It is way more than simply going for a walk. We all have legs and we all walk but this will not give you significant anti aging health and wellness benefits.
If you have never experienced how good for your inner sense of wellbeing you can get from a regular exercise program you have something great to look forward too. It will become so much easier to be the person you want to be. You will soon have more energy and vitality, a better mind set and attitude to everything in life and a gentler calmer disposition.
If you can learn to love exercise and how it makes you feel, you will not have to force yourself and will want to actually do it. This can happen little by little over a period of time. Allow yourself to have this gift and in return you will have access to your health and fitness wish list.