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UltimateFitnessGear Archive Page
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
By Carla Lord
They sting, they bite, and, well, they just creep a lot of us out! But sometimes, insects and other critters can be beneficial to our health and lives, and even fashion (after all, we'd have no silk without silkworms). Test your wits on these helpful creepy-crawlies in medicine.
Chalene Extreme Workout - P90X Workout - P90X Plus - Power 90 Workout - 10 Minute Trainer - Shaun T - Ab Workout - Turbo Jam - Workout DVDs Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X 
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
A new study is showing that women should continue to exercise the pelvic floor muscles for better overall health. Many women have done these types of workouts without really thinking about it for many years.
The pelvic floor consists of the muscles that connect the pubic and tail bones. These muscles have to be strong in order to make sure that women can maintain normal sexual function. This also helps them to control bladder functions and supports the action that the legs and the spine perform. Whether a woman is going to give birth or she is going to run a marathon the pelvic floor muscles have to be healthy in order to support these activities. An unhealthy pelvic floor can mean incontinence and/or pain. According to Sheila Dugan, M.D., FACSM and an expert at American College of Sports Medicines, here are some exercises that women can do to promote healthy pelvic floor muscles for better health: Start with deep breathing and concentrate on the pelvic floor muscles "dropping away" from the body. This should be done slowly and at least 5 minutes a day. It is a good idea to practice this if you get stressed or are feeling tense. Next step is to lie on your back and put the bottoms of your feet together. Drop your knees to your side. This is a great way to relax your pelvic floor muscles and your groin since they usually work together. Stay in this position for about 5 minutes. Still laying on your back, draw your lower belly muscles towards you like you are wearing a girdle. Hold it in this position for a count of five and then release them slowly. Try to do this at least 10 times a day as often as you think about it during the day. Now, lift your pelvic muscles up for that count of 5 -- still on your back -- hold them in this position and then slowly lower them back down. You can think of five up, hold, five down, repeat. Do this as often as you can during the day. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Monday, October 27, 2008
 If you enjoy your job, you don't have to worry about being absent because your health is probably pretty good. If you are someone who doesn't like your job or who tends to be sick a lot it may mean that you will have to do a little more exercise.There are several studies that show that workers who are fit are more prone to stay on the job longer and they are more productive. If you are working in your own business the same will apply because you cannot work at peak performance if you are not feeling well. A new organization called the International Association for Worksite Health Promotion (IAWHP) has been created to bring information to employers, about employee health. What they have found is that most people who have problems with absenteeism and who make insurance claims have these health problems because of their lifestyle choices. When employers choose to have healthcare programs and encourage employees to do them the employees become more aware of what they need to do to have lifestyle change. Many employers are attempting to make health programs available to their workers and according to the IAWHP they do not have to be expensive. We can think of a great way for workers to have a better lifestyle and that is to start with a home gym. At home you can buy just a few pieces of equipment and you can start a great workout. You can purchase a workout program like any of the ChaLEAN extreme programs that come with some workout equipment. You can also try one of the Turbo Jam programs because they will get you up and moving easily. Whatever you chose to do a home gym can be very simple or very elaborate depending on your tastes. The good news is that it won't have a monthly cost and you can use your home gym any time you want. You can also establish an easier routine. Studies show that when you exercise on a regular basis you can be sure that you are at work more often and showing your best effort. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
 After hip and knee replacement therapy it can be difficult for people to get up and moving because of the pain. In most cases, a person has to go to rehabilitation for a short amount of time and then they are supposed to keep the activity going as they move forward on their own.Many people have a problem with doing activity because it is still painful so they have a tendency to be more sedentary. Although it may seem like only older people have hip and knee replacements this can happen in younger athletes as well. In order to combat this situation, Yorkshire-based Activ4Life®, has created the cutting edge ProV3.8 system that monitors patients at the pre and post operative stages. This gives the physician more information about the individual's lifestyle and allows them to create an exercise program that is better suited for the individual. With this new information doctors will be able to help their patients create better lifestyle choices when it comes to treatment options, exercise routines, the best use of hospital care and more. This is the only system of its kind that can provide this type of information. If you are someone who has had knee or hip replacements you probably have also had to go to rehabilitation. With this new method it could be interesting to see whether a home gym system could be put in place by your doctor after the initial rehabilitation. It seems that the reason that many people have a problem getting going is because of the pain but also because they have to go outside their homes. Perhaps doctors could support their patients to do strength training using resistance bands or the fitness ball at home. Both of these methods used with a videotape or DVD could help a patient's recovery time. Doctors could actually have the physical therapist work on exercise routines the individual could use at home. This may help them improve their exercise lifestyle easier. Coupled with a better eating plan it could mean a healthier and fitter patient, to insure better recovery time. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Sunday, October 26, 2008
 As an athlete and a runner you probably think that your legs are what get you moving and help you to win the race. Of course, things like proper nutrition and the pace that you move within, will also be elements that will help you win any race. However, there is another aspect of running that researchers have discovered and that is the core of your being that actually makes sure that your body gets you where you need to go.The American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition discussed a new method of running called Chi running. This process will activate the core area of the body, so that you can run efficiently. This also means that your arms and legs will move more freely because your spine and trunk are providing the stability for the entire body; combine this with forward lean and the body becomes a power house. Chi running provides a more relaxed way of running and gets your core started. Many people concentrate on the core as an area to exercise because the stronger it is, the faster the body can move. It can also move for a longer time when the core is strong. No matter what sport you undertake the core will need to be strong in order for you to do well in it. There are many exercises to strengthen the core that you can undertake and a home gym is a perfect place to practice them. A fitness ball workout is perfect for core strength training and there are a variety of videos/DVDs and full fitness programs that can help. The P90X series is a great way to shape up the entire body but it also has exercises for the core. Yoga is another way to build core strength. There are a number of moves within yoga that will automatically strengthen your back, spine, hips and shoulders. As you stretch your muscles and realign your body as you go through these movements the muscles will follow; you will be surprised at how quickly they strengthen for good. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Saturday, October 25, 2008
 Yesterday was the first day of spring and often this means the first cold of the season. Since the weather is so unpredictable it is a good idea to make sure that your immune system is getting what it needs to bolster you against any virus that may come your way.
Waiting until you get a cold or the flu is the wrong time to get medicine going since your immune system has already been compromised. If you have children or work around children you double your risk of getting a cold because they seem to carry them with them all the time. The immune system is part of what keeps a healthy body going and if you are under stress it is a good idea to start taking natural immune system boosters to help you keep strong. Your body is only as good as what you put into it so keeping your body healthy helps you do whatever you want in your days. Your immune system is the part of your finely tuned body system that protects you against germs that get into the body. It is the part that attacks anything strange that may get into your body and takes it out. When your immune system is strong you can rely on it to work effectively. When it is compromised because of a cold or other sickness it needs more help. There are a variety of natural immune system products on the market but it is a good idea start taking one during flu season or during times that are high in allergens if you have allergies. As an example, Herbal Immune Boost stops colds before they get started. This insures that you will stay in peak performance mold no matter what the situation. Your immune system is also kept at its optimal performance when you give it good nutrition. When you fuel your body with vegetables and fruits, the minerals and other natural nutrition it needs, you will find that you have less colds and sickness than anyone around you. Natural nutrition makes sure you stay healthy more of the time. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Friday, October 24, 2008
 If you are a runner then you will want to know about a new study that shows that your body can tell you whether your pace is too slow or to fast. According to a study that was published in the Journal of Human Evolution, your body will help you determine what distance you can cover at your ultimate speed.According to the study everyone has a certain speed in which their body has maximum performance. The information from this study actually throws out the idea that you have the same metabolic rate, whether you run or sprint. Instead, the study shows that your metabolic rate changes as you change your speed. Although the study showed that different people will have different speeds, they were able to isolate the premise that women ran most efficiently at about 6.5 miles per hour and men ran at 8.3 miles per hour for peak efficiency. They did say that the discrepancy between men and women could have to do with leg length and body size. The also found that the taller the runner the faster their optimum speed. Another interesting point about this study was that it could open up information about our ancestors and their body types. This could also shed light on whether they were good runners or not. Some of the researchers also felt that this could be good information to study gaits since humans walk better than they run. We wondered whether they took into consideration how fit an individual was because this seems that it would also have a bearing on optimum speed. It seems that if someone is eating nutritionally and eating a lot of super foods that they would be in a better position to run faster. Whenever you try any fitness program remember to combine it with good nutrition. Some people choose to use a protein supplement to make sure that they are getting all of their vitamins and minerals each day. This is certainly a good option if you want to run at your optimal speed. It will be interesting to see if there are more studies done in this area. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Thursday, October 23, 2008
 When you are looking for fitness equipment for your home gym it is a good idea to keep in mind that you can buy it used or refurbished. Sometimes you can get the best deals possible if you know where to look.
Sometimes you can buy a fancier machine from a commercial vendor who sells refurbished equipment. One reason you may want to do this is because they would have the sturdier equipment that has already been tested on lots of people. This means any bugs would have been worked out before you buy it. Refurbished equipment is a good buy because the company that purchases it from the gym will take it apart, clean it, oil it and then put it back together again. They also will test the equipment to make sure that it is working properly. They also will tune it up to make sure that it is as close to new as possible. There are three different levels of refurbished equipment that are important to know about as you go looking for something: serviced, remanufactured and refurbished. As you may have guessed the refurbished equipment has the longest warranty because it was completely redone. One that is serviced will have the shortest warranty because not a lot of work has been put into it. Now, when investigating refurbished equipment, you should keep in mind that there are different levels to refurbishing: remanufactured, serviced and refurbished. The first provides the longest warranty because it's likely had the most warn parts replaced, the second has the shortest warranty because it was just tuned while the last splits the difference. Refurbished equipment makes a perfect addition to a home gym that already has resistance bands or where you are doing yoga on your yoga mats. It is a great addition to a workout CD program like the Power 90 Workout routine. This way you would be able to change your workout on a daily basis so you don't get bored with it. Many people do not know about the great deals you can get on refurbished equipment but if you do a search on the Internet you can find it easily. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
 As you get on the right mindset of staying fit and healthy you are going to want to put together an effective workout program. There are a number of things you can do to piece together a successful program that can give you the results you had hoped for. Here are a few pieces of advice for what you can do to build an effective program.The first thing you want to focus on is developing muscles. Including dips, pushups, crunches and flies in your routine can help you develop your upper body and abdominal area. It is important you do this slowly so that you do not overwork these muscles or strain them. The next area to look at is your back and chest. To help gain resistance on your back and chest areas, you can do push-ups and pull-ups. Dumbbells, free-weights and resistance bands are great for your chest as it can really build muscle mass. Make sure you do not lift too quickly as this can lead to injury down the road. Toning the major muscle groups is essential. Within your workout program you want to work the major muscle groups including your quadriceps, hamstrings, back, chest, shoulders, arms and abdominals. For shoulders and arms you can do fly’s, curls, presses, and lifts. If you want to build muscle mass do low reps and high weight, but high reps and low weight if you are looking to tone. After lifting it is important you stretch and include some kind of cardio. Stretching needs to be done for warming up and cooling down to loosen up the muscles. For cardio you can jump on the treadmill or take a jog around the park. Anything combined with a nice lift will get the job done. While lifting is a big part of your workout program, so too is the diet you put together. If you diet without strength training you can end up with a high body fat percentage. Although you may appear thin, you will actually have a high percentage of body fat. It is important you exercise in conjunction with eating fruits and vegetables. You will want to expend more calories than you are consuming. Anything you can do from vacuuming to mowing the lawn can help you burn calories resulting in fat loss. You will be amazed at the muscles you have as soon as you begin to lose fat. As you can see, there are several parts that make up a solid workout program. It is much more than lifting for a few minutes or jogging around the block. You need to be committed to lifting all of the major muscle groups, adding some cardio in your workout routine and eating healthy. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
 Whether you are 15, 30, or 60, it is important that you are getting the proper amount of exercise. In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay fit, you want to include a certain amount of exercise in your life every day. In this article we will break down various exercises that people of all age can benefit from.There has been a saying that “bodies at rest stay at rest, and bodies in motion stay in motion.” While this is not necessarily true, it does speak volumes for the importance of working out. There have been reports that have found people should move their body for 150 minutes a week at a moderately intense rate in order to stay healthy and fit. Whether it is swimming, walking, running or weight-lifting, you want to include some form of exercise every week. Although it may seem crazy to think, even household chores can be considered exercise for some. After all, it can be a great deal of work to mow an entire lawn or vacuum the house. It all depends on the person and their age. For this reason, here are some exercises broken into age categories that you should consider. Children For children who are 6-17 it has been found that there should be some form of moderate to intense activity every day for at least 60 minutes. The difference between children and adults is that children to not conform to rigid schedules of activity. Instead, they will move at different levels throughout the day with rest breaks when they want. The key is to provide kids with opportunities for movement such as sports or playing with them at the park. Adults Many adults find it difficult to find time for exercise, but it is possible for everyone to work out three times a week for 30 minutes at a time. This will be a little less than the 150-minute per week requirement, but pushing yourself to the limit during those 30 minutes can help you get the same result. You can speed-walk, run, bike, or swim. The options are endless for what you can do. 65+ The last group of individuals is the senior class of 65 years and older. In order to keep to the moderately intense program of 150 minutes per week, you can walk or join some form of exercise class. In addition, resistance bands can be great for strength training right from your home. This is a schedule that is not too grueling but will give you the results you have hoped for. Working out 150 minutes per week regardless of your age is important. There are a number of different workouts you can do to help you stay fit and healthy throughout your entire life. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Monday, October 20, 2008
 Every day it seems as if there are new problems and stresses that arise in life. It could be work, school, the kids, or family coming in for the holidays. Regardless of the reason, you need to handle it before it gets the best of you. A great way to eliminate the constant stresses that continue to pop up is to develop a consistent workout routine of some sort.After a long stressful day at work the last thing you probably want to do is go and work out. However, this is exactly what you should be doing. Getting a solid workout in after a stressful day is a great way to work off any bottled up emotions you have. At the end of your workout, you will feel fresh and actually feel rather good about yourself. You may have heard of “runner’s high” before. Exercising when you are stressed out can actually work in a similar manner. Working out can bring on a feeling of calmness after feeling anxious and irritated. There have been studies that have found that a chemical is actually released to deal with prolonged stress and pain from strenuous exercise. This is reason enough to get out and exercise after a long day at work. What is even more important than planning a workout routine is to follow through with it consistently. You do not want to skip a workout because as you exercise, you are pumping oxygen into your body helping reduce your stress levels. As your workout progresses, your body is going to release endorphins that can help you relax. By skipping your workout, you are just giving your body the chance to bottle up those stressful emotions again. In addition to working out, another way to get rid of your stress is to drink some tea. British researchers have found that people who drink four cups of tea daily have 20 percent lower levels of stress hormones than those who drank the same amount of a beverage containing some kind of caffeine. The last thing you need to do to help you eliminate your built up stress is get sleep. It may be hard to sleep with so many things on your mind, but you need to get things off of your mind and sleep as much as possible. It will allow you to clear your mind and be fresh for the next day. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Sunday, October 19, 2008
 Creating a core workout is essential as it will help you build muscles in the right places. Abdominal and back exercises are the best ways for you to build a core workout. Although each is extremely beneficial, it is the combination of the two different types of exercises that will give you the best results.Abdominal exercises are going to help you generate power moving forwards. What this will do is help prevent the spine from moving too far backwards. There are a number of different exercises you can do to strengthen your abdominal muscles. Some of the exercises you will want to include in your repertoire for abdominal workouts include planks, crunches, side planks, sit ups and leg raises. Planks are an isometric exercise that involves you balancing your elbows and toes while holding that position. Side planks are similar except that you are balanced on one elbow and your feet. Everyone is familiar crunches and how to do them, but crunches on an exercise ball can actually give you far better results. It offers an increased range of motion compared to the floor and can help improve your balance at the same time. Lower back exercises are going to help you generate power moving backwards while lifting. This is going to prevent the spine from moving too far forwards. There are several lower back exercises you can do that will help prevent lower back pain. Some of the best lower back exercises are back extensions on a ball, back extensions on the floor, and back extensions on a slant board. In addition to this, adding a rotational movement to all of these exercises can add a challenge to the workout while building up your muscles that much more. You can also do stiff leg dead lifts to strengthen your lower back as well. This motion is important for a well rounded core workout because of the fact that many lower back injuries occur when lifting. Practicing the lifting motion during your core workouts can build those muscles in the right places to prepare you for when you lift down the road. Your abdominal muscles and lower back muscles play a vital part to your core muscles. They help to rotate and side bend the spine while helping stabilize the lumbar spine and lower back. Practicing all of the rotational exercises and workouts listed in his article are important for your core workout. Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs Workout is designed to target the abs and core. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Most people who work out, train hard to lose weight, improve health or build muscles. The question however, always goes back to how to measure the intensity of training. Looking for the solution to this led to the introduction of the heart rate monitor; a device whose popularity has steadily grown through the years.
Establishing Your Optimum Training Heart Rate Heart rate monitors come with different features but its ultimate goal is to guide you to achieving optimum results from your workouts. It is important to note that not exerting enough during exercise will not produce significant results while pushing too hard can lead to harmful effects. You may have noticed that when you are running with a friend on the same pace, one of you looks so relaxed, even chatting during the lap, while the other one is trying to catch his breath all the way through. This is because different people may have different heart rate zones. To be able to make good use of the information displayed on your heart rate monitors, you must determine your Maximum Heart Rate. With the MHR, you can establish your optimum training heart rate. Should you get a Heart Rate Monitor? While it is best to heed what your own body is telling you, the heart rate monitor can serve as a very useful device to update you of your intensity or progress. Sometimes, we fall to the trap of settling with what is comfortable and not pushing ourselves beyond the limits. The monitor accurately tells us our body’s response, without any biases. It informs us of our real limits, so we can pump up or slow down accordingly. Some people, though, need to have heart rate monitors for medical reasons. They need to consistently keep track of their heart rates to ensure that they are within the safe heart zones. The Heart Rate Monitor for You The heart rate monitor consists of a chest strap that checks on the activity of the heart -- similar to what an electrocardiography does, and a watch-like display that receives the signal transmitted by the strap. Unique codes are used to make sure that signals from other devices do not interfere with the transmission. Strapless monitors have also been developed. These monitors get the information needed from your pulse. This frees you from wearing a strap over your chest. Further developments added more features to the ordinary heart rate monitor, like clocks, timers and alarms, calorie counters and even workout programs. The important thing, though, is being able to maximize the benefits of your workout by knowing what your limits are and how far you can go. Chalene Extreme Workout - P90X Workout - P90X Plus - Power 90 Workout - 10 Minute Trainer - Shaun T - Ab Workout - Turbo Jam - Workout DVDs Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Friday, October 17, 2008
 If you put on extra weight during the winter and want to take it off, you can lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks easily if you follow this simple diet plan. In order for the plan to work, you have to be willing to consume less calories, skip sweets, substitute water for any other drink, take tea and coffee black or not at all and exercise. Dieting without exercise is a waste of time. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you need to incorporate exercise into your life.Take a look at a calorie chart and, judging by your gender, height and age, decide how many calories you should consume. Most of these charts are broken down so that they are for active and inactive lifestyles. Choose the calories needed for the inactive lifestyle, which will be the least of the group, and then cut that by 200. This is the amount of calories that you can consume per day. Each day, plan to do some type of exercise for at least 15 minutes. You may want to set your alarm early and get on an exercise bike or even do some in place running at home. If the weather is nice, you can go for a brisk walk. Ideally, you should start the day off with some cardiovascular exercises so that you can get your heart pumping and calorie burning energy level up and running. Take your coffee or tea black. Drink water instead if you dislike the taste. Replace all of your drinks with water, even the so-called heath drinks that are loaded with sugar or chemical substitutes. Water and exercise are two of the best things you can do for your body, so be sure to drink your 6 to 8 glasses of water. Eat the foods that you want, but be very mindful of the calories. You may feel a little hungry the first day or so, but this will soon pass. If you follow this simple plan, you will have lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks in a very healthy way. Add in an exercise like the ten minute trainer, which is only 10 minutes a day and see better improvements Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Thursday, October 16, 2008
 If you want to lose weight, you have to cut your calorie consumption and increase your physical activity. There is no way around this, no matter how much you may wish for a magic pill to take away that weight. Many times, you may feel hungry between meals and want a snack. Many people have gotten used to snacking in front of the TV or between meals. There are some healthy snacks that you can eat that will not add on the pounds.Popcorn is one of the healthiest snacks that you can eat. This is provided that there is no salt or butter added to the popcorn. You can get microwave popcorn that will air pop the snack and will give you a light snack to eat that is not loaded with calories or sodium. Look for light style popcorn at your grocer. Another healthy snack to eat is raw celery and carrots. Those on a diet will be happy to know that they can have as much raw celery as they want on their diet as it burns more calories to chew the celery than contained in the vegetable. Carrots can also be included for a change of taste. No dipping is allowed when you are dieting to lose weight by eating these snacks. Even fat free dip has calories. Skip the dip and crunch on as many of these crunchy veggies as you want. Rice cakes are another good option when you want to lose weight but want a snack. These are airy cakes made of puffed rice and often flavored. They are only about 45 calories each and can make a nice snack when you just need a little pick me up between meals. A hard boiled egg is about 90 calories and is a good option for a healthy snack when dieting as it is loaded with protein. Just be sure that you do not add salt to the egg. You are better off to stick to these healthy snacks than diet packs that are costly and often are loaded with sugars and sodium. Remember to bear in mind that even healthy snacks have calories so, with the exception of the celery and carrots, be sure to limit yourself and count the calories that you consume when you eat these snacks. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
By Denis Faye
Halloween kind of sneaks up on you, doesn't it? One minute you're fretting over how to eat healthily during the upcoming holidays. Then, suddenly, BANG! It's late at night on October 31st, and you're dressed as a giant M&M and going through your kid's trick-or-treat booty looking for a little treat before bed. They're just little Snickers—you can eat three or four guilt free, right? Wrong. You may be putting your P90X, Turbo Jam, or Hip Hop Abs results at risk if you keep indulging in that hard-to-resist booty. Oh, the shame. Candy Corn, Snickers, Carved Pumpkins, Lollipops, and M&Ms Well, okay, so maybe that exact thing hasn't happened to you, but something close to it has, surely. So what's a giant M&M to do? As usual, Beachbody® has come up with a few suggestions. Candy ain't that dandy Candy CornInstead of trick-or-treating . . . How tough do you want to be on your youngsters? Trick-or-treating is right up there with Easter egg hunts and Santa Claus visits for most kids. Deny them that pleasure, and you might have a revolution on your hands. But if you must, try replacing candy gathering with a trip to an age-appropriate haunted house or some other community event. Then you can stop somewhere for ice cream on the way home. No, ice cream isn't good for you, but it's much better than a giant bag of candy (that can last for weeks!), and it keeps your brood from feeling cheated. Eat a healthy dinner. If you decide to allow trick-or-treating, the first thing to do is to make sure kids hit the sidewalk with a big, healthy dinner in their bellies. This can inhibit urges to sample the loot en route. When the kids get home, insist they turn over the goods. Then, you can dole it back out to them a few treats at a time over the next few weeks. Throw out half the treats. If you really want to get Machiavellian about it, once your kid hits the hay, throw half of his or her candy away. Your kid will never know the difference. Haunted HouseLead by example. Just because your neighbors are handing out sugary junk doesn't mean you need to. Although we live in an age when giving out homemade snacks or fruit is frowned upon, your local discount shop should have all kinds of cool little doodads that any kid would be happy to have, from crayons to rubber spacemen to our favorite, Chinese finger traps. Customize your costume Trick-or-treating is dandy, but for many, Halloween is a chance to let their hair down and recognize the night for the pagan bacchanalia it was meant to be. It's a chance to put on a mask and be someone you're not. CostumeIt's all in the outfit. It's all about the costume, man. So the first thing we advise is that you throw out that aforementioned M&M outfit. You've been working out all year! You've got a fit body now so don't hide it! America needs fewer M&Ms and more shirtless barbarians and cheerleaders! Prop it up. While you're designing your costume, think props. Idle hands are the snacker's worst enemy. If you're a naughty devil carrying around a pitchfork all night, it's a lot harder to get your hands on those nachos. The same goes for masks. There's no way around it; you're going to eat and drink less if you wear a gorilla mask. With a few simple shifts in thinking and a little planning, Halloween can be turned into a pretty healthy holiday. If you can get by all those candied apples and individually wrapped snacks without gorging, congratulations. Thanksgiving is going to be a snap! Chalene Extreme Workout - P90X Plus - Power 90 Workout - 10 Minute Trainer - Shaun T - Workout DVDs Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
 When you are trying to diet, one of the things that you will want to avoid is alcohol. Whether it be beer, wine or spirits, you should not indulge in alcoholic drinks as they are loaded with sugar and empty calories. If you absolutely must have a drink, you are better off with either dark beer or dry red wine. Be sure to count the calories. It is about 230 calories a glass for dry red wine and about 400 calories for a glass of dark beer. The dark beer at least has the iron, making it somewhat useful. It will also fill you up more than the wine.Alcohol is loaded with sugar. Sweet red wines and beers are about equal when it comes to calories. Dry white wines are a bit better than sweet reds, but a dry red wine is a much better choice when it comes to calories and sugar content than any other alcoholic drink. The dry red wine also has the benefits of grape seed, which some say may benefit the digestive system. A glass of dry red wine a day is also said to be good for the heart. It is important to count all of the calories that you consume when you are on a diet trying to lose weight. Many people will count the calories of the food that they eat but not what they drink. Unless you are drinking water, you are getting calories. Drinks that are high in sugar are processed through the system very quickly, are hard on the digestive tract and do not offer nutritional value. Because they are processed quickly, the sugars remain in the bloodstream where they are converted to fat. This is why you should stay away from simple carbohydrates and sweets when you are dieting as it does nothing for your body but provide you with empty calories. If you have a drink daily, you should stop. This alone will reduce the amount of calories that you are consuming on a daily basis. Replacing your alcoholic drinks by drinking water can often cut your calorie consumption by quite a bit and enable you to lose weight without having to sacrifice the foods that you like. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Monday, October 13, 2008
 When you want to lose weight quickly, you may be tempted to fast. Many people who want to lose weight right away go on starvation diets where they eat next to nothing and try to lose weight. While some fasting can help a diet and cleanse your system, fasting for days on end is not a good idea when it comes to losing weight.When you fast, your body realizes that it is not receiving any energy from food. Therefore, your metabolism shuts down. While you are busy starving yourself, your metabolism has switched off. This is why you do not lose weight when you go on a starvation diet. Most people who try fasting to lose weight, also known as a crash diet, will lose water weight at first, such as 5 pounds, not lose anything for a few days, go on a binge and eat and then end up gaining the 5 pounds back and then some. This is called yo-yo dieting and it is actually worse than not dieting at all as it puts an added strain on your organs. That being said, fasting on a weekly basis can be beneficial for a person who is dieting. This would mean that fasting one day out of 7 could help control weight. Many people swear by this type of fasting that just deprives you of food for one day and allows you to eat normally throughout the week. During the day of fasting, you should make sure that you drink plenty of water. Fasting one day a week is more of a diet maintenance than the way to diet. If you decide to try to lose weight this way, you still have to cut your calorie intake on the days that you do not fast and increase your activity level so that you can burn calories. Be sure not to fall into the trap where you get encouraged by fasting for one day that you make it two or three days as this is not only unhealthy, but will end up shutting down your metabolism and make weight loss even harder. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Sunday, October 12, 2008
 You really are what you eat., like it or not. The food that you put into your body not only dictates your physical health, but your mental health as well. If you want to stay healthy, you need to not only exercise, but also eat healthy foods. Vegetables are among the most healthy of all foods. They are loaded with antioxidants that keep your immune system strong and healthy, and also with vitamins and minerals that keep your body functioning.Leafy green vegetables are among the best vegetables to eat. These include spinach, broccoli, asparagus and cabbage. These are all loaded with many vitamins and minerals and are not only good for your body but your mind as well. Leafy green vegetables not only have the potential to make you physically healthier, but they can make you mentally healthier as well. Because the leafy green vegetables are loaded with the B vitamins, they can help keep you from feeling depressed. The number of people who are depressed is rising rapidly, especially in the United States. Many in the medical community feel that a lack of the B vitamins can cause depression. An increasing number of doctors agree that eating greens is not only good for your body, but your mind as well. Other vegetables that are good for you include potatoes and carrots. Potatoes have taken a bad rap because of the carbohydrate factor. Those on a low carbohydrate diet often are told to avoid potatoes. However, these and carrots are high in Vitamins A and C and are good for you. Potatoes contain potassium, another essential mineral that can help us mentally as well as physically. Carrots contain carotene, a substance that many in the medical profession believe can inhibit cancer growth. There is no doubt about it - vegetables are good for you. When eating vegetables, try eating them raw or steamed for the best results. Eating vegetables daily is nothing more than a habit that you can get used to, even if you are not used to eating these healthy natural products. Eating a diet that is rich in vegetables is one sure way to both good physical and mental health. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Saturday, October 11, 2008
 If you want to lose weight, you need to burn fat performing cardiovascular exercises. These are exercises that can get the heart racing and will allow you to lose weight. Most strenuous exercises are cardiovascular exercises. Many of them are high impact and are hard on the knees and back. But not all. There are a great many cardiovascular exercise machines that you can use that will not be hard on your knees or back. The choice that you make when it comes to cardiovascular exercise machines depends on your exercise style as well as overall body shape.If you have trouble with your knees and back because of excess weight, you may have a difficult time exercising. This may be somewhat of a Catch 22 for you as you need to exercise to lose the excess weight to make your knees and back feel better. Fortunately, you can use a treadmill or even an elliptical trainer as a way to exercise without feeling the pain in your knees or back. A treadmill is one of the most popular of all exercise machines as it is very low impact and can be used for walking, jogging or even running. It is ideal for people of all ages and in all types of health. Even heart patients are encouraged to use a treadmill to stay in shape. You can program the treadmill to the speed that you want and even observe how many calories you have burned off during your exercise period. The elliptical machine is another low impact cardiovascular machine that may work for you. This mimics the motion of cross country skiing and exercises both the upper and lower body. If you want higher impact, you can choose a stair climber. This not only burns calories, but also gets your lower body toned and fit., A rowing machine can work for your legs and arms and is also a high impact, cardiovascular exercise machine. The type of cardiovascular exercise equipment that is right for you depends on how you like to exercise, the results that you want and your overall health. No matter what shape you are in, there is equipment to suit you. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Friday, October 10, 2008
Pull up bars are excellent for building upper body strength. However, unlike the time when you were a kid and could jump up and down the monkey bars in the playground without worrying about a thing, there are certain things you need to keep in mind to maximize your chin-up bars workout without injuring yourself.
The Basic Chin up Tips Before jumping to your chin-up bar, take 15 minutes of light warm-up and stretching to prevent injury. A 5-minute warm-up followed by 10 minutes of stretching should be enough to get you good and ready for your workout. Again, going back to the fact that you are not a kid anymore, it is quite possible that you may find yourself unable to do chin-ups the first time. Doing chin-ups can look deceptively easy but the truth is they are rather strenuous. If you find it difficult in the beginning do not hesitate to use a chair to for the necessary support and assistance. Gradually, you can start letting go and you will be able to do chin-ups on your own in due time. Increase your endurance for the exercise slowly and over a period of time. Perform your chin-ups in sets of 4, and then come down to allow your heart rate to recover before going up again. The Basic Pull Up Moves The basic pull up is good for training your upper body, shoulder and forearms. Grasp the bar with your palms and fingers facing away from your body. Keep your arms straight and make sure you do not swing. Relax your shoulders and your body. Slowly pull up until your chin is just parallel to the bar. Pull up in one smooth motion, taking care not to jerk, and then lower back slowly to the position you started with. A variation to this is doing the exercise with one arm. Follow the same technique described above, but grasp one wrist with your other hand instead of keeping both hands on the bar. This will provide more resistance for strength training. The pull up bar static hang will help you build up your endurance. Hang on the pull up bar with one hand for as long as you can. When you feel that you have reached your limit, trade arms. Shake out the arm that you were just hanging from. When you start doing this you will probably hang for no more than a few seconds, but try to work your way up to the point where you can hang much longer. These simple exercises using a chin-up bar can give you an intense upper body workout right at home. Chalene Extreme Workout - P90X Workout - P90X Plus - Power 90 Workout - 10 Minute Trainer - Shaun T - Ab Workout - Turbo Jam - Workout DVDs Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Thursday, October 9, 2008
 If you are someone who is already moving a lot on your job then you know how frustrating it can be to continue a workout later. Although many people get their 10,000 steps in a day because they are walking the halls of the hospital they work within or on their feet all day, this does not mean that they are getting the correct fitness.
Often this means that the body is getting used to certain movements and the muscle groups that are being used all the time are actually getting used to certain movements and using less muscle to make these moves. Many professions like nursing, hairstyling, doctors and waitresses may feel like they are getting the workout on a daily basis but they may be underutilizing certain other muscle groups. Here are a few tips to help get the workout everyday: Think about what you need to do in order to do your work on a daily basis. As an example, if you are on your feet all day you are going to need a strong back and strong legs. You can get this to happen with core strength training and you can do it at work or at home. At home you can use a fitness ball to help you develop core strength. Use a workout DVD with it and you can practice some of the moves as you go throughout your day. You can also go back to doing calisthenics like you did when you were in high school. The age old jumping jacks, jumping rope or side-to-side stepping are all things that you can do on the go or you can take time before or after work to do. Each of these exercises only takes a few moments and they can help get your back and your core working better together. You can also engage your core by just breathing in and out. Most fitness books and DVDS talk about the proper way to breath and this always engages your core muscles; you always engage them when you inhale. Try a few of these exercises on your break if you can or at least practice the breathing. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
As most women know breast cancer can be a devastating illness, but it is also one that many people survive. A new study suggests that women who are physically fit are less likely to be the ones who die from breast cancer.
Although this may be kind of a morbid thought according to Steven Blair, P.E.D., FACSM, this could be a very important breakthrough. Blair and his team did a study with 14,000 women between the ages of 20 and 83 years old. They watched these women from 1973 to 2001 and each had an initial medical exam that included a treadmill exercise test. The team monitored this group through 2003 for mortality. The researchers found that those women who had a moderate to high level of aerobic exercise were less likely to die of breast cancer than those who had a low level of aerobic exercise. Blair's suggestion is that women should do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activities each week if they want to get into the moderate category; this can be something as simple as walking. When someone wants to get into the higher category, they just have to go to the 300 minutes each week in order to get the higher fitness level accomplished according to Blair. This means that you would do aerobics or other type of workout. This is good news if you are interested in a home gym because it can create a lot of opportunities for you. As an example, there are several great workouts for every fitness level. Some people get a good workout with the various Chalene Johnson programs. Others like the dance aerobic programs like the Hip Hop Abs program that Shaun T has created. All of these are great ways for women to get into that category of higher fitness level. These you can do at home in your home gym. If you are new to fitness, you can always start slow and then move your workout up a notch as you continue so that you can eventually get to that higher level. This is a great way to get the family involved too! Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
 More than a million people on the Internet have said in various ebooks and other information that your metabolism can be changed by eating certain foods or by doing certain exercises. Now there is scientific evidence to show that this actually can happen.According to director of sports nutrition at the University of California at Davis, Liz Applegate, Ph.D., FACSM, an individual can change their lifestyle in such a way to increase their metabolism. The simplest way to do this is to look at calorie counting. As an example, she states that you can figure out your metabolic resting rate by looking at 10 calories to be burned for every pound of body weight you have (for women) or 11 calories for every pound of body weight (for men). As an example, if you are a woman of 130 pounds this means that your resting metabolic rate is approximately 1,300 calories daily. In order to change the metabolic rate you have to take into consideration certain life style factors and change them to help you. She says that you can change some of these considerations. Here are a couple and how to change them: Body composition -- Do strength training so that you can change your muscles from fat to muscle. The more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn. You can do this with simple workouts like the 90X series of workouts. Age -- although you can't really change your age you can change the way your body reacts to it. When you age your resting metabolic rate will drop a couple of percentage points for every 10 years you age after age 20. This basically means that your lean body mass is lessening when you aren't exercising. To make this work for you it is important to do strength training to stop this lean mass loss. Although many people know that thyroid hormones have a part in your metabolic rate they are the only part that cannot be changed. Applegate says that the hype about supplements that can make changes is not true so she says not to buy the hype. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Monday, October 6, 2008
 Many people study martial arts and they know that when you put mind, body and spirit together you have better performance. There is now a body of evidence that states that mind body connections are important to the development of overall exercise performance.Pilates and Yoga are responsible for a larger body of knowledge about how this connection is made and how it continues. Ralph La Forge, MS an expert at American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition found that there are several ways that mind body exercise can help:
There is no doubt that an individual can increase their overall health by using a combination of regular workouts and a mind/body workout. This can be very helpful. Yoga has a series of poses that are very helpful but it is important to use a yoga mat in order to make sure your body has the stability as it does these poses. Since you are going to be working with mind and body you want to be sure that your body is as stable as possible on the surface where you will workout. Many people find that working out in their home gym is a perfect place to practice yoga poses. They can enjoy a short fitness class and then take what they learn into their home gym. To get started right away at home a program like the P90X workout is perfect to help you maintain an overall workout. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Sunday, October 5, 2008
A Body Fat Caliper is one of the most popular and convenient ways to measure the progress of someone undergoing weight management. This tool takes its concept from the Vernier Caliper, which is basically a device used for taking precise measurements.
How Does a Body Fat Caliper Work? Contrary to popular misconception the body fat caliper does not give readings of the percentage of fat in the body. The Body Fat Caliper assesses body fat by taking precise measurements of skin folds from different parts of the body. These measurements may then be used to calculate how much fat a person has under the skin, called subcutaneous fat. The measurements taken by the Body Fat Caliper may be fed into an equation to predict body density and body fat percentage. The catch to this is that there are over a hundred different equations you can use to calculate these values, which result in significantly different answers. It is important that the correct equation is chosen when calculating. Equations vary according to certain characteristics such as age, fitness level, gender and race. Basically, you cannot use the same equation to calculate the body fat percentage of a 25-year-old woman and of a 60-year-old man. Since having to figure out equations make the process troublesome and inaccurate, it is better to just take skin fold measurements and use this to track progress over time instead of computing body fat percentage. In order to make sure that accurate measurements are taken, it is best to have someone take your measurements for you. This doesn’t mean that you cannot do this yourself, though – the calipers are actually very easy to use. How to Take Measurements Correctly Measurements are taken from different parts of the body and will vary between men and women. For men, measurements are taken from the chest, abdominal and thigh areas. When taking measurements from the chest, make sure that the direction of the skin fold is diagonal. For the abdominal and thigh areas, the fold should be vertical. For women, measurements are taken from the triceps, waist and thigh. Make sure that the direction of the skin fold for the waist is diagonal. Those for the triceps and the thigh should be vertical. If your goal is to be more toned and you would like to see how those body fats melt away, the Body Fat Caliper is actually a great tool that you can use. Chalene Extreme Workout - P90X Workout - P90X Plus - Power 90 Workout - 10 Minute Trainer - Shaun T - Ab Workout - Turbo Jam - Workout DVDs Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Saturday, October 4, 2008
 There used to be a lot of information written about how one you got to the age of 50 you were pretty much at the weight you would always be. There are horror stories about people in their 50 needing knee and hip replacements and many people just accept this as their fate as they grow older.
Although this may be true for some people, this is not true for all and many people over 50 are finding that they can be athletes now instead of 20 years ago. What may be of interest is that women over 50 are finding that running is one of the best sports where they can excel as athletes. Women who may have run in their younger years and didn't because of the stereotypes that were apparent then, are running now competitively. Many are running local marathons and then going on to larger competitions. What makes women want to run? It is just plain fun. It is something that you can do to work out and when you start out, it is something that doesn't cost you anything. Running competitively does take some time to do but there are many training programs that you can find on the Internet to tell you how to do it. Beyond running, many women are turning to basketball as something to do for fun. In fact, it is so much fun that many have turned it into a competition. Leagues like the Granny Basketball League or the Hot Pink Grannies are playing in state and national competitions. According to the National Sporting Goods Association the amount of women over 55 who are playing basket ball rose from 16,000 to about 31,000 in just 10 years. These older women are not letting grass grow under their feet and many of them say that they started training at home. Some start out with their own home gyms and a couple of fitness DVDs and then they want to do more fitness. They moved on to something more competitive but they maintain their home gyms for workouts. This just goes to show that you are never too old to start a fitness program. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Friday, October 3, 2008
 Many people recommend that eating organic foods are better than what you buy in the regular grocery store. This is a misconception that doesn’t have any scientific proof and it can be difficult to discern because of our average eating habits. There is a body of evidence that says that, if people move away from eating meat and other animal products to a better more refined diet than it can mean better health. Also moving away from the highly processed foods to more plant products not only helps the body but it also helps the environment.
The challenge is that since Americans consume a lot more meat and these other processed foods any change in the diet would help them. This is why some people say that organic food is not necessarily better. The good news is that it is a matter of taste and you can see for yourself whether "real food" tastes better than "processed" or "irradiated food." This can be a simple test. The point is that Americans really don’t get all the nutrients that they should get from their regular diet and some people get their nutrition from vitamins which are a secondary source that can work. Another challenge is that most Americans are so much on the go that they don't have the time to eat well and they forget to take their vitamins. One healthy choice is to use a nutritionally balanced meal replacement shake. Many people in many different lifestyles use meal replacement shakes as a way to balance their nutrition. Generally these taste good, come in a variety of flavors and have nutritional ingredients. If you use a meal replacement it generally works best if you replace the breakfast or lunch meal. These are the two times that most people will run around with appointments or errands and not take time to eat. Eating a healthy and balanced dinner full of greens and a little meat will supplement what you are doing for nutrition very well. If you eat the best food you can eat at any time, you will be sure that you are getting your proper nutrition every day. Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Thursday, October 2, 2008
 A recent article from CNN suggests that doctors can actually see their patients through the virtual reality Second Life. In this process they can monitor patient progress, order x-rays and talk to people about their progress. Imperial College of London set up this virtual hospital for third year medical students in order to test this as an environment where students can learn in a, hands-on gaming environment.Within their classrooms in the real world students are able to interact and consult within the Second Life environment. They can pair up inside Second Life, but they have to use their Avatars to consult with each other inside the program. The program makes them do all of the things they would do in the regular hospital setting. The hospital is using the Second Life experience as a way to reinforce the lessons that they are learning in the real world. At least in this way if they make a mistake, they can always go back and fix it. This is also a good way to break up the monotony of the first two years of medical school when they have to attend lectures and do a lot of papers. We wondered whether this could be the wave of the future for fitness too so we did a little snooping around Second Life for fitness programs. Believe it or not, there are a few. What we found that no matter what there is something for everyone in Second Life. We found fitness events, Second Life Health Groups and actual places where you can go to pretend to do workouts. Although this is something that many people would love to do there is still no substitute for the real world of fitness if you are going to get your real body in shape. Today, most people know that getting in shape means to do some type of exercise. One way that you can use Second Life is to have a workout partner as you do your own exercise in your home gym. Who knows, there could be someone training the P90X workouts right now! Your Place For: Workout Routines - Workout DVDs - P90X
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
 By Joe Wilkes Can you turn fat into muscle? Is the morning the best time to exercise? Will you get cramps if you drink too much water when you exercise? Can those ab machines on TV get rid of your potbelly? Spend time surfing the Internet for fitness information and, pretty soon, your head will explode from reading all the contradictions and misinformation about the best strategies to get fit. Here are some of the more popular myths and old wives' tales that have been propagated over the years. Body Builder, Water, and Workout Machine
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