tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-350654292024-03-06T21:07:36.103-08:00Uncommon BodyUncommon Body is a blog for and about people who like or want to be in good feet. Everything you need to know about body trainings, losing weight, keeping motivation health caringWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-55978360057969632182008-02-12T09:38:00.000-08:002008-02-12T13:50:39.465-08:00Top 7 Ways To Improve Your Workout<p>Everybody wants to spend their time effectively. Spending a lot of time in a gym could not be so effectively as you want to. Here are small tips which will improve your gym workouts:</p><br /><ol><li><strong>Limit your workouts to 40 minutes</strong>. Though the tendency of some people who really want to get a lot out of their workouts is to spend a lot of time at the gym, the truth is that after 30 or 40 minutes, the benefit isn’t as great. It’s better to work out at a higher intensity for a shorter amount of time. If you still think that you need a lot of workouts split them. Go to the gym 5 days a week.<br /></li><li><strong>Water. </strong>Be sure to drink a lot of water throughout the day. It takes a couple of hours for your body to absorb it, so you can’t just drink right before exercise. Make it a habit to drink water regularly throughout the day.</li><li><strong>Slow lifting</strong>. Many people contract their muscles slowly and then release more quickly. But if you lift slowly in both directions, you are maximizing each move. Lift and lower to a 5-second count in each direction. Making exercises slow really give much more effect.<br /></li><li><strong>Heavier weight. </strong>When you’re starting out, it’s best to start with lower weights so you can focus on good form. But once you’ve gotten your form down, it’s best to lift the heaviest weights you can lift while still keeping good form. Don’t sacrifice form for heavy weights — that is ineffective. But heavy weights, with good form, can give you better results in a shorter amount of time. Heavy weights are not just for those who want to bulk up — that’s a common misconception. So your set could looks like a stairs.<br /></li><li><strong>Pick a cardio exercise you enjoy</strong>. It’s no fun to exercise if you hate it. And you won’t keep it up for very long. Pick something that’s fun — running, walking, swimming, biking, hiking, rowing, stairmaster, etc. After the initial phase when you’re getting used to exercise, you’ll start to have a blast and look forward to it.</li><li><strong>Mix it up</strong>. Don’t stick to the same workout routine for too long, or your body will adjust to the stress level and you won’t be getting an effective workout. For strength training, change your routine every few weeks. Or even change routines every week. For cardio, it’s best to cross train rather than, say, to run every time.</li><li><strong>Shake before and after workout</strong>. It’s best to take a protein/carb shake just before your workout and then just after. Taking it before your workout increases the flow of amino acids to your muscles during training, giving them the building blocks they need. After the workout, the shake stimulates muscle growth. Also take a small protein/carb meal 60-90 minutes after a workout — a meal replacement bar would work fine.<strong> </strong></li></ol>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-45823050539166715942008-02-08T12:18:00.000-08:002008-02-09T09:59:23.686-08:007 Ways to Build the Exercise Habit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://zenhabits.net/fotos/abs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://zenhabits.net/fotos/abs.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />You’ve probably tried it several times. You’re fed up with your skinny look or overweight body. You decide to finally do something about it. So you take a gym membership. Some friends decide to join you. After a few weeks however, your friends don’t show up anymore. Then you end up alone. And eventually you quit.<br /><br />Yeah I know, this happens all the time. I’ve seen it over and over again. I know what you’re thinking. How come some people can stick with it and others not? What is their secret?<br /><br />I’ll first tell you what it is not: it’s not discipline, it’s not willpower. Discipline and willpower only work in the short-term.<br /><br />What works in the long-term is making exercise a habit. That’s their secret. And that’s what this post is about — 7 ways to build the exercise habit.<br /><br /><ol><li><b>Set your Goal.</b><br /><br />What do you want to achieve?<br />Bigger muscles?<br />Less fat?<br />More strength?<br />More speed?<br /><br />Exercising can be used for several means. Before you take a gym membership, start by setting a definite goal. What is it that you want?<br /><br />Don’t try to achieve more than 1 thing at a time. Start with one goal. Once you have attained it, you can work towards a second goal.<br /><br /></li><li><b>Set a Deadline.</b><br /><br />Set a date by which you will reach your goal. Write your goal and deadline on a piece of paper and put it somewhere you can see it multiple times a day.A good place would be on your nightstand. Look at it on waking up and before going to bed. This will act as a constant reminder of your goal.<br /><br /></li><li><b>Make a Plan.</b><br /><br />Once you have set your goal, you must back it up with a plan.<br />Which exercises will you perform?<br />How many sets and reps will you do?<br />How many times a week will you go the gym?<br />Your time is precious. Any minute in the gym must bring you closer towards the achievement of your goal. So choose a solid training program. If you’re a total beginner to strength training, read Starting Strength. It’s the best place to start.<br /><br /></li><li><b>Exercise First Thing in the Morning.</b><br /><br />When you’ve just had a tough day at work, it can be hard to train for another hour at the gym. A solution is to exercise first thing in the morning:<br />Wake up early<br />Eat breakfast<br />Prepare the stuff you need for work<br />Go to the gym<br />One hour later, you’re another step closer towards the achievement of your goal. And you have your whole day to do whatever you need to do.<br /><br /></li><li><b>Stick to your Plan.</b><br /><br />This is something I experienced on numerous occasions. The days you don’t feel like exercising, are often your best days. Maybe it’s the mind-body connection: the body says no, but the mind says go. Thus the body eventually says go too. I don’t know.<br />Whatever it is, when it’s the day to train, it’s the day to train. Make no excuses, go the gym. If you don’t feel 100% healthy, still go the gym, but train at a lower intensity. The fact that you’ve been there, is more important than the quality of your training. And as I wrote above, sometimes it can turn out into one of your most productive workouts.<br /><br />The more you exercise, the more you build the habit. Stick to your plan.<br /><br /></li><li><b>Train With Someone Who Has The Exercise Habit.</b><br /><br />If you’re training partner quits, you’ll probably end up quitting too. But if your training partner hangs on, you’ll take it as a challenge.<br /><br />Next time you go the gym, look around you. Look at the people who exercise. Find someone who is serious with his training. Take the initiative: ask him if you can train with him. If you choose the right person, he’ll accept your request. Most people know that getting into exercising is not easy, they know because they’ve been there.<br /><br />A good training partner will motivate you & help you achieve your goal. If not, keep on looking.<br /><br /></li><li><b>Be confident.</b><br />You can achieve whatever you want, if you believe that you can do it. Having a clear goal and a plan will already arm you with self-confidence.<br /><br />Know that it will take 30 days to build the exercise habit. During the first 30 days you’ll need to push yourself to the gym. After 30 days it will become easier: the habits starts to take over, pushing you the gym.<br /></li></ol><b><br /><br />Write this next to your goal and deadline: “If they can do it, I can do it”</b>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-70326374760636730912008-02-07T12:21:00.000-08:002008-02-07T12:28:20.754-08:0010 Great Tips To Feel More Energized<p>A lot of people complain that they feel tired right after the day begins. Thats could happen because of different things but there are small tips follow which everybody could feels much more energized:</p><ol><li><b>Have breakfast... even if you don't feel hungry.</b> You'll be a lot perkier: Studies show that people who eat breakfast feel better both mentally and physically than those who skip their morning meal. British researchers at Cardiff University even found that spooning up a bowl of breakfast cereal every morning is associated with lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.</li><li><b>Stay hydrated.</b> Water makes up the majority of your blood and other body fluids, and even mild dehydration can cause blood to thicken, forcing the heart to pump harder to carry blood to your cells and organs and resulting in fatigue. Also, ample fluids keep energy-fueling nutrients flowing throughout the body, says Nancy Clark, R.D., author of <i>Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook.</i> To gauge your hydration, Clark recommends monitoring how often you urinate. You should be going every two to four hours, and your urine should be clear or pale yellow in color. Tip: Besides drinking more, you can also consume foods that naturally contain water, such as yogurt, broccoli, carrots, and juicy fruits, like watermelons, oranges, and grapefruits.</li><li><b>Watch caffeine intake after noon.</b> Typically, consuming a moderate amount of caffeine — 200 to 300 mg, the amount found in two to three cups of coffee — can make you more energetic and alert in the hours following, says Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D., a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. But when caffeine is consumed in large quantities — or anytime in the afternoon or evening — the quality of your sleep that night can take a nosedive, leaving you with heavy eyelids the next day. One caution for those who are highly sensitive to caffeine: Although switching to a decaf latte in the afternoon sounds like the answer, researchers at the University of Florida found that out of 22 decaffeinated coffee beverages tested, all but one contained some caffeine.</li><li><b>Splash some water on your face or take a shower when you're feeling burned-out.</b> Some 55 percent of study participants reported using these types of "water therapy" to successfully increase their energy, according to findings in the <i>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.</i> Apparently, a little H <sub>2</sub> O refresher can instantly help take the edge off when you're feeling overwhelmed</li><li><b>Take belly breaths.</b> When we're under stress, we're prone to take "chest breaths" — short, shallow ones, says Domar. Chest breathing brings less air into the lungs and reduces the supply of energizing oxygen to the body and brain, leaving you physically and mentally drained. The goal is deep, diaphragmatic breathing — like that of a sleeping infant: When you breathe in, your belly should round and fill like a balloon; on an exhale, your belly should slowly deflate. Of course, remembering to practice deep breathing isn't the first thing on your mind when you're under the gun, so as a visual reminder, try posting a tranquil picture (such as a pool of water or your kids smiling) with the word "breathe" next to your computer, or anywhere you tend to feel on edge.</li><li><b>Cut back on TV and computer time after 8 p.m.</b> If you're already a night owl (you go to bed late and sleep in on weekends), the bright light emitted from television and computer screens can make falling asleep at a decent hour even harder. The reason: Light suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone secreted at sunset that tells the brain that it's nighttime, explains John Herman, Ph.D., director of the training program in sleep medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. And when melatonin levels are low, your brain is fooled into thinking that it's still daytime — and remains raring to go. Whenever possible, wait until the next morning to tune in and/or log on. If you must use light-emitting technology at night, try to turn it off an hour or two before hitting the sack.</li><li><b>Give your pet his own separate sleeping space.</b> At night, pets snore, jiggle their tags, move around a lot, and even hog the covers and bed space. It's no wonder that 53 percent of pet owners who sleep with their pets in the bedroom have some type of disrupted sleep every night, according to a study from the Mayo Clinic Sleep Disorders Center in Rochester, MN. Consider relocating your furry friend's sleeping quarters to another area, even if it's just his own bed in your bedroom.</li><li><b>Lower the thermostat.</b> For a good night's sleep, make sure your room is comfortably cool — enough so that you need a light blanket. This ensures that your environment is in sync with your body's internal temperature, which naturally drops during the night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Studies suggest the ideal sleeping temperature is between 54 and 75 degrees; anything cooler or warmer may cause you to wake up.</li><li> <b>Skip the nightcap.</b> Alcohol depresses the nervous system — the system of cells, tissues, nerves, and organs that controls the body's responses to internal and external stimuli. So while sipping a glass of wine before bed may help you nod off, the sedative effects wear off as your body metabolizes the alcohol, which may cause you to wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble falling back to sleep. Alcohol has also been shown to interfere with the body's natural 24-hour biorhythms, causing blood pressure to rise and heart rate to race at night when it's normally calm and relaxed. You don't have to give up that evening cocktail entirely to achieve sound sleep — just try to avoid alcohol within two to three hours of bedtime.</li><li><b>Write down your worries.</b> During the day, jot down any stressors that are weighing on you, says Carden. Then, do some mental problem-solving before your head hits the pillow — or, if you're falling short on solutions, tuck your list away and resolve to brainstorm ideas during your morning shower or commute to work. Just knowing you've established a plan for tackling your to-do's will make you feel like you've made some progress, allowing you to relax, drift off — and wake up the next morning ready to take on the day.</li></ol>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-69361103608476498482008-02-07T12:03:00.000-08:002008-02-07T12:19:19.865-08:00What happens when you stay awake for 11 days straightWhat would happen if you stay awake, say, oh for 11 days straight? Would you suffer brain damage or even die? Here’s the story of a high school stunt that turned into a real scientific research into sleep deprivation from Alex Boese’s Elephants on Acid and Other Bizarre Experiments.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2007-10/gardner-sleep-experiment.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2007-10/gardner-sleep-experiment.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />On the first day, Randy Gardner woke at six A.M. feeling alert and ready to go. By day<br />two he had begun to drag, experiencing a fuzzy-headed lack of focus. When handed series of objects, he struggled to recognize them by touch alone. The third day he became uncharacteristically moody, snapping at his friends. He had trouble repeating common tongue twisters such as Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. By the fourth day, the sand-clawed demons of sleep were scraping at the back of his eyeballs. He suddenly and inexplicably hallucinated that he was Paul Lowe, a large black football player for the San Diego Chargers. Gardner, in reality, was white, seventeen years old, and 130 pounds soaking wet.<br /><br />Gardner, a San Diego high school student, was the subject of a self-imposed sleep-deprivation experiment. He had resolved to find out what would happen to his mind and body if he stayed awake from December 28, 1963 to January 8, 1964, a total of 264 hours - eleven days. Assisting him were two classmates, Bruce McAllister and Joe Marciano Jr. They kept him awake and tracked his condition by administering a series of tests. They planned to enter the results in the Greater San Diego High School Science Fair. But transforming the ordeal from a science fair stunt into one of the most widely cited sleep-deprivation experiments ever conducted was the arrival of Stanford researcher William C. Dement, who flew down from Palo Alto to be with Randy as soon as he heard what was going on.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Animal Study Ends in DEATH!<br /><br /></span><br />No one knew what Randy might experience, as more days passed, or whether he might cause himself permanent brain damage, because only a handful of sleep-deprivation trials had ever been conducted. One of the earliest studies in this field had come to an inauspicious conclusion. In 1984 1894 Russian physician Marie de Manaceine kept four puppies awake almost five days, at which point the puppies died. She reported that the research was "excessively painful," not only for the puppies but for herself as well. Apparently monitoring sleepy puppies 24/7 is hard work.<br /><br />However, the few studies conducted on humans offered more hope. In 1896 doctors J. Allen Gilbert and George Patrick kept an assistant professor and two instructors awake in their lab at the University of Iowa for ninety hours. After the second night, the assistant professor hallucinated that "the floor was covered with a greasy-looking, molecular layer of rapidly moving or oscillating particles." But no long-term side effects were observed. Then, in 1959, two disc jockeys separately staged wake-a-thons to raise money for medical research. Peter Tripp of New York stayed awake for 201 hours while broadcasting from a glass booth in Times Square. Tom Rounds of Honolulu upped the ante by remaining awake 260 hours. Both Tripp and Rounds suffered hallucinations and episodes of paranoia, but after a few good nights’ sleep they seemed fully recovered. It was Rounds’s record Gardner hoped to beat, which is why he set his goal a 264 hours.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Experiment</span><br /><br />Meanwhile, Gardner valiantly pressed onward, struggling to stay awake. Nights were the hardest. If he lay down for a second, he was out like a light. So his high school friends and Dr. Dement kept him active by cruising in the car, taking trips down to the donut shop, blasting music, and playing marathon games of basketball and pinball. Whenever Gardner went to the bathroom, they made him talk through the door to confirm he wasn’t dozing off. The one thing they didn’t do was give him any drugs. Not even caffeine.<br /><br />As more days passed, Gardner’s speech began to slur, he had trouble focusing his eyes, he frequently grew dizzy, he had trouble remembering what he said from one minute to the next, and he was plagued by more hallucinations. One time he saw a wall dissolve in front of him and become a vision of a forest path.<br /><br />To make sure he wasn’t causing himself brain damage or otherwise injuring his health, his parents insisted he get regular checkups at the naval hospital in Balboa Park - the family’s health-care provider since his father served in the military. The doctors at the hospital found nothing physically wrong with him, though he did sporadically appear confused<br />and disoriented.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />A New World Record!</span><br /><br />Finally, at two A.M. on January 8, Gardner broke Rounds’s record. A small crowd of doctors, parents, and classmates gathered to celebrate the event. They cheered wildly, and Gardner, busy taking calls from newsmen, responded with a V-for-victory sign. Four hours later, he was whisked away to the naval hospital where, after receiving a brief neurological checkup, he fell into deep sleep. He woke fourteen hours and forty minutes later, feeling alert and refreshed.<br /><br />Gardner’s world record didn’t last long. A mere two weeks later, papers reported that Jim Thomas, a student at Fresno State College, managed to stay awake 266.5 hours. The Guinness Book of World Records subsequently recorded that in April 1977 Maureen Weston, of Petersborough, Cambridgeshire, went 449 hours without sleep while participating in a rocking chair marathon. However, Gardner’s feat remained the most well-remembered sleep-deprivation trial. To this day, no on knows the maximum amount of time a human can stay awake.<br /><br />As of 2007, Gardner remains alive and well, having suffered no long-term ill effects from his experience. Despite sleep deprivation being the source of his fifteen minutes of fame, he insists he’s really not the type to pull an all-nighter and says he’s maintained a sensible sleep schedule since his youthful stunt. He does admit to lying awake some nights, but attributes this to age, not a desire to beat his old record.<br /><br />Ross J. (1965) "Neurological Findings After Prolonged Sleep Deprivation." Archives of Neurology 12:399-403.Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-26400250553444787672008-02-03T04:08:00.000-08:002008-02-03T04:23:24.033-08:00Crazy Bench Press of 715 lbs Without Eqipment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chetday.com/images/ScotMendelson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://chetday.com/images/ScotMendelson.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Scot Mendelson holds a world record in raw bench press, with a lift of 715 lbs (324.3 kg). He also was the first guy who lifted above 1000 pound but now this <a href="http://uncommonbody.blogspot.com/2008/02/1050lbs-to-become-bench-press-king.html">record holds Ryan Kennelly.</a> He is 39 years old. Nowadays he own a fitness studio and going to lift 1100 some time in future. Here is a video of making his world record:<br /><br /><div style="clear:both;text-align:center"><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6bu9csQC45c&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6bu9csQC45c&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></div><br /><br /><p>Also, checkout <a href="http://uncommonbody.blogspot.com/2008/02/1050lbs-to-become-bench-press-king.html">Ryan Kennellie's 1050 bench press</a>.</p>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-21120729754662765572008-02-03T03:48:00.001-08:002008-02-03T04:26:58.238-08:001050lbs To Become Bench Press King<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.irongladiators.com/images/PRODUCTSBIG/gladiator-tanks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.irongladiators.com/images/PRODUCTSBIG/gladiator-tanks.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Ukranian guy, Ryan Kennelly, become a bench press world records men by lifting 1050 lbs (476.3 kg) of total weight. He beats his own world record of 1036 lbs and the previous records men was <span>Gene Rychlak Jr Benching with </span>1010<span>. </span>Ryan weighs in at about 290 pounds. Here is the video from the tournament where he make hist new record:<br /><p style="clear: both;text-align:center"><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/c7NRwF9KWIY&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/c7NRwF9KWIY&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object></p><br /><br /><p>Also, check out <a href="http://uncommonbody.blogspot.com/2008/02/crazy-bench-press-of-715-lbs-without.html">Bench press world record Without Equipment</a></p>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-70318567940637760092008-02-02T14:14:00.000-08:002008-02-02T14:42:49.612-08:0010 Things You Never Knew About Sex<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thedigitalbeat.com/lips.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.thedigitalbeat.com/lips.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><ol><li>The typical lovemaking session lasts around 15 minutes: roughly 10 to 12 minutes of foreplay and around 3 to 5 minutes of intercourse.</li><li>Humans aren't the only horny members of the animal kingdom doing it just for fun. Dolphins and a type of chimpanzee called the bonobo have also been observed engaging in sexual activity when they are not in their natural reproductive cycles.</li><li>While Viagra has made erectile dysfunction (affecting 10 to 12 percent of men) a household phrase, the opposite problem -- premature ejaculation -- is more common (affecting 24 to 27 percent of men). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing a drug called dapoxetine as a cure for this problem.</li><li>Crank up that thermostat... orgasms may be more intense in warmer conditions. The degree of vasocongestion, reddening or darkeing of the skin known as the "sex flush," is both more common in warmer temperatures and an indication of how intense an orgasm may be.</li><li>If a woman experiences orgasm during sex, she is more likely to become pregnant, since orgasmic spasms in pelvic muscles help move sperm up the vaginal canal to the uterus.</li><li>Homosexuality is not unique to humans. Many species have been observed engaging in homosexual activity, and in fact male bats have the highest rate of homosexuality of all mammals.</li><li>On any given day 400,000,000 people around the world -- 1 in 17 of us -- will have sexual intercourse. Broken down further, 4,000 people are having sex at any given time.</li><li>Sex cures headaches. Endorphins released into our bloodstream when we have sex not only give us pleasure but also act as painkillers. Useful information to whip out the next time your partner uses a headache as a reason to say no.</li><li>Many elderly can and do have frequent sex. At age 70, 73% of males are still potent, and 30% of women 80 or older have still have sex.</li><li>70% of women would rather eat choclate than have sex.</li></ol>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-48610333975992523552008-02-01T14:25:00.000-08:002008-02-01T22:38:44.811-08:004 Monumental Princeples Of Weight Loss<p>Nowadays, everyone and everything promoting miraculous weight-loss formulas. Sometimes they turn to the mythic properties of fruit, like with the “Lemon Diet” or with the “Papaya Diet.” Other times they just create special nutritional plans, say the “Low-Carb Diet.” There are also the magic workouts and exercises that are supposed to reduce your belly circumference by 10 centimeters in three days – while toning your muscles….</p> <p>The reality is that there are no shortcuts or easy ways to get in good shape. Sorry, but someone needed to tell you this.</p> <p>Now, don’t get me wrong, you won’t not need to starve for days or perform some Spartan training activities. As long as you get conscious about what you are doing, you will see the results. Below you will find the four principles that you need to keep in mind in your weight-loss journey.</p> <p><strong>1. Forget About Diets</strong></p> <p>People that go from diet to diet never reach a stable weight, let alone a good shape. The reason is quite simple: diets are, by their very nature, temporary. You can’t expect to eat properly for two or three weeks and fix your weight problems for the rest of the year.</p> <p>I know it is encouraging to read that you could lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks if you were to eat this and that. It is encouraging but not true. They might even work in the short term, but after a couple of months you will recover what you have lost.</p> <p>Many of these diets are not even targeted at fat loss. They promise that you will lose weight, but the caloric cut is so drastic that you end up losing many pounds of water and muscle mass along the way, and that is not what you should be aiming for.</p> <p>If diets are not the solution, what is then? Proper nutrition, and we’ll cover this on the next principle.</p> <p><strong>2. Proper Nutrition</strong></p> <p>If you want to keep your weight and fat percentage under control, you will need to learn the basics of nutrition. Once you learn them, you will be able to eat healthy throughout the year.</p> <p>Buy a nutrition book on some library and read it. At the very minimum you want to know how your body works, what sources of energy it uses, what are the roles of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins.</p> <p>You will need to shift your paradigm about food. Many people, especially those with weight problems, tend to see food as a source of pleasure. They eat what they like, when they want to, and in whatever proportions it might take to satiate them.</p> <p>This is not the correct approach. You should see food first and foremost as something functional. You will eat because food is the fuel for your body. If you adopt this mentality, you will start eating what you need, when you need, and in the correct amount.</p> <p>It might sound extreme, but even with this approach you will be able to have pleasure while eating. It is just a matter of getting used to it. Once you detox yourself from the junk food you will see that an apple can be just as tasty as a sugar-jammed apple pie.</p> <p>Needless to say that if you are trying to lose weight you will need to have a caloric deficit in place. That is, you will need to eat less calories than what your body needs to keep his weight. Ideally you want to jot down some numbers and calculate how much you should be eating. There are plenty of resources online that can help you here.</p> <p><strong>3. Physical Exercise</strong></p> <p>Eating healthy and having a caloric deficit will only take you half the way. The other key factor is physical exercise.</p> <p>Low intensity cardio is the corner stone of any weight loss program. That is because the higher the intensity of the exercise, the lower the amount of free fat acids in your bloodstream (free fat acids come from your stored fat through the lipolysis process, and they are burned for energy).</p> <p>So far so good, but what is considered low intensity cardio? The easiest way to determine is to find your max heart rate (220 – age = max heart rate) and calculate 40% and 60% of it. That is the range you should aim for when doing low intensity cardio. Suppose you are 20 years old. This means that your max heart rate is around 200, so your range for low intensity cardio is from 80 heart beats per minute to 120 heart beats per minute.</p> <p>Pragmatically speaking, what activities can you do as low intensity cardio? There are many of them, from walking to swimming and riding a bicycle; just find something that you like to do.</p> <p>Start with two weekly sessions, and build your way up. The same theory goes for the duration, find what you are capable of doing in the beginning (without feeling too tired), and build your way up. It might be 10, 20 or 30 minutes, it doesn’t matter as long as you make progress along the way.</p> <p><strong>4. Discipline and Perseverance</strong></p> <p>You can start eating healthy and exercising properly, but unless you stick doing it regularly, the results won’t appear (if they do, they won’t last).</p> <p>Discipline and perseverance are key here.</p> <p>You could find a friend to exercise together, a mentor to guide you throughout the way, or even write down your progress day after day, like this person has done on his <a href="http://www.fatmanunleashed.com/">fat man weight loss</a> blog. Do whatever it takes to stay on track.</p> <p>That is pretty much all you need.</p> <p>It won’t be easy, but very few worth things in life are easy to achieve, right?</p> <p>Good luck!</p>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-56164514338995773632008-02-01T13:19:00.000-08:002008-02-01T13:25:27.628-08:00Weight Loss Of 186 Kilograms Is A World RecordPower of will could make a 286 kilos guy in 2003 to become 100 kilos guy! Here are photos of what he went through during the <span style="font-weight: bold;">world's great weight loss</span>:<br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IL7H1jvmR4MP30-yUrRm4MI8LjeBFu4eXu2yQas4OkSqJBXg_eEz4mfYhrx0CTXbqD7D-s_fOIbhsNmGKE7Yaa961WSOVRiPwwF5whWFX8WB3Jb4O4dL8pE1nqIXYnuoTNPV/s1600-h/tn.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IL7H1jvmR4MP30-yUrRm4MI8LjeBFu4eXu2yQas4OkSqJBXg_eEz4mfYhrx0CTXbqD7D-s_fOIbhsNmGKE7Yaa961WSOVRiPwwF5whWFX8WB3Jb4O4dL8pE1nqIXYnuoTNPV/s400/tn.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><a name='more'></a><p><br /></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxURx1Ns7OP4Rb6hJGWt4Qm6Gs_tyFBqss9S2DfbN90ZcdkrEq79dfXstfCoBO-CuZuNyxBKT5u7evCyO4ptfRbAJgyI74EDPIqJvo0jiSbEfL8FbKRHdGN6pJHryfWXt6TooP/s1600-h/01_hudoi_53884.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxURx1Ns7OP4Rb6hJGWt4Qm6Gs_tyFBqss9S2DfbN90ZcdkrEq79dfXstfCoBO-CuZuNyxBKT5u7evCyO4ptfRbAJgyI74EDPIqJvo0jiSbEfL8FbKRHdGN6pJHryfWXt6TooP/s400/01_hudoi_53884.jpg" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-09ZAcEifUst91nT4uBIs3eHepXMe15kqph_EgUYc9ujzOnTdOI3CWZF_Tl1Scr8z64rlMu-vGL27i1zLiO6Tt372pVGbtgecsCbzZaHx7mf43YzgzM92sBFsjS3gmmuKEd5/s1600-h/02_hudoi_55821.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-09ZAcEifUst91nT4uBIs3eHepXMe15kqph_EgUYc9ujzOnTdOI3CWZF_Tl1Scr8z64rlMu-vGL27i1zLiO6Tt372pVGbtgecsCbzZaHx7mf43YzgzM92sBFsjS3gmmuKEd5/s400/02_hudoi_55821.jpg" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpV_v3I7BOzHAuG5U-K-1x_t3ntAKWHzL9zPcAavulW2GACUQZnVNTJZtvv_y6d2q7sm5Xv9wXMa1oD8lgQIPx48CqrtnZtIwL0iO2banlSF4XkzVsQpbRW6fwVy3LXvR12j5/s1600-h/03_hudoi_54820.jpg"><img 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src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2JHqpyGw80JvpBbbw9QeXnBVUCVnBTmlCdHTh4N8JIog_8J_Ri5l6G6XN9HMs7p5K1EpxBe0SNWzlSK6Zpx0v4MGJZXKsTFDckLQg841P3TJn17OHs9HA3eAH2KXZTnoSGh3/s400/17_hudoi_23221.jpg" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPp6GJFgKl9I58E13rqePzAD3qWc1qDm3jEqHxxRtEHazTwcP8DenAZZKwUpUHp-8iqQ29KxyJ6xGzrhih4R04De3QGZUBy7XAsGyepTTtFtNprZ8Hcau1Yegf-UMUgsdxCjtI/s1600-h/18_hudoi_32165.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPp6GJFgKl9I58E13rqePzAD3qWc1qDm3jEqHxxRtEHazTwcP8DenAZZKwUpUHp-8iqQ29KxyJ6xGzrhih4R04De3QGZUBy7XAsGyepTTtFtNprZ8Hcau1Yegf-UMUgsdxCjtI/s400/18_hudoi_32165.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-44077808084723227002008-01-31T12:25:00.000-08:002008-01-31T12:27:21.977-08:007 Easy Tips for Better Eating HabitsOne of the most important things that needs your attention is what you eat and how you do it. Good eating habits are so necessary to be at your best and today we’ll look at 7 really simple techniques that you can use to improve your eating habits. Continuous practice of these habits will lead to a more energetic, fulfilling and healthy life.<br /> <ol><li><span style="color:#808080;"><strong>Avoid eating junk.</strong></span> Look at your food and assess whether you are taking care of your body or ruining it.<span style="color:#808080;"><strong></strong></span></li><li><span style="color:#808080;"><strong>Have watery food, like fresh salads.</strong></span> Drink more water. It is known to flush toxins from your body.</li><li><span style="color:#808080;"><strong>Don’t eat too much or too less.</strong></span> Stick to moderate proportions.</li><li><img src="http://lifetweak.org/pictures/eating3.jpg" align="right" /><span style="color:#808080;"><strong>Eat slowly.</strong></span> Chew your food. Eating works like the way pills do: The more you feel it’s going to work, the more it is going to work. Always take your time and feel every bit of food that you eat. Follow it to your stomach. This would take just a few minutes of your time. Don’t tell me you’re <em>that</em> busy! ;)</li><li><span style="color:#808080;"><strong>Stick to your eating schedule.</strong></span> At times when I’m upto something that’s really important, I skip my meals thinking that missing it once or twice will not be a problem. But trust me, it is going to disturb your biological cycle and my advice is: <em>never do this!</em></li><li><em></em><span style="color:#808080;"><strong>Avoid distractions while eating.</strong></span> I had this annoying habit of watching TV or gaping at my computer screen while eating. I thought I was being practical: I didn’t want to waste time. But soon I realized how bad it is for my body and I dumped my distractions completely. Now I feel calm and uncluttered while eating.</li><li><strong><span style="color:#808080;">Avoid smoking and alcohol intake before or after food.</span></strong> Many smokers feel the need to smoke after meals at home, work or a restaurant. Nicotine stops hunger pains and makes your blood sugar level go up. And about alcohol, studies indicate that some of the ingested alcohol is trapped by food in the stomach causing a delay in absorption. My advice: Smoke and drink at a later time and see your appetite grow. It is much healthier that way.</li></ol> <p><img src="http://lifetweak.org/pictures/eating2.jpg" align="right" />Make a list of your eating habits and review them honestly. It’s good to know how well your eating is. If you come up with some more tips for better eating habits, which I’m sure you will, please share them with us in the comments section.</p>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-86142338792381491952008-01-30T12:17:00.001-08:002008-01-30T21:59:24.737-08:00The REAL Death Treats To Americans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://stpeteforpeace.org/what.kills.americans.july07website2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://stpeteforpeace.org/what.kills.americans.july07website2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><table str="" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 470px; height: 327px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr style="height: 15.75pt;font-family:Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24" str="'1) 3,000 deaths on Sept. 11"><span style="font-size:-1;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sources</span><br />(1) CNN</span></td></tr><tr face="Trebuchet MS" style="height: 15.75pt;" height="21"><td class="xl24" str="'2) FBI, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offenses_reported/violent_crime/murder.html"><span style="font-size:-1;">(2) FBI<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offenses_reported/violent_crime/murder.html"></a></span></td></tr><tr style="height: 15.75pt; font-family: Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24"><span style="font-size:-1;">(3) National Center for Statistics and Analysis<a href="http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2004/809905.pdf"></a></span></td></tr><tr style="height: 15.75pt; font-family: Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24"><span style="font-size:-1;">(4) Institue of Medicin<span style="text-decoration: underline;">e</span><a href="http://www.iom.edu/?id=19175"></a></span></td></tr><tr style="height: 15.75pt; font-family: Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24" str="'5) CDC, http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050420-124451-2201r.htm"><span style="font-size:-1;">(5) </span><span style="font-size:-1;">CDC</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 15.75pt; font-family: Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24" str="'6) American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=050FEA9F-B064-4092-B1135C3A70DE1FDA"><span style="font-size:-1;">(6) American Foundation for Suicide Prevention<a href="http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=050FEA9F-B064-4092-B1135C3A70DE1FDA"></a></span></td></tr><tr style="height: 15.75pt; font-family: Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24" str="'7) American Cancer Society, http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Secondhand_Smoke-Clean_Indoor_Air.asp"><span style="font-size:-1;">(7) American Cancer Society <a href="http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Secondhand_Smoke-Clean_Indoor_Air.asp"></a></span></td></tr><tr style="height: 15.75pt; font-family: Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24"><span style="font-size:-1;">(8) National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicin<a href="http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9911/29/medical.errors/"></a></span></td></tr><tr style="height: 15.75pt; font-family: Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24"><span style="font-size:-1;">(9) </span><span style="font-size:-1;">Center for Disease Control (CDC)</span><span style="font-size:-1;">, NCHS Leading Causes of Death</span></td></tr><tr style="height: 15.75pt; font-family: Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24" str="'10) National Cancer Institute, http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/cancer"><span style="font-size:-1;">(10) National Cancer Institute<a href="http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/cancer"></a></span></td></tr><tr style="height: 15.75pt; font-family: Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24" str="'11) Center for Disease Control, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/datahighlights/page4.htm"><span style="font-size:-1;">(11) CDC, Smoking Attributable Deaths <a href="http://www.prevent.org/content/view/49/99/"></a></span></td></tr><tr style="height: 15.75pt; font-family: Trebuchet MS;" height="21"><td class="xl24" str="'12) CDC, http://www.cdc.gov/TOBACCO/research_data/health_consequences/mortali.htm"><span style="font-size:-1;">(12) CDC, Cigarette Smoking-Related Mortality<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/TOBACCO/research_data/health_consequences/mortali.htm"></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-87156156738840443752008-01-30T12:13:00.000-08:002008-01-30T12:16:59.574-08:00Top 10 Most Ridiculous Diets<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.divinecaroline.com/images/photo/image/01/03/01/photo/10301/Copy%20%282%29%20of%20woman%20grabbing%20her%20fat.jpg?1200004385"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.divinecaroline.com/images/photo/image/01/03/01/photo/10301/Copy%20%282%29%20of%20woman%20grabbing%20her%20fat.jpg?1200004385" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div class="text"> <p class="MsoNormal">People will do almost anything to lose weight. While the most logical, sustainable means of doing so hasn’t really changed—eat less and exercise—every day it seems there are a host of new and outlandish methods to lose those love handles. Most of these ill-fated regimes will help you lose pounds, at least in the short term, but sometimes it’s at the expense of an organ or your sanity. While these diets are ridiculous, unsustainable, and often times dangerous, if your main goal is to lose weight, you just might find them useful. After all, extreme caloric restriction, per the Three Day or Russian Air Force diet, seems to be a tried and true method of dropping pounds. And they’ll stay off—at least until you come to your senses.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Here are a few of my favorites:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">Dr. Siegal’s® Cookie Diet™ </strong><br />Make no mistake, you’re not going to be eating Pepperidge Farm Milanos, or Oreos, or Mrs. Fields’ White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies on this diet. No, you’re going to be eating the concoctions of Dr. Siegal, a physician who specializes in hypothyroidism and obesity, and who also likes to sell weight loss books and snacks. However, his proprietary hunger-controlling cookies are a diet-deceiving indulgence; they look like bricks of fiber-coated oats sweetened with prunes. Although they may make you less hungry, the doctor also advises combining them with a restricted calorie diet, which, as we all know, is the main way you’re going to lose weight. I also like how he has trademarked the term “Let’s face it: hunger wrecks diets™.” Uh, so do cookies.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">The Subway Diet</strong><br />Ever since I worked in a building where the women’s restroom abutted a Subway sandwich shop, I have had an almost Pavlovian reaction to thought of eating one of their subs. It reminds me of the toilet, and makes me want to gag. So although I know many people like Subway, eating them twice a day for a year, like <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/02/48hours/main603484.shtml" target="_blank">Jared Fogel</a>, the guy on the Subway commercials who lost 245 pounds, seems inconceivable. And it seems like I could save a whole lot of money by just making my own sandwiches, and maybe going for a jog now and again.</p><div class="text"> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">Cabbage Soup Diet</strong><br />Mmmm … cabbage. Good on St. Patrick’s day, not so good every day. Unless you’re trying to lose up to ten pounds in a single week, then maybe cabbage doesn’t sound so bad anymore. But being light headed, weak, and suffering from decreased concentration, as some diet participants have reported, does. Not to mention the inordinate amount of flatulence you are bound to have on a cabbage laden diet. Slim, but stinky.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">Slim Fast</strong><br />First a Subway sandwich, then cereal, now a Slim Fast shake or food item. The basic premise is the same: replace two meals with any of the above, you lose weight, and the maker of said item makes a lot of money. That is, until you grow so bored and tired of eating the exact same thing for two meals a day you quit, and realize that—wow—there are a lot of other foods out there that cost a lot less. Say, fruits and vegetables.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">The Three-Day Diet/Hot Dog Diet</strong><br />These diets are similar, because both recommend eating franks for dinner. You also get to eat one cup of vanilla ice cream and one tablespoon of peanut butter in the course of this diet, as well as other strictly measured amounts of food. The result of losing ten pounds over the course of three days is due to severe calorie restriction, even if your calories are coming from precisely measured hotdogs. And after the three days? Regain.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">The Apple Cider Vinegar Diet</strong><br />Yummy—nothing like throwing back a few teaspoons of vinegar to get your gut prepared for a meal. Talk about an appetite suppressant. This diet relies on the premise that apple cider vinegar, taken fifteen minutes before a meal, will decrease hunger and curb the urge to nibble. There’s no real evidence that apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight, but reducing portions and exercising, like most of the proponents of this fad also tell you to do, will.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">The Writing Diet</strong><br />I can’t seem to figure out why we writers aren’t all size twos. Because according to Julia Cameron’s new book <em>The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Sized</em>, we should be. The premise for this too-good-to-be-true diet is that people overeat not out of hunger, but because of emotion. By writing daily, we tap into our emotions, and put them on the page instead of in our mouths. While I can concede that having your hands on a keyboard will prevent them from grabbing a bag of Doritos, I can’t figure out how sitting on your butt is supposed to make it smaller.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">And the number one most ridiculous diet …</p> <strong style="">The Atkins Diet</strong><br />Don’t get me wrong: the Atkins diet can help you lose weight. I’ve tried it, and I lost weight. But man, I felt like crap. And after a week, all I could think about was eating an orange. An orange! Of all the harmless food items out there. Of course, cutting out refined sugars and nutrition-less carbs is a good thing, but not all carbs are bad for you, and the good ones fuel muscles, fill you up, and are pretty damn tasty. Not to mention that the Atkins diet isn’t a healthful lifestyle change; it’s a limiting diet that requires you to eat a lot of not so healthy foods. And chances are you won’t be able to avoid eating carbohydrates for your entire life, nor would many people want to<p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">Blood Type Diet</strong><br />According to this diet, different blood types should eat different foods. If you’re group O, you’re a hunter, and should eat meat. If you’re A, you’re a cultivator, and are best as a vegetarian. B? A nomad, eat dairy. The rare AB blood type should eat—you guessed it—a combination of the foods recommended for groups A and B. If this sounds more like the plot of a bad high school play than a diet, that’s because there’s really no evidence that your blood type has any influence on your weight or overall health. Look past the A’s, B’s and O’s, and you’ll see this a fad diet that doesn’t make much sense.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">Russian Air Force Diet</strong><br />This diet does not require you to stand in the bread line, but it does require you to survive on near starvation levels of food. Originally developed in the former Soviet Union to keep soldiers fit, you are allowed to put herbs, salt, pepper, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and ketchup on all your meals. But about those meals … breakfast is coffee only. Lunch: two eggs, a tomato. And dinner allows you to feast on a sliver of meat and a salad. Yes, you will lose weight. Yes, you will feel like you’ve enlisted. And yes, you will feel like you are back in the USSR.</p> </div> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">The Cereal Diet</strong><br />This is similar to the Subway diet in that you’re supposed to supplant two meals a day with the same thing—in this case cereal. From Special K to Raisin Bran, many cereal boxes now claim you can “lose six in two”— that is lose six pounds in two weeks. Of course, the premise is the same: when people have to measure the amount they are eating, they end up eating fewer calories, so they lose weight. And it’s not like these cereals are health food or anything. The third ingredient in Special K is sugar; it’s the second ingredient in All-Bran. And the last thing you want to be eating too much of is All-Bran—it’s not weight you’d lose, but the contents of your bowels.</p> </div>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1424191090624803832008-01-29T13:21:00.000-08:002008-01-29T13:26:50.765-08:00Worlds Shortest Man<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2005/08/23/20050822190045.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.taipeitimes.com/images/2005/08/23/20050822190045.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Please welcome the <span style="font-weight: bold;">world's shortest man</span>. His name is Lin Yih-Chih (<b>in Yü-chih)</b>. He lives in Taipei and world's shortest man is according Guinness World Records book. He is 27 inches and not so long time ago was challenged by He Pingping from Inner Mongolia. But he still holds world's shortest man title cuz He Pingping is 28.8 inches.Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-48407139386405353812008-01-15T21:41:00.000-08:002008-01-15T21:51:05.840-08:00Top 7 Foods That Will Dig You A Grave<ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken Wings. </span>Outside of the internet and pornography, beer and chicken wings are without question the greatest combination in the history of the universe. Often referred to as mortal man’s kryptonite, the lure of the chicken wing lies in its beautiful simplicity. Cut off chicken’s appendage, cover with breading, throw in a deep fryer, bathe in your favorite spicy flavoring, dip in ranch or dill sauce, stuff into mouth, inhale and repeat. With martinis, the common refrain is “one is not enough, and three is too many”, but with the chicken wing, I would suggest, “one is not enough, 25, eeeh, still probably not enough." The appeal may also be rooted in the primitive nature of tearing an animal’s flesh off the bone, or perhaps just being served by large-busted women clad in tight orange, ham-wallet exposing shorts. Either way, in all their deep-fried goodness, chicken wings provide an exceptional heart-stopping friend to your beer and your cardiologist.</li><li><strong>Potatoes. </strong>Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids (solanine and chaconine), toxic compounds which are more prevalent in the wild potato varieties. Cooking at high temperatures mostly removes the toxin, although headaches, diarrhea, and cramps—and in severe cases, coma and death—can occur in rare cases. Ever wonder why we’re told to keep potatoes away from light? It’s to prevent higher concentrations of solanine. So don’t eat potatoes after they have turned green.</li><li><strong>Blowfish (Fugu). </strong>This fish is deadly on its own, and highly regarded as a Japanese and Hong Kong delicacy. It’s poison, tetrodotoxin, is 1,200 times more potent than cyanide. Around one hundred diners die each year from it. Preparation is the key; make sure a licensed chef prepares your Fugu. Becoming a licensed Fugu chef is a long and intensive process, culminating in the chef preparing a Fugu meal and eating it himself. The most deadly parts of Fugu include the liver, muscles, ovaries, and skin.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stuffed Crust Double-Cheeseburger Pizza. </span>Otherwise known as the “fat-bastard special," this coronary in a cardboard box should probably come with a parental warning. “Letting your child order this pizza will probably lead to him being air-lifted out of bed on a future episode of Jerry Springer." Pizza the Hutt himself would have had a hard time choking down one of these hot and greasy pies but I guess North America had to develop something for fat people who can’t make decisions. Even bulimics won’t touch this offering because the weight gain is so rapid they don’t have time to heave it back up.<br /></li><li><strong>Mushrooms. </strong>Most people know that certain types of mushrooms can be deadly. The more common poisonings come from the Death Cap (often confused for the Paddy Straw mushroom), Destroying Angels, and Deadly Webcap. Death Caps alone contain over seven toxins and one bite can lead to a nasty death. Watch out for the Gyomitra, which is often confused for Morrel.</li><li><strong>Chocolate. </strong>Chocolate contains the alkaloid theobromine, which in unusually high doses can be toxic to humans. However, it would take an unholy amount of chocolate to achieve this. But other species react much worse: dogs, parrots, horses, and cats can be killed by ingesting chocolate.</li><li><strong>Tomato. </strong>Although the fruit itself is safe (more technically a berry), tomato plants contain glycoalkaloids, which are indeed toxic.</li></ol>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1161865862507780612006-10-26T05:31:00.000-07:002006-10-26T05:31:02.516-07:00Top 5 Reasons To Take Naps<p>Thomas Edison, Napoleon Bonaparte, Salvador Dali, Winston Churchill, and Presidents Kennedy and Reagan had something in common? In fact, each of them enjoyed a regular nap.</p><p>While small children typically take naps in the afternoon, our culture generally frowns upon mid-day sleep; however, many people feel a mid-afternoon slump in mood and alertness, especially after a poor night of sleep. Many believe that this slump is caused by eating a heavy lunch. However, in reality, this occurs because we were meant to have a mid-afternoon nap.</p><p>Several lines of evidence, including the universal tendency of toddlers and the elderly to nap in the afternoon and the afternoon nap of siesta cultures, have led sleep researchers to the same conclusion: nature intended that we take a nap in the middle of the day. This biological readiness to fall asleep in the mid-afternoon coincides with a slight drop in body temperature and occurs regardless of whether we eat lunch. It is present even in good sleepers who are well rested.</p><p>Here’s what you need to know about the benefits of sleep and how a power nap<a href="">power nap</a> can help you:</p><p><strong>1. Increased Alertness And Productivity</strong></p><blockquote><p>Although many people believe that midafternoon drowsiness is caused by eating a heavy lunch, the new research shows that is not the case. The midafternoon dip in alertness and intellectual ability occurs whether or not people eat lunch, said Roger Broughton, a professor of neurology at the University of Ottawa. He said it depends purely on the time of day rather than on eating.</p><p>“It seems nature definitely intended that adults should nap in the middle of the day, perhaps to get out of the midday sun,” said William Dement, director of the Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Center at Stanford University. </p><p>Also David Dinges, a sleep researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, found that “If you didn’t get enough sleep the night before, an afternoon nap will improve your alertness and give you a feeling of more energy, so you can take on more tasks”. Among the mental abilities sharpened by naps are the capacity to pay sustained attention to a task and to make complicated decisions. </p></blockquote><p><strong>2. Less Stress</strong></p><blockquote><p>Curling up in a sunny patch on the floor or even lying your head down on your desk for a quick snooze brings relaxation.</p><p>So find a quiet, comfortable spot and take a nap. Even a short power nap can leave you feeling refreshed, renewed, and more focused. Studies have shown that people who spent 30 minutes each day napping had one third less heart disease than those who didn’t nap. </p></blockquote><p><strong>3. Improved Memory And Learning</strong></p><blockquote><p>Naps aren’t just for the very young, old, and slothful. Daytime dozing may enhance a person’s capacity to learn certain tasks. That, at least, is the eye-opening implication of a new study in which college students were challenged to detect subtle changes in an image during four different test sessions on the same day.</p><p>Participants improved on the task throughout the first session, says psychologist Sara C. Mednick of Harvard University and her colleagues. The students’ speed and accuracy then leveled off during the second session. The scores of the participants who didn’t nap declined throughout the final two sessions. In contrast, volunteers who took a 30-minute nap after completing the second practice session showed no ensuing performance dips. What’s more, 1-hour nappers responded progressively faster and more accurately in the third and fourth sessions.</p><p>“Napping may protect brain circuits from overuse until those neurons can consolidate what’s been learned about a procedure,” says neuroscientist Robert Stickgold of Harvard Medical School, a coauthor of the new study.</p></blockquote><p><strong>4. Increased Coginitive Functioning</strong></p><blockquote><p>In a recent study, researchers at NASA showed that a thirty to forty-minute power nap increased cognitive faculties by approximately 40%! <a onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/outbound/science.nasa.gov');" href="http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/03jun_naps.htm">Tests carried out</a> on one thousand volunteers proved that those who continued working without rest, made lower scores in intelligence tests like the IQ test. </p><p>Also Dr. Sara Mednick (scientist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies) has found through MRIs of nappers that brain activity stays high throughout the day with a nap; without one, it declines as the day wears on.</p></blockquote><p><strong>5. Better Health</strong></p><blockquote><p>Napping in general benefits heart functioning, hormonal maintenance, and cell repair, says Dr. Sara Mednick who is at the forefront of napping research. A power nap, says Mednick, simply maximizes these benefits by getting the sleeper into and out of rejuvenative sleep as fast as possible.</p><p>Source: ririanproject.com</p></blockquote>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1161865720603623602006-10-26T05:28:00.000-07:002006-10-26T05:28:41.060-07:009 Most Easiest Weight Loss Tips<div class="entry_body"><p>Obesity is just like any other disease that needs treatment. To cure this disease one needs to lose weight. One should not feel any kind of shyness. Indeed one should seek expert guidance in order to cure this. Weight Loss Help is available at almost all health clinics and medical establishments. One can seek proper weight loss help from one's own medical adviser also. Some weight loss tips that are simple yet vital are given below:</p><p>1.Measure your hunger on the scale of ten. Start eating when your hunger has reached the mark of four and stop eating when your hunger has reached the mark of eight. As time passes the mark of seven will become the scale of ten. Again follow the same rule. This weight loss tip forms an essential part of weight loss help programme. </p><p>2.Eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’re full. Place your fork down between bites and swallow before taking another bite.</p><p>3.When you want to snack when you’re not truly hungry, take a walk, call a friend, or hop in the tub. This will help you distract your mind from the hunger pang. </p><p>4.Use smaller dishes to make portions look bigger.</p><p>5.Another sure-shot way that helps in weight loss is exercise. Exercise is almost a key to good health. It increases your metabolic rate and the excess fat accumulated in the body is burned up in this process. There are a number of health clubs and spas opening up everywhere. You can join any of them and lose weight in a healthy and social way. </p><p>6.If you prefer a more private way to lose weight then you can do this by either walking or running. Human body requires some kind of activity to lose weight and particularly these exercises and movements help in weight loss in a natural manner. The modern health spas offer all kinds of sophisticated equipments which stress on overall exercise and weight loss rather than concentrating on only one part of the body.</p><p>7.There are a lot of weight loss supplements that are available in the market. It is advisable to take such supplements only in proper manner and according to the instructions of a registered medical practitioner.</p><p>8.The best and the most natural ways to weight loss have always been activities like walking, jogging, swimming and playing.</p><p>9.However, some novel ways have also surfaced that help you in losing weight. One such product is Green tea. Green tea is an indirect way of losing weight. It works as an antioxidant and destroys the free radicals that are generated inside your body. The free radicals can prove to be harmful for your blood vessels. Things like selenium, beta-carotene, green tea extract, grape seed extract, Vitamins C, E, and Alpha-Lipoic Acid are helpful against them.</p><p>Follow these easy weight loss tips and lose weight in a healthy manner to your success. </p></div>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1161348872754460672006-10-20T05:54:00.000-07:002006-10-20T05:54:33.213-07:00Top 10 Tips To Feel Great In The Morning<p>Does it take you forever to wake up? Do you find yourself being a zombie for the first few hours of the day? One major contributing factor is blood flow and oxygen circulation in the body after sleeping all night. With a few stretches and muscle strengthening techniques, you can get your body moving and improve how you feel every morning!</p><ol><li>Start with some easy stretches. Bend over and touch your toes. It is good to hold a stretch for at least 10 seconds. You should push yourself to feel tension, but not pain. If you need to, you can do this sitting down as well. </li><li>Stretch each major part of your body: neck, arms, back, and legs. </li><li>Rotate your arms like a windmill one at a time, or at the same time, as it feels comfortable. </li><li>Do a few push-ups and sit-ups. You don't have to do lots; just a few to get your blood circulating. </li><li>Hold each foot behind your lower back (one at a time), which should stretch your major leg muscles. </li><li>Go to a wall and push your toes up as far as they can go against the wall. On a step, stand with just your toes on the step, with your weight pushing down. Let your feet relax and your toes will get pushed up. You should feel tension in back of your lower legs, called your calf muscles. </li><li>Once you have your blood pumping, you may feel a bit thirsty, or hungry. This is a good thing. Make sure to eat something clean and healthy. Fruits, or simple proteins work best in the morning. Eggs, cheese, yogurt, or cottage cheese are good options for morning meals. Avoid eating a large portion or heavy carbs. </li><li>Try to drink 2 glasses of water before you leave in the morning. During the day, if you can, try to drink a few bottles of water, and at the end of the day drink another 2-4 glasses with dinner, etc. This may seem like a lot at first, but your body actually does need 8-10 glasses of water to stay correctly hydrated. You may have to use the restroom more than usual when you first start. This is only temporary! As your body gets used to having all the water it needs, it will absorb into your system and your restroom visits will return to normal. </li><li>Go to bed early the night before, so you won't fall asleep in your breakfast or anything. </li><li>Sleep for at least 6 hours in a single cycle.</li></ol><p>wikiHow.com</p>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1161080336860570392006-10-17T03:18:00.000-07:002006-10-17T12:03:47.266-07:00Top 10 Tips To Lose Weight Without Losing Mind<p>So you have decided to lose weight. Almost all of us go through it at one point or another. But, with so many different diets, pills, advice and information, how do you go about it without going crazy? Here are some tips that worked for me and some others. </p><ol><li>Figure out your starting point. How much weight do you want to lose? What kind of shape are you in now? What are your eating habits? Once you realize where you are starting from, you will get a better idea of what program will work best for you. If you dont exercise at all, then starting out with a two hour extreme workout, might cause you to give up early when it turns out to be too hard. If you love carbs and eat them three times a day, an Atkins diet might be too frusterating. Pick a plan that makes sence for you. </li><li>Take baby steps. Start out by making small changes to your daily life. Taking a walk after dinner, or in the morning. Light streching or yoga. Start replacing "bad" foods with good foods. Try something new. Instead of regular milk, try soy milk, hummus instead of mayo, low carb bread, veggie burgers,a different healther cereal, a new kind of fruit. There are many many food choices out there and you might be surprised at what you end up liking. Try different brands and combinations. When you start eating and treating your body better, you will be more motivated to make other changes. </li><li>Water, Water, Water. We all know how important water is to our body. It helps flush your system and makes you feel full. If "plain" water is too boring for you, try putting some lemon slices or other fruit in it, or mixing a small amount of healthy juice in it to add some flavor. Try to avoid sodas and other hidden calorie drinks. </li><li>Check calories and fat content. But dont go insane counting them. Sometimes all it takes to make a different choice is to check the label. When you see how much fat and calories are in some of your favorite food and drinks, that might just be enough it to make you look for a different option. There are some great healthier snack choices that dont always have to fruit or celery. Look around your store and, again, give something new a shot. </li><li>Don't be so hard on yourself. What happens when you do eat a piece of chocolate cake? Or really needed to give into a big mac craving? It's ok. It happens. Dont punish yourself with exercise, or by starving yourself the next day. Its ok to indulge once in a while, as long you dont find yourself induging too often. </li><li>Dont expect immediate results. You arent going to wake up in the perfect body. But you are going to feel better and be proud of yourself for taking better care of your body. Everything will fall into place and you will start to look better as long as you keep with it. </li><li>Avoid the trap of diet pills. Dont think that you can take a magic pill and your weight will melt away. You still need to eat better and exercise. Even those people that you see in all those great before and after shots in diet pill ads all did the same thing, the ate better and exercised. The pill did not and will not do all the work. It is better to avoid taking them with the hopes that they will. </li><li>Ditch the scale. Many scales are inaccurate. Weighting yourself daily or even weekly will just make you feel upset and frustered. Also, if you are working out, you might be gaining muscle and replacing fat, so you wont see to much of a change on the scale. Your best judge of how you are doing is yourself. Are your clothes fitting better or different? Are you noticing changes in your body? Use that as your guide.</li><li>Take a multivitamin. The more good things you put into your body, the more small steps you take to filling yourself with nutrients the better you will feel and look. </li><li>Take all advice with a grain of salt. Everyone is going to have some tidbit of information for you. What worked for them might not work for you. Take it all in stride and work with what is getting results for you. Trying to do everything everyone says will only cause overload. </li></ol>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1161064298705059482006-10-16T22:51:00.000-07:002006-10-16T22:51:39.096-07:00How To Lose Weight While Eating 5 Meals a Day<p>A lot of fad diets rely on depriving the body of food, but if you look at creatures in nature you will see that you need to eat regularly for healthy dieting.<br />While you need to eat regularly you need to know about portion size in relation to your body for healthy dieting and this is relationship is explained below.<br />Understand the concepts of regular eating and portion control and you can enjoy healthy dieting, lose weight and never feel hungry.<br />Let’s look at these concepts in more detail.<br />3 meals a day is a man made concept<br />If you look at healthy eating three meals a day (or less on many diets) is not ideal, you should be eating five meals a day.<br />Some simple examples from nature will illustrate this point.<br />Bears are creatures that eat huge meals infrequently to sustain them. They carry a lot of body fat to feed them over time i.e they are binge eaters.<br />If you look at animals such as dear, elk and horses they graze and have similar proportion of body fat to humans.<br />These animals are eating every few hours, our ancient ancestors did and you should to for healthy dieting.<br />There are reasons why you should, that are linked to our body and how it functions.<br />By eating frequently you achieve the following:<br />1. Eating frequently prevents hunger pangs and curbs over eating.<br />2. Eating more often keeps your metabolism working quickly so you burn calories more efficiently.<br />3. Food is also absorbed more efficiently and quickly when we eat regularly.<br />In affect you will feel healthier and have more energy as you will be using your metabolism as nature intended.<br />This is what healthy dieting is all about:<br />Creating the ultimate conditions to burn fat, in the most efficient way and never feeling hungry.<br />OK I can eat 5 meals a day how much can I eat?<br />Here you need to know about portion control.<br />Eating five times a day means you can eat enough to satisfy you, but its important to know how much you can eat in relation to your body size and there is a very easy way of doing this.<br />You can count calories, but let’s be frank who has the time or inclination to do this?<br />The trick is to use your hand.<br />A portion should be the size of your fist or the size of your palm.<br />Want a baked potato?<br />Get one the size of your fist<br />Want some fish?<br />Get a portion the size of your palm<br />Eat naturally for healthy dieting<br />Now you need to eat quality fat carbohydrate and protein.<br />The trick here is to eat “naturally from the earth” and avoid additives and sugar.<br />For example, a meal should contain the three groups how about Salmon, brown rice and veagatbles? Or maybe a baked potato Turkey and vegetables?<br />Follow the above and you can eat 5 meals a day.<br />If you are in a hurry make your other two meals up before hand, some nice tasty salads (go easy on the dressing) some rice and fish.<br />Other healthy dieting tricks<br />Make sure you eat breakfast (the most important meal of the day) and get as much fibre as you can, as a lot of it is not absorbed and passes through the body. It also makes you feel full and has generally less calories than other foods.<br />The other trick is to drink lots of water ice cold. Many hunger pangs are simply thirst pangs, so get plenty of water by drinking it ice cold.<br />Your body has to heat it to body temperature and you will burn 400 calories a week!<br />Now you have done the above you will feel healthy and control your weight as nature intended.<br />Don’t forget a bit of exercise and by this we don’t mean hours in the gym. Simply do some brisk walking don’t take the lift try and walk up the stairs etc<br />Add in some swimming or cycling twice a week, its not to hard and remember, we were not born to just sit around were active beings.<br />Healthy dieting made simple<br />The above diet tips will help you burn fat efficiently, eat as your supposed to, feel healthier and fitter which is what healthy dieting is all about.<br />Simply think about how we evolved through time and you will see the logic of the above.</p><p>Sacha Tarkovsky, www.articledashboard.com</p>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1160999912850299752006-10-16T04:58:00.000-07:002006-10-16T04:58:32.910-07:00Top 3 Tips for Building Massive Biceps QuicklyBuilding big biceps are a “must” for everyone trying to build muscle mass. And if you’re trying to build bigger “guns” on your arm then you need to make sure you train them the “right” way, other wise you’re just wasting your time. And believe it or not it can actually take a very long time before you start seeing results if you’re training your biceps the wrong way.<br />So to help you build bigger biceps extremely quickly I’m going to share 3 top tips I use to build my biceps in no time flat. <ol><li>Hit ‘em From ALL Angles.<br />Your bicep muscle is made up of two main parts. To keep things simple I’ll just refer to them as the inner bicep and the outer bicep. The good thing is most bicep exercises allow you to work both parts simultaneously – which is very good for us.<br />In order to build big biceps you have to hit ‘em from all angles. Which means you have to make sure you train your lower bicep (the part closest to your forearm), your outer bicep, your inner bicep (the part that’s closest to your chest) and your upper bicep.<br />Make sure when you workout your biceps you train all of it’s parts if you want to build bigger, stronger and more massive biceps fast. The key to building “fuller” biceps is training each part “specifically”. So be sure to do exercises that work out each part of your bicep individually and also exercises that work out all or most of your bicep muscles simultaneously as well.</li><li>Focus On Form First.<br />This is key for weight training period, focus on your form first. If you focus on “doing” the exercise correctly, big biceps will definitely follow.<br />When you don’t use proper form, you don’t stimulate the “deep” muscle tissues needed to build bigger biceps. With poor form you actually start using other muscles instead of specifically targeting the one you want to train (your biceps).<br />Remember, it’s not quantity but quality. Think about it, you could lift 30 pounds ten times with poor form or 30 pounds six times with proper form, and you would notice much better results with the latter example. So remember, focus on form first and big biceps will soon follow.</li><li>Don’t Cheat – “Only When You Have To”.<br />When you’re training your biceps, it’s important “not to cheat” only when you have to. Cheating on your biceps is very common and odds are you have been doing it or will do it if you don’t pay attention.<br />Remember to lift the weight “at your biceps” and only at your biceps, don’t throw your shoulder into it to help you with the workout. In order to build big biceps you have to isolate the bicep, which means only use your biceps to complete your reps.<br />So when do I cheat? – Well, unless you have a spot while you’re doing bicep workout, you can get away with cheating but only in one situation.<br />And that situation is once your biceps have already failed. In other words, once you have worked your biceps to failure and you’re trying to complete more reps, then you can cheat your way through 1 or two more reps. But only once your biceps have failed “using proper form” are you allowed to cheat.<br />If you’re ready to build big biceps and quickly just follow these 3 simple tips and you’ll be on the road to a big biceps in no time flat.</li></ol>Richard Knight, http://www.articledashboard.comWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1160995844689572802006-10-16T03:50:00.000-07:002006-10-16T03:50:45.213-07:00 Why Vitamin C?Vitamin C is a vital nutrient. Without it, sailors up until the 18th century in the British navy suffered from scurvy. Why? Vitamin C is responsible for the formation of collagen, which makes up the structure of connective tissues. Without collagen, tissues begin to break down, and the gums start to bleed. When the navy started to bring limes and other citrus fruits on their voyages, scurvy disappeared as a major cause of death.<br /><br />It is also useful as an antioxidant, protecting the body from free radical damage. Eating large amounts of vitamin C hasn't been found to be that helpful, but it is not too dangerous since vitamin C is water soluble so it passes through the body easily. Birth control pills and aspirin have been found to lower levels of vitamin C though so more might need to be taken when on those medications.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Food Sources</span><br /><br />Drink orange juice or eat oranges (70-75 mg) or strawberries (82 mg) for your daily dose of Vitamin C. Vitamin supplements are also a good source. The <a href="http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminC/">Linus Pauling Institute</a> recommends a daily minimum dose of 400 mg for young, healthy adults. Linus Pauling was well known for advising large doses of vitamin C to combat the common cold, but little evidence for its efficacy has been established.Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1160828514670047662006-10-14T05:21:00.000-07:002006-10-14T05:21:55.416-07:00Top 5 Ways to Exercise While Watching TVDon't have time to go to the gym but still want to lose weight? Here's how to put those muscles to work even when your eyes are glued to your favorite soap opera or sitcom. <ol><li>Start by lying on your back, head flat on the ground/couch/bed (ground preferred) and pulling your knee up towards your chin (they do not have to touch), then SLOWLY pushing it flat. Do not let your leg touch the floor. Do this 25 times each leg. </li><li>Lie on your side, make your bottom leg straight and the top leg lifted a few inches in the air, bent at the knee. Now lift your leg up until it won't straighten any more. Do this 30 times each leg. </li><li>Take the weights; depending on your strength, take one or two (five pound recommended; if you don't have weights, anything heavy like soup cans that will fit in your hands will do) and stand up and put your arms over your head. Bend at the elbows so the weights and your hands are behind your head. Do this 25 times. </li><li>Lay down on your back with one weight in each hand. Start with your arms an inch or two over your chest. Lift all the way up and all the way to the sides (your left arm to the left and your right arm to the right). Don't let your arms touch the ground. Do this 25 times. </li><li>Lie on your back and hold the weights to your chest. Lift your back several inches off the ground (do not use your head to pull yourself up--your back needs to be off the ground, not your head). Do this 25 times at least twice a day. If you cannot do 25 crunches in a row, then do three, take a breath, then three more. Do at least 10 sets. </li></ol><p><br />Additional Tips:</p><ul><li>Doing this every time you watch TV will help, especially if you make a habit of exercising during commercials. Don't skip! </li><li>Another thing you can do is find a good music channel and dance to every song that comes on. Dance with your whole body! </li><li>You don't have to do every exercise; mix it up and do different ones during each commercial break. </li><li>Don't eat while watching TV. </li><li>Sit on a stability ball instead of the couch while actually watching the program. Bounce a little to keep your body warmed up between commercial breaks. </li><li>Use commercial breaks as an opportunity to do pushups or other exercises that take your eyes permanently from the TV. Keep the volume on if you find yourself constantly looking to see if the commercials are over. </li><li>Work yourself hard during the commercials, and then stretch for a short time when the commercials are over. After stretching, continue your standard excercises. </li></ul><p>Megan, wikiHow.com</p>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1160589534440590732006-10-11T10:58:00.000-07:002006-10-11T10:58:54.716-07:0010 Easy Ways To Knock Weight Off Quickly!The tips below will help you lose weight fast and make sure that you do it quickly and in a healthy manner.<br />There are no fad diet tips below like the Atkins diet or no carbs all the tips are sensible and will help you lose weight fast be healthy and happy. So here are your proven tips.<br /><ol><li>Use the cabbage soup diet to start<br />We all need motivation and want to see results quickly and this diet that lasts for just a week is an ideal way to get started. It is guaranteed to help you.<br />Many people knock off up to half a stone and you can to.<br />This is not a long term diet, just to get you in the mood and show some quick results.<br />Now your started, here are your tips.<br />Note: Eat what you want within the guidelines and you will lose weight fast.</li><li>Eat 5 meals a day. 3 main meals breakfast lunch and dinner and two snacks in between<br />This will help you avoid hunger pangs. Make sure you eat breakfast, it’s the most important meal of the day.<br />Man is a grazer not a binger and we need constant nourishment throughout the day.</li><li>Portion Size<br />While you can eat 5 meals a day keep in mind portion size!<br />The way to guage portion size is look at your fist.<br />Want some rice? Then that’s the amount you can have same goes for meat & fish and vegetables<br /></li><li>Drink water<br />Drink two – three litres of iced water a day.<br />Many hunger pangs are simply thirst pangs, so to keep you hydrated and full drink plenty of water.<br />Water helps your body metabolize fat by helping the kidneys flush out waste.<br />When you don’t drink enough water the liver which works to provide stored fat for energy also takes on the role of helping the kidneys flush out waste and is then less effective at metabolizing fat.</li><li>Eat carbohydrates, protein and fat<br />Don’t ignore any group.<br />When eating remember to eat "naturally from the earth", the less processed the food is the better.<br />What this means is eat healthy carbohydrates such as brown rice or potatoes, rather than pizza.<br />With fat it’s the same unstaturated rather than saturated fats. When consuming proteins make sure its lean protein.</li><li>Eat fibre and lots of it<br />Eating lots of foods rich in fibre helps keep food moving through your bowels.<br />Fiber bulks you up and makes you feel full.<br />The average person could lose around 10 pounds a year just from doubling their fiber intake. Start your day with a high fiber cereal and keep eating all day.</li><li>Lean protein<br />Protein can help you lose weight fast tool because of the immediate satiety factor it provides.<br />Protein also balances out carbs by stopping insulin spikes that can lead to low energy and sugar cravings.<br />Finally, protein helps maintain muscle mass which is important in the fat burning process.<br />At least 20% of calories per day should be in the form of lean protein.</li><li>Keep healthy food on hand<br />With our busy lives its easy to simply grab some junk food, so make sure you have healthy food always at hand so you can make a quick tasty snack.<br />Canned fish is ideal such as tuna, mackerel sardines or Salmon. Open the can, do a baked potato in the microwave, add some vegetables and you have a quick nutritious meal in under 10 minutes.</li><li>One day a week eat what you want!<br />One of the reasons most people fail on diets and don’t lose weight fast is they are to strict.<br />When you are deprived of something you want it even more, so one day a week ( it doesn’t matter which ) treat yourself.<br />Fancy a pizza go ahead, two Big Macs maybe? Do it and don’t feel guilty.<br />Keep dieting in perspective.<br />If you are eating healthy food the majority of time treating yourself will do you no harm and also keep you on the right track.<br />Eating is one of the pleasures of life so don’t deprive yourself totally of things you like.</li><li>Be realistic<br />If you follow the above guidelines you can eat what you want and lose weight fast.<br />Keep in mind once you are doing the above your weight will go down quicker than with any fad diet.<br />Don’t starve yourself this wont help.<br />Crash dieting is unhealthy and the pounds soon come back on.<br />Stay with the above and you will soon lose weight fast and reach the weight you desire in a healthy manner. </li></ol><p>Source: Sacha Tarkovsky, www.articledashboard.com</p>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1160486736124163472006-10-10T06:25:00.000-07:002006-10-10T06:25:36.370-07:00Why You Shouldn't Exercise Hard To Lose Weight<p>People seek ways to lose weight for a number of reasons. They could be healthy but they weigh more than the ideal indication. Their intentions are to prevent from getting into health problems that can be caused by over-weight. Or, they have no other choice because they have already developed complications such as diabetes or heart disease as a result of the extra weight they have.<br /><br />“If we exercise hard enough, we can lose weight faster.” This is the impression that most people will have. But, in reality, exercising intensely may not necessarily be effective in losing weight.<br /><br />It is believed that if our heart rate is kept at 60 to 70 percent of its maximum rate during exercise, we will be converting relatively more fat than carbohydrates into energy. However, if we exercise with a heart rate more than 70 percent of the maximum, more carbohydrates rather than fat will be burnt. Although our cardiovascular fitness will be higher than someone exercising at a slower heart rate, we will be burning less fat and thus losing less weight. As a rule of thumb, your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age.<br /><br />Although the proportion of fat burnt at higher exercise intensities is less relative to carbohydrates, the absolute amount of fat that is burnt is still higher than the amount of fat burnt at lower intensities, since the overall rate of energy expenditure is higher. Hence, you will burn actually fat at a substantial rate if you exercise at high heart rates.<br /><br />Besides intensity, duration will also determine whether the exercise is effective. If you are able to exercise at a high heart rate for a long time, you will utilize a lot of fat. This does not mean that high-intensity exercise is advisable for those desperate to lose that flab. Most people are unable to exercise intensely for a long period of time.<br /><br />The key is then to strike a balance between intensity and duration. It is recommended to exercise at a level where calories can be burnt at a substantial rate. For most people, this balance is achieved at an intensity of 70 percent of the maximum heart rate – the ideal pace for burning a good proportion of fat.<br /><br />Your total expenditure will not be high if you push yourself to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate, then stop 5 minutes later due to fatigue. But this should not be taken as an excuse to slack off on your exercise regime. Exercising too lightly can cause you to pack on those pounds.<br /><br />To lose weight, we need to incur an energy deficit, forcing the body to remove and burn body fat to make up for the deficit. This deficit should be substantial, because if it is small, the body can compensate by lowering the metabolic rate to conserve energy to the extent that it does not even have to draw on the body fat.</p><p>Ng Peng Hock, www.articledashboard.com</p>Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35065429.post-1160477548069386562006-10-10T03:52:00.000-07:002006-10-10T03:52:28.076-07:005 Reasons to Lose Weight in Saunas<p>There are many health benefits to using a sauna. This method of relaxation and health maintenance has been in use for several thousand years, and cultures like the ancient Romans and the Scandinavians recognized the advantages of a good, regular sweat. The mental and physical benefits to using a sauna are plenty, and if you have the opportunity to use one, you should take advantage of it!<br /><br />There are many health benefits to using a sauna. This method of relaxation and health maintenance has been in use for several thousand years, and cultures like the ancient Romans and the Scandinavians recognized the advantages of a good, regular sweat. The mental and physical benefits to using a sauna are plenty, and if you have the opportunity to use one, you should take advantage of it!</p><p>Some benefits of using a sauna include:<br /><ol><li>It works as a stress reliever by helping you to relax and unwind. Relieving stress can lower blood pressure, decrease headaches, and elevate you mood. This will make you more productive, and more pleasant to be around!</li><li>Saunas cause your body to burn calories. Your sweat glands produce sweat, which requires energy, and therefore increases caloric expenditure. Saunas should not be solely relied upon, however, as a weight loss system.</li><li>Saunas raise your body temperature slightly, which gives the effects of a fever. This prompts the body to fight off any viruses or bacteria that can cause illness, thus boosting your immune system.</li><li>Saunas provide a slight cardiovascular benefit in that the heat and steam require the heart to work a little more to send more blood to the capillaries</li><li>Saunas are an effective way to rid the body of toxins that we ingest from the environment around us through sweating, such as mercury, lead, sodium, and sulphuric acid.</li></ol>When you take a sauna, you lose a great deal of fluids through the sweating. This might cause a sudden loss of a few pounds, but it is only fluid loss. When you re-hydrate (and you should take in liquids before, during, and after a sauna) your body, the weight will return. There are certain sports that require athletes to make a certain weight class in a very short period of time. These athletes often use saunas as a means of rapid weight loss. Any type of weight loss through dehydration is not safe.<br />The use of a sauna should be moderate. Sessions should only last for about 20 minutes, due to the increase of body temperature. And older people, or those with heart conditions should consult a physician before trying a sauna.<br />Using the sauna provides a variety of health benefits, and can be included as part of a sensible diet and exercise program. It can help you maintain your weight, it can rid your body of toxins, keep your complexion clear and bright, and it can help to reduce stress. Saunas are an effective method of health maintenance, if used moderately and properly. <p></p>Wayne Mcgregor, www.articledashboard.comWriterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08736994465676679583noreply@blogger.com