Keep It Moving

Keep it Moving








Working from home on a computer each day really takes some motivation to get moving sometimes. How easy it is to continue working as the time flies by.

I have found over the years though, that just sitting is not the way to go. The legs can only take being in one position for so long - then they get twitchy.

So, I have learned that before the twitching starts, I need to get up and take a walk around.

Perhaps the laundry needs to get started, or I need to refill my water glass, water the plants, or just take a minute to step outside the door for a breath of fresh air.

Just five to ten minutes every hour or so really makes a difference.

I feel more attentive and awake when I return to my desk and keyboard.

The blood is flowing, the legs certainly feel a lot better, and the attitude has improved also.

Of course this is in addition to the daily exercises and scheduled walks that I try to accomplish.

By nature we are an active species - all these modern conveniences rob us of the activity that has kept past generations in a more fit condition.

Time for me to go stretch the legs again and get the blood flowing.

Keep it moving - it's nature's way!

What it takes to commit to be fit

The word “commitment” often has a negative connotation to it. When some people hear the word, they envision strait jackets and sanitariums. Others picture a ball and chain imprisoning their ankles. What makes people want to run away when they hear the word “commitment?”

Honestly, I don’t know. But I can offer a good guess.

Commitment requires long-term effort. Because it’s easier to take shortcuts and bypasses rather than put in effort over a long period of time, I think it’s just part of human nature to dread the idea of making a commitment.

But the idea of making a commitment and actually making a commitment are two different things.

The idea of making a commitment brings up those negative images mentioned earlier.

Making a commitment is usually something positive.

Making a commitment to being fit is probably one of the most positive things you can possibly do for yourself and for your loved ones.

As I said, commitment requires long-term effort. When you hear about pills or machines that promote quick weight loss, instant energy or strength, or some other speedy remedy to health concerns, you can be fairly certain that those products should not be part of your commitment to fitness. Sure, these items might work for a while, but what about in the long run?

Truth be told, what works when you make a commitment to be fit is you. You must be physically, emotionally, and mentally prepared. You must visit with your doctor and/or nutritionist. You might meet with your personal trainer. You need to learn what food your body requires. You need to learn how to exercise your muscles properly. As you learn, you must apply what you learn. All of this takes work. And time.

If you are not willing to work, if you would rather let something or someone else work for you, or if you don’t make the time to do the necessary work, then you don’t have the commitment required to become more fit.

If you are willing to work at it and make the time to do the work, then you are on your way to a healthier life.
When you are committed to be fit, you take control of the state of your health. Others may assist you, such as your doctor, dietitian, or personal trainer, but because YOU are the one making the time and expending the effort, YOU are the one who will reap the benefits. And there are many. To name just a few:

* sleep better
* say good-bye to lengthy depressions and/or persistent aches and pains
* age with the ability to keep doing things you’ve always done
* play with and care for your kids, grandkids, or great grandkids
* enjoy the outdoors
* feel vital and energetic naturally
* bring a healthy life into this world
* enjoy activities you used to enjoy

The list goes on. You know what your individual reasons are for wanting to be in better condition. The first step to living them is to make your commitment NOW.

Yes, it takes effort. Yes, it takes time. And YES, YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Pilates: Your Path to Health

Pioneered by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century, the Pilates method has become a popular form of exercise. It consists of about five hundred exercises that were designed to help the injured maintain physical fitness while recovering. More akin to yoga than aerobics, Pilates has numerous benefits for beginners and fitness enthusiasts alike.

Ways to Do Pilates

Pilates exercises are most often performed on a mat. Unlike yoga, however, Pilates mat-work exercises are all performed in a sitting or reclining position. The resistance is provided by gravity and your own body weight rather than weights or a machine. This allows for the building of balance and coordination by building the core muscles.

There is also equipment that is designed for Pilates work. Most often used by those who want to focus on building strength, these machines provide added resistance. Equipment exercises may be used in addition to mat exercises to add variety and support.

Benefits of Pilates

Pilates is beneficial to the body in several ways. These include:

1. Pilates requires us to be more aware of our bodies. The exercises require unity between the body and mind, and this carries over into our daily lives. Those who do Pilates tend to have better posture, and their coordination is improved.

2. Core strength is greatly improved in those who practice Pilates regularly. The core includes the muscles deep inside the abs and back that attach to the spine or pelvis. These muscles help keep the body more stable and balanced. A strong core can help us perform better in physical activity and reduce our risk of injury.

3. Pilates are more focused on flexibility than bulking up. They help us develop muscles that are long, lean and uniform instead of short, bulky and hard. This factor also helps reduce the risk of injury, and it is good for the joints.

4. Pilates is ideal for those who need a gentle, low-impact workout. The Pilates method is often used in physical therapy to help build strength without requiring the patient to bear a lot of weight. Those who suffer from arthritis and other joint problems can also do Pilates safely.

5. One of the key principles of Pilates is proper breathing. This is necessary to maintain high levels of oxygen in the blood, increasing the removal of waste, and battling fatigue. The deep breathing associated with Pilates also works wonders against anxiety.

Pilates is great for both body and mind. Its focus on form and control can help us stay in great overall shape, and the methodical movements and breathing promote relaxation and concentration. If you’re looking for a way to build strength safely and efficiently, Pilates is right for you.

5 Exercise Myths That May Surprise You

We all know that exercising regularly is good for us. It’s good for the heart, it helps us maintain a healthy weight, and it is excellent at relieving stress. But there are many exercise myths that are presented as facts, either by those who are trying to sell us something or by those who mean well but haven’t gotten their facts straight. Here are five myths about physical fitness that you might be surprised to learn about:

Myth #1: You can reduce fat in specific areas of the body by doing exercises that target those areas.

It seems to make sense, but trying to burn fat in the precise spot where you want to lose it simply doesn’t work. The only way to burn fat is through aerobic exercises that get your heart pumping. And those exercises burn fat gradually and from all over the body, not just around the muscles you’re using. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t work the areas where you have extra fat, though. Doing so will build muscle there, and that will give you a more toned look when the fat over the muscle is reduced.

Myth #2: You must exercise regularly in order for it to benefit you.

There’s no doubt about it, getting fit takes many weeks of hard work. This leads many of us to believe that if we can’t or don’t have the willpower to exercise several times every week, there’s no point in it. But any amount of exercise is good for you.

Even if you only take a walk every now and then, it can help lower your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. It probably won’t cause you to lose weight or build muscle, but it’s certainly worthwhile. And sometimes when we start off exercising every now and then, we realize that it’s not so hard to make time for it and start doing so on a regular basis.

Myth #3: Strength training will make you too muscular.

Some people lift weights to develop large muscles. Others would like to do so in order to build strength and muscle tone, but they do not want to bulk up. But if you follow a sensible strength-training regimen, you won’t end up looking like a bodybuilder.

Most bodybuilders use supplements and special diets in their quest to build muscle, and they spend hours each day at the gym. If you’re looking to tone up and build strength, doing strength-training exercises that target a variety of muscles a couple of times a week will not create bulk.

Myth #4: Muscle turns into fat when you quit working out.

Muscle cannot magically transform into fat. So you don’t have to worry about your six-pack abs turning into Jell-O if your exercise routine is disrupted. Muscles will shrink when they’re not worked regularly, however, and this can create a flabby look if you discontinue your exercise routine. The missed exercise and reduced muscle will also cause reduced metabolism, making it easier for you to gain fat.

Myth #5: I’m too old to start exercising.

As we age, we often develop health problems. This leads many of us to believe that if we haven’t been exercising since we were young, starting now will be bad for us. But nothing could be further from the truth. Exercise can help manage many health problems common among the middle-aged and elderly. It’s always important to talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program, but there are few people who shouldn’t exercise at all.

Exercise myths can hinder our efforts to stay fit. Knowing the truth behind them makes it easier to pursue a healthy lifestyle the right way.

A Better Way to Exercise

When it comes to getting healthy and losing weight, exercising on a consistent basis is key. However, not all exercise routines are created equal. To make sure that you maximize every moment that you put into your exercises, it is important to know the best way to exercise. There is no one exercise that will do everything that you need to lose weight and stay fit. The best way to exercise is to combine some basic exercises to maximize your fitness level.

The first part of a great exercise routine is a warm-up period. This is the time that you stretch out your muscles. By stretching your muscles before you exercise, you are getting the blood flowing through them. This period of stretching will also help you not to pull muscles later in the exercise routine.

Cardio training is one of the basic elements to an exercise routine. The most common form of cardio training is the treadmill. There is a way to make this basic workout even better and help you to burn more calories with the same amount of time on the machine. The way to do this is interval training.

Interval training is when you increase and decrease the intensity of your workout in quick bursts. The way to do this on the treadmill is to start out at a slow walk. Keep at this speed for two to three minutes. You will want to increase the speed of the treadmill up to the pace that you would not be able to talk to someone standing next to you. Work out at this pace for about seven minutes to get your heart pumping.

The best workout on the treadmill will alternate between the fast pace and the comfortable walking pace a few times to make your muscles work harder. You just need to remember to give yourself a few minutes on the treadmill at the end at a slow speed to cool down.

Resistance training is the part of the exercise routine that is going to help you to build muscle. Muscles burn more calories than fat. The easiest way to do resistance training is to do a workout circuit. Gyms have a workout circuit set up that will work all of your muscle groups. The machines are set up in a circle and you go from one machine to another working out.

Circuits are set up to be done in thirty minutes. There is usually a light that will tell you when to change workout stations. The stations alternate with weight machines and walking in place or up and down a step. It is an intense workout put into a nice thirty-minute bracket.

The final step to the best exercise routine for your body is the cool down. This is where you help your heart rate to slowly return to normal. A slow-down routine will consist of stretching out all of the muscles that you have been working out. Take your time and stretch out your muscles so that you will finish your great exercise routine the right way.

A 15-Minute Workout Routine

In the busy world we live in, it can be difficult to find time to do anything but eat, sleep and work. This is one of the reason that most of us do not get the exercise we need to stay healthy. But did you know that squeezing in a 15-minute workout as little as three times a week can have a positive impact on your health?

People tend to assume that they must spend hours at the gym each week if they want to see noticeable results. But that’s simply not true. Short but regular workouts can help us maintain a healthy weight and feel more energetic. In the time you spend taking a coffee break, you could be getting enough exercise to make a difference.

If you want to keep your workout short, simple exercises are the key. It’s best not to include ones that require special equipment or prolonged holding of positions. Easy exercises that can be done repetitively are key. Here’s a sample routine that requires no equipment except a clock or timer and a jump rope:

1. Go for a brisk 3-minute walk or jog. If possible, walk or jog up and down some stairs. This will get your heart pumping while providing an easy warm-up.

2. Do as many push-ups as you can do in 3 minutes.

3. Do as many sit-ups as you can in 3 minutes.

4. Do as many squats as you can in 3 minutes.

5. Jump rope for 3 minutes.

Feel free to take breaks when you need to, but try to keep moving as much as possible. This will help you pack as much punch into your short workout as possible.

Accomplishing Your Goals with a 15-Minute Workout

The above routine is a general workout that should work nicely for most people who are trying to stay fit. But short workouts can also produce results if you have specific goals in mind. Whether you’re looking to lose weight, build core strength or tone certain muscle groups, you can benefit from a 15-minute workout.

If you’re trying to lose weight, you’ll need to fill your workout with cardio exercises. You could start out with a jog up and down steps, then do some jumping jacks. Then do some squats or lunges (or both), and finish up by jumping rope.

You can also do strength training with a short workout and minimal equipment. For overall strength, you could include exercises that target different parts of the body such as push-ups, squats, sit-ups and calf raises. If you want to target specific muscle groups, include only exercises that work those groups.

It’s a myth that if you can’t work out for several hours each week, there’s no point in even trying. Getting in a quick workout as often as possible might not pump you up beyond recognition, but it will help you lose weight and build strength, and it will improve your health. Anyone can make time for a 15-minute workout a few times a week, no matter how busy his schedule.

New Year Diet and Fitness: Change Your Mindset

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, the most common goal set every year is to lose weight. The majority of people who make the New Year resolution to lose weight give up on their weight-loss goals by March. The reason that they can not attain their New Year’s goals is that they have not changed their mindset when it comes to losing weight and getting in shape.

If you are one of millions that look at the coming year as the time that you want to do something about your diet and fitness, you are also going to need to change your mindset.

The first step to changing your mindset when it comes to diet, fitness, and weight loss, is that you need to know where your mind is on these topics to begin with. A good way to do this is to sit down with a notebook and do some free writing about your feelings.

Write down all your thoughts and feelings when it comes to fitness and diet. Many of these words and phrases that you write about will be negative. This is ok. By knowing the negative thoughts that you have about your New Year’s resolution you’ll be better able to make the necessary changes.

One of the things to realize about your New Year diet and fitness goals is that to be successful at them you have to stop thinking of them as short-term goals. To lose weight and to be healthy, it is necessary to keep the diet and fitness changes that you make throughout your life. It is by incorporating these changes into your life forever and not just for a set period of time that you’ll see results.

Once you’ve poured your thoughts onto paper, take another sheet of paper and change each phrase into a positive statement about the changes that you plan to make to your lifestyle. When you are done, make copies of the positive statement pages. Hang them around your house and work space so that you can see them on a daily basis.

These notes will serve as a positive reminder of what you are trying to improve things for yourself. It often helps to repeat these positive sayings every day to yourself to keep your mindset positive about what you are trying to accomplish.

With the correct mindset, you can accomplish anything. By placing your thoughts into the most positive light about the diet and fitness plans that you have for the New Year, you are setting yourself on the road to success.

Snap out of Unhealthy Eating Habits for Good

I found this surprising information in Self Magazine's March 2009 Issue. We are constantly hearing about different ways to lose weight, but losing weight while taking photos? I just thought I would share this all with you.



Snap out of Unhealthy Eating Habits for Good

By Merrit Watts
Self Magazine March, 2009

"Being a shutterbug could benefit your waistline. When people took pictures of everything they ate for five days they reported consuming fewer snacks and being less likely to go back for seconds than during a week-long period in which they kept a written food diary, a study from the University of Wisconsin at Madison finds. Try it yourself. Photograph everything you eat for a day or simply one meal such as dinner for a week. (Get tips from a pro at Self.com/fooddiet/blogs/eatlikeme.) Examine your photos for super sized portions and color variety; you may spot a death of leafy greens or a surplus of white carbs. (Playing paparazzo can also highlight too-frequent snack breaks.) To shoot with subtlety, use a camera phone. But don't get obsessive. Taking pics can help you make tweaks, but there's no such thing as a picture-perfect diet."

Diets Fitness

Getting fit, looking great and being healthy is a lot more than just doing an exercise routine. You have to make adjustments to your lifestyle, including adjustments to your diet. There are a million options available to you out there when it comes to dieting and they are all based on different principles, lifestyle choices etc. You have to find the right diet to fit your lifestyle and way of life.

Lets take a look at diet fitness.

Diet fitness is as essential as exercise itself. Diet for fitness provides the essential nutrition one needs to restore worn-out muscles and for healthy growth. Diet fitness should never be taken for granted. As the name implies, high carb diets concentrates on taking in carbohydrate-rich foods while high fat diets endorses fat-rich foods. High carb diets are utilized to glycogen stored in the liver and muscles. A person can follow a high carb and low fat fitness diet or the other way around.

Research shows that sustainable loss of weight can only be achieved on a diet which suits the individual food preferences, lifestyle, medical profile and satiety signals and its for that reason that I don’t buy “fad diets” or diet books. Sure, they work for some people, but that doesn’t mean its going to work for me. I prefer to eat sensibly and healthily all the time. Sure, I eat things I shouldn’t do, but I don’t over-do it and I balance it all out with healthier meals and snacks.

In my opinion, fast fad diets are dangerous. You can drink the special milkshake’s starve yourselves of carbs and eat lettuce till the cows come home, but once you leave the diet and get back into your old habits, you’re going to put the weight back on, and perhaps put EVEN more weight back on. I have seen this happen to several female friends of mine. Its the bad habits and the quick diets that are the problem.

So don’t go out looking for quick fixes and trendy diets, work on your habits and tweak a few things about your lifestyle and you’ll see long-term permanent results with the right sensible diet.

The Importance Of Being Fit and Healthy

There is a lot a person can do such jogging or walking in the morning, playing basketball or any other sport with friends but if a person wants to have muscles and look lean, the best thing to do will be to sign up and workout in a gym. Or at least get some exercise equipment for the home! But remember; just like taking any medicine, one should first consult the doctor before undergoing any form of exercise.

Physical exercise is beneficial because it helps maintain and improve ones health from a variety of diseases and premature death. It also makes a person feel happier and increases ones self esteem preventing one from falling into depression or anxiety. It has also shown to make a person with an active lifestyle live longer than a person who doesn’t.

The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises. This helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase ones metabolism and make one either gain or lose weight.

A person who has never worked out before should do it gradually. Doing it too much for the first time can make one pull a muscle or have an injury making it worse. Endurance will never be built in a day and doing it repeatedly will help you see gradual improvements.

Focusing on a certain portion of the body can help make it improve. A good example is going to the gym and doing a workout more often in a specific area such as the abs can give one a six pack. These specific exercises have to be combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle though.

Looking and feeling great isn’t all about big muscles, flat stomachs and great physique. There are other ways to look and feel great whilst at the same time looking after your body.

Here are some things one can do everyday to stay beautiful and healthy;

-Reading books and other reading material more often keeps the mind sharp just like working out keeps the body in shape. There are also some pretty cool computer games available that have the same effect, such as the Brain training available on Nintendo DS.

- Work no matter what kind it is produces stress. One can reduce this by taking the time out to do something special like lying in a hot tub, shopping or watching a movie. Personally, I LOVE going to a floatarium. Never heard of it? Get with the program! Basically its a big tub you float in, filled with special saltsit is warm and very relaxing. Relaxing music is also piped through to your room. I try and do this once every fortnight. It helps me relax and think better.

-Another way to stay healthy is to give up some vices. Most people smoke and drink. Smoking has been proven to cause lung cancer and other diseases as well complications for women giving birth. Excessive drinking has also shown to do the same. I remember when I had stomach ulcers and was admitted to hospital. I was in a ward with many middle aged men whose livers and kidneys were shot to hell due to all the alcohol they had consumed. Some were drunks, some just partied a little too hard. All their families looked disappointed in them when they visited them, because they knew this was something that was self-inflicted.

I am not saying give up drinking. I love a drink socially now and then, but for goodness sake, be sensible with it.

-Take care of your skin. Keep it clean and moisturize. Make sure you use antioxidants in your makeup products as well ladies. A little tip that works for me is to sit over some boiling water and let the steam work some magic on my pours. The same effect can be derived from taking a long nice, warm shower.

If you want a beach body this summer, remember to work on tweaking bits of your lifestyle, not just your exercise routines.

Getting Fit With Sport

Generally, sports entail physical activities that are usually carried out for some ìrecreationalî functions such as self-satisfaction, entertainment, competition, etc. It uses physical activity that is why most fitness experts regard sports as one way of staying fit and healthy. It can also be considered as one way of physical fitness; the only difference is that sports fitness is more inclined to the development of skill or ability.

However, like physical fitness, sports fitness is also capable of toning down the body fats of a person. Because of its rigid and strict health program, a sports enthusiast is able to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle in order to cope up with the strenuous demands of sports.

In sports, people should learn how to value their health. Otherwise, they can never endure the kind of energy that is required when playing sports activities.

Therefore, for people whoa re into sports fitness, here are some tips that you could use in order to stay healthy and be active on whatever sports you want to pursue:

1. Drinks lots of water

Humans can survive days, or even months without food, but they can never last a day without water. Water is, indeed, the most important element needed by the body. Excessive perspiration, without any means of replenishing the lost fluids will result to serious health problems, and even death. Therefore, for people who are into strenuous exercises and trainings, it is best to always drink lots of water.

However, for sports enthusiasts, water may not be enough to replace the kind of fluid lost. Hence, it would be better if they would have sports drinks instead. Aside from the fluid, sports drinks have tow additional important ingredients needed by a person who is into sports fitness: carbohydrates and electrolytes.

Electrolytes are usually lost during strenuous physical activity, and this can only be replaced through sports drinks. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are also needed by the body during rigid workouts to provide more energy so that the body can cope up to the demands of the activity.

2. More veggies!

People who are into sports fitness require more intakes of vegetables and fruits. This is because the body is craving for more vitamins and mineral supplements. It makes the body stronger and healthier enabling it to cope up with demands of the activity.

3. Calcium intake

People who are into sports fitness should have calcium present on their diet. This is to provide stronger bones to the body.

Since the body is more exposed to greater physical activities, it is important to have stronger bones in order to avoid fractures or certain bone diseases like osteoporosis.

Calcium can be found in different vitamin and mineral supplements. They are also abundant in foods like sardines, tofu, dairy products, etc.

4. Warm exercises are always important before any kind of strenuous activities.

This kind of activity is needed in order not to strain the body. Hence, before playing the sports that you have always love, it is best to do some warm-up exercises first.

Indeed, engaging into sports activities is one great way of being physically fit. The best thing about it is that in sports, you get to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Health and Fitness

Being active makes a person healthy and strong. It is not just for people who have a weight problem but for everyone who likes to stay fit.

There is a lot a person can do such jog or walk every morning, play basketball or any other sport with friends but if a person wants to have muscles and look lean, then one can sign up and workout in a gym.

People workout for 3 reasons;

The first is that the person is overweight and the only way to lose those extra pounds will be to reduce ones calorie intake and at the same time workout in the gym.

The second is that the person is underweight and the only way to add extra pounds is to have more calories in ones diet and workout.

The third is just for fun and to keep that person in shape.

The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises. This helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase ones metabolism and gain or lose weight.

Just like taking any medicine, one should first consult the doctor before undergoing any form of exercise.

Here are some benefits of exercising;

1. It is the easiest way to maintain and improve ones health from a variety of diseases and premature death.

2. Studies have shown that it makes a person feels happier and increases ones self esteem preventing one from falling into depression or anxiety.

3. An active lifestyle makes a person live longer than a person who doesnít.

Working out for someone who has not done it before should be done gradually. Endurance will not be built in a day and doing it repeatedly will surely be beneficial to the person.

It is advisable to workout regularly with a reasonable diet.

A person can consult with a dietitian or a health professional to really help plan a good diet program. It starts by evaluating the lifestyle and the health of the patient before any program can be made.

Afterwards, this is thoroughly discussed and recommended to the person which usually consists of an eating plan and an exercise program that does not require the use of supplements or one to purchase any expensive fitness equipment.

A good diet should have food from all the food groups.

This is made up by 2 things. The first is carbohydrates. The food that a person consumes should have vitamins, minerals and fiber. A lot of this can come from oats, rice, potatoes and cereals. The best still come from vegetables and fruits since these have phytochemicals, enzymes and micronutrients that are essential for a healthy diet.

The second is fat which can come from mono and poly saturated food sources rather than animal fats. Since fat contains more than double the number of calories in food, this should be taken in small quantities to gain or lose weight.

Another way to stay healthy is to give up some vices. Most people smoke and drink. Smoking has been proven to cause lung cancer and other diseases as well complications for women giving birth. Excessive drinking has also shown to do the same.

For people who donít smoke, it is best to stay away from people who do since studies have shown that nonsmokers are also at risk of developing cancer due to secondary smoke inhalation.

Great Fitness Training- Stretching

Before fitness training, one must give importance to doing warm-up or stretching exercises to prevent accidents or to enhance the output during the training. There are also a number of precautionary measures and tips to serve as guidelines when doing fitness exercises. Here are some of them.

1. To increase your flexibility and to avoid injuries, stretch before and after workout. Almost everyone knows that stretching before workout prevents injuries during the exercises, but only few people know that stretching after workout, when muscles are still warm, can increase flexibility.

2. Hold your stretching position for more than 60 seconds to increase flexibility. While holding your position for 20 seconds is enough for warm ups, holding each position for at least 60 seconds will develop the body’s flexibility.

3. Do not go into a stretching position then immediately return to the relaxed position, and do it repeatedly. This is more appropriately termed as bouncing while in a position. When stretching, hold that position for several seconds, and then slowly relax. You may do this exercise repeatedly this way. Bouncing or forcing yourself into a position during stretching can strain or damage some joints or muscles.

4. Work slowly in increments instead of immediately proceeding to doing the hardest exercise or position.

5. Make sure that you have stretched or warmed up all muscle groups. For some people, even if they have strong bodies, they tend to neglect the neck when working out of stretching. Stretching the neck muscles can be as simple as placing the palm of one’s hand against the front of the head and pushing it. Then, do the same to the sides and the back of the head.

6. Stretch regularly to continually increase your range of movements and your level of flexibility and strength.

7. Workout considering only your capabilities and not of others. Do not force yourself to do exercises that you are not yet capable of just because there are people who can do it. Increase your limits slowly. Listen to your body. There are days when your body may be too tired that you may have to consider reducing your range of motion.

8. Learn to rest. Rest in between sets and stations to make sure that the body has enough time to recover its energy. Also, it is advisable that you don’t work the same muscle groups consecutively for two days. The muscles grow during the period when you rest and not when you are working out.

9. Do aerobic exercises to strengthen your heart. Aerobic exercises are those physical activities that much oxygen for fuel. This includes cardiovascular exercises such as skipping rope, running or swimming.

10. Music may help you when you want to train for longer periods or to increase your intensity. You can use mp3 players, CD players or lightweight am radio receivers for this. Just make sure that you brought your headset with you so you wouldn’t disturb people who don’t prefer music while exercising.

Apart from preventing injuries and increasing one’s limit, it is also said that stretching is good for a tired body and also for a stressed mind and spirit.

6 Beauty habits that may harm you.

Everybody likes to be beautiful and clean.But when is too much? too much? Here's the real deal on common beauty rituals that could actually do you more harm than good:

1. Excessive hair washing - Washing our hair everyday may make you feel clean. In reality, though, It strips your hair and scalp their natural moisturizing oils. leaving you with damaged brittle hair. Prevent this by shampooing your hair every other day for a healthier, silkier mane. Apply conditioner after rinsing. Use those that contain little or no alcohol at all. Or massage your scalp with drops of jojoba oil.

2.Wearing tight clothes - Clothing such as skinny jeans and tight Capri pants constantly rub skin, making your intimate area sensitive. Prevent this by making a schedule on the clothes you wear. as much as possible try not to wear tight clothes everyday.

3. Lipstick touch ups - This is not about if your lipstick has reported to contain lead. This is about too much touch ups. Lipstick should be used sparingly, as they cause our lips to dry. most especially the matte variety, which, although it stay's longer on you , takes the moisture out of your kissable lips.

4. Very long baths- It is always relaxing to have a long bath to cap a stressful day. This however, is actually not good for our skin since excessive washing causes the loss of natural oil in the outer layers of our skin making it dry. Prevent this by dabbing your skin after very shower. yes, dab and not rub. Apply a light moisturizer after

5. Not taking off your shoes - Oh yes, no matter how we love our shoes. It hurt our feet. It changes the way we walk. Prevent this by simply using flip flops or sleepers at home. And a nice foot spa won't hurt.

I'm sometimes guilty with these things. Anything too much is always harmful. Even in beauty habits.

Prevent gingivitis, Have a healthy smile.

They say teeth is the most important part of you smile. But how about our gums? Do we take care of our gums whenever we brush are teeth? Does brushing alone can keep our gums healthy.When i was a kid i never thought that bleeding gums would lead to gingivitis. until my dentist told me. So at an early age. I already learned how to take care of my gums.

Most people who suffers from gum problems, are already suffering from gingivitis. There are so many popular ways on how you can actually prevent it. but i gathered for most effective steps of them all.

1. Brushing your teeth. Yes, i know you heard it before, but this is the first thing you shouldn't miss to so. brushing twice daily or more can prevent gingivitis. And dental flossing wouldn't hurt. So try to make it a habit to brush and floss. Food left in between teeth may not only cause cavities but may also cause bad breath.

2.Eat a well- balanced diet. Try to consume 500mg of Vitamin c and calcium, based on studies. Lack of nutritious food are more prone to Gingivitis.

3. Use a good mouth wash. Toothpaste doesn't kill all the germs in your mouth. better have a back up.

4. Massage your gums for few minutes. Before brushing your teeth, try to use the the soft bristles of tooth brush and try to massage your gums, but don't put too much pressure. or just simply massage your gums with the use of fingers. It will help the blood circulation in your gums.
Simple but effective techniques that prevent Gingivitis. I can see some happy smiles on their way.

Why diet and exercise won't work for some people.

Diet and exercise doesn't work for most people? because maybe their not doing it right. as simple as that. That's why most people feel frustrated whenever they didn't meet their weight goals. or they're weight fluctuate. There are times that you may want to ask a professional to give you some ideas and advices if your own diet just won't work for you. But you might ask, My friend lose weight on her own? I can do it to right?

Well, my brother lost a lot of weight on his own too, why? because he's doing it the right way.

So what maybe the reasons why some diet and exercise wont' work for you.


You may not have a good plan. and or your diet is not balance with your level of
exercise.

You might be eating more than you think. You consume more saturated fats.

You forgot about portion sizes.

You don't have proper balance of carbs, proteins and fats. you can't lose weight if your undernourished.

a little discipline wont hurt, but you don't have to kill yourself. Enjoy your diet and exercise and don't think of it as a burden.

Brain food? Take the B Vitamins.

Memory loss, Memory gap, Are just some of the things that happens to us as we age. But you don't need to grow old to wait for these things to happen to you. Why don't you do something for yourself while you were young. I have given some tips on my previous posts about how you can improve your memory. But what is the specific vitamin food that helps boost your memory?

Vitamin B Complex can actually boost your brain and enhance the power of your memory. You should try to eat Vitamin b-rich foods. And try to stay away from foods that may reduce or lower the Vitamin b complex. Here are the list of foods that are rich in Vitamin B.

Potatoes
Avocados
whole grains,
Tuna
Oats
Turkey
Bananas
Legumes
yeast, meat, low-fat dairy products,
Brazil nuts
lentils and leafy greens.

Oh and beer too. Yes, you heard it right, but it doesn't mean that you have to reason this to drink more beer. eat right and balance your diet.

Get a flat Tummy

Gosh, guess you're tired of watching E! and seeing those celebs with the hot bodies, flat abs and all that. Do you envy them and wonder if could ever get abs that look like that? The good news is that you can! All you need is to burn off the layer of fat covering your abs, and then the fantastic nicely toned abs come into view.
But actually its not as easy as it sounds. As much as the sit ups and the crunches are important, you need to know that they cannot solely give you the flat sexy abs you need . If you do as much as a thousand crunches a day but still have that overlapping fat then you're not getting no flat abs.
The key to getting these flat abs are as follows:

1. Building up your muscle: building up your muscle is a sure way to burn body fat. As I always say, a pound of muscle burns about 13cal daily, and when you exercise it burns off more. So the more muscle you have in your body, the greater your basal metabolic rate is.
The next question you should be asking is how you can increase your body muscle.?
The simple answer is strength training. Strength training includes weight lifting! I can hear my Naija sisters saying hell no! Lol, actually weight lifting is very important in weight loss. Lifting weights help you build more muscle, and for girls, don't start thinking that weight lifting would make you get those biceps that guys always have. You do not have enough testosterone in your body to get those kinda muscles, and besides, how many guys do you know that have gotten those biceps by lifting 5 or 10kg dumbells? Zero!!!So try lifting weights daily. It doesn't have to be 1hour training. Just get the 5kg ones, and do about 20 lifts for beginners, then increase as you progress.
2. Cardio Training:cardiovascular training helps your body burn fat. Examples of good cardios are jogging, riding a bike, taking walks, etc. When doing cardio, try making it intense so you burn more fat in a short period of time. Remember, when trying to lose weight you want to put your body in a state of caloric deficit so that it uses your stored fat as energy. Cardiovascular exercise is a good way to achieve this. Start with at least 30mins jogging a day, for those who have arthritis or other joint problems, you could take long 1hour daily walks.

3. The third aspect is your diet. Reducing the calories available makes your body go into its fat stores to mobilize energy. Some tips that might help you in this department include:
Reducing your carbohydrates intake. Dump the breads, sweet, biscuit, shortbread, cakes, meatpie, pizza, eba, iyan, etc. No more ice-cream, no sweetened drinks, no club soda, no sans soda or la caseras.
Another important aspect is to reduce your food intake. Once you have set the food on the table and ready to eat, cut out the size of food that is approximate to your fist!! Or even smaller.if after eating you still feel hungry, drink loads of water, or take fruits
Hope this helps!Bookmark this site, so you could always come back for more!

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT (A MUST READ)

Metabolism is the rate at which your body uses up energy, the rate at which your body burns up food to provide energy. .As you all know the body stores excess food as fat. Once it has utilized the amount it needs, every excess is stored as fat for the rainy day, so that at any point in time it needs to utilize energy, it mobilizes fat from its stores.

If the total of calories you ingested is less than what it requires it would mobilize fat. If it is more than what it requires, it would store the rest as fat!
So to lose weight, you have to create a deficit in the body which would be done in two ways:

1. Doing more exercise, so that your metabolic requirements for the day increases.

2. Eating less, so that your body has to go to its fat stores to mobiles energy.

1 pound of fat is equivalent to 3500calories. For every additional 3500 calories you eat, your body gains 1 pound of weight. For every 3500 calories you work out, your body loses 1 pound. For the major food groups, this is an estimate of how much calories they contain:

Fat: 1 gram of fat contains 9calories

Carbs: 1 gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories

Protein: 1 gram of protein contains 4 calories

The factors which determine how much calories you burn per day depends on the following:
1. Your Basal Metabolic rate. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of calories your body would burn at rest, i.e. if you did not do any physical activity that day at all. At rest, your body still needs energy for everything it does, the pumping of the heart, breathing, urinating, every single thing,.

2. Activity: i.e the kind of lifestyle you live daily. If your work entails sitting down in a chair all day, you won’t expect to burn much, but if your daily activity involves moving around, exercising, etc, then you would burn more.

3. Health disorders: Some health disorders like hypothyroidsm might slow down your metabolism, while hyperthyroidism increases it.

4. Sex: Men usually have a higher metabolic rate than women

5. Body weight: Your body weight also influences your metabolism. Fatter people need more energy to sustain their daily activities than thinner people.

6. Age: The older you get the slower your metabolism goes!

7. Muscle composition: More muscle in the body burns more fat. So the more muscles you have, the more your metabolism.

I have added a BASAL METABOLIC RATE CALCULATOR widget in the sidebar, so you can calculate yours there. When you calculate it, you multiply the result by your activity factor which is as follows:

Multiply by 1.2 if you live a sedentary lifestyle and don’t exercise at all.
Multiply by 1.375 if you exercise moderately between one to three times a week.
Multiply by 1.55 if you exercise three to five times weekly
Multiply by 1.725 if you exercise six to seven times weekly.



After you have calculated this, you need to calculate the amount of food you eat, to ensure that you take in less than what you require, or exercise more than what you eat. For those who exercise, you do not need to over-starve yourselves, else you would faint. To lose weight effectively and healthy try not to eat less than a thousand calories daily. You could also use the BURN CALCULATOR at the sidebar to calculate how many calories you lose when you do certain exercises.

Take for example, my BMR is 1600calories, i would eat 1200 calories a day, so that my body burns the extra 400 from its stores. Alternatively, i could also exercise to burn 300 extra calories, so that a total of 700 is lost per day, and in 5 days, i would lose 3500 calories which is equivalent to 1 pound.

Get a journal, divide in two columns, record how much you ate at the end of the day, and how much exercise you did. You need to do this honestly. So that you can calculate how much weight you would lose.

REMEMBER, ONE POUND OF FAT EQUALS 3500 calories.

Health Tip #71: Eat colorful fruits and vegetables packed with antioxidants for more nutrition

Yes... You've probably heard this before, but it's a good tip.

Colorful food in nature = antioxidants = more nutrition.

Why is this?
Most of the nutrients in a fruit or a vegetable can be found in the pigments - the substance that give foods their uniqe color. So the deeper the color is, the higher the levels of antioxidants it contains.
This is why you should never peel your apples or other fruits. If you're peeling the fruit because you don't want to ingest pesticide - then buy organic fruit which are pesticide-free instead.

While blueberries will always be blue, tomatoes can be either red, orange or yellow. Choose to eat the red ones as these contains more of one of nature's most powerful antioxidants - lycopene. This antioxidant helps preventing prostate cancer, among things.
Same "rule" goes for apples... Choose the red ones over the green and yellow ones.

Above all, enjoy your time choosing your healthy food in the store!