Busy Fitness

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Fitness ~ A Necessity For A Healthy Body

Fitness is a term that is used to help define the ability to stay in the best physical shape. You may ask, then, “What am I staying in shape for?” To each person, this will be something different.

For most, it is a matter of staying healthy as long as possible. You see, your body is designed to work as a machine. When each part of the machine is cared for, the entire machine works the best that it can. When the machine is neglected either in part or in the whole, then the machine won’t run well and eventually won’t run at all.

If a car, for example, is well maintained for many years, it will last many years longer. If it isn’t taken care of, for example you don’t change the oil in it, you cut several years off the life of the car. That’s costly to you, but when you look at this as your body, you are shaving away days, weeks, and even years off of your life when you don’t take care of your machine (your body.)

Fitness is a necessary part of life. Before we get on the soap box, remember that fitness is something that you can get into the habit of doing which makes it easy.

Fitness is not something that you have to struggle with. When you were three you were probably taught to brush your teeth. You learned to put your clothes on. When you were learning how to do them, you likely hated it. But, once you learned how to do it, it became something that you didn’t think twice about. Do you worry about brushing your teeth today? No, because it’s a habit. That’s what we want you to think of when you think of fitness.

It’s just something that you do. Granted, the first weeks of learning to be fit and staying healthy will be the hardest. You’ll dread it. You’ll find excuses about not doing it. You’ll claim that getting fit is just too hard. You just can’t give up what you love. That’s not true.

In fact, if you have the will power to save your life by sacrificing for just a few weeks, you’ll see that fitness can be easily mastered by you.

Want physical fitness and health? Check out the following guide....


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Monday, December 29, 2008

Getting Started With A Fitness Program

To get started with fitness, start by getting through these basic first steps.

  1. Meet with your doctor to talk about your overall health. Ask him for measurements of your blood pressure, your heart rate as well as any other important factors he may be interested in you improving. Determine that you are healthy enough physically to begin improving through diet and exercise.

  2. Get your weight. Do this at home on a well programmed scale, not at your doctor’s office. Do it first thing in the morning after you’ve gone to the bathroom but before you have eaten. Do it the same time and same way every time you weigh yourself.

  3. Calculate your BMI. You need this to see just how unhealthy you are currently. It’s going to come down and that will be quite rewarding!

  4. Measure your waist. Stand up straight. Pull up your shirt, suck in your gut and measure at your belly button all the way around using a tape measure. This will be your indication of your weight loss and health improvement.

  5. Set your goals. Determine what’s important for you to maintain, to improve on, and to work on first. Write them down and post them in several locations in your home.
Now that you have this done, you can begin to improve your health. The guide below can help you throughout the process!

Want Red Hot Body? If yes, click the image below to get FREE chapters on how to get in shape and burn bodyfat faster than you ever thought possible.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Exercise And Fitness For Older People

We all know it. Exercise is good for you but, if you are over 40, breeze on by the advertising that touts ‘buns of steel.’ Recent research indicates that moderate exercise will give you as much protection from disease as the extensive exercise regimens touted by those much younger than you.

Experts now tell us to use a two-part exercise program that includes aerobic exercise like walking or bicycling to condition your heart plus strength training exercises such as calisthenics and low-intensity weight lifting to build muscle and cut fat. To begin you should only exercise two or three times a week but should work toward at least five times a week.

Easing into a routine like this gradually should be your goal. Older folks may have some degree of osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, joint irritation or lack of flexibility. Exercising lightly will not aggravate these conditions, but will actually help them.

Exercise will also keep your heart young, drive down high blood pressure, build up good cholesterol, improve balance, enhance sex life, increase mental acuity, elevate mood, control diabetes, decrease cancer risk, strengthen bones, ease joint pain and much, much more.

Get started properly. Get a physical so you know that your body’s systems can handle additional physical stress.

Warm up for at least 10 to 15 minutes using slow-walking, stretches or light calisthenics. As you get older you body need to ease into exercise gradually because your system is down about one third and takes longer to warm up and cool down.

Exercising more than 30 minutes at a time will help you lose weight if you do it three to five times a week and follow a proper diet. But if you don’t need to lose weight, three 10 minute sessions each day will be beneficial for protection against disease.

Schedule a regular workout time. Dress for comfort. Have plenty of water along so as not to dehydrate.

Half of your exercise routine should include aerobics and the best aerobic exercise is walking, especially if you are over 50 or 60. Start out by timing yourself and gradually increasing the distance over time. Keep your pace constant, slow down on hills and track the temperature. If it’s hot or humid your workout will seem harder. As you become more comfortable with your routine, try some variation like shortening steps, trying weights or swing your arms as you walk.

Here are some basic guidelines to follow for strengthening exercises:

Keep it slow – perform exercises slowly spending two seconds in the lifting phase of each exercise and four to six seconds in the lowering part. Moving too fast reduces the benefits and you could actually hurt yourself.

Always inhale before lifting, exhale while lifting and inhale as you lower the weight to get the best benefit.

Select just a few exercises to begin with, a few for the upper body and a few for the lower body. You can always increase as your routine helps you to gain stamina.

Use music to help establish a rhythm.

Pick the right kind of shoes. Walking or running shoes absorb the shock of your stride because of a slightly elevated heel that also helps prevent injuries to leg muscles and tendons. Tennis and other types of athletic shoes absorb impact of sideways movement and quick turns. Buy new shoes often even though they may last for years. That is because the shock absorption only lasts for a few months.

Wear loose fitting clothing for comfort, don’t drink coffee or any diuretics before or while exercising and exercise vigorously enough so that you can’t talk and exercise at the same time!

Click image below for more information on fitness for older people.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Develop Lean Muscles Through Strength Training

To maximize the physical fitness of your body, you need to consider adding strength training to your workout along with aerobic training. Now, you don’t have to be a body builder here. You don’t have to have bulging muscles. But, you do want to develop lean muscles that are strong and therefore healthy.

If you need to lose some weight, strength training is a very essential aspect of making sure that happens. With strength training, you will be able to move flabby muscles and fat into lean muscles. Muscle burns through fat faster, allowing you to lose weight faster.

Strength training is essential because it allows you to improve the way that your body works, too. Muscles that are strong are less likely to become injured. They are able to be used easier, with less likelihood of being strained or hurt through your daily exercises, movements or even in accidents.

Here are some tips for exercising through strength training.

  • Work with a low amount of weight first. Never increase the weight you are doing unless you are okayed to do so by your doctor.

  • Consider working with a physical trainer. This small investment of time and money will allow you to improve your overall muscle mass faster, and more effectively.

  • Change up the exercises that you do so that the process is easy and fun. You’ll enjoy it and you’ll see improvement in the tone of your body quickly.
With strength training, you should add in ten minutes per day three times per week at least. Again, you’ll want to increase this number over time to at least 30 minutes per day three times per week. Remember to include ten minutes before and after your workouts for warm up and cool downs!

Click image below to obtain FREE and high-quality muscle building video lessons.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Overall Fitness And workout Diet Plan

Here are the tips that you need to get your diet fitness plan off the ground and allowing you to improve your health considerably!

  1. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Visit your favorite recipe sites on the web and look for vegetable recipes that aren’t rich with sauces, butter or creams. Add one new recipe to your diet each week.

  2. Start looking for leaner cuts of meat. Remember, meats that are high in saturated fat are clogging your heart. One good switch is with ground meats. Don’t reach for beef, but replace at least part of it with ground turkey or pork. You won’t notice the taste difference. Eat more fish, chicken and pork over beef.

  3. Reduce portion sizes. No food in one sitting should be a larger quantity than the size of your palm. To help you to not feel hungry, eat a bit slower.

  4. Visit the website of the American Heart Association to get heart healthy recipes. Try to look for ways to improve your current recipes through replacing butters, salts, unhealthy foods with foods that are better for you. Look at your grains. Replace white rice and pasta with whole grain. Replace white bread with whole grain bread.

  5. Remove soda from your diet. This single movement alone will improve your health considerably. It adds weight to your body and it causes all types of health risks later in life.

  6. Look at labels. Learn to read labels so that they tell you what’s in the foods you eat. Reduce the amount of fat, cholesterol, and sugars in the foods that you eat.
If you need to lose weight, then you need to consider a calorie reduction. Dropping just a small amount of weight means that you need to eat less and do more physically. There is no fad diet that is more comprehensively safer and effective than just that: eat less and get more exercise every day.

Eating healthy isn’t an option if you wish to increase your lifespan and increase your health. While you may love food, learning to make healthier recipes shouldn’t be something you put on the back burner because you are too busy, don’t like those foods (you probably don’t know what they taste like anyway!) or you think its too much work.

Food is a requirement to living and a healthy diet is an essential part of living a long life. Don’t make sacrifices here for speed, convenience or habit. Remember; while making changes at first is a challenge, you will get into the habit and will eventually love the differences you have made, guaranteed!

Want Red Hot Body? If yes, click the image below to get FREE chapters on how to get in shape and burn bodyfat faster than you ever thought possible.

Monday, December 22, 2008

A Body Fitness Plan That Can Improve Your Physical Fitness of Your Body

To improve the physical fitness of your body, you need to give it the physical movement that it needs. This means feeding it the right regimen of movements.

Start by working in exercise through aerobics and strength training into your day. Visit your local recreational center or community center. You can even start doing these things at home, too, which will make the process easier and even more enjoyable.

To make it even better, consider these easy and fun ways to get in the exercise that you need.

  • Do it with a pattern. You are 80 percent more likely to be successful if you don’t try to do it alone! Recruit someone to work with you!

  • After dinner, head out for a walk with your spouse for a few minutes. If you can’t leave the kids, take them with you. This is a great way to get in some quality time away from the television.

  • If you can’t leave the television, use a stationary bike. During your favorite show, ride the bike. You get the exercise you need without missing your television program and time will fly by.

  • Do sports and other physical activities that you enjoy. Swimming, playing a game with the kids and even joining a sports team is a great way to get in exercise without it feeling like exercise.
Your overall body fitness means exercise and movement. When you begin to add these into your day, you’ll probably find every excuse not to do them. Yet, you will come to enjoy exercising.

For many it’s a great stress relief and it can be a lot of fun. Make it your goal to actually put together a workout that you enjoy. It will make all of the difference in how effective it is for you.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Benefits of Aerobic Training

Movement is important for your body. Exercise is the best route to take to gain that health. Aerobic training is the best way to improve your overall exercise tolerance and therefore to improve your muscles.

Aerobic training helps to increase your heart’s ability to pump and therefore to get oxygen throughout your body faster. In this type of training, your body will work to improve its function by improving how much work your heart can do.

To find out if you have any limitations, talk to your doctor. If not, then start with a basic program. Here are some tips for you to get in aerobic training.

  • Start with basic aerobics and work up as your tolerance increases. Walking is a great place to start.
  • Increase your resistance by taking trails that offer hills or speeding up your walk as you improve.
  • Move on to more aerobic style exercises. Swimming, bike riding, playing your favorite sport, running, elliptical machines, and other physical activities are perfect for aerobics.
Your goal is to start with 10 minutes of continuous aerobics three times a week. You should try to increase this to 30 minutes three times per week, though, as soon as your body allows for it. The guidelines of your doctor are a must to follow!

Want Red Hot Body? If yes, click the image below to get FREE chapters on how to get in shape and burn bodyfat faster than you ever thought possible.

Effects of Body Fitness Exercise On Your Life

Your body is a well designed machine. Each part of your body functions well because of the support that other parts play. Well, the time has come to improve the way that machine is working. This means physically.

Your heart pumps oxygen rich blood to each cell in your body, delivering fuel to is so that it can perform its duty. Your lungs supply your heart with that necessary oxygen. Your brain keeps everything working, even those things that you don’t think about doing like your heart beating and your lungs breathing.

Your job is to give your body what it needs to continue to perform correctly. While your diet is something for the next chapter, we need to address your body’s ability to do what it needs to through being physically capable.

What some people don’t realize is why their body has developed as it has. Well back in the time of the cave man, the body had to do what it needed to so that you could stay alive. It would store food in fat so that when there wasn’t enough food available, these fat reserves could be used.

Your muscles are necessary for functioning but they have been built to be used, not to sit ideally. Your body is used to providing your muscles with the fuel that they need to work hard. If you don’t work hard, your body can’t maintain a healthy muscle mass.

Want Red Hot Body? If yes, click the image below to get FREE chapters on how to get in shape and burn bodyfat faster than you ever thought possible.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Fitness Is Not Only For Weight Loss

Although many people start looking into fitness because they want to lose weight, fitness is not just about weight loss. By understanding where you stand on these factors above, you can work to improve your overall wellness and increase your lifespan as well as the quality of life that you are currently living.

If you don’t think that you need to lose weight, that’s great! You are one step closer to being healthy. But, that’s not to say that you don’t have health problems beyond that level. Many people are still at risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol as well as other concerns even though they aren’t technically overweight. Therefore, you need to take into consideration the fact that overall health is in fact important to improve.

Many of the articles we publish in this blog are meant to point you in the direction of improving your overall health. For many that will mean losing weight. For others, that will mean improving other qualities of your life. There’s much to learn and improve on for most of us.

We'll be publishing more fitness tips on this blog in the next few days. Please stay tuned!

Want Red Hot Body? If yes, click the image below to get FREE chapters on how to get in shape and burn bodyfat faster than you ever thought possible.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Most Effective Ab Exercises Can Be Done At Home

The most effective ab exercises turned out to be the humble bicycle manoeuvre and captain's chair, while crunches on the exercise ball ranked highest for home exercise equipment.

While the bicycle manoeuvre and exercise ball can be done at home, the captain's chair is easily accessible at your local gym.

Don't sweat the current economic situation. Hit the floor at home where you can do these exercises that target the rectus abdominis (abdominal muscles) and obliques (muscles that run down the sides of the abdomen).

The bicycle manoeuvre, which comes highly recommended, is done lying flat on the floor. Simply press your lower back on the ground and place your hands next to your head. Raise your knees to around 45 degrees and slowly go through a pedalling motion. As you cycle, touch your right knee with your left elbow, then your left knee with your right elbow. Begin with 30 seconds of continuous cycling and build up to around two minutes.

Rolling right along, the exercise ball is highly versatile and allows for great crunches. Simply lie back on the ball until your thighs and torso are parallel to the ground. Cross your arms over your chest and tuck your chin slightly toward your chest. Contract your abs, raising your torso to no more than 45 degrees, exhaling as your contract and inhaling as you return to the starting position. Repeat this action for 12 - 15 reps.

Here you have it, the most effective ab exercises at home.

Click here for more home abdominal workouts guide on how to transform your sagging beer belly into a ripping six-pack now!

Hydration - How Water Helps in Sports Nutrition

Keeping your body hydrated is a very essential part of the process of sports nutrition. Your body needs fuel in the form of fluids. It is a very essential part of your well being and life in general.

If you do not have enough water in your body at any given time, your body will ultimately suffer. It is a fact of life that can not be denied.

As an athlete, not providing yourself with the necessary amount of water, or limiting it, can cause you to have numerous problems including the risk of serious health complications.

On top of that, your game will suffer without the right amount of water.

Why Water Matters

Without taking you too far back to science class, think about the serious job that water has in your life and in your body.

It has to be there to move the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients through your body. It keeps blood moving which carries the fuel that your cells need for energy.

Additionally, water helps to move out the waste products from your cells. This allows them to keep your cells at an optimal level.

Finally, your body uses fluids to keep the body at the right temperature, there by protecting your health overall.

Can you live without water? No. When it comes to sports nutrition, it is nothing short of essential. How water helps in sports nutrition is important for you to know and to practice.

When your body burns energy, it produces heat. That heat races through your body.

If you think of your body as a car, if the engine gets too hot, it can not perform as it should. Therefore, you will find a way to keep your engine cool, water is a necessity.

Additionally, your body needs to have these fluids to allow you to carry all the nutrients throughout your body. Since you are working on developing muscles, enhancing your physical characteristics, you realize that your body needs those nutrients to get where they need to go.

For that, they need water to push them through.

Water helps your body to grow, but also helps you to repair cells as you work hard at achieving your goals.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Important Aspects Of Sports Nutrition

There are several important aspects that you need to consider when it comes to sports nutrition. Here are the four important aspects of sports nutrition.

  • Hydration: Your body needs fluids first and foremost. It needs the right type of fluids and they need to be provided at the right time. This may be a bit tricky at first, but ultimately, without fluids, your body is completely limited in what it can and will do for you.

  • Carbohydrates: No, we are not talking about any type of diet here. In fact, carbohydrates are an essential building block for your body’s workout. You need to know when to eat them, what they will do for you, and how much to consume. Luckily, you will find that information here.

  • Proteins: Protein is the building block of our body’s muscle. Without the right types of proteins in your body, your body can not successfully build muscle groups to accomplish tasks that you want it to. You need to learn what you need, when you need to consume it as well as the right products to provide.

  • Fats: Are they good or bad? Do you know? Your body does need fat, no matter what those diets tell you. But, you need to know what fat is good fat and your body needs to have them delivered at the right time for them to be useful to you.

We will cover these aspects in more details in the next few posts. So, stay tuned!

Back Muscles Exercise - Strength Exercises For Back Flexibility

Anyone who has ever suffered from a major backache knows how central the back is, even in times you might think it isn't important. Even something like squeezing a tennis ball, an action that involves a focus on the fingers, forearm and bicep will involve the latissimus dorsi and other back muscles.

The lats are the large 'side' muscles that make a man triangle-shaped. To demonstrate how they are used during squeezing a tennis ball, try it! You'll quickly feel a tensing of the muscles on the side of the arm you use. It's especially noticeable if you have back pain.

Any sport will require strong back muscles, for speed and coordination, for balance and movement and for providing a strong 'pillar' for all the limbs to move off of.

Here are some simple exercises to help stretch and strengthen those all-important back muscles. Most of them are better performed on a firm, but not hard surface. While you work the muscles, you don't want to cause undue, painful pressure on bony parts of the body.

Knee to Chest

Lie on your back and clasp your hands behind one thigh. Pull slowly toward the chest, keeping the other leg flat on the ground. Vary the action by flexing the ankle - first pointing the toe, then pulling it back toward the knee - at the same time as you stretch the leg.

Hold each position for 5 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. Do 10 reps.

Rotations

Lie back, knees raised and together, feet flat on the floor. With your arms extended and near the body, and your palms flat on the floor, lift the feet off the ground slightly and rotate your trunk by moving the knee. Move the knees slightly left, then right.

Over time, as you become more flexible and build strength, you can increase the range of motion. Ultimately, you should be able to touch your knee to the floor.

Alternate the action by crossing your arms over your chest, then repeat.

Pelvic Press

Lie down on your back, knees raised and feet flat on the floor. Push the small of the back into the floor, feel the tension in the lower abdominals. Vary the action by moving your feet together and performing the exercise, then slightly apart and repeat.

As you press into the ground, hold for 5 seconds, but continue to breath slowly and normally.

Pelvic Lift

Lie on your back, knees raised and feet flat on the ground, arms crossed over your chest. Keeping the legs and knees together, raise the buttocks up slightly and hold for 5 seconds. Lower slowly, count to two, then repeat.

Remember to breathe normally through the exercise, in and out slowly.

Dog Stretches

On all fours, raise your head, eyes forward. Lower your arms and arch your back, hold 2 seconds, then resume the starting position. Slowly extend one leg, as near parallel to the floor as you can. Hold 3 seconds, then put the leg back into starting position. (If this produces back, hip, or leg pain stop immediately.)

Switch legs and repeat. Vary the exercise by extending the leg with toe pointed, then flex the ankle perpendicular to the leg. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat. Do 10 reps for each leg.

Never perform these exercises if they produce back pain. Mild discomfort from inactivity is natural. Pain is a signal that something is wrong. Consult your physician.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Abs Diet Guide And Workout Nutrition Truth

NOTE: This article was written by Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training for Abs.

You want the Nutrition Truth?

You can't handle the nutrition truth!

Okay, just kidding, maybe you can...and so I'm going to give you the diet I used to get my 6-pack abs.

Personally, I find that eliminating grain-carbohydrates from my diet is an ultra-fast way to help me go from 10% to 8% body fat - which is what I did for my photo on:

=> Turbulence Training for Abs.

Usually it takes about 4 weeks for someone to drop 2% body fat, but I did this in 3 weeks or less.

So when I want to get really lean, I follow this rule:

"Nothing out of a box or bag; only fruits, veggies, raw nuts and protein; no bread or sugar."

Now I know a lot of folks ask, "what about whole wheat pasta or oatmeal?" and we could get into an entire debate on that...but it's easier just to stick to the simple rule and forget debating.

As for supplements, I believe all fat loss supplements are a joke. Complete scams. Phoney Baloney. BS! I don't believe any supplement burns belly fat.

For health, I use fish oil, Green Tea (I guess this doesn't count as a supplement), Vitamin C, and a Greens-Plus drink (which I'm not even sure if I need because I eat a ridiculous amount of vegetables everyday).

There you go...I probably just saved you $100 a month on supplements!

It's just a simple diet without supplements.

Heck, with that approach, I didn't even have to do any interval training. Just resistance training. And I do some total body ab exercises at the end of my workouts.

For ab exercises, I really like cable ab exercises, hanging leg and hanging knee raises, pullups combined with knee ups, and Stability Ball Rollouts. Plus, I'll mix in a bunch of bodyweight ab exercises into my warm-ups.

I hope that info helps you get your abs too.

And now I've added a BIG NEW free bonus to the Turbulence Training for Abs package...

Not only do you get the workouts, the nutrition bonus from Isabel De Los Rios (with meal plans!), and my motivation secrets, but you also get 3 free months in the TT membership...

That's an $89.97 value!

Grab your copy and get started here:

=> Turbulence Training for Abs.

I hope you get six pack abs for Christmas,

PS - Don't miss the new bonus of 3 months free into the TT member's area where you'll get a new workout every month to go along with fat loss videos, the member's forum, and a whole bunch of my best fat loss workouts from the past.

=> Click here to get started with Turbulence Training for Abs.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Alcohol Can Ruin Muscle Gain

You heard it right. Alcohol is one of the major reasons for wasting your most beloved physique and muscles that you have taken care of for years. Alcohol is considered as one of the most significant causes to lose your muscle’s nice features. Despite of what health experts are trying to imply about the negative effects of alcohol, others are still on the verge of tiring themselves with it. Drinking alcohol will definitely ruin muscle gain.

Alcohol is considered as one of the most influential drinks ever invented. Not that it tastes funny but also this drink can now be considered as a drug because of its addictive effects which can affect your life including your family, friends and work.

If you really want to maintain your six packs (abs not beer) and your muscle mass, you have to be conscious about drinking alcohol because it can cause deterioration of your years of fruitful labor.

Here are some of the negative effects of alcohol to your body...

1. Increases estrogen and decreases testosterone levels.
If you wanted to increase your muscles, then you have to maintain or increase the levels of testosterone inside your body because it is that hormone that can gear to building your muscles. It will be a loss on your part, as men, if you allowed estrogen to overcome your testosterone levels because that can also cause secondary female characteristics.

2. Affects protein synthesis, big time!
You know that protein is one of the most important nutrients that your body needs in order to gain those additional mass. When you hinder protein synthesis because of too much alcoholism, you tend to hinder for protein to be distributed all throughout your body. Protein synthesis will be slowed down for about 20% the normal status.

3. Strips the body of minerals and vitamins.
Alcohol has a diuretic effect on the body which promotes increase excretion of minerals and vitamins inside the body. When too much alcohol is consumed, it tends to strip off some of the important elements that our body needs namely Vitamin A, B complex, C, calcium, phosphorus and zinc. These elements are drained in rapid manner which can cause comprise to our body’s balance. In order to function properly, one must maintain the sufficient amount of minerals and vitamins inside the body that definitely involves supporting muscle growth.

4. Dehydration can and will occur.
Haven’t you noticed that every time you drink alcohol, you tend to ask for cold water or soda just to get rid of your thirst? This is because, as what is already said, that alcohol is fast-acting diuretic that can increase your body’s ability to dispose water. No doubt about it, every time you visit the John, the essential vitamins and minerals in your body are lost in your urine. If this continues to happen, the water in your body can’t sustain the necessity because of the increase excretion and muscle demand. And muscles are composed of about 60-70% water!

4. Increases storage of fats
Drinkers are known to possess large bellies. That’s because alcohol can trigger deposition of fats inside our bodies. Alcohol contains about 7 calories every gram which is the main reason why alcohol can make people fat in an unnatural way.

You have to manage the amount of alcohol you take, especially if you want to maintain an ideal body weight and size. A few drinks occasionally aren't bad as long as you can handle the effects. Otherwise your muscle gaining goals can be totally affected in a very negative way.

Body Building For Fitness

People undertake the sport of body building for all sorts of reasons, but fitness is probably the biggest one of all. There’s no doubt that people who take the time to focus on the muscles in their body and honing them to a chiseled state are probably among the most fit of athletes. We can easily use the terms body building and fitness interchangeably with each other.

We are a fitness conscious society, and body building fits in nicely with that concept. Fitness means more than just losing weight and having a trim body. It means living a healthy lifestyle and chiseling the best body you can through a variety of methods.

Body building for fitness is a great way to become the person you’ve always wanted to be. Because becoming an effective body building means having the proper diet, you will realize a level of fitness you never knew was possible. You should eat a well-balanced nutrition plan that gives you the nutrients you need to have a great body.

Because you are eating in this way, you will be giving your body essential nutrients that will make you healthy just by consuming them. Body building requires a very specific diet with lots of protein and lots of carbohydrates. Body builders are also very aware of what they are putting in their body, so fitness is achieved in the diet just by concentrating on what you eat.

Body building also requires a demanding workout schedule where you lift weights and perform exercises that focus on specific muscle groups as well as specific muscles. When you begin to chisel those muscles, they become very well defined and healthier. That’s why body building is great for a fitness regime.

Fitness is very important in living a healthy and full lifestyle. Staying fit both in body and mind contributes to a sense of well-being that you won’t find when you are neglecting your health. It is a million dollar industry that helps us stay fit and trim, and the help is out there aplenty when you look for it.

Body building for fitness is the best way you can go about not only losing weight but also gaining body mass and becoming stronger. When you achieve the level of fitness you are desiring, you will be able to look in the mirror and be proud of what you see. Why? Because you did it yourself and you did it for YOU!

Click image below to obtain FREE and high-quality muscle building video lessons.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Stay Healthy With Exercise Even If You Don’t Have Much Time

It is a well-recognized fact that regular physical exercise supplemented by a nourishing and healthy diet is a must for healthy living. Physical exercise has immense health benefits and can greatly reduce the risk of diseases, especially cardiac diseases, improve metabolism and
strengthen your bones.

In modern times, occupational constraints and the changing structure of society has contributed vastly to sedentary lifestyles that limit physical activity. In such a situation any opportunity for movement should be viewed with favour rather than be considered as an inconvenience. One needs to try to be active in many ways as possible throughout the day.

As there are very minimum people with sedentary lifestyles, they should ensure that they are engaged in at least thirty minutes of physical activity of moderate intensity on many days of the week as possible, preferably on all days. Those who can should try to engage in vigorous exercise regularly to attain better health and fitness levels.

Everyone who has tried knows how difficult it is to stick to a strict regimen of exercise, especially in the face of paucity of time due to busy modern lifestyles. However, it can still be possible to attain a minimum level of fitness through 30 minutes of activity every day. Even this may prove difficult to do at a stretch. What you can do is to break it down into 3 stretches of 10 minutes each of physical activity and spread it over the day. To make it easier, you can use whatever you usually do in the course of your daily activities to carry out these exercises.

For example, while commuting to the office and back home you can get off the train/bus one stop before your destination and walk the rest of the way. When in the office or at home avoid using the elevator and use the stairs instead. Even sitting at your desk, you can do neck rolls
and arm raises i.e. pushing your arms towards your side and then towards the ceiling. Do some
modified push ups at the edge of your desk.

Take a walk after lunch. Go walking to the local grocery store; don't drive. While watching TV, get up during ads and jog or skip, where you are. You can add some more time for exercise this way. Don't forget to take a swim at the pool, whenever you get the time.

Playing with the kids in the garden can give you some good exercise. In the mornings, set your alarm to wake you up five minutes earlier and skip a rope or do stretching exercises, before you jump under the shower. All these are excellent ways to exercise, when you find yourself unable to spare time, specially dedicated to exercising.

If you can maintain a small gym at home, there can be nothing better. No fancy equipment is required. You can create a nice gym without much expenditure or space, using simple things like exercise bands, a stability ball, a skipping rope and a pair of dumbbells and you can get quite good results.

Coupled with healthy food and eating habits, these are great ways of exercising to stay fit and healthy, when you are hard pressed for time that you can devote to physical exercise.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Body Building Nutrition

Nutrition in body building is very important for anyone serious about the sport. Good nutrition is essential for a healthy life, but it is most important for a body builder to have effective workouts and grow muscles quickly and efficiently. What type of nutrition should you have to become successful in your body building quest?

You need to first have a diet that is high in protein. That means eating a lot of chicken, fish, and meat. Chicken and fish are best for you because of their low fat content. Although fats are important in body building nutrition, you still must be careful that your fat consumption doesn’t contribute to health problems.

Another big part of healthy body building nutrition intake is to be sure that you consume lots of carbohydrates. Carbs are very important because they provide the primary energy source for our body from the foods we eat. You will need lots of energy to complete an intense workout which will build your muscles quicker and more efficiently.

Complex carbohydrates are the best carbs to take in. These can be found in foods such as whole grain rice, whole grain breads, and pasta. Be sure to take your carbohydrates with protein for maximum efficiency.

Fats are also very important in body building nutrition. Believe it or not, fats actually do good in our bodies providing insulation for body parts like the heart and lungs as well as making energy when the fats break down. Of course, you will want to consume the good fats as opposed to the bad ones so that you don’t gain weight through fat intake.

Saturated fats are the worst fats to take in. These are fats like animal lard and butter. Saturated fats are those that stay solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are the “good fats”, but they also should be consumed in moderation. Olive oil and flaxseed oil are good unsaturated fats. They stay liquid when at room temperature.

A very important fat group that can help both your body and mind are Omega 3 fatty acids that are found in fish. Omega 3 fatty acids are known to combat depression, fend off fatigue, and give you energy you need to workout.

You should also include a lot of fresh vegetables in your diet. Foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots give you many vitamins and minerals that are necessary for a healthy body. Fruit should be consumed in moderation as they naturally contain a certain amount of sugar naturally. Too much sugar can hinder your progress.

In the sport of body building, nutrition is just as important as lifting weights and exercising. Getting good nutrition is essential for an effective body building routine. Eat what’s good for you and what your body needs without over-indulging too much. Then sit back and watch your body grow!

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Thursday, December 4, 2008

Diet And Muscle Gain Go Hand In Hand

Without proper diet, you can’t expect to gain the muscle that you want. It is not enough to know all weight gain exercises to be able to achieve your desired muscle mass. You have to also be particular about what goes in and out of your body. Diet will support your bodybuilding methods. Here are some ways to ensure that you acquire the correct diet in you muscle building activity.

Get at least two times your body weight.

For example, if you weight 100lbs, you must eat a diet that will give you at least 100 up to 200 grams of protein so that you are assured to obtain muscle growth consistently. For those who are into full time bodybuilding, it is advised that you consume 2 to 3 times your bodyweight in regards to protein.

Protein varieties should be considered.

One of which is red meat which is rich in protein although there are also alternatives like fish. Cottage cheese, soy, nuts, beans and rice are all rich in protein. On the other hand, these products have different kinds of amino acids which is why varieties are much, much better.

Supplements are good.

Other sources of protein can be taken from supplements wherein you don’t have to buy meat just to attain the required protein in your everyday consumption. Soy proteins and whey are some of the common examples. You have to make sure that when you incorporate these in your meal, increased fluid intake must be assured or else it will strain the kidneys or liver and will contribute to a certain impact on the part of the organs. Increased fluid intake will be helpful in flushing out the negative effects of consuming high protein.

Balance.

If you are doing a strenuous routine, and if you don’t eat a diet that is high in protein, it can cause your muscles to lose its strength and mass. There are numerous college and even high school athletes that are faced with muscle strength that are declining through the season of their game because they are unaware of this fact. Following this will not do any harm and instead becomes advantageous.

Carbs galore.

Carbohydrates should always be included in your diet because it’s responsible for the energy that you exert when you lift weights or any heavy object. You will not be pumped up without taking in carbs with your proteins. Carbohydrate is one essential element needed in the production of energy.

Words of advice:

• Drink plenty of water so that it can help replace the fluid that was lost in your body and eliminate the waste product of protein metabolism. This will also prevent your high-protein diet from harming or damaging your organs and is actually helpful to make you lose weight.

• Calories must be minimized if you really want to build muscle mass instead of fat. It will be difficult on your part to exert a lot of efforts without gaining anything.

• Never consider taking steroids. It will only give you more negative effects. You should consider gaining muscle in a natural way. Such measure is healthier on the part of your body. Even health experts won’t advice the use of steroids because of the numerous negative side effects that one can get.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Body Building For Women

Many women are concerned with how their bodies look. Dieting and weight obsession are very real parts of life for many women. Body building and women really fit together well when you think about it. Focusing on healthy weight gain and muscle fitness makes a woman look and feel a lot better.

Body building is a lot more than just dieting and lifting weights. Much of the advice given in previous chapters can apply to both men and women. But women do need to change a few things when it comes to a workout plan that will work.

Some women have never considered body building as a sport because they are afraid that they will get big, bulky, and become masculine looking. Nothing could be further from the truth. A trim, solid body on a woman is extremely sexy and very healthy.

Women cannot naturally produce the amount of testosterone that men do, so it is impossible for women to increase their muscle size in the same ways that men do just by picking up a weight or two. Without artificial substances, women won’t be able to get the same bulk as men do.

However, many of the same workout advice that we give to men apply to women as well: eat 5-6 small meals per day, drink plenty of water, and get lots of rest. The workouts are the same as well although some women may want to limit their reps initially until their strength is built up.

Many women struggle with excess fat and flabby muscle tone on their thighs and in their buttocks. Because women are naturally curvier than men, working these areas makes for a very flattering figure.

To work these areas, you will want to do a lot of dumbbell squats, leg curls, standing calf raises, and leg presses. Add some lunges as well as dumbbell squat dead lifts as well for maximum effectiveness. You may want to invest in an exercise ball so that you can work your abs and make them tight and defined.

Change your workout every time you perform it and focus on one or two body parts each day you train. By doing this, you are not over-exerting muscles without giving them time to heal. Recovery is very important to the body’s muscles, so give them the time they need to heal and grow.

Many women live their lives by the numbers that they read on a scale. When you are body building for fitness, this is a mistake. Don’t concentrate on what the scale says you weigh, focus on your size and tone.

This can be calculated in the form of inches or body fat percentage. You will probably not see a huge weight loss on the scale, but you should see an improvement in your overall body’s look after a period of time.

Here are some areas that women should really focus on in their body building routine:

• Upper Back – Use pull-ups to build the muscles in your upper back which will accentuate your shoulders and make your waist look smaller.

• Side Deltoids – Side laterals and overhead laterals will help tone these muscles making your shoulders more defined and, again, your waist look smaller.

• Hips and Waist – These areas are mostly chiseled through diet by teaching the body to re-distribute body fat. It is the finishing signature to the rest of your body and will make your overall appearance look much more pleasant.

• Quads – The front muscles in your upper thighs need to be worked so that they are toned and defined. Doing lots of squats will help in this area and will complete your overall look. After all, what woman doesn’t want to have some killer legs!

Women are used to dieting and depriving themselves of food. When you are body building, however, the reality is that you need to actually eat more. The key lies in the foods that you eat. Eat the right foods, and they will work for you instead of against you!

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Weight Lifting Tips

Weight lifting tips is very necessary for getting the most benefit from your workout. Moreover; it will also reduce the chances of sustaining a serious injury. The primary weight lifting tip is to warm up before starting your workout. Do warm up at least for five to ten minute before getting started because it is very necessary for cardio vascular vessel to get the blood flowing.

One more weight lifting tip, which is very much important before weight lifting, is to stretch all your muscles. It is always better to start with weight that you can handle at least ten to twelve repetitions, to build strength. Then as you progress and add more weight, with six to eight repetitions while always remembering to keep good form.

Before moving up to higher weights make you're comfortable with the increase because if you go over the top with heavy weights, it may tear and damage the muscle.

A spotter is advised when you progress to very heavy weights, it not only helps minimize any possible injuries. A spotter can help you get those extra one or two reps which can really help make a difference. Perhaps, if you're unable to complete the full six to eight reps, lower the weight. Similarly, do not lift more weight than your limit especially if you do not have any spotter because it can end with an accident.

Remember never hold you breath when completing a rep, as it can lead to broken blood vessels or worse. It is very important to breathe freely through out the exercise. When doing a unilateral exercise, always start with your weakest side first and after that complete only as many repetitions on your stronger side. Never overwork your strong side, just because you can complete more reps.

You need to continue doing exactly the same reps on both sides, another thing sometimes due to our skeletal structure we're not 100% symmetrical. So one side looks bigger and more developed then the other side, don't worry, just keep doing the same amount of reps on both the left and the right side. As you gain size and muscle, it should even out and you won't notice any difference.

Work on all of your major muscles and muscle groups especially legs, abdominals, chest, back, shoulders and arms. It is important to exercise muscles in a balanced way. Don't just workout the top half of you body and not your legs, it will look out of proportion!