Archive for the 'Curve Appeal' Category
Trying to find a new cardiovascular machine? I have a great suggestion that might put some fun back into your workouts and bring you back to feeling like a little kid. Try the Sony Playstation. Your probably thinking, aren’t video games part of the obesity problem in America. Well, yes it is but certain games like Dance Dance Revolution
can provide a great workout.
According to the researchers from the University of Wisconsin, they had 25 male and female subjects between the ages of 12-25, play the game on easy, medium and advanced modes. They monitored the number of calories that each subject burned. The adults burned about 11 calories per minute on difficult mode (which is about 330 calories per 30 minutes).
So instead of investing into a $1,000 piece of cardiovascular equipment, you can get away with spending just under $200 for your home cardiovascular machine. Which also occupies less space and when you hit the nightclub it can make you more flexible and prepared!
Check out the Sony Playstationand Dance Dance Revolution
here. Also, look for my qualifying Special offers from Sony Style.
Or refer to my online coupons at my Fitness Products - Deals and Fitness Products - Store page to save more money.
A recent study conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) investigated the link between physical activity in children and academic performance in school. Initially, researchers predicted that kids who took physical education (PE) during the school day would do better academically, since it helps reduce boredom and helps kids stay focused.
The study, reported in ACSM’s official journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, examined 214 children of middle school age. All students were randomly assigned to a PE class in either the first or second semester of the school year. Researchers collected information on each student’s activity level in and outside of the PE class, and compared their level of activity to their grades in the subjects of math, science, world studies and English.
Surprisingly, researchers found that being enrolled in PE (moderate activity for 30 minutes, 5 days per week) did not influence the children’s grades. The government’s Healthy People 2010 guidelines recommend vigorous activity for 20 minutes, at least 3 days per week. This study showed that the more active children were, such as participating in a sport or other vigorous activity, the better they did in school. Most of the children who did exercise “vigorously” did so outside of school, by playing sports like soccer, basketball, football, baseball and softball.
These ACSM researchers recommend that physical education classes include more vigorous activities for kids. Other research also shows that active children do better in school, are better able to concentrate, and even exhibit fewer behavior problems. If your child’s school isn’t requiring enough physical activity, encourage your child to participate in a school or club sport that she enjoys. Team sports teach kids more than fitness—they improve motor skills, increase self-esteem, and foster cooperation and teamwork. Even non-athletic children can meet physical activity recommendations with non-competitive activities such as biking, swimming and jogging and by dancing or playing games like tag.
Just by keeping your kids active and staying involved with after school programs and activities leads to endless social behaviors that are favorable to our society.
If your body is efficiently converting food into fuel and burning it, you’ll shed fat and build muscle. That muscle will boost your metabolism, and even more, you will shed more fat and build more lean body muscle. The big payoff: a lean body for life. Here are a few tips that I can give:
EAT:
Do not fear carbohydrates! By dodging carbohydrates it leaves your body lacking the fast-burning energy that supplies the kick-start to your metabolism. Skip too many carbohydrates, and your body will begin to burn muscle off and not fat! Which is why it’s very important to eat something in the morning as opposed to training on an empty stomach. The best approach I can recommend is a balance of:
- 50% to 55% of Carbohydrates (Fruits, Vegetables, and Whole Grains) not (Cookies, Chips, and Cake)
- 20% to 25% of Protein (Chicken, Tuna, Steak, and Black Beans)
- 25% to 30% of Fat (Organic Peanut Butter, Udo’s Oil, and Almonds)
DRINK:
By sipping green tea, it contains an anti-oxidant called “epigallocatechin gallate” and been shown to boost energy expenditure by 4%. Also, H2O is your body’s lubrication. Without it, your internal machine won’t run quite as smoothly. I suggest during the day to sip about 14 cups of liquid. Then when your working out for more than an hour, drink about 4 to 5 cups more than that!
MOVE:
Add intervals on cardio machines such as treadmills, ellipticals or even spin bikes. Sprint as fast as you can for a maximum of 60 seconds, and rest by walking or pedaling slowly for 2 minutes, and then repeat it again for 5-6 times. If you can’t do the full 60 seconds, no worries, just start out at 30 seconds and then work your up.
A few times during your workout, why not try bumping your heart rate above your target heart zone for 2-3 minutes. During the majority of your workout (pending on your goal) you want to be at 55%-75% of your maximum heart rate. But by notching it up a tad bit higher, can bump your metabolism.
To find out more about your diet percentages, you can go to these following online diet sites for a free diet profile!:
Combine Exercise With Other Goals:
Most exercise programs fail because they work against instead of with your current goals. Instead of competing for time, perhaps your goals could share it.
IDEAS
- Read while on the exercise bike, but maintain your target heart rate
- Play with your kids or pets
- Hold a work meeting at the gym or while jogging or walking outside
- Work out or play sports with friends and become a weekend warrior
- Do a home workout while watching a basketball game or movie you want to see
Take Exercise Out of The Gym
Which is easier to reschedule, a two-hour meeting or a series of five-minute chats? Take advantage of all those chances throughout the day to stay on your feet and stay active.
ON THE JOB
- Find a few sturdy, thick phone books and do some step aerobics or plyometrics
- Close your door and shadow box for a few minutes
- Lift 1-3 packs of printer paper in each hand. Curl them like weights or press them over your head
- Jumping jacks or pushups its simple, quick, and pumps you up
AT HOME
- Get out the rake and shovel
- Try some gardening
- Walk to your neighbor’s house to visit instead of calling
- If you must watch TV, do some crunches commercials or core work
- Sprint – don’t walk – to the mailbox
- Walk up and down the stairs while on the phone
Create an In-Home Workout
Smaller workouts can take the pressure off of those more intense visits to the gym – and without all that expensive equipment. Just 20 minutes a day is all it takes, which just happens to be the same amount of drive time you’d probably save.
I’m sure most of you have the yo-yo effect of dieting. Or perhaps you begin noticing things on your body are beginning to head south. But don’t sob over your misfortune, just do something about it. When is the time to get back into the gym or start working out. Here are my top 10 signs to lose weight, see if you can relate.
#10: You find yourself sucking air after performing the acrobatic maneuver needed to get socks on your feet.
Like some contortionist from Cirque de Soleil, I have to perfectly gauge the distance I need to bend at the waist with the distance I need to lift my leg. Accuracy is everything. You can only hold this position for seconds at a time without aborting the mission and gasping for breath!
9: In order to button your pants, you have to lie on the bed.
You usually flop about and groan like the demon-possessed girl in the Exorcist. Scary behavior like this means you’re fat or that you are too cheap to replace the jeans you wore in high school…20+ years ago!
#8: You steer your car with your knees since both hands are busy holding a sugary 64-ounce fountain drink of Pepsi or Coca~Cola.
When your drinking the bucket-sized sodas of Pepsi or Coca~Cola, you know that your in trouble. It means you have chosen gluttony over portion control.
#7: You have a gut, or as I would say to the females, a “muffin top.”
Occasionally, the lower portion of your gut sports the unmistakable markings of my car’s steering wheel.
#6: Your driver’s seat is reclined so far back that you can easily touch the rear window by scratching your ear. This is a sure sign that you need to burn fat.
#5: Your pile of picked-clean Foster Farms chicken bones resembles the sun-bleached skeletons found in old pirate movies.
#4: Shirts with a single X on the size label aren’t comfy enough anymore. Instead they feel like your wearing your little siblings t-shirts.
Same goes for pants with waistlines of less than 40. When your larger than life clothes are tightening, I know it’s time for a change.
#3: The Mansierre (or Bra) because like Frank Costanza (Seinfeld ) when your actually thinking about getting one, it begins to stop being funny.
#2: A wrestling match with your kids clocks in shorter than the commercials aired between evening news segments.
You need the remainder of that annoying Cialis ad to catch my breath…and to slurp a little of your super-sized Pepsi.
#1: You know need to lose weight when you play Dracula, and avoid mirrors at all costs.
So laugh a little, and smile too. With the proper motivation and support, a little exercise and some healthier food choices, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
As a parent, you want to meet your children’s needs as promptly as possible–when they’re hungry, you want to feed them. But you want that food to be nutritious too, and unfortunately, most prepared and packaged foods that are ready-in-an-instant are also void of wholesome goodness. Here are some ideas for feeding those hungry kids, fast:
- Carrot sticks, apple wedges, celery spears–anything dipped in peanut or almond butter.
- Fruit smoothie. Keep frozen banana chunks and berries in the freezer. Whir them in a blender with juice or soymilk to make a satisfying shake you can both enjoy.
- Peanut butter & jelly rollup. Spread a whole-wheat tortilla with a thin layer of nut butter and an even thinner layer of natural fruit preserves. Roll up, and serve.
- Quartered frozen grapes. Wash grapes, cut them, and freeze them. Keep them on hand and serve to ward off those pre-dinner hunger pangs.
- Trail mix. Mix together raw sunflower seeds and raisins. Younger toddlers will enjoy the challenge of getting this from the bowl into their mouths.
- Chickpeas. Drain and serve these, or any beans, straight out of the can.
Start paying attention to your fluid intake 2-3 hours before you are going to exercise. Drink 2-3 cups of water during that time, and then drink another cup immediately before you start exercising.
Without this extra water, your muscles will become dehydrated. Muscle movement depends on how hydrated you are, so if they are dry, they will not work as well. As a result, your workout will not be as productive as you would like.
Once you start exercising, keep drinking water frequently. A good rule of thumb is to drink one cup every 15-20 minutes. Keep a water bottle with you. Take breaks to head to the water cooler. Do what it takes you keep yourself hydrated.
Even when you are done exercising, you need to keep replenishing your fluid levels. It’s recommended you drink another 2-3 cups within two hours after you have finished. Then drink water regularly afterwards.
The more you drink before, during, and after exercise, the more productive your workout will be. Do your body a favor and replenish that quart of fluids your body is losing while you work out. Your muscles will thank you later.
Is there anything more frustrating than being bogged down in traffic? Most all of us have been there before. That discouraged, fed up feeling that just makes us want to throw up our hands in surrender or lay them on the horn, or just give them the bird.
Thankfully, I stopped the cursing and started thinking instead. And I realized that I often witness another type of “road rage” – the frustration that builds on the road to weight loss: Diet Rage.
It doesn’t matter if your using the south beach diet, nutrisystems, Dr. Atkins low carb, or the zone diet. They all cut calories somewhere.
Think about your dieting history. Does it give you the same feeling as an exasperating traffic jam? You never quite get where you want to go as fast as you want to get there. You get aggravated, yell, and see people in other lanes going faster than you, and it usually ends up ruining your day.
Here’s the lesson: Getting frustrated with your diet does no more good than getting frustrated in traffic. It just makes you unhappy, unsuccessful and tense. Remember, the first three letters of “diet” is D.I.E.
By the time I got to work (it was a long commute), I noticed a lot of things that we, as weight loss veterans, can learn from traffic jams. Next time you start to feel frustrated with your weight loss progress, keep these “lessons of the road” in mind:
- There will always be periods of stopping and starting. It’s something that you should just anticipate and allow for. No use getting upset or stressed about not making progress. It’s a normal part of the journey
- Sometimes, you’ve just gotta go with the flow of what’s going on around you. Life can present some situations that you really can’t do anything about. When that happens, staying straight and steady – doing the best that you can – will keep you on track and sane. In traffic, impatient people stop, change lanes, weave in and out of other cars, driving themselves and everyone else crazy – and in the end, usually don’t get any farther along than you do by staying put and going with the flow
- Shortcuts never work
1. Carl’s Jr. Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger
I’m an East Coast kind of guy, but I realize there are no boundaries when it comes to bad foods. So, for this review, I took the advice of 19th Century newspaper editor Horace Greeley who urged, “Go west, young man, go west.”
The Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger will gun you down with 1,130 calories (600 from fat), 66g fat (100% of your Daily Reference Value), 28g saturated fat (140% DRV), 150mg cholesterol, 2,540mg sodium (110%DRV), 83g carbs, and 47g protein.
I’m beginning to understand why it’s called the Wild West! Sorry boys, but I’ll take the 3:10 to Yuma… and then the next plane to good old Philly, land of cheese steaks and soft pretzels over this one!
2. Pizza Hut Double Deep Pizza
These Double Deep Pizzas are handcrafted by loading an entire pizza with twice the toppings of a medium pizza, plus 50% more cheese and then wrapping the crust over the top to hold all the toppings in.
I tried two slices of the Meaty variety. According to the Pizza Hut Website, I also opted for 1,160 calories, 72g fat (110% of your recommended Daily Value), 28g saturated fat (140% DV), 3g trans fat, 200mg cholesterol, 3,980mg sodium (166% DV), 62g carbs, and 62g protein.
In all fairness, the suggest serving is one slice (1/8 the medium pie) but who eats a single slice?
3. El Monterey XX Large Chimichanga
While shopping at Wal-Mart here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, I noticed Spicy Red Hot Beef & Bean Chimichangas in a cooler near the deli. They looked suspiciously like my 3-for-a-buck burritos of last year, only bigger and a tad bit more costly.
While a standard burrito wraps a filling of meat, beans and/or cheese in a flour tortilla, a chimichanga is a meat-filled tortilla…deep-fried. That sounds good for the arteries!
The key words “deep-fried” may explain why my mushy 10-ounce XX Large Chimichanga did a Mexican fat dance on my diet to the tune of 920 calories, 57g of fat (15g saturated, 1g trans fat), 40mg cholesterol, 1,140mg sodium, 83g carbs, and 22g protein.
4. Denny’s Meat Lover’s Scramble
As Mr. Bad Food, I’ve seen plenty of bad nutrition numbers in my day. But I never saw anything as heart-stopping as what I found on the Denny’s Website one day.
It was my stomach that turned upside down when I checked out the nutrition numbers for Denny’s Meat Lover’s Scramble. Denny’s could be charged with “salt with a deadly weapon” for serving a breakfast entree that packs an unbelievable 4,170mg of sodium! (The Recommended Daily Allowance for sodium is 2,400mg.)
The Meat Lover’s Scramble will also shake you down with 1,280 calories, 71g of fat (21 saturated, 0 trans), 565mg cholesterol (the RDA is 300mg), 103g carbs and 54g protein (RDA is 50). By the way, the RDA for fat is 65 grams, so you are taking in more than a day’s fat, cholesterol and sodium in a single meal!
So if you find yourself at a Denny’s and someone recommends a scramble, take my advice and scramble for the door!
5. Hardee’s Country Breakfast Burrito
The word burrito sounds like a term for a little burro. If you don’t want to make an ass of yourself—by scarfing down 60 grams of fat with your first meal of the day—then steer clear of the Country Breakfast Burrito at Hardee’s.
The king-sized breakfast burrito is cobbled together from two omelets, five hashrounds (their cutesy version of hashbrowns), cheddar cheese, and sausage gravy. The omelets that fill out the tortilla each contain two eggs, crumbled sausage, diced ham and bacon bits.
Now, if you’re hungry for 920 calories, 23 grams of saturated fat, and nearly 2,000 milligrams of sodium for your morning meal, dig in! Or if you would like to add to your “muffin top,” then go right ahead and enjoy this meal.
6. KFC Chicken & Biscuit Bowl
The clever cooks at KFC devised a way to toss together an entire chicken dinner in a single bowl. According to the KFC Website, the new bowls are “a blend of mouth-watering KFC flavors and textures all layered together.”
A blend…a jumble…a clutter…Call it what you will. But after checking out the nutrition facts, I call the Chicken & Biscuit bowl a great way to flock up your diet!
Their nutrition guide says that the Chicken & Biscuit dish will bowl you over with 870 calories, 44g of fat (11 saturated, 4.5 trans), 60mg cholesterol, 2,420mg sodium (101% of your recommended daily amount), 88g carbs, and 29g protein.
7. Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Blended Crème
When is a coffee drink not a coffee drink? When it comes with calories and frothy extras you’d expect to get with a milkshake! Oh, and when it doesn’t even include coffee! Case in point: The 24-ounce (that’s Venti-sized in Starbucks lingo) Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Blended Crème served up at your local Starbucks.
This drink is made from rich chocolate, chocolate chips and milk, and is blended with ice, and topped with whipped cream (optional), and chocolate drizzle.
With 670 calories, 22g of total fat, (12g saturated fat; 0.5g of trans fat), and 107g of carbs, it only sounds like a coffee drink. The 12 grams of saturated fat is equal to the saturated fat you get in a McDonald’s Quarter-Pounder with Cheese… but the sandwich packs 160 fewer calories than the Frappuccino!
8. Pizza Hut P’Zone
It takes two hands to handle a Pizza Hut P’Zone. The problem is—according to the nutrition info on their website—it should also take two people! Yes, despite the fact their TV ads showed a bunch of hungry guys chowing down on whole P’Zones, each super-sized dough pockets of meats, cheeses and sauce is considered TWO SERVINGS.
The nutrition numbers… doubled for those of us who consider the P’Zones one-meal wonders:
P’Zone Classic: 1,220 calories, 46g fat, 22g saturated fat, 2g trans fat, 130mg cholesterol, 2,700mg sodium, 144g carbs, 8g fiber, 60g protein.
P’Zone Pepperoni: 1,260 calories, 48g fat, 22g saturated fat, 2g trans fat, 140mg cholesterol, 2,980mg sodium, 140g carbs, 6g fiber, 64g protein.
P’Zone Meaty: 1,380 calories, 58g fat, 26g saturated fat, 2g trans fat, 160mg cholesterol, 3,460mg sodium, 144g carbs, 8g fiber, 70g protein.
9. Wendy’s Baconator
The term “Baconator” sparks images of an action flick featuring a leading man with a terribly thick Austrian accent. But if you’re planning on ordering Wendy’s newest blockbuster, think again. I can picture it now: A seatbelt-straining drive-thru customer grabs his grease-stained bag of beef, bacon and fried potatoes, and before driving off to feast upon his Baconator, he shouts to the drive-up window jockey, “I’ll be back!
It’s also poor dining to indulge in this Wendy’s double cheeseburger on steroids. The Baconator boasts two beef patties, two slices of cheese and six slices of bacon! Do yourself a favor and terminate your urge to order this beast of a burger.
The nutritional numbers for the 10-ounce Baconator: 830 calories, 51g of fat (22g saturated, 2.5g trans fat), 170mg of cholesterol, 1,920mg of sodium, 35g of carbs, and 57g of protein.
10. Denny’s Extreme Grand Slam
The advertising for Denny’s Grand Slam breakfasts used to feature the tagline, “$2.99…Are you out of your mind?!” Now that the restaurant chain has launched advertising for its new Extreme Grand Slam—a breakfast platter piled high with three strips of bacon, three sausage links, two eggs, hash browns and three pancakes—they might want to change it to, “You’re ordering a Denny’s Extreme Grand Slam…Are you out of your freakin’ mind?!”
The Denny’s Website urges customers to “fall in love with breakfast all over again.” It then offers up its latest line of “Breakfast Cravers” platters—dishes packed with the artery-clogging goodness of not-so-lean meats. Cases in point: The Meat Craver’s Breakfast and the Steak and Cheese Omelette.
The nutritional numbers for the 21-ounce Extreme Grand Slam: 1,160 calories, 64g of fat (17g of saturated fat), 560mg of cholesterol, 3,750mg of sodium, 102g of carbs, 4g of fiber, and 45g of protein.
There you have it— The Worst of the Worst! Have a Happy and Healthy 2008! Thank you Spark People!
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Many of us have a great pre-workout and workout routine. We drink plenty of water before and during exercise, warm up, stretch, work the entire body, and even get in some cardio training as well. Then, after the last exercise, we promptly head back to the locker room, change, and journey home.
What so many out there do not realize is the importance of what you do after you work out. You may have done the majority of the work, but how you treat your body in the minutes and hours after you exercise has a direct effect on muscle soreness, muscle strength and growth, and staying hydrated.
After your last exercise, your workout is not over. The first thing you need to do is cool down. Even if running was all that you did, you still should do light cardio for a few minutes. This brings your heart rate down at a slow and steady pace, which helps you avoid feeling sick after a workout. Walking on a treadmill for five minutes is a good and easy way to cool down.
Even when you are actually done exercising, you need to keep replenishing your fluid levels. It’s recommended that you drink another 2-3 cups within two hours after you have finished. Then, drink water regularly afterwards. You may not feel thirsty anymore, but you still need to replenish yourself to avoid getting dehydrated.
Eating is one of the last, but one of the most important, items to do after a workout. You have not only burned hundreds of calories and lost carbohydrates, but you have also actually torn your muscles. You need to repair your muscles and boost your energy level, and you need to do it fast. It’s recommended that you eat within 90 minutes of your workout, but the sooner the better. Look for foods that are packed with complex carbohydrates and high in protein. A perfect example is a tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread.
The carbohydrates will re-energize your body, while slowly turning into calories - so you have plenty of time to burn them before they turn to fat. The protein helps repair your muscles, so they grow stronger while your body rests until the next workout.
Next time you put down the dumbbells and think your work is done, remember these after-workout necessities to maximize your efforts and get the most out of exercising.
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Water makes up 70%-80% of our bodies, regulating body temperature, helping our breathing, transporting nutrients, carrying away waste and helping our muscles function, water is pretty much useless. Oh, and you need water or, after three days without it, you’ll die.
So in other words, water is essential. It can even be an extremely important (and often over-looked) weight loss factor.
Somehow, though, water is one of the most neglected parts of our nutrition plan. Some of us possibly go an entire day at times without one glass! Every part of your body is dependent on and comprised of water, and the most important parts need even more. Your brain is made up of 75% water, your blood 82% and your lungs nearly 90%.
Besides being a vital component of your body, water also helps to reduce weight. The more hydrated you are, the quicker your metabolism works. When you are dehydrated – even before you start becoming thirsty – your liver has to help the kidneys function and can’t metabolize fat as quickly. Your metabolism slows down, causing some unwanted fat to remain.
If your body is used to not getting water, it actually stores more in ankles, hips and thighs. In other words, it doesn’t trust you to keep bringing water, so it keeps what it can get, like a thirsty cactus. Once it realizes the water will keep coming, your body will get rid of the stores and you’ll lose weight!
Staying hydrated is not restricted to drinking water; milk, juice and other liquids – even some fruits and vegetables – are good sources of water. But avoid caffeinated beverages (coffee, soda, energy drinks), as they actually cause you to lose fluids and become dehydrated.
The recommended daily amount of water is eight cups a day, or as much as possible.
Even if you constantly drink coffee or soda, you can make some simple changes to increase the water in your diet. Here are just a few ways to get more water every day:
- Keep a water bottle in the car
- Take a water break instead of a smoke break at work
- Order water at restaurants instead of soda or a cocktail
Body composition is the amount of fat vs. lean muscle tissue in the human body. This is commonly expressed as a percentage of a person’s total weight. Body weight alone is not a clear indicator of good health because it does not distinguish how many pounds are from fat and how many are from lean body mass. The popularity of body composition (as a measure of progress) is growing as people realize its value in determining health risks.
Although two people can have the same body fat percentage, that doesn’t mean they face the same health risks. Where body fat is located can place a person at far greater risk for fat-related health conditions such as: cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and even certain types of cancers.
Fat around the abdomen may present the greatest risk for health problems. Abdominal fat is most common in males and is associated with increased risks for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure. In contrast, fat around the hips and thighs is most common in females and seems relatively harmless with respect to these health problems.
It is important for good health and well-being to not only know your body fat percentage, but to pay attention to where that fat is located.
