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.
