Tag Archives: Weight Loss

Physical Power of Positive Thinking

Posted on by

The positive thinker has quite an advantage in
that he is able to achieve his goals much quicker, devote his energy to positive
feelings toward himself and others. He’s able to drain such time consuming
thoughts, as resentment, irritations, guilt reactions, and annoyances that have
collected throughout the day and refill his mind with refreshing and happy
thoughts.

Love and positive thinking is the internal force that gives you new hope, joy
and vitality. It’s for people who truly want a powerful new lease on life!!!
Remember that your brain is the central power
station of the body. A diet that consists of mainly junk foods and sugary
carbohydrates will cause physical illness to the brain when, on the other hand a
proper nutritional diet promotes positive thinking which frees you from mental
conflict and helps you to achieve success that much sooner.

The positive thinker is able to love someone besides himself, and with the world
so full of hate, only proves the fact that the diet of today is full of junk
food. Hate will only tear your mind apart further. That’s why you naturally feel
physically good when you’re happy — your entire body is well nourished and
working together — now, isn’t that what bodybuilding is all about!?

You CAN adapt your self to any change whether
it be in diet or physical exercise! Remember, the mind governs the body. Harmful
thoughts such as: fear, hatred, anxiety and over sensitivity originate when your
brain cells are starved. Positive thinking is impossible when the mind is
undernourished, and a mind that is constantly undernourished becomes touchy and
irritable.

Your mind along with your body must be kept in top physical condition, otherwise
it will dwell on destructive thoughts towards yourself and others. With the
correct diet you are able to think positive and encourage yourself through a
tough bodybuilding routine — and the results will appear much faster.

Forget the fat burn zone

Posted on by

“Fat burn is greater when exercise intensity is high.” Izumi Tabata

I believe in high-intensity aerobics. In Ripped 3, for bodybuilders, I recommended “a variety of relatively short and infrequent aerobic sessions interspersed with explosive muscular effort.” In Lean For Life, published six years later, I emphasized high-intensity aerobics even more; I reduced the frequency of aerobic sessions to two times a week (in Ripped 3 I recommended up to four) and substantially increased the intensity. But it wasn’t until recently, when my friend Richard Winett, Ph.D., publisher of Master Trainer, called my attention to new research findings, that I came to fully appreciate the superiority of high intensity aerobics compared to the usual prescription that heart rate be maintained between 60% and 80% of maximum.

As explained in the nearby FAQ (Low intensity aerobics?), high intensity aerobics burns the same amount of fat as low intensity, but the expenditure of calories is substantially greater; plus, intense aerobics produces a higher level of fitness. Importantly, the more fit you become, the more likely you are to use fat as fuel for any given activity. And now, research in Japan and in Canada shows that short, very intense aerobic sessions are amazingly effective for both fitness and fat loss.

Maximal oxygen uptake, or V02max, is generally regarded as the best single measure of aerobic fitness. As the rate of exercise increases, your body eventually reaches a limit for oxygen consumption. This limit is the peak of your aerobic capacity, or your V02max. As intensity increases beyond V02max, your body must shift to anaerobic (without oxygen) energy production. An oxygen debt begins to build at this point and blood lactate levels climb. In general terms, one’s ability to continue exercising in the face of rising oxygen deficit and lactate levels is called anaerobic capacity.

This is important because many high-intensity sports (including basketball, football, soccer and speed skating) require a high level of both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Clearly, total fitness involves both high V02max and high anaerobic capacity. A training protocol that develops both would be a godsend.

Izumi Tabata and his colleagues at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan, compared the effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on V02max and anaerobic capacity. (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (1996) 28, 1327-1330). Interestingly, the high-intensity protocol had been used by major members of the Japanese Speed Skating team for several years; it’s a real-world training plan. As you will see, however, the protocol is unique among aerobic training programs for its intensity and brevity.

Many studies have been done on the effect of training on V02max, but little information has been available about the effect on anaerobic capacity. That’s because until recently methods for measuring anaerobic capacity have been inadequate. This study used accumulated oxygen deficit to measure anaerobic energy release, and is one of the first to measure the effect of training on both aerobic and anaerobic capacity.

Notice that the duration of the moderate-intensity and the high-intensity protocols are drastically different: (excluding warm-ups) one hour compared to only about 4 minutes per training schedule

Tabata’s moderate-intensity protocol will sound familiar; it’s the same steady-state aerobic training done by many (perhaps most) fitness enthusiasts.

Here are the details (stay with me on this): In the moderate-intensity group, seven active young male physical education majors exercised on stationary bicycles 5 days per week for 6 weeks at 70% of V02max, 60 minutes each session. V02max was measured before and after the training and every week during the 6 week period. As each subject’s V02max improved, exercise intensity was increased to keep them pedaling at 70% of their actual V02max. Maximal accumulated oxygen deficit was also measured, before, at 4 weeks and after the training.

A second group followed a high-intensity interval program. Seven students, also young and physically active, exercised five days per week using a training program similar to the Japanese speed skaters. After a 10-minute warm-up, the subjects did seven to eight sets of 20 seconds at 170% of V02max, with a 10 second rest between each bout. Pedaling speed was 90-rpm and sets were terminated when rpms dropped below 85. When subjects could complete more than 9 sets, exercise intensity was increased by 11 watts. The training protocol was altered one day per week. On that day, the students exercised for 30 minutes at 70% of V02max before doing 4 sets of 20 second intervals at 170% of V02max. This latter session was not continued to exhaustion. Again, V02max and anaerobic capacity was determined before, during and after the training.

In some respects the results were no surprise, but in others they may be ground breaking. The moderate-intensity endurance training program produced a significant increase in V02max (about 10%), but had no effect on anaerobic capacity. The high-intensity intermittent protocol improved V02max by about 14%; anaerobic capacity increased by a whopping 28%.

Dr. Tabata and his colleagues believe this is the first study to demonstrate an increase in both aerobic and anaerobic power. What’s more, in an e-mail response to Dick Winett, Dr. Tabata said, “The fact is that the rate of increase in V02max [14% for the high-intensity protocol – in only 6 weeks] is one of the highest ever reported in exercise science.” (Note, the students participating in this study were members of varsity table tennis, baseball, basketball, soccer and swimming teams and already had relatively high aerobic capacities.)

The results, of course, confirm the well-known fact that the results of training are specific. The intensity in the first protocol (70% of V02max) did not stress anaerobic components (lactate production and oxygen debt) and, therefore, it was predictable that anaerobic capacity would be unchanged. On the other hand, the subjects in the high-intensity group exercised to exhaustion ,and peak blood lactate levels indicated that anaerobic metabolism was being taxed to the max. So, it was probably also no big surprise that anaerobic capacity increased quite significantly.

What probably was a surprise, however, is that a 4 minute training program of very-hard 20 second repeats, in the words of the researchers, “may be optimal with respect to improving both the aerobic and the anaerobic energy release systems.” That’s something to write home about!

What About Fat Loss?

Angelo Tremblay, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the Physical Activities Sciences Laboratory, Laval University, Quebec, Canada, challenged the common belief among health professionals that low-intensity, long-duration exercise is the best program for fat loss. They compared the impact of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and high-intensity aerobics on fat loss. (Metabolism (1994) Volume 43, pp.814-818)

The Canadian scientists divided 27 inactive, healthy, non-obese adults (13 men, 14 women, 18 to 32 years old) into two groups. They subjected one group to a 20-week endurance training (ET) program of uninterrupted cycling 4 or 5 times a week for 30 to 45 minutes; the intensity level began at 60% of heart rate reserve and progressed to 85%. (For a 30-year-old, this would mean starting at a heart rate of about 136 and progressing to roughly 170 bpm, which is more intense than usually prescribed for weight or fat loss.)

The other group did a 15-week program including mainly high-intensity-interval training (HIIT). Much like the ET group, they began with 30-minute sessions of continuous exercise at 70% of maximum heart rate reserve (remember, they were not accustomed to exercise), but soon progressed to 10 to 15 bouts of short (15 seconds progressing to 30 seconds) or 4 to 5 long (60 seconds progressing to 90 seconds) intervals separated by recovery periods allowing heart rate to return to 120-130 beats per minute. The intensity of the short intervals was initially fixed at 60% of the maximal work output in 10 seconds, and that of the long bouts corresponded to 70% of the individual maximum work output in 90 seconds. Intensity on both was increased 5% every three weeks.

As you might expect, the total energy cost of the ET program was substantially greater than the HIIT program. The researchers calculated that the ET group burned more than twice as many calories while exercising than the HIIT program. But (surprise, surprise) skinfold measurements showed that the HIIT group lost more subcutaneous fat. “Moreover,” reported the researchers, “when the difference in the total energy cost of the program was taken into account…, the subcutaneous fat loss was ninefold greater in the HIIT program than in the ET program.” In short, the HIIT group got 9 times more fat-loss benefit for every calorie burned exercising.

How can that be?

Accept Your Body and Learn to Have a Positive Self Image

Posted on by

Because thin females and muscular males are seen as the ideal in our society and because we have come to believe that body size and shape are totally under a person’s control, most people enter diet and exercise programs with unrealistic goals and expectations. If you continually strive to achieve a socially imposed ideal, you will never be free of your insecurities or your self-consciousness. You must truly realize and then learn to accept that we are not all meant to be fashion-model size.

Our body size and structure reflects not only our eating and exercise habits but also our genetics. The role this latter factor plays in determining weight seems to vary greatly between individuals. We are all born with a certain body type inherited from our parents. Although hardly anyone is a pure body type, there are three different applicable categories: ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs.

Characteristically, ectomorphs have a light build with slight muscular development. They are usually tall and thin with small frames and narrow hips and shoulders.

Mesomorphs have a husky, muscular build. They often have broad shoulders, and their weight is concentrated in the upper body, making them look compact or stocky.

Endomorphs are characterized by a heavy, rounded build with shoulders usually narrower than their hips. They have a round, soft appearance and are more often overweight or obese.

When we understand and appreciate our bodies, we are able to work with them, not against them. Although many of us are a combination of two body types, we cannot become what we are not. However, everyone can improve their appearance and their health and performance levels by implementing the principles of a safe and effective eating and exercise program.

Even if you have a genetic predisposition to being overweight, the way you live is what ultimately determines whether you become fat. Genes clearly play a role, but they certainly don’t determine what you’re going to have for dinner or how often you exercise. Chances are if you’re living an unhealthy lifestyle, you’ll become fat and unhealthy.

All of us can’t be thin. But every single one of us can be healthy. By focusing on what you’re eating and how much you’re exercising, you’ll be able to achieve optimum health and fitness, even though you may not achieve society’s ideal of thinness. Accepting yourself does not mean that you’re hopeless and that it’s okay to do nothing. It means that you feel good and care about yourself, and that you want to be the very best you can be, regardless of your genetics, regardless of society’s standards.

To achieve this level of optimum wellness, you must have a positive self image. This means that your feelings about your body are not influenced by events in your daily life. For many people, life’s problems are projected onto their body. “If only I were thinner–or more muscular, I would have made the team, gotten the job, been chosen. . . . If only I were thinner–or more muscular, I could meet more people, find the right guy/girl, be happy.” This self-defeating habit is reinforced by the images we see in advertising; your body becomes an easy target for everything wrong in your life.

When you have a positive self-image, you value and respect your body; you are also more likely to feel good about living a healthy lifestyle.

No matter how much genetics predetermines how you store and lose fat, the body you’ve been given will still respond positively to being appreciated and treated well. Focusing on fun physical activity and eating healthy foods will help you feel good whatever your size. Developing a healthy, positive image of yourself is the first critical factor in your fitness success. Having a strong sense of self-worth provides the basis for making rational and affirming decisions about your health. Good luck, stay positive, and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle!

By Chad Tackett

Exercise: The key to weight loss

Posted on by

As we grow older it seems that we are in a constant battle with our waistline, The older we get the harder it is to lose weight.

Many of us have tried various fad diets which may take the weight off in the short run but undoubtedly it comes right back. In fact. over 95% of dieters will put the weight back on plus an extra five pounds.

Diets Just don’t work. The key to permanent weight loss is through exercise and proper nutrition through behavior modification.
When we diet were losing fat and also muscle. This decrease in muscle mass will cause our metabolism to slow down. so we are unable to burn as many calories. As we age this naturally begins to occur. After our mid 20s our metabolic rate decrease& by approximately five percent per decade. One explanation for this is that our muscle mass decreases and our body fat increases due to inactivity. We get caught up in our work and spend our leisure time in front of the TV instead of taking care of our bodies. Being overweight in one of the major causes of hypertension, high blood pressure, certain types of cancer and an overall lackluster feeling.

As many dieters know, the weight is going to come back faster and faster the more you diet. Whether you’re eating pre-packaged foods, diet shakes. or grapefruits and water, you’re not going to be able to stay with it forever without going crazy. When you see that chocolate cake you won’t be able to just have one piece you’re likely to cat the whole thing. It’s a vicious cycle.

There to good news. Something can break this cycle–exercise. in order to lose weight we must create a caloric deficit, that is. we must expend more calories that we are consuming. This is done through exercise and proper nutrition, not fad diets. Through exercise we are able to burn calories and add muscle. For every pound of muscle we obtain, an extra 350 calories per week is burned in order to sustain this. We’ll be using up extra calories even while we sleep.

Aerobic exercises, such as walking and jogging. are excellent ways to bum calories. Always begin with a warm-up period of 3-5 minutes. gradually reaching your target heart rate. (Me is 60 to So percent of your maximal heart, which is estimated at 220-age. For example. if you are 60 yrs. old your target heart would be 96 beats per minute through 128 beats per minute.) Always start at the low end of your target heart rate. Exercising in this range for 15 through 20 minutes will allow for fat reduction to occur. A cool down of 3 to 5 minutes is recommended as this allow* for your heart rate to gradually return to normal.

Remember, consult your physician about any exercise program you are considering.

In order to shape and tone our bodies we need to do body shaping exercises. This will add muscle and firmness to our physiques. Many women tend to deposit fat around their thighs and buttocks, while males tend to put fat around their stomachs.

Here are a few exercises that can help tighten these areas.

Outer thigh lift: Lying on your right side with your hips and ankles in line with your shoulders, slowly lift your left leg as high as possible, hold, then return to the starting position. Do 10 repetitions and switch sides.

Inner thigh lift: Lying on your left side with your hips and ankles in line with your shoulder. right knee is bent to 90* angle. Slowly lift your left leg as high as possible. hold, then return to the starting position. Do 10 repetitions and switch sides.

Abdominal crunches: Lying on your back with knees bent and hand behind your head, slowly curl your shoulders up. pause, slowly lower to the starting position. Do 10 repetitions.

You will notice that you will be much more conscience of the foods you’re eating when you exercise. Since you’ll be taking care of your body you won’t want to fill it up with junk foods.

It is best to eat three well balanced meals and two nutritious snacks in between. This will help eliminate the binge eating that often happens when meals are skipped. Try to drink plenty of water and eat high fiber foods since this will give you a full feeling without adding extra calories.

The key to any exercise program is to get proper instruction. A competent personal trainer will make all the difference.

Jeff Rutstein is president of Custom Fitness, a one-on-one personal training company. Jeff has a degree from UMass / Amherst and is a certified personal and weight training instructor. Visit his website at http://www.customfitness.com and/or e-mail him at jeff@customfitness.com

Setting and Achieving Milestone Fitness Goals Promotes Healthy Living

Posted on by

Too many people sign up for exercise programs only to quit after a
few sessions. The most popular excuses include, “I don’t have time,” “I’m
too tired,” and “It’s not working for me.”

“Rather than just saying you’ll go to the gym a few days a week and then
breaking that promise, we encourage people to set specific goals for themselves
and build a defined exercise and diet program to achieve them,” says Kendall
Harrell, personal training manager for Life Time Fitness, a national health,
fitness and nutrition company.

Harrell says setting a specific goal allows the individual to focus on
training and drives motivation to exercise. “It’s a lot easier to make it to
the finish line if you have the goal in sight,” adds Harrell.

For this reason, Life Time Fitness produces a series of athletic events,
which serve as milestone challenges for members and non-members alike, who are
seeking to set and achieve their fitness goals. At any point in time, thousands
of amateur athletes from across the country and around the world are in training
for these events.

Perhaps the most significant upcoming event is the 2004 Life Time Fitness
Triathlon. scheduled to take place Saturday, July 17, 2004, in Minneapolis, Minn.
The world-class event will feature same day network television coverage, the
sport’s largest prize purse, and an exciting field of the best professional
triathletes from around the world. What’s more, some 2,300 amateur athletes
participate in the event, competing against each other on the same course as the
professionals.

Why? Harrell says it’s all about establishing a destination event that
supports your health and fitness goals. “Deciding to compete in an event like
the triathlon really challenges you to get in shape. The first step is to
register. Once you commit to the event, you know the date and, importantly, the
amount of time you have to train until your competition. This can be a key
motivator in terms of establishing and sticking to your defined fitness regimen,”
says Harrell.

Life Time Fitness Triathlon Training Courses, tailored for beginners and
advanced triathletes alike, are offered in the months and weeks leading up to
the race. The weekly courses educate people on training schedules, strength and
pace training, and the use of training equipment. Athletes also receive
instruction in swim, bike, run and transition skills, and benefit from the
opportunity to consult with a triathlon coach.

But, if a triathlon seems a bit too daunting, plenty of other similar goals
are well within your reach. For example, consider running in your first five or
ten kilometer race. Life Time Fitness offers 5k Reindeer Run events in several
markets nationwide. The company also sponsors the Life Time Fitness Desert Dash,
an annual adventure race in Nevada, for those seeking even more thrilling
fitness challenges.

What’s important is less about the specific event, but rather, taking
advantage of an event to help you maintain your health, fitness and nutrition
program. So, take the initiative to find an athletic event that sounds fun and
challenging. Then, set your fitness goals and come up with a plan for achieving
them. It’s never too late to pursue a healthy way of life!

For more information about Life Time Fitness health, fitness and nutrition
programs and services, or Life Time Fitness athletic events, log onto
www.lifetimefitness.com or call (866) 321-7575.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Tennis fitness

Posted on by

Fancy a game of tennis? If you’re after a body of steel then your answer should be yes.

Tennis is a brilliant game and for a number of surprising reasons. For starters, it’s enormous fun. Secondly you can do it with friends and enjoy a bit of catch-up all at the same time and thirdly, it can help you build a rock-hard body, toned legs and firm arms.

That’s right, tennis may appear civilised, but in reality it’s anything but. As anyone who has played the game will tell you, tennis is a sweat-inducing, muscle burning, full-body workout. You only need to look at the incredible physiques of Venus Williams or Mark Philippoussis to see that.

“Tennis is a great workout,” says Mike Hetherington, a professional tennis teacher at Cooper Park Tennis Centre, Double Bay, in Sydney.

“It pretty much works your whole body. Tennis players have good legs and bottoms and their shoulders are great, too.”

If that hasn’t convinced you, then think about this. Your average game of tennis burns up roughly 500 kilojoules in 15 minutes. That equates to 1000kj in 30 minutes, 150kj in 45 minutes and close to a whopping 2000kj in just 60 minutes. Accordingly, just a couple of casual games a week and you’ll soon see the difference. Not only that, but your aerobic capacity will go through the roof, your hand-eye coordination will improve, as will your balance. So, who’s for a game?

playing by the rules
Traditionally tennis is played with two or four people. The idea is that you hit the ball over the net and between one another for as long as possible. If the game is played by the rules (and that’s entirely up to you) the ball should land within the white lines. If you’re playing doubles you only need worry about the white line behind you. If you’re playing singles, however, the ball cannot go past the white line behind you or into the sections on either side of the tennis court.

It sounds simple enough but when you’re just starting out (and actually even when you’re pretty good), it can be tricky to get the ball to go exactly where you’d like it to. The good news about that is that if the ball lands on the line it’s considered to be in. Excellent.

The main aim of tennis is to get more points and therefore win, but there’s much more to it than that. Like having a blast, for example.

“Tennis makes you fit which is great,” says Hetherington, who has competed throughout Australia and the US. “It’s a social game as well and it’s great for anyone from five to 85. And it involves plenty of adrenaline. It’s a great challenge to hit the ball and keep it going and when you do it’s extremely satisfying.”

doing it right
If you like the sound of all that then you might want to have a lesson. Sure, you can hop on the court and just bash the ball about, but it will be more satisfying if you pick up a few basics, and an instructor can show you how.

If you have a lesson one of the first things you’ll learn is how to hold a tennis racquet properly.

“You can pick a racquet up and have a go, but you won’t do it right,” says Hetherington. “You have to learn the swing pattern.”

The swing pattern includes the back swing, the follow through and the contact point. “With good instruction you can pick it up pretty quickly,” says Hetherington.

“You learn a bit each lesson and you pick up even more the next time round.”

And don’t worry about coordination. “We see plenty of people who aren’t the best when it comes to hand eye coordination, but we can definitely teach them how to play and well. It just takes a little bit longer,” says Hetherington.

you will need
Before you hit the court you’ll need to look the part. That means a tennis skirt or dress for women and shorts and shirt for men. Clothing should allow plenty of give and fabrics that keep sweat away from the body are perfect. Tennis gets hot.

Of course, you’ll need racquet. Beginners should make sure they look for racquets that are lightweight and oversized.

“The larger the frame, the easier it is to hit the ball,” he explains. “And the lighter the racquet, the easier it is to swing so you have more control.”

A good-quality racquet will cost between $80 to $150, but get advice before you purchase. “Don’t just grab one off the shelves,” says Wolford. “You need the one that’s right for you.”

You’ll also need specifically designed tennis shoes. These will have a non-marking sole and will provide cushioning and, in particular, ankle support.

And finally, don’t forget tennis balls. They’re about $10 for three.

stretch me
Before you hit the court, warm up for five or 10 minutes (a quick walk or a gentle jog will do the trick) and then perform some basic stretches. Tennis players frequently damage their wrists and forearms so ensure you work on this area. Also, stretch your shoulders and mid-back, your thighs both rear (hamstrings) and front (quadriceps) and your calves. Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds and push yourself to the level of discomfort only. If you experience pain stop immediately and check in with a GP or physiotherapist to ensure you’re not injured.

learning the lingo
If you’re going to play tennis, or pretend you do, there’s a few important terms you need to know. Learn these and you’ll be a smash hit on any court.

• serve This is the overhead shot that starts every point. For it to be a success, the ball must land in the other player’s service box.
• ace The term used when a serve is successful – meaning the other player has not been able to return it.
• deuce This is when the score is tied at 40-40.
• game This is where the points are tallied. It goes like this – 15, 30, 40 then game. Games make sets and sets make a match.
• love A scoring term used when the score is zero. You can shake your head and act disappointed when you hear this.
• rally When the ball is hit back and forth over the net. When this happens it’s time to get up on your feet and cheer. Well, at the end of the rally anyway.
• baseline This is the line at the end of the court. Simple really.
• alley The area that runs between the singles and doubles sidelines.
• break point This is when the player receiving the serve has a chance to win the game on the point. Very exciting stuff!
• volley When a player hits the ball before it bounces it’s called a volley.