Archive for August, 2007

There is no need to join the gym or to purchase expensive equipment.

A pair of dumbbells is enough to benefit from weight training. You can get into best shape by simply using dumbbells.

Dumbbells tell you what part of your body needs workout and what part of body is strong. Dumbbells force your muscles to work independently of each other.

Here are few dumbbell workouts you can perform in order to get strong and big muscles. There are different exercises for different areas of the body.

Dumbbell workouts

Concentration curls - Dumbbell workout for biceps: Sit on the one end of the exercise bench with a medium weight dumbbell in hand. The palm in which the dumbbell is present should face upwards. Other hand should be rested on the knee.

Now, slowly curl the dumbbell to the shoulder. Elbow should be raised to the top most position and the muscle should be cramped hard. In contract position, you should pause and slowly lower and repeat the procedure.

Lying dumbbell tricep extensions - dumbbell workout for triceps: Lie on flat bench with face up. In each hand, hold a dumbbell. The arms should be extended in such a way that they are perpendicular to the torso.

Aerobics is a physical exercise, which is used to burn calories through various moments.

Water aerobics is a process in which we used to perform aerobics in water.

There is much difference between aerobics and water aerobics in movements.

Your body will be almost weightless in water, which makes water aerobics ideal for lowering body strength and increase power through power jumps.

The various steps that are to be performed for water aerobics are as follows:

• You should start water aerobics in shallow water. You should note that the level of the water should stay between ribcage and underarm.
• You should warm up your body for 8 minutes by doing jogging around the pool, doing kicks, jumping jacks, strides and knee lifts.
• Stretch your quadriceps, hip flexors, calf muscles and hamstrings slightly.
• You should perform moves such as jogging, kicking, jumping jacks at very high intensity for 10 minutes. You should make your movements long and exaggerated.

Herbal supplements are made of natural herbs and offer a wide variety of health benefits.

Herbal supplements are used for internal healing of body and give relief for many ailments and diseases.

There are many supplements available in the market for specific purposes.

When you think of herbs, you think them as safe and natural.

There are many benefits of herbal supplements, but you should know the purpose of each herb. Herbs play an important role for healthy bodies.

Like prescription medications, herbal supplements also have benefits. But, like prescription medications, herbs also have side effects. They can cause drug interactions and create surgical problems.

Some of the herbal supplements:

Ginkgo biloba: This herb is used to enhance brain function. It has the ability to increase oxygen to the brain and other body tissues, increasing mental clarity and alertness.

Green tea: It provides antioxidant benefits. It helps in maintaining weight by preventing fat absorption and stimulating thermogenic fat burning without side effects.

Garlic: Garlic has natural antibiotic and anti-viral properties. It helps in reducing cholesterol and preventing the formation of internal blood clots that trigger heart attacks.

Exercise mats are used in variety of ways. For different exercises, different exercise mats are used.

Depending on the exercise program, you should determine what type of exercise mat you need.

Exercise mats are made of plastic or rubber material. They come in different sizes and shapes and some of them can be folded and rolled up.

Different exercise mats:

Yoga exercise mats: The most important equipment to practice yoga is yoga exercise mat. You can perform yoga comfortably, protecting yourself from injuries and bruises while performing different asanas.

You can get yoga exercise mats in different colors made of different materials. They are washable and can be cleaned with soap and water.

Many people prefer cotton exercise mat rather than synthetic one. For ashtanga yoga practice, cotton mats are ideal as they are soft and durable to support ashtanga yoga poses.

Cheap yoga mats are also available, but they do not allow you to perform all the postures comfortably. Beginners can go for cheap yoga mats as they will be learning and does not require heavy investment.

The supplements available before were pills and tablets only. Now, vitamins are available in liquid form also.

Once the liquid vitamin is swallowed, the absorption starts immediately.

Liquid vitamin can be easily absorbed into the blood stream when they enter into the body because there is no need to break down a solid.

The liquid vitamin absorption is faster than the vitamin pills, as pills consist of fillers, binders, and preservatives to give pill its shape and longer shell life.

All the vitamins we use in daily life are available in liquid form: vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, C and K etc. Liquid vitamins contain antioxidants just as other vitamin supplements.

Choosing liquid vitamin! People choose liquid vitamin as an alternative as they don’t like the taste of pills or don’t like to swallow and digest.

Children and aged people always prefer liquid vitamin instead of pills. They are available in different flavors and when combined with other nutrients, they make a source of nutrition.

Why to incorporate vitamins in daily life? Fruits and vegetables consist of proper amount of vitamins and minerals, but you don’t get enough nutrients from them alone.

Exercise ball is equipment used to become more fit. With exercise ball, your posture and body awareness improves.

Your balance will be improved and you can build overall strength and endurance.

You feel unstable sitting on the exercise ball in the beginning. But, soon you get practiced to it.

Exercises to perform on exercise ball:

Supine hip extension: Lie down on the floor and place the middle of the calves over apex of the ball. The arms should be slightly positioned away from hips with palms down. By pressing down with lower legs into ball, lift your hips from the floor.

Hips should be raised in such a way that a straight line is formed from the shoulders, hips and ankles. The head should be on the floor and toes should be pointed at the ceiling. Hold the position for three seconds and lower slowly to starting position.

Supine hip extension with hamstring curl: Lie down on the floor and place the middle of the calves over apex of the exercise ball. The arms should be positioned slightly away from hips with palms up.

The extended hip position is maintained. The ball should be pulled slowly towards buttocks while toes are pulled towards shins.

Body composition is an important measure of health and fitness for athletes and general people.

Your body is composed of many different substances which are necessary for you to function.

The substances include fat, water, carbohydrate, protein, minerals and vitamins.

Although fat is an essential part of body composition which provides energy for athletics for longer duration, insulation against cold temperatures, and protects important organs, it is considered as undesirable element that must be eliminated at any cost.

Too much fat is linked to heart disease and diabetes. The fatness measurement is performed to determine the risk of heart diseases and obesity related illnesses.

The measurement can be done by body mass index (BMI). The risk of heart disease can be reduced by losing weight successfully.

Methods to find body composition:

Body composition can be changed by following diet and training. But, it requires consistent approach and the change can be easily reversed if old habits are revisited.

There are different ways to find out the body composition, all of which measure your overall body mass. The methods include:

Folic acid or folate is a substance important for red and white blood cell formation. It is one of the B vitamin.

It is also used for the synthesis of DNA, the genetic material of the cells.

It is also important for healthy growth of unborn baby as it helps in development of baby’s brain, spine and skull.

Sources in which folic acid is present! You can get folic acid from foods such as peas, lentils, brown rice, bran, dried beans, barley, tuna, kale, corn, oranges, asparagus, broccoli, liver, beets, whole wheat products, mushrooms, green leafy vegetables, Brussels, spinach and sprouts.

Taking folic acid supplement does not replace the healthy and well-balanced diet. Therefore, follow healthy diet that includes sources of folic acid.

Folic acid deficiency! Your body stores a small amount of folic acid and therefore diet lacking in folic acid leads to deficiency within few months. Deficiency of folic acid is common because you do not consume enough citrus fruits and leafy vegetables.

If you consume alcohol in large amounts, it can interfere with the absorption and processing of folic acid. The absorption of this vitamin is decreased when you take certain anticonvulsants such as Phenobarbital and phenytoin.

Your chest is made up of major and minor pectoral muscles.

Pectoral muscle covers rib cage, connects to collar bone, breastbone and the cartilage of several ribs.

Main function of pectoral muscle is to bring the arms towards the chest and medial rotation of the arm.

The pectoral muscle is one of the noticeable body parts. A well developed pectoral muscle involves good upper and lower pectoral development and also inner and outer chest muscle development.

There are exercises for developing pectoral muscles. Incorporate them in your upper body workout routine.

Exercises to develop pectoral muscles:

Incline bench press: With this exercise, upper pectoral muscles are worked. Lie on an inclined bench with the back rest tilted at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees.

The legs should be supported on the ground or on the platform provided for this purpose. The barbell should be held in such a way that the forearm forms a right angle to the upper arm when your upper arm is parallel to the floor.

The stomach and lower back muscles should be tensed. Now, the barbell should be lifted from support rack and vertically locked by slightly bending arms above the upper part of your pectorals.

You want to lose weight but don’t like to count calories? Incorporate weight loss cardio workout into your exercise regimen to lose weight easily.

You can burn more calories with weight loss cardio workouts and can easily lose weight by reducing fewer calories from your diet.

Factors to consider in choosing weight loss cardio workout! You should consider how much time you have to spend for work out, how much you weigh, what are the exercises you can enjoy, and what are your goals.

If you have less time for exercise, you can consider elliptical trainer which burns more calories within short time.

Many people find it hard to workout for 15 minutes on elliptical trainer. You can move to treadmill after working for five minutes on elliptical trainer.

In the same way, when you decide to go for weight loss cardio workout, you should select the exercises which you will enjoy.

Before starting weight loss cardio workout program, you have to follow basic things. Start slowly and increase the speed gradually.

Simple walking outdoors works in the beginning. Watch your posture while performing your workouts. Back should be straight, eyes forward, head up and shoulders relaxed.