Sunday, March 28, 2010

Boost Your Metabolism In 10 Minutes!

Rev up your metabolism and lose stomach fat with this blend of gradual strength moves and intense plyometric exercises!

Swift motions and jumps give your metabolism an instantaneous kick while building muscle in the long term. Add this power-packed routine to your frequent workout three times a week, and you’ll burn over 100 calories in each 10-minute period. Shedding that unwanted belly fat is now in sight. Here’s how:-

Minutes 0:00 – 2:00: Single-Leg Squat

Targets: Core, Quads, Glutes

  • Lift right leg off floor, bending knee 90 degrees, and place hands on hips.
  • Bend left knee, lowering into a squat.
  • Hold for 1 count, straighten leg, then repeat.
  • Do 1 minute per leg.

Minutes 2:00 – 4:00: Crunch Ball Toss

Targets: Abs, Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

  • Lie on back holding a medicine ball with both hands at chest level, knees bent.
  • Crunch up and toss the ball a few inches above you; freeze in that position until the ball falls back into your hands.
  • Slowly return to start and repeat.

Minutes 4:00 – 6:00: Single-Arm Diagonal Clean and Press

Targets: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps

  • Holding a 5-pound dumbbell in right hand, bend knees 90 degrees and lower weight toward left foot.
  • With an explosive lift, stand and swing the weight up to your right shoulder.
  • Extend arm overhead; return weight to shoulder.
  • Repeat 10 times on each side.

Minutes 6:00 – 8:00: Explosive Jump

Targets: Quads, Calves, Glutes

  • Stand with knees bent 90 degrees.
  • With arms by sides, bend elbows, bringing fists just below chest.
  • Keeping abs and glutes tight, jump as high as you can.
  • Land with knees slightly bent.
  • Return to start.
  • Do 12 times; rest for 30 seconds and repeat.

Minutes 8:00 – 10:00: Metabolic Bike

Targets: Obliques, Core

  • Lie on back with knees bent, feet on floor.
  • Place hands lightly behind head.
  • Raise upper body and extend legs about 12 inches off floor.
  • Bring left elbow and right knee toward each other.
  • Continue, alternating sides.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Tips on How to Keep the Weight Off


At around age 40, the average woman gains about a pound every 12 months. Initially, the system is simple arithmetic: Consume more than you expend and eventually your clothes will be tight. But other factors can complicate the equation. Knowing more about the four most popular changes will help you lose stomach fat and stay in shape.

Problem 1: You Start Losing Muscle - Muscle burns about three times as many calories as fat, even at rest. And, with age, muscle tissue doesn't work as efficiently so you're not able to exercise as hard.

Solution: Weights - Few exercises battle the loss of muscle mass better than strength training with hand weights, resistance bands, or your own body weight. It increases muscle tissue and improves bone density, which helps you stay active longer and work out harder.

Problem 2: Your Hormones Fluctuate - Over the decades, women's bodies generate less of certain hormones like estrogen, which typically starts ebbing in the 40s. Since estrogen has appetite-regulating properties, many women are hungrier as their hormone levels drop. Estrogen also affects how body fat is distributed, migrating it from the hips and the thighs to the waist, where it's tougher to burn.

Solution: Eat Well and Reduce Stress - A sensible diet and an exercise regimen can reduce the spread, as can reducing stress by getting enough sleep

Problem 3: You're Eating More - Studies have shown that marriage tends to lead to weight gain, possibly because women dish out portions equal to their husbands'. As a matter-of-fact: In your 20s, you burn about 2,000 calories a day. By your 50s, you burn only about 1,600 calories.

Solutions:

* Hop on a Scale. People who weigh themselves daily are, on average, seven to eight pounds lighter than those who don't. Tracking your weight helps you cut back on meals or step up activity.

* Eat Mindfully. Break-up that barrel of pretzels into snack bags. Little adjustments may pare 100 to 200 calories from your daily diet.

Problem 4: You're Slowing Down - A recent study followed more than 9,000 people for 10 years and found that the least active people were seven times more likely to gain weight.

Solution: Become More Active - Experts suggest doing 50 to 60 minutes of exercise, five days a week.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

How to Feel Full with Fewer Calories


Duplicate these easy tips and tricks to avoid overeating, and figure out which meals make you feel full longer without extra calories, this way avoiding a jelly-belly.

1. Fiber - a must:- One way to do this is by eating foods that contain fiber, such as most fruit, veggies, beans, and whole grains.

2. Soup up your dishes:- Ever noticed how filling a warm bowl of soup can be? When you eat water-rich foods (such as soup), you'll feel fuller without consuming extra calories. But be careful—some soups and chilis can load on the cream and sodium before you realize it.

3. Stay away from seconds:- Instead of placing extra food on the table, leave those mashed potatoes on the stovetop. This way, you'll become more conscious of the fact that you're getting up from the table to get a second helping of food. That simple awareness might help you refrain.

4. Stick to planned serving seizes:- When you know what one serving looks like, it makes it easier to control your portions. For example, 3 ounces of meat, fish, or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards, and one serving of potatoes, rice, or pasta is about the size of a tennis ball.

5. Lean protein a must:- Lean protein, such as fish, skinless white-meat poultry, fat-free dairy products, and egg whites, are great examples of food that may help you feel fuller with fewer calories.

6. Fool your eyes to fool your stomach:- Use smaller plates and utensils. When the food fills the entire plate or bowl, it seems like you're eating more. And using a smaller fork or spoon means you'll have to take more bites.

7. Don't eat straight from the package:- When snacking, put the amount of food you plan to eat in a bowl or container instead of eating straight from the package. When you portion out your food ahead of time, you're less likely to overdo it.

Now we can live healthier, longer.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Green Tea Extract Fights Fat

For those of us still fighting the battle of the bulge, there is some hope in this recent study of the effects of green tea on that ridiculous belly fat which sometimes lead to obesity.

It was disclosed that researchers in Tokyo, Japan noted that the daily consumption of green tea containing 690 mg catechins for 12 weeks reduced body fat, which suggests that the ingestion of catechins might be useful in the prevention and improvement of lifestyle-related diseases, mainly obesity.

Catechins, a natural components of green tea, help people lose weight by improving the metabolism of carbohydrates, preventing fat deposition and promoting heat loss.

This Japanese study showed that drinking a bottle of green tea extract containing 690 mg of catechins per day for 12 weeks helped test subjects decrease body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, body fat mass and surface fat area compared to a group that drank a daily bottle of tea containing only 22 mg of catechins.

Participants taking the green tea extract lost more than three pounds of total body fat and seven inches of surface fat, leading researchers to believe green tea extract may be an effective way to lose pounds and inches.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Is Long Term Weight Loss For Real?

You dedicate yourself to lose weight, and you labor, and you eat smarter, and finally, those extra pounds are gone! But, how easy is it to uphold your hard-earned success?

It was revealed in a recent study that persons who lose weight and want to keep it off might benefit from communicating at least monthly with a fitness/nutrition expert to help them stay on course.

In a test of three ways that might help people manage weight loss, those who got monthly personal counseling were best at keeping off excess pounds. Overall, almost 50 percent of the study members maintained at least a nine pound weight loss for 30 months. This study is the longest and largest to test strategies for extended weight loss maintenance, and it signifies that long-term weight control is an attainable goal.

The United States is in the midst of an obesity pandemic, one that indicates serious future health repercussions. Obesity is the primary cause of high blood pressure, diabetes and abnormal cholesterol, which are in turn the foremost causes of cardiovascular disease and death in this country.

The 3-year study consisted of 18-25 members; experienced counselors stressed three key issues to weight loss: consuming fewer calories, boosting fair to middling physical activity, and having a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grain/high fiber foods and fat-free dairy products.

Researchers randomly appointed the participants to one of three groups:

•Personal contact - Participants communicated with an interventionist monthly,( 9 times by telephone and three times in person each year) who offered personal counseling and encouragement.

•Interactive technology - Study members had access to an interactive website on which they could record and track their exercise and calorie consumption; set goals and monitor their progress toward them.

•Self-directed - Members were encouraged to maintain their weight loss and then sent off without further intervention.

Overall, 71 % weighed less than when they got started.

The research results also noted that even when volunteers did not necessarily lose a great amount of weight, even smaller amounts had potential health benefits.