Increased consumption of processed foods has led directly to an increase in pain and discomfort related to inflammation in the body, including sciatica. Sciatica occurs when inflammation puts pressure on the sciatic nerve, causing pain in the lower back and down one or both legs. Foods rich non-inflammatory qualities are one answer for how to cure sciatica at home.

Inflammation is the body’s natural reaction to injury or infection. It can be beneficial when the systems of the body are working to repair themselves. However, modern diets have led to an abundance of inflammation without a purpose, which poses a variety of problems.

Many people use NSAIDs, or anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen, to relieve pain from inflammation. However, most do not consider the risks of NSAID overuse. The most common issue that arises from using anti-inflammatory drugs is gastrointestinal pain. In serious cases, long-term NSAID users experience fatal ulcers and other life-threatening ailments. An anti-inflammatory diet is an alternative to medication.

4 Tips for How to Cure Sciatica at Home with an Anti-inflammatory Diet:

1. Eat anti-inflammatory foods. Kelp, Wild Alaskan Salmon, Turmeric, Shitake Mushrooms, Papaya, Blueberries, Broccoli, and Sweet Potatoes are some popular anti-inflammatory foods. Not only will these foods help reduce swelling, thereby, decreasing pain, they will also provide balanced nutrition and taste great!

2. Drink anti-inflammatory drinks. Drinking plenty of water and green tea will reduce swelling, redness, and discomfort associated with inflammation. Adults should drink 8 glasses of water per day. Water will have the added benefits of reducing appetite and clearing skin. In addition to reducing inflammation, green tea has also been shown to decrease the risks of cancer and heart disease.

3. Cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. EVOO is the Mediterranean secret to good health. The abundant supply of polyphenols is vital in reducing inflammation in the heart and blood vessels. The monounsaturated fats in olive oil are used by the body as anti-inflammatory agents, decreasing asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

4. Supplement fish oils. If you are not eating 2 portions of oily fish per week, use fish oil supplements to decrease inflammation. You are looking for 2-3 grams a day of EPA and DHA. Ginger and turmeric supplements are also very beneficial to your health.

If you have been experiencing chronic pain, try an anti-inflammatory diet before use of risky medications or invasive surgeries. If you have been looking for an answer for how to cure sciatica at home, start with sensible food choices. Additionally, you should try increasing the amount of exercise you are doing regularly. Walking and stretching are ideal ways to relieve pain.

These types of dumbbells are the most common for home and commercial gyms. This guide will help you navigate among the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Hex dumbbells are made with chromed solid steel handles and welded-on cast iron heads with a painted finish. They’re typically found in home gyms and in some smaller fitness establishments.

Rubber hex dumbbells are the same as the above, with steel handles and iron heads, but with a rubber coating instead of paint. So while they are really just rubber coated, we call them rubber dumbbells for simplicity.

Pro style dumbbells are found in most commercial gyms. They’re made using solid steel handles and standard “pancake” style weight plates. They differ from standard adjustable dumbbells in that the handle ends are a precise length to fit an exact number of plates, it’s bolted together so as to be semi-permanent, and they usually have end caps to further smoothen out the edges.

Rubber pro style dumbbells are the above with rubber coating on the attached weight plates instead of paint. Again, for short we call them rubber rather than rubber coated. Keep in mind that regular pro style dumbbells can also be made with only rubber end caps.

All types above can have contoured handles rather than straight. Contoured handles are thicker in the center than the edges, making for a wider and more ergonomic grip.

COST

The relative difference in cost varies widely depending on weight, because pro style dumbbells start at a higher price but the price doesn’t increase as much as the weight increases. Hex and rubber hex dumbbells are generally just priced per pound, although the smallest and largest sizes might be price-adjusted for minimum retail margins or to factor in skewed shipping costs.

#1: Hex

#2: Rubber Hex – 1.5 to 2 times the price of hex dumbbells.

#3: Pro Style – Anywhere from 1.5 to 8 times the price of hex dumbbells.

#4: Rubber Pro Style – Anywhere from 1.5 to 11 times the price of hex dumbbells.

PROTECTING THE FLOOR

Rubber dumbbells are softer and won’t scratch your floor. The winner here is rubber pro-style because of the smooth edges of the heads. Even rubber can be kind of hard, and the comparably sharper edges of rubber hex dumbbells can conceivably stab into a sensitive floor if you aren’t careful. But that may be reaching because the edges are really not very sharp. Painted iron is the biggest threat to a sensitive floor, so hex dumbbells with their sharper edges and rougher surface score last.

#1: Rubber Pro Style

#2: Rubber Hex

#3: Pro Style

#4: Hex

DURABILITY

Even the high-quality baked-on finish on modern iron hex dumbbells will eventually chip when the dumbbells are banged around a lot. Rubber dumbbells are made to be banged around. However, rubber exposed to the hot sun will expand as it heats, and repeated exposure can cause the rubber to start cracking from all the expansion and contraction, so if you’re in a hot climate, it would be best to keep them out of the sun. Assuming you can manage that, rubber comes out ahead.

The plates on pro style dumbbells have a flatter finish that’s more resistant to chipping than the finish on hex dumbbells. If you’ve ever dinged old hex dumbbells together at the top of a bench press rep and gotten paint flecks in your face, you know how significant this is. A rubber coating will of course prevent this, and non-rubber pro dumbbells can be assembled with rubber end caps.

Hex dumbbells are welded together, and while the welds are usually very good, the small risk of a bad weld here has to be acknowledged, particularly for dumbbells that don’t go through the quality checking of one of the top US manufacturers. The way to break a dumbbell is to drop it from high up at an angle, so one head hits first and puts a lot of torque stress on the handle. When a weld fails the head won’t usually come clear off, but it may become a little loose and wobble. The risk of this isn’t really a safety issue, because it’s pretty obvious when a head is just loose or if it has smashed around enough to actually fall off.

On pro-style dumbbells the plates are secured in place by an allen bolt that is quite tight from the factory. It’s pretty obvious when it starts to come loose after a lot of usage, and it’s a simple matter of tightening it.

#1: Rubber Pro Style

#3: Rubber Hex

#4: Pro Style

#5: Hex

BEST USE OF SPACE

The smallest hex dumbbells take up minimal space, while the largest ones have a larger diameter than pro-style dumbbells and will consume more rack space. The size of pro style dumbbells reaches a maximum diameter (the size of a 10lb plate) and it just keeps adding more plates onto the end. So for larger sizes the pro are actually the most space-conscious.

The rubber coating of rubber hex dumbbells is thick enough that rubber hex dumbbells take up the most space on a rack at larger sizes.

The deciding factor here is going to be that pro style dumbbells tend to roll around and are often used on racks with individual saddles for each dumbbell rather than a flat rack. This looks extremely nice and keeps them organized, but it takes up so much space. In that case, rubber prostyle would take up the same space as regular professional style.

#1: Hex

#2: Rubber Hex

#3: Pro Style

#4: Rubber Pro Style

ODOR

Recycled rubber stinks. It varies, and it usually isn’t too bad, and you might not even notice it unless you put your nose up to it, and it fades over time. However, virgin rubber, like the Troy TSD rubber hex dumbbells are made from, as well as all Troy rubber pro-style dumbbells, has no odor.

#1/#2: Hex, Pro Style

#3: Rubber Pro Style

#4: Rubber Hex

DON’T ROLL AWAY!

The worst thing that can happen is your dumbbells roll away, causing a passer by to trip and smash their head open on a machine. But it’s also annoying when you’re trying to set up for an exercise with heavy dumbbells and they keep rolling away on your uneven garage gym floor. Garage gyms are always sloped towards the entrance. And you want dumbbells to stay in place on the rack so they don’t get mixed up.

As far as pro style, rubber is slightly ahead here, just because the softer rubber surface creates more stability and might not roll away when regular iron ones will. Rubber hex is actually more likely than hex to keep rolling downhill once it gets going, due to friction preventing it from sliding and stopping, and the fact it’s going to bounce better.

This also may affect the type of rack you get. Racks with curved saddles are made to have one professional style dumbbell sit in each saddle, and they take up a considerable amount of floor space.

#1: Hex

#2: Rubber Hex

#3: Rubber Pro Style

#4: Pro Style

MAINTENANCE COST

For higher weights, the maintenance on damaged hex dumbbells is considerably higher. If you aren’t the only one using the equipment, you can bet that people are going to drop weights. Clumsiness, injury, no respect for equipment, whatever, it’s going to happen with enough use. When a dumbbell hits the floor at an angle, too much stress can be put on the end of the handle, and it can bend. A hex dumbbell instantly becomes trash, and you have to buy a new one, and heavy ones aren’t cheap to ship, either.

When a pro-style dumbbell is dropped and breaks, it can be disassembled and the handle or any weight plates can be replaced at minimal cost.

Durability is covered in an above category, but in considering maintenance we have to consider how likely a dumbbell is to break or become damaged. Rubber is far less likely to break than bare iron when dropped on concrete, but it’s also more expensive to replace. However, the most common damage on a dumbbell is not chipping of the head due to being dropped on bare concrete, as most people have more sense than that, but bending of the handle due to being dropped badly. So I’m giving higher rankings to the non-rubber dumbbells here considering the higher cost of replacing rubber dumbbells or rubber pro-style plates.

#1: Pro Style

#2: Rubber Pro Style

#3: Hex

#4: Rubber Hex

WEIGHT RANGE

Hex dumbbells start at just 1lb, whereas pro style dumbbells start at 5lbs. But really when you’re reading an article like this to decide among these dumbbells, you probably won’t be too concerned about having so many weights under 10lbs. Neoprene dumbbells are popular for those sizes. So I’m going to kind of ignore the lower end and look at the higher end. Prostyle dumbbells go up to 150lbs or even higher, while hex dumbbells might not go over 100lbs.

The popular PlateMate magnets, which are used to add weights in small 1.25 or 2.5 increments to dumbbells, won’t stick to a rubber coating. Another method of microloading is using wrist weights, so you aren’t totally out of luck, and you might even find that you prefer wrist weights over magnets, but the non-rubber dumbbells take the cake here for being more versatile.

Some people also like the cheap method of buying dumbbells in 10lb increments and using PlateMates to fill in the 5lb weight gaps, and in that case any iron dumbbell set is an even better deal.

#1: Pro Style

#2: Hex

#3: Rubber Pro Style

#4: Rubber Hex

The other day, I received an email from a woman who was trying to get pregnant and was looking at a few things that she was going to try to be successful with this.  Mainly, she was working on timing intercourse to coincide with ovulation.  But, she had also heard that certain foods can help or hurt the process and can sometimes affect baby gender. She was looking for more specifics as to which foods help with pregnancy and are best for each gender.  I’ll share some of the advice I gave her in the following article.

Foods To Help You In Getting Pregnant: I have to tell you that most times that I write about this topic, I focus on foods and the genders that they help produce (which I will get to later) but I can tell you that generally, woman who have fertility issues or health concerns (like PCOS) are told to focus on making sure that they are not insulin resistant when they are trying to conceive.  The recommendations are things like getting your fats from mono saturated sources like olive oils rather than processed trans fats and to consume more fruits and vegetables and less animal protein.  You’re supposed to steer clear of processed and convenience foods and use dairy in moderation.  Of course, this advice is for folks who know that they have ovulation and / or fertility issues or those that don’t care which gender they end up with. Now, I’ll talk about the foods that can help if you know whether you want a boy or a girl baby.

Foods That Help You To Get Pregnant With A Girl Baby:  If you’re wanting a girl, then you want for your body to have a high PH (or to be acidic) because this state is not as friendly to boy or Y sperm.  There are certain foods that help with this and others that hinder you from reaching this goal.  You’re going for the high PH foods here, but you’ll only need to do this until little PH testers show that you’ve reached optimal levels.  Of course, each month that you aren’t pregnant, you’ll want to continue to check and then to tweak your diet as necessary to raise it again if needed.

In general though, you’re advised to eat a lot of low fat / high calcium dairy products and lean protein.  Both of these are high in PH.  You’ll also want to include fruits and vegetables to make sure that you are getting enough nutrients, but these have to be acidic fruits and vegetables. (Most fruits and vegetables are alkaline so you will have to tread lightly here.)  Examples are corn, watermelon, potatoes, and blueberries, plums, etc.  This is just a general guide. There are food lists that are pretty exhaustive and I really recommend using the PH strips after consuming foods that you are uncertain about because this will tell you exactly how these foods are metabolized in your body.

Foods That Will Make It More Likely That You’ll Conceive A Boy Baby: So if a boy is your goal, then you will want to go the opposite way.  You’re trying to make yourself alkaline and you want a low PH rather than a high one. This is a very necessary step because as I alluded to before, a high PH is going to deteriorate Y or boy producing sperm much faster.  So at least for a little while, you’re going to want to avoid that dairy and meat protein that I told you was good for getting pregnant with a girl. The focus on conceiving a son is more geared toward fruits and vegetables, except for those that are acidic (corn, cranberries, plums, and those examples mentioned above.)

You’re often told to eat bananas. This is because it’s said that you need potassium to get a son.  (Magnesium doesn’t hurt either.) The truth is, you also need sodium with these things and bananas aren’t all that high in this. So there are better options, like apricots and raisins to name just a few.  Again, there are food lists that tell you which are better for getting pregnant with a girl or a boy.

Are These Foods For Only Around Ovulation Time?: The person who wrote to me asked the question in terms of around ovulation.  In truth, you want to be trying to get pregnant before ovulation if you want a daughter and on the day of or after if you want a boy.  And, you really do not want to wait until you approach ovulation to start worrying about your PH. Depending on how high or low you are or where you want to be, you want to give yourself enough time to use the diet or douching so that you won’t need to rush yourself (or settle for less than optimal levels) when the time comes.

When discussing Colorado MMA, you can’t leave out the fight promotions and their respective promoters that bring Mixed Martial Arts fans several great “fight moments” each year across the region. Some of these organizations have been around for years, while others are looking to solidify their foothold in the growing market share.

As we look at the top 5, you have to factor in time established, impact on Colorado MMA, number of fights a year, etc. That being said, every promotion listed puts a quality product on display for fans, with no one leaving disappointed. We are lucky to live in a state where so many thriving promotions are putting on exciting cards almost every month.

Let’s get right to it. Here are the current Top 5 MMA promotions in Colorado and a brief summary of what they each bring to the table:

1.) Ring Of Fire Promoter: Sven Bean – The granddaddy of them all. The Colorado fight promotion most fans in the state first think of in terms of Colorado MMA. I went to my first Ring of Fire show when the fights were held in Castle Rock, and have never been let down. The promotions first card was held on March 18, 2000 and had notable fighters Nathan Marquardt and Leonard Garcia featured on it. Ring Of Fire has seen many other high-profile fighters come through including the likes of Eliot Marshall, Mike Nickels, Donald Cerrone, Shane Carwin, Carlos Condit, and Duane Ludwig to name just a few.

2.) Kickdown MMA Promoter: Steve Alley – Coming in a close second, the Kickdown MMA promotion has been holding fights in both Colorado and Wyoming for years now, becoming a staple of the Colorado MMA scene. The promotions first fight took place in Golden on February 23rd of 2002. The Red Lion hotel ballroom in Denver is where most Kickdown MMA events are held, making a great atmosphere for a night of fights.

3.) Fight To Win Promoter: Seth Daniels – One of the newer promotions, Fight To Win has been holding events since early 2008 and is quickly becoming one of the top promotions in Colorado. At the time of this writing, Seth Daniels had just made Colorado history with the “The Professionals”, billed as the states first all professional card. Fight To Win also hosts the Tournament Of Champions grappling competitions occasionally, which are welcomed in the region as much as they are needed.

4.) Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz Promoter: Keith Schmeltzer – Promoting MMA cards in both Denver and Greeley, RMBB has been putting on shows since 2005. The RMBB crowds are some of the best, as there is something about packing fans into Red and Jerry’s in Denver and the Island Grove Events Center in Greeley that adds to the buzz in the air on fight night. In addition, there was a need of MMA fights in Northern Colorado that RMBB has filled nicely.

5.) No Mercy Extreme Fighting Promoter: Natalie Mort – NME Fighting generally holds it’s events at the Colorado Springs City Auditorium and has been doing so since 2007. No Mercy Extreme Fighting was edged out slightly by RMBB due to the number of years in operation, but definitely is a top 5 promotion in the state, putting on several events a year. Check them out!

**Honorable Mention** Bring The Thunder MMA Promoter: Leister Bowling – Colorado’s newest promotion (at the time of this writing) started things off with a bang on Sept. 11th 2010 at the CSU-Pueblo campus. The event featured a stacked card with Colorado’s own Eliot Marshall in the main event and a guest appearance by Shane Carwin. With Bowling’s strong ties to the fight game, watch for Bring The Thunder MMA to knock somebody off this list in 2011.

Obviously we are lucky to be MMA fans and reside in Colorado, as all promotions here have something to offer. It really just comes down to taking some time to enjoy Colorado MMA.

See you at the fights!

Keeping in Shape with Wrestling Drills

As with any sport, it’s important for wrestlers to perform a series of wrestling drills to keep them in their finest form on and off the mat. Since wrestling is a sport that requires brute force and agility, the repetition of these drills not only builds strength in the necessary areas, but also helps to build muscle memory which can be essential in winning wrestling matches. Try these wrestling drills during practices or as a part of the pregame warm-up.

Aim for the Knees

First, here’s a drill called “Knee Grab” that’s appropriate for wrestlers of all ages. To begin, two wrestlers of comparable strengths stand facing each other in their regular stances. Both wrestlers should have their hands facing downwards and extended out near their knees.

In this drill, the wrestlers will attempt to use their hands to grab their opponent’s knees while trying to keep their opponent blocked on the outside. Make sure the wrestler really grab for their opponent’s knees as opposed to just a mere tap or slap. Run this drill for 2 or 3 sessions of 20-30 seconds in length, allowing the wrestlers a 10-20 second rest between sessions.

When performed correctly, this drill can be quite physically demanding. Since performing countless wrestling drills can become monotonous, some coaches like to inject a little competitive spirit into their drills. This is one of those drills that functions really well as a mini-competition, with the winner of each pair facing off with a winner of another pair until only one wrestler remains victorious.

Grabber-and-Go

Next is the “Grabber” drill, which is great for building upper-body strength. To begin the drill, two wrestlers stand facing each other in their regular stances. At the sound of the coach’s whistle, both try to get their opponent in a body lock or to get behind their opponent while remaining in an upright, standing position.

The best moves for winning this drill are the duck under, arm drag to body lock, or the wrist lock. Some coaches will allow head locks for this drill as well. Perform this drill for 3 sessions of 30 seconds in length, allowing at least a 10-20 second rest between sessions.

A Fine Balance

This next drill called “Hopper” is a simple yet effective way of helping wrestlers develop and maintain their balance. To begin the drill, two wrestler stand facing each other in their regular stances. At the sound of the coach’s whistle, one wrestler grabs and holds their partner’s foot at waist level. They are permitted to move the foot as much as possible without bringing it above chest level.

The goal of this drill is for the wrestler on one foot to constantly readjust their balance to avoid falling to the mat. Run this drill for 2-3 sessions of no more than 20 seconds, as it is quite tiring for the wrestler on one foot.

The vegan diet comes to the forefront of society with many vegan celebrities. Several reasons support their diet changes, such as choosing to not support animal cruelty. Another reason is because of their health and looks, a big issue for celebrities who are in television and movies.

1. Ellen DeGeneres – both Ellen DeGeneres and her spouse, Portia de Rossi, are vegans because of their love for animals. Once they saw a documentary on caged animals, Ellen DeGeneres said it was an easy decision for them to quit eating meat and dairy products.
2. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson has recently gone to the vegan diet, slimming down in the process, while also spending hours in the gym to build up his strength. His reasoning was to remove “drama” from his life and become a better person through the vegan diet’s benefits.
3. Demi Moore – for anyone who knows Demi Moore it should come as no surprise she is a vegan. What is a surprise is the fact she is one of the celebrities who is now part of the new raw vegan food movement that is entering mainstream America.
4. Robin Williams – another popular celebrity who is part of the new raw vegan food movement is Robin Williams. Recently having heart surgery, going vegan is part of trying to avoid further heart attacks and staying healthy.
5. Alicia Silverstone – Alicia has been quoted as saying “Going vegan is the single best thing I’ve done in my life. I am so much happier and more confident. I made a decision based on my moral beliefs.”
6. Sandra Oh – one of the top doctors on Grey’s Anatomy, Sandra Oh is also a vegan and has promoted this diet with her co-stars by taking them out to a 100% cruelty free lunch at the “True Vegan” in Hollywood. She feels it is a lifestyle, not a dietary choice.
7. Woody Harrelson – when Woody Harrelson went on his vegan diet, he saw an increase in energy and in a healthy glow to his skin. His diet included raw beans, nuts, and vegetables. When he was a teenager, he had terrible skin problems and gave up dairy products at the suggestion of a friend. From then on his health and skin improved.
8. Joaquin Phoenix – a vegan actor who played Johnny Cash in “Walking the Line,” His sister Summer is married to Casey Affleck (Ben’s younger brother) who is also vegan and is planning on opening a vegan restaurant in L.A.
9. KD Lang – a famous singer, KD Lang, was treated violently with bomb threats and burning pictures of her on her mother’s lawn when she went on a meat free diet. “Who would have thought people who slaughter cattle with their bare hands could be violent?”
10. Tobey Maguire – Tobey has been meat free since 1992. When he had to bulk up for his role in Spiderman, he got his protein by eating lots of tofu.

Exercises that involve equipment and weights are best done under the supervision of a trainer. Undoubtedly, with these gear, having a trained pro around can prevent a lot of exercise-related injuries. A fitness professional can also design a regimen to specifically suit your health and individual needs.

But not all of us have the time or energy to go to the gym or afford a personal trainer. But this does not mean that you can kiss working out goodbye. To keep fit, you have to work out. And yes, you can do your own home workout without the weights.

The answer: Calisthenics.

If this is the first time you’ve heard of calisthenics, read on. Calisthenics are dynamic exercises that are simple and rhythmical in nature. It’s a form of bodyweight exercise that consists of bending, jumping, twisting and kicking that strengthens and builds muscle mass. Take note, however, that calisthenics won’t give you the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. It will, however, make your body more supple and give you that added boost of confidence.

Calisthenics is also an exercise that even hypertensive individuals can perform. Like any other exercise, calisthenics increases blood pressure but unlike high-impact exercises, there’s no danger of getting it to reach uncontrollable levels. Regular calisthenic exercises lowers bad cholesterol while increasing the good kind. It enables the body to lose those excess pounds and consequently, improve your overall physical appearance.

In the beginning, a 10-minute calisthenic exercise would serve its purpose. As soon as you gain strength, stamina and the mental determination to do more, you can gradually increase your workout schedule. Push-ups, crunches, pull-ups, lunges, flutter kicks and squats are just some of the more common calisthenic exercises.

In doing push-ups, make sure that your arms go from fully extended in your starting position to almost fully flexed as you bend down low, making sure that you don’t rest on the floor. Crunches are similar to sit-ups except you only tighten the abdominal muscles. Pull-ups are performed with an overhead bar (or a strong tree branch as an alternative). You lift your body up slowly while keeping your back straight until it reaches chin level and return to normal position also in a slow and tightly-controlled manner. Lunges are done by simply bringing the leg to a 90 degree angle in front of you with the other leg on a semi-kneeling position behind you. You then stand up and do the same to the other leg. Flutter kicks are done in a lying position, with your hands behind your buttocks as you move up your feet up and down close to the ground. Squats are done with feet and shoulders wide apart. You then squat as far down as possible while bringing your arms forward before resuming to a standing position.

So if you’re looking for that safe and complete home workout that you can do everyday minus the weights, calisthenics is your best bet. It doesn’t only make you lose weight, it improves your posture and boosts your self-image, too. What more could you possibly want in a workout?

Whiskey and weightlifting don’t mix – and that doesn’t just mean don’t have a few drinks before hitting the gym for your next workout… It means weightlifters and bodybuilders aiming to live a healthy lifestyle should avoid alcohol as a general rule.

First, let’s look at why people lift weights. Weightlifters hit the gym regularly to get stronger, more fit and be healthy. Bodybuilders hit the gym to build muscle, burn off bodyfat and be able to present the best physique their genetics will allow.

Now let’s examine just how alcohol impedes both scenarios. First, and most important to both weightlifters and bodybuilders, alcohol suppresses the body’s production of testosterone. Testosterone is a vital hormone produced by your body and is probably the biggest natural activator when trying to gain lean mass and build muscle in both men and women. Natural testosterone levels are much higher in men than women, which is one of the reasons men develop much larger muscles than women do. Would you want to effectively turn off the tap on such a strong muscle-building hormone? Of course not – or you wouldn’t be lifting heavy in the gym a few times every week.

Secondly, drinking alcohol shuts down the fat-burning mechanisms in your body. The sugars in alcoholic beverages are much more readily available for your body to use for energy, so as long as the alcohol is in your system your body has no need to burn off bodyfat. Getting ripped and shredded is hard enough for most bodybuilders without losing potential fat-burning time for a few hours at a time.

Third, liquors, liqueurs and beer all can contribute significant calories to your daily intake with little or no healthy benefits. Liquors like gin, rum, tequila or vodka contain up to 82 calories PER OUNCE, while a regular 12-punce beer has 146 calories. Mixed drinks have even more calories due to the mixer added – for example, Pina Coladas can contain 450 calories each. When you consider that an hour of steady-state cardio, running on a treadmill for example, burns just 500 calories, having 4 or 5 drinks with friends on Saturday night could easily negate the hours you spent on the treadmill or elliptical for the whole week!

This doesn’t mean you can’t be out having a great time when friends hit the bars – offer to always be the designated driver and watch how often you get invited along – often at their expense. And keep your drinks healthy – for example, order a soda water & cranberry juice for a good non-alcoholic carbonated drink or opt for a ‘virgin screwdriver’, also known as a glass of orange juice. Weightlifters and bodybuilders can still party with friends and have a great time, just leave the alcohol out of your personal equation!

Garcinia cambogia has become a leading weight loss supplement for adults around the world looking to achieve their weight loss goals. This supplement is made from a fruit, providing a natural and safe supplement with outstanding results.

The product arrives in the form of capsules which are then taken twice per day; one half an hour before breakfast and the other half an hour before lunch. These tablets help reduce appetite while stopping fat cell formation. What this means is that your body uses existing fat for energy, ensuring you lose weight quickly and effectively.

When you find a garcinia cambogia supplier, you can’t place your order and expect the capsules to do all the hard work themselves. You will want to help them along to improve your results and speed up your weight loss progress.

Water is an essential element to any diet. Water doesn’t contain any calories and helps flush the body of any unwanted toxins. The good news is that water also helps keep you hydrated, so it’s imperative that whether you are taking garcinia cambogia or not, that you drink at least eight glasses of water each day.

Many people eat because they think they are hungry, when in fact they are actually suffering from dehydration. So when taking your capsules, ensure you take them with a full glass of water, water also helps fill you up, reducing the amount you eat in a single sitting.

The next step to effective weight loss is to eat a healthy and well-balanced diet. Don’t fall into the trap of choosing a low calorie diet that will leave you hungry and unable to stick to it long term. Eating a well-balanced diet filled with fruit and vegetables is the best way to reach your goal weight.

Take your three meals a day and break them into six smaller meals. Eating smaller meals reduces the risk of being hungry, helps increase energy levels and improves metabolism. Incorporating a healthy eating plan with garcinia cambogia is a recipe for success and the ability to reach your goal weight in the shortest possible time.

Exercise is important to any weight loss routine, though you don’t have to spend hours in the gym. Once you find your garcinia cambogia supplier and feel you are ready to start your weight loss program, start with some moderate exercise. A brisk walk around the block, a swim on a daily basis or a cycle through the forest with the family three times a week is all you need to get your heart pumping and your body burning calories.

It is essential that you choose a garcinia cambogia supplier that will provide you with a high quality, natural and safe product. With weight loss supplements in such high demand, there are many “fly by night” companies that are watering down their products and selling them as the genuine product. The problem is that you don’t achieve the results you expect, so spend some time researching the company to ensure that you are getting what you pay for.

The company should have a good online reputation and the best way to determine this is to type their name into your search engine and see what results come up. Take the time to go through the results and look at customer reviews on review sites and online forums, this will give you some indication to the type of company you are about to purchase from.

The important factors to take into consideration is whether they are FDA registered, GMP approved and what they put in their capsules. They should provide you with a complete ingredients list to put your mind at ease.

Cardiovascular exercise, also called cardiorespiratory exercise and aerobic exercise, has been shown to have a number of health benefits when performed on a regular basis. These benefits may be realized by both those who are apparently healthy and those who suffer from various health problems.

Cardiovascular fitness promotes the loss of body fat and has been reported to actually decrease the appetite in many individuals. However, even if it doesn’t reduce appetite, the calorie-burning effects of regular aerobic exercise can allow for substantial caloric intake. Many endurance athletes regularly consume between 3,000-5,000 calories per day and remain extremely lean. Cardiovascular training, when combined with a sensible diet, will definitely promote an increase in lean body tissue and a decrease in body fat percentage.

The skeletal system can be strengthened by weight-bearing activities such as fast walking and jogging. This can not only assist in reducing the risk for developing osteoporosis, it can also help to slow down the progress of the disease for those whose doctors recommend exercise.

Aerobic exercise is often part of treatment programs for diabetics whose blood sugar is well controlled. This is due to the fact that aerobic training increases the sensitivity of the cells to insulin so diabetics who exercise regularly require less insulin to effectively regulate blood sugar levels. In addition, studies have shown that persons with adult-onset diabetes have been able to significantly reduce or eliminate medications other than insulin by following a regular exercise program combined with a healthy diet.

Cardiovascular exercise is often a major component of the therapy for those who have suffered a heart attack and for those who are at high risk for coronary artery disease. Three of the primary risk factors for developing coronary artery disease are high blood pressure (hypertension), smoking and high blood cholesterol. Cardiovascular exercise can play a significant role in reducing risk associated with these three factors.

First of all, many people with high blood pressure are also overweight. Regular sessions of aerobic exercise will reduce body fat and lower blood pressure. Secondly, many people who smoke find the incentive to quit after embarking upon an aerobic exercise program. Thirdly, regular, brisk, cardiovascular training leads to an increase in the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL), also known as the “good” cholesterol.

Those with arthritis can benefit from aerobic exercise to help them maintain an ideal body weight. Therapy programs for arthritis sufferers should also include appropriate exercises to help maintain joint range of motion. This can be incorporated into an overall exercise program that includes cardiovascular exercise.

Cardiovascular exercise has also been shown to decrease clinical symptoms of anxiety, tension and depression. Regular aerobic workouts increase blood flow and assists the body in eliminating toxins which can make a person feel better.

On a physiological level, cardiovascular fitness decreases resting heart rate and increase heart volume. It increases maximum oxygen consumption, capillary density and blood flow to active muscles. It also increases total blood volume, allows for maximal ventilation and increases lung diffusion capacity.

Cardiovascular training serves as the foundation for other fitness programs. The conditioning and health of the heart and blood vessels are the basis for safety and performance in nearly all athletic endeavors.