I recently purchased a set of Golds Gym Exercise Resistance Bands and here’s my review.

There are many exercise tubing manufacturers, each with differing qualities, features and prices. One of the companies that has produced a decent set of resistance tubing is Golds Gym. Yes, the same company that offers health club memberships throughout the world and that Arnold Schwarzenegger and hundreds of other Hollywood celebrities have trained at.

Golds Gym carries a full line of fitness and exercise equipment, and one of the products that it has produced are exercise tubing.

The Golds Gym exercise resistance bands are the perfect complement for anyone looking for a convenient and portable home gym.

Here are some of the major benefits of these Golds Gym exercise bands:

* They are low in cost.

* You can attach more than one to the handle

* You can do about 140 gym type exercises

* Major brand name company

The Golds Gym Exercise Resistance Bands have three different resistance levels. Here is the breakdown:

* The red is a medium resistance level

* The blue is a hard level

* The black is the hardest resistance available.

Each one measures 48 inches long. I’m not really sure, what the comparable resistance is. In other words is the red 5 or 10 pounds of resistance? Golds doesn’t really mention it specifically on their product box.

One nice advantage is that you can attach the three Golds exercise bands to one handle, similar to a dumbbell, that way you can have extra resistance when you need it.

If you are having difficulty in performing pull-ups or chin-ups, you can build up your strength by using resistance bands.

You can do exercise bands pull downs. They are much easier to do when you are first starting out. For most women and some men you don’t need a chin up bar at the beginning. This is where the exercise bands become an invaluable tool. You can continue to build up your back muscles until you can begin to perform chin-ups or pull-ups.

You can also attach the bands to a door knob or anchored hook, such as a fence, a railing, or even a tree. The company has produced a versatile set.

The only thing I didn’t like is they don’t mention where you can buy additional bands, and how many you can attach to the handle, but for most people just starting out this basic package of three bands is sufficient to start getting in shape.

Today, you’re going to discover the six-pack abs approved abdominal exercise substitution list AND 1 exercise you should never do.

Please print this exercise substitution list out and email it to your friends. Heck, you could even post it at your gym.

HERE WE GO – starting with the 1 exercise NEVER to do…

Now yesterday I told you about how I saw a trainer put his client through a BACK-DESTROYING exercise, and here’s what it was:

The exercise was weighted Stability Ball Crunches – but there were not normal crunches on the ball that you see people do. No way.

You see, not only did the client do a full-on sit-up motion, but she kept going – violently – into a total body flexion movement that ended with her almost putting her head between her knees.

But doing any type of spinal flexion can be harmful to your low back because this will compress the disks in your spine.

In fact, Dr. Stuart McGill, the world’s expert on low-back injuries and abdominal training, said in a recent New York Times article, “…no sit-ups, they place devastating loads on the disks.”

The disks in your spine are the same disks that get herniated in low back injury. And moves like sit-ups essentially CRUSH the disks between the bones in your spine, causing terrible pain and nerve damage.

So STOP doing crunches and sit-ups!

Fortunately, you can still get six-pack abs and a flat, sexy stomach by using back-friendly ab exercises instead.

So let’s review a huge list of abdominal exercise substitutions:

1) Replace crunches with:

Planks, mountain climbers, and stability ball jackknives

2) Replace cross-crunches (i.e. twisting or oblique crunches) with:

Side planks and cross-body mountain climbers

3) Replace sit-ups with:

Stability ball jackknives, stability ball planks, stability ball pikes, stability ball rollouts, and hanging knee raises

Now let’s take a look at how we can make some of these back-friendly ab exercises even harder for your abs:

1) How to increase the difficulty of the Plank

First of all, before you move on from the plank, you have to master it.

Dr. McGill says that we should all be able to do a plank for 2 minutes straight.

Now I’ll be honest, I let myself go on this exercise last summer, and not surprisingly, it was probably one of the reasons I had back pain.

At one point, I was only able to do a strict plank for 75 seconds, but I’ve worked my way back up over 135 seconds, and now my back pain is gone.

You can also do pushup-planks, as those will help prepare you for pushups if you are a beginner.

Eventually you will graduate to the Stability Ball Plank, which is 30% harder for your abs than regular planks.

2) Harder versions of the Side Plank

Advanced versions include the Side Plank with Leg Raise and Side Plank with DB Lateral Raise (allowing you to train your shoulders at the same time). Dr. McGill adds that we should be able to do aside plank for 90 seconds straight.

3) Mountain Climbers substitutions

You can use the Spiderman Climb exercise as a replacement, and this is excellent for lower-body and hip mobility.

A harder version of mountain climbers is the Cross-Body Mountain Climber, and you can also do mountain climbers with your hands on the ball or with your hands on the floor and feet on the ball.

One of my favorite advanced versions is the “Hands on the Floor, Feet on the Ball Cross-body Mountain Climber” or even the “EXTREME X-Body Mountain Climber”.

Stability Ball NOTE

If you don’t have a ball, you need to get one. They are cheap, and I’m not asking you to do any dangerous circus tricks on them!

But if you don’t have a ball, you can replace the Stability Ball Plank with the Mountain Climber exercise, but it will not be as difficult.

4) How to increase the difficulty of the Stability Ball Jackknife

Eventually you’ll progress to the Stability Ball Pike. And another way to do this exercise is using the TRX straps. That is one of the exercises that gets improved by the TRX. Very effective movement. But even with the ball you can step up your training by using this exercise.

5) The Stability Ball Pike

This is another exercise improved by using the TRX, as well as a cool toy I bought called the Power Wheel. The key to the exercise is raising your hips up as high as possible, and again, using the Power Wheel or TRX allows you to do that better.

6) Alternatives for the Stability Ball Rollout

If you are new to this exercise, you can use a modified Roll-out that is easier.

Plus, you can substitute an ab wheel in place of the ball or you can even use the TRX in a similar type of movement. It works because you are fighting the extension of your torso.

Stretch your abs on the way out, and contract your abs to return to the starting position. This movement will leave your abs quite sore if it is a new exercise for you!

7) Additional Advanced Abs Exercises

Once you’ve dominated all of these Stability Ball exercises, you can move to traditional advanced ab exercises of of Hanging Knee Ups and Hanging Leg Raises.

However, you should only do these exercises if you can fully ELIMINATE momentum from the exercise. Do NOT swing your hips or rock back and forth.

8) Pushups That Workout Your Abs

You should also understand that a LOT of traditional exercises work your abs and slight variations of traditional moves can work your abs very hard.

For example, some of the best pushups for abs include:

* Elevated Pushups

* T-Pushup

* Spiderman Pushups

* Decline Spiderman Pushups

You’ll get all of these in six pack abs home workouts, of course.

9) Pulling Exercises that work your abs

Back in the day, I trained a fit woman who had never been asked to do a chin-up by her previous trainers. So I had her do 2-3 sets of 3-5 repetitions.

She came back the next session and couldn’t believe how sore her abs were from this exercise. So again, you will get a lot of ab work from traditional movements. In addition to the chin-up, here are my favorite “total body pulling muscle ab exercises”.

* DB Renegade Row

* Pullups

* Chinups/Pullups with kneeups

* Spiderman Pullups

Use those to make your workouts more efficient.

10) Shoulder/Arm Exercises

YES, you can use shoulder and arm exercises to work your abs. Any time you do a standing exercise, you’ll need to brace your abs HARD in order to maintain a stiff torso. That works your abs as hard as planks and side planks.

Plus, in the triceps extension exercise, you are stretching your abs as you lower the weight and contracting your abs as you contract your triceps to return the dumbbells or bar to the start position. I’ve had super-sore abs just from doing triceps!

So here are my favorite upper body exercises for abs:

* 1-Arm Press

* 1-Arm Curl

* DB Triceps Extension

Hope you enjoyed that massive list of ab exercise substitutions!

Just say NO to crunches!

Belly Fat is a combination of excess fat tissue, toxins stored in fat, bloated bowels and lazy muscles. Here are 10 ways to get rid of the obstacles creating your belly fat.

1. Drink the right type of water.

Belly fat is made of fat cells storing built up toxins. In order to get rid of the fat and toxins in your cells, drink BEV (Bio-Electronic Vincent) water or filtered water that uses reverse-osmosis filtration. This water attracts the heavy toxins from fat and pulls it out the body. The less minerals and metals in the water – the more the water can remove the dense stuff from your belly!

2. Give your bowels a holiday from Gluten!

Some of the hardest foods for the bowel to break down are gluten-based foods. Remove gluten based products such as wheat, oats, barley and rye for a week and see how your belly flattens. Just removing wheat for a week will give visible results!

3. Cut out Cheese.

Cheese acts like a gummy substance in the intestines – look at how it stretches like rubber on pizza. It’s just like that in the guts! Removing cheese from the diet will stop clogging up your intestines and making your belly fat!

4. Breathing into the thymus and “energetic heart” area.

Place your palm in between your breasts and you’ve found the thymus. This area is also the energetic center for the heart. Breathe into and lift this heart and thymus area and as you breathe out drop the shoulders. As you do this type of breathing into the energetic heart and thymus, you’re lifting the lower belly muscles and activating the ab muscles that facilitate breathing, shape the waist and pull in the girdle of muscles that pull in your belly “pooch”.

5. Move your Navel into the Spine.

Pull the navel into the spine whenever you’re sitting, driving, walking and exercising. Start to notice when you let your belly pooch just hang out and how you can activate the navel and pull it into the back of the body. This move activates all the central ab muscles that balance, support and turn the spine and torso. Remember to keep breathing while you retrain your belly muscles to pull in to support the spine.

6. Curl your Tail up and Under.

When you do squats, lunges, pelvic lifts and even when you’re walking, experiment with pulling your tail under so you slightly tighten the lower butt muscles. This move supports the motion of pulling the navel into the spine and gives an opposition to the girdle of ab muscles for your lower belly. It’s a slight move and you can add extra muscle intensity to find how to activate the pelvic floor, which is connected to and tones your lower belly muscles.

7. Scooping Into the Deeper Ab Muscles.

Forget Ab “crunches” that focus on superficial abs. When you do any bending movement, start imagining the deepest ab muscle – the PSOAS. The psoas starts from the inside thigh, goes up the back of the pelvis and follows up the spine to the back of the “energetic heart” area – or where the diaphragm inserts into the spine (around the bra strap for women). As you pull into your crunches or bending moves, visualize scooping into this long muscle that supports all the muscles and organs of the belly. When you use this visualization, you’ll get more connection between your belly and your back muscles and you’ll have something to pull your belly in to!

8. Massage the Belly.

Built up toxins and waste can be moved by gentle massage. Using a clockwise circle on the belly, starting under the right hand side of the chest, massage with your fingers and palm, to cover the entire belly area. Use the tips of the fingers to dig into belly and move stagnant energy. Use the palm of the hand to hold and nurture parts of your belly that want nurturing and encouragement. Kindly tell your belly with your touch that its time to move the fat and toxins out!

9. If you’re over 35 use a DHEA Supplement.

DHEA is a growth hormone, which declines after the age of 35 resulting in excess fat storage around the belly. The leading scientist on DHEA, Stephen Cherniske M.S. recommends 10-25 milligrams DHEA and 25-50 milligrams of 7-keto daily as a safe dosage. Excess use of the hormone will cause hormonal imbalances. Two other important body building supplements for encouraging fat metabolism are l-carnitine (or acetyl l-carnitine) and alpha lipoic acid. Recommended daily safe dosages are 200mg to 500 mg of l-carnitine and 100-500mg of lipoic acid.

10. Monitor your coffee intake.

Some caffeine is better than others. Coffee really depletes the body of DHEA and other minerals that control fat gain around the belly. Try green tea drinks that are free of fake sugar. Some white teas, red tea, rooibos and other high antioxidant teas may be better for your metabolism than coffee and will give even energy instead of the coffee highs and lows. As you age, you may notice a difference of how caffeine affects you. Be sensitive to changes in your body and try different sources of caffeine to see how different teas and energy drinks affect the stability of your energy.

In the past years, physical fitness was attributed only to workers whose jobs required high muscular and cardiovascular endurance such as the members of armed forces. But this phenomenon had changed across time. The change began when modern era began and high technology started to improve the quality of life. However, it was very alarming to find out that in a modern world problems related to the growing number of epidemics, high mortality rates, short life spans, disease-stricken countries and many more still took their tolls.

These problems propelled different organizations to launch programs that would encourage people from all over the world to practice healthy lifestyles which would lead them to become healthy in all aspects. The massive response over the mentioned problems indicates that people from all over the world have already taken seriously the importance of physical fitness.

Physical fitness, simply put, is being physically sound and healthy. It is about having a body that is free from diseases due to the essential nutrients that are taken in that results to having well functioning body systems. Aside from taking the essential nutrients, physical fitness can also be achieved by taking exercises regularly which improves blood circulation, eliminates excess fats, and fights away harmful microorganisms that may come inside the body.

The realization about the importance of physical has been brought by societal changes. This realization has also created some fads which last until now. These fads are very evident in the world of fashion and entertainment world. Celebrities from different countries endorse different diet plans which make them slim, even skinny. These people who are being idolized encourage ordinary people to take diet programs not only to become healthy, but to become slim also. The world of fashion has been producing clothes which emphasize the need for fitness in order to look fashionable. Fashionability is most of the time associated only with people who have slender bodies.

These fads are too costly for people with no fat paychecks every month. Moreover, some diet programs can only make people slim and hardly healthy. Hence, nutritionists and health conscious ordinary people have started to bring into the consciousness of people the healthful properties of natural foods which contain vital nutrients essential to the body. Fortunately, this campaign has generated benefits on people who are too tired of the lies advertised by man-made food manufacturers.

Working out has also become habit of many people. This explains the establishment of numerous gyms in different cities. Taking exercises has been proven to increase endurance of muscles and cardiovascular system as well as improve the functioning of body systems. There are a lot of body exercises due to the number of exercise equipment being invented and the number of people who created exercise regimens. One famous exercise is fitness ball exercise which makes use of a large ball to work out the abs, upper trunk and the like. Some gyms are well organized that they require those who want to enter and use the equipment to become members first. One example of it is GoodLife Fitness which has 159 clubs that offer the needed exercises for every member.

The importance of physical fitness may have generated money for some, but it has undoubtedly benefitted a lot as more and more people are becoming healthy which is evident in their longer life spans.

Age-related problems could just be one of the hardest challenges we could encounter at the later stages of our lives. We all want to, if not fully regain, improve our vitality and health despite of the inevitable aging process. But in order to attain this, we all have to make efforts about changing our lifestyle beginning on our diet, then into our daily activities, and the choice of supplements that we intake. Speaking about supplements, your goal of attaining youthful glow and vitality is made easier with the availability of HGH supplements – the so-called “miraculous hormone.” With HGH, we can reap all the goodness of a healthy life while delaying the aging signs.

Basic Info About HGH

Our anterior pituitary gland normally produces HGH, or the Human Growth Hormone. This production is necessary especially during adolescence stage for growth and body development. The hormones are also essential because they are the ones that heighten our metabolism and maintain our youthful glow.

Massive HGH production only happens during your teenage years and these growth hormones slowly disappear as you continue to mature. In fact, your HGH level declines by 25 percent when you’re at your 30s. And the worst, your growth hormone level continues to drop as you approach an older age until your system is no longer capable of producing them. This results to lower vitality or weakness, the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, more body fat, and many other undesirable symptoms.

The Perks of HGH

Improving the quality of your life is attainable once you consider HGH supplements as part of regimen. Recent research about beauty and health enhancement has been recently devoted to HGH and revealed that, indeed, higher levels of these miracle hormones can provide tremendous benefits for the body. You can appreciate the following results with increased growth hormones in your body:

– improved sleep

– enhanced sexual life

– stronger bones

– stronger immune system

– lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

– improved metabolism

– increased muscle mass

– lower fat storage

– better function of the heart and kidney

Several other benefits can be experienced through a regular dose of HGH. As long as you combine your regimen with a proper diet and exercise, and taking these supplements with the appropriate amount, then it is almost impossible not to reap the optimum benefits.

Increasing your HGH level can be done through a variety of options – you can pursue those in the form of spray, injection, or supplements. Most people opt for the latter because they are the safest and offer greater cost savings. With HGH supplements, your pituitary gland is encouraged to increase the level of natural GH sufficient for your body. Therefore, your risk of acquiring certain complications are much lesser compared with taking artificial hormones.

Taking HGH supplements doesn’t promise full recovery of your youthful health and

vigor; however, it has been proven that a regular dose of HGH has somehow improved overall health conditions. To reap the highest level of satisfaction, it is recommended that you combine your HGH regimen with a healthy diet plan, regular workout, and positive attitude.

Kickboards enhance workout for beginners and even professional swimmers. They are good choices for team drills, workouts and even training for a variety of reasons. The advantages of using kickboards during any of the mentioned situations include improved buoyancy and balance, arm rest and focused workout. They are the perfect items during a lengthy workout since they ensure you push your workout to the maximum without necessarily tiring your body while at it.

Athletes and swimmers can greatly benefit from kickboards. The market however has so many options it can be hard to choose the best kickboard for your swimming or training needs. However, a few factors put into consideration will help you in making the right and best choice with your item. Here are some of the top considerations to make before purchasing a kickboard.

1. The Material

It can determine the quality and the success you get when using your kickboard. It is always advisable to choose a material that will offer you comfortable grip. Choosing a kickboard with rounded edges will for instance offer you that grip without hurting your hands. The board also needs to be rigid which trickles down to the material used. This will help to keep breaking and chipping at bay. It is also important to make sure that the material does not end up absorbing water for maximum reliability and a positive swimming experience.

2. The Design

It is a factor that cannot be ignored when selecting a kickboard since it can determine how easy it is to use the board and how comfortable it is overall. The design you choose should not only give you a firm grip, but it should also do this while maintaining an easy position. It is the only way you can maximize on your swimming potential. Sleek board designs will give you a seamless water cut while a contoured bottom will make it possible for teams to manage and complete different race types. Consider the benefits your kickboard design will offer you to make the right and the best selection from the word go.

3. The Size

Most are usually in two sizes to fit advanced swimmers and beginners. The smaller kickboards are best for advanced swimmers since they do offer less flotation support and at the same time promoting kick. The advanced swimmers don’t need that much support in floating and are more focused in improving water kick hence making the smaller size best for them. The bigger kickboards on the other hand offers great floating support and is most suitable for beginners learning to swim. Recreational swimmers will also find the larger option better in developing faster water kick.

4. The Cost

It should never compromise the quality of your kickboard when you are looking for nothing less of your full potential during swimming. The boards however can offer you the same benefits, but at different prices depending on the brands and the materials used in making them. The secret should be to find high quality at a reasonable price.

A hardgainer is a person with a skinny build that has trouble putting on muscle mass. I had followed Stuart McRobert’s hardgainer.com for a while before picking up a copy of Beyond Brawn. I am currently 6′8″ and normally weight between 240-250. Back when I received my first driver’s license, I was 6′7″ and weighed 150lbs. Much of the progress I’ve been able to make was from following the methods I’d read about in hardgainer.

I’ve always been a fan of McRobert’s writing style and his obvious passion for strength training. He is a strong man who has acquired a profound wealth of knowledge about the Iron Game. Have you ever met someone who was so passionate about something that you couldn’t help but get excited when you heard them talk about it? That’s how I felt when (don’t laugh) the dean of my library school talked about cataloging. He raved about it like a fiery baptist preacher, and it was impossible not to get revved up about it. (This feeling faded immediately after he left the room).

Stuart McRobert’s writing fires you up from page one and sticks with you. Too often, books about training are tired rehashes of what’s already been said a billion times before. Lists of recycled bullet points. Lots of tough talk but not enough humility. When someone who has achieved something I want is also willing to say “Look, I’ve made a ton of mistakes in my training over the years. I wasted a lot of time and I hurt myself badly,” that means something to me. By the end of any of the Die Hard movies, John Mclane has always been beaten within an inch of his life. He does heroic things, but we know he’s going to get a good thrashing by the time he’s sorted everyone out.

McRoberts doesn’t pretend he knows it all and he admits his mistakes. He focuses so much on his mistakes, in fact, that-it sounds a little silly-you get to know him by the end of the book. He doesn’t come off as a guru, but as a normal guy who figured out how to get strong. Larger-than-life figures are hard to identify with, unless you’re in the larger-than-life club. A man’s humanity is never on display as fully as when he admits that he is vulnerable to the same mistakes, injuries, and insecurities as anyone else.

There are two major selling points to this book.

1. McRoberts is a person to admire

He is humble but incredibly knowledgeable. His desire to help others comes through on every page.

And that gives me a chance to deftly segue into…

point number 2:

The content. You want comprehensive? You got it

Anyone who puts “Encyclopedia” on the cover of any book is either a ballsy poser who prays to make some money before they get exposed, or they are somebody like Stuart McRobert. Encyclopedic knowledge is broad in scope and depth. You only get encyclopedic content in two ways: either a team of smart people work on tons of little articles together to prepare for the next edition, or one person pays their dues, pays attention, and takes their time (years!) synthesizing their knowledge for the teeming masses.

Flip through Beyond Brawnand it is quickly apparent that you’re dealing with an encyclopedia. Maybe you’re not naturally a curious person and you just like to throw heavy things around. If picking up the latest copy of the Brittanica doesn’t get your motor running, let me reassure you that BB is a thrill ride of a book for strength seekers.

A Summary of McRobert’s Philosophy

•  It is a privilege to train hard
• Most people who work out have no idea what “hard” training is
• Short attention spans and information overload are preventing most people from the results they want
•  It takes brutally hard work to get those results, but it isn’t complicated.
•  Squat, Deadlift, and Bench if your body is healthy enough.
•  Don’t get hurt.
• When in doubt, train less frequently, not more.
•  Practice Proper Nutrition
•  Get enough rest

Sounds like a lot of other books, doesn’t it?

It isn’t. He is able to say the “same old things” in a way that will resonate with you. He is also adept at illustrating what methods do not work without being condescending to anyone practicing them. More than anything, he is sad and frustrated for people engaged in a noble pursuit, but who are wasting the training prime of their lives spinning their wheels.

Beyond Brawn has no pictures. Very little formatting. Just block paragraph after block paragraph of smart, applicable information that you can benefit from immediately. I’ve never read a book this thick this fast, and I read a lot of big, fat books. There is not a dud line or paragraph in the entire volume.

As I said before, most important is the mindset and the passion that McRobert’s has…his respect for the pursuit of strength. If you have any interest in strength, positive thinking, or achieving goals, you need to read this book. It is equal parts self-help, road map to might, reference tool, and pep talk masterpiece for the days when you need the boost to get back on track.

Read it read it read it, then read it again. “Empower” is not a word I’m able to use very often without rolling my eyes. Too corporate-speak. But Beyond Brawn will make you feel empowered. You’ll be itching to get after it by the second page.

The soul is beyond the body and hence from this perspective, it is immaterial how tall or short a person is. The true height of a person is his or her character and deeds.

Yet, tall height is a natural ambition of humans. I agree that in current context it is partly because of the glamour associated with tall height. If that were the driver for any urge for height increase, the efforts would defeat the purpose. Because the true purpose for height increase should stem from an earnest desire to achieve as much of our potential as we can. A tall height represents complete growth of the body and hence we should endeavor to achieve that complete growth.

Height does vary from person to person as per his or her genetics, climate and other conditions. Thus blanket comparison of height with others is not a right approach. Instead the correct approach should be to keep as healthy as possible to gain complete growth of body.

I was born as a medium height child. Till age of 17, my height did not grow much. At age of 17, at just above 5 feet, I was among the short students of my class and often ridiculed for being short and thin. Very honestly, at times I did feel humiliated at tended to avoid public company to the extent possible. The matter got worse because I could see many other boys who were shorter than me few years ago now surpassing me.

But for once, I decided to no more rationalize and act as an ostrich. I decided to take my concern heads-on. I changed my complete life-pattern. For next two years, I committed to new patterns and by the time I was nineteen, I was 5’11” and had an extremely flexible and agile body. Today I have a height of above 6 feet.

In this article, I would share those tips that I followed in my height transformation process. I am sure these will benefit one and all in achieving their maximum potential:

Tip 1: Mind Power

Our body responds to our thoughts. As per our thought patterns, appropriate hormones are secreted and physiological changes happen accordingly. Positive thoughts reverse aging process and improve health. Negative thoughts accelerate aging process and stunt growth. Thus first critical step for height gain is to reprogram your thought patterns. Not only it will help you increase height, but also bring benefits in all areas of your life. To me, it made me a diligent person that helped me get admission in IIT. Here are specific suggestions on mind programming for height-gain:

1. Refuse to accept that you are born unhealthy and short. Visualize yourself as having the most perfect health and live every moment in that vision.
2. Stop compromising on matters of quality. Keep demanding as much as you can think of, from yourself.
3. Imagine that your height is increasing every moment with every movement of yours.
4. Stop traits of anger, helplessness and dejection.

Remember that will power is the key. Once you get a good grasp on it, rest would work automatically. If you try out these tips without strong will-power, it would never work. This secret gets you everything you want in life.

Tip 2: Food

Simply stop junk, fried, spicy and oily food. I cannot stress further the importance of simple, nutritious, healthy food. Our body is made out of food we eat. We grow from a baby of few inches to a full-grown adult only through food we eat. Food is the raw material used to build our building that we call body. How can you expect a strong building to be built if you use inferior raw material from junkyard?

Following are certain recommendations that have helped me:

1. Eating at least two hours before sleep
2. Having a light dinner
3. Regular consumption of sprouts
4. Having regular eating schedule and avoiding habit of munching every now and then
5. Avoiding consumption of tea, coffee, cold-drinks, ice-cream, chocolates etc
6. Regular use of trifala powder in night or early morning
7. Eating lots of fresh fruits
8. Drinking lots of water
9. Walking for 10-15 minutes after meals
10. Eating soaked almonds in morning. The gulbandi variety is best.
11. Eating in sukhasan. This posture is a wonderful gift of our ancient seers.

Tip 3: Exercise

Human body is built to work hard and live actively. More we avoid physical labor, more we become prone to underdevelopment, faster aging and ailments. Make a habit of doing rigorous workouts at least thrice a week and normal exercises in rest of the days.

My routine in those days was as follows:

1. Waking up by 5 am and having a variety of workouts till 8 am. These included mix and match of following:

• Running and jogging
• Flexibility and stretching
• Martial Arts practice
• Asans and Pranayams
• Meditation

1. In evening I used to go for Taekwondo exercises thrice a week. The practice of high kicks is extremely beneficial
2. On Sundays, we used to go to play cricket.

This active routine worked wonders on my body and activity.

Would request all health-seekers to join taekwondo lessons close-by. Taekwondo differs from other martial arts. In taekwondo, emphasis is on high kicks and free stretching which helps body grow. In many other martial arts, focus is on restricting body movements within a small region. Thus it seems to restrict height of a person.

Similarly weight-training should be avoided for first 20 years of life. That should be replaced with free hand exercises like pushups.

Many claim that Yogasan can help increase height. I even saw a video on it by a celebrated hathayogi. He gave a passionate speech in the video that seemed to showcase short height as source of all miseries and inferiority complex. Ironically the hathayoga guru himself appeared not more than five and a half feet!

The fact is that hathayoga is being overemphasized bit too much these days and its benefits are being over-inflated as a marketing gimmick. Certain asans do benefit but in essence it’s the overall package of healthy lifestyle which is effective. Replace these hathasans with any kind of aerobic physical activity and results would be exactly the same. Perhaps even more!

Having said this, certain postures are quite useful for height growth. These should be added in one’s fitness routine – chakrasana, halasana, sarvangasana, pashchimatanasana, pavanmuktasana, hastapadasana, mayurasana. Among Pranayams, the only pranayams I have found to be truly effective are Bahya Pranayam, Abhyantara and Chaturtha Pranayama. These provide all the benefits that are claimed from variety of breathing practices like Anulom Vilom, Bhastrika etc. These pranayams with rigorous cardio in open air gives all the benefit you desire from a fitness regime.

Do ensure that you develop a habit of deep breathing. We shall discuss the art of deep breathing in a separate article.

Tip 4: Miscellaneous

1. Sleep well. More you work out, more the rest required by your body. Especially for growth, you should ensure that you do not deprive your body from much needed rest.
2. Sleep early. Work so hard in the day that you tend to fall asleep by 10 pm. Wake up by 5 or 6 depending upon your comfort. I prefer varying the waking time as per my body needs. Avoid late night sittings.
3. Keep spine straight
4. While standing, try to stretch your entire body up. At times come on your toes for a full stretch. You can even raise your hands for a fuller stretch. In more formal occasions, you can stand normally and yet try stretching your entire body without raising your toes. Keep doing it every now and then. If you are in a bus, try if you can stretch up without coming on toes and touch the ceiling with head.
5. Do not settle in one static position for long. Keep moving and changing postures. Remain active and give body a small workout every moment.

Tip 5: Brahmachraya (Control of mind)

Needless to say, all of this works only with a perfect control over mind. Make a habit of challenging your mind with even more control every moment. Once mind is mastered, the world will be at your feet, height is a petty thing.

To develop this mastery and realize what the real fun of life is, following is advised. More you practice, more you gain:

1. Stop putting your mind in all form of sensory inputs that tend to promote lustful thought patterns – romantic/vulgar songs, movies, literature, company. These generate hormones which speed up the ageing process and stunt complete natural growth.
2. Stop watching the idiot box. Apart from dumbing the mind, it makes your breath shallow and hence causes stunted growth.
3. Similarly avoid video games, iPods and other mind-dumbing tools.
4. Stop digging too much into stale newspaper. Use it only for keeping you updated. Filling your mind with depressing stories of past, the first thing in morning, is the worst treatment you can give to yourself who is naturally programmed to be always forward looking.
5. Prepare actionable plans. Avoid discussions and analyses which have no relevance to practical application and are merely time-wasters.
6. Needless to say, avoid all acts which lead to loss of vital energy and semen.

We shall discuss the subject of Brahmacharya in detail in another article and dispel certain myths surrounding the subject. Brahmacharya is the greatest potential remedy for all humans living today and needs a right, relevant and correct representation.

Please share your feedback with these practices. They should start giving results in a few months. Apart from a full body growth, you would also gain a healthy body and confident attitude.

Stretch to your fullest potential!

I was amazed to find out recently that quinoa is recommended for astronauts on long space flights. I found this out watching a television program that was looking at the best foods you can eat. One of the guests was a former astronaut and there was a top ten foods list. Number one on the list was quinoa.

As well as being eaten by our space travellers it is now part of NASA food programme for growing crops in space. As part of this elite group of super foods quinoa is at last getting the recognition it deserves. NASA is looking into which foods we have here on earth will be the most beneficial from the point of view if how easy it is to grow. They also need all the foods in the research programme to be highly nutritious.

There is no time to waste on plants and foods that do not deliver in terms of vitamins and minerals. So I was very pleased to discover that quinoa has made into this elite group of foods. It gives a higher profile to a seed that everyone in the world should be eating as part of their daily food intake.

Why Quinoa Works In Space

There are a number of reasons that make quinoa a good food for Astronauts. The first rather mundane one is that it stores easily. You do not need a fridge. You do not even need an airtight container for durations of up to a month. It is so easy to store and take out the amount you need when you need it. Because it is a complete protein it is much better than trying to eat meat or meat substitutes in space. It contains all 9 essential amino acids making it the only seed or grain that is a complete protein.

Another reason for its suitability in space is because it is a complex carbohydrate. Without getting too technical this means that all the goodness in the vitamins and minerals are released into your body and bloodstream slowly over time. So you do not have to eat so often and you do not get as hungry.

Quinoa basically gives you the feeling of being well fed over a long period of time. The slow release carbohydrates also mean that you do not get a sugar rush which can lead to food cravings. It must be pretty bad to have a food craving in space. Where could you go to find something to solve your craving?

If quinoa is so good for the astronauts you owe it to yourself to find out more about it and learn how it can revolutionise your diet and eating habits.

People who hate to exercise will love these thigh slimming exercises that can be performed even as they relax with a comfortable pillow beneath their head. Not all forms of physical activity have to be strenuous, exhausting and painful to be effective. By simply targeting this muscle group on a regular basis, you can enjoy slimmer legs that are more youthful and sculpted in their appearance.

One of the best times to perform these exercises is just before going to sleep. Muscle conditioning activities tend to burn more calories than aerobic activities as muscles require a significant amount of energy to support. By performing these activities before going to sleep, you will not only rest better, but burn more calories while you do so as well.

You can lie with your head resting comfortably on your pillow with your knees bent and your feet flat on your mattress. Take a deep breath and dig into the mattress with your large toes until your rear end is lifted entirely off the mattress. While you do so, pretend that you have a small object clenched between your knees to ensure that you knees do not pull apart.

You can even place a small pillow or a rolled pair of socks between your knees. You should hold your rear end in the air for as long as possible, all the while making certain to do the lifting with your big toes. This will ensure that the insides of your thighs are fully engaged. Slowly release the position, gather your breath and then repeat the process for no less than fifteen repetitions.

Next, extend one leg into the air with your toes pointed. The other leg should be resting on the mattress straight out in front of you. Use the pointed toes of your extended leg to draw an invisible circle in the air that is about the size of a dinner plate. The movement should be both slow and controlled. Repeat this exercise for twenty repetitions on each leg.

Even as you lay supine, allowing your body to relax from a day filled with responsibility and work, you can engage in thigh slimming exercises that have the capacity to dramatically tighten this common trouble area. Once you see the results that these minimal efforts provide, you will likely be inspired to add new activities to your routine. These can include treadmill walking on an incline, or purchasing a thigh workout DVD that you can use right in the comfort of your own home.