Background

Before starting to take lycopene supplement, it is useful to take stock and think through a few things. To be able to do this in a systematic way, one can group the issues to consider as follows:

What Benefits Can I Expect?

The benefits that one might expect from supplementing one’s lycopene intake include:

Effects against aging: Lycopene is an antioxidant on steroids! It is way more powerful than Vitamin E. Having antioxidants available helps the body deal with oxidants which damage cells, tissues and DNA and can result in premature aging.

Effects against cancer: Several studies have suggested that high lycopene levels reduce the risk of prostate cancer. However the jury is still out on the activity against prostate cancer as other studies have not been able to confirm this.

Effects against chronic disease: There are suggestions that this compound may have an effect against chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease.

How Shall I Take It?

There are at least a couple of options for getting the required intake.

Through diet and food: The richest plant source is a South East Asian fruit called gac. However, in the United States our commonest source is ripe tomatoes or their derivatives such as tomato puree, tomato juice, dried tomatoes etc. Other sources are, water melon, pink grapefruit, pink guava, papaya, red bell pepper, seabuckthorne, wolfberry and rosehip.

As part of a multivitamin containing lycopene supplements: There are numerous places where one can obtain these supplements over the counter. It is also possible to source it online from reputable suppliers.

Keeping to a diet rich in lycopene is well recommended but if it becomes the only source then one must remember that this compound is only soluble in organic solvents such as oil but not in water. This would suggest having oily meals which has its own risks in terms of the calories taken in and risks to the heart.

One can have better control by sourcing the nutrient via nutritional supplements especially as the ingredient amount is known and one can choose the supplement that is better formulated to meet their needs e.g. men, women or children.

Where Shall I Get My Supply From?

There are many suppliers out there and one should give this some thought. The short answer is to use a reputable supplier. Some of the criteria one can use to make this judgment are:

What sort of ingredients do they use? You should only choose a supplier who uses high quality ingredients preferably to the same standard as in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

How do they source their ingredients? Choose a supplier who uses natural ingredients. Some of the cheaper supplements contain ingredients that have been manufactured from petrochemicals and contain impurities.

Do their supplements have enteric coating? This is a neutral polymer coating placed around the capsule to protect it from stomach acids. This ensures that it gets to the upper intestine where the supplement nutrients can be properly absorbed.

Will I Suffer Adverse Effects?

This is an important consideration but so far there are no known adverse effects from taking lycopene other than from excessive intake. The cases that have been reported are of colored skin and elevated blood levels after excessive intake but they resolved normally as soon as it was withdrawn.

Choosing your lycopene supplement means much more than what I have outlined here and there are products that I am aware of that pass these criteria with flying colors. If you are concerned with your health and well-being then please visit my website for an opportunity to learn a whole lot more.

If you are a serious cycler then you have got to have a smart leg strengthening exercise plan in place to be successful. As a matter of fact, you better have a superior total body strength and conditioning plan in place if you want to truly make any progress up against today’s competition. I have included a tremendous body weight exercise here for you to perform in order to assist you in drastically improving your leg strength and will help you beat up on your competitors my friend! Read on if I have your attention.

The Pistol Squat: Great Leg Strength For Cycling

If you are wanting to climb those hills harder without the worry of your legs turning into spaghetti noodles then you have got to implement this exercise into your training routine my friend. The pistol squat is a tremendous body weight drill that you can perform on your own without the need of a gym or free weights. So what is the pistol squat? The pistol squat is basically a single legged squat that you perform by lifting one leg off of the ground and ideally squatting all the way to the ground and back up with the other leg. This is one gruesome strength drill that will drastically improve your leg workouts for cycling.

For starters, I don’t expect you to do this at first try unless you have done it before or if you happen to be a freak of nature. Nevertheless, I want to explain how you can begin practicing this drill on your own. To start, you can modify this exercise by utilizing the sophisticated tool of a chair or bench. This shouldn’t be too hard of piece of equipment to find, right? Anyway, stand in front of the chair or bench and sit on it to start. From here lift one leg up and firmly place the leg thats on the ground into the ground by pushing through your heel. Keep the other leg up and tense your body by making fists with both hands as you attempt to stand up. Don’t allow the other leg to touch the ground.

As you get better at standing up off of the chair then intensify the drill further by starting from a standing position and lowering yourself down so that your rear touches the chair and then stand back up. You can see how the progression is working from here. Once you get really good at the chair or bench level then try to find a lower level surface to practice on until you no longer need it and can go execute your range of motion all the way to the floor. This is building leg strength for cycling at it’s best my friend.

If you haven’t already started to implement the pistol squat into your cycling resistance training program then you are missing out. Take the time to learn more about this and other hard hitting drills by accessing the rest of my articles on the issue for free. Remember that most anyone can train hard, but only the champions train smart!

Looking for a way to jumpstart your workout program? Want to ensure you are burning fat as quickly as possible and seeing the results you are aiming for? The great news is we have a few unique workout strategies that will not only kick boredom to the curb but also help you “up your results.”

These strategies all take the intensity of the workout up a notch or two so should be done just a couple of times each week to ensure you are fully recovering between each workout session.

Here are three techniques to try out…

1. Reps For Time. The first technique is called “reps for time.” With this method, rather than setting a goal such as performing 8 reps, 10 reps, or 12 reps, you set a time frame in which you want to complete as many reps as possible. Usually, this will be 30 to 60 seconds depending on your fitness level.

As you do this, if you grow tired at any point, take a short break and then start up once again. Once the time limit is up, you will then either rest or move into the next exercise depending on what your protocol calls for.

2. Rounds For Time. The next way to help you burn fat faster is to do “rounds for time.” Rounds for time is similar to reps for time only now you are designating a particular rep range – say 10 reps, and then stacking exercises one after the other. In this manner, you will try to move through the series of exercises as quickly as possible in the designated timeframe.

For instance, you might have the exercises of…

• push-ups,
• pull-ups,
• bodyweight squats, and
• bicycle crunches.

in your workout.

You will aim to perform 10 reps of each exercise, doing as many rounds of the series as possible. Next workout, try to beat the number of rounds you previously did.

3. Max Count Reps. Last but not least, you have “max count reps.” For this one, you only set a high total rep count for the entire workout session. For instance, you might do a 100 rep squat workout. So your mission is simple…

• do 100 reps of squats to complete the exercise.

Doing 100 repeats of squats may sound simple, but you will very likely find it isn’t. Once you are in there doing your squats, getting to those 100 reps will be very challenging. Of course, you will want to adjust your weight accordingly. You won’t be using a max weight here, but rather one you can comfortably do for 10 to 15 reps. Stop as needed but get those 100 reps done before you leave the gym.

Give these workout techniques a try next time you are looking for a way to give your fitness level a boost and try something you have never done before.

Muscle hypertrophy, it sounds like an avoidable disorder, but it’s exactly what you want to achieve when you implement resistance training into your workouts. Hypertrophy is the increase in mass and girth of your existing muscle cells. It is a complex process activated by catalysts including: resistance of force, intensity, duration and frequency of workouts and the recovery period after workouts. During and after training sessions your muscles undergo the beginnings of growth but must also have time for recuperation, otherwise you experience muscle weakening from overuse.

Growth prompting changes to your muscle tissue is triggered during your workout within two to four hours and continues for up to 24 hours. The length of time muscle growth sustains depends on the training session intensity, duration and trauma caused to the muscle cells.

Essentially, during your workout the muscle cell organelles are subject to slight tears, which activate surrounding muscle cells outside of the muscle fiber. The satellite cells begin to proliferate, or grow and divide, to repair the injury site. Muscle fibers fuse as part of the healing process and then form new myofibrils, or threads of the muscle fiber. Myofibrils increase in density and permit the initially injured muscle fiber to allow in more protein for building muscle mass. This process is called muscle protein synthesis.

Muscle protein synthesis plays a crucial part in completing the growth process of muscles from a singular workout session. Specifically, muscle growth only occurs when the rate of muscle protein synthesis exceeds the rate of muscle protein breakdown. At the most basic level, this means your workout has to cause efficient muscle tearing through resistance and force to allow existing muscle cell protein to breakdown rapidly. However, muscles can only repair and grow if new protein is introduced to the body during a sufficient window occurring in this cellular process.

A single intense set of high-weight repetitions can prompt muscle growth but you might never see the results if you do not continue engaging in consistent training. As important as the intensity and frequency of your workouts are, equally is the importance of recovery or recuperation time between workouts. Within two hours of your training session, consume a protein-filled snack to prompt muscle protein synthesis. You should also avoid working the same muscle group two days in a row. A day of rest in between muscle groups is adequate for prompting those biceps to grow from pebbles in to big old rocks.

Skeletal muscle such as that you are trying to bulk is extremely resilient and adaptive but this can lead to mass gaining plateaus. Hitting the muscle bulking slump is easily overcome by traumatizing your muscles in a new and different way. Simply boost your weight but lower your reps or change up your routine. Avoid ceasing your training sessions altogether because this can delay the progress from the efforts you have put in and force you to over-train the next time you attempt to replenish your workout.

If you are new to muscle bulking you will likely see relatively rapid muscle growth results. Keep in mind that proper form, consistent training and nutrition are important components of a comprehensive workout. With time persistent efforts lend to quality gains and increased muscular strength.

Understanding Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms is important to help you prevent long-term neurological effects and damages from a lack of Vitamin B12. By catching symptoms early, it’s possible to alter your diet or begin taking vitamins and nutritional supplements to prevent a Vitamin B12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms can be very similar to many other ailments; hence the need to monitor them closely and listen to what your body is telling you. If you notice any of these symptoms and believe it is caused from a nutritional imbalance, check with your doctor or healthcare provider soon. Long-term neurological damages could occur otherwise.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms:

• Lack of energy
• Fatigue
• Quick exhaustion during exercise
• Light headed when getting up from a bed or chair
• Shortness of breath
• Lack of appetite
• Constipation
• Diarrhea (in conjunction with other complications and factors)
• Pale skin
• White patches on the skin (typically small and grouped together)
• Problems focusing on a task (i.e. reading, working, hobbies)
• Confusion
• Dementia (in more severe and prolonged cases)
• Depression
• Lack of balance
• Dizziness
• Numbness or a tingling sensation in hands or feet
• Swollen tongue (usually accompanied with redness)
• Bleeding gums

Because these are common symptoms shared with other problems, it helps to know your diet and normal body status. Vitamin B12 is naturally included in meat, shellfish, poultry eggs and dairy products and is absorbed through the small intestines with help from proteins made in the stomach. People that do not eat a lot of these foods are more susceptible to Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms. Vegetarians and vegans are more at risk due to their lack of food sources from animals. Other risk groups include people with intestine surgeries or intestine problems like Celiac disease or Chron’s disease. These diseases prevent the natural absorption of Vitamin B12 into the bloodstream.

Excellent sources of Vitamin B12 for those with deficiencies include nutritional supplements and fortified cereals and grains.

Please contact your doctor or health care professional if you are experiencing any of these Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms.

When you work for janitorial services, you could work in schools, factories, hospitals, or offices. The job can be hard and does require a lot of stamina. Hazards can also be associated with being a janitor. Working as a janitor for a janitorial service, you are subjected to various chemical and physical hazards. This can include lifting things on a constant basis, using heavy equipment for cleaning, bending, stooping, being on your feet for eight hours a day, using strong chemicals for cleaning purposes, and more. Any of these hazards can lead to a severe injury and could cause life-long injury.

To help minimize the risks of accidents and hazards a janitorial service should hold training sessions and go over what a janitor can do to work safely. This includes:

• A very common job for a janitor is lifting heavy equipment. To escape muscle sprains and back injuries make sure that you use proper lifting techniques. When lifting heavy things bend your knees and lift from the floor making sure that you avoid turning and twisting your back.

• To relieve stress from continuous work take short breaks

• If you are working with someone and have to lift heavy equipment ask the person working with you to help so you do not have to carry the entire load alone. It could adversely affect your body and cause an injury. You should also have on a lift belt when you have to lift a heavy load on your own or with someone else.

• Make sure that the shoes you are wearing are comfortable and have slip proof rubber soles to get a proper grip on the floor, especially if it is wet because you may have floors to mop.

• Most janitors have carts that carry their equipment like mops, brooms, dust rags, cleaners, etc. Make sure that they are in good condition and roll smoothly across the floors. If there is a wobbly wheel or other problems with the cart that you let your janitorial service know so it can be fixed. When pushing them lean forward so it makes pushing them easier. Take time to stretch after pushing the cart so you do not get kinks in your back or cause a back strain from pushing the cart too much.

• One of the main duties is cleaning the floors. It can be mopping or vacuuming the floor. Be sure that when cleaning the floor that you maintain proper body posture. When mopping make sure that the handle is held tightly and that it is done in a rhythmical motion to avoid tiring.

• When taking out the trash, cleaning the bathrooms, and messing with chemicals and cleaners wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.

The Epic T60 is a line of treadmills manufactured by the ICON Fitness company. The Epic Treadmills T60 model was recalled as a result of assembly concerns in August 2005.

Available for purchase exclusively at wholesale retail mogul, Costco, ICON’s Epic Treadmills T60 is a form of fitness equipment commonly priced at under one thousand dollars. Other Epic Treadmills are the 450 MX, the 600 MX, the 800 MX, and the 1000 MX. The fold able Epic T60 Treadmill was designed especially for a home gym, but is equipped for use in sports training, and lightweight and heavy duty fitness routines. The motor of the Epic T60 Treadmill carries a twelve year warranty. The frame of the unit is under warranty for fifteen years. Parts and labor enjoy warranty protection for one year.

The Epic T60 Treadmill sports a 3HP commercial grade continuous duty motor. The unit’s walking deck measures in at twenty by sixty, with a PWM controller. Users workout on a two-ply commercial belt. The treadmills nearly six and a half centimeter front and rear rollers adjust at an incline of up to twelve percent. There are six LED window displays and digital controls. Similar to traditional treadmills, the Epic T60 does not require use of the arms.

Featuring a cushionable platform that can be adjustable as well as large surface platform that can support up to three hundred fifty pounds, the Epic T60 Treadmill sports a strong motor, pulse sensor meters, and incline power as it’s top-selling points. The Epic T60 Treadmills keeps tabs on features like time, distance, calories burned, speed, and pulse.

Pre-programmed workout routines are popular amenities associated with Epic’s T60 model treadmill. There are ten preset programs, two pulse programs, and two user defined programs. The IFit Technology, an exclusive accessory for ICON equipment is a staple on the Epic T60 treadmill. IFit’s helps users control exercise vitals like speed and incline. Home stereos, personal computer systems, MP3 Players, IPODS, and other domestic technology can be connected to the T60 in hopes of adding sight and sound to a workout plan.

In August 2005, ICON Fitness, the company behind the award-winning NordicTrack line of fitness gear, were faced with concerns over the safety of the Epic Treadmills T60 model, particularly when assembly instructions are not followed properly. There were reports of minor foot injuries, as well as property damage. The company recalled approximately sixteen thousand models of the treadmill.

The everyday lives we live in this world can be both great and wonderful at times but sometimes life can also take a major turn for the worst and send us into a spiraling array of dismay, negativity, and depression. We’ve all dealt with bad days before at least once in our lives, so as a result here’s some quick tips on how to turn those terrible bad days in life into fantastic and positive good ones for your benefit and uplift your spirits when you’re feeling down.

1. Listen to your favorite music and new songs.

Sometimes winding down and listening to your favorite songs is the best way to relieve stress and let go of the bad things and negativity currently enveloping your life. When your having a bad day put on some of your favorite tunes when you can and able and sit down and immerse in them and remember what you liked about them even to make them become your favorite music in the first place.

2. Go for a long personal walk outside and reflect on your problems, feelings, and other things bothering you in your life.

When people are feeling down in life sometimes they just need to be alone and help find themselves in that moment and get to the source of the issue there dealing with even. Don’t be afraid to go for a personal walk alone outside like in a park or some area down the street from your home that you may or may not have been before. Once your outside walking to yourself, casually think about your life and where it’s at currently and reflect on your personal issues, what your problem may be that day, and other things that may be bugging you in your life as of now and try to resolve the emotions the best you can as you take your personal alone time outside.

3. Exercise.

Similar to the previous tip above, when your feeling down it’s always good to get your body stimulated and moving around to help shake off that negativity and allow more room for you to embrace positivity in your life. Go jogging, walking, and running down the street of your neighborhood when your down if possible and get your body motivated again for a better day today and tomorrow. Execute any other types of exercises you may enjoy doing or feel that may help you better keep your mind off things negative in your life currently.

4. Eat, Rest, and Sleep.

Another common good way to shake off troubles is to definitely eat right and get some kind of rest and sleep afterwards. Depending on your schedule for the day try to eat some of your favorite foods throughout. Try to rest your body as much as you can as well through the day as well. As soon as you get off your responsibilities and activities for the day, make it home and try to receive actual rest by obtaining as much sleep as you can before the next day rolls around.

5. Look forward to the next day.

Some of the best ways to extinguish the pain of today is to definitely look forward to tomorrow. Looking forward to a bright future certainly helps a person psychologically, emotionally, and with their mood of the day their experiencing currently. And with hopeful thinking for tomorrow all the negativity and depression you may be feeling will be only temporary and once you get some food and rest you’ll be up tomorrow in much higher spirits than before.

These are some of the best five tips provided on how to deal with a bad day. If a bad day even stumbles upon your life try these five tips out to help cope with the stress and bring more happiness and inspiration to your life.

Did you see Steve Francis in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest? Then he finished as the runner-up to Vince Carter with some sick dunks. Actually, he had a 44-inch vertical at that time! That’s right, 44 inches! Besides Vince Carter (45-inch vertical) Stevie Franchise had the highest vertical in the league at that time! And in case you didn’t know – the guy is only 6′ 3”!

“I never dunked on Shaq or Mutombo. But I got ‘Zo. Never got C-Webb. I got Patrick Ewing, Vin Baker. I remember those dunks because those guys are always saying, “You ain’t going to dunk on me,” and things like that. But I got them!”

– Steve Francis

So, how do you get such a sick vertical? As a start, it’s important to know that being able to jump high is the result of a combination of these things:

– Natural ability

– Leg strength

– Explosive power

– Overall athleticism

That means, if it’s not in your genes, you probably won’t ever be able to jump like Steve Francis. Then again, none of us can. But no matter what your vertical leap is now, you can always make it better. For motivation, just take a look at Steve Francis’ workout back in the days – it’s a

4 days a week, one hour a day workout (running and playing basketball not included, = additional 3 hours a day). Every day consists of different exercises, only certain exercises like jump rope are done every time.

Day 1 (Monday):

– Jump rope (300 jumps)

– DynaDisc figure eight Step onto a pair of discs (they look like deflated dodge balls) holding a ten-pound medicine ball. (15 figure eights in each direction)

– Seated reverse crunch Sit on a flat bench with your legs sticking straight out over the end. Supporting yourself with your arms, lean back until your upper body is at a 45-degree angle to the bench and slowly bring your knees up to your chest, keeping your upper body stable. Slowly return them to the start position to complete the move. (2 sets of 15)

– High knee-raise sprint Sprint the length of a basketball court staying on your toes and lifting your knees as high as possible. (20 sprints)

– Leg curl (2 sets of 15)

– Seated leg extension (2 sets of 15)

– Hip abduction (2 sets of 10)

– Hip adduction (2 sets of 10)

– Stability-ball dumbbell chest press Like a standard chest press but while lying with your back on the ball to get in a little more work on the core. (2 sets of 10)

– Dumbbell front raise You’re now getting into the part of the workout designed to really carve up the shoulders. Making sure your arms remain just outside of shoulder width, raise first one, then the other, for one rep. (2 sets of 15)

– Dumbbell lateral raise To work the outside of the shoulder, stand bending slightly at the waist, holding a weight in each hand, your palms facing each other. Raise your arms to the sides until they’re parallel to the ground, then return. (2 sets of 15)

– Rear deltoid dumbbell raise Lie face down on a bench set to a 45-degree incline with weights in each hand, your arms hanging off the bench and slightly bent. Keeping that same elbow bend, raise your arms to the sides until they are parallel to the ground, then return. (2 sets of 10)

– Single-arm dumbbell row Now for the back of the shoulders, hold a weight in your right hand, lean over, and place your left hand and knee on a bench for support. Keeping your back slightly arched and your shoulders parallel to the ground, draw the weight-bearing elbow up toward the ceiling, then return. (2 sets of 10, then switch sides and repeat)

– Stationary bike (25 minutes)

As for the vertical jump exercises, besides the common exercises like jump rope and calf raises, Steve used some special, very effective exercises.

Here is an example:

Stand straight up, and jump as high as you possibly can without bending your knees (your knees will bend slightly). As soon as you hit the ground, jump back up gain, and repeat this motion a number of times. This exercise is extremely effective at strengthening your lower leg muscles.

Keep in mind that vertical leap is part leg strength and part explosiveness. In fact, the explosiveness part is the more important of the two. It’s not about the size of your leg muscles, or how much weight you can put up in the gym. It’s about your athletic ability, coordination, and your ability to explode up and off the ground.

For the rest of the jumping exercises and crucial things to know about vertical jump (f.e. why often what you “don’t” do is more important then what you “do” do) please take a look at this page I strongly recommend:

Have you listened to an endless amount of gymnastics floor music demos just trying to find the perfect piece for you floor exercise routine? Are you looking for the perfect song that will display your personality, tumbling, gymnastics dance, and character to its fullest potential? If you have listened to song after song and have not found one you can connect with emotionally and physically or have not found gymnastics floor music that will accentuate your routine and make it stand out from others, don’t give up hope! If you have a great idea for a one of a kind gymnastics floor routine, then you should have your gymnastics music customized. Customized floor music is choreographed and designed just for you and is intended to fit your floor routine perfectly!

Customized gymnastics floor routine music can consist of any type of music as long as there are no words or lyrics. Gymnastics floor music consists of all genres, such as: hip-hop, techno, folk, classical, rap, country, India rock, R and B, etc. that come from from around the world from great places like England, Europe, Germany, Italy, china, Greece, etc. You can also pick your favorite songs, have them strip of all their lyrics, and add extra instrumental parts making it into a remix. They can also cut and splice many different songs and combine them together to make one exclusive gymnastics floor routine music piece!

You don’t have to be an Olympic gymnast to get customized music for gymnastics. Customized gymnastics floor music is available to gymnasts of all ages and levels. All you need is a great idea to start with! One of the great things about customized music is you can have it designed just for your likes, needs, and wants. Plus you will be the only gymnast in the whole world to have this unique, one of a kind piece.