A ‘spare tire’ seems to be unavoidable as we age, but that is NOT the case. The truth is that if we understand the changes in our metabolism and hormones due to aging, we can stop packing on the pounds around our middles.

Stubborn belly fat is not just ugly, it can also be dangerous. Doctors refer to it as ‘waist roundness’ and it has been linked to pre-diabetes and diabetes.

Other studies have linked abdominal fat to a range of other serious diseases, including:

• cancer

• high blood pressure

• high cholesterol

• heart disease

• dementia

and more.

What can you do to banish belly fat and start to slim down? Yoga can help you with both.

Yoga uses the weight of your own body to give you a good work out. You can develop great abs and a solid core in around 15 minutes of practice each day, and best of all, without having to do endless crunches.

Here are the main ways yoga can help banish belly fat:

Posture

Good posture is essential for strong muscles. Good abdominal muscles banish belly fat. Whenever you are sitting, walking or standing, check your abs. Engage your core and tighten your stomach muscles and see what a difference it can make to your belly and back. Yoga poses that can help which you can do almost anywhere include Mountain and Tree, if you don’t raise your arms.

Yoga poses for the abs

Focus on postures that are great for the abs. Try Boat, Plank and Chaturanga.

Yoga poses for the core

Pay special attention to yoga poses that are good for developing a strong core, including Dolphin plank, Side Plank and Donkey Kick.

Calories burned with yoga

All exercise will burn calories. With yoga, you can burn 500 to 800 calories an hour, up to 1,300 calories per 90 minute Bikram class (though this is not recommended for seniors or anyone with a serious health issue).

Muscles rather than fat

As you work your abs, you will develop long, lean muscle and banish belly fat.

A faster metabolism

Long, lean muscle burns calories more efficiently than fat, to help you lose weight quickly.

If you are tired of looking in the mirror at a spare tire, try yoga and see how fast you can banish belly fat forever.

There are many other benefits to practicing yoga regularly. It will not only give you a stronger and better-looking body, it can also enhance your concentration and other mental abilities.

Yoga is an excellent form of strength training, so it can be used as part of an overall exercise program that balances strength building with cardio exercise to get the heart pumping faster to exercise it more, since the heart is the most important muscle in the body.

In addition to a stronger body, you will also gain a strong mind. Yoga requires concentration and mental focus in order to achieve the poses and hold them or practice the different kinds of breathing in yoga, which are known as pranayama.

Good breathing can lead to less stress and anxiety and better overall health and vitality, which in turn can lead to better decision making and improved relationships. After all, it is hard to do anything well when you are sick.

Other valuable benefits of yoga include:

• Delaying the aging process through effective detoxification оf your body

• Decreasing fatigue

• Increasing energy throughout the day after your morning practice

• Boosting the metabolism to burn calories more efficiently

• Developing long lean muscle that can help maintain a healthy weight

• Improving the quality and duration of sleep

• Giving greater control over your body аnd mind

• Increasing body awareness, for better workouts

• Boosting self-confidence

• Offering greater relaxation аnd less stress in life

and more.

With so many benefits to yoga, what are you waiting for?

Today, there’s a plethora of advice on the web and in print concerning exercise and weight-loss. Sometimes the amount of information is overwhelming and even contradictory. This makes it difficult to start and maintain a proper exercise program. Using a personal fitness trainer is one way to engage in a structured training program that produces results.

A certified professional first considers your current level of fitness. They consult with you so they understand what you want to achieve. Individuals have different outcomes that they wish to attain in a training program.

Is your goal to lose fifteen pounds? Do you want to build up your cardio-vascular health for more stamina? Do you want to build strength to be able to enter a 10K run in your community in the future? Your personal fitness trainer will work with you to help you achieve your specific goals. Here’s 5 ways they assist you, onward to workout success:

1. They Help You Feel Comfortable with the Idea of Exercise

Let’s face it, many people fear undertaking any kind of strenuous physical activity. This is especially true in this digital age, where we often find ourselves sedentary, slaves to TVs and PCs. A personal fitness trainer educates you on the importance of an organized program.

A personal fitness trainer calms your fears by showing you their system for gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts. They don’t toss you into the fire of extreme workouts. They know that this will overwhelm you both mentally and physically. Therefore, they ease you into an enjoyable program and step-by-step you find you experience progress. This encourages you to carry on with your program.

2. They Assist You through Applying Proven Techniques Garnered From Their Experience

Hiring a proven personal fitness trainer means receiving dual benefits. First, the trainer extends to you the knowledge they gained from their personal study. A professional in this field goes through a certification process from a nationally recognized organization. This means they work to meet the strict requirements of the organization.

They meet these requirements through researching, studying and understanding the fitness discipline. Consequently, you gain the benefit of their theoretical and practical study. They impart to you the latest information, techniques and methods as concerns workouts, diet, and such.

The second benefit you receive is the knowledge that the personal fitness trainer gains from working with various people. They may have worked with someone who has the same or similar goals as you. They can share this person’s successes with you, to spur you on to success as well.

3. They Assist You by Conforming to Your Schedule

A good personal fitness trainer committed to your needs, accommodates your busy schedule. They realize that work and family responsibilities often make getting to a session at the same time each week difficult. Focusing on your success, and wanting you to maintain your program, they adapt their schedule to yours. They work with your sometimes-hectic schedule and can plan training sessions at your work, home, or a private training studio.

4. They Assist You by Ensuring You Receive Value for Your Money Each Workout

A personal fitness trainer has a job to do and they don’t waste time on inessentials. They know that each session must have a purpose. They work to ensure you attain the objective of each session. This allows you to progress steadily in your program, each session building on the one prior.

You’re paying hard-earned dollars for your fitness program. The best trainers know this and always tailor exercise routines so that your body adapts to progressively more difficult routines. Through their determination each session, you find you make headway in building strength, endurance, muscle, and lose weight as needed.

5. They Help You Achieve Multiple Fitness Goals

A qualified personal fitness trainer helps you work on different goals simultaneously. In one training session, in any given week, they may work to help you tone abdominal muscles. During that same session, they may have you build up your lungpower with some intense treadmill work. On top of that, that session may include stretching routines for greater flexibility.

A personal fitness trainer encourages open dialogue. They know that you must trust their expertise, for the relationship to produce desired results. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Your trainer is someone you will work closely with, possibly for many years.

Finding a good personal fitness trainer committed to you is certainly beneficial. You have someone knowledgeable keeping you focused on your goals. You also have a motivator, who inspires you on those days when you feel like you can’t go on. Take the time to find that “just right” trainer, and reap the many rewards that an expert in the field provides you.

The Glycemic index is a very useful indicator of foods that are healthier for our body. Low Glycemic Vegetables & Fruits can do wonders for any diet program whether it is aimed at weight loss or detoxification.

These foods especially fruits and vegetables are very fibrous, and require a long time to digest, thereby ensuring a steady supply of glucose to the blood supply rather than sudden spurts in the blood sugar levels. A List of Food Sources with the Lowest Glycemic Value is provided here so that you can truly benefit from this list:

Low Glycemic Vegetables:

All vegetables that are high in fiber have a low Glycemic index. They are not digested quickly, due to high fiber content, and are healthier compared to foods with a high G.I.

o Zucchini

o Pumpkin

o Water gourd

o Watercress

o Broccoli

o Turnips

o Radish

o Carrots

o Spinach

o Bell peppers

o Lettuce

o Cabbage

o Parsley

o Cauliflower

o Cucumber

o Mushrooms

o Yellow summer squash

o Avocados

o Brussels sprouts

Low Glycemic Fruits:

o Watermelons

o Musk melons

o Green coconut

o Tomatoes

o Berries

o Guavas

o Pears

o Apples

o Oranges

o figs

o Lime

o lemon

o Pineapples

o Kiwi.

Other foods such as whole grains, nuts, and lean meats are also useful in achieving a low Glycemic index count for your diet. This will also ensure a good supply of nutrients and fiber to your body, both if which are necessary for keeping fit healthy and energetic. Fruits and vegetables are also very rich in anti oxidants which will ensure that your body’s immune system runs better and wear and tear is repaired regularly. It is a healthy way to beat the odds of a high carb, high Glycemic index diet.

Do you agree that it is much more difficult to initiate a healthy eating plan than to start on a certain weight loss diet? Many people today seem a little confused about healthy eating and dieting. With so many dieting fads going around lately, it looks a bit difficult to distinguish what is right and what is wrong when it comes to eating habits. Fad diets can perhaps give you the desired result in less time than practicing a healthy eating regime. That is the main reason why it is call a fad diet. No one in this world can go on living with eating just one type of food. You may loose the weight that you want, but you will definitely be malnourished.

Start your own new health style through eating today. However, before that you should establish for yourself a new mindset towards dieting and eating overall. Dieting is more of a short-term event where it is rather momentary. Meanwhile going on a healthy eating plan will sets you up for the long-term result. Therefore, instead of saying you are dieting, will it be better to say that you are trying to eat healthy?

It shall begin with the most fundamental element, which is getting to know the healthy eating pyramid. The food pyramid has always been part of learning while we were in school when we were young. Nevertheless, unfortunately not many adults take it seriously anymore. The food pyramid shows all kinds of food. That is primarily because healthy eating is eating multiple types of food with the correct proportion. It also shows which type of food you should eat the most, moderately or the least of in order to get a good balance of nutrients. This way of eating is much easier to keep up with rather than any strict diets.

A healthy eating plan has many benefits. Healthy eating should enable you to increase your energy level more than usual. If you are practicing it accordingly, you can actually feel changes within your body. Besides, a good and healthy eating habit can also help you in losing weight and maintain the proper body weight for your body. Putting hereditary factor aside, naturally you should be able to reduce the risk of many common health problems if you are eating everything good and healthy.

Furthermore, a healthy eating plan also has the capability to improve an individual ability to cope with stress. There are foods that can reduce stress and there are also that makes it even worse. Foods that have high fat and carbohydrate contents are most likely the one that worsen the stress level of a person. After all, these are only a few of the benefits that one can get through healthy eating. There are a whole lot more once you get to learn more about it. The topic is rather endless. However, whatever they may be, there are actually only a few basic guidelines for a healthy body; that is to learn more, eat healthy, exercise regularly and keep a positive mind at all time.

The treadclimber is a versatile piece of gym equipment that has the ability to combine the benefits of the stair stepper machine and a treadmill. It is a great choice if you are looking to introduce some cardio activity to the existing strength training workout. Here are several benefits of using the treadclimber machine:

Cardiovascular

The treadclimber is a great option to increase the daily cardio activity. Even a moderately active session of 30-60 minutes per day has the potential to help lower the risk of heart disease, increase the ability to burn calories, make an improvement in good cholesterol (HDL) levels and lower the blood pressure. Overall, the cardio benefits of this machine are regarded as its major strength.

Muscle Tone

The legs perform a constant stair-stepping action while using this piece of equipment which can play a significant role in toning the muscles in the legs. The treadclimber provides a movement that is quite similar to walking up stairs or uphill. This can benefit the major muscle groups such as the hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps and calves.

Weight Loss

A consistent workout plan that makes use of the treadclimber is certain to help in your attempt to lose weight. For instance, a 25-30 minute workout at a speed of 3 miles per hour has the potential to burn about 315 calories. By losing weight at this pace it is possible to drop nearly 1 pound of body fat per 9-10 days of working out.

The treadclimber is more efficient at burning calories than the stair climber and treadmill. It is believed the treadclimber can burn up to 3-1/2 times more calories than a treadmill and nearly 35% more than using a stair climber.

Versatile use

Similar to the star climber, elliptical machine and treadmill, the treadclimber makes it possible to increase the level of intensity or difficulty. This makes it much easier to exercise at a comfortable level when first starting out, and later increase the difficulty level when the body gets used to the workout. By increasing the intensity it is possible to avoid a plateau and make sure your body gets the most out of each and every workout.

Are there any negatives

In addition to the many positives of using the treadclimber, there are also a few issues that may limit its usage for some people. For instance, it isn’t designed to be run on and therefore the pace may be too slow for some. Also, the weight limit on these machines is generally limited to about 300 pounds.

Quick note before reading this article: You may not know the T.V. character Jack Bauer, and that’s okay! In this article you’ll still learn a valuable tip that you can follow to help you get results with losing weight and getting in shape!

The beloved character, Jack Bauer, from the beloved hit T.V. show some years back, “24”, has certainly resonated with people beyond just entertainment value. People have connected to this character in so many ways in relations to their own lives. That being said, if you want to start losing weight and getting in better shape, there is one aspect of Jack Bauer that if you adopt into your mindset when dieting and exercising, I can assure you, you WILL get massive results! To learn more, continue reading…

You see, without his shoulder bag, his weapons, and the much loved Chloe, Jack wouldn’t have gotten very far with a mission… or would he? If Jack didn’t have any of those things, would he make it out of some of the most impossible situations? If you are a fan of the show, then your answer is more than likely… HECK YES!

Throughout the seasons of 24, you’ll see Jack getting out of insane situations that anyone else would have certainly not had any luck in. And the reason why he got out of crazy situations and ended up completing missions successfully is because of one constant philosophy he followed… and this philosophy is what I recommend you follow if you want to lose weight and get in shape…

That philosophy is to do whatever it takes to accomplish the tasks at hand. And when I say “whatever”, I mean WHATEVER it takes to accomplish the tasks at hand!

This is certainly not difficult with dieting and exercising as compared to Jack surviving a Chinese prison camp, or avoiding certain death from a Mexican drug cartel, or threatening an ex-President, and more!

Many people approach diet and exercise with a mindset that if their set plan can’t be followed for some reason, then they have to either give up or get another plan. If you want success, you can NOT think that way! You have to think along the lines that if your plan isn’t working, then you need to quickly improvise, adapt, and overcome… and FIND A WAY to accomplish the tasks at hand.

What are the tasks at hand?

Well, that depends. It depends on whatever your plan is and what your goals are. Tasks will be different amongst everyone.

For you, your goals may be to lose 20 pounds, burn off 15% body fat, and put on some lean muscle tissue. The tasks would be something like going on a metabolism boosting diet, doing high intensity interval cardio, low intensity cardio first thing in the morning, and of course, muscle building workouts. For someone else, their goals may be different… and therefore, their tasks will be different.

Now, if situations pop up that makes it difficult for you to accomplish your daily tasks for improving your body, then you must have the mindset that you are going to do SOMETHING… ANYTHING… WHATEVER, to achieve success for the day! Don’t feel as if you can’t achieve a full workout or eat a full healthy meal, etc., that you have just failed. You find a way to STILL make healthy decisions… regardless.

Taking this approach will do 2 things. One, you’ll have a major boost to your willpower. And secondly, you’ll quickly reach your goals!

Bottom line, whatever it is you are trying to achieve with your body, understand that if you find it difficult to stick to your pan, that doesn’t mean you should quit or find a different plan all together. It means that you need to analyze, adjust, and do whatever it takes to achieve your personal daily goals. In the end, Jack Bauer had a poetic exit from his career as a CTU agent, and it wasn’t because he followed all the rules, it was because he did WHATEVER it took to get the job done!

Why is there such a mystery surrounding the Bruce Lee workout?

His workouts have been well documented, and he even left notes. Bruce Lee tried just about every piece of exercise equipment that was available in his day. One of them was called the Tensolator.

What is the Tensolator?

Essentially, it consisted of two tubes, one sliding into the other with handles at each end and a steel cable covered by plastic wrapping it. I know it’s hard to visualize. You really have to see it, in a moment I will show you what it looked like.

The Tensolator, used a coiled spring to provide resistance and incorporated isometrics into its training program. The creator of the Tensolator, Gert F. kolbel, a German inventor designed this portable home gym after a device that was being used for research in a major German Think Tank.

The Bruce Lee workout included the use of the Tensolator to increase punching power, speed and muscle size. There are pictures of Bruce Lee, using it in place of dumbbells to increase the power and speed of his 1 inch punch.

In the book, The Art of Expressing the Body by Bruce Lee and John Little, he spelled out his Tensolator training program. Even though the original Tensolator only allowed for 24 exercises for the entire body, it was enough for Bruce Lee.

Here is the Bruce Lee workout for the Tensolator according to Bruce Lee’s notes:

Chest-

Chest Compression.

Twisting.

Arms-

Bow and Arrow

Vertical Compression

Biceps — Standing and Kneeling

Forearm

Shoulders-

Behind the Head Compression.

Above the Head Compression

Door Corner Press.

Stomach-

Sitting Pulling Downward

Kneeling Compression.

Oblique Compression

Back-

Kneeling Pulling Downwards

Vertical Compression on Thigh

Behind Buttocks Compression

Lean over Compression.

Dead Lift.

Leg-

Stiff Legged Outward Stretch

Knee Outward Stretch

Standing Calf Press Down.

Knee Squeezing Inward on Grip

Lifting in Step Upward.

Circulation Exercise

Bruce Lee was obsessed with making his body as powerful as possible and no doubt he achieved his goal

Here are some of the feats of strength that he performed:

* Lee’s striking speed from three feet with his hands down by his side reached five hundredths of a second.

* Lee’s combat movements were at times too fast to be captured on film at 24fps, so many scenes were shot in 32fps to put Lee in slow motion. Normally martial arts films are sped up.

* In a speed demonstration, Lee could snatch a dime off a person’s open palm before they could close it, and leave a penny behind.

* Lee could perform push ups using only his thumbs

* Lee would hold an elevated v-sit position for 30 minutes or longer.

* Lee could throw grains of rice up into the air and then catch them in mid-flight using chopsticks.

* Lee performed one-hand push-ups using only the thumb and index finger

* Lee performed 50 reps of one-arm chin-ups.

* From a standing position, Lee could hold a 125 lb (57 kg) barbell straight out.

* Lee could break wooden boards 6 inches (15 cm) thick.

* Lee performed a side kick while training with James Coburn and broke a 150-lb (68 kg) punching bag

* In a move that has been dubbed “Dragon Flag”, Lee could perform leg lifts with only his shoulder blades resting on the edge of a bench and suspend his legs and torso perfectly horizontal midair.

* Lee could thrust his fingers through unopened steel cans of Coca-Cola, at a time before cans were made of the softer aluminum metal.

* Lee could use one finger to leave dramatic indentations on pine wood.

If you are like many people, you have neglected your well-being for longer than you would like to admit. Usually, it is only when one realizes they have not been fair to their health they decide to change. Is it your moment? It may be time to change a few things in your life, particularly by adopting new habits and eliminating the ones causing you harm. Notably, this likely includes your diet and physical activity patterns, because these are the two most important factors in determining your health and well-being.

That said, let’s focus on nutrition. There is a good chance your diet could use some changes, and that is putting it mildly. It is imperative you look after your diet and nutrition because this is the source of most health problems affecting adults today. Complications develop in the absence of healthy eating…

• Type 2 diabetes,
• obesity, and
• cardiovascular disease

are some examples. Do not underestimate the issues brought on by these conditions – do not be like most people by making this common mistake.

On the other hand, you will be able to reap the rewards. There is so much to gain with a balanced diet in practice and an acute awareness of human nutrition. Seriously: a longer life ultimately more fulfilling is undeniably a benefit of healthy eating.

But before anything happens, you must temper your expectations. There is no telling where your health will stand tomorrow. We are all vulnerable to misfortune, and sometimes there is only so much we can do. However, it is sad millions of people are afflicted with crippling conditions like obesity and Type 2 diabetes. These are diseases that can be prevented and treated almost entirely through individual action: with healthy eating as the primary tool.

Do not leave your circumstances up to chance. The statistics don’t lie – Type 2 diabetes and several other serious related health problems are incredibly dangerous and guaranteed to hinder your quality of life. It is a likely time for you to pay attention to nutrition and adopt a healthy diet. Even if it is overdue, the changes you make today will make a positive difference come tomorrow.

There is no shortage of information available on how to eat healthily and how to construct a diet suitable for you and your goals. But you have to care enough to educate yourself. You must be aware of the complications you would likely be at risk of developing otherwise. Time spent on learning the concepts and nuances of nutrition and applying what you have learned is not wasted. It is spent on your health which is without a doubt the best investment you could ever make.

Francois Henri LaLanne’s (1914-2011) famous diet and exercise routine paved the way for him to become an American health icon. He opened the first public gym in Oakland, Ca and is best known for his TV show on fitness. But, he started out as a junk food addict as a kid until he was embarrassed by a failure to pass a routine physical exam in school. This upset and motivated him to attend health lectures that re-directed his life.

WORKOUT: LaLanne’s workout routine began with a series of stretches in bed as soon as he woke around 5am. He then went to one of his weight rooms, one had free weights and the other had weight-lifting machines. He worked the lower body one day and the upper body the next and the entire routine was changed every 30 days. After 90 minutes of weight lifting, he went to the pool for swimming and water exercises for another 30 minutes.

DIET: He ate only two meals a day. The first meal was at 11am after the workout and the second around 7pm usually at a cafe with his wife. His breakfast consisted of fruit, oatmeal, broth, and four egg whites.

His restaurant dinners began with a salad of 10 raw vegetables and four hard boiled egg whites. Fish was consumed almost every night and roasted turkey occasionally. He ate no other types of meat and did not snack between meals. His juicer became popular because Jack just couldn’t eat that many raw vegetables. He found juicing made it easier to consumer the large amount of veggies he wanted.

VITAMINS: In addition to a disciplined diet, Jack took 40 to 50 vitamins and minerals on a daily basis. It’s too long of a list to print here, but can be found on his website. However, he never relied on supplements to replace any foods, he just view it as an “insurance policy.”

ALCOHOL: Being a Frenchman himself, he believed in drinking wine because he noticed that the French tend to live longer in their wine culture. He allowed himself this pleasure apart from his discipline and was even know to get drunk at times.

He published his last book when 95 years old, Live Young Forever that influenced me to change my breakfast to oatmeal and raisins-his favorite. He passed away a little more than a year later at 96 years old from pneumonia.

CONCLUSION: There are areas of contention in his routine. It’s true that Jack placed weights ahead of aerobic exercise. In his diet, he derived most protein from egg whites and fish rather than more diverse sources. His heavy vitamin consumption may have not helped much as absorption rates were lower then. And he probably drank a bit too much at times. But, it’s his long term devotion to a healthy diet and challenging exercise that set him apart.

Allen, R. 4-8-15 Jack LaLanne Workout Retrieved from muscleprodigy.com/jack-lalanne-workout/

The Atkins, a well renowned diet has come with numerous condemns. Doctors, health and diet specialists have given different views on this particular aspect. Some believe that is a very hazardous diet and others firmly say, it is a very healthy mode to lose excess weight and some pronounce that it helps out on an interim basis.

There are thousands of folks who found a great success with the use of this diet. They can talk out from their personal experience and they know the working of the diet and say it is an effectual way of reducing weight. There are testimonials which advertise the advantage of this low carb living style.

There are numerous criticisms on the Atkins diet. The major one is that this diet is very high on fats. The use of butter, fatty meats and oil are much far off from the low fat diet style that very recently influenced the country. Many people have still not understood the idea behind eating butter and oil with their food, where they want to lose weight. They fathom as to much fat in their first look. However they strictly listen to the advice given by Dr. Atkins and pursue the program as they know it concentrates on good diet fad. Other helpful facts and the use of virgin oil are emphasized. The appropriate use of this oil is necessary for brain function and management.

The other most important criticism is that this diet concentrates significantly on food and very little exercise. The food choices absolutely differ from the usual diet of the people. This does not give rise to the statement” exercise does not form an essential part in this program”. Both the Aerobic and anaerobic exercises are given much importance and also, they help in losing weight drastically.

Many of the critics feel that this diet would not work for a long period. They do agree that this diet is incredibly effective on short term basis but difficult to maintain over a period time. There are people who pursue on as long term basis and claim it as one of the uncomplicated diets that can be followed. This Atkins program considers the use of rich food that is proscribed in others and has appetite-repressing effects.

When combined with the swift weight loss which is an encouraging factor for many, it is easy to put on with it for a long period.

The use of Atkins has also some consequences such as bad breath, constipation and these are pin pointed quickly. These side effects are not common as they critics express. They do occur, but only in the first segment of the diet. Drinking excess of water will generally ensure that the effects are cured immediately.

None of the diets are free from pros and cons. If you don’t intend to prepare or use much of meat then this diet is not the one suggested for you. If you are very concerned on using the Atkins diet then you must be ready to look beyond the general criticisms to infer veracity of the diet.