When I was young, I loved to run. It did not matter whether it was raining or snowing, I would be running early in the morning. If I let a few days go by without running, I would begin to feel sluggish. I enjoyed running not only for the exercise but also for the benefit of clearing my mind as I would begin a new day. When I didn’t run, I would wake up focusing on the problems that I would have that day or the days ahead. But running gave me a respite from the problems around me.

As I have got older, I have found that my body can’t take the abuse from running. My bones and joints began to give me some issues. I have found that skating, whether it be inline or roller skating can be a great replacement for running. I have found that skating can give me all the same benefits as running but without further damaging my bones and joints.

When I ran, the souls of my feet were absorbing the impact when my feet hit the ground. But when I would be roller or inlining, the skates would be absorbing much more, as much as 50 percent of the impact with each landing. Because the frames and wheels take the brunt of the impact, I found that my knees and ankles were not greatly impacted.

What this meant to me was that I could continue my exercising via skating without further damaging my joints, because of the minimum impact. I also found that I could skate longer than when I was running, which meant that I could burn more calories.

So if you are considering taking up this sport or have been running and thinking about taking skating up as a sport, let me share with you some of the benefits,

Clarity of Mind: This is a great benefit that is often over-looked by vigorous exercise. Whether you are skating intensely or casually, your mind will benefit.

Strengthen the Heart: This is quite obvious. Just like running, skating gives your heart a great workout without damaging your joints! In fact I think skating gives a better workout because you can do it for a longer period of time. If you are doing this for 30 minutes, you can get your heart rate up to 148pm

Weight Control: Since skating is a fun sport, you will get your exercise by having fun at the same time! If you spend 30 minutes on the skates, you will burn on average 285 calories. If you go fast on the skates, the calories burned will be much greater.

Coordination: When a child is young, this is very important to learn. But as we get older, it is very good to engage in a sport that continues to improve your coordination and balance. All this happen naturally as you skate.

The perception of appearance depends on the concept of proportion and symmetry. There is even a mathematical formula, the phi ratio, which proves this. Your ultimate beauty depends on how the various parts fit together. While it is usually felt that plastic surgery and exercise are mutually exclusive, I feel the reverse is the case. There is a true symbiosis between them.

Dissatisfaction with certain areas of your body led you to undergo liposuction. You had these stubborn areas of fat that the procedure removed. Of course you look better but do you look as good as you can? Does the body as a whole have its ultimate look or can some spots be refined with the proper exercises to bring the whole package into ideal aesthetic proportion and symmetry?

The liposuction set the stage to allow the results of the proper exercises to be more appreciated. However, all exercise regimens are different in what they accomplish in respect to sculpting the body. The exercises that follow are the ones which are specifically designed to contour and define the torso and the limbs.

Too many people assume that preferred method of exercise is aerobics. While this does reduce your overall body fat percentage, it merely leaves you as a smaller version of how you started. A large pear becomes a small pear.

Others, caught up in the catch word of the day, concentrate on core training as is emphasized with yoga and Pilates. Again, you definitely gain in fitness but both yoga Pilates lack the ability to spot enhance to ideally proportion the body.

Training with machines is like using stencils. They seem simple to use but keep you locked in directions that may not be ideal for your anatomy.

Following liposuction, the need is to re-proportion the body to match the surgically improved areas as well as maintaining these improvements. The abdomen, hips, thighs and buttocks can now be further tightened. The arms, shoulders and legs can be sculpted and defined. Here are the ten exercises to improve your liposuction results.

I’m sure everyone wants a firmer, shapelier derriere.

Wide stance or sumo dumbbell squat

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in, hanging down. Keep your head up, eyes looking directly in front of you, back straight and your feet spaced as wide as comfortable. Either hold a dumbbell in each had or a vertically oriented heavier dumbbell with both hands between your thighs. Inhale and squat down until your upper thighs are parallel with the floor. Keep your back straight and knees wide apart. Return to the starting position and exhale. The descent should be slow and controlled. The ascent should be accelerated. Repeat.

Dumbbell front lunge

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in, hanging down. Keep your head up, eyes looking directly in front of you, back straight and your feet about a foot apart. Inhale and step forward with your right leg as far as possible until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Your left leg should be held as straight as possible, not bending at the knee any more than is necessary. Step back to starting position. Do the required number of repetitions and repeat with the other leg.

Dumbbell stiff legged dead lift

Using a foot stance slightly narrower than shoulder width, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping your legs straight, back straight and head up inhale and lower the weights until you feel a stretch in the back of the legs. Then keeping the legs straight and back straight, return to the upright position while exhaling.

Now we have what I call the spaghetti strap exercises.

Bent over two dumbbell rowing- elbows forward

Using a close foot stance, place a dumbbell on each side of your feet. Bend forward at the waist and grasp the dumbbells in both hands with your knees slightly bent to take the pressure off your lower back. Turn your palms to face your legs. Pull the dumbbells directly up to the sides of your chest keeping your elbows out and your upper arms perpendicular to your body. Hold momentarily and then slowly lower the dumbbells under control. Exhale as you lift and inhale as you lower. Keep the back straight and the head up.

Hand on bench one arm dumbbell rowing-palm facing in

Place a dumbbell on the floor along side a flat bench. Place the right knee and your right palm on the bench with your back straight and parallel to the bench. Grasp the dumbbell in your left hand with the palm facing the bench and extend your left leg back. Keeping the elbow close to the body, pull the dumbbell straight up to your chest. Hold a moment and then lower slowly under control. Perform the desired number of repetitions and then reverse position with your left knee and left palm on the bench, your right leg back and the dumbbell in your right hand. Remember to keep the elbow in close to the body as you lift the dumbbell.

To firm, define and reduce the jiggling of the arms, we have the following trio.

Rotating lateral-front raise

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand hanging at arms length with your palms facing your thighs. Keeping the arms straight, raise the dumbbells to a little above shoulder height, keeping the arms parallel to the ground rotate the dumbbells forward to touch in front of your chest. Keeping the dumbbells together, with the palms facing down, lower the dumbbells to the front of the thighs with the palms facing the thighs. Maintaining the dumbbells in front of you, lift them in a semicircular path to in front of your face with the arms parallel to the ground. Keeping the arms parallel to the ground, rotate the dumbbells laterally and lower to the sides. The motion is raising to the side, lowering to the front, then raising to the front and lowering to the sides. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Alternating hammer curls

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand erect with the feet about shoulder width apart. Keep your back straight. Bend the knees slightly to relieve pressure on the lower back. The dumbbells are hanging at arm’s length at your sides with the palms facing in. Curl the dumbbell in your right hand, maintaining the position of the palm facing in to the level of the right shoulder. Lower under control with the palm facing inward until the dumbbell is in the original position. Now do the same motion with the left hand as the right hand remains by your side. Alternate the two hands.

Lying supine two dumbbell triceps press

Lie on a flat bench. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing one another and lift them to arms length keeping them in line with your shoulders. Inhale and lower both dumbbells straight down in a semicircular motion by bending your elbows but keeping your upper arms vertical and elbows pointed to the ceiling throughout the movement. The dumbbells should be lowered until the forearms and biceps touch. Lift the dumbbells back to the starting position using the same path as your exhale.

To get that tight, flat abdomen, try these.

Crunch

Lie on the floor with your knees bent at a 45 degree angle. Cross your arms over your chest. Inhale and contract your abdominal muscles to lift your shoulders off the floor. Squeeze the abdominal muscle and hold for a moment. Return to the starting position and exhale. Once you can do 15 repetitions, hold a 15 pound dumbbell on your chest. Progress to heavier weights as you can complete 15 repetitions.

Reverse crunch

Lie on your back with your legs straight up in the air. Steadying yourself with your arms, lift your buttocks up and hold, pushing your toes toward the ceiling. Lower slowly and repeat until failure.

The proper exercise training can greatly enhance the results of liposuction. Why settle for less?

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What is polarized training in relation to cycling?

A polarized model for cycling training concerns spending most of the time spent training at low intensities and less, but still significant time spent training at higher intensities. Low intensity here is defined as anything below the cyclist’s lactate threshold, and high intensity is any endurance training performed above the lactate threshold.

It’s distinct from what’s been called a “Threshold model” where considerable time is spent training at or around the lactate threshold, middle intensity range. The polarized training model has come to light in recent years after the work of Stephen Seiler and colleagues.

Why train using a polarized model?

It’s still unclear exactly why the polarised model seems to be the chosen intensity distribution for top performers in many endurance sports, but there have been several theories put forward as well as anecdotal evidence.

Many coaches who have had success using this model agree that training at the lactate threshold excessively induces too much stress on the athlete for the amount of fitness benefit they can reasonably expect to gain. It has been referred to as the “blackhole” of training, where the training is too hard to promote recovery and not hard enough to induce large favourable adaptions.

This intensity distribution may play into the psychology of the athlete. When only having to “dig deep” and train very intensively about 1 in ever 5 training sessions, the athlete is likely to feel that the training is more manageable and that they can mentally refresh before having to suffer through a painful session again. By being mentally and physically recovered by the time of their next high intensity workout, athletes arguably get the most from these sessions and may be less likely to suffer from overtraining syndrome or burnout.

Practical considerations

As an endurance athlete, it may be wise to adopt some or all of the characteristics of the polarized model into your own endurance training. Here are some practical ways that a cyclist could action some of the recommendations:

• Increase overall training time by vastly increasing time spent training at low intensities (far below lactate threshold, <2Mml lactate, Zone 1, 2 and 3 heart rate and power)
• Train conservatively at the lactate threshold intensities at appropriate times in the season
• Spend more training time towards the VO2Max level of intensity, using interval repetitions of ~5-8 minutes.
• Include very easy days for rest and recuperation.
• Learn how to train with a power meter in order to closely monitor training intensities using a time-in-zone method.

When it comes to your heart and fitness training, the two are definitely linked. There are many benefits that can be had from fitness training, not the least of all to your heart. Whether or not you have heart problems, your heart and fitness training go hand in hand for a healthy lifestyle. This is because both your body and your heart will be doing a lot better if you get into regular fitness training routine.

The main thing that is affected with your heart and fitness training is the blood flow. The blood flow will be a lot better if you workout on a regular basis. This is because moving around and getting your blood moving increase circulation. Improved circulation can help with a variety of health problems. Not only that, but it can actually help avoid a lot of health problems before they even start. Besides helping with a variety of health problems, improved circulation can help raise your metabolism. Which in turn can help you lose weight even quicker.

Another benefit to your heart and fitness training is if you have problems with your cholesterol. It has been shown that a lot of people with high cholesterol are overweight. The weight is definitely a factor in the bad cholesterol. By losing just a few pounds it has been shown that you can lower your cholesterol by a few points. Even just a short walk four or five times a week can make a difference. You don’t have to workout very hard and lose a ton of weight; even a few pounds can make a difference. Lowering your cholesterol can reduce a lot of stress on your heart. This aspect of your heart and fitness training is definitely a great one to take advantage of if you fall into this category. Even if your cholesterol isn’t that bad, if it runs in your family you should take advantage of this as well. By starting now you can avoid problems in the future.

No matter what you do, make sure you get a doctor’s advice first. This is especially true if you have heart problems to start with. A doctor can give you some options for exercise that will not put too much stress on your heart. Yet a doctor can also let you know which ones will be best for your heart while still being able to lose weight.

In the end you can see that there are many benefits when it comes to your heart and fitness training. Once you get out there and take advantage of these benefits you will be glad you did. Whether you are trying to improve your heart or just avoid future heart problems, fitness training can definitely help.

The problem of erectile dysfunction is a growing symptom in many men today. Instead of calling it a medical symptom, many sexologists prefer calling ED an issue of the time being. Instead of having medicines the problem can be resolved by maintaining a healthy lifestyle as well as sexual life. If you’re suffering from erectile dysfunction, that means you’re unable to hold the erection for long during intercourse and suffering from a premature ejaculation. It’s high-time when you must give it a thought and instead of panicking and mal-practicing imbecile ideas shared here and there, you can follow a couple of tips to avoid erectile dysfunction.

1. Follow a proper diet

Watch your daily diet to avoid ED. If you live a fast life and don’t maintain a proper healthy eating habit or any of the healthier lifestyle options such as maintaining eating and sleeping time and so on then it’s the high time to reconsider it.

2. Consult a dietitian

Instead of randomly choosing a diet schedule, consult a good dietitian that can suggest you a nutritious diet chart understanding your situation. Men are supposed to keep their heart in a good condition as it helps in circulation blood. Nutritious food such as green vegetables, fruits, white meat such as chicken and fish helps in improving the overall blood circulation by maintaining the heart that helps immensely in avoiding issues like erectile dysfunction.

3. Live a stress-free life

You must try living a stress-free life. Don’t let the work-pressure or other family issues take a toll on you. To de-stress you can opt for an evening walk or choose a yoga session. Visiting a spa for massage is also a great idea to de-stress.

4. Check on your weight

If you’re gaining weight, it’s high time to check on it. By following the healthy diet you can balance the weight easily.

5. Workout daily

Daily exercising is strongly recommended to men to avoid ED. It helps in burning calorie, improving the lean muscles, burning fat, and improving the blood circulation.

6. Sleep well

You need ample sleep to avoid the premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction. For your better performance in bed, you must sleep well to energize your cells.

7. Reduce alcohol and stop-smoking

Men with the habit of smoking and drinking alcohol should restrain their passion. To improve your sexual life, you can do this much to avoid the issue of erectile dysfunction.

Weight loss is hard. It's not easy to lose weight, even when you are at home and can cook for yourself. You want to keep track of your calories , which is made simpler when you prepare the food. If you prepare it, you know what's in the food, and so you can keep track of calories.

But what do you do when you are traveling or on vacation? Does your weight loss program stop as soon as you leave the house?

There is no doubt that it is more challenging to lose weight when you are eating out. You have no way of determining exact portion sizes, and you do not know for sure how much extra sugar has been added to sauces and everything else you eat.

However, you can still lose weight while you are on vacation, if you follow these simple tips:

1. Exercise. Even if you are traveling, you can still exercise, and we know that exercise is one of the keys to weight loss. Bring your exercise clothes and work out in the fitness area at the hotel. Go for a swim instead of sitting in your hotel room watching television. Even better, walk. If you set aside half an hour per day to go for a walk, you will feel refreshed, explore your new city, and burn some calories.

2. Eat in for breakfast. Most hotels have a kitchenette or in room mini-bar refrigerator. Buy some milk and cereal and a plastic bowl and spoon, and have cereal for breakfast while you are traveling. It's quick, inexpensive, and a lot fewer calories than a hotel breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausages and hash browns.

3. Pack a lunch. If you can, pack a lunch. By bringing your own lunch, you have control over what you are eating. If you can not pack a lunch:

4. Find a deli for lunch. A sandwich or other healthy meal is better than fast food for lunch.

5. Use the internet to plan your meals. Many restaurants post their menus, with nutritional information, on the internet. Find out what restaurants are in the city you will be visiting, and check out their menus in advance. If you know what healthy food is on the menu, you can decide in advance what to order.

A trip or vacation does not mean you suspend your weight loss program. With some advance planning you can lose weight , even while traveling.

The fitness weight climbing machine has been overlooked as a valuable piece of equipment that promotes a more ‘natural’ weight loss routine.

Running has played a large part in our lives, especially those of us who wish to keep fit and keep that gut down before we get too old and too tired. For many people, especially overweight individuals, running is a high impact workout that can be damaging to their joints, especially their ankles and knees. Jogging or running can also be difficult for those suffering from a variety of medical conditions.

Benefit No. 1 Low impact

The pressure on the joints during a run is tremendous, especially for beginners and overweight people looking to shed a few inches of their waist. This is why many fitness professionals and health doctors have been weaning people towards the ecclesiastical post modern silhouette of the fitness climbing machine.

Benefit No. 2 Good Cardiovascular Exercise

For those who raise the flag of running high in the air, the cardio vascular benefits of fitness weight climbing machines are excellent, comparable and sometimes exceeding that of normal running. And because it is low impact, there is a reduced chance of injury and it gives the end user a boost, allowing him or her to stay on the machine that little bit longer.

Benefit No. 3 Excellent Total Body Workout

Fitness climbing machines also strengthen a whole host of lower body muscles, including quadriceps, gluteals, calves, hamstrings and basically everything below the waist. Furthermore, these machines have variable resistance which can be adjusted by the user, which means he or she can tailor the workout to meet their individual needs. Also, it means that fitness climbing is a progressive experience, improvements are tangible the end user can tailor the next workout for differing fitness objectives, once one has already been met.

The best benefit of a fitness weight climbing machine is the fact that it is a ‘closed kinetic’ chain movement. This means that the machines offer the user a more natural movement in their joints, closely matching daily activities like climbing the stairs or striding. The body weight is also ‘leaned into’ the machine, promoting distribution all over the specific supporting joints, diminishing the possibility of fatigue on a single body part and lessening the risk of serious or mild injury.

Start learning about the proper guidelines and bio-mechanics of using such machines, optimising them for the best result. There are many guidebooks that offer exercise variations, movements that will give you a fresh perspective on fitness climbing machines. Their potential is limitless in the hunt for a healthier lifestyle. Online directories and information suppositories offer a wealth of advice.

Unfortunately, there are many websites that offer lack-lustre training methodologies. For years I have advocating cutting edge methods of losing weight and staying in shape. If you want to shape your body now, you should simply visit “Shape Your Body Now”!

Running will always be the mainstay. But it isn’t for everyone. The alternative is just as good, and in some cases twice as safe. The option is really up to you, but if you are an individual who either wants a change in their workout routine – fitness weight climbing machines give a fresh new perspective.

If you want to continue your strength training at home, then you need to invest in some strength training equipment. There are various kinds available in the market and they come in all price ranges. From the most basic stability balls to portable resistance bands to the more complicated home-gym systems, there is a variety of fitness equipment to choose from. Here’s a list of the types of strength training equipment you can buy for your home gym.

1. Exercise bench. If you’re really working on a tight budget, an exercise bench is one piece of equipment you really need. Ranging in price from $100 to $500, this is the very basic yet versatile fitness equipment must have. From bench presses to sit ups to bicep curls, an exercise bench services many traditional exercise routines.

2. Resistance bands. These colorful rubber pieces are portable resistance training equipment. They come in different diameters marked with different colors to indicate tension levels and are quite popular strength training aids because of their affordability (they only cost from 50-$100) and adaptability. And because they’re portable, they can be brought anywhere with you so you can continue with your resistance training exercises even if you’re far away from home.

3. Dumbbells. Strength training usually starts with dumbbells which you can purchase by the pound or in sets. At $500, they are original pieces of resistance equipment that can jumpstart your strength training program. They can be used for a variety of isolation as well as multiple joint exercise routines and they come in different lengths and diameters for both men and women.

4. Stability balls. These air-inflatable, highly functional pieces of strength training equipment aren’t only for resistance training. They are also used for balance and flexibility exercises as well. Ranging in price from $20 to $60, this resistance training equipment will never make any workout routine boring or stale.

5. Free weight systems. If you are an advanced exerciser, the challenge offered by free weight systems are just right to give you the routine you need to stay fit. A fusion of home gyms and health club bench systems, this type of fitness equipment can give that “gym feel” to any home workout for an average price of $800.

6. Home gym systems. The all-in-one strength training equipment, home gyms have weights, pulleys, cables, guide rods, steel frames, and pads and enable the exerciser to do the workout routines usually possible only in a gym setting in the comfort of your very own home. While it’s a very versatile piece of equipment, it’s also a very bulky one to have so you need to have ample space in your own home before you decide to buy one. It’s not easy on the pocket as well. The most complete machines could set you backwards by as much as $15,000 while the most basic ones by $3,000. The good thing about home gym systems is that aside from being able to do a variety of exercises here, they’re also durable pieces of fitness equipment that you can depend for your exercise needs for a long time to come.

We've all started an exercise program, gotten all excited about it, but then gave up on it a week or two later. While we start out super motivated, that excitement fades quickly. The key to sticking to an exercise program is finding a way to keep that original motivation. Here are a few tips for getting for getting and staying motivated.

• Find a role model. Many women get motivated to diet and work out by taping up pictures of models or actresses. This is actually a great way to remind yourself what your goals are and keep a visual of them fresh in your mind. Just be sure to pick an appropriate role model and not someone with unhealthy eating and exercise habits or an unachievable image.

• Set small goals. If you start out setting tough goals, you probably will not achieve them and will then become discouraged. The key is to set smaller, easy to achieve goals and work your way up. Start with "I will work out three days this week". Once you get yourself into a routine, get yourself to work out harder and do more during each session.

• Reward yourself. Setting goals is good way to get yourself into a workout program. If you have trouble keeping yourself going, try rewarding yourself when you reach a goal. Do not go with big rewards, just small rewards for reaching small goals. For example, I can go to that movie if I work out three times this week. If you're working out to lose weight, just do not reward yourself with food.

• Get a buddy. Having someone to workout with can help keep your mind off the work and keep you entertained. That means you're more likely to want to go work out. Having a buddy also makes it harder for you to skip your workout because you'll be letting someone else down and they'll be there to talk you into going even if you do not feel like it. If you can not find a buddy to go with you, you can always hire a personal trainer to keep you going.

• Make it fun. Exercise does not have to be boring a repetitive. If you do not like your exercise routine, change it. Keep looking until you find something you enjoy doing. This way, you'll end up looking forward to exercise instead of dreading it.

• Mix it up. Even the most exciting workout can get boring if you do it over and over every day. Find several exercises you like to do and alternate. Try swimming Mondays, bicycling on Wednesdays, and a Pilates tape on Saturday. Any time you find yourself getting bored with a workout, replace it in your rotation for a while and start it again in a few months.

Do not take it too seriously. If you start acting like exercise is hard work, it will become hard work. Make your exercise a light, fun, activity rather than a chore you have to do. This will keep you from getting a bad attitude and make you less likely to give up.

Do you know which is one of the best exercises for your body? It’s walking! Strange hey, my first thought always was that it would be something like jogging, HIIT training or something more strenuous for your body.

Walking is one of the best exercises out there simply because it has a gentle low impact on your body. And if you step your workout up a notch, brisk walking can provide the same health benefits as jogging.

The great thing about walking and why I recommend it to everyone who is beginning on their weight loss journey is because it is simple to perform and is gentle on your body. Plus because it is one of the simplest exercises out there it is easier to stick with and do long-term.

The hardest part of weight loss is just getting started that is why walking is such a great starting point. You can even make it a social event by inviting your friends and family and create bonding experiences while burning fat! That’s what is called a walking club and there are many of them that already exist.

1. Ease into walking. Let’s face not everyone is a seasoned fitness professional! So if you are just begging your weight loss journey, it’s a good idea just to start off slow and easy like doing just 1 lap around the block. Of course, as you become fitter over time you can always increase the intensity!

2. Wear the correct clothing. If walking is something you are going to do long-term make sure that you at least have proper walking/jogging shoes so that you can protect your joints. It’s also important to make sure you are comfortable during your walk, so dress appropriately for the weather.

3. Do a couple of pre-workout stretches. You don’t exactly have to do the same sort of warm-up exercise if you were going to do a session of HIIT but it is important to do at least 10 minutes of stretches before your walk! If you don’t have the time you can always start off with walking at a slower pace in the beginning.

4. Maintain your posture. Hold shoulders back and keep your head held high, after all, you don’t want to injure yourself because you have bad posture!

5. Regulate your intensity. You are probably walking too fast If you are out of breath and can’t carry a conversation. Slow it down so that you don’t burn yourself out!

6. Measure your progress. What we measure, improves. Just like you would measure your weight every day, record how far you have walked and how long did it take, then try better your own stats by a little bit every single day!

7. Have a little fun. Threes really no need to punish yourself, start a walking group with your friends and make your exercise a fun experience. You can even plan several routes for variety or even listening to your favourite music while walking!

8. Cool down. In order to prevent muscle stiffness the next day, try a couple of cool down stretches after your workout routine or even slow your pace at the end your route.

The most important part of any exercise program is to have consistency and sticking to your plan! Always stay flexible with your workout routines and you will have no problem with burning your stubborn body fat!

Losing weight can be a real ‘grind’ at times so keep things interesting by planning different routes and starting a walking group for that extra social support! And remember that starting is already half the battle, after that it is mostly downhill!