My Blog @ Beearcade.com

Will Yoga Help You Lose More Weight?

Ankit — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:50:06 +0000

I suppose it was only a matter of time before the mass
marketing about diet and fitness and weight loss caught
up with Yoga.

After all, Yoga is certainly going through a period of
resurgance - not the first, as these things typically move
in cycles as does most of the market.

Typically though, when you read about Yoga, the topic is
peace of mind, spirituality, relaxation, meditation, perhaps
physical conditioning and strength (both physical and mental).

This time though, the debate rests squarely on yoga’s ability
to shed pounds in a society that is struggling with record
levels of obesity on the one hand, and a severe “thin” image
problem held by popular celebrities on the other.

A recent study started the heated debate by claiming a link
between yoga and weight loss.

Specifically, the study found that middle-age people who
practice yoga tended to experience gradual weight loss
over a 10-year period, while those that did not practice
yoga seemed to experience fairly substantial weight gain
over the same period.

Since the study was released, a constant barrage of skeptics
have pointed out flaws in the research that range from
self-reported results to missing many other factors that may
lead people to both practice yoga and have reduced weight.

As usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, at least
based on my own

experiences.

It is much more likely that the positive factors of yoga
and meditation have on your mind and body impact your self-image,
nutrition choices, and overall stress level which are major
factors in weight control. We point to many of the benefits
of practicing yoga over at: http://www.yogasuccess.com

Stress not only results in unhealthy binge eating and poor
nutritional choices, but actually has physiological impacts on
your body that often result in craving foods that can result
in greater weight gain such as sugars, starches and carbohydrates.

In the end, what is important is that you are becoming healthier,
happier, experience less stress in your life and enjoy your
life to the maximum possible.

Let the journalists fight it out over who is technically right,
after all, they are likely all fighting to meet deadlines and
beat each other’s coverage of the story.

It’s time I took a break and go practice some meditation.

Why Not Try Bikram Yoga?

Ankit — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:49:16 +0000

There are many types of yoga, but Bikram yoga tends to stand out from the rest. Even though the practice is largely the same, you’ll immediately notice the difference in the environment — the room in which Bikram yoga is performed is heated between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit!

Bikram yoga follows a consistent program, employing 26 various poses, each of which you practice twice during a session.

The poses flow as follows. You’ll start with Standing Postures, then progress to Backbends. Then you’ll practice Forward Bends and Twists. You will do the poses using the Kapalabhati Breath or the Breath Of Fire techniques, which are advanced techniques known for their energizing and cleansing qualities.

It’s Getting Hot in Here

The purpose of the heat in Bikram yoga is to help you ease in to a deeper, safer pose. The heat helps your body’s flexibility, making it easier to achieve better postures and making your overall practice more effective. Some of the poses you’ll do in Bikram yoga are quite challenging, and the heat will help you enter them more comfortably, and ideally get more out of them. Also, with the increased temperature, your body will sweat more readily, releasing more toxins from your pores. The heat also lowers your risk for injuries.

When you practice Bikram yoga, you aren’t simply stretching the muscles in your body. You’re also working and massaging the internal organs, which helps to strengthen and lubricate the body’s glands and improve the nervous system. With Bikram yoga, you’ll work and strengthen your muscles, joints and ligaments. All this work — especially with the help of Bikram’s

specialized environment — helps to flush toxins out of your body and provides the kind of exercise your muscles crave.

Can You Stand the Heat? Get Into the Kitchen!

Aptly named, this yoga practice was developed by Yogi Bikram Choudhury, who first began his yoga practice at the age of three, then studied yoga for a long while with the renowned physical culturalist, Bishnu Ghosh. Together they developed this form as one of the ultimate ways to help the body through series of especially challenging stretches and poses. It goes without saying that the Bikram beginner requires a skilled instructor to get started, as these poses are more challenging than some. The high temperature is also key to the process. As a result, more than other forms, you’ll need to take instruction at a yoga school or some of the higher end fitness clubs.

You can easily learn more about Bikram yoga to any of the on-topic books available on the Web. You’ll find that Bikram yoga offers a wide range of challenging poses, and many people find it a wonderful way of widening their yoga experience. If you’re ready to branch out and try something new, be sure to try Bikram yoga.

Why Has Yoga Become So Popular?

Ankit — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:48:46 +0000

Did you know that over fifteen million people practiced yoga in 2003, according to a landmark study by Yoga Journal Magazine. And the numbers are expected to increase dramatically in subsequent years. Your own experiences probably confirm this study – maybe you practice yoga, know someone who does, or just take a walk along any busy main street - your bound to see someone carrying a yoga mat. In fact you can’t even open a magazine or newspaper without finding an article about yoga. So, how does a 5000-year-old spiritual practice become today’s hottest mind/body trend?

Perhaps the best way to understand yoga’s popularity is to go right to the people who practice it. If you ask them why, some of the more common replies you might hear are “flexibility, increased energy, improved focus, reduction of the symptoms associated with stress, and an overall good feeling.” The fact is that yoga can have a rejuvenating effect on all systems of the body including the circulatory, glandular system, digestive, nervous, skeletal/muscular, reproductive system and respiratory system.

On a physical level – according to the U.S. Dept. on Aging there four components to good physical health: Strength, flexibility, balance, aerobic capacity. It is interesting to note that yoga can accomplish all these things and no fancy piece of equipment is needed – other than your own body and a yoga mat.

Over the last 100 years our lives have become very fast paced: cell phones, computers, internet, television. This along with a strong work ethic often results in people out of balance – people experiencing a lot of stress. Consequently, there is a strong need to de-stress - to quiet our minds and rejuvenate our bodies. And yoga helps achieve this – helping us return to a state of balance and health.

Yoga brings us into the moment – it is very difficult to practice and be thinking about what happened at work today or the party tomorrow night. Becoming present
in itself is a great release from stress. At its best, yoga meets the student where they are – so it is adjusted to the student’s level and capacity. That doesn’t mean it is particularly easy or particularly challenging – it can be either or both on any given day.

Then there is the therapeutic component. Yoga can be used successfully with conditions such as insomnia, back problems, digestion

problems, asthma, improving circulation, anxiety, weight loss, just to name a few.

Basically yoga is non –competitive; it is not about winning or losing – you can go at your own rate. Of course people still compete with themselves though and compare their posture to others in class.

In addition many of us are yearning for something more. Many of us have shied away from organized religion yet seek a spiritual practice that connects us to ourselves as well as something larger – a spiritual practice that is non-dogmatic, without many rules. While most of the yoga practiced in health clubs is primarily the physical aspects of yoga – the philosophical side seeps in. And for those that want to learn more about the philosophy of yoga information and classes are readily available to them. At its simplest level yoga quiets the mind and opens the body – setting the stage for withdrawing deeper inside oneself – to a place of peace, a place of balance, a place of health. It is here where the divine within us can be more easily discovered.

There are many different styles of yoga and it never needs to be boring - it can be slow and gentle, it can challenge your strength, it can be aerobic or vigorous or it can be very introspective. There is as style to match most personalities. There is yoga for seniors, pre-natal yoga, postnatal yoga, power yoga, gentle yoga, etc. There are classes that focus on back care, yoga done in groups and one-on-one, privately with an instructor. The yogic scriptures say there are some 84,000 postures and variations. The field of yoga is huge and there is always, always something new to learn.

The media has also helped spread the message of yoga and the fact the celebrities like Madonna and Sting practice yoga doesn’t hurt either!

“Why Exercise Balls Are The Wonder Exercise Equipment”

Ankit — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:48:09 +0000

Exercise balls are the latest invention in exercise
equipments. These balls catch every one’s fancy because of
their shape and attractive colors. However, the real
benefit of exercise balls, introduced by a group of Swiss
medical therapists, is as a substitute of support during
exercise.

An Exercise Ball is good for all exercise groups such as
core stability, rehabilitation exercises and cardiovascular
workouts.

Workouts with the balls strengthen and tone all major
muscles in the body. The soft texture of the ball makes it
an ideal choice for Yoga positions, using dumbbells for
muscle toning, or working on heavy-duty weight training
equipment.

The advantage of Exercise balls is that they are durable
and maintains its shape under pressure. The documentation
with the ball provides test load figures for how much
weight the exercise ball will hold. The advantage of
exercise balls is, they provide soft yet firm support that
does not harm your body.

Exercise balls come in various colors and finishes. You can
get a ball matching your room’s texture. They are simple to
store and you can even roll them under your bed or table.
While you are not exercising with your ball, you can use it
for playing with kids. Soft and big balls will not do any
harm to kids. The ball game will provide extra exercise
indirectly.

Exercise Balls : Medical Equipment In Exercise

Originally used in medical therapy, exercise ball is used
to support the body while exercising. These balls provide
support to

the body when you do a specific exercise in a
specific position and need to maintain the balance. Most
exercise balls are made of burst proof latex or other
materials and are safe to use.

Many yoga postures and muscle toning exercise can be done
only with the help of support. Exercise balls are quite
useful for these postures. Exercise balls introduce an
element of stability to the exercise that you would not
normally get in the floor exercise. Your body responds
automatically to the perceived instability to keep balanced
on the exercise ball. This helps in strengthening the
muscles that are not actively participating in exercise.

Exercise Balls- Effective For Physiotherapy

An exercise ball is also useful for physiotherapy
treatment. These balls helps to get rid of backache and
spinal disorders. The small range movement and adjustment
of balance of the spine induced by exercising with exercise
ball help in reducing back pain.

The Swiss ball exercise for people with back pain provide
them a simple way to restore movements after a back pain
episode. It also results in improved muscle strength,
greater flexibility and wide range of motion of the spine
during the treatment.

Why Chair Yoga

Ankit — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:47:38 +0000

Isn’t Yoga just for young “hard bodies,” like you would see on the cover of a magazine? Don’t you have to turn your body into a pretzel, to practice Yoga? These are, a few of the many, questions I am asked about Yoga and Chair Yoga. Any idea that Yoga is only for the fit, and young, is a complete myth. Anyone can practice Yoga, at any age, but not all Yoga styles are the same. Many of us struggle, most of our lives, to find the optimum exercise routine, in order to stay in shape. As time goes by, we look for low-impact fitness solutions, due to excessive wear in our joints. It can’t be helped that, joints will wear, as our bodies take a lifetime of stress, tumbles, and injuries.

Low-impact exercise philosophy works like this: “No pain - No gain,” slogans are definitely short-term thinking. When you consider longevity, you want to receive maximum benefits, of a health maintenance program, without abusing or unnecessarily wearing, any body parts out.

It is far better to intelligently exercise the body, than to work the body hard with risk of injury. To injure oneself, while exercising, is irony in its purest form. After all, isn’t the purpose of exercise to improve or maintain your health?

Some of us can also blame genetics, for ailments, as certain body parts wear out faster within particular families. I have seen this, “up close, and personal.” Within the knees of my own family, for generations, there have been knee problems.

My mother, uncle, son, and I have all had knee problems, starting at a young age, and all of us are from the same direct bloodline. With my son, doctors told us he should have surgery on his knees, before he was 10 years of age.

So, the one reason to try a Yoga class is because you have found a low-impact exercise solution. Chair Yoga will develop or maintain the body’s circulation, flexibility and strength, with very low impact. It is a complete health maintenance exercise program.

However, there are a multitude of reasons why people attend Chair Yoga classes. Over the years, I have seen clients, who have had a huge variety of ailments, take Chair Yoga classes for physical rehabilitation, and to

maintain their overall health. There is also the social factor. It’s good to get out of the house and socialize with friends and family members in a different setting. In fact, Chair Yoga is just one of many activities that take place in the average senior center. You can usually find dancing, Tai Chi, various exercise programs, crafts, card games, and many more activities, in the average senior center.

Back to Chair Yoga: It goes by a variety of different names and is sometimes mixed with other forms of exercise, within the same class, such as: weight resistance, low-impact aerobics, Chair Pilates, and Tai Chi.

Some of the many names associated with these classes are: Stretch, Stretch and Tone, Senior Yoga, Wellness, and Senior Fitness. As mentioned before these classes may contain a mixture of low-impact exercises from different origins.

There is also, another reason to start a Chair Yoga class. What if you suddenly found your mobility limited or were confined to a wheel chair? A common belief is that, Chair Yoga is only for seniors. As you already know, limited mobility has nothing to do with age, and can be a problem, at any point in life.

Every week, I teach Chair Yoga classes in nursing homes, physical rehabilitation units, and adult day care centers. These clients look forward to their Chair Yoga classes every week. The workouts in these classes are restricted to sitting in your chair, but the same mental and physical health benefits apply to all of us.

So, there is no excuse for staying away from a Chair Yoga class. Anybody, at any age, can join a friendly group of people who seek to gain the rewards of good health.
About the Author

Which Type of Yoga is the Right Choice for You?

Ankit — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:46:34 +0000

You finally made the decision to practice yoga, but which style of yoga is the best one for you? There are many types of yoga, and while they usually have common elements, their focus is often quite different. If you have not been physically active in a long time, then one of the more gentle, slower moving styles may be right for you. If you are an athlete or are very physically fit, you might want to check out some of the more strenuous forms.

The following is a list of the more common yoga classes that you will find.

Hatha Yoga - Almost every style of yoga practiced in the west is some form of Hatha Yoga. It includes asanas, breathing exercises, relaxation, and meditation. Each of the individual forms of yoga has a different emphasis, but classes usually include some combination of these elements.

Ashtanga - This is a very fast paced, intense style of yoga. It follows a series of postures, which are always done in the same order and are connected with the breath. Each posture flows directly into the next one, so it is a very demanding practice. Ashtanga can be a good choice for physically fit individuals who like a challenge.

Iyengar - This type of yoga, which was developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, is focused on proper body alignment. Poses are held for long periods of time and the movement from one posture to another is slower than some other styles. Props are often used to help maintain proper alignment, so Iyengar can be a good choice for those who have physical limitations. Since it focuses so much on correct body alignment, it is also a good starting point for beginners before they move into faster paced styles.

Bikram - This style of yoga was created by Bikram Choudhury and is also known as ‘hot yoga.’ Classes are held in rooms heated up to 100 degrees in order to allow your body to stretch without injury and release toxins. Practitioners move through a series of twenty-six postures, with each one being held for a period of time. This is a strenuous style and should be avoided by people with certain health conditions unless they get clearance from their medical professional.

Power Yoga - This is an intense workout that is a hybrid of Ashtanga, because the postures do not

necessarily follow a particular sequence every time. Asanas move from one to another and they require a great deal of strength and stamina. Power yoga is best suited for athletic, well-conditioned individuals. It is my favorite type of yoga, and even though I am in excellent physical shape, I find it very challenging.

Kundalini - This type of yoga combines postures with specific breathing. Its purpose is to release the Kundalini energy that is housed at the base of the spine and allow it to move upward. Its ultimate goal is spiritual enlightenment.

Kripalu - This style of yoga is meditation in motion. Its goal is for the individual to gain a deeper inner awareness and to nurture a relationship with his or her body. Classes include gentle yoga postures with coordinated breathing and an emphasis on alignment. They also include an extended period of meditation and relaxation.

Integral - Created by Sri Swami Satchidananda, this type of yoga is very gentle. Classes have a greater emphasis on the meditative rather than the physical aspects of yoga. Integral Yoga is included in Dr. Dean Ornish’s program, which has been shown to reverse heart disease.

Viniyoga - This style was created by T.K.V. Desikachar and is a therapeutic approach to yoga. It focuses on breathing in conjunction with movement. Viniyoga encourages modified postures to meet an individual’s specific needs and abilities. It would be a valuable style for someone who is dealing with an injury or other physical restriction.

Once you’ve chosen a specific type of yoga, it doesn’t mean you have to stay with it forever. You can choose to focus on another style for a while or mix several different types depending on how your mind and body feel. Whichever type you choose, the most important thing is to continue doing it on a regular basis so you can enjoy the rewards that yoga brings.

When The Going Gets Tough — The Tough Keep Going

Ankit — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:46:07 +0000

If you’ve been in a job search for more than a few weeks you may be experiencing the feelings of defeat and despair, not to mention the urge to give up. It’s been a tough year, and then some, for those who have lost jobs for whatever reason. Interviewing with no second interviews or offers coming in begins to wear thin - very fast.

Here are some tips to keep your spirits up when you’re feeling down during this process.

1. Don’t give up.

You may have heard some of these stories before but they remain inspirational.

• Thomas Edison patented 1,093 inventions in his lifetime, but it took him 10,000 attempts to make an electric light bulb work.

• Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse series failed to become an instant hit, but he kept trying and in 1928 he added sound and made it an electrifying success.

• Milton Hershey failed several businesses before he became the ‘Chocolate King’ and built Hershey town. He even went bankrupt in his first business venture.

(Source ‘Milana Leshinsky’ - http://www.accpow.com)

These are great ’successes-after-failure stories’ that couldn’t have happened if these people hadn’t continued to pursue their dreams. Anyone can give up — that’s easy! The challenge is to pick yourself up after a failure and move forward. That is what will set you apart from ‘the pack.’

2. Accept the ups and downs

It’s not unusual to have highs and lows during your job search. Some days you may even feel like you’re on an emotional roller coaster. Everything looks hopeful one moment with a job prospect ahead, and then it changes to dark and dismal in the next moment when you receive a rejection. Accepting the fact that this is a stressful time you are going through and that a great deal of it is out of your control will help you put things into perspective.

3. Give yourself permission to fail.

It is very disappointing when you feel like you ‘aced’ the interview and then wait for the promised call that never comes. Be realistic - you aren’t going to get a job offer after every interview. Think of it this way, you didn’t marry every date you ever dated (at least most of us didn’t), and you aren’t going to get a job offer after every interview. And maybe that’s a good thing, at least some of the time. Remember, you are interviewing ‘them’ as much as they are interviewing you.

4. Work on controlling stress

Stress becomes a problem when it begins to affect your lifestyle and health. Are you waking up in the middle of

the night or skipping meals because you are feeling really down or upset? You may need to talk to someone who is a professional to get some advice about relaxation techniques. Park and Recreation departments in most cities offer relaxation courses of some kind — yoga, pilates, aerobics, or stress control exercises — for a nominal fee, that could assist you in getting back on balance.

5. Continue to get ‘out there’

Study after study published continues to indicate that ‘networking’ is still the number one way to land a job. Take advantage of every opportunity to be with groups of people. This encompasses everything from your child’s soccer game to a Chamber of Commerce event. Informal networking can happen at any moment and when you least expect it. An example is of a man waiting for a bus. He struck up a conversation with another man also waiting for the bus and ended up getting a job lead and an eventual offer. No one can predict when an opportunity might come your way.

6. Prepare yourself

Preparing ahead of the interview will give you a definite advantage. What this means is getting focused about what you want the interviewer to know about you. You are presenting a picture of you with words. It is important to identify what makes you unique and what added value you can bring to the position. Reading through the job posting you are applying for and getting a sense of what it will take to do this job will help you look at the process from interviewer’s point of view. You want to let the interviewer know that you are the ’solution to the problem,’ and the best person for the job.

7. Keep in mind - you are not alone

Remember, it is an extremely tight job market and that for every job opening there are four or five equally qualified candidates standing in line behind you. It is essential that you are prepared, focused, and able to tell the interviewer what makes you unique and why you are the best person for the job.

Keeping upbeat is a part of your job right now. When you begin to give into the dark side you will project that to others. You want to stay as upbeat as possible, particularly while interviewing. Bringing confidence and energy to the interview are the two most important ingredients to connecting with the interviewer.

Using Yoga to Manage ADD

2 Ways to Start Burning fat Quickly

Ankit — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:44:02 +0000

1. Start Exercising first thing in the morning.

As soon as you wake up in the morning workout for at least 30min to an hour. Studies show that working out in the morning has been shown to burn up to 3x as more fat as opposed to working out at any other time during the day. Here’s Why:

During the day your body’s main source of energy is the carbohydrates that you get from eating your meals. As you sleep at night for 6+ hours your body uses up all those carbohydrates as energy for various bodily functions that go on even while you sleep. When you wake up in the morning your body doesn’t have any carbohydrates as energy to use and it will look to burn body fat instead for energy.

For you to take advantage of this morning fat burning opportunity you have to exercise first thing in the morning. Don’t eat breakfast because if you do you’ll just give your body some carbohydrates as a source of energy instead of the body fat that you want to burn for energy.

Another great thing about working out first thing in the morning is that your metabolism gets revved up after your morning workout. Morning workouts keep your metabolism elevated throughout the day. An elevated metabolism throughout the day only means that you’ll burn more calories and lose more weight. If you workout at night you may still burn fat while you workout but as soon as you go to sleep your metabolism will slow down and you’ll miss out on all the extra fat that you can burn during the day if you had exercised in the morning. When you sleep your metabolic rate is always at its slowest.

Other reasons why its good to exercise first thing in the morning is that you get the workout out of the way, and working out in the morning will also reduce your level of stress throughout the day.

Advanced Tip: Want to burn even more fat? Add another workout to your daily routine 4-6 hours after your morning workout. Keep your already high metabolism higher by adding a 2nd workout during the day. If you’re seriously thinking about adding a 2nd workout to your daily routine then try to do your cardio workouts in the morning. Mostly fat calories are burned doing cardio at a moderate intensities. Make your 2nd workout of the day a workout with weights. Mostly carbohydrate is burned doing weight-training workouts. The muscle that you build from weight training will also help you burn fat. 1lb of Muscle burns 50 calories a day or 1lb of

fat every 70 days. Not only will you be burning more calories, you’ll look better – whatever your weight is.

2. Eat Breakfast

Another way to keep your metabolism revved up all day long is to eat breakfast. After you workout in the morning as discussed earlier, just have breakfast and you’ll give your body the perfect 1-2 combination to jump start your metabolism.

Eating breakfast in the morning is what gets your metabolism started. Don’t skip breakfast and wait until mid-morning or afternoon to eat, your metabolism will run slower causing you not burn any extra fat.

Think about this way-Your metabolism is a fireplace that’ll burn fat all day long for you if you operate it correctly. When you eat breakfast you are basically throwing a log onto that fireplace to get it started burning fat.

Eating breakfast will help stop those cravings you may have later on in the day and along with working out in the morning, eating breakfast will also keep you energized throughout the day and lower stress levels.

Advanced Tip: Instead of eating only 2 more meals during the day like lunch & dinner, try to eat 4-5 more small mini-meals spaced 2-3 hours apart during the day. Remember the fireplace? By eating these mini-meals you’ll be throwing just the right amount of “wood” on the fireplace to keep your metabolism burning calories throughout the day. Don’t shut down your metabolism by eating big lunches or dinners, keep that metabolism of yours burning fat all day long.

Morning Checklist

Workout for at least 30min after waking up in the morning

Eat a healthy breakfast

Burn fat & lose more weight during the day

Use these 2 tips to reveal that six-pack, fit into that dress for an upcoming event like a wedding or reunion, or to impress that special someone. Whatever your fitness goal is these 2 tips above will surely help you reach them.

3 Biggest Benefits of Strength Training

Ankit — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:43:13 +0000

Strength training is exercise that uses resistance to strengthen and condition the musculoskeletal system, improving muscle tone and endurance. “Strength training” is used as a general term synonymous with other common terms: “weightlifting” and “resistance training.” Physiologically, the benefits of consistent strength training include an increase in muscle size and tone, increased muscular strength, and increases in tendon, bone, and ligament strength. Lifting weights has also been shown to improve psychological health as well, by increasing self-esteem, confidence and self-worth.

Improved Physical Appearance and Performance

One important result of strength training is increased physical performance. Muscles quite literally utilize energy to produce movement, functioning as the engine or powerhouse of the body. Strength training increases the muscles’ size, strength, and endurance, which contribute to improvements in our work, favorite sports hobbies, and our general day-to-day activities.

Another benefit of a good strength-training program is its effect on our overall appearance and body composition. Which can directly influence self-esteem, self-worth, and level of confidence. Take, for example, a 170-pound man who has 20 percent body fat; 34 pounds of fat weight and 136 pounds of lean body weight (muscle, bones, organs, water, etc). By beginning an effective strength training program, he replaces five pounds of fat with five pounds of muscle. He still weighs 170 pounds, but he is now 17 percent fat with 29 pounds of fat weight and 141 pounds of lean body weight. Although his body weight remains the same, his strength, muscle tone, and metabolism have improved, giving him a fit appearance.

Both our physical appearance and our physical performance can be improved by muscle gain or hampered by muscle loss. Research indicates that unless we strength train regularly; we lose about one-half pound of muscle every year of our lives after age 30. Unless we implement a safe and effective weight lifting program, our muscles gradually decrease in size and strength in the process called “atrophy.”

Lifting weights is therefore important for preventing the muscle loss that normally accompanies the aging process. A common misconception is that as we reach the age of senior citizens, it is normal to stop being active and to start using ambulatory aides like canes and wheelchairs. Many people think we have no choice; they think this is normal.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth. There is absolutely no reason why all of us can’t be physically, mentally, socially, and sexually active, living a healthy vibrant life until our last day on Earth! The reason many elderly people rely on ambulatory aides and become slower and fatter is simply that over the years their muscles have been wasting away, so their physical performance and metabolism also decrease, becoming less efficient.

Increased Metabolic Efficiency (your ability to burn excess calories)

That one-half pound of muscle loss every year after age 30 produces a

one-half percent reduction in basal metabolic rate (BMR) every year. A reduction in BMR means that our bodies are less able to use the food we consume as energy, thus more gets stored as body fat. “Basal metabolic rate” refers to the energy used by our body at rest to maintain normal body functions.

Our muscles have high-energy requirements. Even when we are sleeping, our muscles use more than 25% of our energy (calories). When you implement the principles of effective strength training and you are consistent in your program, you will achieve an increase in lean muscle mass throughout your body and increase your BMR. In other words, you can actually condition your metabolism to work better and more efficiently even when you are at rest.

An increase in muscle tissue causes an increase in metabolic rate, and a decrease in muscle tissue causes a decrease in metabolic rate. You can see that anyone interested in decreasing body fat percentage and their risk of disease as well as in increasing physical performance and appearance, should be strength training to help condition their metabolism (BMR).

One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting a weight-management program is not including a strength training routine with their cardiovascular exercise and low-fat eating regimen. This is unfortunate because when we cut calories without exercise, we can lose muscle as well as fat.

Decreased Risk of Sustaining an Injury

Our muscles also function as shock absorbers and serve as important balancing agents throughout our body. Well-conditioned muscles help to lessen the repetitive landing forces in weight-bearing activities such as jogging or playing basketball. Well-balanced muscles reduce the risk of injuries that result when a muscle is weaker than its opposing muscle group.

To reduce the risk of unbalanced muscle development, you should make sure that when you are training a specific muscle group, the opposing muscle groups are being trained as well (though not necessarily on the same day). For example, if you are doing bench-pressing exercises for your chest, you should include some rowing exercises for your back muscles as well.

By now you have probably realized that weightlifting should be an important part of your exercise routine. Weightlifting provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. When you begin achieving great results, the excitement and fun you experience will make the change well worth the effort. Good luck; I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of an effective strength training program.

3 Easy Dieting Success Tips

Ankit — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:42:32 +0000

1. Drink 8-10 glasses of water each day

Okay, for many people this is a big problem. Water doesn’t taste all that great generally because water doesn’t really “taste” like anything. Drinking water 8 to 10 times each day gets easier the more you actually do it. It is simply a matter of conditioning your taste buds, and yourself, so that it becomes easier to do. Once you get started, you will begin to crave water.

To begin with, you should drink a glass of water in the morning first thing, before you eat. This is probably the easiest glass you will drink all day and it will help you remember to drink water all day long. Better yet, why not drink two glasses?

If you really cannot bear the taste of water, try using a water purifying pitcher or filter. You can also add a few drops of lemon or lime to your water – but no sugar or sweetener! Ice also helps.

Check out flavored waters on the market, too. Just keep an eye out for additives.

2. Eat breakfast

Do not skip breakfast. If you need to go to bed a little earlier so that you can get up 20 minutes earlier each morning – do it! Breakfast is so important to your good health and to weight control. According to Dr. Barbara Rolls a professor of nutrition at Penn State University, “Your metabolism slows while you sleep, and it doesn’t

rev back up until you eat again.”

Eating breakfast is not only good for overall weight loss, it will help you stay on track with your diet the rest of the day. You are more likely to binge on something sweet and in the “bread” group if you skip breakfast.

You can always keep a couple of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge or some high-fiber, low starch fruit around. If you plan to eat fruit at all during the day, breakfast is the perfect time to do it.

3. Eat at least 3 meals and snacks each day

This can be one of the hardest adjustments to make. After all, you are busy! You already have a “full-plate”. When do you have time to worry about filling your plate with more frequent meals?

Just like eating breakfast will increase your metabolism, so will eating more often. This will also help you curb your bad-carb intake by making sure that your snacks are planned and occur regularly throughout the day.

Really, it will just take a minimal investment of planning time at the grocery store and at home each morning before you head out for the day to make some healthy food choices and prepare a few healthy snacks and meals.