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Are you trying to lose fat?
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General/Other
"First, you should be doing strength training, as it increases your metabolism (due to increased muscle) and causes your body to burn more calories over the next 24-48 hrs.
Second, you still need to do cardio. Not only is it important for your heart, but it will also help you lose fat. Interval training is the best way to lose that fat in a limited amount of time. After a warm up, alternate between going fast for 30 sec to a minute and going slower for a bit. As you get in better shape, you can increase your 'fast' periods and lower your 'slow' periods. THE BEST TIME to do cardio to lose fat is 1st thing in the morning, just after waking and before eating (you can drink black coffee, actually the caffeine helps with fat burning) while your body is in fat burning mode. The next best time is to do your cardio after a resistance workout. If you do that, limit your cardio to 30 min or so, so that you can have your post workout shake/meal within the 'golden hour' of completing your resistance training. Give it a shot!!!"
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fat burning, cardio, general, health
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created by
DonnieV
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saved on 7/19/2008
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1
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8.2
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100 %
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4 Secrets to a Flat Stomach
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Strength Training
"If your goal is to thin your waistline and have a nice flat stomach, the first thing you need to do is decrease / eliminate the layers of fat that are on top of your abs. The most effective way of flattening your stomach is a combination of strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).
1. You must do some form of progressive strength training
The primary function of the ab muscle is to flex your torso forward. However, there are also muscles that flex your torso to the side and muscles that rotate your torso. Often times you see people on their ab roller every day doing hundreds of crunches or sit-ups.If you want to effectively strengthen your stomach you need to incorporate the following types of exercises:1-2 forward flexion exercises (crunch, sit-up, etc.)1-2 side flexion exercises (side bends, side crunches, etc.)1-2 rotational exercises (trunk rotations, standing twists, etc.)The abs, are muscles just like any other and should be worked at most 3 times per week. You also want to make sure you are training them progressively, working them harder each time.
2. Use short, hard cardio workouts to increase metabolism
Cardio workouts are important because they CAN, if done correctly, increase your metabolism for 4-24 hours or more! This means you are less likely to store any excess calories as body fat because they are more likely to be used by your elevated metabolism. Plus, you are more likely to burn off some excess body fat.Below is a sample interval workout that can be done with just about any activity (walking, bicycling, swimming, stair climbing, etc.).Warm up at easy pace 2-5 minutes then:
perform 30 seconds of hard work (almost as hard as possible)
perform 1 minute of moderate work (recovery time-catch breath)
repeat this process 6-10 times à Cool down at an easy pace for 2-5 minutes
3. Stable blood sugar is the key
And most importantly, you must stabilize your blood sugar! This is by far the most important factor when it comes to burning away that excess body fat and keeping it off! To effectively stabilize your blood sugar you must feed your body frequently; like every 2-3 hours. The key is to give your body only what it needs at that time. Your body burns calories 24 hours a day, so, why would you only feed it once or twice a day? Give your body the fuel it needs: vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, whole grains, and lean proteins (chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, etc.).
Many people are too hung up on how much fat is in food, or how healthy of a choice it is. Calories are calories and it doesn't matter where they come from. If there's extra. where's it going? Yup, you guessed it. body fat!
This is not to say that what you eat is not important because it is, it just doesn't have that much of an affect when it comes to fat loss. Try to"... read entire tip
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created by
MleighS84
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saved on 6/2/2008
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5
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38
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100 %
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Ice cream addict?
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Diet and Nutrition
"I've always been really fond of ice cream, but as I am working on losing weight it cannot be a part of my diet. I'm not one of those people who can have two spoons and be fine, I want the whole thing. =)
So to stay away from this addiction I've discovered a great healthy substitution.....frozen grapes.
It's really satisfying, try it...you won't be sorry."
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created by
cecilia
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saved on 6/2/2008
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2
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16.2
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100 %
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Do you want to live longer and lose fat?
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Diet and Nutrition
"this may have been mentioned before, but its such an important nutritional tip that it's worth talking about again. 2 of the most important things you can do for your body nutritionally (whether you are working out or not) is to ELIMINATE trans fats (otherwise known as PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED vegetable/soybean/corn/peanut/etc. oil) and at least minimize HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) in your diet. your body does not recognize the sweetness in HFCS and will not let your brain know that its full when taking in products containing it. that is why people who regularly drink regular soda can polish off a HUGE fountain drink and not have a clue how many calories they just took in. you will be surprised how many products use this as an ingredient, even supposed healthy foods. for example, i usually eat orowheat bread, but there are only 2 types of the perhaps 10 on the shelf that do not contain HCFS. remember, the earlier in the ingredients something is listed, the higher the % of that product is made up of that ingredient. i do use gatorade mix in my after workout shake for the carbs, which contains HFCS, but i try to keep it out of just about everything else i buy at the store.
as for trans fats, THERE IS NO REASON WHATSOEVER to have them anywhere in your diet. you should religiously try to eliminate them from everything you buy, order, etc. there are a plethora of reasons why you should, but will just mention 2 big ones here. #1 trans fats are man made and your body has a REALLY difficult time trying to process/get rid of them. #2 trans fats do a great job of blocking the good fats (omega 3's, monounsaturated fats) from getting into your system and therefore not only makes your bad cholesterol (LDL) higher, but also makes your good cholesterol (HDL) lower. this could possibly send you down the path to a heart attack or stroke down the road.
think of it another way, if the government, as slow and behind the times as it is, is taking steps to eliminate trans fats from the American diet, those of you who are trying to get fit DEFINITELY should be."
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nutrition, fat burning, general, health
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created by
DonnieV
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saved on 5/31/2008
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3
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16.6
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100 %
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When preparing for a triathlon, don't just rely on pool swimming for training.....
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General/Other
"I decided to enter my first triathlon recently (5/4) after getting in what I consider decent cardiovascular shape. I hadn't gone swimming for distance since the navy, and spent some time in a local pool to get ready for that leg of the race. The race was held next to a local lake (Boulder, CO). In a nutshell, at about the 100 M mark, when I rolled up for a deep breath, I was accidently pushed under by a fellow competitor and aspirated a fair amount of lake water into my lungs. I tried to tough it out for another couple hundred meters, but when I finally saw what I was coughing up, I was mentally and physically done.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND to anyone entering a triathlon to spend some time training in the type of water the race will be held in (lake, ocean, etc.) and prepare yourself mentally for race conditions (breathing harder, bumping/pushing, swimming in a wetsuit, cold water, etc.).
I am fortunate that I ended up with only a bruised ego and not aspiration pneumonia. I would not want to see anyone else go through what I encountered that day."
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created by
DonnieV
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saved on 5/6/2008
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3
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24.5
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100 %
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Do you want to spice it up a bit?
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Diet and Nutrition
"there are a few spices that are being mentioned quite a bit lately. i've read/heard about these from AT LEAST two sources.
cinnamon - hearing more and more about the benefits of this one. some benefits: appetite suppressant; lowers LDL (bad chol), raises HDL (good chol); rich in antioxidants that inhibit blood clotting and bacterial growth; may help stabilize blood sugar. try taking a 1/2 teaspoon daily, mixed in smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, whatever.
red pepper - some good benefits from this one: appetite suppressant, metabolism booster, fat burner. try to get some early in the day. i throw it in my eggs, actually i throw all of these in my eggs (see recipe in my profile).
turmeric - fat burner, as well as having antitumor, antiarthritis, and anti inflammatory properties. studies are showing that it may inhibit plaques associated with alzheimer's.
oregano - one of the highest in antioxidants of all the spices.
Along with throwing these spices on my eggs (recipe on my profile), i add them to my smoothie drinks (recipe on my profile) which i have twice a day. Like trying anything new, start out using a little. Give it a shot!"
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fat burning, general
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created by
DonnieV
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saved on 4/23/2008
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4
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17.4
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100 %
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mix it up, no matter what type of training you are doing
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Strength Training
"do you want to see continued improvement in your fitness? stupid question i guess. who is going to say no to that question?! you can shock your body and make it adapt by continuously changing your workouts. try changing what body parts you work out together/ exercises/ wts and reps/ types of cardio/ or all the above. everyone can be guilty of getting comfortable in a workout routine, but your body will get used to it to and will become acclimated, hence no improvement. surprise the hell out of it! you will enjoy it mentally, and you will definitely see/feel the difference in your body. i had been on a 3 day on/ 1 day rest resistance schedule using primarily the treadmill for cardio recently. yesterday, i switched to a 2 day on/ 1 day off (push muscles one day/ pull the next), combining totally different body parts and tried swimming for my cardio. WOW! i felt the difference immediately afterwards, and even more so today. i'll do this routine for a couple of weeks, then change things up again. Give it a shot!"
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endurance, general, fat burning
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created by
DonnieV
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saved on 4/21/2008
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1
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9
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100 %
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cardio interval training
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Endurance
"not sure if this topic has been discussed before, if so, i apologize. always good topic to come back to anyway. do you 1) get bored easily during cardio 2) find it difficult to see improvement in your cardio 3) just want to try something new or 4) all the above? try intervals when you are doing your cardio workouts. you can use any piece of equipment you desire, such as treadmill, stepper, elliptical, bike, outdoor running/walking,etc. warm up as usual for at least a few minutes to get the heart/body going, then, in a nutshell, go faster for a period of time, followed by a period at a slower pace. then continue to alternate between the two for as long as you desire. always end by going at a slower steady state rate to bring your HR down. you can do a whole variety of things to mix it up, depending on what piece of equipment you are using, such as changing speeds, incline, resistance, time spent at higher or lower rate, whatever. some people do full on sprints for just 15-20 secs, followed by a recovery phase. you most likely won't be able to do this routine for as long as you can at a continuous slower rate, but you can burn as many calories and work you heart just as hard in less time. also, many people have found that they burn a lot more fat exercising this way. as with any new routine, start at a lower level and work up. i had knee surgery last year, so i like to do it on a treadmill vice hard pavement. first thing in the morning, on a empty stomach (except maybe black coffee) i crank the incline all the way up (gets the HR up with less steps required, therefore less pounding on the knee), and i'll go for 8 mph for a minute, followed by going for 6 mph for a minute. depending on my energy levels, mood, available time, etc., i'll alternate for anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, followed by a cooldown. if i have a lot of time and have the energy, i'll skip the cooldown and jump on a different type of machine and do it again. you can also do it after a resistance workout, but you most likely won't be able to go as long. Give it a shot!"
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created by
DonnieV
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saved on 4/20/2008
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3
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24
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100 %
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eat FAT first in meal....
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Diet and Nutrition
"try eating about 70 cal of healthy fat (omega 3's) about 15 minutes before the rest of your meal. it will help with making you feel full when you do eat your meal, helps with certain nutrient absorption rates, and your body needs the omega 3's. you can get this by eating any of these: 1/2 T olive oil, six walnuts, 12 almonds, 20 peanuts.
Give it a shot!"
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created by
DonnieV
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saved on 4/15/2008
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2
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14.8
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100 %
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Stressed out?! try these
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General/Other
"some of these may seem silly or obvious, but it's amazing how well these really do work if you REALLY do them.
1. breathe deeply, SLOWLY
2. scrunch your face up tightly for 15 sec, release, repeat
3. breathe in, lick your lips, breathe out slowly
4. put a wine cork between your teeth lengthwise, gently bite, release (will relax tight jaw muscles)
Give it a shot!"
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created by
DonnieV
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saved on 4/14/2008
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3
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11
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100 %
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