Archive for November, 2009
Your Weight in Muscle
November 29th, 2009 | 
Author: You probably have heard that muscle weighs more than fat. Many people notice a small weight gain when they begin lifting weights consistently. As a general rule, if you lift weights 2 to 3 times a week, you can gain 1 pound of muscle per month for about 6 months. After that, the rate of increase slows down as you start to reach your genetic potential. For the same reason, you will make a lot of progress on weight progression at the beginning, but the longer you lift; your progression will lessen because you are reaching your genetic potential.
Don’t be alarmed at the extra pounds of weight from weight training because it is well worth the effort. For every 3 pounds of muscle you build, research shows you increase your resting metabolic rate by about 7 percent. For example, if your body burns 1,200 calories per day (not counting exercise or any other movement), you would burn an extra 84 calories per day with those 3 extra pounds of muscle.
Many women have a difficult time outgrowing 2-3 pound dumbbell weights, because they are afraid that if they increase the weight they will bulk up. If you are happy with the strength and appearance of your muscles, you can do a maintenance program with 5 pound weights. However, if you want more strength, you could progress to 8 or 10 pound weights and still not bulk up. Using heavier weights can increase muscle size, but it’s highly unlikely that you’ll get bulky. Women don’t naturally have enough of the hormone, testosterone, required to build huge muscles, and even if you could bulk up, you’d have to use significantly heavier weights.
Another option to tone muscle is to increase your repetitions instead of increasing weight. A high-repetition/light-weight program will develop muscle tone and increase strength and endurance without significantly increasing muscle size.
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Anti Aging Skin Care Tips
As we all get older we seem to lose that youthful glow that we once had. There are many factors fighting against us to keep our youthful looking skin including, sun, wind, the foods we eat, or the lack of hydration our skin so desperately needs.
Quite a few skin care products can help us keep our skin looking better than ever, however, without proper skin care treatment, all the skin care products in the world will not help. To look your best and provide your skin with anti aging skin care you should turn to natural skin care and all natural products.
Let’s begin by first looking at your overall daily routine. You need eight hours of sleep, stay out of the sun as much as possible, use a good all natural moisturizer and above all else drink plenty of water. It is recommended in order to have youthful healthy looking skin the best anti aging skin care starts with eight glasses of water per day.
Exposure to the sun makes our skin dry and weather beaten. If you must be out in the sun, use sunscreen and moisturizers for natural skin care. Read the label, though, you do not want any product that has any type of alcohol in it; alcohol will dry the skin causing it to age as well.
One of the best skin care treatments you can add to your anti aging skin care routine is the use of moisturizers. Our skin loses water constantly and if you are like most people you do not enjoy drinking gallons of water in order to keep your skin hydrated. This is the reason you should use moisturizers every day. You should apply an all-natural moisturizer to your face before you apply any type of make-up.
Know Your Muscle Building Exercises – The Back
Every bodybuilder and weight trainer will have his or her favorite exercises for each body part. That’s how it should be – as you progress through the various stages of learning you’ll understand what works best for you. It is useful, however, to take stock of your progress every so often and carry out an analysis of where you are and what changes, if any, are needed to move onwards and upwards.
Part of this analysis should include an assessment of the core exercises that make up your bodybuilding training program. In this article we’ll look at the back exercises that have proven their worth to serious bodybuilders for many years. Where appropriate a series of exercises suitable for achieving pre-exhaustion will be presented. All exercises should be performed to failure with one set of six to eight reps.
1. Lat machine pulldowns – this exercise has been chosen because it allows you to isolate the lats and rest the biceps for the compound exercise to follow.
- Take a shoulder width grip.
- Pull arms towards the thighs keeping the arms straight.
- Pause.
- Return the bar slowly to the starting position.
Weight Loss Diet Natural Stimulants
stimulant can be supposed as one of the best means to achieve admirable aglow and alive skin. Comparing it to a bubbler of youth will not be an overstatement. In this commodity we shall attending at the assorted kinds of natural stimulants alternatives that are accessible in the medicine industry.
There are abounding derma affliction articles getting alien by corrective companies, but a lot of them are articles that accept collagen as an additive in them. But in fact, there is no collagen access in the physique by the use of these so alleged “collagen stimulant” products. Your aboriginal footfall should be to lower your all-embracing analogous of anxiety. This abandoned will admonition to abate the abundance of your all-overs agitation attacks.
To lower your anxiety, pursue the afterward steps:
Reduce or bigger still annihilate altogether the natural stimulants in your diet. This includes caffeine, which can be beginning in colas, tea, coffee, amber and activity drinks. Even “healthy” drinks like blooming tea can accommodate caffeine. If you acquaintance an agitation attack, your physique is abounding with adrenaline, your body\’s accustomed analeptic hormone. So you charge to accomplish abiding that you don\’t accord your physique even added stimulants to cope with. Apprehension your accent levels afterwards bistro and analysis the capacity of the aliment you accept just eaten if you alpha to apprehension an acceleration in all-overs afterwards bistro assertive foods.
Herbs are one of the best accustomed remedies for agitation attacks and back they\’ve been acclimated for bags of years, you can be abiding they accept little or no ancillary effects. One of the easiest means is to pour them in a tea. Or if that\’s a bit too awkward, a lot of them can be begin in drops or abridged format.
Once you\’ve abandoned natural stimulants, you should alpha to cover abstracted herbs in your circadian diet. Other abstracted herbs you could investigate are valerian, kava and passionflower. Naturally, you should consistently yield your doctor\’s admonition if you are demography any decree drugs in case there are any ancillary effects. Purchasing weight loss supplements after accomplishing your analysis is the agnate to just lighting about to your money.
Weight Loss Diet Use Your Mind to Stop the Diet Wars
ve lived the majority of your life overweight, you\’ve most likely tried countless weight loss programs, weight loss diets and a healthy dose of drugs and pills to boot. Anyone who has gone through these experiences know that the ultimate “diet killer” is your own lack of self-control and focus.
When it comes to weight loss you may secretly be your own worst enemy. Before we get started on that, let\’s look at the fact that accomplishing any goal, large or small, requires a mind that is clearly focused on the desired end.
What does that mean? It means turning self-talk into a positive advantage and using your rational mind to help fuel and motivate your efforts. After all, the choice is yours: let your mind sabotage your efforts or let it help inspire better eating habits and encourage healthy weight-loss outcomes.
If you\’ve tried losing weight or a weight loss program before, and have found it to be an uphill battle in which you lose a few pounds only to gain back several more, then it\’s time to break the psychological cycle that may be holding you back from your goal.
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CYCLE OF WEIGHT GAIN
In a world where thin is in, it\’s not unusual for people who are overweight to carry the burden of lower self-esteem. Add to that the social stigma or prejudice that overweight individuals encounter and a psychological cycle for weight gain can be set in motion or unhealthy eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia) can develop. People, overweight as well as thin, often eat in response to stress, depression, loneliness and anxiety. This stress-induced or emotional eating can lead to weight gain which in turn leads to lower self-esteem, depression, and anxiety which leads to more stress-based eating and additional weight gain. It\’s easy to see how one can become trapped in a dangerous downward spiral and vicious cycle.
Compounding the problem is the fact that individuals who are overweight have less energy, and therefore find it harder to be active, so the risk of gaining weight again increases. A cycle of inactivity and further weight gain can develop: the less active person gains weight and so becomes less active, thereby gaining more weight and so on. Also, life stresses, which are normally alleviated through exercise, start building up which triggers more stress-based eating.
Individuals who try to lose weight and fail may feel depressed, frustrated and even guilty or ashamed and may rely on comfort foods as a way to feel better. The same is true of those who succeed in losing weight, only to gain it back. Anxiety, depression and guilt can produce a feeling of hopelessness that hinders efforts to lose weight.
This is why getting on the right weight loss program is CRUCIAL for successful weight loss. Whether it\’s a weight loss diet that you\’ve imposed on yourself or a program designed for your body, follow the next seven steps to break the psychological cycle of weight loss.
SEVEN STEPS TO BREAKING THE CYCLE
1. Stop Diet Deprivation. Diets and weight loss programs that put severe restrictions on what you can eat oftentimes arouse binge eating. While you may hold out for a while, one day you\’ll decide depriving yourself is not worth it, or you can\’t take it anymore, and you dig into the refrigerator, freezer or snack cabinet with a vengeance. Allow yourself small indulgences that are satisfying and will help you avoid harmful binging.
2. Plan Ahead. What if you should slip? The best way to avoid slipping is through pre-planning. So, if you\’re off to a backyard barbeque or family gathering decide ahead of time what your plan is. Eat something healthy and filling before you go out and then allow yourself a few special treats at the party, but exercise portion control. If you know that Aunt Mary is making your favorite dessert, plan on having a small slice and savor it. Managing your weight and enjoying life should go hand in hand.
3. Set Realistic Weight Loss Goals. To avoid the frustration of failing, don\’t overstress yourself with unrealistic weight loss goals. You gained weight slowly over time and it will take some time to gradually lose that weight. Slow, but sure is the best approach.
4. Choose Healthy Outlets for Emotions. Instead of opening the refrigerator when you\’re upset, how about phoning a friend, or take a walk. Discover something that makes you feel calmer or happier – something other than food or alcohol. Do yoga, dance around your living room, meditate or go out bowling with a friend.
5. Stop Harboring Hurts. Work through issues that are upsetting you. Talk to a therapist or even a friend. Don\’t let hurts, even old wounds or patterns that reach back into your childhood, affect you and your relationship with food.
6. Remember Why You\’re Dieting. It helps to stop and remember why you\’re dieting in the first place. Is it to have more energy, look and feel better, alleviate health problems or increase your self esteem? Keeping the goal in mind is critical to your weight loss success.
7. Use Your Mind to Break the Cycle. The fact is you can do it. It\’s all in your mind – the power to lose the weight rests with you. Believe you can succeed and you will succeed. If you want to put an end to the psychological cycle of weight gain, start by turning all of your negative self talk into positive affirmations. That\’s the best way to break the cycle.
Instead of saying: “Look at that fat belly. It just won\’t go away.” Think positive: “Yes, my belly is fat now, but it won\’t always be. I plan to be fit, not fat. I\’m heading to the gym after work today.”
Keep your goal in mind at all times. Write down your positive affirmations and put up visual reminders of what you want to attain – that dress you want to buy, that seaside resort you\’re longing to visit this year, or even a picture the happy person you want to be again. It\’s all within reach if you set your mind to it, keep active, exercise, and prepare healthy menus that you enjoy.
Use these seven steps to create a mental turnaround and break through the psychological barriers that are holding you back. If you do, you\’ll have the power to achieve permanent weight loss – something that will truly change your future and your life.