Foot Health Information

We all want to be in tip top shape, especially with a trim waist. Really who wouldn’t want to be toned and slender? If you want to look better, feel healthier and more confident, and live longer you have to stay in shape. There’s just no way around it. Several studies show that a lack of exercise and proper nutrition increases the risk of cholesterol, which leads to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease among a multitude of other things. Stop the snowball effect sooner than later. It really isn’t all that hard to get the body of your dreams with insider Personal Training Tips and Tricks. Here’s a couple of exercises that will get you well on your way to a better, leaner you!

Now the first thing to understand is that form is everything. When you do an exercise in a wrong way, you can injure yourself and hinder results. Did you know that by slightly increasing the tone of your shoulders will give the illusion of decreasing the size of your waistline? It doesn’t mean that you have to develop the shoulders of a NFL Player, but just a slight increase can enhance the proportions of the body.

Here are 3 killer exercises to shrink your waist:

Shoulder Shrugs — begin standing with your feet shoulder distance apart, with a medium to heavy dumbbell in each hand and arms extended downward. Slowly shrug your shoulders up towards your ears and then slowly release back down to starting position. Do 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps.

Lateral Raises — begin standing with your feet shoulder distance apart, with a light to medium dumbbell in each hand and elbows bent. Slowly raise your elbows to shoulder level and then slowly return to starting position. Do 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps.

Dumbbell Military Press with a Reverse Lunge — Grab a 5-to-15-pound dumbbell with both hands and hold it up next to your ears, palm facing in. Step backward with your left foot and lower your body until your knees are bent 90 degrees (your left knee should nearly touch the floor) while pressing the dumbbells directly over your shoulder without bending or leaning at the waist. Lower the weight back to the starting position as you push quickly back to standing. That’s 1 rep. Do 10 to 15, then switch sides.

Okay, so you want to get a flat stomach. What is the ideal six pack exercise you ask?

In order to be able to get a flat stomach (not to mention a 6 pack), you need to be doing both cardio and abdominal training exercise.

Endless crunches only work on your upper abs, which is not enough to achieve great abs. The following a are some six pack exercise that target the midriff, including the obliques and transverse abdominis, ensuring a slim stomach.

The Dolphin pull

Works abs, shoulders, arms, back, butt

Start in plank position with your hand clasped and heels raised. Bend the right knee and pull left leg into chest as you lift hips toward ceiling. Return to starting position; repeat on left side for one rep. Do 10 reps.

Oblique Touch

Works abs

Lie down with flat back with your legs and arms wide-stretched, forming an “X”. Lift the upper back off the floor, cross your right leg over left. Pull the legs straight up by using your abdominal strength. Try to reach your arms, palms together, past left knee. Return to start; repeat on opposite side for one rep. Do 15 reps.

Chair lift

Works abs, butt, hamstrings

Lie with flat back and rest your feet on a chair, keep the legs straight. Squeeze butt and lift hips off floor as high as you can, bringing the arms straight up over chest, palms in. Return to starting position; repeat. Do 15 reps.

How often do I need to do them?

Do two sets of the indicated reps three to four times a week. Combine them with calorie-burning cardio and we promise you’ll never have to suck it in again!

Abdominal exercises shouldn’t be a pain in the neck (literally). To avoid the ache, place the tip of your tongue firmly on the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth. When you anchor your tongue, it brings your head and neck into better alignment and prevents your neck from overworking.

Everyone would love to have a flat belly with a stunning six pack abs. After all it is the epitome of sexiness and once you can model a flat tummy everyone will admire you and your self confidence will shoot through the roof. But what is the best exercise to lose belly fat and get a flat midsection? Here are some of the most amazing exercises that you need to know to get a flat tummy:

Exercises #1- Basic Ab Crunches

This is one of the most common exercise to work the abdominal muscles. If can lay on and exercise mat of a rug for this exercise. Just laying on the floor may be too hard but if you don’t have an exercise mat or rug that can be an alternative. You will bend your legs so that your knee point upwards while the sole of your feet is still on the ground. Place your hand behind your head for support and lift your upper body upwards towards your knee while keeping your buttocks on the ground. Return to floor position and then start the cycle again. Doing about 6 sets of 20 repetitions is good if your are just starting and then you can increase as your fitness level increases.

Exercise #2- Leg Lifting

This is also efficient to work your lower abdominal muscles. It also requires that you lay on the floor but this time you will lift your legs and keep your upper body on the ground. You can place your hands by your side with your palms facing down for stability while you lift your legs to a 45 degree angle from the ground. Return your leg to floor position and then start over the cycle. Doing 3 sets of 15 repetitions is recommended if you are just starting out and you can gradually increase as your fitness level increases.

7 Best Weight Loss Tips for Beginners.

I’m dedicating this article to the beginner. To the person who is mentally preparing themselves to lose extra stubborn pile of fat. The individual who suddenly has realized after many years that they simply cannot continue being overweight, tired and listless with muscles.

You want to begin eating right and exercising, but you have absolutely no idea where to begin. You’re sort of scared. It is possible that you have never set foot in a health club and would almost rather not pursue this endeavor. Because it just seems so daunting. But, you know you must!

I’ve always taken great pleasure in helping the man or woman who honestly wants to reduce fat. I have always viewed it as a courageous, intelligent act of taking responsibility for one’s own health. I enjoy training beginners, because they get to learn things correctly from the start as opposed to re-learning ineffective habits they picked up from an infomercial.

Here are my top 10 tips for the beginner:

1. DON’T WORRY ABOUT FEAR

Understand that it’s OK to feel somewhat unsure of you prior to starting an exercise and nutrition program. The psychological aspect is the first thing to accept. There will be a lot to learn concerning weight training, cardiovascular exercise and nutrition. However, recognize that as you begin the process, you will continually learn, get more comfortable and, most importantly, make progress.

2. DECIDE

 In most articles, this point is referred to as goal setting. However, I prefer “DECIDE,” because I see too many people fail with goal setting. I realize it’s a play on words, but it seems to work. You’ll need to write down and DECIDE what it is you want to accomplish.

.

3. GET A CHECKUP

Having a physical is a wise decision, because it will help assure you’ll attain the most benefits with the least amount of risks. If you smoke, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or are overweight, it’s doubly important. Remember, this is about starting right.

4. GET REAL

Take a close look at your schedule and be realistic concerning how many days and how much time you can realistically devote to weight loss. This is going to be long-term, so it has to be based on reality.

5. EDUCATE YOURSELF

When you decide to cut down weight it is extremely important to get all the knowledge about healthy weight loss. Today you can easily get access to very useful information about which weight loss treatment is just the right one for you..

6. EAT

Begin to get an understanding of how food affects the body. I’m not asking you to become a nutrition guru. Simply try to understand, for example, what happens to your body when you have a big bowl of pasta compared to a smaller amount of pasta combined with chicken and a small Caesar salad.

7. MOVE

No, not geographically. Start to work out and start to move. Go for a nice long walk. Make a clean habit of walking. It is not necessary to go jogging. Walk on your own speed. Follow the simple weight loss tips and get your desired results.

Subscribe to Free Weekly Newsletter to Give You My Weight Loss Tips http://www.officialoverweightnomore.com

(c) Anna Overweight NO MORE

How do I get flat abs? What a common question with a simple answer. No matter how many crunches you do, unless you lose the layer of fat covering your abs, you will not show those sculpted abs. Period. The basic concept to lose that unwanted abdominal fat is by combining cardio and abs exercise, and eating healthy. Talking from my own experience, I will share some simple steps to get flat abs with you, as I am on my way to revealing my own flat abs by saying solemnly bye-bye to belly fat and welcome to those flat abs.

How many times have you heard that by doing 100s crunches a day you will get those sculpted abs? Well, this is not so. If you have a high body fat percentage, the abs just won’t show no matter how much you work or how many repetitions you do, simple as that. It is logic, if we are carrying extra fat, toned muscles cannot show because they are being covered, precisely, by that unwanted extra fat. The only way to get rid of fat is not by targeting exercises, but by burning excessive fat by doing cardio exercises and adjusting our meals. In other words, showing abs does not happen only in the floor exercise, but also in the kitchen.

Abs exercises, just like any other muscle exercises, should be done at least every other day, not daily. Muscles need time to recover. In my case, I am doing abs exercises every 2 days, so I give my abs muscles 48 hours to recover. I make sure to consume enough protein too to help for muscle recovery and burn more fat. In a nutshell, eating better and exercising will maximize your efforts to lose weight and flatten your abs fast.

EATING HABITS – Helpful food/herbs for flat abs

Before starting with our abs exercise plan, it is important to adjust our eating habits too. Your diet, or as I prefer to call it “eating regime,” should consist of higher protein intake, moderate fat and moderate complex carbohydrate. Consuming high complex carbohydrate and not using all that energy will lead to stored fat; that is why a higher protein diet is advisable, not that you have to eliminate carbs. Carbs are necessary to have energy and properly body functioning. However, do not go to extremes, just be moderate, not like crazy pre-set diets. Eliminate all excess simple sugars and excess saturated fats.

You can use extra virgin olive oil as it is monounsaturated fat. Reality is that permanent weight loss requires a permanent change in eating habits; drastic diets are not the way to keep the weight off.

Drinking water is your other big step to get flat abs. Water flushes both waste and toxins from your body and maintains a sense of satiety while also flushing fat from your system before it can be stored. Water not only dilutes the digestive fluids, but also accelerates the passage of food. Drink at least 8 glasses of water. How about burning extra calories with water? How? Drink cold water, and you can burn extra calories as your body warms it up.

About eating habits, many times, we tend to retain water or gas, which seems that we are accumulating “fat” when in reality it is “gas” for eating too fast or having foods hard to digest. It is crucial to eat slowly, enjoy each bite, and do not swallow without appreciating all flavors. The best suggestion to aid digestion is to have daily yogurt (good at fighting the bad bacteria and improving digestion), or add some type of “anise” (either raw or as a tea infusion), the other option is by adding digestive enzyme aids.

A great mistake is skipping breakfast. As many nutritionists highlight, this is the main meal because is like fuel to the body. After sleeping, we need to recover water and add protein to our bodies as well as fiber. Ideally, oatmeal is great for breakfast with enough carbs, fiber, and low in sugars. Besides, it helps reduce cholesterol.

For dinner, you can have some chicken with salad because you need to have some type of protein to help you burn fat, build muscle and do not only limit only to salads, which is mostly “low glycemic carbs” … or better said, water. Also, remember of not adding heavy extra calorie dressing. You can use balsamic vinegar or lemon. If not having chicken, you can have a protein shake, yogurt, tofu, eggs, or any high protein meal.

These are suggested food/herbs to improve abs and to fight bloated feeling.

Ginger Anise Celery Fennel Onion Garlic Green tea YOGURT (non fat or low fat) Leek Raw sesame seeds Watermelon Strawberries

You can include them in your daily regime by either eating them raw, cooked, or drinking tea, accordingly. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of drinking Green tea. This is my main magical drink because it speeds up my metabolism and sets it to a fat burning mode. I prepare a cold pitcher of green tea for the day. Sometimes, I drink it hot too. Generally, for the cold pitcher, I combine it with ginger and anise, and that is my main arm to combat fat and bloated feeling.

I suggest you eat every 3 hours to keep your body in “fat burning mode.” Naturally, I am talking about small portions, not super size portions. For instance, I eat every 3 hours, keeping 2 main meals and the other 4 snacks, including protein in all 6, especially for breakfast and dinner.

Do not go into drastic diets because if you drop your calories too drastically, your body may opt to use muscle tissue for energy instead of fat. Moderation is the key. Many people who go on fad diets look so soft because they lose almost as much muscle mass as fat. Many studies have shown that the majority of people, who use drastic diets, will gain the weight back, if not even more than they lost. To make it personal, I was one of those statistics. I fell many times into the yo-yo cycle until I said no more! I rather lose weight and keep the weigh off, than just a quick fake weight loss. How about you?

Nutritional supplements are good to aid your program, but as the word says, they are just supplements. Your supplements cannot do the work for you if you are not eating and exercising properly. For instance, when I am running out of time, and cannot have my protein meal, I drink a protein shake.

EXERCISE TIPS FOR BELLY FLATTENING – DEFINING YOUR ABS

You can expect to feel or see results in as little as 2 weeks by combining cardio and abs exercises and your eating regime. A combination of carbs and protein are needed for a pre-workout meal. Exercise tips for a faster belly-flattening plan include different sets of exercises, at least 3 times per week 30-45 minutes cardio, and 2-3 times per week abs exercises. (I use weight lifting training too.) here is no such thing as magical fat spot reducing. It is a matter of lowering total fat levels; as you lose fat, it will come off automatically all over your body-not just in specific spot areas.

Do 2-3 sets for each exercise. Each set consists of 15 to 20 repetitions of each exercise. For every exercise, move slowly to make the muscle work: 2 or 3 seconds up, hold 1 second, and 2 or 3 seconds down. The point here is to fatigue the muscle, not on how fast you can do an exercise. You can rest about 90 seconds between sets.

Note: If you cannot do 2 sets, it is ok. Start with one; the important thing is to start, take action to see results. Do not get discouraged; just try your best.

Crunches

1. Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground (or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle, three to four inches apart)

2. Place your hands lightly on either side of your head keeping your elbows in. Tip: Don’t lock your fingers behind your head.

3. The key is to push the small part of your back down in the floor to isolate your abs muscles.

4. Roll your shoulders off the floor; continue to push down –as hard as you can– with your lower back to fatigue the muscle.

5. Shoulders should come up off the floor –only– about four inches, while your lower back remains on the floor.

6. Concentrate on crunching together rather than moving your body upwards to maximize muscle tension. Contract your muscles as tight as you can to cause them to fatigue, the movement should be like playing the accordion. This is more important than doing quick repetitions.

Note: Another option is exercise ball crunch

Reverse crunches

1. Lie face up on the floor, place hands on the floor or just behind the head. 2. Bring the knees in towards the chest bent to about 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed. 3. Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling. 4. Use slow movements, emphasis is to use your abs to lift your hips not swinging the legs.

Bicycle

1. Lie face up on the floor, lace your fingers behind your head. 2. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground without pulling on the neck. 3. Pedaling movement: Straight the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee. 4. Now, switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee to complete the pedaling movement. 5. Do slow pedaling to feel muscle contraction … remember, is not about speed but about fatiguing the abs muscle.

Captain’s chair / Roman Chair (mostly found in gyms)

1. Stand on chair, grip handholds to stabilize your upper body, keep it firm. 2. Make sure you are pressing your back against the pad, now contract the abs to raise the legs and lift knees towards your chest. 3. Remember to be firm and don’t arch the back, repeat slowly…remember, emphasis is on the abs muscles.

Vertical Leg Crunch

1. Lie face up on the floor, extend the legs straight up with knees crossed. (or straight) 2. Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet. 3. Keep the legs in a fixed position and lower to original position, but keep the legs extended.

Long Arm Crunch (my favorite)

1. Lie face up on the floor, extend the arms straight out behind the head with hands clasped, keeping the arms next to the ears. 2. Contract the abs and lift the shoulder blades off the floor, the pressure should be from the abs, not the neck. 3. Hold, feel the contraction, and lower to original position.

Super Abs Stretch

1. Lie face up on the floor, extend the arms straight out behind the head. 2. Bring down the arms, slowly, feel the abs muscle stretching. Movement is arms straight behind the head to next to the legs.

3. Up and down feeling the stretch, hold it and start all over.

Summarizing, targeting exercises will not work unless you are targeting your entire body by doing cardio exercises and eliminating fat. Targeting upper, lower, inner, and outer abs muscles will not burn fat; they define the muscles. Burning fat is done by cardio exercises and by consuming healthy foods. Remember, I told you already, flat abs are not only done in the exercise floor, but in the kitchen. Recipe: Cardio, abs exercise, and eating healthy. Just to add a funny note and bring a smile, as my nephew Nadeem says, “What do you call a dog with a fever that goes out to the snow? CHILLI DOG!! “Ha ha ha.

Oh well, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, adios, arrivederci! It is time to do my abs exercises. How about you, are you ready to say bye-bye to belly fat and welcome to flat abs? I hope so.

================================================================= =========== ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anna “Overweight? NO MORE!” lost over 80 pounds from 230 pounds and has kept the weight off for 3 years. If I did it, so can you! http://www.officialoverweightnomore.com Subscribe to my Free Weekly Newsletter. I will share with you my weight loss tips, meal recipes and more. http://www.officialoverweightnomore.com/mystory.html Join the Official Overweight No More team in yahoo group http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/officialoverweightnomore/

Before starting any nutritional program, exercise or diet program, we advise you to consult with your physician.

NOTE: This article may be freely reprinted in your ezines, ebooks, off-line publications, or on your websites. We only require that the entire article – including the links, and the resource box “about the author” at the bottom of each article remain unchanged.

Science will tell us that women have a harder time getting abs than men. Men secrete the hormone testosterone which is responsible for muscle development. But even if this is the case, that does not mean that women can’t get ripped abs too. How to build abs for women only takes a more unique approach as compared to men.

First thing is first, women have to cut back on their high calorie intake for them to effectively lose weight thereby building abs. The fact of the matter is that you need to lose overall body weight before you can see any tightening of your core. How to build abs then? Stay clear of sugary foods that are rich calories. Be very careful with planning your meal. Make sure that it contains as much fiber as possible to help cleanse your insides as well as proteins to feet your developing muscles.

Increase your rate of weight loss by doing total body workouts. I’m sure that doing yoga or pilates is already in most women’s regimen. Doing these exercises that work every part of your body will help elevate and maintain your metabolism to increase fat loss at the same time build muscles.

Going back to one’s diet, there are a few foods that cause you to become bloated. If you exercise regularly, are very conscious of your diet but still you can’t see any results you must be looking all bloated up after eating foods that are too gassy or retain too much water. It would be wise for you to stay away from salty foods. Salt causes fluid retention that may have your tummy looking unflattering.

Standing straight may be simple enough to do but it’s actually effective in how to build abs. Our abdominal muscles are used for support. Maintaining good body posture will help you to use those muscles and tone them along the way.

Finally, part of getting abs is looking your best in what you are wearing. Choose clothes that are made out of cotton, silk and chiffon fabrics that are more forgiving to flaws while staying away from any material that clings to your skin.

Many of us try and stay up to date with the latest information when it comes to exercises for flat stomachs. Whether it is from the internet, word of moth, or other sources most of us certainly know that theses sources can help us lose stomach fat, get a firm tummy and lose weight.

The aim of this article is to teach you exercise to get a flat stomach that you will be able to do at home. There are many exercises for flat stomach that you can do on your own with little to no use of equipment or gadgets.

Here is the how-to list:

Listed below are some cardiovascular exercises that are perfect flat stomach exercises.

Crunches: Lie flat on your back, on the floor with your knees bent, and the balls of your feet and heels planted firmly on the ground. Put your hands either on your chest or beside your head, choosing whichever is more comfortable for you. It is important to remember that you are not pulling your head which will help you to avoid neck or head muscle injury.

Cardiovascular: This exercise can be performed at the gym with an expert or in the comfort of your own home with the help of a video or just on your own. Some examples of cardio workouts are walking, jogging, and cycling. You can make your cardio more interesting by doing it outside or taking up hiking or rock climbing.

Perform theses exercises three to five times. If you find that you are getting tired while working out for a long time, you may need to settle for just two or three. Never overdo it, moderation is the key. The crunches can lead to injury if done incorrectly or with too much zeal. Click the link below in order to learn more about the benefits of exercise to get a flat stomach.