The women's fitness blog

Would you like to "jump start" your metabolism and lose your ‘mommy belly' once and for all? If so, the following seven tips are exactly what you need to improve your workouts and ignite your metabolism. Try some or all of these tips, but beware, the result may be a number of admiring second glances and the need to pull your ‘skinny jeans' out of the closet.

1. The majority of your workouts should be composed of free-weight, bodyweight or cable exercises.

Compared to machines, free-weight, bodyweight and cable movements often require more skill, create muscular balance, and have a greater metabolic cost. For example, it is more difficult to balance the weights, and to coordinate muscles when performing free-weight exercises. Although this may sound like a disadvantage, it is actually a benefit. By balancing and stabilizing free-weights or cables you are working more muscles through a greater range of motion resulting in more muscles developed and more calories burned.

2. Use exercises that work more than one muscle at a time.

When focusing on fat loss, you can't worry about "shaping" exercises, instead you should use exercises that'll get you the biggest bang for your buck and work as many muscles as possible. Isolation exercises can be used at the end of a workout to work on a specific target area, but they just serve to supplement your core movements.

Virtually every savvy fitness professional is privy to the fact that compound exercises recruit the most muscle groups for any given body part.

If you seek lean, toned muscles and the increase in metabolism that comes with them, you must choose exercises that work as many different muscles as possible. One of the main reasons why squats are superior to leg extensions for improving your body is that they also work your butt, hamstrings and inner thighs in addition to toning your quadriceps while leg extensions focus on just the front of your thigh and don't really offer any other benefit. That same rationale hold true for arm exercises too. That's why dumbell presses and dips will are more valuable for your arms than triceps kickbacks and pushdowns.

A good rule of thumb is to use movements that will allow you to use the most weight. These will have a systemic effect on your body that'll help maintain or increase your lean muscle, and in turn ignite your metabolism.

3. Pair exercises.

Pair your exercises together so that you alternate between upper-body exercises and lower-body exercises or between exercises that target opposing muscle groups (e.g. chest and back).

This type of approach will keep your workouts short and efficient by eliminating much of the downtime that comes between sets of a single exercise since you are working on one movement while resting from another. This approach can also yield huge benefits in your mission to burn fat. Since you'll constantly be moving and keeping your heart rate elevated, you'll be burning far more calories than you would during a typical workout.

4. Keep your reps between 8 and 12.

Through research, it has been determined that the best range for building lean muscle is roughly between 8-12 reps. Since the main focus of your resistance training efforts is to gain lean body mass and stimulate your metabolism, this rep range fills the bill perfectly. "High reps for tone and fat loss" is one of the biggest (and most unproductive) training myths! Somehow the aerobics, yoga and Pilates' community have convinced us that when we perform bodyweight exercises or light resistance training for high reps, our muscles magically take on a beautiful shape without growing or bulging. On the other hand, if you challenge yourself with moderately heavy weights, your body will take on a bulky, unflattering appearance. If you believe this, you probably still believe in the Tooth Fairy!

5. Rest only 30 to 60 seconds between sets.

When you keep the rest periods under one minute, it's easier to stay focused on the task at hand and keeps your heart rate elevated. In addition, it forces your muscles to recover more quickly between sets, along with keeping your nervous system revved up.

If your first movement in an upper/lower body pair is squats, you might want to rest 60 seconds before attempting your second movement. However, if your first exercise is a fairly "easy" exercise, like lat pull downs, you might only wish to wait 30 seconds before doing the second part of the pair.

6. Perform total body workouts.

You must drop the notion that muscle groups work independently of one another. Muscles work together and should be trained that way. Besides, not only does this approach mean less time in the gym, but by working the whole body three times per week, you'll be maximizing the fat burning effect of your program.

7. Cardio is not the cure-all for fat loss.

Cardiovascular exercise aids in the creation of a caloric deficit, but the caloric expenditure during cardio is temporary. Strength training addresses the core of the problem by permanently increasing the rate at which the body burns calories by adding muscle. The best programs will include both strength training and cardiovascular training, but the core or the programs effectiveness is resistance training.

Take these strategies and incorporate them into your workout routine. Not only will you save a lot of time, but you'll also soon see a leaner and more toned body. Not to mention a few more turned heads and the re-emergence of your skinny jeans.

Before we talk about our main subject, shoulder injuries, here's a quick energy tip for women swimmers; for an easy way to keep your energy levels high during your swim workout, try eating peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers before.

Stay hydrated during a workout by drinking two 8-ounce (250ml) glasses of water 1 hour before. If you wait until you're thirsty - it's already too late!

Swimming and Shoulder Injuries in Women

Ladies, the biggest source of swimming injuries is the shoulder. Butterfly swimming is considered the stroke most likely to cause injury, with Freestyle (otherwise known as Front Crawl) coming second.

The shoulder is a very complex piece of anatomy. So if you have hurt your shoulder, it can be quite difficult for professionals to diagnose exactly which muscle has been injured. If your shoulder is hurting while you swim, it's best to decrease or temporarily stop the exercise that's hurting. You should consider staying away from the pool for at least a week or two.

Ask yourself what you might have been doing to cause pain; have you had a sudden increase in training distance or intensity? Keep increases in workload to less than 10% per week.

Are you using only one stroke during your workout?
You will gain more from cross training with other strokes.

We are often taught to 'reach and roll' when we put our hands in the water to start our pull. Might you be reaching too far and over-rotating, crossing over in freestyle when pulling? Don't over-stretch your shoulders in an attempt to increase the range of your stroke. Instead, back off a little and start your pull before your arm is fully extended. You might feel you are short-stroking a little bit, but the difference is slight.

Do you use hand paddles? Stop. Paddles put a great deal
of unnatural pressure on your shoulders and you likely don't really need them. Any use of hand paddle training devices while injured can add to a swimmer's problems. Most paddles will cause shoulder problems, given time. Instead, use leg fins so you can start going through the motions of your armstroke without much effort.

Concentrate on improving your leg action. Emphasize a steady, even kick to take pressure off your shoulders. As mentioned above, try fins for a while.

One of the most important things in stroke technique, when it comes to freestyle and avoiding shoulder injuries is to bend your elbows underwater during the pull. This is proper form and will keep you from putting your shoulder in an awkward position that leads to problems. You still want to roll your body, but instead of initiating the roll with your shoulders, snap your hips.

If you breathe to only one side, you will develop the muscles more on one side than the other. This could cause a shoulder problem. To avoid lop-sided strength, ensure you use bilateral (on both sides) breathing in your workouts.

You're Now In Rehab.
If you have a shoulder injury, according to the Mayo Clinic; initially consider use of an ice-pack (cryotherapy). Later, change to contrasting treatments of moist heat and an ice-pack, twice per day. Ensure you see your doctor if pain continues.

Special Exercises.
Employ pain-free isometric and elastic cord exercises with low resistance and a high number of repetitions two to three times daily. Using a 'theraband' or surgical tubing for some light resistance exercises can help in your rehabilitation. Exercises with these help strengthen your muscles without aggravating the injury.

Knee push-ups, regular push ups and wall leans (standing push ups against the wall), can help your conditioning program.

Summary.
A shoulder injury forces you to slow down. When you've had some time away from swimming and are resuming training, always ease back into it. Start with something very light, like 800m the first day, 900m the next. Consider this as an opportunity to gently improve your stroke technique and drills, while you get back to full health.

As you would already know, yoga is one of the major parts of any wellness routine. Practicing yoga can help you to reduce stress while at the same time exercise your body. You can also incorporate yoga in your stomach exercises which target the midsection. In yoga a number of positions or asanas exercise your stomach muscles. Do remember that in yoga there are several more advanced positions or asanas. As such you should always start with the easier ones first before working your way to the more complex positions. Asses your skill and comfort level before you try a certain asana. Don't take any risks. Start with one that is simple and work your way up to ones that are more complex once you have the strength and flexibility. And as always, with any exercise routine, do consult a professional before you begin and always spare some time for warm up to avoid any injury.

Pavan-Muktasan

This is a stomach exercising asana. First lie on your back. You can opt for a towel or a mat to cushion your spine. Now bend both knees up to you chest until your thigh touches your stomach. Next, hug your knees in place and lock your fingers. Then lift up your head until your nose touches your knees. Take a deep breath and hold this position for thirty seconds. Now slowly release and lower yourself back to the starting position. You can also opt to do this exercise one leg at a time.

Bhujangasan

For this exercise, you start by lying on your stomach. Next place your hands underneath your shoulders. Now, raise your upper body off the ground by using your back muscles. Raise yourself until your head is upright. You must make sure not to push with your hands, as you want your back muscles to do the work. Hold yourself in this position for about thirty seconds before slowly lowering yourself back to starting position. Now in this exercise, even though you are making use of your back muscles to do all the work, this asana will help you to reduce your belly fat and helps to flatten your stomach.

The Bow

This is somewhat similar to the previous asana. You start with lying on your stomach. The difference is that in addition to curling your legs upward, you will also lift you upper torso. First bend your knees so that your feet come towards your head. With both hands, grab your ankles and pull with your hands while at the same time pushing with your legs. Do this so that only your stomach is on the floor. You should feel like you're making a circle. Keep your knees together throughout. Now hold this position for thirty seconds and then slowly release and return to your starting position.

Paad-Pashchimottanasan

Ok, this next asana is not as complicated as the name sounds. However, you do need to be flexible to be able to perform this asana. Start by lying on your back and having your arms overhead and legs straight. Extend all your limbs. You are now straight from head to toe. Next place your palms flat pointing up to the ceiling, and put your hands together. Now, contract your stomach muscles so that you can sit up, while keeping your back straight and your heads still over your head. Then, bend forward and grab your toes, placing your head in between your arms. Your face will touch your knees. Hold this position for about two minutes and then slowly release.

As you can see, yoga can help you to achieve that lean stomach that you've always wanted. Practice these asanas and you'll be on your way to a fitter and slimmer tummy.

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net

One of the largest problems with those suffering from nerve diseases and disabilities is keeping up circulation. Because walking let alone, more strenuous exercise can be painful, even dangerous because of the impact involved, these people end up living very sedentary lives. Eventually, limb loss may ensue due to circulation problems. Fortunately, resistance band exercise can be used by these previously sedentary people. A few stretches go a long way to keeping the blood flowing through limbs.

The best part of resistance band exercise is there is virtually no impact. Multiple Sclerosis patients who can barely walk utilize resistance bands to keep the blood flowing through their legs by doing a few stretches with the band wrapped around one of their feet.

Resistance Band Exercise can also be performed by the very large. For the obese, exercise can be nearly impossibly and terribly daunting. A light, convenient resistance band can be used with little to no impact and without moving all parts of your body or supporting your own weight.

For the elderly, walking and swimming are always recommended. Though these are fantastic cardiovascular exercises, it is not really toning ones' muscles. Of course an elaborate home gym is not the right solution for an elderly person. They need the convenient, fun, and simple strength training that these bands can provide. Because there is virtually no set up and certainly no assembly required, any person can get their muscles toned up with a bit of colorful resistance training regardless of age.

Resistance Band training can increase in difficulty as muscle mass increases. Exercise bands are inexpensive; there is no large financial commitment. The intensity of resistance band exercise is only dependant on your ability; as your strength improves resistance bands allow you the flexibility to increase the intensity of your workout accordingly.

Children can even participate in a resistance band program to tone little muscles and inspire growth. It is a fun little quick exercise that can hold the attention of even the most rambunctious child. There are so many exercises that may be conducted with resistance bands that boredom is never a factor. Coaches have even begun to implement resistance band usage in sports to increase their players' flexibility and endurance.

There has been resurgence in the popularity of isometric exercise due to its use in physical therapy. Those that do not have a great deal of joint flexibility or cannot stress a muscle too much are recommended to use resistance bands in their recuperation. Physical therapists recommend and apply resistance band training in combination with isometric exercise to help patients reach their maximum range of motion, flexibility, strength, and endurance.

Resistance band exercise not only provides for excellent muscle build up, but it definitely increases one's flexibility and range of motion. For those suffering from any movement impairing disabilities, band exercise can ease the discomfort and improve upon one's limited range of motion.

Implementing a resistance band exercise program is by no means a cure all system. It must be combined with healthy eating and mild aerobic exercises in order to achieve total physical fitness. However, combined with these two aspects, resistance band exercise can assist in toning muscle, burning fat, and increasing overall health. Once you have acquired your resistance band, exercise as much as you feel comfortable doing to see the pounds fly and the muscles build.

It's inevitable that a pregnant woman will gain weight. Some lucky women manage to lose all the weight again afterwards. For other, the extra weight seems almost impossible to get rid of.

It's a sensisble idea to talk to your doctor about this during your pre-natal check ups. However, considering the hormonal craziness that pregnancy brings, the bizarre urges for all sorts of foods, and the significantly decreases exercise that a pregnant woman can carry out, it's not always easy to follow this advice.

That brings us to the crux of the matter. How do you lose the extra flab?

You may be eating lots of so-called "comfort food" to deal with stress or sad feelings, sometimes called post-natal or post-partum depression. This is completely normal, and best of all, it's treatable - so you don't need to allow it to take over. Have a chat with your doctor if you're concerned.

Planning to breastfeed? Getting nutritional advice from your doctor would be a good idea. Happily, nursing your new baby may actually help you lose the extra pounds - but make sure you don't short-change the baby (or yourself!) by going on a fad diet.

Get back into your daily routine as soon as you can. Don't over do it, of course, but start moving again if you tended to sit a lot during your pregnancy. When it comes to health and exercise, bad habits can easily creep in.

To help you get back into walking for exercise, think about getting a front carrier or sling so you can take your baby with you on short walks through the neighborhood instead of always putting him in the stroller. The baby will enjoy being close to mom, and you'll have more fun, too.

Since you now have a new family, it's a good idea to learn as much as you can about healthy eating, so all of you can feel your best and be as healthy as possible. If you've slipped into sloppy eating habits during your pregnancy because cooking right just seemed like too much trouble, now is the time to snap out of it and put those veggies back on the menu.

Eat a big salad at the beginning of every meal, and make them fun - with lots of variety and taste - so it starts to become second nature. Be sure to always have more vegetables on your plate than anything else, as well, because that way you'll be able to fill up without the carbohydrates and calories in bread, pasta, red meat and sweets.

The one thing that will be the most helpful to you is to remember that the way you eat now will influence your new child's health for many years to come. Many people have discovered that they have a hard time losing weight until they realize their own eating habits may be hurting their kids.

Doing something for yourself might feel like a waste of time, or too much work, (especially if it means cooking a real meal instead of ordering a takeaway), but doing the same thing for people you love is fun and gives a real sense of satisfacion. Of course, your baby wont be eating those veggies for a while, but you'll want to get in the habit now.

You'll probably discover that it's easier to stay committed to your baby's health than your own. It's just human nature. Fortunately, good eating habits help both of you stay healthy, and it will help you lose weight.

If your baby grows up in a household where natural, healthy food is always on the table, and where treats are only given only on special occasions, your child will grow up strong and healthy. If you take the time now to learn how to eat right, you'll naturally lose your that extra weight and your whole family will benefit from your healthy habits.

It's almost time for your wedding. Just a few months, or even weeks away. So take some time now to plan your fitness plan so you'll look your best on that big day.

How, you ask? If you want to look your absolute best on that precious day - start with your wedding fitness plan right now.

To get the most from your fitness plan you'll need to combine 5 elements:

1. Supportive Nutrition

2. Resistance Training

3. Cardio Training

4. Mental Training

5. Social Support

1. Supportive Nutrition

Eating the right foods to support your weight loss and toning efforts. You don't have to make a science out of it. Just eat 5 or 6 quality meals with lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and healthy grains here and there and you'll quickly look your best for your Wedding.

2. Resistance Training

Any form of exercise that adds an external load on your muscles. That load can be your body in the form of squats, push-ups, sit-ups, or it can be dumbbells. A few times per week for half an hour is enough to get your body in better shape for that wedding dress.

3. Cardio Training

Any moderate activity that raises your heart rate for 20-30 minutes. Swimming, jogging, sports, hiking, or any other activity you enjoy. This will help condition your heart and burn extra calories helping to trim off body fat for you wedding.

4. Mental Training

A significant portion of wedding fitness is purely "mental". Keeping yourself motivated to stay on track and continue to make progress no matter how discouraged you may get. Staying on track and making continual progress toward your goal, knowing that as long as you keep making progress you will reach your goal and look fabulous on your wedding day.

5. Social Support

Whether it's from friends, family, a coach, church or your neighborhood women's group, research shows that programs which include social support always have better outcomes than those without.

Why is social support so effective - one word, accountability. In one study participants in a fitness program were 22 times more likely to stick with it when held accountable through weekly contact.

When stress and other pressures of life are dragging you down, you can look to your social support members for that extra boost of motivation. If your family and friends aren't there for you when you need it most, getting some help from a qualified fitness professional may be just what you need. A great friend of mine uses these 5 techniques to help fitness models and others achieve better bodies.

The most important thing you can know - you need to get going right away and use your time wisely. It may take you 10, 20 or even 30 weeks, depending on where you're at right now.

Aim for 1-2 pounds of "fat loss" per week. Now mind you this isn't "weight loss". Nearly anyone can lose pounds on the scale (although this is not fat weight). That's not what you're after. That will just cause you to look like a skinnier fat version of yourself.

Losing fat will help reveal your shapely figure so you can look lean, toned and sexy in your wedding dress.

If your end goal is to drop 10-20 pounds then aim for between 5 and 10 weeks to allow plenty of time to safely drop that weight.

Remember, this is a once in a lifetime event - your Wedding. Just ask yourself, "how do you want to look on your wedding day". Figure out that answer and do what it takes.

If you need help with your wedding fitness or nutrition plan, hiring a Fitness Coach or Personal Trainer can be just what you need to kick start your program and guarantee your fitness success.

Get started now and expect results! And when your wedding day comes you'll jump with joy about how your body looks in your wedding dress.

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net

Just when you start to sit back and think that all the old archaic myths, are startin' to die off, they seem to spring back to life and surprise you.

This is one that I heard from a client the other day, as was told to her by a family member and a by a friend, all on the same day.

It goes something like this:

"Protein has too many calories"

or

"I don't want to bulk up"

or, lastly

"Protein powder will make me fat"

These three myths are generally used as objections to the guideline of consuming 1gram protein / 1 lb bodyweight

First let's took a look the calorie issue, a scoop of protein powder generally has between 80-120 calories per scoop.

Here are some food items that someone may likely be already eating that this could equate to calorically:

-1/2 of a banana

-1 slice of bread

-1 of those little 100 caloric snack packs

-1/2 of a 20 ounce bottle of regular soda

As you can see the bang for the buck as far as quality nutrients are concerned is by far and away on the side of that 1 little scoop of protein.

(While we are on the topic protein a preferable, the source of protein powder is one of the many versions of whey or casseinate protein powders available. They are simply of higher quality, generally taste better, and are more usable by the body than the soy versions)

On last 'food for thought' moment with this first statement, carbohydrate and protein carry the exact same calorie amount per gram.

Next, let's take a look at the myth of protein causing one to become bulky. Let's look at if from a couple different angles.

First let's define 'bulk' I think we can safely define bulk as taking up more space or becoming 'larger' by volume.

It is also accurate to say that fat takes up a lot more space than lean muscle tissue.

Thus the fastest way to gain 'bulk' would be to stop/reduce exercising and increase/or even maintain nutritional intake.

If you take a look around you'll see that most Americans have a pretty good handle on the 'bulking' aspect, we're not so good at the lean muscle part.

There is no relevancy of protein to 'bulking'

While it is true the protein is critical for maintain and building lean muscle; which is exactly what we hope will happen, because muscle is metabolism.

If your thought process is that you will through the simple act of consuming protein gain mounds and mounds of muscle miraculously, you have sorely misled.

Either that or I need to find some of that 'miracle protein powder', I wouldn't mind not having to do any work and have muscle appear on my body through the simple act of drink protein powder.

If you are a woman who is 30, 40, or even 50 yrs old, you have nothing to worry about.

Packing on the muscle, and turning in Arnold Schwarzenegger's twin sister is not likely to happen, if it was there would be plenty of 25yr old testosterone soaked males that would be loving life as an Arnold look-alike.

The short story is: if putting on heaps of muscle were that easy a lot more males would have some.

The real hang up most individuals have with all this is that they are being asked to significantly change one of their most closely held, highly engrained habits of being emotionally and physically attached to carbohydrate.

They are being asked to perform a caloric swap between carbohydrate and protein in order to get their protein intake up to appropriate levels, many people especially women may need to up their protein intake 50%-200% depending on their current status.

What does this look like by the numbers - take a 160lb women (which just happens to be about the weight of the average American woman.)

She is likely only taking in 40-80 grams of protein per day not good.

She needs to be in the 160 gram range.

What does this look like, well let me give you a couple instances of what this might look like in the real world.

(these are only example to show you what this might look like a daily scale.)

It could be 8 scoops of protein powder containing 20grams of protein per scoop.

Or

It could be 4- 4 ounce chicken breast (about the size of your out stretched hand per day. Or a variety of other animal source lean proteins.)

The goal of this article was to crush one of the long held myths in fitness and to shed some light on how truly valuable protein is in the quest for leanness.

If you work on breaking some of your old habits and work on getting your protein content right.

A new leaner body will thank you.

Article Source: http://physicalfitnessarticles.net