Treadmill Tricks

(eFitness.com) - It's by far the most popular piece of equipment in the gym and at home. And studies have shown that running on the treadmill is one of the highest calorie-burning workouts out there.

But are you really getting the most for your effort?

Consider this: When you go for a walk, you walk faster on some days than you do on others. Does it make a difference in the calories you burn? It sure does! When you walk on a treadmill, the speed is constant, so you feel like you get a better, more consistent workout than you would walking around your neighborhood. That’s a perk of the treadmill.

On the other hand, when you walk outside, you might walk uphill and downhill, which acts as interval training.

In a nutshell, the speed of your walk doesn't matter as much when you walk outdoors or on a track, since you're propelling your weight with every step. On the treadmill, however, the belt is moving and helps to bring your foot back. You may have noticed that you feel a bit more tired after a walk off the treadmill.

We’re not putting down the hottest piece of fitness equipment out there, but we would like to make it a more effective workout for you. To approximate walking outside, a treadmill requires two-degrees of incline to compensate for the movement of the belt -- so crank it up. Better yet, choose a program that adjusts the incline and speed. You'll begin to notice a difference in your program very quickly!

If you've ever reached a plateau in your fitness program, where no matter what you do, you seem stuck at a particular weight or cardio fitness level, this will come in handy here, too. Variety is the spice of your treadmill workout!

In addition, if you're using a treadmill during every one of your workouts, it's a good idea to take a step off the belt from time to time. Get on a bike, an elliptical trainer, a rowing machine or a stepper.

Muscles adapt to the same routine fairly quickly, so find two-pieces of equipment that you like and mix up your program. How can this help? When you're on a treadmill, your body interprets the walking motion as a linear movement. When you get on a bike, upright or recumbent, however, the movement becomes rotary.

Muscles don’t have eyes -- they can’t see. Muscles can only interpret movement. When you go back to the treadmill after switching things up, the body says, "We’re not doing a rotary thing, this is linear." The changes are subtle but the results can be great.

Add variety and mix up your workout. Don’t become attached to a single piece of equipment. Keep your body guessing as to what’s coming next!

Learn more at eFitness.com...

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Greeks have no appetite for the Atkins diet

(Denver Post) - Walk through the maze of streets in the Plaka, the oldest neighborhood in Athens, and the aromas hit you in the face. Cinnamon, nutmeg and filo dough. Pasta, fresh bread and feta cheese. Falafel, lamb and red wine.

For the nearly 60 million Americans who have fallen head-over-steak knife for the Atkins diet, Greek cuisine represents the third circle of Hades. The majority of the Greek diet stands for everything the low-carbohydrate, high-protein Atkins diet professes to avoid.

With the Summer Olympics here, Atkins-subscribing Americans might think they'll starve.

Talk to Greeks, however, and they say they've lived quite healthily without the Atkins diet for, oh, about 5,000 years. Yes, they know the Atkins diet. It came to Greece in the mid-1990s. Yes, they've tried it. No, they have not punted their pasta maker or dedicated their culinary life to meat and dairy products.

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Lose that belly fat!

(Shape Magazine) - You exercise, you eat right, but you still have a pooch. Here's the surprising reason why -- and how to fix it.

We crunch. We Ab Blast. We eschew carbs. Heck, we'll even go under the knife to get rid of ab flab.

Unfortunately, recent research shows that you can crunch until you crumble and diet till you're drained of energy, but if your days are full of stress, the perfect six-pack -- or even a flatter midsection -- will continue to elude you.

That's because fat in the abdominal area functions differently than fat elsewhere in the body. It has a greater blood supply as well as more receptors for cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol levels rise and fall throughout the day, but when you're under constant stress, the amount of the hormone you produce remains elevated. With high stress and, consequently, high cortisol levels, more fat is deposited in the abdominal area since there are more cortisol receptors there.

But ab flab is not the only price you'll pay for chronic stress (the kind created by a marriage that's unraveling, a job you hate, problems with your health -- rather than, say, tension caused by a traffic snarl). Chronically high cortisol levels also kill neurons in the brain and interfere with feel-good neuro-transmitters -- such as dopamine and serotonin -- which can lead to depression and feeling more stressed.

More stress = more fat

In short, the whole issue of abdominal fat goes far beyond how you look in a bikini: The fat at your waist -- what researchers call central obesity -- is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer. And while it's true that heredity plays a role in overall body type (that is, whether you are more of an "apple" than a "pear"), says Brenda Davy, Ph.D., R.D., an assistant professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, "genetics accounts for only 25-55 percent of the tendency to develop the most serious diseases associated with abdominal fat -- the remainder is lifestyle."

Ongoing research at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), is showing that it doesn't even matter if a body is otherwise thin; if stress levels are high, ab fat will increase. "People called 'high-stress responders' [those who secrete more cortisol in response to stress than others] have more central fat, regardless of body weight," says Elissa Epel, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the psychiatry department at UCSF and the author of several studies on stress and eating behavior in premenopausal women.

Read more...

U.S. launches anti-obesity campaign

(Reuters) - Plan focuses on exercise, better drugs to fight epidemic

The U.S. National Institutes of Health said on Tuesday it was launching a systematic campaign to fight obesity, which now affects close to two-thirds of the U.S. population and threatens to overtake smoking as the leading cause of death.

The plan calls for targeting obesity at several levels, including behavioral and environmental changes such as better city planning to encourage exercise; developing better drugs and surgical approaches; finding out and fighting the ways obesity causes diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers; and translating the research into something people can use.

"On the surface, it may seem that the solution to the obesity epidemic is obvious: 'Get people to eat less and exercise more,"' the plan reads.

"The reality is that this change is very difficult to accomplish, and research is critical to address the issue successfully."

An estimated 65 percent of Americans are overweight and 31 percent are obese, meaning they are at serious risk of disease from their fat.

"Levels of childhood overweight have nearly tripled since 1970: approximately 16 percent of children and teens ages 6 through 19 are now overweight," adds the obesity report.

"The levels of pediatric overweight have ominous implications for the development of serious diseases, both during youth and later in adulthood," it adds.

"Left unabated, the escalating rates of obesity in the U.S. population will place a severe burden on the nation's health and its healthcare system." Obesity cost an estimated $117 billion a year in direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost wages due to illness, the NIH said.

The NIH invested $378.6 million for obesity research in fiscal year 2003 and will spend about $400.1 million in 2004. The plan is to spend $440.3 million in fiscal year 2005.

1 in 3 Adults Has High Blood Pressure

(WebMD.com) - Obesity Weighs on 33% Increase in Americans

The number of adults in the U.S. with high blood pressure increased by nearly a third during the last 10 years, according to the latest government figures. Sixty-five million Americans now have hypertension or about 8% of the population, compared with 50 million a decade ago.

While much of the rise can be explained by the fact that the U.S. population is larger and older than it was 10 years ago, the increase in the number of overweight and obese Americans is also a major contributing factor, says American Heart Association spokesman David Goff, MD, PhD.

Read more...

Fitness Advice for At-Home Fitness Olympians

Bally Total Fitness Expert Khalid McLeod Offers Fitness Tips to Help Fitness Olympian "Wannabes" Prevent Sports-Related Injuries

Olympian athletes aren't the only people pushing their bodies to extremes this August. Many at-home fitness champions, motivated by the 2004 summer games, are attempting the sports at which their heroes excel. However, out-of-practice athletes who want to sprint as fast as Maurice Green, swing a backhand like Venus Williams, swim with as much poise as Michael Phelps and kick the soccer ball like Mia Hamm are at a greater risk than the actual competitors of suffering injury and permanent damage to their bodies.

Khalid McLeod, national spokesperson and personal trainer for Bally Total Fitness, offers safety tips and exercises that champion Olympian "wannabes" should follow to avoid sports-related injuries.

Fitness safety tips:

-- Begin each workout with a low-intensity cardiovascular exercise performed for 5 to 10 minutes or until perspiration begins. Exercising muscles that are not warmed-up will increase risk of injury.

-- Always begin each workout with upper and lower body stretches. Stretching should be slow and controlled without bouncing. Hold each stretch at a point of mild tension for 10 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 to 5 times. Do not excessively flex, twist or lock any joints.

-- Perform at a graduated response. Begin activity at 50 percent of exertion and gradually increase before you go full blast to reduce your chance of injury.

-- Hydrate! By the time your body tells you that you're thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Drink plenty of water before, during and after the activity.

-- Prevent further trauma to the body by cooling down. This will gradually lower your heart rate, circulate blood and oxygen to your muscles and reduce the risk of muscle soreness.

Sport-specific exercises:

-- Track - Running is hard on your legs, so be sure to stretch your hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. Build your cardiovascular endurance by combining running and walking.

-- Tennis - Both your upper and lower body muscles will be used in tennis. Therefore, do not forget to stretch your shoulders, flexor and extensor muscles in your forearms and your hamstrings, quadriceps and calves. Volleying a tennis ball against a wall can loosen your rotator cuff muscles for increased flexibility as well.

-- Swimming - Strong and limber arms and legs will propel you in the water. Prepare your muscles, including your calves and shoulders by stretching in the water. It is also helpful if you strengthen your lungs by intermittently holding your breath for several seconds.

-- Soccer - Since every muscle from your lower back to your Achilles tendon will be used in soccer, stretch your hamstrings, quadriceps and calves.

"Sports are a great way to get fit and have a good time. But remember that even summer games athletes were once beginners in their respective sports," says McLeod. "If you keep your body healthy and practice often, you, too, will one day excel."

For additional fitness tips or to set up an interview with Khalid McLeod of Bally Total Fitness, please contact Jamie Morgan at (201) 964-2380.

How to Train Like a Rugby Player

Rugby players are definitely pretty fit. Even though I don't really understand the game I have a lot of respect for guys who will repeatedly throw their bodies into piles of other players, many of whom outweigh them by a lot... WITHOUT any real padding! Here's an interesting article that explains how the top rugby players train to increase their fitness. Enjoy!

Age Can't Stop Fitness Legend Jack La Lanne

Fitness 'guru' Jack La Lanne is an inspiration to millions of Americans. Even at 89 he doesn't seem to be slowing down much at all...

(Reuters) - Eighty-nine-year-old Jack La Lanne enters a San Francisco hotel gym and immediately starts bantering with staff and guests and offering exercise advice.

One man lies on the floor upon La Lanne's order and begins a series of arduous sit-ups as La Lanne barks out directions. Everyone is stunned, not only to see the fitness guru unexpectedly at the hotel, but to witness an evangelical zeal for health seemingly undiminished by advanced age.

"Jesus Christ was for the hereafter, right? I'm for the here now," La Lanne said during a visit to his birthplace San Francisco last weekend. His wife Elaine, who sometimes finishes La Lanne's sentences or reminds him of his best lines, then shouted out, "Hallelujah."

La Lanne has been preaching his gospel of exercise and good diet since 1936 when he opened his first gym in Oakland, California, across the Bay from San Francisco.

He gained a national following after "The Jack La Lanne Show" premiered on television in 1951 and started a 34-year run. La Lanne encouraged viewers to exercise with him using simple props such as a chair to the tune of organ music.

Over time he entered the popular culture and made many guest appearances on television shows including "The Addams Family," "Here's Lucy," "Laugh-In" and the "The Simpsons."

All these years later, La Lanne's exercise shows still air on cable television and he is marketing a power juicer, exercise mat, videos and skin cream on the Internet and in commercials.

In person, he delivers the machine-gun fast patter of a salesman par excellence.

"Was Jesus a good salesman, if you believed in the Bible? He believed in something. I believe in something," he said. "When I lecture, I have one thing in my mind, to help those people."

In an oft-told tale, La Lanne said he converted his life as a wayward, sugar-addicted youth to the path of fitness fanatic at age 15 and never looked back. All of this has also made La Lanne, who lives in Morro Bay on California's coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles, a rich man and a celebrity.

SCORN FOR STEROIDS

Even as La Lanne and subsequent generations of fitness promoters spread their message, performance-enhancing drugs have spread in sports, and obesity among the American population has also grown to be an ever-larger problem.

Even back in the 1930s, La Lanne said, a few body builders were already taking performance-enhancing drugs, a problem that has cast a shadow over the 2004 Olympics in wake of the San Francisco-area BALCO lab scandal.

"You'll never stop any of that stuff; it's impossible. As long as the emphasis is on winning, they'll do anything," he said. "I think it's terrible. It's like going to bed with a rattle snake. It's going to get you."

La Lanne said steroids were vital to the bodybuilding career of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom he calls a good friend. The two met when the Austrian immigrant was a 19-year-old in southern California, La Lanne said. Schwarzenegger has acknowledged he used steroids.

"He could have never had made it without the steroids," La Lanne said. "He would have never have been of that caliber."

Yet La Lanne is a big admirer of the former Hollywood star turned politician, perhaps because they both share an optimistic anything-is-possible outlook on life.

"Arnold's always been Arnold. If you don't like Arnold, you don't like sex or money," he said. "Arnold never made an excuse for anything, he just set out and did it."

Such a can-do spirit has propelled La Lanne to perform a series of unusual feats. In 1956, he did 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes. He swam from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco on his 60th birthday handcuffed and shackled on his legs while pulling a 1,000-pound boat. On his 70th birthday, he towed 70 boats carrying 70 people for a mile and a half.

The point? "To show that anything in life is possible. What the mind can conceive the body can do," he said.

Despite his own indefatigable sales pitch, La Lanne scorns advertising as the root of the problem for America's growing obesity epidemic. And as for eating fads such as the low carb Atkins diet and others, La Lanne does not mince words.

"It's a bunch of bull," he said.

He is no less sparing of health clubs which promise easy weight loss. "All of them are bogus unless you include nutrition," he said.

Like many old men, La Lanne has strong opinions. But with a trim physique and a reserve of energy, he is a living example of what happens after a life devoted to physical fitness.

He is also a font of one liners. "I can't afford to die, it would hurt my image," he joked.

Lunchtime Workout Tricks

For many people, lunchtime is the only time of day they have to workout. But it can be tough to squeeze in a good workout when you only have an hour or so - and you need to eat, change clothes (twice), shower, etc! WeightWatchers.com has provided a very useful guide to effective lunchtime workouts below:

(WeightWatchers.com) - Sherri, a busy 40-year-old paralegal from Newark, New Jersey, is not a morning person. And by the time she's done with work, the last place she wants to go is the gym; usually by that time she's tired and just wants to go home.

If she wants to fit in regular workouts, then, the only time that will work is lunchtime. But how do you do that without skimping on your fitness routine or taking too much time away from your desk?

The 60-Minute Lunch Crunch

The first step is to decide what kind of workout will work. Sherri has always been a walker, but recently decided she wanted to add more oomph to her workout. She dedicated herself to finding a gym that was accessible from her office.

The second step? Making it a priority. Personal time is always last on the list, so committing yourself to fit in a block of time to work out is often the hardest part, says Debbie Mandel, a personal trainer based in Lawrence, New York.

If you're determined, though, it can be done. Just use these tricks for a complete lunch-hour workout that will have you back at your desk on time:

• Work out a time budget: If you have 60 minutes for lunch, for example, subtract the amount of time it will take you to get to and from the gym, changed into your gym clothes and onto the machines. Even if you have just 20 minutes left, there's a lot you can do. If your trips to the gym normally include time on the cardio machines, at the free weights and on the mat, and the whole thing runs you several hours, it may be hard to imagine spending only a few minutes working out. But remember: A short workout is better than none at all!




• Make the right moves. If you're trying to burn fat, focus on cardio, says Sharon Mann, a Vancouver-based personal trainer and host of several fitness videos. That means the treadmill, the elliptical trainer, the stationary bike — anything that will get your heart rate up (read Target Heart Rate to learn more). If you're at a point where you'd like to work weight training into your routine, go for it, but make sure you're dedicating at least three workouts a week to cardio, or getting your heart rate up at some other point in the day.




• Warm up, cool down. These two important parts of your workout are not to be skipped, no matter what. Luckily, if you're doing a cardio workout, your warm-up can be incorporated into that (just start slow and work your way up). But be sure to stretch when you're done, even if it's just for five minutes, to maintain your flexibility.




• Consider working out outside. Sherry, a 36-year-old legal assistant from Clarksburg, West Virginia, found a way to work in some fast exercise by teaming up with a friend and using her lunches for power walks. Are there paths or bike trails near your office?




• Or working out at work. If a gym is too far and the weather isn't welcoming, take a look around your office. Is there a stairwell you can use as your personal step machine? Does your cube or desk offer you enough space for the use of small fitness tools, like a balance ball or a jump rope? Can you use an empty conference room to roll out a mat and do stretches?




• Pick your work clothes with your workout in mind. "On days you plan on working out at lunch, try to wear clothes that are easier to change in and out of," suggests Carrie, a 28-year-old graphic designer from Boston who hits the gym on her lunch hour. "For example, pantyhose get ripped easily when changing in and out of them." Depending on your office attire, you might consider layering some of your workout clothes under your work outfit.




• Pack your bag the night before. Include your shoes, a change of underwear, deodorant … and extra socks. People tend to forget socks, warns Mandel.




• Be smart about showering. You don't have to repeat your entire morning get-ready routine, even if you tend to sweat a lot. Do what you need to do: Shower without washing your hair, for example. (Think about putting it in a bun or braid for the rest of the day.) Or just use a small wet towel and some deodorant to freshen up.




• Eat in stages. If you're working out during lunch, when do you eat lunch? It's simple: In stages, at your desk. Divide a healthy, balanced midday meal into several courses. If you can, pick the carb-heavy parts of your meal (grains, fruits, etc.) for pre-workout — carbohydrates provide the quick fuel you'll need at the gym. Just try to eat at least an hour before you go, though a last-minute piece of fruit should be okay, too, if you're finding yourself feeling famished as you strap on your sneakers. And post-workout? Reward yourself with the rest of your meal.




• Increase your productivity. A common hurdle when it comes to working out during work hours is guilt; many people worry that they'll be less productive if they take that break. On the contrary — it may help. For many people, exercising can create more energy, says Mandel. "It can help you avoid the afternoon slump," she says. "Your brain will be more productive and you will have more endurance for your projects. Also, exercise will de-stress you and raise [mood-enhancing] endorphins."

Get more great fitness & weight loss info at WeightWatchers.com...

Low Carb = Low Cancer?

There's a lot of evidence that limiting your intake of simple (aka 'bad') carbs may be the best thing you can do to avoid getting cancer. Many experts believe that diets like Atkins and the South Beach Diet are much closer to the 'natural' way humans are designed to eat. That means basically that they work with our bodies instead of against them. (In my opinion the South Beach eating plan is the healthiest mainstream diet on the market.)

A new study has linked high processed carb intake with increased rate of breast cancer in women. According to health expert Larrian Gillespie...

"Your best bet is to select low glycemic carbs, such as berries, stone ground whole wheat and lots of vegetables but not let them exceed 40% of your total calorie consumption if you want to lower your risk of developing breast cancer..."

Learn more about carbs and cancer...

Jump-start fitness with rope routine

(CNN.com) -- These days fitness clubs have no shortage of newfangled cardiovascular machines and classes ranging from the elliptical trainer to cardio hip-hop.

But if you're longing to get back to the basics, consider picking up that jump rope you haven't touched since you last stepped foot on the school playground.

According to the American Council on Exercise, jumping rope not only provides a top-notch "heart healthy" workout, but it also can improve hand and foot coordination as well as endurance.

Before getting started, the council recommends investing in a good pair of aerobic shoes or cross trainers with lots of cushioning at the ball of the foot. You'll also need the jump rope.

There are numerous varieties on the market, but the exercise council says to start with a lightweight rope, rather than one with weighted handles or rope length.

Read more...

PDAs -- Personal Diet Assistants?

(businessweek.com) - The latest Palms have enough memory to help manage your well-being...

How to Control Hunger & Lose Weight

(eDiets.com) - Learning to manage your hunger is a very important key to staying on a weight loss plan long enough to lose the desired weight. Hunger is a natural by-product of limiting your food intake, and it’s very important to learn the difference between true hunger and a psychological desire to eat. Once you are able to identify these feelings, you’ll need to learn to control your responses to them.

The basic process of hunger can be likened to a traffic light: green means start eating, yellow cautions that you're nearing the fullness point and red means stop. Our physiology is actually designed to give us the green, yellow or red lights, which could theoretically end the whole calorie-counting business in favor of simply eating according to physical hunger and fullness.

Unfortunately, the practice isn't that simple. For one thing, distractions get in the way of physical sensations. Though our body says "green light," we might not be able eat at that moment. Often, people eat when they are too hungry and continue to eat well beyond a comfortable feeling of fullness. Doing this consistently can lead to weight gain.

Satiety refers to how long you'll feel full. In other words, how long the light will stay red before turning green again. Many factors influence satiety. A long list of hormones and physical mechanisms trigger hunger and satiety. For example, low blood glucose and a hormone called neuropeptide Y (NPY) are thought to stimulate hunger. Conversely, hormones such as serotonin and cholecystokinin (CCK), as well as many nutrients in the blood, contribute to satiety.

Despite the laundry list of reactions that physiological hunger and satiety trigger, appetite is what most often determines how much we eat. Nearly everyone eats for reasons other than just being hungry. Some people have learned to eat “by the clock,” so they eat on a schedule whether they are hungry or not. Others eat in response to mood: sadness, anger, anxiety, boredom or happiness. These triggers are types of psychological hunger, and they can be very powerful cues to eat -- and to overeat. This is why it is helpful to keep a food journal and write down how you’re feeling before, during and after you eat for reasons other than hunger.

Mechanisms that control learning behavior vary. Hunger and appetite are the big go signals; satiation and satiety are the main stop signals. A useful scale to gage your hunger by is:

1. You're so hungry you feel dizzy and irritable.
2. You need to eat and you’re having trouble concentrating.
3. You feel physical signs of hunger (stomach rumbling).
4. You're starting to feel like food.
5. You feel just right -- perfectly comfortable.
6. You are comfortably full.
7. You feel a little too full.
8. You feel stuffed.
9. You’re very full and might need to unbutton your pants or loosen your belt.
10. You feel intensely uncomfortable.

If you recognize that you often wait too long to eat or you often eat beyond the point of comfort, you might gain some benefit by keeping a written record of your own feelings of hunger, using this scale. Take a look at what and how much you eat -- when you are too hungry versus the times you eat when hunger is just beginning. See if you can move your eating schedule to accommodate your true need for food.

What else can you do?

• Eat protein foods at each meal. Protein acts as an appetite suppressant to help control hunger pains.
• Avoid simple sugar foods. And, if you do succumb to them, ensure they are mixed with a meal.
• Eat smaller meals. Eating smaller meals more frequently will help reduce the intensity of hunger pains and keep your metabolism revved up.
• Consume high fiber foods. At each meal, consume high fiber foods first to fill your stomach and speed satiety.
• EXERCISE! It regulates appetite to control hunger and food intake (not to mention burning calories and building muscle).

Learn more at eDiets.com...

Teens turn to trainers

Hiring a good personal trainer for your son or daughter is a great way to get them into the 'exercise habit' and help boost their self-confidence...

(news-observer.com) - Forget Trapper Keepers and trendy togs. Triangle teens are spending their money -- well, their parents' money -- on a new must-have accessory for school this fall: A personal trainer. "At least two more," Chad Lefler told Katie Robbins, 17, who scrunched up her face with the effort of bench-pressing a 16-pound bar for, like, the millionth time. "You can do it! Come on, last one. Push, push, push, push! Good job, Katie!"

Katie sat up and took a swig from a bottle of Dasani. She starts the first day of her senior year at St. Mary's School on Monday. She has been working out with the trainers at N-Shape Personal Fitness since she was 14, to get stronger and to gain confidence. She does feel a little guilty about the cost -- about $40 an hour, three times a week -- but it was her father's idea, and he doesn't seem to mind.

"He's offering, so ..." Katie shrugged. "I plan on taking everything Chad's taught me, and going with it," she said of the day she leaves for college. "I'll probably join a gym and keep up."

No statistic exists to show more teenagers are working out with personal trainers, but there's anecdotal evidence of the trend, said Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. More and more trainers are calling ACE to find information about how to work with youth, he said.

Read more...

Putting some kick into your workout

Looking for a new high-intensity workout that will increase your strength and flexibility while burning fat? Then cardio-kickboxing may be just what you are looking for to enhance your fitness workout.

As the name implies, cardio-kickboxing involves a ton of kicking moves that will help flatten your stomach and tighten your glutes (buttocks), in addition to getting a great cardio workout.

The punching moves originate from your core, especially your abdominal area (not from your arms, as some people often assume.)

While cardio-kickboxing, you generally train your eyes on the target you are punching or kicking, be it real or imagined. This means, for example, turning your head and watching your foot when you are making a side kick.

According to a study by the American Council on Exercise, cardio-kickboxing burns an average of 350 to 450 calories per hour. The caloric expenditure during a typical cardio-kickboxing class is roughly equivalent to an hour of brisk walking or light jogging for the average person.

Read more: Modesto Bee

10 Effective Fat-Burning Foods

(eDiets.com) - Stoke your metabolic fire and burn calories faster with diet-friendly foods and beverages. Post this list of fat-burning on your fridge next to the photo of you in your "skinny jeans" and make a copy to bring with you the next time you shop for groceries.

Just remember: calories count, portion control rules and there’s no substitute for a well-balanced diet and regular exercise. So get moving!

Here are the top picks culled from some of the latest research:

1. Water! A new study seems to indicate that drinking water actually speeds up weight loss. Researchers in Germany found that subjects of the study increased their metabolic rates (the rate at which calories are burned) by 30 percent after drinking approximately 17 ounces of water. Water is also a natural appetite suppressant that banishes bloat as it flushes out sodium and toxins. Drinking enough water will also help keep you from mistaking thirst for hunger. So drink up!

2. Green Tea! Studies show that green tea extract boosts metabolism and may aid in weight loss. This mood-enhancing tea has also been reported to contain anti-cancer properties and help prevent heart disease. It's also a trendy drink among weight-conscious celebrities.

3. Soup! Eat less and burn fat faster by having a bowl of soup as an appetizer or a snack. According to a Penn State University study, soup is a super appetite suppressant because it’s made up of a hunger-satisfying combination of liquids and solids. In the study, women chose one of three 270-calorie snacks before lunch. Women who had chicken and rice soup as a snack consumed an average of 100 fewer calories than those in the study who opted for a chicken and rice casserole or the casserole and a glass of water.

4. Grapefruit! The grapefruit diet is not a myth. Researchers at Scripps Clinic found that participants who ate half a grapefruit with each meal in a 12-week period lost an average of 3.6 pounds. The Scripps study indicates that the unique chemical properties in this vitamin C-packed citrus fruit reduce insulin levels, which promotes weight loss. NOTE: If you are taking medication, check with your doctor about any potentially adverse interactions with grapefruit.

5. Apples & Pears! Overweight women who ate the equivalent of three small apples or pears a day lost more weight on a low-calorie diet than women who didn’t add fruit to their diet, according to researchers from the State University of Rio de Janeiro. Fruit eaters also ate fewer calories overall. So, next time you need to satisfy a sugar craving, reach for this low-calorie, high-fiber snack. You’ll feel full longer and eat less.

6. Broccoli! Study after study links calcium and weight loss. Broccoli is not only high in calcium but it's also loaded with vitamin C which boosts calcium absorption. This member of the nutritious cabbage family also has plenty of vitamin A, folate and fiber. And, at just 20-calories per cup, this weight loss superfood not only fights fat but also contains powerful phytochemicals that boost your immunity and protect against disease.

7. Low-Fat Yogurt! Dairy products can boost weight loss efforts, according to a study in the April issue of Obesity Research. People on a reduced-calorie diet who included 3-4 servings of dairy foods lost significantly more weight than those who ate a low-dairy diet containing the same number of calories. Low-fat yogurt is a rich source of weight-loss-friendly calcium, providing about 450 mg (about half the recommended daily allowance for women ages 19-50) per 8-ounce serving, as well as 12 grams of protein.

8. Lean Turkey! Rev up your fat-burning engine with this bodybuilder favorite. Countless studies have shown that protein can help boost metabolism, lose fat and build lean muscle tissue so you burn more calories. A 3-ounce serving of boneless, skinless lean turkey breast weighs in at 120 calories and provides 26 grams of appetite-curbing protein, 1 gram of fat and 0 grams of saturated fat.

9. Oatmeal! This heart-healthy favorite ranks high on the good carb list, because it’s a good source of cholesterol-fighting, fat-soluble fiber (7 grams per 3/4-cup serving) that keeps you full and provides you with the energy you need to make the most of your workouts. Just be sure to choose steel cut or rolled oats, not instant oatmeal, to get your full dose of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

10. Hot Peppers! Eating hot peppers can speed up your metabolism and cool your cravings, researchers at Laval University in Canada found. Here's why: capsaicin (a chemical found in jalapeño and cayenne peppers) temporarily stimulates your body to release more stress hormones, which speeds up your metabolism and causes you to burn more calories.

Here's how these 10 fat-blasting superstars help you lose weight:

• Each of these healthy weight-loss boosters fills you up and keeps you full longer on fewer calories.
• Water-rich fresh fruits, veggies and soup dilute the calories in your food and allow you to eat more without breaking the calorie bank.
• High-fiber fruit, vegetables and nutritious whole grains keep your digestive system on track and steady insulin levels, which prevents fat storage.
• Lean meat boosts metabolism and burns calories because it take more energy to digest than other foods.

Learn more about healthy weight loss at eDiets.com...

What You Don't Know About Fat

(Newsweek) - Fat cells: The average person has 40 billion of them. They multiply, they're almost impossible to kill and they're sending messages to your body that can ruin your health.

Read more...

10 Ways to Boost Your Motivation

We all lose our motivation once in awhile. Working out, going to the gym, preparing healthy fitness-friendly meals, taking the right supplements... it can all get a little tiring, especially if you're not seeing the results you want. Here are 10 of the most proven fitness motivation boosters you can start using this week to 're-energize' yourself and get back on track...

1. Set realistic goals. You need a target to know what you're gunning for. If you have a big overall goal, set up a series of smaller goals first.

2. Think positive. Let enthusiasm and confidence dictate your mind. What you actually believe you can do, you will.

3. Buy yourself an outfit you want to look great in when you reach your goal.

4. Get Tuned up. Listening to your favorite motivational music can really help intensify workouts.

5. Try exciting new exercises to add a healthy variation. Use free weights instead of machines, use the stepper instead of the treadmill. Try to a new fitness program that you can be excited about.

6. Keep track of your progress. Keep a journal so you can jot down your thoughts and accomplishments each day.

7. Join a new gym for a while for a change of scenery. The great outdoors also makes for a refreshing gym.

8. Find a great workout partner, one who will inspire you, not tire you.

9. Focus on your workout. Block out those nagging distractions.

10. Find a picture of someone with a physique you would like to emulate (be realistic), and hang the picture up as a reminder of what you're working towards.

Pro Golfer a Fitness Freak

Golf pro Darren Clarke recently revived his career with a healthy diet and fitness training. Now he's one of the leaders at the PGA Championship...

He used to be one of the generational holdouts, a cigar-smoking, beer-swilling party man who loved his late nights almost as much as he hated his early mornings. But for Darren Clarke, it became a simple proposition. If he couldn't beat his fitness-minded fellow professionals, he pretty much had to join them.

"Two years ago, I don't know whether I could have done this," said Clarke yesterday after shooting a sizzling 65 to grab the first-round lead at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits layout.

"Probably not, in fact. It's a hard walking course."

Clarke has lost 40 lb. since he gave in to the fitness craze 17 months ago. Now, when his opponents pass him on the way to the gym at the crack of dawn, he's not coming in from a night of carousing. He's been fighting the flab with his trainers.

"I'll tell you if (the self-denial) has paid off at the end of this week," he said.

Read more: CalgarySun.com

High Intensity Ab Exercises

If you're already training your ab muscles on a regular basis - and have decent core strength - you may want to try some of these 'advanced' ab exercises for even better results...

Super Crunch

To add some intensity to your regular crunches and really blast your abs, try this advanced ab exercise.

Lie on the floor in your regular Crunch position, knees bent, hands over ears (not locked behind head) or in tight to chest.

Now, crunch up approximately 10 inches, holding the peak contraction for a count of 4. In this fully contracted position, the key is to really squeeze your abs together hard. Imagine pushing your upper abs into your lower abs and vice-versa (like an accordion coming together).

From this point, you want to return to the floor very slowly. The trick here is to try to keep your abs tense and contracted during the eccentric or negative phase of the movement. And you want to return slowly; it should take a count of 3-4.

Repeat the motion trying to maintain as much continuous tension on the abs as possible. This movement is not about "how many" reps you can do . . . it's all about how hard you can squeeze your abs and maintain tension.

I like to shoot for a grueling set of 12-20 reps and then finish off by immediately going into a set of 8-10 regular paced Crunches.

Hanging Leg Raises

Hanging Leg Raises are becoming one of the most popular abdominal exercises, and with good reason. This intense movement is a great way to target the entire abdominal region including the difficult to hit lower abs.

If you're not already incorporating Hanging Leg Raises into your ab routine on a regular basis, you should give them a go. Here's the basic technique.

You begin the movement hanging from a Lat Pull-up bar. Your grip should be about shoulder width apart, and your arms should remain fully extended throughout the movement. You want to bend your knees slightly and keep them bent throughout.

Now, using your ab muscles only, raise your legs up to a point where your feet are about level with your belly button (note: you do not want to swing your legs up with your hips?focus on your abs).

As typical with abs, hold the peak contraction for a count of one or two and squeeze hard. Perform the negative portion of the movement slowly by lowering your legs resisting somewhat on the way down. Repeat for a tight set of 12-20 reps.

Isolated Pulley Crunch

Here's a bit of a tricky one-arm variation on the basic Pulley Rope Crunch that's a great way to finish off your ab work every now and then and keep things fresh. You do the exercise pretty much the same way as basic Pulley Rope Crunches but here, of course, you use just one arm at a time.

With the rope attached to the high pulley on the cable machine, grab one end of it with one hand. From here, you want to kneel down on a pad leaving enough room in front of you to perform your Crunches, about two feet or so.

Now keep your arm and hand locked in position a few inches above and to the side of your head. Pull down, bending forward at the waist. You want to pull all the way down to the floor.

Concentrate on only pulling down and forward with your abs. Don't swing, and try to keep the movement fluid rather than jerky. Hold the peak contraction for a second or two and return to the starting position slowly.

Perform 12-16 reps, take a brief rest (30 seconds), and then repeat with the alternate arm. When performed properly, you'll find this variation strongly stresses the intercostals and the serratus.


More resources: Learn what it takes to get six pack abs...

Study:Your brain tires out your muscles

A new study explains how your brain tells your body to slow down and recover during hard workouts...

(newscientist.com) - Fatigue is in the mind, not the muscles, suggests a new study. But it can still have a serious impact on athletic performance. The finding could lead to treatments for conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, or the development of illicit performance-enhancing drugs.

Traditionally, fatigue was viewed as the result of over-worked muscles ceasing to function properly. But evidence is mounting that our brains make us feel weary after exercise (New Scientist print edition, 20 March). The idea is that the brain steps in to prevent muscle damage.

Now Paula Robson-Ansley and her colleagues at the University of Cape Town in South Africa have demonstrated that a ubiquitous body signalling molecule called interleukin-6 plays a key role in telling the brain when to slow us down. Blood levels of IL-6 are 60 to 100 times higher than normal following prolonged exercise, and injecting healthy people with IL-6 makes them feel tired.

To work out if IL-6 affects performance, Robson-Ansley injected seven club-standard runners with either IL-6 or a placebo and recorded their times over 10 kilometres. A week later, the experiment was reversed.

On average they ran nearly a minute faster after receiving the placebo, a significant difference since their finishing times were around 41 minutes. The findings will appear in the Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology.

Read more...

Ancient Olympians Followed "Atkins" Diet, Scholar Says

(National Geographic News) - The 2004 Athens Olympic Games begin on Friday. Over the course of the 18-day event, 24,000 athletes, coaches, and officials will wolf down almost every food imaginable, from Brazilian fish stew to Asian stir-fried vegetables. Most competitors will follow highly specialized diets and consume sports drinks, gels, and energy bars to boost their performance.

The modern Olympics have radically changed from their debut in 776 B.C., when the cook Koroibos won the only sporting event: a footrace. But even then, ancient athletes were concerned with what they ate — and some even followed a meat-heavy, Atkins-style diet.

Now food historians are studying ancient Greek and Roman texts to learn about the diet of the first Olympians — and about the roots of Mediterranean cuisine.

Archaeologists have been able to uncover food remains from ancient Egyptian sites, thanks to the region's arid climate, said Louis Grivetti, a food historian from the University of California at Davis.

And while few food remains have been found in Greek excavations, "there is a wealth of information available through ancient Greek and Latin texts," the historian said.

Grivetti is focusing his own research on the ancient text The Deipnosophists (also known as The Philosophers' Banquet), a 15-volume tale of a lengthy feast written around A.D. 200.

The writer, Athenaeus, was a Greek from Naucratis, an ancient city southeast of present-day Alexandria, Egypt.

In his work, Athenaeus describes an unusual banquet, one where diners talk about where food comes from, discuss its quality, and note its geographic source. The meal is a feast for gourmands, and each person provides the literary citations for his comment, Grivetti said.

While 1,500 texts are cited by Athenaeus, only 15 percent of those exist today. Taken together, however, these remaining works present a picture of the finest in Mediterranean cuisine, along with insights into how food was prepared, eaten, and incorporated into daily life and thought.

Ancient "Atkins" Diet

In the time of ancient Greece, the diet of regular folk consisted mainly of breads, vegetables, and fruits. Fish was the most common meat eaten in this seafaring region.

Ancient Olympians came from the upper social strata in Greece, since wealthy families could feed their children more protein-rich legumes and meats to build muscle.

The earliest records point to a cheese-and-fruit-based diet for the first Olympic athletes, but somewhere along the line, dietary emphasis shifted to meat, Grivetti said.

Read more...

Active Recovery for Better Workouts

Here's why you should keep moving between sets -- and in the days following a hard workout or competition:

(sportsmedicine.about.com) - Low intensity exercise may be better than complete rest after competition...

After athletic competition or a hard workout it would seem that complete rest would be the best way to encourage recovery. However, research is beginning to find some advantages in active recovery. Two forms of active recovery include the cool down phase that occurs immediately after a hard effort. The second form of active recovery includes the days following the event. Research is accumulating on the benefits of both types of active recovery.

One study published in Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise found that active recovery immediately after the event encourages recovery and reduces muscle lactate levels faster than complete rest. After hard intervals, one group rested completely while a second group exercised at 30% intensity between intervals. The active group reduced blood lactate levels faster & could achieve a higher power output throughout the workout.

Many athletes are very interested in the best way to speed recovery and more and more is being written about fast recover after high intensity exercise. Active recovery is becoming a common and basic part of athlete's training schedules.

Another study found that the addition of low intensity exercise to the rest period after competition did not adversely affect physiological recovery and had a significantly beneficial effect on psychological recovery by enhancing relaxation.

Read more...

Getting Through Workout Slumps

(About.com Bodybuilding) - The process of transforming and improving your physique can be long. Don't let impatience or plateaus prevent you from pushing yourself harder in your workouts and performing at a level that will yield results. Look for the "green light" and don't let anything stop you from moving past frustration and closer to your goal.

Do you ever wonder what kind of mind power and passion enables one to continually succeed in their training and achieve results? Are you one to have days or perhaps weeks of accomplishments in the gym only to meander off the road by losing gas, becoming unfocused by the roadkill of self-doubt or the knowledge that you are fast approaching the big hill you have never gone beyond? If this is you, you must come to realize the well-worn paths in your training roadmap and seek to move past them.

If you've been training for any length of time, you may know this path all too well. You will have 3 great weeks where the body, mind, and spirit are one. The diet is good, the training is inspired, nothing can stop you. Nothing. You believe!