कॅटेगरी: English

Everyone has wondered at some point in time which
cardio exercise is better. To put it in simple
terms, both low and high intensity exercises will
help you to burn off body fat. The question here
is which is the most effective to burn off more
body fat.

When scientists first discovered that during
intensive exercises, your body burns glycogen, which
is a form of stored carbohydrates that are stored
in your liver and muscles for energy. During low
intensity exercises, your body will burn a lot of
fat.

If your wondering whether or not it works, the
answer is no because there are so many obese people
still around. Even though they are working out
with low intensity routines, it still makes you
wonder how it can be.

The scientists were right when they said the human
body burns more body fat during low intensity
exercises like walking or swimming. During a
high intensity exercise such as running, the body
will burn a lot more calories. Even if some of
the calories burnt are from glycogen, there are
still many fat calories burned as well.

To put the icing on the cake, when your store of
glycogen gets low, the carbohydrates from your
food you eat will later get converted into
glycogen to fill up the store and won’t be
converted to body fat when they are left unused
for energy.

High intensity cardio exercise will juice up your
metabolism even after you have completed your
workout. What this means, is that your body will
continue to burn body fat hours after you have
left the gym. This effect is nearly non existent
in low intensity cardio or aerobic workout.

Accumulatively, your body will burn up more and
more calories during and after you have finished a
high intensity cardio exercise that it will with
low intensity.

You can inject high intensity exercises into your
cardio workout by introducing some interval
training. You can walk for 5 minutes or so, then
break into some jogging for another 5 minutes or
so. Then, walk briskly again until you have
caught your breath and then sprint for a minute
before you walk again. From this point, simply
alternate your running and walking for the
next 15 minutes until you are finished.

One of the best things about cardio is the more
you do it, the more energy you’ll have. Cardio
will help you to burn calories, although its more
useful for keeping your energy levels high.

If you’ve never tried cardio before, you should
give it a shot. If you like to exercise, you’ll
find cardio the best way to boost your energy and
keep in top shape. If you are just starting out,
you’ll want to go slow and keep your cardio
exercise in track – as it is very easy to over
exert yourself.

Sports scientists agree that cardio-boxing is one of the best forms of exercise, because it conditions the total body and provides a complete workout for your cardiovascular and endurance systems.

The major benefits of cardio-boxing include:

 Increased Stamina
 Increased Strength
 Increased Speed
 Increased Coordination

Cardio-boxing also promotes a person’s well being by strengthening their self-discipline and combined with strength training it’s well and truly the total package for self-defence and fitness and usually consists of:

 Adjusted heart rate work
 Actual boxing techniques

The usual workout consists of the age-adjusted heart rate work starting with 10 minutes for beginners and leading up to 20 minutes for the more advanced. For the second part of the workout, you’ll need to perform and practice 20 minutes of actual boxing techniques.

Cardio

The best way to measure the effects of an exercise program on your body is to check your pulse.

The easiest way to check the pulse is to place your index and middle fingers on your carotid artery or the wrist. Immediately after the exercise, count your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply by 4.

You can also check your pulse during the exercise but with safety as a first priority. To get a more precise reading of your pulse rate, purchase an electronic device from any sports store.

Now you have your exercising pulse rate or heartbeats per minute. We’ll be concentrating at the upper end of your pulse region: the 50% – 70% ranges.

To figure this out, deduct your age from 220. Suppose your age is 40, deduct this from 220 and you get 180.

50% of 180 is 90 beats a minute,
60% of 180 is 108 beats a minute,
70% of 180 is 126 beats a minute and so on.

Don’t jump into 70% work straight away. Start with 50% and slowly work your way up to the 70% upper limit.

Start with no more than 10 minutes, and work up to 20 minutes. Once you’re comfortable with working out for 20 minutes at 70% then try to increase the heart rate up to 80%.

Mix up your cardiovascular activities in the gym. Use the treadmill, skipping, rower, climber, and bike and other equipment that might be available to you.

Boxing

The boxing stance is the posture a boxer takes before and after every action depending on whether you are left or right handed. We’ll be dealing with the most common; right-handed. For left-handed people, just reverse the instructions.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with your left foot in front of your right foot. Your right heel should be slightly raised with your left foot flat on the floor and toes pointing ahead.

Bend your knees a little and balance your weight comfortably and evenly.
Place your elbows close to your body with your left fist held at head height and in a position that corresponds to your left foot.

The right fist should be at head height also and guarding the chin, with both elbows protecting your body and both fists protecting your chin.

This is your defensive and offensive position after throwing punches, so please practice this before going any further. When moving forward in this boxing stance the left foot moves forward first and then the right follows.

When moving back, the right moves back and then the left follows. When moving sideward to the right, the right foot moves first followed by the left. When moving sideward to the left, the left foot moves first followed by the right.

Practice this moving forward, back and sideward in the boxer’s stance until it is done smoothly and quickly. Remember to keep your guard up and elbows tucked in to your sides.

Keep your head at eye level with your upper body leaning forward slightly. In boxing it is important that punches are thrown quickly and then bought back quickly to assume a defensive posture.

Punching

A left jab has many uses, it can be used for both offensive and
Defensive actions. From the set stance the left arm is pushed quickly and forcefully forward, the weight is shifted to the front foot. The fist moves in a straight line and straight back again for defence.

At the moment of impact the back of the hand and the lower arm are in a straight line. Keep the right fist in the defensive position and elbow tucked into the body during the movement.

The straight right is also known as the punching hand and can be thrown with considerable force. The arm moves straightforward from the chin, the body weight is shifted to the front foot with the ball of the foot of the back leg pushing into the floor for more power.

The back of the hand is straight and pointing up at the moment of impact. The arm is then immediately pulled back for protection after the hit.

The left hook to the head and body is an effective punch for closer range work. From the set stance turn your left shoulder quickly and move your elbow up to shoulder height. The fist moves in a circular motion to the target, with the elbow bent.

Rotate your hip and body whilst pressing your front left down keeping the back of your fist pointing up and in a straight line with the lower arm. The left hook to the body is similar to the above but increases the rotation of the body

The right uppercut is also carried out at close range. Drop the lower part of your punching arm until the lower and upper arm is at right angles to each other. The back of your hand should be pointing away from you, now thrust your arm forward and upward to your target.

Shift your body weight to your front leg and rotate your hip and shoulder on the same side. Remember to keep your left fist guarding your chin during the entire movement. Now practice all your punches until they are done quickly and smoothly.

To develop speed and endurance, try punching straight left and right combinations into the heavy bag. The duration of the exercise period is the same as the rest period i.e. 10 seconds exercise, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds exercise, 20 seconds rest, and so on. Move up higher as your condition improves.

Have you ever wondered which cardio exercises are best for burning off extra body fat? Is walking (low intensity) better or running (high intensity) better for burning body fat?

Well, both low and high intensity exercises will help you burn off body fat. The question is which is more effective and burn more body fat. What is your fat burning zone?

When scientists first reported that during intensive exercises, your body burn glycogen, which is a form of stored carbohydrates stored in your liver and muscles for energy and during low intensive exercises, your body burn body fat, everyone suddenly change their workout routines to perform low intensity exercises to burn body fat.

Does it work? Obviously it does not work because there are still so many fat people around although they are working out with low intensity exericies isn’t it? Why is that so?

Well, the scientists were right when they said that our bodies burn more body fat during low intensity exercises like walking or a leisurely swim. But during a high intensity exercise like running, our bodies burn a lot more calories. Even if some of the calories burnt are from glycogen, we will still burn many fat calories as well.

To add icing to the cake, when your store of glycogen is low, the carbs from your meal you eat later gets converted into glycogen to fill up the store and will not be converted to body fat when left unused for energy.

Furthermore, high intensity cardio exercises crank up your metabolism even after your workout is done. This means that you body will continue to burn body fat hours after you have left the gym. This effect is almost non existent in low intensity cardio or aerobic workout. Accumulatively, your body burns up many many more calories during and after high intensity cardio exercises than lower intensive ones.

You can inject high intensity exercises to your cardio workout by introducing some interval training. You can walk briskly for 5 minutes, then breaking into a jog for another 5 minutes. Then walking briskly again until you caught your breath and then sprint for a minute before walking again for another minute. From this point, alternate between a sprint and a walk, a minute each and do this for the next 15 minutes and you are done.

Do this for 5 days a week and before long, you will be steadily losing unwanted body fat and weight healthily and naturally.

Everyone has wondered at some point in time which cardio exercise is better. To put it in simple terms, both low and high intensity exercises will help you to burn off body fat. The question here is which is the most effective to burn off more body fat.

When scientists first discovered that during intensive exercises, your body burns glycogen, which is a form of stored carbohydrates that are stored in your liver and muscles for energy. During low intensity exercises, your body will burn a lot of fat.

If your wondering whether or not it works, the answer is no because there are so many obese people still around. Even though they are working out with low intensity routines, it still makes you wonder how it can be.

The scientists were right when they said the human body burns more body fat during low intensity exercises like walking or swimming. During a high intensity exercise such as running, the body will burn a lot more calories. Even if some of the calories burnt are from glycogen, there are still many fat calories burned as well.

To put the icing on the cake, when your store of glycogen gets low, the carbohydrates from your food you eat will later get converted into glycogen to fill up the store and won’t be converted to body fat when they are left unused for energy.

High intensity cardio exercise will juice up your metabolism even after you have completed your workout. What this means, is that your body will continue to burn body fat hours after you have left the gym. This effect is nearly non existent in low intensity cardio or aerobic workout.

Accumulatively, your body will burn up more and more calories during and after you have finished a high intensity cardio exercise that it will with low intensity.

You can inject high intensity exercises into your cardio workout by introducing some interval training. You can walk for 5 minutes or so, then break into some jogging for another 5 minutes or so. Then, walk briskly again until you have caught your breath and then sprint for a minute before you walk again. From this point, simply alternate your running and walking for the next 15 minutes until you are finished.

One of the best things about cardio is the more you do it, the more energy you’ll have. Cardio will help you to burn calories, although its more useful for keeping your energy levels high.

If you’ve never tried cardio before, you should give it a shot. If you like to exercise, you’ll find cardio the best way to boost your energy and keep in top shape. If you are just starting out, you’ll want to go slow and keep your cardio exercise in track – as it is very easy to over exert yourself.

Strength training or weight lifting is the lifting of weights and/or resistance in a prescribed manner as an exercise or in athletic competition. Notice I said weights and/or resistance. It doesn’t have to necessarily be a weight plate or a dumbbell. There are numerous TV reports, magazine articles, radio shows that explain all of the benefits of lifting weights, yet so many women seem to not be “hitting the weights” for one reason or another. One very good reason is that they don’t know how much lifting weights will actually change their body (more so than even running or any of the other cardiovascular activities). Another reason is that a lot of women are confused about what to do exactly (what exercises, how many repetitions, how many sets, etc.).

This article will help shed some light on why it is so important that every woman be involved and adhering to a strength training program.

You actually might be involved in a strength-training program right now. Even if you are, I want you to really pay attention to what we’re going to cover for the rest of the article. I’m sure it is going to have you thinking differently about why you should be lifting weights from now on.

We’re going to talk about why developing a strength training program will ultimately help you lose weight, add some muscle tone, look better and feel better about yourself. We will go over some “myths” about strength training and the real facts behind them. So, whether you’re new to strength training or you’ve been doing it for years, pay close attention.

Let’s first clear up some of the misconceptions about strength training and the truth behind these myths. This first myth is the “biggie” and it has prevented many women from strength training. It sounds a little something like this; “I don’t want to lift weights because I don’t want to get bulky.”

Let’s explore that myth a little. When you think of weight lifters, you probably think of body builder’s, right? You think of the men and women on ESPN parading around in little swimsuits with big bulky muscles popping out all over the place.

There are three reasons for this:
1.)These people are an extremely minute percentage of the population.
2.)That is their livelihood and they spend 4 to 5 hours a day in the gym.
3.)Most of them are using performance-enhancing drugs (steroids, etc.) to look like that.

So if you can get that image of the “bodybuilder” out of your head and think in terms of the average everyday person, you will see why the myth about getting bulky is just that, a myth!

What we’re going to talk about next is simple. When you lift weights your body builds muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn (even at rest). The more calories you burn the less you weigh. Let me give you an example of this that might make it a little easier to understand.

Let’s say two women are sitting on the couch watching some T.V. Woman #1 strength-trains 3 times a week, but woman #2 does not. After an hour of watching T.V goes by, who will have burned more calories? The common answer to that would be that they both burned the same (almost nothing), since they were just sitting and not moving.

But the actual answer would be that woman #1 burned more calories, and I’ll tell you why for one simple reason. THE MORE MUSCLE YOU HAVE THE MORE CALORIES YOU BURN!! Now you might say to yourself, “But if I lift weights, my muscles will get bigger, I will appear big and bulky, and wind up weighing more.” This is also a myth.

That myth being one of the most popular in the world of exercise, which is, “muscle weighs more than fat.”

That’s like the old joke, “What weighs more–10 lbs. of steel or 10 lbs. of feathers?” Hopefully by now you know that the answer to that question is that they both really weigh the same. 10 lbs. is 10 lbs. no matter what it is made of. Let’s examine this point in a little more detail.

Muscle is much more compact than fat. It actually takes up less space than fat does because of its density. That makes sense, right? Fat, on the other hand, is very soft and jelly-like and occupies more space than muscle does.

Let me give you another example to clarify this a little more.

If you were to take 10 lbs. of fat and 10 lbs. of muscle and roll each of them into a ball, the 10 lbs. of fat might be the size of a bowling ball. In comparison, the 10 lbs. of muscle would be about the size of a baseball. Now let’s use this as a real life example using woman #1 and woman #2 in an example again. Let’s say for arguments sake, both women are 5′ 5″ tall and both weigh 140 lbs. Woman #2 does not lift weights or do any kind of strength training. Her dress size is a size 12. Woman #1on the other hand, lifts weights and follows a strength-training program each week. Her dress size is a size 8. If these women were standing side by side people would definitely think that woman #1 weighed less than woman #2. But in reality they both weigh exactly the same.

How can that be?

Think of what I said before, muscle takes up less space than fat. Of those 140 pounds that each woman weighs, what’s the percentage of fat and muscle on each woman? I would venture to guess that woman #1 has a very low body fat percentage and woman #2 has a much higher body fat percentage. How did woman #1 get such a low percentage of body fat? Two words—STRENGTH TRAINING (in addition to cardio exercise and eating healthy, but this article is just touting the immense benefits of strength training).

That brings up another good point I’d like to make. The weighing scale is the worst indicator of losing FAT. It will tell you that you’ve lost weight, it’s great at that. But what if you lose 10 pounds of fat and replace it with 10 pounds of muscle? Will you have lost weight? According to the scale, NO! Will you have lost FAT? Absolutely, and I guarantee that your clothes will be a lot looser on you and you will look a lot better. If you can do one thing with your scale I would recommend throwing it in the garbage, or at least getting rid of it.

Well all right, you say, “I’ll lift weights, but I’m only lifting light weights and doing lots of repetitions.”

This is another mistake a lot of you are making. This is not the ‘wrong’ way to lift, but it is certainly not the only way to go about strength training if your goal is weight loss. There is and should be a place in your fitness program for higher repetitions, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you do with weights.

Women do not have enough of the male hormone, testosterone, to get big muscles. You probably couldn’t even get big and bulky if you tried to. So, is it all right for you to lift heavy weights with fewer repetitions? ABSOLUTELY!!

Let’s take a moment now to recap some of the main ideas to take away from this article:

•Lifting weights will not make you bulky (it will make you leaner and more toned).
•Muscle is more compact and denser than fat and actually takes up less space than fat.
•The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn (even at rest!).
•Every good strength training program should include light weights with more repetitions and heavier weights with fewer repetitions.

Every facial expression we make adds to the adverse effect on our Facial appearance. The repetition of smiling, frowning, and other facial expressions can speed up the creation of wrinkles and other aging factors. The good news is that there is a natural method to help combat this aging process. Face Exercises are free alternative to other medical procedures to help strengthen the muscles underneath our skin in our face. They help fight the natural signs of aging that can occur from years of facial expressions and using our face muscles.

Regular face exercises help strengthen the damaged face muscles after years of use. While it’s not easy to fathom years of smiling, frowning, and wrinkling our brow line does a toll on those muscles. Over the years these muscles begin to weaken and out face begins to wrinkle due to the elongated weakening muscles. So it makes sense that strengthening these muscles can reverse these negative effects. We tend to the rest of our body at the gym so why not keep our face in shape.

Unfortunately it’s more or less impossible to go through life with no expression on our faces. We’d be pretty boring company, how ever an all star poker player possibly. By regularly performing face exercises we can recapture our youthful image we had when we were younger, without going through any painful injections or surgeries.

In a nutshell what happens under the skin is this. As the muscles weaken and begin to elongate our skin will begin to sag. Of course sagged skin on the outside is what causes those aging effects to occur. By working the right muscles with face exercises you are able to stimulate blood flow to those muscles, and also increase the amount of oxygen that the skin receives. By receiving more blood and oxygen the skin can begin to produce more health skin cells. Helping to reverse the aging effects.

Since there is no equipment required face exercise can be done anywhere any time. You can work them into your daily routine, or do some when you have a private spare moment. It’s only a few minutes a day and the results you’ll experience are well worth it. The recommended time for spending on face exercises daily is only fifteen minutes. Isn’t an improved appearance worth that amount of time and more.

Moderate, low-impact exercise really can lend a hand in coping with arthritis. How? By strengthening muscles around your joints, which aids in lessening stress on joints. Exercise is recommended for everybody, but for those with arthritis, it is critical.

Arthritis is a debilitating condition defined as the inflammation of a joint. It may bring about burning pains which leave you feeling tired. As the body ages, arthritis begins to develop from the wide-ranging day-to-day operations of the body. Cartilage begins to wear out and thin out. Bad posture, obesity and traumatic injury may all hasten arthritis’s development. The rubbing of the bones causes irritation and inflammation. Rest is the first treatment option and sometimes relieves the pain, but a patient can on occasion suffer pain that seems endless.

In order to build up healthy joints certain exercises go a long way. Stretching every day is a great activity that can help with joints. Bicycling is another activity that is apt to be beneficial to most joints, and all age groups can carry it out. Stairs are all over the place and free to climb, you can strengthen your lower body joints and save money at the same time by foregoing elevators and escalators whenever possible. Swimming is an effective way to give all your joints a work out. Water cushions body movements and dampens pains, so water aerobics is one of the best exercises for those having joint pains.

Here are few other tips to keep your joints in good shape. Make sure you are within your ideal body weight range. Watch your posture. If you absolutely must lift or carry a heavy object, use your legs. Pay attention to what your body is telling you. Rest if you feel tired, and stop what you are doing if you are having pain. The idea is to eliminate as much undue stress on your joints as possible. And, needless to say, consult your doctor if your pain is bothering you or suddenly worsens.

When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals called endorphins that produce a feeling of euphoria – the so called “runner’s high” that people can become chemically addicted to.

Without it, you feel irritable and out of sorts till you exercise again. So you go on exercising, never stopping to listen to what you body is saying. And what its saying is, “Stop.”

The reason exercise addicts keep pushing themselves probably lies in what happens when they don’t work out. Psychologists at the University of Massachusetts at Boston studied the psychological consequences of being unable to exercise. They compared 30 male and female runners who had been laid low by minor injuries for at least two weeks, with a similar group who continued to run. Those who could not run displayed more signs of depression, anxiety and confusion, and they were far less happy with themselves and their bodies. Like other addictions, exercise, they say, appears to have withdrawal symptoms.

Of aches and pains

Over indulgence doesn’t harm only the mind, but the body as well. Initially, the exercise will do what it’s supposed to, give you a fit body but once you cross the line, it can get lethal. Muscle damage, osteoarthritis, heart problems they’re all waiting to make an appearance.

The body has its limitations and if you push it beyond that limit, you will harm yourself.

Obsessive exercise tends to happen among new exercisers, people who have only just started working out. So keen are they to get fit that they overstep the limits.

The initial signs of unaccustomed exercise can be exhaustion, but that leads to a build up of fatigue. This can do “irreparable harm to the body.”

It isn’t only muscles that are at risk, so are bones. Some “recreational” athletes push themselves to the point of injuries such as shin splints or stress fractures, and then refuse to rest, causing greater and perhaps permanent damage.

Even a morning walk is not without risk. Too much walking can lead to osteoarthritis.
When you’re walking, you are working against gravity. So more than exercising your muscles, you are harming your knee joint. A lot of patients who walk up to an hour everyday come up with complaints of aches in the knee. In fact, jogging also harms the knees. Too many sit-ups can also hurt. More than 10 a day can weaken the spine. Moderation, as usual, is the key.

You should begin gradually, and combine different types of workouts, something that obsessive exercisers forget. A complication factor with people who get hooked to exercise is that they tend to perform the same workouts day after day, further increasing the chances of permanent damage.

Thinking right

Never work out so much that you feel completely exhausted at the end of it. About 45 minutes to and hour, four to five days a week, should be your limit. Your workout should leave you feeling fresh and energetic. And make it a pint to take a day’s break every week. This is important because your body needs to relax and rejuvenate.

The key to achieving this lies in your attitude. Exercising is the way to healthy life. So if you do it only to please yourself when you stand on the weighing machine, you defeat the whole purpose of the exercise. Felling healthy should be the priority. So stop fighting with your own body and you’ll be a happier person.

While everyone is well aware that proper diet and exercise are paramount to good health, still many people find it too much of an inconvenience to watch what they eat and to exercise. These people may feel that the benefits that they may get from all that effort is not worth the hassles of watching calories, cutting fat, running about, and moving weights around. But what if there was a benefit, and I mean a real good benefit, associated with proper diet and exercise? Maybe that would at least make those who don’t worry about diet and exercise give a little more thought to it.

Well, as if the already known benefits of proper diet and exercise aren’t enough to make some people want to incorporate them into their lives, perhaps the following information from Purdue University and Science Daily will be enough incentive to get them off their duff’s and give it a try.

According to Dennis Savaiano, dean of Purdue’s school of consumer and family sciences and professor of foods and nutrition, poor diet and lack of exercise are responsible for just as many cases of cancer as cigarette smoking.
He says, “approximately one third of cancer cases are related to smoking, one third are related to poor diet and lack of exercise, and one third are related to genetic or other factors”.

Most people are already well aware of the ill health effects of cigarette smoking, but the percentage of obesity and the rate of poor diet in America is a cause for serious concern. It is estimated that 65% of Americans are overweight with 30% being at least clinically obese. This is further escalated by the fact that 15 to 20% of the children in America are considered overweight. The main reason for this alarming statistic overall is the rate of poor diet seen in America.

Savaiano, who is chairman of the Food and Nutrition Science Alliance, along with several other members of the organization, recently reviewed scientific studies on diet and cancer. The group has since issued a statement urging Americans to change their diets in order to help reduce the number of cancer related deaths.

While Savaiano notes that some types of cancer are influenced more by diet than others, nutrition and food scientists agree that these four methods are practical ways to lower the risk of cancer:

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.

Avoid highly processed foods that are high in fat and sugar.

Limit or avoid consumption of alcohol.

Get in some moderate or vigorous exercise daily.

Much of the reason why people have trouble getting into a healthy lifestyle can be attributed to lack of knowledge on how to start with exercise programs and proper diet plans, and to marketing which is mostly geared toward foods that are high in fat and excess calories and low in nutritional value. Not much marketing is done to promote fruits and vegetables or whole grains.

Long hours at work also attribute to less meal preparation and more fast food and takeout food purchases. It will take some effort on your part, but making healthier food choices and exercise a part of your life can and most likely will give you rewards that no amount of money can buy.

Just how important is golf fitness and exercise to a golfer today in the modern game? Can a good amateur or even professional golfer do without it and still maximize their potential?

Will they still be able to enjoy their game and see constant improvements or at least consistency in their quality of play?

Those golfers who ask these sorts of questions about golf fitness and exercise sometimes nostalgically cast their minds back to the so called good old days of the golf game when the game was strictly a leisure sport where one hardly needed to break into a sweat to thoroughly enjoy themselves on the course.

The modern golf game has changed dramatically and permanently. Although golf is still very much the leisure sport that has given pleasure to thousands over the years even with the golf fitness and exercise programs. If anything these golf fitness and exercise programs have given many more people a chance to master the game much faster and really get to enjoy it.

Assuming that a golfer would want to skip golf fitness and exercise they would find themselves faced with one major problem. Increasingly they would find themselves frustrated and would be faced with a situation where it would seem that the standard of their game is dropping.

Actually what would be happening is that the pressure of playing against golfers involved in golf fitness and exercise programs would be taking its’ toll.

There are few things that are as infuriating and frustrating as seeing your opponent effortlessly run rings around you on the course just because they have taken golf fitness and exercise seriously and you have not.

In all likelihood the golfer who is determined to do without golf fitness and exercises, just like in the old days, would increasingly find themselves in a position where they enjoy their game less and less.

If you talk to almost anyone who goes to the gym to workout and ask them how long a good workout usually takes, they will often answer with; “it takes a good hour to get in a good workout”, or even; “if I don’t spend 1 ½ to 2 hours in the gym, I just don’t get enough from my workout”.

Based on these kinds of typical responses, you can imagine how surprised many of these same people appear to be when I tell them that I only workout for 30 minutes a day, yet still get the kind of results that they do! Many of them will say, no way you only workout for 30 minutes a day! How can you ever get results doing that?

The plain fact is there are a lot of people who have such busy schedules that finding more than 30 minutes to dedicate to a workout is just impossible. It’s not that they don’t want to do it; there just aren’t enough hours in the day to be in the gym for 1 to 2 hours at a time.

If there was a way to get an effective workout in 30 minutes however, then perhaps they could spend half of their lunch hour in the gym, and the other half eating their lunch. That would be perfect, wouldn’t it? But is it really possible to do a workout in 30 minutes that will bring real results? The answer is a definite yes, but you will need a few simple strategies to make it happen.
Here are some tips on how to make your workouts really work in only 30 minutes a day.

To start with, make sure you have a plan for each day. Write down all of the exercises you will be doing for that day and write down all of the weights you will be using for each exercise. Write down how many sets you will be doing for each exercise and how many repetitions you will be doing during each set.

Do split body part routines. For example, on Monday and Thursday, do legs, arms and abs. On Tuesday and Friday, do chest, back and shoulders. This way you only have half of your body parts to work on each day cutting down significantly on time spent in the gym.

Upon arriving at the gym, set up as many things as you can in advance so that when you get started, you can keep moving from one exercise to the other without wasting time getting the next piece of equipment set up. This way, you can go strait through each exercise without stopping, take 1-2 minutes rest, and then simply repeat until you finish all of your sets.

Avoid socializing. While being friendly is ok, don’t let yourself get distracted by having a conversation with others in the gym. Remember, you only have so much time and 5 minutes spent talking rather than exercising is 5 minutes wasted. Explain to people wishing to talk to you that you are on limited time and you just can’t stop what you are doing at the moment or better yet, put on a pair of headphones before you begin your workout; they’ll get the clue.

Always do your weight training and cardio training separately. On days you are not doing weight training, you can spend 30 minutes on the treadmill or on the stair climber. This way you are still only working out for 30 minutes. Combining the two only means you will have to spend more time in the gym and time spent in the gym is what you are trying to cut down on.

In summary, just remember to write out a plan for each day, split those body parts on different days, keep moving during your routine, don’t socialize, and don’t do weights and cardio on the same day and you will see excellent results in only 30 minutes a day.

If you are a runner, then I am sure that you will know about calf cramps.

Imagine this scenario if you will. Let’s say that you are 7.5k into a 10k run and the road starts to incline. Ever so slightly, but enough to put that extra strain on your legs as you try to maintain contact with the leaders. And the temperature? Well, it’s the morning, but it’s hot and liable to get hotter before the end. And to make matters worse, you were so desperate to maintain contact with the leading group, that you forgot to take on liquid at the last feeding station. And did you use tight fitting calf length socks? I know they are all the rage, but why did you do it?

So what do we have here?

* Extra strain on muscles?
* Dehydration?
* Loss of essentials salts?
* Restriction of blood flow?

All in all, I think that we are describing running calf cramps, waiting to happen.

I am not sure that anyone has definitive answer to the cause of cramps, but there are certainly several steps that you can take which could help save you from disaster during competition, in any sport.

1. A Proper Warm Up

Ok, I know you know, but did you do it? If not, then those cramps could be coming. Seriously, if you have been involved in any sport to any level, then you will be aware of the importance of a proper warm up. And I don’t just mean a brisk walk up the stairs to the changing room either! A proper warm up should include a routine that gently stretches your muscles to get them ready for the increased exertion, and gets your blood flowing around your body. Not only will a warm help prevent calf cramps, they will also help prevent some of the injuries that might occur when you put sudden strain on cold muscles.

And whilst we are talking of warm ups, don’t forget warm downs as well. Warming down after exercise can also help prevent cramping and reduce the risk of injury.

2. Train Hard, Run Easy

Have you heard this before? No? Well you should give it some thought, because it’s true. When you train for a sport, not only do you practice the necessary skills required to execute which ever event you are competing in, but you are also training your body for the rigours of the event. To given an exaggerated example, if you train for a sprint, and then try and run a marathon, your body won’t be ready. If you try it, I think you could be in for some serious cramps.

Remember, train hard, run easy.

3. Water is Sport’s Life Blood

Whenever you start to exercise, you start to sweat (or you should). Sweat is nature’s way of cooling you down when you get hot, so, it’s a good thing. And since your body is mainly made of water, then you should have plenty, shouldn’t you? Well, considering that you lose moisture from your body when you breathe, sweating does take a lot of fluid out of your system.

And your body will demand that it be replaced!

If you start feeling dizzy, or experience a rapid heart beat, then these could be signs that you are starting to dehydrate. I will take it as read that if your mouth and lips feel dry, then you should be taking water on board. It is not always possible to take on fluid during sport, but always have some available as soon as you are able to drink.

4. Sport A’int No Catwalk.

It’s true! Sport is not a fashion parade. If you think it is, then you are hanging out in the wrong place! There’s nothing wrong with looking cool whilst you compete, but be practical. Don’t risk injury (or cramps) by wearing clothing that is too tight, and that restricts your body’s movement, either externally or via blood flow. Believe me, I know. When I was younger, I used tie up’s on my socks whilst playing soccer (not as a fashion statement you’ll understand), just to keep my socks up and my shin guards inside my socks. Three quarters of the way through a game, my calves would tighten up, and I would roll on the floor in agony. Once it was understood, that I ‘only had cramp’, I was the object of much derision, but believe me, cramp is far from funny if you are the one suffering.

Wear appropriate clothing.

5. Eat Properly.

When you are sweating and working hard, not only do you lose water, you also lose nutrients. There is speculation that that athletes who get calf cramps could suffer from low levels of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. I am not suggesting that you do low level analysis of your breakfast cereal, but the message is clear. Look after your body, and your body will look after you.

Eat sensibly, and eat the right foods.

Unless you are already an equipment expert, this article will help you choose wisely so that you can get the best for less.

After making the commitment to begin a diet and fitness program, the first step many people take is to purchase of some sort of exercise equipment. If you do this, it will also be your first big obstacle, simply because the overwhelming selection makes it extremely difficult to know where to begin.

Be careful! This is where many will make their first big fitness mistake. Millions of dollars and countless unused pieces of exercise equipment fill garages and basements across the country, a testament to poor choices and hasty decisions.

The first and best decision you can make, to get the biggest bang for your buck, is to put your credit cards in the deep freeze and ask yourself these simple questions:

1. What are your fitness goals?

What you hope to achieve has everything to do with what sort of workout program you should follow and what equipment you might need. Do you want to primarily lose weight and firm up? Do you want to increase your strength or do you want to really build significant muscle mass?

2. How much experience do you have?

Are you confident that you can design a program to achieve the goals you just outlined? Will you need help with this? Were you a regular exerciser in the past? Have you tried a variety of equipment and for long enough to really get a feel for it?

3. What are the practical considerations of your intended purchase?

How much space do you have? Do you plan to move any time soon? (Some equipment can be the devil to transport.) How much can you afford to spend regardless of what you think you might need? Since the cost of some equipment could equal a three-year gym membership, is joining a gym out of the question?

Now, considering the fact that simple is usually best, and that the fanciest and finest equipment will not get you in shape unless you use it, think about this:

Your goals dictate your exercise plan which in turn affects the equipment you may need. If you have only a little experience with exercise, consider a minimalist approach toward equipment. This will not compromise your progress.

Until you are in an exercise groove; until a lifestyle of physical activity becomes habit, statistics confirm that you probably will not stick with it. Why not create the habit of simply walking before buying a $1,500 treadmill that will likely end up in the garage collecting dust.

Let the success of your exercise program justify the expense, before you make your purchase. You may find that you don’t want a treadmill after all.

The same holds true for strength training. Before buying a multi-purpose home gym, try simple hand weights which are highly effective, inexpensive and all you need to get on track. Bodybuilders actually prefer “free” weights in most cases. If you choose to buy a gym later, you can still use the hand weights.

Once you have made some progress your goals might change. Quite possibly, you will find that your present workouts are all you need. If, on the other hand, you want to expand your exercise possibilities, consider joining a gym for a month or so. Maybe buy a few sessions with a personal trainer. Try out the different machines until you get comfortable. Pay attention to what “gym quality” feels like; some affordable home-style machines can be disappointing.

It is important to know what suits you, before you begin shopping. Without this experience, it is easy to make a premature decision after a brief “test drive” with a salesman breathing down your neck.

Get to know your stuff before spending your hard-earned money. You will know exactly what you need and when a particular piece of equipment feels right. After making an informed decision as to what is best, you can wait and look for sales and bargains.

Most importantly, you will avoid making impulsive decisions, emptying your wallet and ending up with a piece of junk or something you don’t really need.

“Be Strong…. Be Lean” Howard McGarity “Coach Mac”

These days, more and more people are turning away from memberships to gyms and instead choosing to invest money in a home gym. You can put a home gym in a spare corner of your home, or even in the basement if you wish. Along with helping you save money by combining several different types of equipment into one machine, these types of equipment can easily fit in small spaces and type up a lot less weight than their individual counterparts.

When you are considering to buy an all in one piece of exercise equipment, you should first think about your goals. You should consider what you hope to achieve from exercising and just how well this piece of equipment will benefit you.

There are several types of all in one equipment for exercise on the market and almost all of them are advertised well on television, in magazines, and on the internet. The most popular types on the market are those types that are geared towards individuals who are interested in lifting weights.

Right now, the two most popular types of all in one exercise systems are the Bowflex and Total Gym brands. The Bowflex system uses resistant bows that bend instead of the traditional weights that simply lift. Bowflex is designed to fit a wide variety of budgets and needs, it’s widely adaptable and extremely popular as well.

To make things even better, you can store the basic Bowflex system in small and tight places, even under a bed if you choose. The larger and more expensive Blowflex system competes with the types of professional equipment that you can find in gyms, which allow you a quality workout on quality equipment.

The Total Gym system is great as well, as it is advertised by martial arts legend Chuck Norris and supermodel Christie Brinkley. It is less expensive than the Bowflex and uses gravity and resistance instead of traditional weights. By using this system, you have the ability to adapt the machine to a wide variety of exercises that will work many different areas of your body.

When you make that decision about buying an all in one exercise system, you must also decide on price, features, brand, and just who will use the machine. If your family plans to use it as well, then you’ll need to get a system that everyone will agree on. You obviously wouldn’t want a machine that is too complicated for others in your home.

Even though Bowflex and Total Gym are the 2 most popular types of all in one equipment, there are several others out there as will, from brands such as Weider and many others. Before you make your choice, you should look at several to see which one offers you more for your money.

Interestingly, when I made the comment that it’s easy for me [to get in shape], Shaun jumped into the conversation and emphatically stated…

“It’s not easy. No way. It’s simple!”

And you know what? He was right.

It’s not easy to get into shape. To eat better. To train harder. To set a plan in place. Rather, it’s simple. It’s simple to make such small changes in your lifestyle. And as a result, create such incredibly satisfying and rewarding changes in your physique.

I told Shaun he was right. Building a better body and getting into tiptop shape isn’t easy.

What I got from our conversation was a little perspective on this subject. That is, whenever I decide I am going to get into better shape, it is easy for me because I know what to do. That’s the difference.

See, most people, when they make the decision to get into their best shape (whether it’s their first time or a second, third, or forth time trying), simply don’t know what to do. For that reason, for them, it’s not easy.

“It’s simple to make such small changes in your lifestyle. And as a result, create such incredibly satisfying and rewarding changes in your physique.”As Shaun and I talked more, we found there were many other things we had in common. One of which was that we both agreed that most people tend to make this topic more complicated than it needs to be. And if people really knew how simple the changes they need to make to build a better body are, many, many more people would do it.

So, after dinner I promised Shaun I would start by sharing my personal view on building a leaner, healthier, more muscular body in our upcoming newsletter. To help others understand how each lifestyle change works together—along with how simple weight training, diet, and supplements really can be.

Therefore, what I’d like to do is take you through a typical day for me. Using specific examples, I’ll guide you through how I follow my own Maximum Growth Program. Basically, I’ll show you how, when, and what I eat; which supplements I use; and how I follow the exercise plan.

But before we start, there’s something I need to tell you. There are plenty of ways to gain muscle size and strength and build a head-turning body, and in no way am I proclaiming that my way is the only way. (Far too many self-professed “experts” do this already!) What I can honestly say is these techniques and tools are simply what have worked for me—year after year—and continue to work for countless others. And if you follow them, for at least four weeks, you will absolutely, positively achieve greater gains in strength and size and lose more bodyfat. Results you can be damn proud of. I promise.

Are you ready? Great. Let’s get started.

First, I can’t understate the importance of planning. Before I even consider anything else, I always, always make sure I have my entire day planned in advance. For me, there could be nothing more integral to my success. In fact, whenever I don’t plan my days, I notice that everything feels “out of control” the next day. And it is. (Maybe this has happened to you?) That’s why I always take about 15 to 20 minutes each night, before I go to bed, and plan out my next day’s workout, prepare my meals, write my most important “To-Dos,” and as corny as it sounds, pick out my clothes to wear. I can’t tell you how much time the next day this nightly ritual saves me. I’d bet over ten times.

“…whenever I don’t plan my days, I notice that everything feels “out of control” the next day.”If you’re already good at planning, then you’ll certainly agree. If not, then I’d encourage you to start tomorrow and adopt this results-producing, fantastic habit. Remember, the only thing that separates those who are successful from those who are not are habits. It’s easy to see those who follow good habits are much more likely to be successful, and those who follow haphazard, free-spirited habits, are usually less successful. You get the point.

So now let’s take a closer look at exactly how I apply these techniques and tools to my new, improved Maximum Growth Program (which, by the way… has been completely updated and revised with a full 8-week Program, new diet plans, weight-training routines, and even a section which provides explanations and pictures of each exercise. It is at the printers right now, and I plan to produce only 1,000 to start. So, if you’d like to reserve your copy today, so you don’t get left behind, please call us at 1-866-688-7679 and tell whoever answers that you are a regular reader of Real SOLUTIONS and you want to reserve your copy of Volume 2 of Maximum Growth. Like I said, there will only be 1,000 copies printed, and since they are free—all we ask is a measly $5 to pay for postage and handling—I expect these will go quickly. Don’t get left behind. Call us now. The number is 1-866-688-7679. Even the call is free! Or, click here and fill out your information online: Maximum Growth).

Luckily, a great deal of the planning “work” has already been done in my new book. We’ve laid out the days you should work out. Pointed out exactly which body parts to train. We’ve even planned the exact number of sets, reps, and time to rest for each workout. On top of that, we included seven full sample meals—from breakfast, to pre-and post-workout, to nighttime meals—so you can easily put together your daily eating plan.

Believe me, when you look at how much of the guesswork we’ve taken out of building muscle and gaining strength with the Maximum Growth Program, you’ll realize it doesn’t get much better than this. In fact, if someone had offered me a Program like this one when I first started out, I would have paid a couple of hundred dollars for it, easily.

(To me, it seems no one wants to really help you like this any longer… they just want you to buy their supplement, shake your hand, say “good luck,” and send you on you way. I don’t agree with this approach. I feel it’s much more important to provide a plan, a path, and every bit of assistance I can to help you reach your goals. I honestly really care about people).

Anyway, let’s get back to how I put everything together as I follow the Maximum Growth Program to build my best body:

Once I’ve planned my Weight-Training journal sheet, I move onto my nutrition plan. From the first to the last meal, including the supplements I’ll take and how much water I plan to drink. I don’t like to leave anything to chance, and as a result, I usually stay right on course each day. I’ve found the closer you follow your plan, the faster you reach your goals. There are really no two ways about it. I’ve also provided blank Daily Meal Plan Sheets here, so you can print out copies and use them to plan and write out your meals each day.

If you read through the Maximum Growth Program, you’ll notice my total calories are somewhat higher than the examples I’ve provided in The Meals section. That’s because I weigh around 220 lbs and the examples I’ve provided are for a 175-lb person. You might weigh more or less than this, so you’ll need to calculate your daily calorie and protein needs for your desired weight. Once you do that, it’s pretty easy to plan your meals.

Or, you can simply look at the daily sample meal plans we’ve provided for you. From there, you can pick and choose which meals most closely match your likenesses for particular foods and then adjust the portion sizes to meet your calorie and protein needs. If you have trouble figuring out how to do this, I encourage you to give us a call (anytime), and one of our friendly, qualified fitness experts will be glad to help you out. We can be reached from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (MST). If we don’t answer your call, please leave a message, and we’ll call you back right away. Our number is 1-866-688-7679.

Now that I’ve written out the meals I plan to eat the following day, I’m about 50% done with my planning. Next I prepare the meals I am going to eat. Since tomorrow is going to be a busy day for me (and I have a luncheon meeting), I plan on eating two whole-food meals and three nutrition shakes… so I’ll need to make the meals in advance. After preparing my tuna pita sandwich and putting my cooked brown rice in a Tupperware bowl, I grab the rest of my fruits, bottled water, and supplements and put them in my shoulder bag to take to work with me the next day. I always double-check my supplement case to make sure I’ve got enough supplements to last me the entire week. (If you don’t have a supplement case, I’d encourage you to get one. They are pretty inexpensive and very convenient to use. You can buy a pocket case online at WebVitamins.com.)

Because I usually train in the mornings, I keep most of my breakfast foods, like oatmeal and condiments like Splenda® sweetener, at the office since that’s where I eat after my morning workout. I also keep a spare container of Eat-Smart (my favorite meal replacement shake) at the office too, so I don’t need to lug it back and forth—from home to work and from work back to home. That can be annoying.

Now that I’ve written out my goal weights for my next workout; written out and prepared the meals I plan to eat tomorrow; made sure I’ve got the supplements I need to use, the final thing I do is prepare my clothes. Since I work out in the morning, I make sure I’ve got a comfortable T-shirt, a pair of track pants, some socks and underwear, and my tennis shoes and baseball hat laid out. Then, I pack the clothes I’ll wear at work in my gym bag. Last, I make sure I’ve got my iPod (a digital headphone/music system that helps keep my intensity up, while working out in the early morning), wallet, keys, and cell phone… all packed and ready to go. After this, I’m off to bed. It’s usually around 10:00 or 10:30 p.m.

“There’s nothing more refreshing, and important, than a tall glass of water first thing in the morning.”The next morning, just like I do every day, I wake up at 5:15 a.m. Without hesitation, before getting dressed, I head for the kitchen and pour a large glass of water. There’s nothing more refreshing, and important, than a tall glass of water first thing in the morning. Especially considering your body hasn’t had any food or liquids for about seven to eight hours. Typically, most people would make a cup of coffee at this point—to help them “get going.” But I don’t feel this way. I think coffee actually robs your body of energy, instead of really giving it to you. As you know, when you drink coffee, the increase in energy only lasts about an hour, until it wears off, leaving you feeling worse than you did before. This is called the “crash.” I hate the way this makes me feel.

That’s why I helped create and use a supplement, instead, called Energize. We developed this all-natural supplement with Dr. Mark Tallon. He is a very bright person, earning his Ph.D. in biochemistry. He even works with Olympic athletes as a nutrition consultant. Plus, he’s an IronMan triathlete himself. To say this guy is brilliant, and in great shape, is an understatement.

He formulated Energize to work with your body’s natural ability to produce safe, long-lasting energy. And it works especially well, either in the morning to really perk you up, or during the middle of the day to avoid the fatal midday “crash” after lunch. I absolutely love using it before I weight train. I find it clears my mind and cranks up my workout intensity. This is helpful when you train, like I do, at 6:00 in the morning!

I take two time-released tablets of Energize with my water (on an empty stomach). I head back upstairs to my bedroom, get dressed… kiss my wife and kids goodbye (while they’re still sleeping), grab my gym bag, and head off to the gym.

I usually arrive at the gym a few minutes before 6:00 and, after getting my iPod headphones on with my favorite music, I’m ready to start training by 6:00 a.m. sharp. Today I am going to work out my chest, shoulders, biceps, and triceps. (See The Exercises section by clicking here for a detailed explanation and demonstration photos for all of the exercises I do.)

Today’s weight-training workout should take no longer than my scheduled goal of 45 minutes. While it’s not my goal to always finish under my scheduled time, it is important to stay within it by a couple of minutes. After my workout, I sit down on a bench and take a couple of minutes to record my final actual reps and then run a quick glance over my goal to actual planned weights and reps for each exercise. Today everything was pretty close.

Remember, when you do your workouts, you might use less or more weight than I do. That doesn’t really matter. What matters most is that you keep a constant record of the actual weights and reps you did, and pay close attention to the time you rest between sets. This way, you’re sure to keep your intensity levels up and make the most of your time spent in the gym. I also use this time to jot down a few notes about the workout. For instance, today I repeatedly noticed how pumped my arms felt. I got a great burn, and I was very strong. In fact, I’ll need to make a note for the next time I train chest that I should increase the weights used—since I hit a new six-rep max today! This is all very important information to record.

And this is it for the weight-training portion of my day. Pretty simple, eh? Not easy, but as you’ll see in my new book, it’s relatively simple to follow!

“…there is absolutely, positively no better way to start your day than with an intense, focused weight-training workout.”After I finish my early morning workout, it’s usually around 6:50 a.m. and it’s time to get into the office and focus on my nutrition. I have to tell you, though, there is absolutely, positively no better way to start your day than with an intense, focused weight-training workout. By the time I walk into my office, my mind is refreshed, and I’m ready to take on the day’s challenges.

Following the weight-training Program from Maximum Growth Volume 2 means I train with weights four days a week. I follow the calendar to the letter (which is contained in the new book as well). In fact, like I said earlier, the closer I follow my plan, the faster I see results… and the greater my progress.

Oh yeah, even though this Program doesn’t suggest doing any cardio exercise, if you want to perform it, I would encourage you to do it on alternate days. On the days you don’t weight train. Or, if you have the time, you can always perform cardio after you train with weights. But remember, never, ever perform cardio before your weight-training workouts or the day after you train your legs.

By the way, there is really no need to do cardio exercise any more than three times during the week and for no more than 30 minutes at a time. Any more than this will only be harmful to your muscle-building progress.

I arrive at my office at 7:00 a.m., and the very first thing I do is head for the kitchen—to eat. But not any meal will do. Because I just worked out, my body is primed for quality nutrients to help it recover and start rebuilding new, lean muscle mass. (Besides that, I haven’t eaten now for nine hours, so I’m extremely hungry too!) This time is called my “open window.” My muscles will literally suck up anything I feed them during this state. That’s why it’s critical we combine our post-workout meal into a specific three-to-one ratio of carbohydrates to protein.

I start off by making an Eat-Smart meal replacement shake. I simply combine 20 oz of water into the blender, add three ice cubes and two rounded scoops of my Eat-Smart Base formula. Then, because I’m going to have my favorite post-workout Fruit Smoothie Maximum Muscle Shake, I add one Strawberry Cheesecake Flavor Enhancer packet to the blender. Now, for added carbohydrates, I add one-half cup of frozen strawberries. And to top it off, I add two scoops of our orange-flavored lean-mass-building supplement, Meta-CEL. Each serving of Meta-CEL provides an effective dose of creatine and D-pinitol, two compounds which have been shown in a recent study to increase absorption and retention of creatine within the body. (The more creatine you have in the body, and the longer it stays there, the more likely you are to experience greater gains in muscle size and strength and retain it for longer). The reason I use orange is because when it’s mixed with the strawberry flavors already in the blender, it gives the shake a fruity taste—a lot like one of those frozen tropical fruit smoothies you get while on vacation in Mexico or Hawaii.

While blending my special Maximum Muscle shake, I heat up a bowl of water in the microwave and stir in one-half cup of old-fashioned oats. After it’s heated up, I stir in two packets of Splenda sweetener. And now, for my “post-workout” meal, I’ve got a chilled, thick, rich nutrition shake… and a bowl of complex, heart-healthy oats… in less than a minute. That’s what I call convenient. I’ve now provided myself with the perfect three-to-one ratio of carbs to protein, which is essential for supplying my body with the precise nutrients it needs to reach my goals. This “meal” will keep me satisfied for another two and a half hours, at least. So, I take a shower, get dressed, and start my work day by 7:30 a.m.

In between my first and second meal, I’m continually drinking water from a large bottle I keep at my desk. It is really important to stay hydrated, especially since I just trained as well (and lost a great deal of water through perspiration).

At 10:00 a.m. I’m ready for my second meal. I take a quick look at my nutrition plan, and I’ve got “tuna pita sandwich, brown rice, and half an apple” written down. So, I head back to the kitchen to eat just that. (I like to take paperwork back with me to read while I eat. This way I can be more efficient.) With this meal, I make sure I drink two tall glasses of water as well.

I have a luncheon meeting today, so I won’t need to prepare anything in the kitchen for lunch. At 12:20 p.m., my appointment arrives 10 minutes early. We head to lunch at a favorite nearby restaurant of mine in Golden, called Blue Sky. I like this place because the servers, managers, and owner know me very well. (Keep this in mind the next time you go out to eat. Try to choose places where you can visit regularly and employees can begin to become familiar with your healthy eating habits.) I find this helps. A lot. They don’t look at me like I’m crazy when I ask for egg whites and extra chicken, with no butter. This is important, because you don’t want to miss out on being able to socialize and have breakfast, lunch, or dinner with your family, friends, or people you work with. It’s easier to become familiar with restaurants that will happily accommodate your “healthy” eating requests. If they don’t, then I wouldn’t eat there any longer.

Today, just like most days when I visit Blue Sky, I order the Rambler Skillet. This dish consists of sliced potatoes, diced chicken breast, egg whites, topped with roasted pecans. It’s a perfect combination of complex carbs, good quality proteins, and even essential fats (from the nuts). With lunch, I drink a glass of iced tea with a packet of Splenda and a glass of water as well.

About 30 minutes after lunch, I typically take another two tablets of Energize. This way, I am certain I won’t get hit by the “mid-day crash,” which no matter how hard you try, sometimes seems inevitable. I don’t always need this extra dosage of Energize, but I know I still have a lot of work to do, and I’m going to be working late. Besides that, I have several more important meetings today, and I really want to be refreshed, clear-minded, and focused for them. Energize does that for me and keeps me going strong all day.

At 3:00 p.m., I head for the kitchen to make an Eat-Smart nutrition shake. Only this time, I make a different flavor. See, that’s the great thing about Eat-Smart: you can choose from a wide variety of flavors so you never get bored with them—like I did with regular chocolate and vanilla from other shakes I used to drink. This time I’m going to make a Cinnamon Roll flavored shake. And to get another 50 grams of carbs, I’ll add a banana to the blender while I’m mixing it up. Man, these shakes are tasty. I know I’m a little biased, but they’re almost too good if you ask me! A lot of people have emailed to tell me how much they love the flavors of Eat-Smart and that it contains such high-quality ingredients, like fiber and flaxseed oil. That makes me feel good—because we worked really, really hard to develop such a fantastic supplement.

As you can see, it’s important to feed your body with protein, carbohydrates, and essential fats it needs. That’s why I eat every two and half to three hours during the day.

At 5:30 p.m. I have what I call a “snack-meal.” It’s not really a full meal, and it’s definitely more than a snack. It’s not really a part of the Program I’ve put together for you, but I do this differently because I know I’m going to be heading home from work in about an hour to 90 minutes, and my wife Julia… well, let’s just say she’s from the South and loves to cook. So, while I don’t want to spoil her fantastic dinner, by eating too much too soon before we eat dinner, I don’t like to go home starving. My snack-meal consists of a bowl of low-fat cottage cheese, some fruit, and a overloaded spoonful of Power Butter’s peanut butter. This gives me just the right amount of protein, carbs, and some healthy fats. This type of meal will also digest more slowly and therefore I won’t feel as hungry when I get home, which keeps me from overeating (which, if you ever come over to visit and eat at my house, is easy to do, with my wife’s glorious cooking).

I usually arrive home near 7:00 p.m. That’s when we have dinner as a family. Although my wife is a great cook, she is also very cautious of how our food is prepared. While she doesn’t douse our foods in butters and unhealthy oils, she uses plenty of spices and healthy oils to really make our food taste great! Plus, one of our goals as parents is to help our children learn healthy eating habits, early on, so they can live healthier lives too. Julia always makes sure protein is the center of our meals, whether it’s chicken, fresh fish, or red meat. Tonight she has prepared her famous tuna steaks with fat-free wassabi mayonnaise. A side dish of wild brown rice and asparagus accompanied the meal. (For more of Julia’s meals, you can read her regular column, by subscribing to our Real SOLUTIONS magazine, or find them in The Lean System Nutrition Guide.)

Finally, at 9:30 p.m., I have another Eat-Smart shake. Only this time, I use less water than the label recommends, which makes it into a creamy pudding. I use the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup flavor. This is my absolute favorite flavor, only to a close second Cookies and Cream. After I mix it up with a spoon in a bowl, I let it sit in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Voila! It’s instant dessert, only I know it’s good for me.

After I finish my Eat-Smart pudding nutrition shake, I drink another serving of Meta-CEL, mixed with eight ounces of water. I always use a second serving of Meta-CEL on the days when I weight train because I know my body needs it (and will use it!). Now, with my Meta-CEL, I take a multivitamin and mineral formula (it’s made by GNC, called Mega Men).

“…there is nothing overcomplicated about my workouts, my eating habits, nor the supplements I take. There is no magic.”Now, it’s close to 10:00 p.m., so I sit down and review my notes from today and start my planning for tomorrow. The next day, however, I won’t be weight training, so I only have to plan out my meals.

And that’s it! That’s how I put all of the basic pieces together to build the best body my genetics will allow. It’s pretty simple, and best of all, it’s worked well for me, and I’m certain it can work for you too!

As you can plainly see, there is nothing overcomplicated about my workouts, my eating habits, nor the supplements I take. There is no magic. To be honest, I’d say most people make it way more complex than it needs to be. Now, make no mistake about it, I’m not saying it’s easy. Rather, I believe it’s simple. It’s simple to follow a plan—as long as you’ve carefully thought it out. The most important thing is to be consistent and treat each day as another step closer toward reaching your ultimate goals. Put enough steps together and you will not only begin to feel better about yourself and the changes you’re capable of making, but you’ll certainly look better too… as you steadily increase your body’s ability to build muscle size, strength, personal power, and confidence.

Until recently, western medical research has been inconclusive in determining whether or not there is real benefit for an asthmatic to conduct breathing exercises as part of an overall asthma management program. These exercises have certainly been popular in many alternative type programs but have not yet been embraced by allopathic, or traditional western physicians.

But they are beneficial and will help an asthma sufferer reduce symptoms and increase strength.

The two most often practiced techniques are Buteyko (named after the Russian doctor who developed them) and a yoga training technique known as pranayama. In very simple terms, Buteyko exercises involve breathing through the nose (not mouth), exhaling for as long as possible and then holding the breath as long as possible at the end of the exhale. During the inhale, a series of short, but shallow breaths are practiced. Pranayama is about correct posture, relaxation and controlled, slow inhalation and exhalation, with a focus on using the diaphragm muscles to assist with breathing.

While breathing techniques have long been supported by naturopathic physicians, it is only in the last several years that the allopathic medical community (traditional doctors) has moved to try and quantify any potential benefit from these exercises. One study, published in the March 2004 edition of “Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine” concluded there might be some benefit, although more study was required.

In several patient groups (some using Buteyko training and others using Pranayana), there did appear to be reduced asthma symptoms although lung function did not appreciably change (as measured by PEFR). Nevertheless, patients felt better and did experience a reduction in need for relief medications.

How do breathing exercises help asthmatics?

Since asthma is related to inflammation of the lungs and constriction of the smooth involuntary bronchiole muscles, how can doing breathing exercises help alleviate your symptoms?

For starters, it is estimated that about 30% of asthmatics suffer some degree of breathing dysfunction. Bad habits are easily learned when suffering from asthma symptoms and it is not uncommon for those habits to continue in between attacks – breathing through the mouth and short, shallow breaths for example.

This type of breathing deprives the lungs of their full potential to effectively exchange oxygen with carbon dioxide. Breathing exercises enforce good habits where the full range of lung function is used. Consequently, the body gets the oxygen it needs and you will feel better, particularly your energy levels.

And not only will it make the breathing process more efficient, there is evidence that breathing muscles (diaphragm and lung muscles) are strengthened. So even if breath training doesn’t directly improve lung function, eliminating bad habits will improve overall health and quality of life. And this new energy level is important in getting stronger and finding the motivation to attack asthma with a total management plan that results in symptoms being completely controlled – with very little, if any, need for medications.

In addition to increased energy levels and stronger lung muscles, there is another benefit to breathing exercises –even if it doesn’t directly result in increased lung function. And that is when actually enduring an asthma attack.

Anyone who has asthma knows what it is like to struggle for breath. You can’t get enough air into your lungs and just as agonizing, you can’t seem to get any air out. Asthmatics who practice correct breathing exercises are much more likely to be able to endure, in a controlled manner, an asthma attack than those that don’t.

Of course that is not to say that controlled breathing replaces relief medication – it most certainly doesn’t. But it does contribute, in a real way, to stabilizing the attack because it makes it much easier for you to fight the temptation to start breathing in an uncontrolled manner. Indeed, biofeedback, a technique in which patients are trained to basically will themselves to breath more efficiently, seems to be getting more and more traction.

Controlling asthma cannot be achieved by only using one tool. Multiple tools should be used – in addition to the control and relief medications prescribed by your physician. Diet, exercise, trigger controls are all essential components; and so is a good and consistent program of breathing exercises. Just one tool won’t get rid of your asthma symptoms. But using all the tools available to you can and there is no reason you can’t enjoy a symptom free lifestyle.