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Fitness Fun!
If you'd rather have teeth pulled than hop on an exercise bike, you're not alone. Finding the motivation to squeeze your bottom into a pair of Lycra shorts is just too much to bear after a exhausting day at the office. So what's a weight conscious...
Live to 150 - I Dare You!
Living longer is the rage, judging by the amount of ink (real
and virtual) expended on the subject. Just recently, as august a
publication as National Geographic trumpeted "The Secrets of
Living Longer" as its cover story.
But is the dream...
Obesity Epidemic
Remember the New York teenagers, Ashley Pelman and Jazlyn Bradley, who sued McDonald's for making them obese? One of the plaintiffs included a 15-year-old Bronx boy who says he's been eating McDonald's food since the age of six. Gregory Rhymes--at 5...
Supplements, Diet and Exercise for Healthy Aging
Recently a television health expert was discussing the topic, “How to stay young looking” for the post-50 set. It was pretty much the standard ‘take good care of your skin, eat right and exercise’ list until the last item. He stated, “Take your...
The Elusive Six-Pack
A common goal among exercisers is to achieve those washboard abs that the models in the fitness magazines all seem to have. Endless crunches, leg raises, side bends, sit ups, strapping into the ab machines at the gym. People continue to search for...
The Fitness Principles
Almost everywhere you go today, you are approached in some manner about health and physical fitness. The fact that a large percentage of Americans are considered obese has helped increase the marketing of diet, physical fitness, and health...
The Perfect Strip Tease!
Every, (well almost every) foxy female out there has wanted to
be their partner's very own private dancer. You may not envision
yourself wearing silver tassels and 6inch heels, swinging from
the chandelier, but I'm sure you've been tickled pink...
The Secret To Permanent Weight Loss
AND SAVE MONEY IN THE PROCESS. The secret is simple and basic. Just three little words --- DON'T BUY IT! If you don't buy it, you won't eat it. If you don't eat it, you won't get fat. So your problem starts at the store or restaurant. ...
The Times, They Are a'Changin'!
Just like the times are changing, the rules and recommendations
of dieting are changing, too. In order to stop the nation's ever
growing obesity levels, the Food and Nutrition Board has
released new guidelines for fats, proteins, carbohydrates...
When The Going Gets Tough -- The Tough Keep Going
If you've been in a job search for more than a few weeks you may be experiencing the feelings of defeat and despair, not to mention the urge to give up. It's been a tough year, and then some, for those who have lost jobs for whatever reason....
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Do You Have A Fitness Battle Plan?
In fitness, as in war, you want to be on the offensive, not the defensive and this means that rather than reacting to maladies as they occur, far better to be in good general physical condition; preventive maintenance is preferable to remedial effort every time. One general rule of thumb I use is energy is the basic coin of the fitness realm and without it is damned difficult to mount any kind of serious fitness effort.
To obtain energy to power through workouts is the first order of business: if you are tired all the time, exhausted by life and unable to get it together physically or psychologically, I would suggest two immediate lifestyle changes -- cut back on the amount of food and begin walking every morning. Overeating is an energy-sapping culprit. Too many calories, particularly the wrong kind, the type that cause insulin to spike or the type of nutrient that converts easily to body fat, will drain energy faster then leaving the car door open all night and keeping the lights on. Early morning walking, particularly done out of doors, is invigorating. Plus early AM power walking elevates the basal metabolic rate. The rate at which the body oxidizes calories is kicked up by cardio in general and most particularly by cardio done on an empty stomach.
Another trick of the trade is to have a cup of coffee or a caffeine-laced tea before the cardio walk. Caffeine on an empty stomach taken in combination with exercise accelerates the mobilization of trans-fatty acids. After an all-night sleep/fast the body is low on glycogen, the emulsified form of carbohydrate, when aerobic activity is performed the body will burned stored body fat to fuel the cardio activity. If you ever travel to a hardcore bodybuilding gym early in the morning you'll see all the hulking bodybuilders performing cardio. They are there to take advantage of this particular physiological anomaly and burn off body fat via pre-breakfast cardio.
In addition, hitting an aerobic-style exercise session before breakfast elevates to metabolism for hours after the
conclusion of the session and elevating the heart rate in a systematic fashion improves heart and lung functionality and food digestion. Perhaps the strongest rationale for early morning cardio is that by doing it 1st thing it GETS DONE! Life has a way of throwing obstacles galore in our path as the day's events unfold and by hitting a walk around the neighborhood 1st thing, daily events and cumulative fatigue will not derail the session. Start with a comfortable walk at a comfortable pace and add one minute per session. If you power walk five times a week and start off with a 10-minute session, at the end of a month the session will be up to 30-minutes.
At that point, 30 minutes five times weekly, keep the frequency and the duration and consciously seek to increase the intensity, i.e. walk faster. This creeping incrementalism eases you into the game. In conjunction with the walking, cut back on the caloric intake. After calories are reduced, clean up the food selection. Again all this flows together in a loose momentum building effort. More walking, early morning walking, fewer calories, better selection…your energy will skyrocket and the effort will unfold in a sane rational fashion. After a month or two, add in some progressive resistance training and you'll be shot from a proverbial fitness cannon. The nice summer weather makes early outdoor walking a joyful experience and when we truly enjoy an activity we seek to repeat it –- this melding of enthusiasm with exercise is the long-term secret to fitness success.
About The Author:
arty Gallagher is a former Strength columnist for washingtonpost.com. Marty's articles have been featured in Muscle Media, Muscle & Fitness, and Powerlifting USA magazines. His website, http://www.martygallagher.com, assimilates years of accumulated knowledge from the athletic elite and makes them accessible to the common person.
Copyright Marty Gallagher - http://www.martygallagher.com
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