How To Train Like An Olympic Athlete

The games of the XXX Olympiad, are taking place in London, England now until August 12, 2012. London is the first city to officially host the modern Olympic Games three times having previously done so in1908 and in 1948. Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees are participating. The 2012 Summer Olympics features 26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines. The 2012 Paralympic Games has 20 sports and 21 disciplines. For the first time, women's boxing is included, with 40 athletes competing in five different weight classes (Source: www.olympic.org)

OLYMPIC TRAINING: American Council on Exercise spokesperson Todd Durkin offers tips for training like an Olympic athlete:

• DIET AND HYDRATION: For Olympic-level performance and off-the-chart energy, you must eat properly including eating a breakfast of complex carbohydrates and lean protein, then eat again every 3-4 hours and within 90 minutes of working out. Consume half your bodyweight in fluid ounces of pure water and if exercising intensely or for long duration, consume a sports-drink such as Gatorade.

• SNOOZE: High-level athletes that are training hard need 8-10 hours sleep. Focus on quality of sleep by going to bed before 11 p.m. for optimal hormonal release don’t use a computer or watch TV within 30 minutes of sleeping to avoid effects of electromagnetic waves and make your sleeping environment as dark as possible.

• PROPER WARM-UP AND RECOVERY: After 10 minutes of a light jog or jump rope session, spend 10-15 minutes on dynamic warm-ups such as skipping or reverse lunges to (improve flexibility, coordination, rhythm and naturally prevent injuries from occurring). After your workout, incorporate recovery techniques and stretching/flexibility exercises to reduce pain or soreness.

• BE CREATIVE: Instead of only using fixed-pieces of equipment, try medicine balls or Swiss Balls and integrate diagonal and rotational actions as well as unilateral exercises. Run. Jump. Throw.

• LIFT HEAVY: In order to be great, you must challenge yourself to attain maximum strength gains. Attempt 2-3 sets of a “big” lift of 4-6 reps once a week. In addition to getting strong, lifting heavy will maximize hormonal response.

• TRAIN EARLY: Olympic athletes do it. So can you. You are much less likely to get distractions early in the morning that will prevent you from your workout and you will feel great all day.

(SOURCE: Men's Health)

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13 Great Ab Exercises

We often get questions about the best abs exercises—after all, who doesn't want to tone their tummy in the least amount of time? There are countless exercises that target the abs. A recent study conducted at San Diego State University's Biomechanics Lab (and published by ACE, the American Council on Exercise) revealed their 13 best exercises for your abs. 

In the study, researchers looked at the effectiveness of 13 common abdominal exercises—everything from crunches to the "Ab Roller"  machine. Using EMG (electromyography), researchers measured the muscle activity of the participants to determine which exercises best targeted the abs and the obliques, while also limiting the activity of the hips and thighs (when an abdominal exercise is executed poorly, the hips and thighs engage to "help out" the abs).

1. Bicycle Crunches	2. Knee Lifts on Captain's Chair	3. Crunches on Ball

4. Crunches with Vertical Legs: This exercise is just like a traditional crunch (see #11 below), but with your legs extended up into the air, in line with the hips.


5. Torso Track Machine


6. Crunches with Arms Extended: This exercise is just like a traditional crunch, but you extend your arms overhead, squeezing your upper arms by your ears as your crunch up and lower down.


7. Reverse Crunches


8. Crunches with Heel Push: This exercise is just like the Crunches with Vertical Legs except that as you  crunch up you also slightly lift your hips off the ground (feet towards the ceiling).


9. Ab Roller Machine


10. Plank


11. Traditional Crunches


12. Exercise Tubing Pull


13. Ab Rocker Machine

It's important to remember that every individual performs exercises differently. For people with back, spine or disc issues, it can be tricky to find exercises that don't aggravate your problems. So listen to your body and work at a level that is comfortable for you, and never perform an exercise that causes pain. 

Remember that your abs are just like any other muscles in your body, so train them accordingly. That means 1-3 sessions per week with 1-2 days of rest in between. 

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Great Ways To Stay Motivated To Lose Weight

Without a doubt, one of the most difficult prerequisites for losing weight is staying motivated over a long period of time. At the beginning it is always easy to keep enthusiasm high and lose a few extra pounds, but as time goes by and the initial weight loss begins to slow down, our motivation starts to wane as well. Read below to discover 7 amazing secrets to stay motivated to lose weight and not slip into dangerous temptations and discouragement.


1. Give Yourself a Good Reason

Once in a while, we all need a good reason to start something and to continue doing it for a longer period of time. The first step in getting and staying motivated to lose weight is to desire it strongly and determine valid reasons for doing it. Some of these reasons may be related to personal health, getting your body in shape for summer, achieving a slim physique to seduce someone you like, deciding that you want to look great on your next holiday trip, or that you definitely wish to change your entire outfit and look. However, always remember that these are only temporary reasons, which need to be refreshed and changed from time to time. And never forget that the first fundamental reason for losing weight is your physical and psychological health! 

2. Create Daily and Short-term Goals

Long-term goals are necessary to arrive to a final destination and reach your ultimate target, but short-term goals are those that keep you going every day. You should absolutely make short-term goals on a daily basis, which may include deciding to skip chocolate for that day, working out for 30 minutes or drinking 8 cups of a healthy herbal tea. These are only a few examples, but you should always establish daily tasks that suit your body’s physical and psychological condition, with respect to your weight loss program. Accomplishing small goals every day will keep your enthusiasm high, as well as help you stay motivated to lose weight and make effective progresses towards your final target.


3. Workout with Friends


A great secret to stay motivated to lose weight is to join a group exercise class or workout with your friends. No one will encourage you better in reaching your goals than your close friends, as they will always stop you from slipping back into bad eating habits and prevent you from skipping workouts and giving up everything. When you exercise with your friends, even the most boring workout may become fun, amusing and highly motivating. Going swimming, jogging or dancing together will inspire you to keep going and perhaps it will help you do even more!

4. Reduce, but Never Eliminate Your Favorite Foods 

It is definitely not good to deprive yourself from all the things you like and which make you happy. Allowing yourself small satisfactions once in a while will increase levels of serotonin in your brain, lift your mood and keep your energy levels constant. Deciding that every 4 or 5 days you will concede yourself a small portion of your favorite food will give you something to look forward to and help you stay motivated to lose weight and remain persistent. However, be careful not to exaggerate and always limit yourself to reasonable portions!

5. Celebrate Small Successes

Reward yourself for every short-term goal you have reached. Don’t go for food rewards, but treat yourself to a nice massage or a full-service day spa. Allow yourself moments of indulgence and escape from your daily routine by buying yourself something new and amusing or making a trip to another city. These little rewards that you have previously established will help you stay motivated to lose weight, as well as give you a good reason to keep going, without giving in to food temptations and discouragement.


6. Inform Yourself of New Weight Loss Tips and Facts
Keep your motivation and desire to lose weight alive by constantly informing yourself about new healthy diets, new triggering workouts and various motivational tips and strategies that will help you remainpersistent and enthusiastic. Keep your motivation high by introducing new exercises, foods, herbal teas, interesting workouts and other intriguing and dynamic changes in your daily weight loss program. Explore the internet, read different magazines, join weight loss support groups or subscribe to new sports. All these activities will give you new ideas and help you stay motivated to lose weight, while uplifting your spirit and keeping your mood high.

7. Have a Full Life and Learn to Be Self-confident

Having different personal satisfactions in your life will make you think less of food and concentrate more on other pleasures and goals to achieve. In that way you will avoid food craving caused by inner voids, dissatisfaction, depression or frustration. It is never too late to start improving your emotional, social and professional life and to begin working on yourself. In order to be satisfied with your own life, you need to have goals and activities that make you constantly happy in your everyday life. May these satisfactions be gardening, children, love, work, reading books or cooking, they will still fill your life with passion and enthusiasm.

Following and achieving goals that do not concern only your weight loss program will make you become more self-confident and help you believe that losing weight is not an impossible task at all. Leaving failures and half-hearted attempts behind your back and starting to believe in yourself will greatly help you stay motivated to lose weight, as well as become stronger and more determined.

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Healthy Eating Tips For Your 4th Of July BBQ

1. Use small plates

Research clearly shows that people who choose smaller plates and utensils eat less without even noticing it. The difference can be as substantial as 50% fewer calories consumed, yet everyone reports the same level of fullness and satisfaction. Try borrowing a plate from the kids table or the dessert tray.

2. Eat slowly and mindfully

People who eat more slowly eat fewer calories over the course of a meal. BBQs are a perfect opportunity to pace yourself as you mix and mingle with friends and family. The more you’re chatting, the less you’re eating.

3. Eat healthiest foods first

If you are eating slowly and off small plates, you may as well fill up on the healthiest stuff first. Salads are a great place to start because watery vegetables slow digestion and have very few calories. Try to choose something with oil and protein as well, because these will help you feel full sooner.

4. Skip the chips, crackers and bread

Refined carbohydrates are the worst things you can eat because they offer little satisfaction, loads of calories and dangerous insulin spikes. BBQs are filled with wonderful food, so do yourself a favor and save your calories for the really good stuff.

You don’t have to eat your burger without a bun, but pass on the pointless chips and other snacks that lure you when you’re not thinking. If you’re feeling bored, grab a Frisbee instead.

5. Keep dessert small

The difference between a large slice of cake and a smaller slice of cake can literally be hundreds of calories. And to reiterate, sugar and refined carbohydrates are the most dangerous foods. You don’t have to pass on dessert completely, but keep your portion sizes in check for this course.

6. Think before you drink

There is a place for alcohol in a healthy lifestyle, but making smart choices can be the difference between losing or gaining weight (not to mention your self-control). One sugary margarita can have 600-800 calories. That means 3 margaritas is more food than you should be consuming in an entire day. Is that really worth it? Stick with wine or beer, drink plenty of water and remember to pace yourself.

Small tricks can save you hundreds and potentially thousands of wasted calories that you will never notice or miss. Why sacrifice a good time when you can just upgrade your health style?

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Fitness Tips For Fathers

Men’s fitness does not naturally work itself out when fathers have a lot on their plate. Between a stressful day job and family obligations, often times single fathers end up taking their own physical condition and emotional state for granted. Being available to their children is important to them, but without taking good care of their own well being they run the risk of jeopardizing not only their health but the peace of mind of being active in their kids lives. A parent can not properly and fully nurture their children if they can’t function as care providers to their own selves. Here are important reminders every single dad should know when it comes to their fitness and health.

EXERCISING REGULARLY

Busy dads are often hard pressed to find available time for exercise, but by taking 10,000 steps a day will ensure the minimum required physical activity to keep active and in shape. Working dads can first aim for 3,000 then work their way up for a good cardio routine. Doing stretches as little as 5 minutes a day encourages flexibility, while keeping the heart rate up 60 minutes every week does wonders for a busy fathers stamina and endurance. To keep muscle tone, get into a strength training exercise with some 15 to 30 pound dumbbells for about 30 minutes every other day will do the trick. As men get older muscle tissue starts to get a little lean, and dads know that parenting requires all the energy and strength they’ll need in keeping up with their kids.

DAILY VITAMIN INTAKE

People do not get enough of the daily required amount of vitamins and minerals from food like they used to. As men get older, the risk of losing bone and muscle mass increases and nutrients that rebuild muscle and bone are of dire importance. Men under the age of 50 can benefit from daily multivitamin intake. These essential vitamins consist of the following: vitamin D (1000 ui) that promotes the immune system and helps fight off cancer; calcium (600 mg) for bone regeneration coupled with magnesium (200 mg) for better absorption of calcium; 2,500 units of vitamin A (retinal) which has antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals. Although not a vitamin, studies show the benefits of taking 2 baby aspirins (162 mg total) will fight off cancer and heart disease.

EATING RIGHT

Proper nutrition is key to a single dads longevity. We have to be mindful of what we eat by making the right food choices and avoiding those that have no health benefits. A lot of the free radicals that wreak in the body increases as a man gets older, so eating 5-7 fist fulls of anti-oxidant rich fruits and veggies a day are weapons against these agents that accelerate aging. Brain degeneration is another risk factor as a man ages and eating food strong in Omega 3 fats (found in salmon and some nuts) is a way to prevent this from occurring. A daily intake of 12-25 grams of fiber helps the body eliminate harmful toxins. Avoidance of  high-sugar, high-fat proteins in food is recommended. Not only should we want to eat healthy, but also create a healthy lifestyle for our kids as well.

MONITORING HEALTH

The importance of keeping track of ones state of well being cannot be stressed enough. A dad has to know the condition his body is in- if his waistline is not more than half of his height in inches, his blood pressure reading (with a systolic value not greater than 140, while the diastolic no greater than 90), his cholesterol levels (LDL less than 100 and HDL greater than 40) and blood sugar level. As single dads, we need to take responsibility for our health by knowing what kind of medical health checks we need and when to have them administered. The standard medical exams include: an annual executive check-up, a dental check-up every 6 months, and bi-annual eye-exam. Single dads age 45 and older will benefit from having an echo-cardiogram, a stress test, and a colonoscopy. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and the best way to avoid an illness is to nip them right at the bud before they even strike.

SLEEP SHOULDN'T BE UNDERESTIMATED

A lot of guy’s often boast that they’ll get enough shuteye when their dead, or tell themselves that sleep is for the weak. The lack of sleep makes the body vulnerable to illness and zaps the life out of any activity  or work during the waking hours. Getting enough sleep at the right times every night is important- sleep gives the body a chance to recuperate, and it uses that time to rebuild internal damage caused by daily activities bringing wear and tear to tissue and cells. That all being said, how well you take care of yourself will reflect on how attentive your kids will be towards their own health as they mature

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8 Tips For Exercising In The Summer Heat

Summer weather in our valley makes it difficult to go outside and have fun. Still some of you love to keep your fitness routine of swimming, running or cycling. But the summer heat can be a real problem if you're not careful. The biggest problems are staying hydrated and maintaining your body's electrolytes and salt. When you sweat, your body loses water, electrolytes and salt. This delicate balance of water and electrolytes is crucial to keep your body functioning properly. If you don't drink enough water, you can get dehydrated and suffer from light-headedness and nausea. If you drink too much water without replenishing your electrolytes, you can experience hyponatremia. This can lead to confusion, nausea, muscle cramps, seizures or even death in extreme cases. Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to exercising in our desert's heat:


1. The time of day is important. Avoid exercising from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's the hottest part of day. Generally, the early morning is the best time to workout, especially if it's going to be scorcher that day.


2. Wear loose, light-colored. The lighter color will help reflect heat, and cotton material will help the evaporation of sweat. You may also want to try specially designed, "hi-tech" running shirts and shorts. They are often made from material meant to keep you cool.


3. Sunscreen is a must. Use SPF 45 just to be safe. It's important to protect your skin. You can get burned and suffer sun damage to your skin even on cloudy days.


4. Stay hydrated. Before you go out, drink a glass or two of water. Think about taking a hydration pack with you. Take a drink every 15 minutes, even when you're not thirsty. When you're done with your workout, have a few more glasses of water.

5. Replenish your electrolyte and salt intake while exercising.

6. If possible, choose shaded trails or pathways that keep you out of the sun.


7. Check the weather forecast before you start your workout. If there's a heat advisory, meaning high ozone and air pollution, you might want to take your workout indoors. These pollutants can damage your lungs.

8. Most importantly, listen to your body. Stop immediately if you're feeling dizzy, faint or nauseous.

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How Positive Thinking Affects Physical Fitness

Every minute, someone makes a decision to incorporate a fitness program into their life.  And every minute, someone falls off of that same fitness program and loses all motivation to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  This happens because of negative self-talk. Here you’ll learn why negative self-talk can keep you from getting the results you want in your fitness programs.

Negative self-talk is a destructive habit that forms an essential defense mechanism that we often develop to protect ourselves.  Many people end up talking themselves out of actions that may be scary or uncomfortable.  "I can't do this" is really just a way of saying, "I don't want to deal with the experience of doing this."  We are all strongly influenced by our feelings, which often determine how we respond to certain challenges and what actions we ultimately take.  If the feelings are uncomfortable, uncertainty, fear, and negative self-talk arise; then, we often decide not to take any action at all.

Many people assume that if a past experience produced a certain result, nothing can be done to change that experience in order to produce a different result.  For example, "I've tried every fitness program and diet there is.  I know what I should do; I just can't do it." Please understand that you can make the choice not to repeat old patterns of eating poorly, staying inactive and thinking negatively.  You have the ability to choose the emotions you have.  If you don't like feeling guilty, frustrated, or doubtful, you can choose not to feel that way.  You, and no one else, must decide what is best for you.  To become successful at making healthy choices, you must avoid negative self-talk, and start practicing positive thinking.

Positive or negative self-talk can play a big part in your decisions.  Be on the "look-out” for negative self-talk and notice how it influences your choices.  Notice how it can negatively affect your efforts to change.  For example, perhaps you've just returned from a week's vacation where you took a break from exercise and tedious calorie counting.  You tell yourself, "I feel so fat and out of shape; I'm back where I started."  You feel guilty and frustrated.  "I don't have enough will-power to start all over again.  Maybe I'm just meant to be overweight and out of shape."  Feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, you give up.

First, reflect on the feelings you had before you decided to give up.  Your negative self-talk may overshadow the positive, healthy habits you learned before your vacation.  Ask yourself if these feelings are reasonable.  Are you really back to ground zero?  Of course you’re not.  You accepted change and developed a new way of living; these skills will be yours forever.  The vacation might even have done you some good; everyone needs a break sometime.  It's time now to tell yourself: "It felt good eating whatever I wanted and taking a break from exercising; I had a great time.  But now I'm going to focus on the reduced-calorie strategy, exercise program, and active lifestyle I enjoyed before my vacation.  There is no reason to beat myself up; I'll just take it one day at a time."  Rethink your previous decision and take action that will move you forward, towards more positive change.

Here are some steps you can take to keep a positive attitude and rid yourself of negative thoughts: 

•       Step #1: Every morning when you wake up, say something positive about yourself and your commitment to live a  healthier lifestyle.  For example: “I like myself and I’m committed to a healthier lifestyle.”

•       Step #2: After your workouts, always have a positive attitude about the workout and the way you are feeling at that particular moment.  Your endorphins will be peaking and this will help to promote a positive outlook. 

•       Step #3: Praise yourself for the hard work and commitment you made to complete your routine.  Even if it wasn’t the best workout you’ve ever had, it was still a workout.  “Something is better than nothing” is the attitude you need to have. 

•       Step #4: Spread your positive energy to the rest of the world.  Compliment at least one person daily.  The compliment can be about someone’s shoes, tie, smile, eyes, or something that just pops out at you about that person.  When you do this, more positive energy will come into your life.  This is called the Law of Giving and Receiving.  If you put positive energy out, it will come back to you.  If you put negative energy out, it will also come back to you.

•       Step #5: Before you go to bed, say something positive about yourself and reaffirm your commitment to live a healthier lifestyle. As you begin to understand your reasons for negative self-talk, you'll find yourself recognizing it more and more quickly when it occurs.  Eventually, as you practice, you'll be able to recognize and stop negative self-talk before it interferes with your decisions. It is very important to practice positive thinking and to remind yourself that you're a worthwhile person.  Consistently acknowledge that you are making positive changes to improve your health.  You should be proud of yourself.  Visualize yourself as capable, happy, and confident.  These positive feelings will help the process of change.

Good luck, stay positive, and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy lifestyle!


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