"It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life."P. D. James
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But I'm Already Doing the Best I Can!
Can you count how many self-help or motivational articles you've read, or how many books you've purchased or borrowed on the subject? Have you tried self-help seminars, maybe even ordered videos or the complete CD set sold by the latest and greatest ...
Does Your Body Know Its ABC's??
What are Glyconutritionals?The Greek word "Glyco" means "Sugar". Most people think of sugar as being bad for you. However, there are actually TWO kinds of sugars. One is the refined or "extracellular" sugars which have been long associated with human ...
Surviving the Holidays
The holiday season can wreak havoc on any woman, but those of us with health concerns need to be extra careful this time of year. With holiday parties, offices full of junk food, traditional foods and well-meaning friends and family pressuring us to let ...
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The New Year has brought with it some drastic shifts in the fitness industry. What was hot and trendy in 2005 isn't necessarily still giving off the same steam in 2006. Fitness in 2006 is no-nonsense! Functional fitness marks the return of many tied and true fitness trends that are hardly worthy of the term "trend" at all. Rather, these fitness tactics have proven themselves time and time again:
Functional Workouts - You're bound to hear a great deal of the term "functional training" this year. This refers to any workout that transcends into our everyday activities. Examples of functional exercise include sport-specific training (for novice athletes or weekend warriors), core training and multi-muscle moves that target the muscles we use regularly.
Short Effective Workouts - We're demanding shorter total body workouts. Examples include fitness classes like - cardio-pump and cardio-resistance training fusion workouts such as Boxercise with weighted gloves. Total body circuits made up of multi-muscle exercises like squats, lunges, push ups, and pull ups are also popular.
Core Training -The core is specifically all of the muscles in your abs and back that help strengthen your other muscles and better support your spine. A happy spine will make simple daily tasks - such as reaching, bending and lifting, chasing the kids, even sex - easier and more enjoyable. Get ready to see more core training hit your gym in the form of stability ball workouts, Pilates and yoga strength and stretch workouts, and abdominal-specific workouts.
Common Sense Dieting - There has been a big shift away from low carb - high protein "wonder diets". The vast majority of North Americans know that a healthy body needs carbohydrates in the form of whole grains, fiber, colorful fruits and leafy green vegetables for a complete diet. This shift towards intuitive healthy eating recognizes that 6 healthful small meals a day is a lifestyle and not a diet at all. Better yet, it's an eating plan that people can adopt for life.
Mind-Body Workouts - Fusion workouts with more spiritual origins (yoga and Pilates) mixed with traditional weight training and cardio elements are huge. With mounting stresses at home and work individuals want a way to get in shape physically and mentally.
Fun Workouts - Today fitness is considered a leisure activity, so it has to be fun or people simply won't do it. Fun workouts to hit the scene are largely dance-inspired - belly dancing, cardio strip, pole dancing, and salsa dance workouts. So we get our fun and workout too!
Workouts at Home - If you've decided to get into shape, do you want to spend a ton of money on a piece of fitness equipment that might be a clothes rack in a month? That's why working out at home, in limited space with small, economical pieces of equipment - like resistance bands, dumbbells, stability balls and pure body weight exercises (push ups, crunches, body squats, bench dips) is high on our priority lists and light on our pocketbooks.
About the author:
Anna Fleet is a certified personal trainer. When she is not working out or helping others achieve optimal health, she is the face and voice behind www.fitnessgear101.com - an excellent online resource for information about Fitness Gear, Aerobics Equipment, Workout Routines and more.
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Nutrition: Low-Protein Diet May Cost Lean Body MassNew York TimesPeople consuming excess calories on a low-protein diet may gain less weight than others, a new study reports, but they do so at a cost: the loss of lean body mass. In a controlled experiment published in the Jan. 4 issue of The Journal of the American ...and more » |
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