AvadeanLewis.com

Review: KonKura – Challenge Yourself, Your Friends, the World

2012-05-15T03:47:45Z

I know everyone loves friendly competition, let’s face it we all try to one up our friends, family and most importantly ourselves. To progress you have to do better than you did the time before. We at avadeanlewis.com are not in the habit of reviewing other websites, but when given the opportunity to review Konkura.com we just couldn’t say no. As you know our motto is “achieve your health and fitness goals the fast safe and effective way” and our mission statement is to teach the world how to live longer, healthier, happier lives through proper nutrition and exercise. Well the guys over at Konkura.com aim to do pretty much the same thing, they want to help people become healthier and fitter through exercise all while making the process fun.

Konkura is user friendly and free to sign up for. You can register by filling out a few required fields or you can simply use your facebook, twitter, google, myspace, yahoo or openID account to join. Once you’ve registered you can create your own challenges or you can find challenges to join. Then, simply do whatever the challenge involves, and post your score plus any comments, photos or videos of your performance. You can also exchange training tips and friendly banter with other competitors via the challenge wall or by messaging them directly.

Here is what a sample of a challenge:

“How many push ups/press ups (depending what you prefer to call them) can you squeeze out in a single minute?

Not girlie push-ups on your knees, proper full blooded testosterone fuelled push-ups.

Who will push their body to the limit and beyond for the glory?? None of this gym rubbish, real men don’t need props! You can do it……….”

I’m going to keep this review short but I encourage you to head on over to Konkura.com and check it out for yourself. It’ll be fun and worth your time. You will meet new friends, by the way England is currently the most competitive country with the United States in second so let’s get on it and make the United States, or what every country you are in number one!

4 Things You Need to Get in Shape

2012-05-09T19:52:48Z

Many people have the urge to purchase some equipment or go to the gym to start exercising, but you should never begin exercising without a plan and some preparation. Everyone needs four things before even setting foot into a gym. Make sure to take care of each of these, and you’ll be well on your way to fitness success!

Goals

Before you begin anything that has to do with your body, set some goals for yourself. You may want to lose ten pounds before the a big event or you may just want to get your heart pumping more than it is now. But how about setting more than one goal? How about losing 10 pounds before a wedding, but also run a mile without stopping? How about cutting the amount of pop you drink in half? More goals means more success! After you prepare a list of goals, put them on your refrigerator or your bathroom mirror, so you can remind yourself what you’re working for daily.

Training

It is important that you have at least a bit of training before you begin any sort of exercise regimen, and you do not need to spend all your money on a professional trainer either. It is easy to train yourself, but you have to know what kind of fitness level you are at. You do not want to go overboard and end up straining a part of your body. If you do that, it may take you a while for you to build your strength back up to try even it again. So, either pull up YouTube on your iPhone next time you’re at the gym or buy a book with all the poses you need. If you have a friend who knows what they’re doing, have them show you around the gym. However, only work with someone that knows what they’re doing, otherwise you could really hurt yourself when you try it out on your own. Furthermore, you won’t get nearly all of the results you would see with proper form.

Fitness Level

Knowing your fitness level is very important, because if you have not had any kind of training before, then you need to start with basic exercises. Basic exercises include the same movements as a pro, but beginners should spend less time and intensity on them. So, don’t be afraid to lift weights, run, or more, but don’t expect to run 5 miles or bench 200 pounds. Start small and work your way up. If you want to burn more calories than you burn in one mile, then take a break and run another mile after ten minutes of rest.

Develop a Schedule

Next to your goals should be a schedule. This will help make sure you don’t forget or skimp on anything. Furthermore, it will ensure that you are getting in all of the exercises you need. So, be sure to work out every part of your body through various exercises throughout any week. Don’t be afraid to overlap exercises either!

Not only are all these great necessities to have, but you will also feel better about yourself and feel more accomplished once you have a week, two or a month under your belt and you can look back on all you’ve planned and see tangible results!

Erica Alcordo likes to write about fitness, finance & frequenting www.dentalinsurance.net.

Fitness for Busy Computer Users

2012-05-08T02:01:41Z

Getting away from your desk and exercising, or at least making sure that you don’t remain completely sedentary all day every day, is important for computer users. However, some people just have too much work to do to run a mile every day. Thankfully, it’s very easy to keep your body tricked into thinking it’s being active, so that you burn at least a few more calories daily.

Eat Carefully

Snacking while you’re sitting at the computer is a natural, and sometimes unavoidable, part of being a computer user. So, if you have to eat something, eat neutral or negative calorie foods. Pickles will make you feel full without giving you calories, and celery actually takes more effort to chew than the calories it provides.

Chair Flexes

To keep your stomach toned, try flexing it while you’re seated. Sit up straight and flex your abs and your core, then hold it for a count of 20-30 seconds. Do multiple sets of these, or just do it whenever you have an idle moment and you want to make sure that your body is still doing something. This can, if you keep at it, really strengthen up your core.

Grip Exercises

When you have a few idle moments at the computer, whether you’re watching a video clip or you’re just taking a work break, work on your kung fu grip. Get a red, squishy ball or one of the hand held squeezers and do a few sets of grip squeezes. Lean back in your chair and squeeze as hard as you can for a few sets and feel the burn in your forearms. It’s a great way to get that firm handshake in place!

Get a Drink

In order to keep things running smoothly, you need to stand up at least once every half an hour or so. Go down to the water cooler or, even better, walk a few flights of stairs to go downstairs and go to the bathroom. Just keep something resembling constant motion every half hour or so, and you’ll be fine.

More Reps, Less Weight

Keep some dumbbells handy near your computer. You don’t need a big weight, 10 or 15 pounds should be enough. When you have some free moments or a short break, do a few sets of simple exercises. Nothing to really make you sweat, but a few bicep curls while you’re waiting for a download, or some tricep curls while you’re waiting for your coffee to finish. Don’t just do it once either. When you have free moments, do it again and again.

Use the Floor

If you’re on your home computer, then you can do some simple floor exercises to help keep yourself in shape, get the blood flowing and even wake up in the morning. Push ups take very little time, but they’re great chest and core work. Planks are fantastic for your core and abs, and you can complete them in less than a few minutes. Make use of what time and space you have to get the job done quickly!

Fidget

This might be considered one of the most annoying habits a person can have, but fidgeting can keep your blood flowing and even eat up calories. Bouncing your leg, tapping your pencil or any of a dozen other little motions keep your body on high alert. Just make sure you can stop in the event of a meeting.

Martha Gear likes to write, travel & frequent websites like www.creditreport.org.

How to be Healthy

2012-05-05T07:30:59Z

Everyone wants to know how to be healthy. I believe to truly be healthy you need to achieve a physical, mental and spiritual balance.

“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” ~B.K.S. Iyengar

The physical aspect of the equation has been covered extensively over the course of some of my other blog posts. Simply put to be physically fit you need to eat right and exercise regularly. Proper nutrition is a key factor that most people over look or get overwhelmed about. Don’t let the word diet fool or intimidate you and more importantly don’t fall victim to the many fad diets and myths out there. Exercise is a must! You should be doing at the very least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. The limiting factor for exercise performance is the availability of carbohydrates because maximal fat utilization cannot occur without it.

A mind is a powerful thing to waste. Mental health refers to our cognitive, and/or emotional wellbeing – it is all about how we think, feel and behave. As you train your body you must also train your mind. The best thing you can do is read plenty of books. Challenge your imagination and tap into your full brain potential. Again I have covered the importance of mental health and tips to improve it in previous blog posts.

Lastly practice whatever you believe about spirituality.

For more information about improving your physical well-being and achieving your fitness goals and/or improving your mental well-being check the categories in the sidebar or run a search in the search box above on the right.

Good luck with all your fitness, health and life goals.

Butt & Guts Workout Video

2012-05-03T04:11:25Z

In this AvadeanLewis.com butt and guts workout video certified personal trainer and medical exercise specialist Avadean Lewis takes Courtney Salgueiro and Jessica Dias through an awesome workout to get you looking your best for the summer with help from certified personal trainer Matthew Dibuono.

The video was filmed at New York Fitness Professionals in New Rochelle, New York.

Good luck with your health, fitness and life goals.

Thank you, please comment and share!

Fitness Model of the Month – Lyzabeth Lopez

2012-04-30T05:41:39Z

Lyzabeth Lopez is a holistic nutritionist, personal trainer and sports specialist.

Neutral Spine vs Neutral Posture

2012-04-27T05:08:28Z

Most people confuse spinal neutral and postural neutral as being the same thing, they aren’t. Spinal neutral is when your spine is in the least painful/ most comfortable position. For people with medical conditions it is important to find neutral spine in laying, seated and standing positions. Also it is important to be able to maintain neutral spine when transitioning from one position to another. To find neutral spine you have to adjust your pelvic tilt until you are in the most comfortable position. Once that position is found practice maintaining it while doing activities.

Postural neutral is when your cervical spine (neck) curves gently inward, thoracic spine (mid back) is curved outward, lumbar spine (low back) also curves inward and your pelvis is balanced between the two exaggerated anterior and posterior positions. Research suggests that many problems in the back result from a combination of poor posture and body mechanics which creates abnormal stress on the spine. The stress can eventually develop into structural changes in the spine which manifest as disc and joint degeneration, shortening or lengthening of support ligaments and muscles together with wear and tear or cartilage. All of which can lead to pain.

Keys to keeping your spine healthy.

learning and practicing good posture.
using good body mechanics during everyday activities.
regular exercise

Postural Muscles/Core

Multifidus – provides spinal support as well as keeps us upright.
Transverse Abdominus – assist with spinal stability.
Pelvic Floor – hold in and support your abdominal organs, stabilize the hips.
Diaphragm – expand and contract the rib cage during repiration.

In the video my colleague Shane O’Connor gives you some more information on the back and demonstrates finding neutral spine.

Good luck with your health, fitness and life goals; stay focused.
Be sure to comment and spread the word.
Thank You

May 2012 Team AvadeanLewis.com Workout Program

2012-04-18T19:49:31Z

Day 1: Legs

2×25 Leg Extension
10×10 Leg Press
3×10 Leg Curl
5×20 Seated, Standing & Donkey Calf Raise

Day 2: Chest & Back

2×10 Decline Dumbbell Bench Press & Decline EZ Bar Pullover
10×10 Bench Press & Bent Over Row
3×10 Peck Deck & Pull Ups
3×3 Deadlift & Push Ups (to failure)

Day 3: Shoulders & Arms

2×12 Arnold Press
3×15 Seated Front, Side & Bent Over Lateral
3×10 Barbell Curl
3×10 Seated Hammer Curl
3×10 Seated Overhead Extension
3×10 Seated Dips
3×10 Skull Crushers

Day 4: Legs

4×25 Leg Extension
4×12 Squat & RDL
4×12 Leg Curl
3 Walking Lunge
5 x20 Seated, Standing & Donkey Calf Raise

Day 5: Chest & Back

4×10 Incline Bench Press & Pull Ups
4×10 Incline Dumbbell Fly & Dumbbell Bent Over Row
4×10 Decline Bench Press & Seated Row
3×10 Machine Fly & Close Grip Pulldown

Day 6: Abs

10×10 Weighted Knee Raises & Stability Ball Plank
3×20 Kettle Bell Decline Sit Ups
3×20 Dragon Flag Leg Raises
4×20 Weighted Side Crunch

Day 7: Rest

Medical Exercise

2012-04-19T05:55:11Z

What is Medical Exercise?

In its simplest form medical exercise is the development and implementation of safe and effective fitness programming for clients with special population and post-rehab conditions.

What is a Medical Exercise Specialist (MES)?

A medial exercise specialist is a fitness professional who not only works with the typical client looking to improve their health and fitness level; but who also has gained the knowledge and skills to work with clients who present with wide range of medical conditions. These atypical clients are “post rehab” in that they are referred to the fitness professional after they have completed a rehabilitation program or have been otherwise medically stabilized and now need a fitness program tailored to their particular medical condition.

As MES we assess and then develop safe and effective exercise and conditioning programs for clients with cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurological and metabolic disorders after discharge from medical, chiropractic care and/or physical therapy. So in this respect MES is only practiced in a sub acute or chronic setting. The programs developed are designed to address residual functional deficits remaining after the diagnosis and treatment of the disease and the goal is always to improve the overall function of the client.

We differ from personal trainers in that we receive extensive training in every aspect of pathology, clinical anatomy, exercise prescription and assessment guidelines for more than 60 conditions affecting the upper and lower extremities, the spine, and the cardiovascular and neurological systems.

Certifying Organization

Established in 1994 by the American Academy of Health, Fitness & Rehabilitation Professionals (AAHFRP), the Medical Exercise Specialist (MES) is the world’s first certification program for post rehab fitness trainers. The MES is now considered the”gold standard” certification for post rehab professionals.

Medical Exercise Services:

Perform safe and effective fitness assessments on clients with medical disorders without causing exacerbation of the condition.
Perform a 12-point musculoskeletal screening on a post rehab client.
Understand the related anatomy, pathology and biomechanics of common medical conditions.
Understand how common medical conditions respond to exercise.
Develop safe and effective conditioning programs for clients with musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.
Apply safe and effective post rehab exercise techniques for the upper and lower extremity and spine.
Communicate effectively with medical professionals and insurance carriers.
Identify the red flags and warning signs that indicate the client is in need of evaluation or treatment from a licensed medical professional.
Perform a functional assessment on the post rehab client to determine the client’s functional abilities as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of the post rehab program
Document both assessment and training sessions using standardized post rehab forms and methods and effectively communicate back to the referring medical professional on the respective client’s progress using forms and language familiar to the medical professional

Some of the conditions the MES is trained to provide services for include:

Fibromyalgia
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Cerebrovascular Accident
ACL Rupture
Tennis Elbow
Achilles Tendon Rupture
Ankle Fx/Sprain
Lumbar Disc Herniation
Cervical Strain
Knee Meniscus Tear
Patello-Femoral Syndrome
Total Hip Replacement
Total Knee Replacement
Rotator Cuff Tear
Impingement Syndrome
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Shoulder Dislocation
AC Joint Separation
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis
Osteoporosis
Hypertension
Congestive Heart Failure
Diabetes
Patella Tendon Rupture
Total Shoulder Replacement
Laminectomy
Spinal Fusion
Spondylolethesis
Bicipital Tendinitis
Asthma
Myocardial Infarct
Osteoarthritis
Osteoporosis
Piriformis Syndrome
IT Band Syndrome
Patellectomy
Patello-Femoral Syndrome
Piriformis Syndrome
Spinal Stenosis
Tibial Plateau Fracture
PCL Rupture
Glenoid Labrum Tear

Good luck with your health, fitness and life goals; stay focused.
Be sure to comment and spread the word.
Thank You

Shoulder Injury Prevention and Management

2012-05-07T14:46:06Z

Shane O’Connor, medical exercise specialist and physical health educator talks about the shoulder and some of the issues and conditions commonly found with it and how to best manage those conditions through exercise in this AvadeanLewis.com video.

The video was filmed at New York Fitness Professionals in New Rochelle, New York.

Good luck with your health, fitness and life goals; stay focused.

Be sure to comment and spread the word.

Thank You