Healthy Life

How to Look Stylish Every Day

2011-01-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

Looking stylish does not mean that you have to follow what others wear and how they look. A stylish look means originality and individuality. It is all about choosing the right clothes that match your personality and express your own style. Make a statement and feel well in your clothes by learning how to look stylish every day and by opting for those clothes that flatter your silhouette and enhance your assets.

When you are in trouble finding the right outfit and accessories that suit you, you probably need some guidance. Today we have prepared some great tips that might be useful for you to create your own personal style. Women are really lucky when it comes to clothing, since fashion provides them with thousands of wonderful and versatile styles, colors, fabrics and designs to choose from.

Nowadays skinny and plus size women as well, can easily find the perfect clothes for their individual body type. Trendy women clothes are the latest fashion and provide you with a stylish, chic look. Here are some tips to create your own style and to make a statement wherever you are.

Skim through some fashion magazines or check out the Internet to learn more about the latest fashion trends in makeup, hairstyles, clothes, shoes and accessories. Find out what is hot and what is not and keep up with the latest trends.

Shop for outfits that are flattering for your figure. Make sure they fit well on you and enhance your greatest assets. Always wear neat and clean clothes, which will give you a classy, polished air. When you are hesitant about an outfit, ask your friend or a shop assistant in order to find out whether the chosen piece suits you or not.

Supplement your wardrobe with many different clothes so that they can match every possible occasion. This ways you will have many options to choose from so you can mix and match according to your taste and needs. Go for versatile items and various styles that are suitable for formal or casual events as well.

In order to select the best clothes for every occasion, save yourself a few minutes to prepare them in advance and try them on before the actual event, in order to make sure you will look your best. This way you can save a lot of precious time so you won’t have to desperately search through your wardrobe in the last minutes before leaving.

Choose items that you really enjoy wearing. If you like to dress casual, two or three pairs of jeans in different cuts is a must to spice up your wardrobe and to dress varied every day. Jeans are really versatile pieces, which work really well with many different clothes, fabrics and colors. Similarly, opt for good quality shoes and match them to your outfits so that you can create a harmonious, stylish look.

Dare to experiment and show off your originality. Always wear clothes that represent you and create exciting, unique combinations that will immediately attract attention. If you like prints, shop for animal print scarves or headbands, which will give you a glamorous, hot look. Match trendy minidresses with skinny jeans and shorts with leggings or tights to create your own fashion statement.

Find your greatest assets and choose clothes that highlight your best parts and trickily hide your trouble spots. Go for variety and mix and match clothes to create stylish combinations. Wear your clothes with confidence and enjoy looking amazing on every occasion.

Shop in smaller stores and skip those that are favored by the majority. If you don’t want to look the same, find your personal style and show off your creativity. Shop for fun and trendy accessories to add a little extra glam and attitude to a neutral outfit. A well-chosen necklace earring or bracelet can accentuate your wonderful features and bring some life and excitement into your outfits.

Highlight your face and your feminine beauty with a classy, natural makeup that is a perfect choice for every outfit and for any casual occasion as well. A simple, still chic and classy makeup will let your natural beauty to shine through.

Follow the latest hairstyle trends and spice up your tresses with a trendy haircut or an exciting new hair color that matches your skin tone and your overall style. For extra elegant occasions, consider a unique and sophisticated hairstyle that completes your look perfectly.

Tips To Look Young

2011-01-30T08:33:00.000-08:00

There will hardly be any one on this earth who wants to look old. In fact, almost every one of us wants to look young throughout his/ her life. However, time is relentless and you tend to get older every year. When it comes to looking younger, there is no need to go under the knife. All you need to do is to inculcate few tricks in your routine. There are some tips and techniques that, if followed religiously, can make you look younger than your age and also much more beautiful. For instance, if you keep fit, exercise on a regular basis and watch your diet, your body will feel as well as look quite young. Let us explore some tips on looking younger than your age.

How To Look Younger & Beautiful

Make sure that you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. It will help your body stay hydrated and flush it free of toxins as well. At the same time, it will make your face glow and shine.
Always wear a sunscreen lotion when you go out in the day, to protect your skin from harmful ultra violet (UV) rays. Make sure that you are using a sunscreen with at least 15 SPF.
Visit your hairdresser for a younger hair makeover. Rather than sticking to an old-fashioned hairstyle, go for a younger and more carefree look. You will drop years from your age, this way.
Pay attention to the lipstick color. Always avoid bright red and brown shades and stick to neutrals, like beiges and pinks.
Do not overdo with your eyebrows outlining. Subtlety is the key when it comes to eye makeup that makes you look young.
Get manicures and pedicures done on a regular basis. Go for a facial sitting at least once in a month.
Avoid wearing round neck blouses, which may draw attention to a drooping posture. You should always prefer wearing V-neck clothes, which direct the eye up.
Always maintain a proper and confident posture. It not only makes you look younger, but also help you appear slimmer than you are.
A young fragrance always makes you seem much younger than you really are. According to a survey, women wearing scents with pink grapefruit in it appeared, on average, 6 years younger than their actual age.
Try to get at least 7-8 hours sleep on a daily basis. It will help you feel younger as well as extremely refreshed.
It is said that love can make you feel as well as look years younger than your age. Fall in love with your spouse once again. Better yet, fall in love with yourself.
Avoid processed foods as well as those food items that have too much sugar in them.
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Increase your consumption of food items that are rich in proteins.
If you are overweight, try to lose those extra pounds, by sticking to a healthy diet and indulging in exercise. No crash dieting please!
Include the basic steps of cleansing, toning, moisturize and nourishing your skin, in your daily routine.

Things to Watch Out for When Joining a Gym

2011-01-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Overweight/skinny personal trainers – If a trainer knows what they’re doing then it is my belief at least that they should practice what they preach. That should be part of the job spec right? It’s a good advertisement for the gym and it inspires confidence in those who already go there. I’ve been going to the gym myself for ten years and I’m in pretty good shape, and while I don’t like to consider myself a snob there’s something very annoying about being told what to do by a guy whose arms look like matchsticks. Sure he might know what he’s doing and maybe has a tonne of knowledge that I don’t – but I have no guarantee of that. And to be honest a lot of trainers don’t know what they’re talking about and there are a good selection of Mickey Mouse PT courses out there that means anyone can pass and make the grade. If you’re a beginner they could very likely steer you in the wrong direction and possibly even course you damage; and if you’re an advanced bodybuilder and powerlifter they won’t have anything of value to pass on to you. The annoying thing is the way they like to chat with the big guys and posture about the place because they have an official t-shirt and name badge. Besides that, even if they do know how to get strong it’s just annoying if they tell you to do it and obviously don’t care themselves. It’s kind of like a lie... A real pet hate. Look around until you find someone who can back up what they say with indisputable muscle.

Small print in the contract – A lot of gym contracts (or ‘health spas’ really, these are the main culprits for most of these problems) try to make claims about how long you have to sign up for. They’ll tell you that you can’t quit the gym without giving them months of prior notice, or that you have to sign on for a year. To start with, if you have to sign on for a year then look elsewhere. The majority of gyms ask for no such commitment and you should at least be able to get away with a six month contract. While most do ask for a joining fee they shouldn’t be trying to rope you into more use than you might need and you never know if you’re going to get ill or need to move. You need to be asking yourself why they’d need to tie you in to such a lengthy contract in the first place if what they were offering was good quality. Surely you won’t want to quit? Do lots of their customers try to leave? Ask them this and put them on the spot. And if you don’t sign up for a year and they tell you you have to give them three months notice before leaving (*cough* LA Fitness *cough*) then you tell them where they can go – especially if they hadn’t warned about this little snag in the first instance. The thing is they can’t actually stop you and the law will be in your favour if you cancel a payment for a service you’re not using. It’s kind of despicable really that these big successful gyms try to milk you for every penny when they really don’t need the extra cash. Hopefully people will cotton on and they’ll lose out in the long run. And if they still tell you can’t cancel? Go straight to the source and end your direct debit. There’s nothing they can do about that (just make sure you really do want to leave).

Discounts and deals – You also need to be suspicious of gyms offering you large discounts for signing up. They might say that it’s a Christmas bonus and that you don’t need to pay your sign up fee, or that you can get your membership for half price if you drag some other poor sucker into the deal. It’s a method they use to try and pressurise you into making a quick decision when unbeknownst to you – and trust me on this one – there will almost always be some kind of deal on. The problem is again that this really isn’t that honest and stinks of trying to do anything for the money. Think of all the customers that paid full price a year ago – that’ll be you next week when an even better deal comes along. It also just goes to show that the full price is way too high if they can afford to keep cutting it, and that they’re going to try and cram the place as full as possible, or that people are leaving and they’re desperate. If you do decide you want to sign up anyway then don’t be pressured by the deal as it’ll still be there, or be better, in not long at all, and tell them you’re going to pay even less. What a lot of people don’t realise is that you can haggle in places like this and you might as well play them at their own game. Tell them you can get a cheaper membership elsewhere, you know the sign up fee is a joke, and you’re not going to pay it. LA Fitness charged £75 for there joining fee – it’s a complete joke! Don’t be conned.

Gyms that don’t offer you a free trial – Any gym you go to look around should offer you the chance to try out the equipment for a day after showing you around. This means you can test you like the machines, that they have everything you need, and that it’s better than the competition in the area. If they don’t offer this then you should be very suspicious indeed. You wouldn’t by a computer without knowing the exact specs or getting to see it would you? This is when you then look out for some of the other things I’ve listed here; overweight trainers and faulty machines etc. It’s crucial.

Lack of equipment – If the gym lacks the equipment you need to do your daily workout then you obviously need to look elsewhere. That doesn’t mean necessarily that the gym is no good or even lacking for other people, but you need one that’s tailored to you. Like using kettle bells? Then look around until you find somewhere that offers that.

MTV – All these health spas (you get the opinion by now I hope that I’m generally a bit suspicious of health spas) these days have TVs on every wall, and even sometimes little headsets that let you listen while you’re working out doing your chest presses or running on the treadmill. Great, that means you can watch Eastenders or the Footy while you get fit right? Wrong – when you’re training you should be concentrating on the work out. Just focussing on the movement of the muscles and the technique you go through can make the workout more intense and lead to more growth in the area. While you can still probably ignore the TVs though you need to think about how much of your money is going into that Sky subscription and all those screens. At the same time you need to think about the general atmosphere of the place, the kind of clientele it’ll be attracting (those who don’t really want to train) and furthermore whether you think you have the mental drive and will power to stay focussed when Beyonce starts shaking her shapely behind on MTV...

Hidden costs – When you get that contract read it thoroughly and look out for ‘cancelation fees’ or fees to do the induction. They say the latter is for health and safety but when you’re clearly made of pure lean muscle you shouldn’t have to pay £15 to be shown around by a guy you could break in half with your little finger. It’s covering their asses sure I get that, but you shouldn’t have to pay for the privilege and you shouldn’t trust someone who doesn’t state all this up-front.

Classes – Classes are great if you want to take up a new hobby and maybe make some new acquaintances in a new city, but if you don’t, make sure you aren’t paying for them. If it says they’re free, that means you’re paying for them in the price of your membership. There should be specific bands depending on how many of the facilities you wish to use.

Long queues – If there are long queues to get on every station then go somewhere else. They might tell you this is only during peak time but there’s two problems with that: a) do you really want to train in the middle of the night or during your lunch break? And b) why are they trying to bully you into signing up when they can’t provide for their current clientele? And there’s nothing more annoying, trust me, than having a great workout ruined by having to wait around for the machine you want to use. You’ll lose any pump you’d achieved, miss the window for your protein consumption, and you may as well be training at home. Naughty gym owners! *Cough* LA Fitness *Cough*

The Right Diet for Bodybuilding

2011-01-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

For bodybuilders dieting is simple; you need to ensure that you get a balanced healthy diet and increase your intake of protein. Protein should be consumed throughout the day (every 2-3 hours in an ideal world) and you also need to make sure you get all of the amino acids (particularly glutamine). The reason for this is that specific amino acids are used to perform specific roles in the body and if you don’t have one available then that job simply won’t be carried out. Unfortunately very few protein sources contain all of the amino acids – even protein shakes with whole eggs being the only exception (because technically the white and the yolk are two different sources) so for this reason you need to vary your protein intake and eat lots of different meats on top of your protein shake.

At the same time you also need to consider the quality of the protein you eat. By quality is meant how lean it is – as in how much fat there is; and its ‘biological value’ – which describes how readily available the amino acids are for the body to use. You can find multiple tables online, but as a basic rule white meats are better than red, protein shakes are very good, and anything fried or made up of cast off meat is a no, no. In other words: steamed chicken = good, burger = bad. As this is only a brief introduction to diet we won’t go into a lot more detail here, other than to say that you also need all your other food groups and to explain why.

The temptation with bodybuilders is to eat only protein so that they build muscle, and to leave out carbs entirely so that they don’t get stored as fat. If you know your science and how the human body works however then you should realise that this would be rather foolish as it’s where you start getting your energy after one minute fourty three seconds. That’s a short workout if you don’t have any carbs, so try to eat a sensible amount of good carbs (complex carbs) such as banana, whole wheat, pasta etc (for those who didn’t know, sugar is actually a carb but a ‘simple carb’ as are most sweets and puddings).

Similarly many bodybuilders and dieters think that it’s a good idea to eradicate fat from their diet. Again this is a big mistake as fat is not only important to keep your skin and hair healthy (you don’t want to be a flaky bodybuilder… that’s just not cool) but also is a crucial element in protein synthesis. In other words you will get more out of your protein intake if you include fat in your diet. Use omega 3 fish oils etc.

A bodybuilder also needs to make sure they get all of their vitamins, minerals and fibre so it’s important to eat big meals with mixed foods. Why’s this important? Well minerals and vitamins are involved in a lot of things that can help your bodybuilding progress – for example calcium strengthens not only bones but also helps increase the power of contractions. Vitamins’ most well known purpose however is to help strengthen the immune system, and this too has benefits for bodybuilders – most notably as it will mean you don’t miss quite so many workouts due to illness (which can really put you back a bit). Fibre meanwhile will help improve your digestion, helping you to get more from your foods, and your circulatory system, meaning your body delivers the nutrients and oxygen in your blood to the muscles more quickly.

So then really all a bodybuilder should do to alter their diet is just tip the scales a little. Eat less fat and fewer simple carbs, but don’t cut them out completely. Likewise eat a whole lot more protein while making sure you get all your other vitamins, minerals and fibre.

If you’re struggling to do this there are a few changes you can make to your diet that will instantly help you lose your sweet tooth and start craving healthier foods. These little changes won’t affect what you eat per se, but will take fat and simple carbs out of your diet in little ways. For example – take the sugar and sweetener out of your tea and coffee. You’ll drink it regularly enough that this will start to change your pallet to appreciate less sweet drinks. Swap soft drinks for fruit juices as they count as a portion of fruit. Stop buttering your bread. Eat a bowl of fruit in the morning. Replace your puddings with whole grain cereal and yogurt. By making these little changes on top of your newly increased protein intake you can change you body into a clean and efficient protein factory and you’ll find that eating healthily becomes second nature.

Quick Tip: Eating little and often is a great way to avoid feeling bloated and gaining unnecessary weight, to ensure the body always has a good supply of nutrients, carbs and amino acids, and is closer to how we would have eaten in the wild. Switch to five smaller meals and you will feel healthier and reap the benefits.

The Abs Diet

2011-01-25T09:32:00.000-08:00

Everyone wants abs and as a result approximately half the population have some kind of exercise regime that they hope will tone them up and give them the stomach they desire. However, it is important to not only have the correct workout when it comes to gaining abs, but also the correct diet. Here we will look at how you should change your eating patterns if you want to develop a six pack. The importance of this shouldn't be underestimated either – as the easiest way to get six pack abs is to just lower your body fat – if you get your body fat percentage to 10% or less than your abs will be visible, even if they aren't overly muscular.

The Food Groups
The first thing that it's key to understand is that there are many food groups and that each of these has a different role. Many people will try to avoid too many carbs because this is the food group that the body uses as energy and that it stores as fat if there's any left over. However to avoid carbs completely is a mistake as it leaves you with no energy and that leaves you susceptible to various problems and unable to workout. Fat too can of course be easily stored as fat because it's already in the right format. Protein on the other hand cannot easily be stored as fat and instead is used to build muscle meaning you're safe to eat it in larger quantities, and the same is also true of fibre which passes harmlessly through your system.
The aim then is to reduce your intake of fats and carbs and to increase your cardiovascular fitness. This then means that your body will have less food to burn for energy and will instead turn to your stored fat cells for fuel which will mean you're physically burning off the fat covering up your abs.

The Deficit
Simply what you are trying to do in order to lose weight is to create a deficit between how many carbs you consume and get stored as fat and how many you burn. If you burn off more than you have then you will find that you start to lose weight. If you burn the same amount that you have then you will find you generally stay the same, and if you do the opposite you will find that you put on weight.
The problem is that your body wants to store fat. It thinks this is a great thing to do a then when a feminine comes you'll have 'money in the bank' as it was (here money is fat, and the bank is your hips). Thus it doesn't really want to burn the fat you have stored and will complain by telling you you're hungry when you are out of available glucose to burn as energy.
What you need to do at this point though is be strong, and to ignore the hunger. Eat the amount you have set yourself as a target and don't go over. If you feel hunger pangs then see it as a sign that you are losing weight, just as your muscle burning in the gym is a sign that you're building biceps (just don't get too fond of the hunger sensation as this is also something of a fast-track to anorexia). Hit your body with some CV now, and it will have no choice but to start stripping down your fat reserves.

Cutting Carbs and Fat
The best kind of carbs to cut are the kind called 'simple carbs' (as opposed to 'complex carbs') which include things like sugar or sweets. These are the ones that are bad for you in other ways and that are most quickly converted into fats, whereas complex carbs such as bread or pasta will gradually be burned throughout the day giving you a steady release of energy. The great thing about complex carbs is that you actually burn energy just in order to store them.
As said then you need to ignore your hunger pangs if you want to burn the fat to reveal your abs and only eat things you know are healthy for you. The easiest way to do this is simply not to snack between meals – only eat at breakfast lunch and dinner and let that fuel you for the rest of the day. It's hard, but you have to consider it a beneficial challenge – just like running the extra mile during your cardio workout.
Meanwhile choose meals that are healthy when possible – lean protein (protein without fat such as chicken or fish) with a few complex carbs like pasta and rice. Again avoid the temptation to go out for KFC and if you do, make sure you get a small portion. It's just will power.

Tea and Coffee
Tea and coffee are a great aid for anyone trying to burn their extra fat. One reason is that they are great for those who are trying to lose weight. One reason is that we often eat for comfort – if you do this then you will gain weight. Fortunately a nice hot drink is arguably just as comforting as a chocolate bar or sandwich, so rather than eating for comfort, try drinking for comfort. At the same time this will also increase your metabolism to help you burn that extra fat.

Reduce Your Risk of Arthritis and Joint Pain

2011-01-24T06:13:00.000-08:00

Arthritis is a common and general term for inflamed joints. There is no cure for many forms of arthritis; however, some forms can be brought under control. Arthritis and some forms of joint pain are hereditary. If a close relative suffers from it, then there is a high chance that you will be more likely to suffer from it at some point in your life. Although thought to affect mostly seniors, joint pain can strike at any time in our life. The good news is that there are things that we can do to lower the risk of our suffering from arthritis or joint pain, now and in the future.

Avoid high heels – Keeping your heel height to 2 inches or less for every day wear may help to minimize the risk of joint pain in later life, by lessening the strain on your knees. Keep your high heels for special occasions only.

Lose weight if you need to – Shedding some extra pounds can help to reduce the stress on your joints. When you are walking, the load being carried on your knees increases by four times your body weight. This means that if you are just 5 pounds overweight, you are carrying an extra 20 pounds on your knees when you walk.

Eat an apple a day – Make sure that you keep the peel on the apple, as it is the peel that contains antioxidants – five times more than the flesh of the apple. Antioxidants can help to reduce inflammation and joint pain. Eat more of the other food groups that are high in antioxidants to further lessen the risk.

Eat olives – Olives contain hydroxytyrosol. This extract is ten times higher in joint relieving antioxidants that that found in vitamin C.

Take supplements – Taking a daily supplement can help to reduce the risk of joint pain, and minimize the risk of developing it in later life. A combination of omega-3 and glucosamine has been found to be more effective than taking glucosamine alone (always consult your doctor before taking supplements).

Cut down on running – Especially if you usually run along pavements, which can increase the pressure on your knees and other joints. Cycling burns the same amount of calories, and is a lower impact exercise. If you really must run, then try to find a running track to practice on, or alternate daily with a low impact exercise such as walking and swimming.

Exercise – However, exercise in general will help encourage your body to produce natural oils and lubricants to help prevent the joints wearing down. Ensure then that you do swim, walk or cycle.

AIDS/HIV Information

2011-01-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome it causes a destruction of the immune system. It is the most advanced stage of the HIV virus (HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus). AIDS is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the presence of a positive HIV antibody test and one or more of the illnesses known as opportunistic infections.

The HIV virus, type 1 or 2 is widely known to be the cause of AIDS. HIV breaks down and attacks your T cells so your body is unable to defend itself against different infections. The HIV virus also attacks your peripheral nervous system, this causes nerve and muscle pain, especially in the feet, legs, and hands.
HIV is spread through direct contact with semen or blood of an individual that is infected. This can be transferred in many ways the most common is unprotected sexual intercourse. Other means of infection are infected blood transfusions, mother to infant (at time of birth, or through breast milk), sharing needles with an infected person, and rarely a healthcare worker that gets pricked with an infected needle.

Often people who are infected with HIV have few symptoms and in some cases there are none. Other times, symptoms of HIV are confused with other illnesses such as the flu. This may be severe, with swollen glands in the neck and armpits, tiredness, fever and night sweats. This is where as much as 9 out of 10 of the infected individuals will develop AIDS. At this point the person may feel completely healthy and not even know that he/she has the virus. The next stage begins when the immune system starts to break down and the virus becomes more aggressive in damaging white cells. Several glands in the neck and armpits may swell and stay swollen for an extended period of time without any explanation. As this disease progresses boils or warts may spread over the body. They may also feel tremendously tired, night sweats, high fevers, chronic diarrhea, and they may lose a considerable amount of their body weight. Most cases have shown thrush as a symptom as well. At this point the person is in the final stages of HIV--AIDS. Severe chest infections with high fever are common and survival rate is above 70% but decrease with each recurrence.

A person is diagnosed with AIDS when he/she has one or more positive HIV screening and the presence of an AIDS defining condition. Some of the common conditions include but are not limited to: Meningitis, Encephalitis, Dementia, Pneumonia, Kaposi sarcoma, and Lymphoma. There is also a blood test called an Immune Profile that can be done. This test is used to measure the loss of immunity and help decide on the best treatment. There is a test that is rarely used due to its high cost, it is known as a Viral Load: This test detects the virus itself, and also measures the amount of HIV in the blood. It shows how quickly the HIV infection is likely to advance. A high viral load suggests that the person may progress rapidly to AIDS.

Although there is no cure for AIDS there are medical treatments that aide in prolonging, and maintaining the best quality of life possible. These include two nucleoside inhibitors, lamivudine and zidovudine. Actual treatment plans will vary with each patient, along with the physical aspect of this disease. The psychological side has to be addressed in order for a treatment plan to be effective.

The easiest way to escape contracting this disease is to avoid the risk factors that you are in control of. Such as: unprotected sex, not sharing a needle, and if you are in the healthcare field be sure to use all precautions necessary to avoid an accidental prick from a possible infected needle (remember that in this diseases early stages it is common for the person not to even know they are infected). Today AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death among all adults aged 25 to 44 in the United States. Among African-Americans in the 25 to 44 age group, AIDS is the leading cause of death for men and the second leading cause of death for women. Our society needs to become aware that by not protecting ourselves we are killing ourselves and that this has to stop.

Understanding Food and Headaches

2011-01-24T05:53:00.000-08:00

Nothing is more annoying than getting headaches regularly. Headaches are often disabling and sometimes very irritating. These conditions are often inherited and the exact cause is unknown.
There are many factors that cause these pains, but the important thing is to know that food can alleviate or aggravate this condition. There are foods that have inflammatory effect and others are anti-inflammatory.
Foods that worsen headaches usually contain "tyrosine" which becomes tyramine in our body. This is a vaso-active amino acid, which cause blood vessels dilation in our head.

What foods that should be avoided?

• Dairy products in general, especially fermented (blue cheese) and hard cheeses, the stronger the cheese, more likely it increases pain.
• Chocolate, black coffee, and artificial sweeteners, for example aspartame.
• Non-organic soy sauce.
• Food that use flavor enhancer liberally. MSG will stimulate our taste buds to enhance flavors. In a few hours after eating, some people may experience intense pain.
• Canned foods that contain preservatives.
• Some people can't tolerate gluten, so white-colored flours should be avoided to reduce migraines. Other cereals containing gluten are oats, rye and barley. This intolerance should not be confused with celiac disease.
• There are also people who get headaches after eating nuts.
• Too much liquor or alcohol-based beverages can cause more intense pain than a typical hangover.
• Some people react to red wine badly because of the presence of certain substances. When they eat cheese and wine, their headache may get worse.
• Avoid too much sugar.
• Too many spices can cause discomfort.
• Too much salt causes water retention and induces headache.
• Not having enough water can thicken the blood and cause discomfort.

Burn Hip Fat with These Effective Hip Reduction Exercises

2011-01-22T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hip exercises definitely help reduce weight to certain limit but contrary to the myth and the tall claims made by info-commercials, spot reduction of fat is not possible. junk foods has been found to be uniform all over the body although accumulation has been found in the mid body first. While exercises such as hip strengthening exercises, hip slimming exercises are found useful in rehabilitation programs they are also applicable in weight management. Hip reducing exercises are important for those who (predominantly in women) have wider pelvis that also accommodates more fat.

Hip Reducing Exercises

There is a wide range of hip slimming exercises varying according to their utilities (benefits) and applicability. We take a look at some of those here.

1. Side Lunge Slide

This hip toning exercise works on the gluteus mediums muscle. You can’t do this exercise on a carpet. Smooth floor is better. Stand with feet stretched apart to hip width with one foot on a paper plate. Slide your foot, which is on the paper plate, away sidewise while keeping torso and abs upright. You will need to bend the other knee. Hold it there for a while and get the foot back sliding to original position. Repeat the same for the next foot and then the cycle for 8-10 times. You can rest your hands on your torso.

2. Front one legged squat

Stand on a step to begin with. Lift your left leg out forward and slowly begin to squat till the toe of the left foot touches the floor. Touch the floor lightly while keeping the right knee in line with your toes. Now stand up slowly and repeat it 8-10 times. Change legs and repeat for 4-5 sets again.

3. Chair squat

Stand in front of a chair with your feet spread to hip width, hold torso straight and abs tight. Slowly bend your knees without spreading until you are almost sitting on the chair. Hold knees behind toes and for balance you can stretch arms forward. Hold there for about 2-3 seconds and then stand up slowly. Repeat for 14-15 times and of 2-3 sets.

4. Bullfrog

Bull frog is another of the hip strengthening exercises that also works on thighs. This is not recommended for those of you with joint pains and arthritis. Stand up with feet spread to hip width. Then squat till hips are in the lowest position. Hold there for not more than a second and then in one swift move leap up like a frog does. Repeat this 8-10 times but not on a hard floor to avoid injury. This exercise is also called as squat thrust.

While above explained hip workouts are more advisable for those wanting to reduce fat, there are exercises specially formulated for sprinters and athletes for strengthening their hips.

How to Impress your Girlfriend

2011-01-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

Do you want your girlfriend to love you more? Do you want her to become more affectionate towards you? If so, you've come to the right place!

Instructions

1 Women think very differently than how men think. If you really want to score some points from your girlfriend, you must know how they think. First of all, you must treat your girlfriend like a princess. They like to know that they are the center of your attention and that they deserve only the best.

2 Being in a relationship can sometimes become a bit boring. This is when you must act to create that spark again. And this is when you forget to do all the little things that you used to do for your girl when you first met her. Try to remember the simple things you used to do: opening the door for her, randomly giving her flowers for no reason, buying something just because it made you think of her, a sweet phone call to tell her you love her, just anything that will bring a smile to her face.

3 So, let's get started with some point gainers from your ladies! The following won't be in any particular order, so you can do them in any order! Step one, send your lover a subtle, yet suggestive, email or text.

4 The next time that you are away from your lover, leave her a letter for her to read for each day you guys are apart; compliment your girlfriend in front of others!

5 Sneak inside her bathroom and leave a love letter on the toilet paper roll! Tell her that you love her every morning and every night.

6 Pamper her by taking her to get a pedicure/manicure! Girls love to feel beautiful and this will make them excited! Hold her hand whenever you guys go out in public!

7 Snuggle in bed and tell her all the reasons why you love her. Or you can even set up a romantic dinner for her, all made by you! Surprise her with an unexpected gift. It doesn't have to be expensive-just something to let her know that she was on your mind.

8 Plan a romantic breakfast-in-bed during a weekend. Make all of the arrangements yourself and surprise her! Start filling up a jar with loose change. When it gets full, redeem the change for a present that your girlfriend likes!

9 Listen to all the things your girlfriend tells you when you guys go out to do something. For example, if she likes to go to a certain concert, surprise her with the tickets! You'll get major points for this!

10 Do something together. Take a dancing class, play tennis, start exercising, etc. Just do it together. This one is a goodie! Make a redeemable coupon book for her so that she could use it whenever she wants to!MAJOR MAJOR points!

11 There are many things and creative ways that you can always surprise your girlfriend to impress and make her happy. The bottom line is, always love her with all your heart and treat her like a princess every single day. Make her feel special. Go out of your way to do things for her. The truth is, girls want to feel like they are the world. And if you make them feel that way, you will win any girl's heart.

Back Pain - Simple Ways to Reduce Back Pain

2011-01-22T01:12:00.000-08:00

Low back pain is very common among and is often caused by overuse and muscle strain or injury. Treatment can help you stay as active as possible. Most low back pain can get better if you stay active, avoid positions and activities that may increase or cause back pain.

When you no longer have acute pain, you may be ready for gentle strengthening exercises for your stomach, back, and legs, and perhaps for some stretching exercises. Exercise may not only help decrease low back pain, but it may also help you recover faster, prevent reinjury to your back, and reduce the risk of disability from back pain. Exercises to reduce low back pain are not complicated and can be done at home without any special equipment. It's important that you don't let fear of pain keep you from trying gentle activity. You should try to be active soon after noticing pain and gradually increase your activity level. Too little activity can lead to loss of flexibility, strength, and endurance, and then to more pain.

Here are some tips to help relieve the back pain:

1. Sit up straight. Most of us couch potatoes slump or slouch when we sit. We don’t think about it, but slouching puts extra strain on the back muscles, tendons, discs and joints. This can cause nerve damage that leads to pain in the back and legs, sometimes headaches and increases fatigue. Sitting up straight is especially important if you sit at a desk or use a computer for long periods of time.

2. Support your back: A lot of money is spent on ergonomic devices at work. Office chairs come with all kinds of adjustments and cost a lot of money. Too much money for my home office, but good chairs anyway. What you really need to do is to support your back. This could be as simple as a rolled up towel. Or if you feel the need to spend some money, buy a lumbar pillow. A lot of reasonably priced office chairs offer lumbar support.

3. Stretch when you get up in the morning: Take a lesson from your animals. The first thing a cat or dog does when it wakes up is to stretch. Sometimes they make a production out of it. Take a deep breath while you stretch to increase the oxygen level in the blood and brain. This will loosen up your muscles, put everything back in place and wake you up.

4. Watch your posture: Most people think of posture as something they put on when they stand up. But posture, especially at work, involves more than standing. When you sit, keep your feet on the floor. Sitting too high will cause you to want to slouch as you try to support your feet.

If you use a computer, make sure your monitor is at eye level. This will keep the vertebrae in your neck and spine straight and reduce the strain and fatigue caused by a bent-over (even slightly) posture.

When you sit in a chair, sit as far back as you can and support your lower back. If the seat back is adjustable, keep it as nearly upright as you can. This will keep your back, neck and head in alignment and have the added benefit of reducing fatigue caused by stress on your back.

5. Diet: Diet is the best natural way of reducing your back pain. Fueling your body with vitamins and minerals can help your body muscles to be healthy. Vitamins are known for reducing the body pain. So intake vitamin foods can help increasing muscles growth.

Control Stress: 8 Simple Ways

2011-01-22T00:55:00.000-08:00

Regular exercise is an absolute proven stress-reduction technique. But sometimes we feel even too stressed to workout on a consistent basis. Simple modifications in posture, habits, thought, and behavior often go a long way toward reducing feelings of stress and tension. Here are 8 quick and simple things you can do immediately to help keep your stress level under control.

1. Control Your Anger:
Watch for the next instance in which you find yourself becoming annoyed or angry at something trivial or unimportant, then practice letting go - make a conscious choice not to become angry or upset. Do not allow yourself to waste thought and energy where it isn't deserved. Effective anger management is a tried-and-true stress reducer.

2. Breathe:
Breathe slowly and deeply. Before reacting to the next stressful occurrence, take three deep breaths and release them slowly. If you have a few minutes, try out breathing exercises such as meditation or guided imagery.

3. Slow Down:
Whenever you feel overwhelmed by stress, practice speaking more slowly than usual. You'll find that you think more clearly and react more reasonably to stressful situations. Stressed people tend to speak fast and breathlessly; by slowing down your speech you'll also appear less anxious and more in control of any situation.

4. Complete One Simple To Do:
Jump start an effective time management strategy. Choose one simple thing you have been putting off (e.g. returning a phone call, making a doctor's appointment) and do it immediately. Just taking care of one nagging responsibility can be energizing and can improve your attitude.

5. Get Some Fresh Air:
Get outdoors for a brief break. Our grandparents were right about the healing power of fresh air. Don't be deterred by foul weather or a full schedule. Even five minutes on a balcony or terrace can be rejuvenating. Outdoor exercise is also usually the best option.

6. Avoid Hunger and Dehydration:
Drink plenty of water and eat small, nutritious snacks. Hunger and dehydration, even before you're aware of them, can provoke aggressiveness and exacerbate feelings of anxiety and stress.

7. Do a Quick Posture Check:
Hold your head and shoulders upright and avoid stooping or slumping. Bad posture can lead to muscle tension, pain, and increased stress.

8. Recharge at the Day’s End:
Plan something rewarding for the end of your stressful day, even if only a relaxing bath or half an hour with a good book. Put aside work, housekeeping or family concerns for a brief period before bedtime and allow yourself to fully relax. Don't spend this time planning tomorrow's schedule or doing chores you didn't get around to during the day. Remember that you need time to recharge and energize yourself - you'll be much better prepared to face another stressful day.

Five Free Tips Help Release Anger

2011-01-21T01:07:00.000-08:00

Five free tips from Sound Feelings help release anger to improve emotional and physical health. Our free information reveals self-help techniques and solutions for anger-management, anger-control, coping with anger, anger resolution, expressing anger and conflict resolution. This self-study guide helps dealing with anger issues and uncontrollable rage by using catharsis, emotional expression, forgiveness and releasing the cellular memory. These tools complement other therapies, strategies and remedies geared towards domestic violence prevention. See also: handling anger, controlling anger, controlling rage, forgiveness, angry, releasing anger, intermittent explosive disorder.

1 Give Yourself Permission to Express Anger.

Our society does not allow us to express strong emotions. We are taught to hold in our emotions from the earliest age. This can have a profoundly negative effect on our overall health. It’s not wrong to express anger, fear, sadness, rage. In fact, it is healthy to release these emotions regularly. What’s wrong is when we hurt someone in the process. It is preferable to find safe ways to dump the negative feelings.

2 Combine Mental and Physical Effort for Anger Control.

Mental therapy alone may be extremely helpful for anger release, but it can only take you so far. Similarly, the physical act of doing exercise can help many people let off steam, but it may not remove deep-seated anger.

The most effective process is when you can combine both the mental and physical effort. This is when you do a particular physical activity along with the mental intention of releasing the anger. Please see the next step for specific examples of how to combine the mental and physical effort to help release your anger. In each example, don’t just pound pillows, or rip paper, but REALLY FEEL the heavy anger emotion with it’s full intensity WHILE you do the physical activity. This is so important and will assist you to finally RELEASE the anger energy so that it won’t come back. You may have to do the process repeatedly because it releases layer by layer and it is doubtful that you will get to all of it in one session. There are many studies recently showing that doing this type of activity could possibly MAKE someone more aggressive. This is a complicated issue. Let’s say that the type of people who hold in their anger their whole life NEED to learn to become more aggressive in order to become balanced. It is important to learn how to not be a doormat and have people walk all over you. It is important to speak up for what you believe and not take garbage from everyone. So, indeed, if this behavior makes a person RELATIVELY more aggressive, it is in the vein of becoming whole, and that is a good thing! However, please realize if you are already an explosive person who throws temper tantrums and becomes violent, then this approach is NOT appropriate! This recommendation is more appropriate for the “quiet anger” that a person keeps inside for many years. This is the anger that causes physical illnesses, sleep disturbances and other stress-related conditions. Getting the anger out in these cases is extremely therapeutic.

3 Never Hurt Others in the Process.

Give yourself the opportunity to express anger in a safe way, without hurting anyone else. Most people will benefit by having a private room to

pound pillows

with their fists or legs, or with a plastic bat. Some people may prefer ripping pages of paper, screaming, throwing plates (old ones). Many people find it helpful to use

anger-release music

as a stimulus or catalyst for this process. Remember, NEVER hurt yourself in the process and never aim your anger literally at another person. What is important here is your expression of the negative emotion, NOT who receives it. If the anger (or other emotion) is traced to a specific individual, some people have found it helpful to have a symbol of this person at which they can direct the anger. This could be an enlarged photocopy of a photo on a piece of paper which you then scribble-over, tear, burn, or otherwise destroy. Be open to discovering your own dynamic anger-release method.

4 Totally Let Go, Without Hesitation.

It is also important to suggest that if you feel the need to express yourself in any of these ways, that you either are totally alone so that you don’t feel inhibited, or that you are in the surroundings of a group of people who are supportive of this type of activity. If you don’t have a private room in your house, maybe you can find a secluded area, where no one will hear or see you — even the inside of your car may work. (Don’t do any of this while actually driving!)

5 Strive to Forgive.

The final step in maintaining anger-release is to truly forgive the person who wronged you as well as to truly forgive yourself.

Hair Loss Treatment and Hair Fall Remedy

2011-01-21T00:59:00.000-08:00

Do you suffer from hair loss, hair fall and thinning of hair and looking for its remedy? Hair loss and baldness are problems. Thousands of people are looking for hair loss cure and solutions.

Read below if you are losing your hair. Some hair loss remedies may promote hair regrowth. We give home remedy for hair loss and thinning of hair using natural ingredients.
Proper hair care can give you fabulous, shining, thick, beautiful, gorgeous, and dandruff free hair. Home made recipes like hair care, dandruff care and hair loss are based on herbs and natural ingredients.

Natural Hair Loss Remedy, Hair Fall Treatment

Make a habbit:
- Do not wash your hair with too hot water.
- Do not wash your hair more than 2 times in a week. If you use any shampoo, use only a mild shampoo.
- Do not comb the hair backwards. Use a good quality brush/comb. Avoid excessive brushing.
- Massage the scalp vigorously for 10 to 15 minutes (until you start to feel hot there) after bathing it with water. This stimulates the blood circulation and strengthens the hair follicles in the scalp.
- Coconut oil and castor are very good for hair. Boil dry pieces of amla (Indian goose berry) in coconut oil and apply on hair.
Massage into the scalp and hair with coconut milk or Aloe Vera gel. Leave it for 1/2 hour, then rinse with warm water. Repeat 3 times a week.
Massage into the scalp and hair honey with egg yolk. Leave for a 1/2 hour, then rinse.
Massage almond oil on scalp 2-3 times a day, daily. This will stop further hair loss.
Rinse hair with a mix of apple cider vinegar and sage tea to help hair grow
Scrub the bald portion with onions till it becomes red. Then apply honey.
Grind half a cup of black dal lentil with one tablespoon of fenugreek seeds (dana methi) to a coarse powder. Mix well half a cup of yogurt into the powder and message over the scalp. Leave for 2 hours then rinse.
Mix equal amount of warm castor and almond oil and massage over scalp at least once a week.
Make a hair pack by mixing amla (Indian goose berry) powder with one egg. Apply it to your hair and leave for half an hour. Wash hair.
Grind lime seeds and black pepper in equal number in some water and apply on the scalp regularly.
Place raw mango pulp in some oil for a year. Massage this oil on the scalp frequently.
Apply a paste of hot olive oil, honey, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder before bath and keep for 15 minutes.
Apply a mixture of Aloe Vera with herbal powder triphala to the hair for a period of three to six months. It will result in growth of new hair.
Apply juice of coriander leaves on the head.
Mix soaked fenugreek seeds (Dana methi), shikakai powder, reetha powder, amla powder, dried lemon or lime peels, and two eggs, and grind to make a paste. Massage this paste onto hair and scalp and leave it on for about 20 minutes. Wash with a mild shampoo. This is good for making hair thick.
Boil 1 cup mustard oil with 4 tablespoon henna (mehandi) leaves. Filter and bottle. Massage on the scalp regularly. It is very good for hair growth.
Make a paste by mixing olive oil, honey and cinnamon ((dal chini() powder. Massage on the scalp and leave it for 15 minutes. Wash with a mild shampoo. Repeat it for 3-4 times a week.
Make a paste by grinding fenugreek seeds with water. Massage on the scalp after oiling the hair and leave it for one hour before washing. Repeat it every morning for a month.
Make a paste by mixing two eggs, two tablespoons each of amla, reetha and shikakai powder. Massage on the scalp and leave it for 30 minutes. Wash with a mild shampoo. Repeat it for 3-4 times a week.
Mix 1 egg, 2.5 tablespoons milk powder and 1 tablespoon wheat germ oil. Massage on the scalp and leave it for 30 minutes. Wash with a mild shampoo.
Shampoo: Make a shampoo by mixing 100 g each of amla (Indian goose berry), reetha, and shikakai and boil in two liters of water until the liquid reduces to half. Use this shampoo for your hair for at least one month. Your hair will become thick.

Simple Ways To Have Softer Younger Looking Skin

2011-01-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

As we age, the effects on our skin become much more apparent.
The sun, and our environment wreak havoc on our skin, and cause it to age and wrinkle before it's time.
Luckily there are a few things you can do to slow the progress of these effects.
One of the most important things that our skin requires is water. Water is very important for the entire body, as well as the skin.

The Importance Of Water For The Skin

Every day we are taking in pollutants from the foods that we eat, and the air that we breathe. These pollutants are removed by water through perspiration, and urination. If we don't have enough water in our body, the pollutants are not removed efficiently, and store up in the skin. This can cause our skin to look aged, and wrinkled. Making sure to get enough water will help rid your body of the pollutants, as well as keep the skin hydrated. Well-hydrated skin is more elastic, and softer than skin that is dehydrated.

With this in mind, it is not hard to understand how chronically dehydrated skin could become wrinkled, and age early in life. Just think about a dry riverbed. After the water in the riverbed dries up, the mud on the bottom becomes dry, and cracked. Your skin is much the same way, and drinking the appropriate amount of water each day can help to keep this from happening.If you ask one person what the appropriate amount of water to drink is, they may tell you 5 eight ounce glasses per day. Another may say 6 to 8 eight ounce glasses per day. The thing is that each person is different, and may require a different amount.

A simple rule of thumb is to take your body weight, divide that by two, and drink that amount in ounces each day. In other words, if your body weight is 150 pounds, you would take that number, divide that by two, and you would come up with 75 pounds. The 75 pounds now becomes ounces, so you would need to drink at least 75 ounces of pure filtered water per day. If you were working in hot weather, then naturally you would want to increase that amount to replace what is lost through perspiration.

Foods That Promote Healthy Skin

There are a number of foods that promote healthy skin, and we will cover a few here.
Several types of fruit promote healthy skin, and the types to be considered are the many different berries out there. Blackberries, Blueberries, and Strawberries are high in antioxidants, as well as many other nutrients, and antioxidants are responsible for eliminating free radicals in the human body. Free radicals are very damaging to skin cells, and eating a diet rich in antioxidants will help your body eliminate the free radicals, thereby helping your skin remain healthy.

Another thing that your skin needs for good health is essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are responsible for promoting healthy cell membranes. The cell membranes act as barriers to harmful things trying to get inside the cells themselves, if you can stop these from getting inside the cells, your skin cells will be that much healthier.

These fatty acids can be found in many types of food, one of which is fish. Many fish contain them, but one type in particular contains them in abundance, and that is Salmon. Eating Salmon two or three times per week will give you a good amount of these fatty acids, the health of your skin cells will improve. When your skin cells are healthy, your overall complexion will show that.

Spinach, and other green leafy vegetables are also great ways to promote healthy, vibrant skin.
Spinach for one has an abundance of vitamins, and the kinds of vitamins in spinach, as well as the quantity of each puts spinach into the super food category.
Some of the vitamins in a one-cup serving of raw spinach, as well as their quantities are as follows.

Vitamin-K-1110% daily value.
Vitamin-A-294% daily value.
Vitamin-C-About 30% daily value.
Vitamin-B-2- About 25% daily value.
Vitamin-B-6-About 23% daily value.
And the list goes on and on.

As you can see, spinach has a very high nutritional value to it. These vitamins, as well as many other nutrients found in spinach are very good for the health of your skin.
Putting these in your diet, even a few times a week, should help to improve the health and overall appearance of your skin in a very short period of time.

Using Lotions And Creams For Healthy Skin

In addition to eating a proper diet and drinking sufficient amounts of water to promote healthy skin, using good moisturizing lotions can help also. A moisturizing cream should be formulated to draw moisture to your skin, not just add oils to it. Glycerin, and Butyline Glycol are two ingredients that help attract moisture to the skin.
Any moisturizing lotion that you buy should at least contain these two ingredients.

Many skin care lotions claim to moisturize and promote healthy skin, but many of them merely add oils to the skin, and don't really moisturize. Be careful of what type you use in this regard, because the object is to draw moisture to the skin, but at the same time, allow moisture in the form of perspiration, to escape.

If you are clogging your pores with an oily or greasy lotion, perspiration will not be able to occur as easily, and remember that your body needs to be able to perspire in order to rid itself of pollutants. Another concern many women have, especially those that are pregnant are stretch marks.

Stretch marks are caused when your skin has to stretch farther than it is capable of. When you're skin is hydrated and elastic it can stretch much further reducing the possibilities of developing stretch marks.
Again, drinking plenty of water is a must, but to get that little extra protection, you might try Everderm stretch mark cream.

Many people, both men who are bodybuilders, and women, have had exciting results when preventing stretch marks and even reducing existing stretch marks with Everderm. I hope that you have gained a little insight into the proper care of your skin, and will begin to use this information.

The skin is the largest, and one of the most important organs of the human body, and it's proper care is essential to your good health. Take good care of it, and your body will thank you.

How to Reduce Waist Size Fast With 3 Simple Steps

2011-01-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

Many people who exercise today are burning a large amount of calories but are not losing unwanted belly fat. The focus is usually on exercises effective at burning fat such as aerobics. What most people don’t realize is that engaging in cardiovascular exercise such as aerobics doesn’t cause the body to instantly burn fat.

Another popular method of waist slimming is to combine a calorie restricted diet with exercise. The main drawback to this approach is that it deprives the body of energy needed to maintain muscle mass, which is necessary for burning fat. Instead of maintaining muscle mass, muscle mass is being lost. Fat around the belly remains because the body holds on to stored fat when it doesn’t receive it’s minimum daily need for calories. It is even better to increase muscle mass than just maintain it, because this will increase the number of fat calories burned by the body.

High impact exercise programs are popular for weight loss. It seems like the ideal way to burn the most calories and lose weight. The problem with this method is that most individuals attempting to lose weight are not fit enough to stay in fat burning mode, which leads to overworked muscles. When this occurs the body initiates a process known as gluconeogenesis, which causes fat burning to cease and muscle breakdown to begin.

You may be doing just the right amount of aerobic exercise and consuming the right amount of calories but still are not losing belly fat. Scientific research has found that engaging in cardiovascular exercise alone will eventually burn fat, but initially muscle mass will be lost. If you are reducing your daily calorie intake by regularly burning calories, but don’t notice a reduction in your waistline, then you are losing muscle mass.

If you have been wondering why the weight scale says you have lost weight but when you look in the mirror you don't look any slimmer it is because loss of dense muscle mass is hard to detect physically. As muscle mass decreases, the bodies fat burning capability also decreases. You may be consuming the same amount of calories you did when you were younger, but because of slowly decreasing muscle mass you find yourself gaining weight.
The best way to reduce your waist size fast is to engage in a program that focuses on restoring lost muscle mass, which will increase your bodies capacity to burn calories. For every pound of muscle gained, fifty extra calories per day will be burned. There are three keys that unlock bodies tendency to hold onto stored fat around the waist.

1) Begin your workout with 20 minutes of muscle toning and strengthening exercises - Start out with a light weights and gradually increase over time. As muscles begin to develop through regular use their ability to burn fat will increase.
2) Cardio training - After 20 minutes of weight bearing exercise has liberated fatty acids, the body switches to fat burning mode. This is the time to begin your cardiovascular exercise such as aerobics.If you find that you are working out too hard to carry on a conversation you are not in fat burning mode. Gasping means your muscle tissues are not receiving enough oxygen. This will cause the body to switch from burning fat to burning glucose because it is much easier to burn.
If you have not exercised for a long time build up your endurance slowly. Start by taking a short walk every other day. Gradually increase the length, intensity and number of walks you take. You should be able to walk a couple of miles without becoming tired before you move to a more challenging walk. Once you have completed this process it will not be difficult to begin a mild weight training and low impact aerobic program.

3) Healthy meals at Healthy Intervals - In order to effectively build muscle and burn fat, you will need to a healthy diet at proper intervals during the day. If more than four hours elapses between meals the body will begin to hold onto stored fat making weight loss more difficult. Eat a balanced diet which includes lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Avoid foods and beverages that promote unhealthy fat gain such as processed foods.
When unhealthy cravings come, choose to eat something healthy instead of satisfying the craving, and the craving will subside. Making lifestyle changes can be challenging. The best way to accomplish this, is to do gradually, be patient and keep in mind the rewards of a slim, healthy body.

How to get big biceps!

2011-01-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

Ah, the age old question - how to get big biceps? If I had a penny for every time some asked me how do I get big biceps I would be a rich man! Today I'm going to tell you how to get big biceps, in 5 steps. My "how to get big biceps" advice is not specific to any person or body type, it can work on all guys!

How to get big biceps step 1:- Eat Big!

In order to get big biceps, you need to eat big. This means eat everything! Your body needs to have an excess of calories each day before you can start to build muscle. Make sure you eat lots of protein (meat, eggs and fish) and lots of carbs (brown bread, brown rice and potatos). Protein is what makes up your muscles, and you need a lot of it to actually build muscle. Eat as much protein as you can.

To really get big biceps, make sure you either have a protein shake (a protein drink) or a good meal after your biceps workout. This is when your bicep muscles are repairing and need the nutrients. Also, make sure you eat before you go to bed. Most of actual muscle building happens while you are asleep.

How to get big biceps step 2:- Lift Heavy!

One of the biggest mistakes I see lifters making when trying to get big biceps is doing to may sets and way to many reps. If you want to get strong and big biceps, you need to lift heavy weights at low reps. When I say low, I mean anything from 2 to 8, depending on the exercise. Most of my biceps exercises are arounf 4 to 8. I like to load up heavy on the big exercises like barbell bicep curl, chin up and preacher curl. Take this one step further by using a spotter to help you puch out really heavy sets.

How to get big biceps step 3:- Rest Up!

Most people are surprised when they ask me how to get big biceps and I tell them to get plenty of rest. Like I mentioned earlier in this article, most of your muscle building is done in your sleep. So if you want to get big biceps, get plenty of sleep (9 hours would be good, but 8 is fine). Also try to limit your cardio to 1-2 workouts per week. When you're training your biceps, cut out the cardio. Don't train your biceps then hit the treadmill for an hour afterwards. How to get big biceps? Work hard, rest hard.

How to get big biceps step 4:- Mix It Up!

Feel like no matter how many hours you spend building your biceps you just can't seem to lift and heavier and get any bigger? You've hit a plateau. It happens to every lifter at some stage. This is why you need to vary your biceps workouts and shock your muscles into growth! See, you muscles tend to get "used" to the biceps training exercises. So you need to change you biceps workout every 2 - 3 months, change the day you work your biceps and change the order in which you do your biceps exercises. This will definately help you to get big biceps!

How to get big biceps step 5:- Train smarter!

To get big biceps, you need to put some thought into your biceps routine. Here are my tips to trian smarter: Only train your biceps once per week and hit them with 5 different exercises, train your back at least 48 hours before/after your biceps (because the biceps are secondary muscles in back exercises), never train your biceps if they are still sore from the last workout and always do the biggest and heaviest biceps exercises in your routine first (bicep curl, chin up, preacher curl).

Apply my "how to get big biceps" to your bicep routine and you'll notice the difference! Remember, you only get out what you put in! Work hard in the gym, rest hard and build bigger biceps!

6 Steps to Help You Gain Weight & Build Muscle

2011-01-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

While weight loss is one of the biggest industries in the world, with over $30bn spent annually on related products, the weight gain market is also surprisingly large. In fact, over 50,000 people every month go to one of the major search engines and look for ways to gain weight.

For those of you that would like to put on some pounds though instead of shed them, here are six steps to do exactly that.
Use Free Weights
Although Gym's tend to be packed with machines for all different muscle groups, from working out your neck to your thighs, free weights tend to be the best for gaining weight and building muscle. Using free weights means that your body takes the strain of all movements that you make.

It is best that you do what are known as compound exercises such as Squats, Deadlifts, Push Ups and Barbell Curls.

Eat More
Obvious? Yes. Always put into action? No. I'm in the process of 'bulking' (gaining weight) and am a member of a number of forums where the topic is discussed. You will see some people say that they are 'eating loads', only later to find out they skip breakfast and put in two big meals per day.

No matter how much time you spend in the gym, you simply will not grow if you don't provide your body with enough food to do just that. Foods such as chicken, tuna, nuts and peanut butter are great as they are high in protein.

You should also look to eat medium sized meals but on a more regular basis (at least 4 meals per day) as your body can only digest so much of the nutrients you are giving it in one serving.

Workout Till Failure
The general rule for losing weight is to burn more calories than you eat, and the general rule for gaining weight is to eat more calories than you burn. However, if you also want to build muscle then you need to shock your body into growth.

Lots of repetitions at an easy weight is most likely to turn what you have into muscle and essentially tone your body. However, if you want to use your extra caloric intake to grow muscle then you need to lift very heavily for around 4 sets of 8 repetitions per exercise.

You shouldn't be able to do another set when you are finished.

Get Lots of Sleep
This is common knowledge, but something a lot of people tend to miss. Eat big, train hard and sleep well are the three keys to successful weight gaining. If you miss any of these then you are going to get some lackluster results.

Your muscle doesn't grow in the gym but only during resting period, so try to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night to allow your body to react and grow.

Regularly Increase Weight + Food Intake
If you are what is known as a 'hard gainer', then you will constantly have to increase the weights you lift and your food intake to continue growing. If you keep to a certain diet and workout routine, without changing things up, it's likely that you'll very quickly hit a plateau.

Around every 4 weeks is a good time to increase the weights you are lifting and around every 6-8 weeks you should look at your calorie intake. Of course, you should be tracking your results to see when these changes are necessary for your situation; the above figures are simply a guide.

Stick to Your Plan
You aren't going to lose weight overnight if that is your aim, and you're certainly not going to gain weight overnight. It could take months or even years to see some major noticeable differences in your weight gain efforts but don't let the time length put you off. Simply stick to your plan and the results will follow.

Exercises to increase Height

2011-01-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

There are many people all over the world, who wish desperately to enhance their height. They want to have a good height but don’t know the proper ways to increase the height. Due to this many people lose opportunities to take part in many activities and try their choice of fields like army, police force, air force, modeling, air hostess and other fields where height is a demanding criteria. People try many different ways like medicine, acupressure treatments etc. to gain height; but these all are very expensive and doubtful ways and there is no 100% assurance whether it will work or not. The best way to gain height is to do some exercises to increase height.

There are many types of exercises like yoga, stretching and free hand exercises to increase height. Physical trainers and health science experts have accepted the fact that exercising is the best to increase height.

The different exercises to increase height are listed below:

Yoga:
Yoga is a very good form of exercising with no side effects. Few yoga exercises to increase your height are as follows:
Lie down straight on the floor. Let your body rest comfortably. Then slowly stretch your left foot in the direction of right and right foot in the direction of left. Do not stretch too hard. Then bring back your foot to the normal position. Now stretch your right foot towards right and left foot towards left, but follow the same guidelines while releasing.
Lie down on your stomach and chest. Keep your palms on the ground near the hips. Slowly bend your legs from your knees and lift the legs up. Let your thigh remain on the ground to provide you support. Now take your hands backward and try to hold your legs. Try to stretch your legs as much as possible while keeping your torso uplifted. Don’t try to stretch too much. And then relax slowly.

Stretching & Free Hand Exercises:

These exercises to increase height are very useful. Some of the exercises to increase height are as follows:
Forward Bend: To do this exercise stand straight with legs wide spread. Keep your hands up straight and then bend down forward and touch the floor with your hands, without breaking your knees, then return back to your original position.
Spot Jump: Keep your legs close. Stand on your toe and start jumping with your hand straight up in the air for at least 2 minutes.
Bar Hanging: Hold a bar that is at least 7 feet above the ground level (so that your foot doesn’t touch the ground when you hand on the bar with your arms straight). Now swing your body while hanging to the bar. Make sure you do not swing with the help of your wrist. Keep your spine straight while swinging.

There are many more exercises to increase height, but the above-mentioned are few basic and most practiced.

Human height is an important aspect of the personality. Though genetics plays a vital role in determining it, physical exercises to increase height always remains a viable option for those challenged with short stature, prior to a certain age.

Why Exercises to Increase Height?
Every activity inside the body is primarily a chemical reaction. It is initiated and terminated by signaling molecules known as hormones. They are produced by organs called glands and are separated so as to allow them get dissolved in the blood stream. This process is called secretion.

Researchers at the Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK in 2003, reported that along with sleep, exercise does act as a stimulus for the secretion of human growth hormone (hGH).

Though the exact mechanism underlying this effect is not known, the study proved that load and frequency of resistance training are the determining factors in the regulation of hGH secretion and for initiating exercise-induced growth hormone response (EIGR). This response is found to even delay the negative effects of ageing on height raise.

Some Exercises to Increase Height are:

Stretching – This exercise strengthens the muscles and reduces the compressions of the discs of the invertebrate. The cartilages of the spine become thick and lengthen it increasing the height.

Hanging – The effect of gravity on the body is that it compresses the spines and makes the tissues which support the structure become thinner. This gives an appearance of being short. Hanging counteracts to this affect by making the lower torso weight stretch the spine and decrease the pull on the vertebrate. The height is known to increase by one to two inches.

Procedure
: A horizontal bar should be placed high enough so as to allow the entire body to extend. In case, the whole body cannot extend, it will suffice if the knees are bend slightly to allow hanging freely. While grasping the bar, the palms should face away and the thumbs must touch. If the arms, shoulders and hips are allowed to relax, the gravity effectively pulls the body further. Wearing ankle weights increase the benefits of this exercise to increase height. The process should lasts for 20 seconds at least followed by a gap and repeated three times for sure.

Dry Land Swim: It is also known as the Alternate Leg Kick and focuses on lower back. To perform this exercise, a person has to lay down flat on the stomach and extend the body completely.

Procedure:
The arms should be stretched in the forward direction with the palms facing the floor. One arm should be lifted higher than the other, say the left arm is placed above the right. Keeping the legs in straight position, the right leg should be raised off the ground as much as possible. In the initial stages, this position should be maintained for at least 4 seconds before repeating the process on other leg. However, the aim should be to reach a stage where this position is continued for 20 seconds. In order to increase the effectiveness of this exercise to increase height, wrist and ankle weights can be added to the work out. It enhances the stamina and tone up the lower back muscles further.

Pelvic Shift: It is one of the favorite exercises to increase height for all fitness instructors. It is involves feeling of the spine and hips been stretched up and down quickly.

Procedure: The exercise begins by the person lying on the back with the shoulders and arms firmly placed on the floor. The knees should be bent and the feet should be brought as close to the buttocks a possible. The back should be now brought to an arch shape letting the pelvis to thrust upwards. This position is to be held for at least 20 seconds initially, later extending it for 30 seconds.

Conclusion: As with any fitness regime, exercises to increase height should be carried out regularly to see the benefits within appropriate time frame.

5 Exercises to Control Diabetes Naturally

2011-01-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

Exercise is very essential for our body! In today’s world many people are suffering from diabetes and not doing exercise .Exercise is the main part of our life which we need to do. Diabetes is directly connected to the flow of energy in our body. This is because glucose is energy and the inability to produce insulin which is vital for the transmission of sugar to the blood cells, causes a stagnation of sugar in the blood leading to diabetes. Here are some exercises which we want from you to do for your health in long run of your life. After all “Health is Wealth”.

It is advisable to start with less strenuous exercise and then after wards increasing the time 5 minutes day by day to be suitable for your body.

1. Walk for at least 20mins a day regularly: Walking make you breathe heavily and makes your heart working harder. If you cannot walk for 20mins shift your milestone to a lesser time or according to your health.

2. Do aerobics with less impact on your legs: Diabetes leads to a nervous disorder called diabetic neuropathy which results in weakening of nerves. The most affected part of the body is feet. The worrying aspect of this is that the symptoms do not show up for diabetic neuropathy. So, if you feel any pain or pressure in the feet portion, then switch to swimming, bicycling, walking and other similar aerobic exercises that do not exert pressure on your legs.

3. Warm up before doing any of the exercise: Before doing any of the exercise you must do warm up which helps to do exercise in the long run and you will also not get tired earlier. Doing some mild stretches of 5min before doing exercise prepares you for the next harder task of exercise.

4. Emergency sugar supplement: Make sure you have enough chocolates with you always. This is not to tease your taste buds, but it is the immediate charger for your body. This will drastically reduce the blood sugar levels and the effects are immediately felt in the form of giddiness and worse, fatigue. It is prudent to pop in a chocolate, immediately bring you back to normal state. Make sure you are not tempted to eat it for leisure.

5. Start the day with exercise: Being diabetic is very tricky on the body. Many times you may find yourself low on sugar levels due to heavy workouts or wrong workout at the wrong time. Owing to this unpredictability, it is best to start off your day with exercise because, after an optimum level of sleep, there cannot be many vagaries in the sugar levels and you do not have to worry about fluctuations. It sets a pattern for the body too such that the biological clock is tuned to a healthy lifestyle alleviating imbalances.

Exercise to Quit Smoking

2011-01-15T09:22:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for an easy way to quit smoking? A research study finds regular exercising or workouts are of great help in smoking cessation. Exercise not only helps in getting rid of smoking but also benefits you in many other ways.

Have you decided to quit your smoking habit? You will find many smoking cessation programs like the patch, nicotine gum and hypnosis. These programs are not only heavy on your pocket but are best as temporary solutions.

Did you ever think that exercise can be of great help in your smoking cessation program? By enhancing your will power exercise helps you win the quit smoking battle. When one plans to quit smoking, the stress levels increase. Exercising helps in quitting smoking by fighting against stress. We would discuss how and which exercises can help you in quitting smoking.

Exercises to Quit Smoking

Working out in a gym or at your home, helps in smoking cessation. The more you exercise, greater is the success of your smoking cessation program. To start with, you need to begin with light exercises. Make sure that you choose the exercises you can enjoy doing them. Below is the sample list of activities and exercises you can start with.
Walking
Jogging
Aerobics
Stretching
Swimming
Stair Climbing
Light Weight Lifting
Biking
Basketball
Tennis

You can even try yoga and meditation. While meditating you can keep chanting â€œI will quit smoking.â€ This would work in building your resistance towards your temptation to smoke. An exhausting cardiovascular workout is necessary to make your lungs and heart strong and healthy. Whatever exercise you choose to do make sure that you start slowly. You can take help of an experienced physical trainer.

Points to Remember

There are few things you need to remember while exercising to quit smoking:
You need to change your lifestyle completely. Make sure that you donâ€™t indulge yourself in some other addiction.
Make some healthy changes in your eating habits. Donâ€™t stick to a particular type of food; instead try to include variety of foods in your diet.
Try to keep a balance in your carbohydrate and protein intake.
Avoid places and activities which might influence you to smoke.
Consult your doctor before you start this program.

Remember that in the beginning exercising will hurt you but this will lead you to a healthier and long life.

HOW TO SLEEP WELL

2011-01-14T23:53:00.000-08:00

Do you want to be productive, mentally sharp, emotionally balanced, and full of energy all day long? The way you feel during your waking hours hinges on how well you sleep at night.

The cure to sleep difficulties and daytime fatigue can often be found in your daily routine. Your sleep schedule, bedtime habits, and day–to–day lifestyle choices make an enormous difference in the quality of your nightly rest. The following sleep tips will help you optimize your nightly rest, minimize insomnia, and lay the foundation for all–day energy and peak performance.

Tip 1: Keep a regular sleep schedule

Getting back in sync with your body’s natural sleep–wake cycle—your circadian rhythm—is one of the most important strategies for achieving good sleep. If you keep a regular sleep schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, you will feel much more refreshed and energized than if you sleep the same number of hours at different times. This holds true even if you alter your sleep schedule by only an hour or two. Consistency is important.

Tip 2: Make your bedroom more sleep friendly

It’s not just the number of hours in bed that counts—it’s the quality of those hours of sleep. If you’re giving yourself plenty of time for sleep, but you’re still having trouble waking up in the morning or staying alert all day, you may need to make some changes to your sleep environment. The quality of your bedroom environment makes a huge difference in how well you sleep.

Tip 3: Create a relaxing bedtime routine

If you make a consistent effort to relax and unwind before bed, you will sleep easier and more deeply. A peaceful bedtime routine sends a powerful signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down and let go of the day’s stresses.

Tip 4: Eat right and get regular exercise

Your daytime eating and exercise habits play a role in how well you sleep. It’s particularly important to watch what you put in your body in the hours leading up to your bedtime.

Tip 5: Get anxiety and stress in check

Do you find yourself unable to sleep or waking up night after night? Residual stress, worry, and anger from your day can make it very difficult to sleep well. When you wake up or can’t get to sleep, take note of what seems to be the recurring theme. That will help you figure out what you need to do to get your stress and anger under control during the day.

Tip 6 : Massage

Massage is a great stress reliever that also feels good. If you can’t trade massages with people you live with, you can do a self-massage or use massaging tools to relieve tension. Either way, having a massage before bed can loosen stress in your body, relax you, and make sleep come more easily.

Tip 7 : Meditation

Meditation has been used by many, many people to relieve stress in the body and mind. It’s a great technique to use before bedtime because it segues so naturally into sleep: it relaxes the body, clears the mind, and creates inner peace.

Nearly everyone has occasional sleepless nights. But if you have trouble sleeping on a regular or frequent basis, see your doctor. You could have a sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. Identifying and treating the cause of your sleep disturbance can help get you back on the road to a good night's sleep.

How to utilize your willpower and Loose Weight

2011-01-14T23:36:00.000-08:00

You can lose weight if you set your mind to it! Are you ready to take action to achieve the body of your dreams?

The biggest barrier you face is actually your self-discipline and willpower.

You may have fallen into a vicious cycle. The cycle starts with eating a poor diet full of fats, carbs, and processed foods. These are the kinds of foods that make you feel tired and lethargic all the time. Then, because your body lacks proper energy, you don't feel much like exercising.

What's the end result? You end up with a huge loss of willpower and you feel miserable and hopeless.

But there is hope! You can make the change! If you truly want to lose weight, you first have to build the willpower to make it happen.

Here's a list of things to consider when summoning all of your willpower:

1. Don't Wait For Something Bad To Happen. Your willpower is within you and you don't want something bad to happen in order to find it.

We've all heard the stories about someone suffering a severe trauma, like a heart attack, and how that life event leads to a permanent change in their habits. You don't need this to happen to you in order to get motivated!

2. Watch Your Portion Size. This is one tip that can allow you to start small. It's hard to muster up the willpower if you're trying to go from one extreme to another. Decide that you're going to have the same meal tonight that you would normally eat - but give yourself a smaller portion size.

The trick is to use smaller plates so the plate visually appears full.

3. Give Yourself A Cheat Day. It'll be an easier transition for you if you allow yourself some fun once in awhile. Tell yourself that next Saturday you can enjoy that pizza for dinner or that chocolate cake for dessert. You'll be less likely to give up knowing that you can eat some pizza next Saturday instead of "never."

Your "cheat" day doesn't mean "over-eat" day.

Savor the flavors of your food, even if it means having a smaller piece than you're used to. Once you've finished your piece, your willpower should kick in and say "no more!"

4. Take Photographs. You can motivate yourself to lose weight by taking some self-portraits. We usually don't have the best idea about how we truly look until we see ourselves in a photograph. Keep a picture with you and look at it when you feel like giving up.

Update your photo often and compare them as you start to lose weight.

5. Make A Food List. Write down all the foods you enjoy eating, then evaluate whether or not these items are healthy. Chances are there are at least some healthy foods that you actually enjoy eating - such as fruits and vegetables. Make sure you start buying these foods for your home.

6. Exercise In Moderation. Adding exercise to your routine can also be a daunting task if you try to jump in too fast. Nobody is telling you that you need to join a gym and engage in rigorous workouts if that's not your style. You'll actually be surprised at how energized you can feel just by taking a 30 minute walk, three times a week.

7. Set Small Goals

No matter how you choose to approach your weight loss, it's important to take small steps and remain in good spirits. Doing too much, too fast will only set you up for failure. Instead, set small, manageable goals like one pound per week. By focusing on the smaller, more attainable goal, you'll actually see results far more quickly.

In the end, remember to reward yourself for a job well done. After all, you deserve it! Once you have mustered the willpower to succeed at weight loss, you can succeed at anything in your life!

Mental Fitness

2011-01-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

Each of the following exercises is from Brain Fitness, and is categorized by the specific mental ability it is designed to strengthen.

Exercise your perceptive abilities The goal is to exercise perception in all five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Sight. Each day, observe an object (a photograph, for example) or a person you pass on the street. Draw it (or him or her) immediately. This exercises short-term memory. At the end of the week, redraw the seven objects or persons you have observed. This exercises long-term memory

Smell/Taste. When dining in a restaurant or at a friend's home, try to identify the ingredients in the dishes you are served. Concentrate on the subtle flavorings of herbs and spices. Ask the waiter or your host to verify your perceptions.

Memory. Try to memorize the dishes offered on your favorite restaurant's menu. To make the exercise more challenging, memorize the prices as well. At the end of the day, recall as many of the dishes/prices as you can and write them down.

Hearing. On the telephone, practice recognizing callers before they identify themselves. Then memorize callers' phone numbers. At the end of the day, write down the people you have spoken with that day, as well as their phone numbers. At the end of the week, try writing down as many of these as you can.

Smell/Touch. Exercise your senses of smell and touch by trying to identify objects with your eyes closed.

Exercise your visuospatial abilities Visuospatial abilities are related to the ability to make quick and accurate estimates of distances, areas, and volumes -- the general proportions of things and their distribution in space. Try the following:

When you walk into a room with a group of people in it, try to quickly determine how many are on your right and your left, as well as the left-right distribution of furniture and other objects.

Observe objects--pens, for instance--and try to estimate their length and thickness.

When you have visited somewhere and then return home, try to draw a plan or map of the place you have seen. Repeat this exercise the next day and the day after.

Exercise your logic abilities

Logic is the art of reasoning--finding an orderly sequence for disparate elements. The following exercises/activities will awaken the inherently logical being inside of you.

Don't use a list when shopping. Instead, invent a system to take the place of the list. Use memory aids, such as forming a complete word, or one that can be completed by adding a certain vowel or consonant from the first letters of the words for the things you need to buy. Or, you can classify foods into raw and cooked. Or, use any other system that works for you.

All games involve logical activities. Card games such as pinochle and bridge or board games of strategy such as chess or checkers are good choices. So are crossword puzzles anagrams, and other word games.

Avoid playing the same games all the time. Chess players might switch to GoTM or OthelloTM, while bridge players might play whist or hearts. Playing the same game all the time leads to routine, which is the opposite of activation. The same cerebral circuits and neuronal regions are constantly used and everything else remains unused.

Find new games and interests. Explore activities that are completely new to you and find new partners for old--and new--games and activities.

Remember--failing memory and sluggish thinking are not inevitable cohorts of aging. You have the ability to maximize your cognitive skills and enhance your older years.

Exercise For Better Sex

2011-01-14T10:55:00.000-08:00

A growing body of evidence supports the notion that regular exercise may enhance sexuality through a variety of mechanisms that affect both the mind and body. These are the exercises which will keep you younger for longer !!!

Pelvic lifts

Lie down on your back with your knees bent and your hands by your side. Lift your pelvis up and down as if you were having sexual intercourse. This is a great exercise for the doggy-style position. It's also my favorite exercise for better sex.
Push-ups
Lie down on your stomach with your hands parallel to your shoulders. Push up with your hands until your arms are straight and your chest and knees are off the ground. Then lower your body so it almost touches the ground. Repeat ten to twenty times.

Crunches

Lie down on your back with your knees bent. Cross your feet together and lift them off the ground so that they are parallel to the floor. With your hands on the back of your head or crossed against your chest lift your chest off the ground using your stomach. Be sure to focus on a spot on the ceiling to avoid straining your neck. Do three sets of twenty each.

Slides

Lie down on your back with your knees bent. Place your hands on the top of your thighs and slide them to the top of your knees, lifting your chest off the ground and using your stomach muscles. Slide your hands back down to your thighs. Do three sets of twenty each. Again, be sure to focus on a spot on the ceiling to avoid straining your neck

Prayers

Lie down on your back with your knees bent and legs apart. With your hands in a prayer position push them through your legs, lifting your chest off the ground and using your stomach muscles. Do three sets of twenty each.

Do push-ups and stomach exercises to strengthen your shoulder, back and abdominal muscles. You won’t tire as easy when you’re making love.