1. Incremental increase in bone mineral density:

Bones are a part of the human body which undergo excessive wear and tear. However, bone tissues rebuild simultaneously. The breaking and making up of bone tissues is greatest when one reaches puberty. As we get older our bone mineral density starts to diminish, and this is especially true for women because of their cycles. One way to get around this is to be as physically active as possible. By being active and moving you can help minimize the effect of reducing bone minerals as you age. Resistance training is one of the physical activities that can be adopted to cure the problem.

2. Increase in strength:

Your strength will gradually increase as you get used to doing resistance training. This is not a ‘get muscles overnight’ type of process. But you will see results, and they will last for a very long time. It’s like working with a flywheel: it takes a bit to get it going, but once it is going you just need to push it once in a while to keep it going.

3. Increase in physical activities:

As your body becomes familiar with the weights you are using during your training, you will find it easier and easier to life those weights. Then over time you can add small amounts of weight and it will become easier for you to continue making progress. Just remember not to overdo it. Take it in incremental steps, because if you injure yourself along the way you will lose the time it takes to recover, and you will lose the momentum you had going for you.

4. Reduction in body fat:

By working your muscles with weights you put your body in a state where it must respond to the weights. You are actually tearing down the muscle, and your rest days allow for it to be built up stronger. Also you are helping your body get rid of fat. You will soon notice an improvement in your body tone as well.

5. Enhancing the health of senior citizens:

Osteoporosis and fractures are pretty common as one matures. So it’s best to start this work while you’re still young. That way as you get older you will be in better shape to handle what life throws at you. But if you’re a senior already, don’t let that stop you. Studies have shown that resistance training is good for every age group.

6. Improvement in your heart health:

This training has proven itself to be one of the most effective ways in lowering blood pressure. It is also very effective in reducing your risk of getting heart diseases.

Resistance training is an excellent form of exercise which will provide numerous benefits and value to you and your overall health. It should be incorporated into your regular workout schedule since it is so valuable on so many levels. You can hire a trainer to help you get started with proper form and technique.

There is no mountain high enough that cannot be conquered, as quoted by Tom Turner, Spina Bifida Association’s executive liaison. All one needs is the right kind of perspective. Tom is a man of great strengths. He knows what courage is. At the age of 35 he trains three times per week, despite his congenital paralysis from waist down.

There are 3 basic principle goals when aiming for fitness, according to Tom:

Principle 1: Face what You Fear & Don’t Back Down

You have to believe in yourself and the fact that you can overcome anything if you try hard enough. Face your fears head on. This first rule recommends identifying your discomfort zones.

What about your level of fitness? Are you in or out of shape? If you’re out of shape do you have the courage to accept it? Is it an injury that is holding you back? Or is it something else? You need to get your fears in check and learn to face them. Visualize yourself as you would like to be.

Your body is yours, and it’s the only one you have or will get. Learn how to love it by listening to it and trusting it.

Principle 2: Move On Instinct

Trust that your instinct, whatever it is telling you, is correct. It is the small voice that comes from inside you, which should never be ignored. Do not look to others for input or guidance. Look for signs from within your being, and trust that it will tell you what to or what not to do.

The first step to overcoming a challenge is to know and recognize your boundaries. What can or can’t you do? As with Tom, he never let a wheelchair stop him from doing whatever he wanted to. Instead, he recognized his limitation and overcame it. Know your restrictions and that way you will know how to overcome them.

Principle 3: Don’t Let Fear Take the Joy Out of Life

One has to have the courage to face ones fears. As Tom mentioned, he has been through 19 operations in his lifetime and has realized that the most primal fear of any living creature is death. You can either choose to let that fear of dying one day hold you down, or you can live the time you have here happily and productively. The choice is always yours; just make sure you select the right one.

If you allow it, fear will take away the joys of life. Hold a positive attitude and look forward to what tomorrow will bring. Face your fears and live to be free of them.

In Conclusion:

• Live outside the box
• Don’t limit yourself
• Do not – under any circumstances – underestimate yourself.

When you have achieved one success, find another hurdle to jump. Make your life fun to live. Take time off to decide what you will do next.  Find your zest in life to make it worth living and add the flavor of enjoyment to it.

So if you are someone who has good intentions about drinking more water, but doesn’t quite reach them, here are some quick and easy ways to drink more water:

1. Use “Green” Water Bottles: Plastic water bottles are a huge problem due to the manufacturing process, shipping and the type of plastic they are made from. I just watched a YouTube video showing an island in the Pacific twice the size of Texas made up exclusively of plastic trash. The sad thing is that the island is growing. Instead of using plastic bottles, buy several metal water bottles, and keep them filled and waiting for you in your fridge. You will help yourself and the environment at the same time.

2. Always Have Water Ready and Available: Have a glass pitcher of cold water waiting in your fridge. Get used to carrying water to work from home. Get some type of water purifier and make your own water to take with you.

3. If I’m getting ready to run errands, I’ll bring one of my thermos bottles with me. While I watch TV or movies at home, I hold my thermos in my hand. I will keep it open, and sip constantly until it is empty. If water is easily accessible, then you will find yourself drinking more of it.

4. Keep Your Water Cold: If your water is cold and refreshing, you are likely to drink more of it. Make sure ice is always ready in your freezer. Another plus to drinking cold water is that it takes more calories to heat the water up to body temperature to process it.

5. Drink Water When Dining Out: Ask for water with a slice of lemon when you are eating out. It takes 30+ glasses of water to neutralize one glass of soda due to the high sugar content. And yes the cravings for pop will cease after a time.

Keep looking for ways to increase your water intake. Your body and the planet will thank you.

When someone starts weight training they may find that they are gaining weight. While this may come as a surprise to them it is not something to be concerned with. The main reason this is a good thing is because for every pound of muscle you build you increase your resting metabolic rate by about 2 percent. The bottom line here is that you end up burning more calories. We would all be better off thinking about gaining muscle instead of focusing on losing weight.

When you think about it, just a simple change in perspective can have a profound impact on the end result. Give this a try for yourself and see how it will work. It may seem minor and trivial, but often the little things can make a huge difference.

Now that you have changed your mental game, take a look at what you are doing with your body. The best way to build muscle is to do strength training, or weight lifting. If you mix up your exercise regime you won’t have to worry about bulking up. Some people have the concern that if they lift weights they will look like a wrestler or a body builder. That’s not true.

The main thing to keep in mind is that if you focus on repetitions (or reps), and not on hugely increasing the number of pounds you lift you will not build mass. Women can keep this in mind: use smaller weights, increase the repetitions and build strong muscles.

Decide what your end result will be, make a plan for yourself and begin your weight training. Plan a routine where you alternate weights every other day with some cardio, or some other type of aerobic exercise. Remember that when you start out you will achieve some fairly quick results, which will plateau over time.

Once your body gets used to the repetitions, the results will come slower. This is when you can increase the amount of the weights or try a new strength training routine. It is important to know this going in so you don’t lose your motivation by thinking that your efforts are not working, even if hitting the plateau is true for all types of exercises.

Go, get moving and start pumping for your great health.

The end result the next morning is someone who may literally fall asleep on the job, or even more frighteningly, behind the wheel of their car. Lack of restful sleep also results in excess stress on the body and at home.

Here are 7 tips that may help you achieve that deep, restful night’s sleep you desire:

1. Bedroom Temperature: A cooler bedroom leads to better sleep. The actual temperature depends on the season of the year and your location, but 65* is a good rule of thumb. Science has shown that your body is better able to relax at those temps.
2. Reduce or Eliminate Caffeine: Not only is caffeine not metabolized quickly or efficiently enough in the PM hours, it seems that its effects last longer than people expect. The outcome is predictable: restless sleep. Make it a habit to not consume caffeine after 6:00PM.
3. Skip Alcohol Entirely: Alcoholic beverages keep your body from reaching the deeper, restful sleep stages where your body rejuvenates itself, regardless of when you drank. Alcohol causes light sleep or an inability to fall asleep.
4. Use Beds Only For Sleeping: Watching TV, reading or even working in bed will make it more difficult to relax. Deep, healing sleep necessitates that your brain and body unwind slowly. Too much light and noise will keep your mind and body on alert, which will cause sleeping problems.
5. Go To Bed At A Regular Time: Setting and sticking to a regular bedtime will get your body ready for sleep much easier. Use the half hour before bedtime to wind down by drinking chamomile tea and reading something calming.
6. Turn The Alarm Clock Around: Having a view of your clock can create anxiety about needing to sleep, but not being able to – again! This anxiety can make your sleeplessness even worse. Move the alarm clock into your closet or the hallway to improve your night’s sleep.
7. Darken Your Bedroom: Make sure that the windows are covered with room darkening shades or curtains. Turn all the lights off, even night lights. If you need a night light, put it in your bathroom or down the hallway.

Try one suggestion, or try them all. Just know that a good night’s sleep is an absolute necessity, and you deserve that.  Here’s to you being alert and well rested tomorrow!

So having set the stage for taking charge of your own health it should be easy to see how natural alternative approaches are in line with keeping healthy. One example of this is herbs. Herbs have been used for centuries in medicines and for medical treatments in various parts of the world. Some cultures have a deep respect for the healing properties they posses. Their benefits have been proven to work in numerous ways. While herbs are relatively inexpensive as compared with prescription drugs, it has not been popular to go through the process of getting them approved by federal agencies. Since they are basically viewed as weeds there really doesn’t seem to be much that needs to be done to validate the claims made about them.

So a couple of basic things to consider:

• Herbal medicine is one of, if not the oldest forms of health care,
• Herbs do not have any of the side effects of chemical drugs, (some of them are downright scary to read),
• Users of herbs swear by their results and would not imagine using chemicals,
• According to some studies more people use herbs globally than drugs,
• It is also important to keep in mind that not all herbs are created equal, some herbs have been known to cause injury to the body, so it is important to check with someone experienced in their use

A disclaimer right here – before you switch from your prescription drug usage always check with your doctor. Depending on your doctor he/she may or may not support what you would like to do. And in some cases the herbs may conflict with the drugs.

So while not everyone is on the herb bandwagon it is something that could be considered as an alternative to conventional medicine. There are more and more people who would much rather use herbs and other natural remedies for their medical conditions. This is because:

• They believe in the healing power of herbs,
• There are no side effects to deal with, and
• Herbs are less expensive.

These are some of the things to keep in mind when you look for a solution for any type of ailment you may have.

Why is it that body shapes vary?

When we’re born, our genes are the primary deciding factor in how we will look. Hormones that affect growth patterns are also important. But the most important determinants in why we weigh what we do is the quality of the food we eat, and our metabolic rate. Our age, gender, muscle mass and amount of daily exercise determine our metabolic rate.

When comparing males to females it is true that males have a higher metabolic rate. Part of the reason for that is testosterone. Testosterone is very much responsible for growing of muscles. And males are naturally born with more muscles than females. Muscles are heavier and raise the metabolic rate, so males generally have a higher metabolism than females.

Typically the younger you are the higher your metabolic rate is. Infants and children have a higher metabolism than do adults. As one gets older they tend to have more active growth hormones.

When do females increase their metabolic rates?

The metabolic rate for women does go up during pregnancy, and even more so if they are breast feeding.

Then interestingly their metabolic rates go way down during menopause. For women to maintain a good metabolism as they get older daily exercise is highly recommended. The best exercise would be strength training, since it increases both the muscle mass and the metabolic rate simultaneously.

What is the best time for exercising, early, middle of the day or evening?

Research studies have not shown any difference on when during the day one exercises. The most important thing to do is exercise on a regular basis 4-6 times weekly, and switch the workouts around. Do one or two different aerobic exercises for 6-8 weeks, then try two new ones. You should keep doing the strength training throughout. In the end exercising is what is important, so find something you love and you will be more likely to stick with it.

You should now have a better idea how your metabolism affects your body weight, regardless of your size. Hopefully you are inspired to take steps necessary to create the metabolism you need to get you to your ideal weight.

Many people think of going to a gym or fitness center,

• Others think of jogging or swimming,
• Some think of calisthenics,
• Yet others think of a regime of weight training,
• Some think of a fun time with friends playing basketball, tennis, or another sport,
• Still others think about pain and waste of time.

So what comes to your mind when you hear the word exercise?

Bottom line is exercise helps us stay healthy. It does not really matter what we call it, what does matter is that we get our body moving and use our muscles. There are many ways of getting exercise on a daily basis that many people may not consider:

• Cleaning the house,
• Walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator,
• Taking the dog for a nice long walk instead of hoping he runs around the yard,
• Going to see your co-worker 10 feet away instead of sending her an instant message,
• Now that you’re inspired, I am sure you can come up with a bunch more yourself.

Exercise plays an integral role in our health. If we let our body go, it will not be there when we need it. Muscles that are not used will atrophy and become essentially useless if not used over time. Our metabolism will slow down and we won’t be as energetic and perky as we could be. Our immune system will start dragging and we will become more susceptible to diseases and illnesses. We just flat out won’t have the energy we used to.

These days many of us sit behind computers, we call for delivery of our food, get into the car, drive to work, sit behind a desk, go to a restaurant for our meals (where we end up sitting), go home to watch TV, then go to bed. Sound familiar to you? If it does, change it. This is not living healthy. In doing all that there should be time set aside for exercise.

Ideally everyone should set aside time for taking care of their body. An exercise program would be ideal. It should be something that you do on a regular basis and something that you enjoy, which will be different for everyone. And most importantly, it should become a habit and something we will do for the rest of our lives.

As with everything we should have a balanced regime. A balanced exercise routine includes flexibility, cardio, and strength training. Strength or resistance training is pretty straightforward – usually involving some type of weight lifting. Cardio is something that helps increase your heart rate for a period of time like running, biking, walking, or dancing. And then for flexibility, you could try yoga or stretching.

Now that you have come up with a plan, the next step is execution. Decide to do it, and then take action. It is as simple as that.

Not everyone is motivated, so you need to come up with the reasons you want to exercise because of what it will accomplish for you. Where will you be five years from now, if you exercised or if you didn’t?  Visualize yourself in 5 years and see what you’ll look like, how much you’ll weigh, what size clothing you’ll fit into. Ask yourself these and other related questions, and when you are thinking about not exercising today, go back to your goals and let them motivate you to just simply DO IT.

Having strong muscles is one great way to get a revved up metabolism. While there really aren’t any secrets to building muscles there are some tips and tricks known by the experts to enable you to do this quickly and safely.  We are going to explore 6 of these tips right now:

1. Decide: The first thing you need to do is to make a decision specifically about what it is you want to achieve. Decide, and then find an expert to help you lay out a workout or eating plan specifically for you.
   
2. Make New Choices: Start by eating healthy and organically. Remember the old wives tale that says you are what you eat?  Well it’s as true today as it was a hundred years ago. What kind of body do you really want? Eating White Castle hamburgers will get you a White Castle body. I hope the visual is as clear as I intended.
3. What Do YOU Need? Everyone is different, and since we are all different, our bodies behave differently, we process food differently and we need to learn what our body is telling us. Spend some time with a nutritionist and learn what your individual body needs. Then construct an eating plan around you…not Arnold… or the local hunk – YOU.
4. Resistance Training: One of the keys to building muscles is weight, or resistance training. Other exercise routines are great but they are not as focused on building muscles as a weight training plan. You might as well accept that to get the body you want you will need to include some resistance training in your program. Go back to my earlier comment – don’t guess…get a trainer and work out a complete goal plan for YOU.
5. Learn How to Lift Weights Properly: Some key points to be aware of are that slower can often be better than faster. Consider how many reps you will do, how much weight you will work with, how many sets you will do, and how much you will push yourself along the way.  This is something your personal trainer can help you with. If you get too aggressive you may injure yourself and not be able to work out as you planned. This may set you back further than you thought and you will lose the drive and motivation to continue.
6. Understand proper vitamin and supplementation intake: Your nutritionist can help you with this also. Don’t go overboard and seek cortisone shots, or steroids just to get muscle definition. Do this the healthy, natural way and you will get rewards that will last a lifetime, not just a few weeks or months.

These are a few tips for you to consider during your search for information on how to build muscles and rev up your metabolism.

Are there people who are more energetic naturally? Why don’t I see the same aliveness when I workout? Do these other people have a secret that is unknown to us mere mortals?

Well, there really aren’t any secrets and yes, you can also have the get-up-n-go that they have. All you need to do is to understand how the body works. You also need to know what is required for it to work optimally. Having this understanding will give you the key so you can get either the same, or higher energy than those ‘special’ people have. You may even have folks coming up to you and asking you for your secret energy recipe.

It is really pretty simple when you get right down to it. The energy for our body comes from what we put in our mouths – the food we eat. To be more specific it comes from the nutrients in food. That process is called metabolism. The body builds new cells from these nutrients, and the body is constantly building up (anabolism) and tearing down (catabolism) tissues and cells.

The process of anabolism and catabolism occur at the same time, all day, and every day. They are different in scale depending on an individual’s activity levels, rest times and how long ago a meal was ingested. When the building of tissues surpasses the breaking down of tissue, you get net growth – as when you grow muscles through strength training. When the opposite occurs, there is a loss of tissue, and it is at that point where weight is lost.

We need to consider the following relative to how our body uses the foods we eat:

<ol>All of the acids, proteins, sugars, carbohydrates and fats that come out of the food we eat are delivered throughout our body, depending on the needs of the body at that particular time.  Some help to create more cells, some repair tissues, some synthesize proteins and some create new blood cells. </ol>

In the case of amino acids, if the supply of essential amino acids (that comes directly from the food you eat), is lacking or missing, then protein synthesis ceases. The proteins are taken apart, the amino acids return to your bloodstream and the shell of the protein gets converted to energy or stored as fat. The rest is excreted through your body’s eliminatory systems.

In spite of protein synthesis being very important to sustain life, your body’s main goal is to get enough energy to maintain its critical functions. The critical functions I am referring to are: breathing, circulation, digestion, and maintaining the body’s temperature. If the proper types and quantities of food are not ingested, you will find the body start to cannibalize proteins from your blood, pancreas, liver muscles and the other major organs to ensure the body continues to function.

Remember that it takes all three carbohydrates, protein and fat, in the proper amounts to keep your energy level optimal.

Hopefully you now know more of what actually transpires in your body after eating. You know how your body utilizes food to produce that endless energy we are so envious of. It is as simple as the putting the right food into our body. No secrets here!