People often complain that exercise is dull and boring, but that’s because they don’t realize that there are actually a variety of workout routines they can try for increasing their fitness and burning calories at the same time. One very effective form of exercise, that also keeps thing interesting, is plyometric training.

So what exactly is plyometrics? In simple terms, plyometrics are exercises that involve quick, explosive, and powerful movements. Plyometric exercises usually involve a lot of jumping and joint activity, so they are categorized as high-impact. They are popular among athletes especially since they increase an athlete’s strength and speed in a more vigorous way.

This begs that question, why aren’t plyometric exercises popular among the general public? That’s probably because in order to start doing plyometric workouts, the exerciser already needs to be in pretty good shape. This means one has to have done high intensity strength and cardio workouts at least for a couple of months before they can be fit enough to seriously add plyometrics into their workout routine. Considering that many of us don’t really work out on a serious basis, it can be hard to reach the necessary fitness level required for plyometrics.

This doesn’t mean that you as an exerciser shouldn’t try to get yourself into the shape required. Plyometrics offer many benefits, just as long as the exercises are carried out correctly. Some of these benefits include higher calorie burn, stronger joints especially on the lower half of the body, increased speed and flexibility, and better overall fitness. However, as mentioned, the exercises have to be carried out with the proper technique or it could result in severe injury since it is very high impact in nature.

If you’ve been exercising for a while and want to give plyometrics a try, then there are a few things you must remember:

* First of all, it is crucial that you invest in good quality training shoes, since they will need to absorb some of the impact during the heavy workout.
* Also, a good warm up is essential before any plyometric exercise session, since joints and limbs that are not warmed up are more susceptible to injury.
* And, since you are just a beginner in plyometrics, do remember to ease into it and not push yourself too hard too soon, since plyometrics can be hard on the body.

All in all, plyometrics may not be very popular, but it’s certainly an effective high-impact exercise to increase one’s fitness. So if you are fit enough, don’t hesitate to give it a try!

Following a low carb diet does not mean that you have very limited choices when it comes to food. As a matter of fact, low-carb dieters have thousands of foods to choose from, and desserts are allowed as well! Here are some easy, low carbohydrate recipes.

Low Carb Seafood Recipe

 Seafood Au Gratin

Ingredients:

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 lb. peeled fresh shrimp
• 1 lb. scallops, rinsed and thoroughly drained
• 3 T. butter
• 2 T. oat flour
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 C. chicken broth
• 3 T. chopped shallots
• 1 can button mushrooms, drained
• 1/2 C. white wine
• 1 lb. cooked crab meat
• 2 C. Provolone cheese, shredded
• 1/2 C. Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare and butter 8 small oven-proof dishes.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté scallops in olive oil, add in shrimp. Cook for about 5 minute until firm.
3.  In a separate saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour. Using a wire whisk, add in broth and yolks. Stir carefully until thickened. Add shallots and mushroom. Stir in wine. Cook for another 7 minutes.
4. Arrange seafood in prepared dishes. Pour sauce over seafood and cover with cheese.
5. Bake dishes in oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

*Serves 8 with 4 grams carbohydrates per serving

Low Carb Poultry Recipe

 Chicken Under a Brick

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, about 3 to 4 lbs., trim excess fat and pat dry with paper towel
• 1 T. chopped fresh rosemary OR 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 T. chopped garlic
• 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Procedure:

1. Cut the chicken along the backbone and split up. In a small bowl, combine rosemary, salt, chopped garlic and half the olive oil. Rub the mixture all over the chicken, tucking some of the mixture under the skin. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degree Fahrenheit. Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon oil into the pan and heat up for a minute. With skin side down, place chicken in the pan. Put in the rosemary and garlic pieces used for marinating as well.
3. With a flat pot cover, cover the chicken and weight down with bricks. The goal is to flatten the meat down by applying weight into the surface.
4. Cook over the stove with medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. Transfer, still covered and weighted, into the oven. Roast for 15 minutes. Take the skillet out and remove the weight and cover. Turn the chicken over, put it back into the oven and roast for 10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges.

*Serves 6 with 0 grams of carbohydrates per serving

Low Carb Dessert Recipe

Flourless Fudgy Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C. water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 C. Splenda sugar substitute
• 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate
• 1 C. unsalted butter
• 6 eggs

 Procedure:

1. Preheat oven at 300°F. Prepare and grease a 10-inch round baking pan.
2. In a saucepan, combine water, salt and sugar substitute. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside.
3. Melt chocolate in the microwave. You can melt it on a double boiler as well; just make sure no droplets of water come in. Pour melted chocolate into a mixer bowl.
4. Cut butter into small squares. Adding one piece at a time, beat butter into melted chocolate. Beat in water and sweetener mixture. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat until thoroughly mixed. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
5. Place the baking pan into a larger pan. Fill the larger pan halfway with boiling water.
6. Bake in water bath for 45 minutes. Cake’s center will look wet. Carefully lift the cake pan out of the water bath. Chill overnight.

Serves 10 with 4 grams of carbohydrates per serving

When it comes to home training fitness programs, Tony Horton is somewhat of a legend. The creator of the ever popular Power 90 and P90X workout programs has many other fitness ventures to his name, including the 10 Minute Trainer.

The 10 Minute Trainer is exactly what it sounds like: a workout that is designed to work in only ten minutes a day. Created for busy professionals that struggle to find the 45 to 60 minutes a day that most home training programs require, the 10 Minute Trainer condenses a multitude of efficient body workouts in to ten minute bursts.

The idea is superb – almost anyone can find ten minutes in their busy day to dedicate to working out and improving their fitness. The question is whether the execution is as good as the idea. Tony Horton can do a lot of things, but can he make you fit in only ten minutes a day?

Key Specs for 10 Minute Trainer

RRP: $89.85
Number of DVDs: 2
Body Areas: Total body workout
Instructor: Tony Horton

10 Minute Trainer: The Pros

Efficiency: It should almost go without saying, but there are very few reputable micro workout DVDs available from trusted trainers. Tony Horton brings an immediate credibility to what many would consider an impossible task.

For busy professionals and those with families, the idea of dedicating several hours a week to working out is nothing less than laughable. The 10 Minute Trainer involves a series of ten minute exercise schedules that incorporate resistance bands and what Tony calls a “Super Stacking Technique” that doesn’t focus on individual muscle groups, but rather a whole body core workout that is ten minutes of intense exercise that will have you out of breath and feeling alive! With a selection of ten minute workouts that include lower body, whole body, cardio and yoga workouts, the 10 Minute Trainer certainly packs a punch.

Variety: One of the greatest benefits of the 10 Minute Trainer is that it can be fully modified to suit your particular needs, abilities and limitations. For example, many of the yoga stretches can be used in tandem with the other workouts as part of your warm up and cool down routine.

The workouts themselves are quite intense and challenging, but Tony does demonstrate modifications you can use to ease the stress. This allows you to work your way up to 100% on all of the workouts, and for most people this will be necessary. People who need a ten minute workout schedule are not likely to be in extremely good condition, so the modifications are an important aspect.

Additional Support: The 10 Minute Trainer is not simply a set of DVD workouts. Included in the pack is a resistance band, a cardio belt, a workout calendar, workout cards and a ten minute meals guide. The resistance band and cardio belt are important, as they are crucial to the effectiveness of the ten minute exercises. Again, these may be introduced as you progress and improve.

The workout calendar is not unique – you get something similar with many workout programs – but the workout cards are a nice touch. In keeping with the theme of time constraints, the workout cards can be taken with you on your travels or during your day so that you can always do a ten minute workout, even without your DVDs to hand!

Finally, the ten minute meals guide is extremely handy. Although not a comprehensive diet plan, the guide does give the user some very helpful tips on healthy eating and easy to prepare meals that will form an important part to your fitness plan.

10 Minute Trainer: The Cons

Suitability: The 10 Minute Trainer is always going to be popular for those who do not have much experience of home fitness training, and yet many of the instructions are fast and can be difficult to understand on first viewing. The workout might only take ten minutes, but it would not be difficult to dedicate a few minutes to fully explaining the techniques and fully demonstrating the modifications available so that complete newcomers might better find their pace.

Advertisements: When you pay decent money for a home training DVD product, you don’t expect to be greeted with advertisements after many of the workouts. This is an annoying feature, and it cheapens the overall feel of the training program. Tony Horton is a big enough name that advertisements should not be needed, as the 10 Minute Trainer will sell like hot cakes on the name alone.

Is the 10 Minute Trainer Worth Buying?

There is an inherent flaw in the 10 Minute Trainer by Tony Horton. A ten minute training schedule aimed at people who do not have the time for a full training DVD program will attract a lot of attention from people who have not worked out in some time. This should mean that the DVDs should be clearly explained, and any challenging techniques or exercises fully explained. This doesn’t happen, and it’s a rather disappointing oversight. Similarly, the inclusion of such regular advertisements on the workout DVDs really takes away from the glossy finished product you would expect from a Tony Horton product.

That all being said, the 10 Minute Trainer does work. If you are willing to commit to the system you will see results. No ten minute training program will give you the same results as a fully comprehensive workout program, but for ten minutes a day, the 10 Minute Trainer is extremely impressive.

Where Can I Buy the 10 Minute Trainer?

Now you can get The 10 Minute Trainer at a deeply discounted price from Amazon.com

The Sony Walkman  NWZ-W262 MP3 player is a God send. This is a great little fitness gadget that will be able to hold up your sweaty runs and exercise.

What I love about this mp3 player is the play, forward & back buttons are exactly placed where it needs to be placed. You will not be comfortable using it, like other wireless headsets that might dislodge the ear piece while running, but this one will seat on your ear all run.

The sound quality is perfect. Out of this Mp3 player you will get a pretty good bass and you will love the music sound. It has a great fid that it actually blocks out a lot of sounds.

With this cute fitness gadget, you can drag and drop your music files just drag and drop MP3s from iTunes for Windows, Windows Media Player or Internet Explorer and enjoy. Now that’s freedom

Battery low? Get a 90 minute charge in just three minutes.. what about that? : )

Yes, with this great fitness gadget, you can enjoy great battery life and easy drag and drop functionality. I have to give big Kudos to Sony!

 In Conclusion,

The Sony Walkman NWZ-W262 are one of the best buds, this headphone and mp3 player combo eliminates tangly cords and let you exercise with free hands  Check them out here!

This is definately a belly buster shake, and it is very easy to make. It will only take 2 minutes of your time, so this will be something you can make in the morning for breakfast before going to work.

Now let’s take a look at the ingredients:

- 1 Large Mango, or 1 cup of frozen mango chunks
- 1 scoop of your favorite whey protein powder
- 1/2 cup of your favorite low fat vanilla yogurt
- 2 to 3 oz of water, depends how thick you want your shake
- 1 cup of ice or as desired

How to prepare this delicious Mango Shake?

Very easy, all you have to do is blend all the ingredients until smooth. Yup, it is as simple as that!

This protein shake recipe is full of fiber, and loaded in calcium. Why is this a belly buster shake? It is a belly buster shaske because by consuming 25 gr of fiber a day, it will help you reduce deep abdominal fat, and we all know that calcium is a natural fat burner. Mixing whey protein with dairy has been said that this is a great combination to fight fat, especially belly fat.

Now it is time for you to enjoy this delicious mango shake.. till next month, because I will keep bringing more delicious protein shakes recipes! : )

Give this week 100%.  You deserve it.

If you keep going, you will see results.  If you quit, you won’t!

What is procrastination?

It is very simple, it is putting off or delaying an action to a later time. Procrastination is one of the biggest challenge you will have to overcome.

For some reason, there is an emotional reaction when it comes the time that we have to do those things that needs to be done and we keep putting off. It is important to acknowledge that this is a big problem that can hurt us in many ways. Today was a wake up call for me, I have opened my eyes and realized that I have to do something about my procrastination. I started to see the consequences for being a big procrastinator, and I have decided to put a stop to it.

Causes of Procrastination

There are so many reasons why we procrastinate, these are just a few:

• Time Management
• Being Lazy
• Overwhelm
• Fear of Failure
• Fear of Success
• Lack of Motivation
• Lack of Discipline
• Perfectionism
• Indecision
• Lack of Focus

After taking a look a the above list, I can definitely say that my procrastination issue has a lot to do with having problems managing my time, it is very clear that I am not focusing myself on what is important, and apart from being lazy I am constantly convincing saying to myself it is not perfect I don’t feel like doing it.

I have become an expert at making todo list, an expert at using all kinds of to-do applications available out there, such as:

• rememberthemilk.com
• todo.ly
• My Outlook Task
• My Blackberry Task
• Google Task
• Ipad Reminder
• and more …

OMG, I just don’t want to keep naming them all. It is a shame. But at this point, at don’t want to keep thinking about what I have been doing to myself by procrastinating all this time, instead I am going to concentrate on different ways to eliminate my procrastination problem. I know that some of the cures are challenging to implement, but they’re effective. If I really want to tame the procrastination beast, I will need something stronger than just a quick-fix. Unfortunately, this problem will not be going away on its own. I will have to work hard to overcome procrastination, and I have already taken the initiative.

I have read so many great articles on the internet on how to stop & overcome procrastination, and I would like to share them with you:

• Steve Pavlina
• LifeHack
• Online Organizing
• LiteMind
• Pick The Brain
• About.com
• The Positivity Blog

Overcoming Procrastination:

After reading so much about this topic, I have gather a few tips which I am planning to stick to in order to stop & overcome the horrible habit of procrastination. I know it will be hard, but I am planing to start by taking baby steps.

To Avoid Becoming Overwhelmed:

I will break big project, big tasks into smaller tasks. I will start completing each smaller task one at a time. Review my to-do items and cut them as much as I can. Avoid having more items on my to-do list than I can reasonably complete.

To Avoid Laziness:

I often procrastinate because I feel too physically or emotionally drained to get things done. If I feel down or unmotivated like I sometimes tend to feel on what I call rainy days or grey days, I will disrupt this habit/pattern and I will abduct the “Just Do It” Attitude! But most importantly I will remember myself the consequences of procrastination, and I will bring the image on my mind of how good it feels to achieve that “peace of mind.”

To Avoid Lack Of Focus:

I will minimize distractions. I will start paying attention to myself when I get the urge to switch to a different task. Avoiding distracting myself by checking emails, facebook or twitter.

• Before Lunch Time: Go over my task list, so when I come back from lunch I will know exactly where I left off. Avoid eating heavy lunch. This is a must : )
• Before Leaving Work: Before leaving work each, I will make a list of the work tasks I need to accomplished the next day.

To Avoid Lack of Motivation:

Reward myself. I read something very interesting on the zenhabits blog, where Leo Babauta share the tips that works for him. He calls this tip the 30/10.

1. He first make a list of the things he can not make through the day without. For example, check emails, check facebook or twitter.
2. Then he sets a timer for 30 minutes, and work for 30 minutes straight without stopping until the timer goes off!
3. After the 30 minutes, you get to do any of the activities on your list from step No.1 That means that the next 10 minutes on the clock will be reward time.

Books on Procrastination:

The voice in your head that says that you can’t do this is a liar!