If you have a fitness goal but hate fitting new things into your schedule. Here are fast, easy strategies to lose fat, build muscle and raise cardio:
Burn More Fat
1) Exercise intensely for short bursts to boost your metabolic rate. The Secret Bliss’syoga flow can be done anywhere, and research on the Scientific 7-minute workout validates it’s equivalent to 2 hours in the gym.
Here’s the rationale behind safe supplements and biohacking.
2) Induce thermogenesis. Get so cold you shiver for at least 5 minutes, and your body will burn calories to generate heat. This is also a great way to wake up fully and quickly. You can eat thermogenetic foods like MCT or Cocunut oil, which you can double dip into Bulletproof coffee.
Build Muscle Faster
3) BCAAs reduce protein breakdown, increase muscle synthesis, and help trim fat.Gultamine speeds recovery. Building more muscle faster will raise your basal metabolic rate so you burn more calories during the day, even when resting.
Increase Your Endurance
4) Open your nose with Breathe Right to get more oxygen during workouts and sleep. NFL players use these, and your performance will improve quickly.
Sleep Less While Maintaining Performance
I discovered needing 30-45 minutes less sleep each night because my sleep quality is higher with a more oxygenated brain. Converting that time into two high intensity workouts, you can achieve the net gain of more [focused] exercise and better sleep without losing a minute, all for the $0.33 each breathing strip costs.
Of course, you might want to sleep more if you aren’t used to building lots of muscle, but the BCAAs can help with the synthesis and take some work off your brain at night.
How interval training is more efficient than “cardio”:
Jin Shin Jyutsu is a 5,000-year-old Japanese healing art based around holistic healing approaches which emphasize healing the whole body as opposed to just a section. Through thorough application of this art, it is possible to heal your inner body and improve your mental health just by holding your fingers.
Such claims may sound fantastic, if not outright absurd, but research has shown that this is real. The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Centerhas discovered that cancer patients who were treated with Jin Shin Jyutsu “received statistically significant improvement” in regards to their stress, pain, and nausea. Furthermore, the Center found that those patients whose pain and nausea scores improved the most were patients who underwent this holistic therapy the longest.
This is not the only example. A case study conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research had a practitioner perform Jin Shin Jyutsu on a patient afflicted with multiple myeloma. Despite being at high risk for mucositis due to chemotherapy, the patient only had a mild case of mucositis once. He also “experienced little to no significant nausea throughout hospitalization,” with his only case of nausea occurring when the practitioner was unavailable.
Jin Shin Jyutsu works because all of our body parts are connected to one another. When one part of your body falls ill, this hurts the entire body and not just the afflicted part. At the same time, our hands are actually connected to emotions and organs. By holding them, we can improve our energy flow to vital areas and help our physical and mental health.
As Soul Spotobserves, perhaps this is why babies suck their thumbs, or perhaps why we flip our middle fingers in anger.
Each of the five fingers, as well as the palm, correlate to different organs and emotions. Read on to learn how holding your fingers for just three to five minutes can improve your health.
1. The thumb
Holding the thumb enables us to let go of the past and helps us relieve our stress and worries. We can calm down, improve our self-esteem, and ensure that our sleep is restful. It can also improve our energy.
The thumb is connected to our spleen and stomach. As a result, the thumb ensures that our red and white bloods cells are high and that our stomach digests food faster.
2. The index finger
While the thumb calms us down, the index finger gives us the vitality and will to conquer our fears and strive for a better tomorrow. By improving our will, we now have the inner strength to fight our weaknesses as well as our addictions, so that we can strive for perfection.
The index finger is connected to our kidney and bladder, which helps prevent kidney stones from forming and balances our water and body chemistry.
3. The middle finger
As noted above, the middle finger is about anger, but anger is also a physical state. If you’re stressed out and furious about paying back loans or other money-related issues, you are more likely to have headaches, as your blood circulates to your head. This also means that you have less blood for the rest of your body, worsening your response to injuries and making you tired.
By releasing the energies in your middle finger, you can undo those effects. Furthermore, the middle finger is connected to our liver and gall bladder. By improving those organs, you can ensure that your energy flow is strong enough to keep you energetic.
4. The ring finger
In some ways, the ring finger is similar to your thumb. It is associated with sadness and negative attitudes which sap your energy.
But the index finger is also connected to the lungs, and ensures that you will breathe deeper and easier. As a result, releasing the energies in your ring finger will also improve your muscles and nervous system. With less stress and more energy, you can change your lifestyle for the better.
5. The little finger
The little finger concerns itself with your heart, and thus with your blood. And since a proper blood flow is necessary to keep your other organs working, it is in some ways the most important finger of all.
Improving blood flow improves your brain, which thus improves your ability to think and concentrate on important matters.
6. The palm
Stress is not just bad because it hurts us, but because it can damage our relationships with our loved ones. Releasing the energies in your palm will help you connect better with those important people in your life, grant you positive thinking, and will ensure your life becomes more orderly.
The palm is connected with the diaphragm and umbilicus.
If you have the time and energy, then you should try holding all your fingers, one at a time, to improve your health as a whole. Fortunately, the ancient art of Jin Shin Jyutsu was designed so that anyone could quickly and easily improve their body’s total physical and mental health.
Warming up your muscles is one of the most important aspects of any workout. A successful warm-up routine prepares you both physically and mentally for what is about to come.
Why Warm Up?
Warm-Ups are good for Your Heart
In one study, 44 men ran on a treadmill for 10-15 seconds without a warm up. 70% of those men showed abnormal EEG (heart monitor) changes caused by low blood supply to the heart.
The next week, the people with abnormal readings performed a 2-minute warm up before performing the same test mentioned above. After the second test, nearly everyone improved.
Warming up protects your heart by letting it gradually ramp up to higher gear.
Without warm-ups, the shock and strain you place on your cardio system can cause minor damage if done repeatedly over the long term.
In other words, don’t skip your warmups!
Warm-ups Increase Muscle Elasticity
Muscle elasticity is an important concept in the process of warming up. Muscle elasticity means that muscles have the ability to both stretch and contract.
A study on the role of warm-ups in muscular injury prevention found that “a greater force and increase in length are needed to tear isometrically preconditioned (warmed) muscle.” The study also found that muscles that were not warmed up appeared “more inelastic at each increase in length.”
Muscles with greater elasticity are muscles that perform better and are less likely to get injured.
This is important for any type of exercise, but especially important for things likeHIIT.
What’s in a good Warm-Up?
A warm-up should be quick, simple, and relatively easy. There’s no need to completely tax yourself before a workout or run. Mark’s Daily Apple has a great article on keeping warming up simple.
Aim to practice Dynamic stretching, where you go into a stretch position, push slightly and gently where there’s tension, hold for 2-3 seconds, release the stretch, and then repeating 5-10 times.
A dynamic warm-up incorporates aspects of dynamic stretching, but the two are not the same.
Goals of a good Warm-Up
Before we get into the details, let’s talk about how a proper warm-up should feel. This way, you’ll be able to listen to your body and know when it is ready for exercise.
Your body should feel warm.
If you are shivering or still haven’t broken a slight sweat from your warm-up, then your body is not ready for exercise. It’s called a “warm-up” for a reason.
Your muscles and joints should feel flexible.
You’re not going to be more flexible than you ever have before, but you should feel as if your muscles and joints are able to move through a full range-of-motion with no cracks, pops, sticking points, or feelings of tightness.
Your mind should feel mentally ready for the workout.
During your warm-up, aim to focus your mind on the task at hand. By the time it’s completed, you should be mentally focused.
Great exercise with strong intensity is best (and most safely) performed free of distraction. Take this as down time from your busy life to be in the moment and enjoy using your body.
You have the whole rest of the day to think about your job and everything else going on in life; use your warmup as a special transition and the start of a nice break. Besides having a higher quality workout, you’ll return to the day refreshed and relaxed.
Along with high intensity exercise, this practice is a great way to reduce anxiety.
Sample Warm-Ups:
Mix, match and combine these to your heart’s content! Try to limber up your whole body if you’re about to do something intense for more than 30 minutes.
-Use a Foam roller or tennis ball to apply rhythmic, gentle pressure to your muscles and ligaments.
This is a great way to flush your muscles with blood and massage out cramps. Start with a minimal amount of pressure, and increase gradually; your experience with the foam roller should be light and fluid, not hard and painful.
Rolling is great for overall back health, too. While a tennis ball can work fine, the $18 investment of a foam roller is definitely worth it!
-2-3 minutes of jumping jacks or jumping rope.
The goal here is to get your joints moving and heart pumping. This is the “warm” part of the warm-up.
-30 toy soldiers (15 each leg)
Focus on the movement, not the amount of reps. You should feel your muscles stretching at the top of the movement.
General movements to warm up the joints
-20 small arm circles
Make sure that 10 are clockwise and the other 10 are counter clockwise.
-20 large arm circles
Don’t forget: 10 clockwise, 10 counter clockwise. Move through these slowly if you feel any resistance in your shoulders.
Stronger warmups to really get the blood flowing!
-10-20 pushups
Adjust the amount of reps as necessary and focus on engaging the core while pushing with the chest.
-20 lunges (10 each leg)
Focus on getting deep into the lunge. Feel the stretch in your hip flexors while working the quads.
If you haven’t done your 8fit workout yet, try the above routine and get started now!
A few things to remember
Your warm-up should get you ready for exercise, it shouldn’t be too taxing.
Listen to your body. If you’re not physically warm and your movement doesn’t feel fluid and relaxed, it’s best to spend more time warming up.
If you are lifting weights or doing any other type of strength exercise, remember to start with a warm-up set of every exercise.
If you stretch before exercising, do it after warming-up. This is easier on your joints than stretching cold.
It’s no secret that men and women are vastly different creatures; ask anyone. We generally think of this in terms of personality and preferences. However, they also differ in the ways they should approach training for fitness.
Different Fitness Goals
It is impossible to make complete judgments based on generalizations about twodifferent sexes. However, in order to begin this discussion, we must make room for some common generalizations.
Often, men train for strength or size. Women, on the other hand, are not generally concerned with how big their muscles are, and many are not as generally interested in strength to a high degree.
Men go to the gym to lift big weights and feel strong, while women go to the gym to maintain their figure and “feel the burn.”
Physiological Differences and Exercise
Generally, men have larger frames and higher testosterone levels than women do.
This means that men will generally be leaner and stronger than women. In addition, men have stronger bones than women.
The larger frame of men means that they have relatively bigger hearts and lungs. This helps a lot with cardiovascular exercise.
Estrogen causes women’s bodies to hold more fat than men.
The biological purpose of this is to enable women’s bodies to be more capable of child-bearing. However, this becomes an issue for women when they try to lose weight.
Women are often more flexible than men. Their longer, more elastic muscles enable them to outperform men in flexibility tasks.
Women also recover more quickly than men after a bout of exercise.
When men gain strength and size, their bodies often develop more fast twitch muscle fibers than slow-twitch muscle fibers. When women gain strength and size, their bodies develop fast and slow twitch muscle fibers almost equally.
Women’s bodies prefer to use fat as energy, while men’s bodies generally use a high level of carbs, combined with protein and fat.
Training Differences
Women tend to be more quad-dominant than their male counterparts. This means that during squats or similar activities, they are more susceptible to valgus knee movement, which can result in injury.
To combat this, it’s important that women focus on developing posterior chainstrength through their hamstrings and glutes.
Men tend to be less flexible than women. This prohibits them from achieving proper form and body position during complex movements.
Men can take a note from women and either hit the yoga mat, or spend more time stretching to increase the elasticity and range-of-motion of their muscles to prevent injury.
For women who desire to develop their fast-twitch muscle fibers, it’s important to include activities that incorporate explosive movements like sprints, plyometrics, or perform other movements explosively.
Due to women’s smaller and generally weaker bone structure, it’s important that they add weight training to their exercise regimen. Weight training increases bone density.
Psychological Differences
Many women are afraid that by lifting weights they will become “too bulky.”
While they may gain muscle and even lose body fat, most women do not have sufficient testosterone levels to attain a level of muscle mass similar to a man. Generally, getting “too bulky” from weight training is not going to happen.
Men are often afraid that by spending too much time doing yoga or stretching that they will lose strength or be perceived as feminine.
While static stretching at the wrong time can lead to a decrease in strength, incorporating a proper warm-up and stretching routine will decrease chances of injury and maybe even cause the men to meet a few ladies in yoga class.
Nutritional Considerations for Men and Women
Due to their lower bone density, it’s important that women eat foods that are high in calcium: milk, yogurt, cheese, kale, and calcium-fortified orange juice are all examples.
Many women seem to fear fat and do not eat enough protein.
Being that their bodies metabolize fat better than carbs, upping dietary levels of fat and protein while lowering dietary levels of carbs may result in better performance and a more desirable physique for women.
This can be done by increasing consumption of meats like salmon or other fish, grass-fed beef, chicken, and turkey. Adding nuts and eggs can add beneficial fats to any diet as well.
Protein powder may be a good addition for those who struggle to get enough protein in through regular diet.
The opposite is true for men. They revel in fat and protein, but unlike women, do not eat enough fruits or vegetables.
Men can increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables easily by juicing or simply adding a fruit or vegetable to every meal.
Exercise is good for you. Everyone knows that. But all too often, our thoughts on exercise focus on the gym. This is a problem. People who cannot afford the cost or find the time for a gym membership get discouraged, stop exercising, and watch their health decline.
You can exercise anywhere
But exercise is not complicated. Even the simple act of running for a few minutes per day can go a long way towards improving your physical and mental health. If you have worked out regularly in the past, you should know this. Yes, you feel exhausted at the end. But as your heart beats, your muscles ache, and your lungs heave, you feel alive in a way which you have not in some time.
Here are some of the benefits which even a short run or walk can get your body over time. And if you do not exercise enough, here are key tips to make sure that you do exercise enough for a healthier, better you.
Even a short run can do a lot
According to the Huffington Post, researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found that running for just 50 minutes each week “can protect the body from risk for stroke, arthritis, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and even some cancers.”
And these are just a few benefits which researchers have found with going on a short run. Running also builds up your muscles and bones. This ensures that they will be denser in old age, hold up better, and prevent osteoarthritis. Running can also ensure that you sleep more soundly at night, improve your memory and metabolism, and ward off stress.
Perhaps most importantly of all, researchers found that running 60 minutes a week adds an average of 3 years to your life. In a society where plenty of people do not exercise at all, even a short run can place you well above average on the health spectrum.
How to get up and start running
But running is hard, especially outdoors. It is almost always either too hot, too cold, or too wet, and something goes wrong whenever you actually decide to run.
However, it can be done. It should first be noted that if you are not confident you are fit enough to run, even regular walking can improve your health in largely the same ways which regular running can. If you have not worked out in a long time, then the first thing which you should do is to start walking regularly.
After all, the most difficult part about running really is not the run itself. It is about having the concentration and will necessary to get out there and run on a regular time for a regular length. Establishing a routine is hard, but it is super important that it is done.
But while running should be a routine, it should not be a chore. And we all know that society makes us feel like grabbing a hoverboard for even short distances is normal. There are other, less technological ways of making running fun.
Check out what’s around you on the run
For example, lose the MP3 or iPod when you go running, and actually take a real look at the world around you. Watch other runners going by, or whatever interesting sights on the road. This can be even better if you are exercising in an area with a lot of nature.
Push yourself to be faster
Another method is to race and constantly push yourself to complete a certain stretch within a faster and faster period of time. This was a method I like to use when I go running. By continually pushing yourself to be faster, you can gain a real sense of accomplishment. Such a method does take time, as there will be long stretches when you do not get any faster at all and your body just continues to hurt. But as long as you keep at it and know how much better you’re feeling, it will work out for you over the long run.
Smile and keep running!
With our light frame and ability to lose heat by sweating, human beings evolved to be able to run for long stretches of time. Out in the African Serengeti, there are still native tribes which hunt prey by simply chasing the animal and forcing it to collapse from heat exhaustion.
We may not run as much as those men today, but even short runs and walks can have plenty of health benefits over the long term. As long as you make it fun and keep up a routine, you can soon find yourselves feeling better both in body and mind.
Are you a busy individual who wants to live healthier and look better? If so, ditch the lousy excuses and start a walking program immediately! Walking isn’t just for getting around – it can also be a highly effective way to keep you in good shape! Here are some excellent reasons why you should walk, NOT run, for weight loss and better health.
Walking is the Better Choice
Inactivity leads to obesity and poor health. Get up and walk around your neighborhood, church parking lot, school track, shopping mall, or favorite walking path. Simply stand up and put one foot in front of the other. Routine, vigorous walking can eventually create a substantial improvement in your quality of life. Here’s a list of key benefits of walking:
You do not need to join a gym.
No special equipment is needed.
Gives you more energy and vigor.
Lowers your blood pressure.
Improves your mood and self-esteem.
Helps reduce anxiety and depression.
Wards off Type 2 diabetes.
Protects against falling and bone fractures.
Reduces the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
Helps you sleep better and have a positive outlook.
Provides relief from joint swelling and pain from arthritis.
Supports strong bones, lean muscle tissue, and joint health.
Minimizes stress and thereby decreases the risk of heart disease.
Decreases your bad cholesterol – low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
Raises your good cholesterol – high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
Burns calories for weight loss and weight management.
Lowers the risk malignant tumors such as breast cancer and colon cancer.
Why You Should WALK and NOT Run
Thomas Jefferson declared walking to be the best exercise. Research in the American Heart Association’s Journal of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology compared data from two studies and observed that for the same amount of energy expended, walkers received greater weight loss and health benefits than runners. Walking reduced the risk of heart disease by 9.3%, while running reduced it by 4.5%. Walking had a more potent effect on heart disease risk factors from a caloric perspective.
Here are some benefits of walking over running:
Walking results in fewer injuries than running.
Walkers can usually walk in whatever apparel they are wearing with a quick change into a pair of comfortable shoes.
Walkers impact the ground at 1.5 times their body weight with each step; runners impact the ground at 3 times their body weight.
Walking works your bones and muscles against gravity, inhibiting bone loss and prolonged maladies.
Walking stimulates your brain and enhances your attention and working memory, particularly if you do a nature walk.
Walkers perspire and sweat less than runners do, making it possible for them to exercise without requiring a shower immediately after.
Walkers, unlike runners, can decrease their pace to enjoy their surroundings, check out an unusual sight, or grab a snack from a shop or fruit tree.
Walking is enjoyable at all ages; high-impact exercise is typically more challenging in later years.
Start Walking for Better Health
Set up your walking program to get approximately 30 minutes of brisk walking on most, if not all, days of the week. For maximum effectiveness, set a goal to walk at a moderate pace (3 to 6 miles per hour) for two miles on 5 or 6 days of the week. These recommendations will help you start your walking routine and sustain it with minimal aches and discomforts.
Select walking shoes that support your arch and slightly elevate your heel with thick soles that can absorb shock.
Should you decide to purchase exercise gear, choose moisture-wicking fabrics that draw sweat and perspiration off of the skin.
Choose apparel that prevents inner-thigh rubbing.
Set walking goals and establish milestones for rewards; monitor your progress with a walking journal.
Walk almost anywhere and at any time. If you’re having inclement weather, walk somewhere indoors such as a mall.
In lieu of stretching cold muscles, warm up by walking slowly for five minutes, and then begin your brisk walking. Slow down your last five minutes in order to cool down. Be sure to do gentle stretches after your cool down.
Start slowly and gradually increase your steps to avoid sore muscles and joints. Begin to walk farther and for longer periods of time as you develop strength and endurance.
Start out by walking 5 or 10 minutes a day, working up to at least 30 minutes for all-inclusive cardiovascular benefits. Feel free to divide your 30 minute walk into shorter sessions if you need to.
If you already do 30 minutes of moderate, physical activity each day, start doing more. Extend your workout time by using the stairs instead of the elevator; get off the bus a few stops early; park your car at the farthest end of the parking lot.
Do a strength building exercise routine at least twice a week. Consider using light hand weights to help build your upper body.
Infuse power walking into your program; utilize it as your main workout activity, or use it along with another sequence to mix things up a bit.
Make walking fun; bring a friend or pet along with you and choose a safe location that you enjoy.
Join a walking club. Recruit teammates or family members for an after-dinner walk – be certain they are able to walk at your pace and distance.
Stay cool and drink plenty of water; wear sunscreen when appropriate.
Keep in mind that a brisk walk is a great low-impact workout technique to obtain and sustain great health. It’s an easy, inexpensive way to exercise, and it’s a smart way to keep your weight under control. Scientific studies continue to prove that walking is more beneficial to the body overall than running.
Disclaimer: The text and links to content furnished herein are produced for informational purposes only. They’re not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reliance upon any information provided in this article is at your own discretion.
While most people that you mention your intermittent fasting schedule to will either call you crazy or say that “they could never do that,” the practice is relatively easy and has lifelong benefits. Why would anyone want to deprive themselves of food for hours or days at a time? Widely debated studies have existed on the medical implications of controlled fasting for some time. However, there are a number of great benefits to intermittent fasting.
1. You’ll have better cognitive abilities
Despite what Snickers would have you believe in their “Why wait?” campaign, being hungry during the day can help you think more clearly and keep your mind sharp.
2. You’ll get more of your day back
Think about it: if you start your fast at 12:00 am when you go to sleep and don’t eat again until 4:00 pm, that’s 2-3 meals you aren’t having to prepare and cook or go and pick up. When you stop thinking about food, you’ll realize how much of your time you actually spend worrying about where the next meal will come from, your grocery list, and who you’re going to lunch with.
3. It’s closer to how our cavemen ancestors ate.
Our hunter-gatherer ancestors hunted and foraged for food all day and then prepared it and ate after sunset. Have you ever seen an overweight caveman?
4. You’ll have a longer life
Simply put: your lifespan is directly related to what you eat, or in this case, what you don’t. While still being studied, some early clinicals suggest you’lllive longer.
5. It helps prevent disease
Two of the biggest killers today in America are directly food-related: heart disease and diabetes. With a scheduled eating regimen, you’ll be significantly reducing your risk factors for both.
6. You’ll have more energy
Assuming you are still getting your recommended caloric intake for the day, your body will expend less energy digesting and leave you with more energy to get all the things done in your day.
7. You’ll lose weight
With intermittent fasting, you are basically telling your body to stop burning sugars that you intake during the day and directing it towardsburning fat.
The program itself is fairly straightforward and simple: you have a fasting window in which you don’t eat and an eating window in which you can eat what you want. There are many variations of this, so you’ll want to find your own rhythm, but probably the easiest is to stop eating an hour or so before you go to bed and start a 16-hour clock for your fasting window. This schedule is nice because you’ll spend a large portion of your fast sleeping. Let’s say you go to bed at 12:00 am. In that case, you will fast until 5:00 pm and then eat until 11:00 pm. Pretty easy.
Tips to help you stick to your plan:
1. Stay hydrated
Not only is water excellent for every faucet of health, it also helps you maintain a feeling of being full, which will stave off cravings.
2. Exercise right before you eat
This way, you’ll be able to resupply all those hungry muscles right after you finish your workout.
3. Set goals for yourself and measure your progress
If you don’t know where you’re going and consider your progress every now and again, how will you recognize the benefits?
4. Pack some emergency snacks the first few days
While there is evidence eluding to the fact that intermittent fasting can help regulate your insulin levels, the first few days may be a little tough — it’s okay to grab a granola bar or piece of fruit if you start feeling faint.
5. Stick to your plan
It takes a few weeks to break or change a cycle, and the first few days will be toughest. New fasters typically describe day 3 as “the wall,” in which you may be driven to drop your guard — stick with it. You’ll soon be reaping the benefits and be glad that you made such a positive lifestyle decision.
6. Stay busy
If you’re active and engaged in work or play, you’ll seldom have time to ponder on your hunger status.
