Best Core Exercises

There is not a single person who does not aspire to look fabulous, with rippling muscles and six packs, pretty much like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But, just by desiring, without actively working towards the goal, will not get you anywhere. It is precisely in this respect that core conditioning comes to the fore. Core exercises not only strengthen your body muscles, but they also toughen inner as well as the outer contours of your body. Core training schedule duly serves the purpose by improving your bulk, and by regulating, twisting, revolving and steering most of your movements. 

There are numerous muscles present in the core of the body. The abdomen, middle and bottom spinal columns, top pelvic area, and the slanted parts - all these need particular core exercises to generate the envisioned core conditioning experience. One interesting fact is that these core muscles are all in sheer proximity to one another, so, working out on one kind of a core muscle is bound to have an influence on other core muscles as well. 

The perfect core drill does not depend upon huge and costly gymnasium devices but on the physical structure, its innate prototype movements, and in what manner the muscles perform under gravitational conditions. This implies that the perfect conditioning can be executed at any point of time, and at any place. By diligently performing the exercises given below you can reap substantial results in minimum time.

Best Core Exercises & Workouts

The right core exercises should be able to offer the best workout program that yields optimum results in the minimum amount of time and with the least possibility of getting hurt.

Ab Wheel

This is really wonderful equipment with which many people have experienced their core stamina soar rapidly after using it. This can arguably be called the ultimate core exercise which strengthens our abdomen and lower spine to the ‘core’.

Deadlift

The deadlift is responsible for developing a steely spinal column as well as providing a rigorous drill to the stomach. This is a weightlifting technique where the weight is lifted directly off the ground to above the shoulders.

Front Squat

Rather than just crouching with the rod, it would be better if the rod could be held in front of the shoulders with the arms twisted. This will ravage the core, but the ache is fully worth enduring.

Sandbag Pickup

This has undergone several criticisms for its alleged maiming of the vertebrae. But you just need to be cautious enough not to rotate it, while swerving it from the floor towards your right shoulder. Then the same process is repeated for the left shoulder.

Plank

This is one drill which you must perform for a minimum of two to three minutes without fail. Even though this is a workout that is better suited for developing longevity, it is mandatory that you execute this exercise if you really desire to possess a ‘strong core’. This exercise gives a strong balance between stamina and fortitude. In this exercise a ‘plank’ is formed with the body. Lie flat on your stomach and then lift the body resting the weight on the forearms and the toes. Make sure that you keep the body straight and hold that position for a few minutes.

Lying Windmills

This is a very exciting exercise. First, lie down on your back with the hands stretched out on the side, and the limbs hoisted until they are perpendicular to the ground. Gradually, bring the legs down to one side, as low as possible, without letting the shoulder and the back leave the contact with the ground. Do this for the other side as well.

These are just a few of the most effective core exercises. They facilitate in providing a thorough drill as they focus on a particular muscle, and usually utilize the services of other similar muscles, thereby resulting in excellent inter-coordination between them.

Benefits Of Cross Training Workout

You may have a fitter body than many of your age group or friend circle, may do a record number of bench presses, and may boast of a will power that people may draw inspiration from. However, if all that muscle strength makes you think you can survive a trekking expedition, even come out victorious from it, then you need a reality check. If you are stuck to one kind of workout regimen for a long time, chances are your body is so accustomed to that routine that any little change, will show signs, even if it is only for a day or a few hours. The best way to avoid such incidents (and any more blows on your ego!) is to go for cross training workout. 

Cross Training, workouts refer to workout regimens where two or more of the different types of exercise are blended to give the body a higher level of overall fitness. Though athletes were the first ones to have used this method to decrease injuries caused due to overuse of a certain part of the body, common people are also using it, to get their body accustomed to all kinds of exercise regimen. Athletes usually club running on the beach, along with swimming to get that extra edge in work outs, since they need a very high level of overall fitness. The benefits of cross training are many and they also remove the drudgery of everyday exercising. Read on to find more about how cross training workout regimens can prove to be beneficial for you.

Cross Training Workout Benefits

Bored!

It is after all complete drudgery doing the same thing day after day. Doing a different workout regimen once in a while will add variety to an otherwise morose workout regimen. Workout is supposed to be a de-stress mechanism, not the cause of stress. If you run five kilometers every day, cycle for two hours for a change.

Flexibility

Following more than one form of exercise is an excellent way of bringing some flexibility into your daily routine. This way you’ll not be left thinking as to what to do the next time it rains, and you are not able to go for your jog. Instead, you’ll find yourself calmly doing a few rounds of Surya Namaskar in the comfort of your home. Or you’ll run up and down the stairs a few times.

Reduced Injury Risk

If you have been doing a certain form of exercise for a considerable amount of time, chances are that the part of body that is most used during that time may develop an injury, unless you change over to a different form of exercise that takes away the stress from that body part. It also lets those body parts relax while other parts of your body, which you may not have used much, will receive a workout.

Overall Conditioning

Since every part of your body will receive a workout, cross training will help you achieve a greater level of overall strength, agility, and fitness. Remember that no, one workout regimen, is perfect in itself, and will not give you overall fitness. Thus, experts recommend clubbing more than one exercise regimen for that extra edge.

Fitness Tips For Women

Are you frustrated with the increasing size of your jeans? A woman’s jeans never lies and it reveals the harsh reality of them being unhealthy. It is essential for a woman to maintain good physical fitness in order to fight back the health conditions that they might face later on in life. With the kind of responsibilities that a woman needs to take up, it is very important for her to take care of her physical health because she cannot afford to move out of responsibilities due to an unfit body. 

Physical exercise is the best way to lose body fat because exercise gears up the metabolism and encourages the body to burn down extra calories. Physical exercise also keeps the heart rate under control and makes your lungs function to their maximum capacity. Therefore, it is important to indulge in a physical workout routine for a woman to look good, stay healthy and above all feel good about herself. Here are few effective tips presented to answer questions you might have in mind.

Effective Tips For Women Fitness

Understand Your Body

Understand your body type and find out which type of exercises your body is comfortable with and which type of exercises are proving to be effective on you. If while working out you experience any difficulty, cut down on the repetitions for some time and then try once more to check whether you face the same trouble. If you want to really stay fit and toned, you need to understand the requirements of your body first.

Don’t Get Disappointed

As per the advice of professionals, one should spend 20-60 minutes in the gym for about 3-5 days in a week. However, busy schedules may not always allow you to stick to the ideal routine. You should not fret if you see yourself not following a 3 or 5 day routine, or going for a jog every morning. All that matters is your commitment towards improving your fitness. This commitment can also be fulfilled working out only twice a week for 20 minutes. The goal should be to be on track, even if you move slowly on it.

Focus On Your Successes

We often get demotivated by our failures and lose our confidence in achieving a set goal. The rescue mantra here would be to concentrate on the milestones you have achieved and not on your failures. Focus on what you have done till date to achieve your goal irrespective of how much of it you have achieved. Praise yourself for the commitment you have made and for the hardwork you are putting in.

Put Weights Before Cardio

Change your routine if you start your fitness regime with cardio exercises and then follow it up with weight lifting. This is a mistake committed by almost all women. When you start with cardio exercises you might miss on a critical component of the routine, because you end up spending more time on cardio, concentrating less on other exercises. Reverse the order and perform the weight training first, to see a more positive outcome.

Don't Overdo

A one hour workout at a time is what an average woman requires in order to stay fit. If you spend too much of your time in the gym, repeating the same routine over extended periods of time, you might get end up getting bored and tiresome. Make your workout routine interesting and more efficient by focusing on the exercises you do.

Follow The Right Technique

When you are trying out some exercise, do it in the right way. Learn the technique thoroughly before you put it into practice. Knowing the techniques right will lower the risk of any injury, and will maximize the desired result. It is better to consult your trainer and seek help, instead of getting injured by doing an exercise incorrectly.

Stay Hydrated

Your exercise routine might cause dehydration, which will prove out to be negative for your health and fitness. Therefore, it is important for you to increase your water intake, while following a tedious workout regimen. It is advisable to at least consume 8 glasses of water every day.

Keep Your Heart Rate Under Check

A woman should workout at 75-80% of their maximum heart rate. If your heart rate is low, it implies that you are not working out to your full potential. While, on the other hand if your heart rate is too high, it will pose danger to your health. Therefore, it is advisable to keep your heart rate monitored. 

Weight Loss Shake Recipes

Weight loss shake recipes are not only delicious and tasty, but can also replace an occasional meal. Such recipes are enriched with proteins, vitamins and minerals. They also serve as a great solution for busy people, as it is better to drink a shake than skip a meal altogether. 

Weight loss shakes are also an alternative to pre-made commercial shakes that cannot be consumed by everyone. They are low in calories, a great source of fiber and satisfying as well. Apart from being low fat, they aid in weight loss and help clean your colon. Given here are some healthy weight loss shake recipes that will help you enjoy a proper diet and avoid missing out on pleasuring yourselves.

Shake Recipes To Lose Weight

Chocolate, Strawberries & Banana Shake

Ingredients

• 1 medium Banana
• ½ cup Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup low-fat Vanilla Yogurt (regular size)
• 1½ tsp Sugar-free Chocolate Syrup
• ½ tsp Vanilla
• Protein Powder
• 4 Ice Cubes

Instructions

• Combine together banana, strawberries, vanilla yoghurt, chocolate syrup, vanilla, protein powder and ice cubes in a food processor.
• Blend all the ingredients well.
• Pour in a serving glass and enjoy.

Papaya Shake

Ingredients

• 1 medium Papaya
• 1 Red Apple
• 5 Dates (pitted)

Instructions

• Place papaya, apple and dates in a blender.
• Blend the contents well to form a smoothie.
• Pour in a glass and serve.

Protein Shake

Ingredients

• Protein Powder
• 16 ounces Skim Milk or 1 cup low-fat Yogurt (regular size)
• 2 Bananas
• 2 tbsp low-fat Peanut Butter

Instructions

• Mix protein powder, skim milk, bananas and low-fat peanut butter in a food processor.
• Blend all the ingredients well.
• Pour in a glass and serve.

Mango Shake

Ingredients

• 1-2 ripe Mangoes (peeled)
• 8 Dates (pitted)
• 1 Orange (juice)

Instructions

• Place mangoes and dates in a blender.
• Pour in orange juice and blend well, to a smooth liquid consistency.
• Pour in a glass and serve.

Chocolate Shake

Ingredients

• 1 cup low-fat Vanilla Yogurt (regular size)
• 1 ripe Banana
• 1 cup Blueberries
• 1 scoop Protein Powder
• 1 heaped tsp Coffee Alternative
• ½ tsp Carob Powder
• A dash of Cinnamon

Instructions

• Combine vanilla yoghurt, banana, blueberries, protein powder, coffee alternative, carob powder and cinnamon together in a food processor.
• Blend well to a smooth liquid.
• Pour in a tall glass and serve.

Apricot Pineapple Shake

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Pineapple (crushed)
• 1 fresh Apricot (diced)
• 6 Strawberries
• ½ Banana
• 1½ cup Water
• 1 tbsp Skim Milk Powder
• 1 heaped tbsp high-quality Protein Powder (optional)
• 1 tsp Flax Seed Oil (optional)

Instructions

• Place pineapple, apricot, strawberries, banana, water, skim milk powder, protein powder and flax seed oil in a blender.
• Process the ingredients until thoroughly mixed.
• Pour in a glass and serve.

Orange Creamsicle

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 scoops Vanilla Protein Powder
• 6 to 8 ounces Water
• 4 to 6 Ice Cubes
• 1 to 2 Oranges (peeled)

Instructions

• Place peeled oranges, vanilla protein powder, water and ice cubes in a blender.
• Process the ingredients on medium for 1 minute.
• Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.

Tricks To Lose Weight

Weight management is the one thing that men and women across the world long for with a passion. But then it is also something that gets everyone wondering how. There are many tips and techniques that people employ to lose weight fast and in most cases they do end up achieving their targets well in time. However, weighty issues have a very strong tendency of striking back again and again. 

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Agreed that being overweight or fat has many health disadvantages, not to mention the social and psychological effects, but losing weight the wrong way makes things even worse. For e.g., losing weight through crash dieting can make you thinner, but would also throw you in the pit of many undesirable healthy issues by killing your immunity. It will even make you more socially awkward, because of the major skin and hair issues like acne and hair-fall that invariably accompany sudden and unhealthy weight loss. Hence the standard weight loss advice to people is to focus on the sustainability of lost weight and other health factors.

Weight Loss Tricks & Tips

Fast Food

Fast food is the fastest way to the obesity hell, but it is also impractical to ask somebody to give it up completely. So, do the sensible thing - portion control. Eat out, but not more than once a week and even then don’t stack up like a concentration camp victim. Switch to veggie or white meat burgers and pizzas with no cheese or mayo. And when not outing with friends, make the junk stuff at home (with white meat and no fat). That reduces the calorie count substantially.

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Water

Your body is supposed to be 75% water and the moment that percentage falls, your body tends to fill up the void with fat. So be smart and keep that fat away by keeping your body sufficiently hydrated. At times, you feel thirsty and mistake it for hunger and end up eating more than what you need to, only to realize it was water that you wanted in the first place.

Snack It Up

Hunger doesn’t always call for a full square meal. You can satisfy that food lust with smaller meals too. You must eat meals when it’s time for them, but if you are past that time or in between the two, then a regular helping of low fat popcorn, salad or low fat biscuits could serve your purpose.

No Sticking

Oil free is the word of the day. So get those non-stick pans down from their regular shack and put them to some use over the flame. You can cook all you want with less than 50% oil if you simply stick to non-stick. And please don’t kill their purpose by pouring obscene quantities of oil on their surface.

Savor The Flavor

Chew every bite till you have got the maximum flavor out of it. Eating too fast will just stuff you up and you would be overfull before you realise. So take it slow. You must remember that we eat to survive and not the other way round.

Stack Your Kitchen

Go shopping on time. Please do not leave your kitchen shopping for the time when you are typically starved, because that’s when you tend to binge eat on unhealthy and super oily fast food. Stack up your kitchen drawers with everything healthy and a couple of tasty unhealthy stuff too. That would limit your temptation of gorging up on super unhealthy stuff!

Stay Active

Exercise regularly. Get an active membership of a good gym or start a fitness regimen with morning walks and jogs. Eating healthy is good and so is workout, but both are incomplete without each other. For an overall effect and sustainability of the weight loss, you must start getting an active lifestyle. That way your brain also gets active and tells you exactly when you are full, so that you do not overindulge.

CLICK HERE >> My Secret Weight Loss Tips And Tricks <<