Monday, May 21, 2012

10 Foods To Fuel Your Workouts


1. Oatmeal
A smart pre-workout food choice is oatmeal. It contains not only soluble fiber and protein, but many vitamins and minerals as well. The fiber and protein keep you feeling full and satisfied, meaning your body will be ready for whatever type of workout you choose. Try topping it with fresh berries and milk for added flavor and nutrition.
2. Kale
Kale is growing in popularity and is another excellent food to fuel your workouts. It is considered by many to be a super food and contains high levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber. It is a dark leafy green, meaning it is loaded with chlorophyll. This naturally occurring substance can help boost the level of oxygen in the blood, which can help your body withstand tougher workouts.
3. Almonds
Almonds are also a great food to fuel your workouts. Like most nuts, almonds contain healthy fats, protein, vitamins, and fiber. They will help keep your body moving and satisfied, so you can always give your all during each workout. Almonds are not only delicious and mild, but very quick and easy to consume before you exercise.
4. Salmon
Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids and protein, salmon is a great food to fuel your workouts. It also has B vitamins and magnesium, which provide you with lots of energy and calorie burning power. The omega-3 fatty acids act as a natural anti inflammatory, which help your body to withstand rigorous workout routines.
5. Blueberries
Known as a super food, blueberries are a perfect pre-workout food choice. Thought to contain more antioxidants than any other natural food, blueberries help your body fight disease and keep your cells functioning properly. They also contain fiber, which keeps you satisfied and energized during your workout. Try eating them with oatmeal, yogurt, or nuts.
6. Eggs
Full of protein and naturally occurring vitamin D, eggs are a good food to eat prior to working out. They will keep your energy levels up and leave you feeling satisfied until your next meal. Eat them with whole-grain toast for added fiber and nutrition.
7. Peanut Butter
Another food to fuel your workouts is peanut butter. Although it often gets a bad reputation for being high in fat, peanut butter contains a great deal of protein. This protein is what your body needs to stay full and focused. Top a slice of whole-grain bread with a tablespoon of peanut butter to give your body the fuel it needs for a successful workout.
8. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are gaining popularity and are a great food to eat before working out. They are similar to nuts, but contain more protein, fiber, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds can be added to oatmeal, yogurt, or cereal for a boost of nutrients that will keep you energized throughout your workouts.
9. Greek Yogurt
With almost double the protein of regular yogurt, Greek yogurt is a great pre-workout food choice. The protein keeps you satisfied and full of energy. Greek yogurt is also a good source of calcium, which helps keep bones strong and healthy. Try topping Greek yogurt with fruit or low-fat granola for a yummy treat prior to exercising.
10. Quinoa
Although you may have never heard of it, quinoa is a highly nutritious grain that boasts protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It can be used in place of brown rice in dishes and has a fluffy texture and slightly nutty flavor when cooked. Quinoa will provide you with the energy needed to make it through all your tough workouts.
If you want to fuel your workouts, be sure to eat one of these ideal foods before you exercise. They taste great and give your body the strength it needs to burn calories and build muscle.
If you're sick and tired of getting the same old boring and tired weight loss advice that doesn't work... you know, like "Eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise more, and blah blah blah"... then you found the right person. I'll make weight loss easy and enjoyable for you... AND NOT BORING!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Why Exercise to Lose Belly Fat?


You might argue that by dieting alone you can lose body fat and you don't have to exercise to lose belly fat. Yes, that is true, as long as the calories in are lesser than the calories out. But get this, how long can you deprive yourself from food? By dieting alone, it is not enough to create a calorie deficit that is required to burn body fat. Moreover, by dieting too long, the body metabolism will slow down and eventually; your weight loss progress will come to a halt. You still need to exercise to lose belly fat, because only by exercising, you can benefit from the increase of metabolism, strength, extra calorie burned and so much more.
Do not forget, we cannot specifically lose the fat in the stomach alone, the body fat of the entire body will come down naturally as a whole and eventually, the stomach fat will be burnt too. There is no such thing as spot reduction. So what is the best abs exercise to lose belly fat? There are mainly 2 types of exercises, the first one is cardiovascular training, in short, you need to do cardio to burn the belly fat. Fat basically is taken from the fat cells and transported into the muscles and burned during cardiovascular training. The recommended frequency is 4 to 5 times a week with rest no more than 3 days in between; the session is a 30 - 60 minutes workout at a moderately high intensity of 70-80 percent of the maximum heart rate.
The best cardio exercise to lose belly fat would be the stair climber or stepper, the treadmill and the rower. These machines use the large muscle groups in the body and force the muscles to move in a large range of motion. The 2 type of exercise is resistance training. While this type of exercise does not really make you lose belly fat, they make abdominal muscles strong to balance the upper body and lower body, protect the spinal cord and make the abdominal muscles stand out. If your abs standout, it's easier for people to notice them compared to the abs that are flat, because abs that are thick creates the deep separation between the abdominal blocks, this creates a clear definition. So in this case, resistance training is one of the best exercises to lose belly fat.
To exercise the oblique, it's best to do a rotation motion. By doing a rotation movement, it works the internal oblique, which is responsible for rotating the torso. This is a very important exercise to lose belly fat because in creates an illusion for a small waistline. Internal oblique do not grow sideways when they are being exercised with resistance unlike the external oblique. Use medicine ball rotation to work the internal oblique. Sit firmly on a fit ball, have a workout partner stand behind you, with your arms outstretched, holding a medicine ball, rotate your torso and pass the ball to your workout partner, then rotate to the opposite direction to get the medicine ball back from your buddy and repeat again for 30 reps and then do the opposite direction. Another fabulous exercise to lose belly fat is to do fit ball crunches superset with floor crossover crunches. Place the top of the fit ball on your lower back and place both feet wide apart, with your palms supporting your head, crunch up slowly squeezing your abs for a sec and then come down slowly. Lay down on the floor with your feet together and palms behind your head, crunch up, lifting the shoulder blades of the floor, at the top, rotate to the right and rotate back to the centre, only until you rotate back to the centre, you come down again and then up and rotate to the left. Do this superset for 3 sets of 30 reps each.
Don't wait any longer! Start your engines now and workout hard for your six-pack. Exercise, diet, do your cardio and I can guarantee you weight loss success!

Friday, May 4, 2012

8 Procedures Covered Under a First Aid Certificate Class


The Red Cross features classes that will get you ready for different first aid requirements. On the Red Cross website you will find signup sheets for these different classes that will give you specific first aid certificates. The CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation and AED automated external defibrillator training in addition to the first aid certification will meet the needs of school personnel, workplace responders, professional emergency technicians and health care providers. The general public is also highly encouraged to become first aid trained and certified. Becoming first aid certified is very important if:
• Your employer requires this certificates;
• You are the assigned emergency responder at your place of business;
• You feel that you need to be fully prepared for all types of emergencies;
• You coach sports and work with youth;
• You just want to have confidence that you can take care of your family in an emergency situations.
Red Cross training meets OSHA guidelines and all classes include lectures, interactive videos, and hands-on training. This certification includes teaching participants how to recognize and care for cuts and scrapes, burns, sudden illnesses that can involve life threatening problems, neck and back injuries, head trauma and hot and cold temperature emergencies. In addition to this certificates it is also wise to learn and receive CPR certificates. These additional certificates will enable you to learn how to perform CPR and take care of breathing and heart problems until professional help arrives. Some Red Cross first aid certification class also teach AED and how to use these devices in an emergency situation.
This certificates are designed for those who work with scout troops, outdoor enthusiasts and those who work in remote or "away from civilization" environments. Every certificate course teaches how to respond to emergencies when professional help is far away or delayed. The Red Cross first aid certification course for outdoors certificates comes from the Wilderness First Aid Curriculum and Doctrine Guidelines manual developed by OSHA and the Boy Scouts of America. Included in this course and the manual are the subjects of:
• Assessment of injuries. Helping you to understand what type of injury you are looking at;
• Spinal Injuries as well as head and neck trauma and how to stabilize the patient;
• Hot and Cold Emergencies dwells on temperature fluctuations and how these fluctuations affect first aid;
• Hypothermia and how to treat extremely low body temperature after water incidents, cold temperatures, and exposure to the elements;
• Altitude Sickness and how to solve breathing problems in higher altitudes;
• Burns and the first aid necessary to keep the patient comfortable;
• Bone fractures and injuries and the best way to splint and stabilize these injuries;
• Wound Care includes how to stop bleeding until help arrives.
These subjects are covered in a 16-hour course and at the end of the course you will have a first aid certificate. This certificate will recognize and fulfill a requirement for Scouting merit badges, employer needs, and can be used by swim instructors, daycare providers, and just for your family's peace of mind.