Happy New Year and I wish you all the best in 2008. Wow has the year gone by fast. Good luck and I will post my new years resolutions tomorrow. Take care and have a safe night!

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Well, these aren’t official water facts or anything but I will talk a little bit about water intake, why it’s important and some sweet rewards for drinking it. Probably about 75% of our bodies are made up of just water. That is a huge percent, that means that if your body isn’t getting enough water then it won’t function at full potential.

The right amount of water intake is different per person, so it’s hard to say how much one should drink. Drinking the proper amount of water is super important and can have some awesome effects. Weight loss is among the effects if your body gets the right amount of water. Another great effect that comes with the proper amount of water is higher energy levels.

Like I said above there is no exact amount of water consumption one should drink, but there are some tells from your body that say “I need water”. Some of these tells are; darker urine, headaches and fatigue. So now down to how much water one should consume, the simple answer is, drink more then what you are right now. It may be hard to go from 1 glass per day to 15 glasses, but there is nothing wrong with a gradual increase. Put a conscience effort into drinking more water and you will see results.

I suggest carrying a good sized water bottle around with you throughout the day to help with drinking water when you are thirsty. Drinking more water is defiantly something I am going to do starting now and I can’t wait to see the healthy results! I hope you do too.

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So if the city you live in looks anything like the one I am in then you have lots of snow. This type of weather tends to interrupt many types of popular cardio exercises. Really, any kind of bike riding, running or even walking is null and void in this kind of environment. After living here for some time now, I have learnt to try different things. I guess it makes you either think out of the box or try a new sport all together. I am going to outline some of the things I have enjoyed doing when there is too much snow on the ground. Please feel free to comment about any others that you may have in mind, I’m sure everyone would appreciate it.

First I will list of some of the regular and most common things that people do when the winter season comes around. Winter sports come to mind like down hill skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, snow shoeing and skating. That is just a small list of cardio exercises too. Most of these are things that are full body workouts with cardio included. They also usually take some knowledge and experience. I think that cross country skiing is an amazing winter cardio alternative for running or walking. It can be enjoyed by the young and old. It’s also very popular because it’s easy to learn and fairly cheap for average equipment. Cross country skiing lets you get a full body workout while taking in all the surrounding scenery. It is at the top of my list for people to try for winter cardio exercises.

Now I still like to run and/or walk throughout the winter months, so I have found a few ways to continue doing this also. The regular places to keep doing this and other cardio exercises is obviously the gym. 99% of all gyms have 4 or more different types of machines that give different cardio exercises and workouts. The one downfall with a gym is the usual $30 or more per month fee. If you have the money then this is great, but what if your not able to make that $30 payment? Then you’ll need to improvise and figure out other means. So if you are a person that doesn’t have that extra money laying around then here are a few ideas I have used in the past. Hockey arenas for running, walking and doing stairs. Arenas will usually let public in when events aren’t on and they don’t charge a fee. It’s great because there is tons of room to use and not busy at all. For walking, the local mall can always work. A lot of room and scenery and, of course, no charge.

There are many different places you can get a fix of cardio, sometimes it just take a little creativity. Cardio exercises are all around us, it’s just finding something that will be fun and enjoyable. Make sure and post a comment if you have any other winter activities that I may have forgotten, I’m sure there are tons, :)!

 

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Again keeping with the new years appeal, here is another abs exercises post. This times it’s for beginners, so there are 3 of the most common and simple abs workouts.

Developing strong and good looking abs is always a healthy goal. Getting a six pack abs is not mere vanity. Aside from looking muscular, men with six packs are stronger and faster. Aside from having flat stomachs and appearing sexy in any kind of dress, women with well developed abs have greater energy and endurance. Some people realize the health benefits of strong abs and proper abs exercises early in their lives. Others find exercising attractive only when they reach middle age. But all enthusiasts of abs exercises begin at the same stage.

Beginners or newcomers to abs exercises need not immediately go to the strenuous positions followed by old timers.  This is not the fastest way to develop abs. The more advanced exercises can overstretch the body and cause injuries. Beginners must carry out abs exercises that are easier. Beginners must also warm up before doing the abs exercises. In this manner, the body will be gradually introduced into the whole abs program. Here are the three simplest abs exercises that the beginner can perform.

The Upper Abs Crunch
The upper abs crunch is the simplest of all abs exercises. The starting position is lying down with the back and feet hugging the floor and the knees are bent, making an angle of about 45 degrees. The arms are either crossed on the chest or laced behind the head. The exercise begins by crunching the abdomen and lifting the upper body, which includes the chest, the shoulders, and the head. But there should be no strain on the neck. The neck and head should simply follow the movement of the shoulders. The goal is not to sit upright. The goal is to make the abs exert effort in lifting the torso. Hold this position for at least two seconds and then slowly release to go back to the starting position. This exercise can be performed for at least 10 counts.

The Lower Abs Crunch
The lower abs crunch is the second simplest of all abs exercises. The starting position is still lying down on the floor with the knees bent. But only the back hugs the floor. The feet are lifted off the floor and the knees make a 90 degrees angle. The exercise begins by crunching the abdomen again. This time the lower part of the body, from pelvis to the feet, is lifted. The movement brings the knees closer to the chest. But the legs should not swing. Only the abs should make the effort. Hold this particular position for at least two seconds and then slowly go back to the starting position. The feet should remain off the floor. It is recommended that this exercise is done for at least 10 counts.

The Side Abs Crunch
And finally, the side abs crunch is the third simplest exercise. It may be simple but it targets the development of the side muscles of the abs, which are called “obliques”. The starting position is the same as the upper abs crunch but it is recommended that the hands are placed behind the head with the elbows pointing outwards. This exercise begins by lifting the upper torso and the followed by two simultaneous moves. One is moving the right elbow (without releasing the hand’s hold on the head) towards the left knee. The other move is lifting the left knee so that it meets the elbow. The abs should be contracted once the elbow and knee are as near each other as possible. This position is held for two seconds and then the elbows and knees go back to the starting position. The exercise continues with the other side of the body. This time, the left elbow attempts to meet the right knee. The right and left cycle of crunching the abs is done for at least 10 cycles.

With these three simple abs exercises, the beginners can begin developing stronger abs.

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Many people express how healthy eating habits are hard to build and maintain. I think this may be a common mistake in most peoples thinking. There are some main areas that you will need to focus on, but not hard areas, it’s just a matter of actually following through with them. So, with that said, I am going to talk a bit about what areas are important and where people can go wrong. It will be a few different posts of information so keep checking back for the new updates!

Portion Sizing

This is a huge problem that people have these days, at least I know it is in North America. Overloading meal time plates has been accepted and even preferred for a growing number of years now. Anything in excess is unhealthy for a person, even if it is “healthy food”. With every fast food joint on the planet pushing you to Biggie Size, Up Size, Monster Size for only 50 cents, it makes it really hard to turn down. And of course, going to those all you can eat buffets are the worst, because you want to make sure and get your moneys worth, so you cram 3 plates of food down.

I am sure we are all guilty of doing this once or twice. The good part about it is that it’s fairly easy to contain. Just make sure that when you site down to eat a meal you make sure and watch your intake. Don’t go for that second plate, you will be surprised, but one plate of food will fill you up, it’s just giving your body a chance to digest it. This bring me to the second topic to help you succeed in those healthy eating habits.

Eating Speed

This can pretty much be summed up in one phrase, Slow Down! Along with eating too much, many have grown accustom to eating way too fast. The fact is that when you eat too fast you don’t give your body the right amount of time to recognize the food. So you end up eating 2 or 3 full plates before your body has the time to realize you’re full. Whereas, if you ate a single plate at a reasonable speed, your body will then recognize that you are full before you start that next plate.

A great way to slow down your eating is to focus on each bite of food separately, instead of just thinking “this plate of food is going to taste good”. Take the time and you will see that one plate will be enough to make you feel full.

These are just a couple of things that will help you with your healthy eating habits. I am going to be taking my own advice and actually focusing on giving these a shot. They seem so easy but it will take a lot of thought and follow through to see these healthy eating habits form.

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The 8 minute Abs is the famous work-out video that featured the instructor Jaime Brenkus. The major goal of the set of exercise is simple: to have tighter abs. Accompanied by two other exercisers, Brenkus demonstrates abdominal exercises that busy people can do within eight minutes. The video does not promise instant results. But certainly, there will be results towards achieving great-looking abs. For people who have shied away from exercising because of the complexity of the moves, the 8 minute Abs video provides very simple steps that neophytes can effortlessly follow. All steps are done while the exerciser is lying on his or her back. Here are the basic steps:

1. Upper Body Crunch – The hands are behind the ears and the abdomen pulls up the upper body, raising the shoulders halfway towards the sitting position. The exerciser does not make a full sit-up.
2. Diagonal Crunch, Right Side – In the same starting position as the upper body crunch, the right elbow is brought up towards the left knee as this knee is pulled in towards the right elbow. The elbow and knee almost meet each other right above the abdominal region.
3. Diagonal Crunch, Left Side – This step is similar to the above step but this time, it moves the left elbow and the right knee.
4. Leg Tap – In this step the hand is brought to the sides of the body while the knees are pulled in, raising the feet into the air. The abdomen crunches to pull up the upper body as the tips of hands reach out to tap the raised legs.
5. Lower Body Crunch – Beginning with the position of the upper body crunch, the abdomen pulls in the knees and the legs upward towards the body. This is similar to the upper body crunch except that the lower body is the one being moved.
6. Right-Hand Body Crunch – Resting the body on the left side, with the left hand on the stomach and the right placed under the head, the abdomen crunches by raising the right upper body.
7. Left-Hand Body Crunch – This is the same as the right-hand body crunch, except that the body is resting on the right side and the left upper body is being raised.
8. Center Pushes – Going back to the starting position of the upper body crunch, the position of the hands are changed and placed in front of the body, with palms facing the bent legs. Then the abdomen crunches to lift the upper body as the hands appear to push the air between the two legs.
9. Leg Thrusts – This step is similar to the lower body crunch but instead of pulling the knees in, the legs are kept straight up at right angles with the body. Then the legs are thrust into the air while the abdomen crunches.
10. Combined Diagonal Thrusts– This step is a combination of the Right and Left Diagonal Crunches, done alternately.
11. Combined Upper and Lower Body Crunches – This step is a combination of the upper body crunch and the lower body crunch, with one step being carried out after the other.

There seems to be a lot of steps that must be done in 8 minutes, but each of these steps is completed within 45 seconds. It is a good idea to see the actual video to know the exact position of the body during 8 minute abs. Brenkus emphasized that there should be no stress on either the back or the neck when doing these exercises. Beginners are also allowed to slack back and need not complete a step for the whole 45 seconds. The 8 minute abs is an awesome video to help start to flatten that stomach. Take a look at the whole 8 mintue abs workout below!

If you are interested in seeing unreal results on your waist line then I suggest you take a look at Truth About Six Pack Abs, it has tons of happy customers that have seen perfect results. If you are looking for quick and perfect results on flattening your stomach then Truth About Six Pack Abs is the product to check out!

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Today I am going to lightly go through the process of picking out a routine from a variety of different workout plans. This time of year is the busiest for the weight loss and fitness industry so I thought I would help you better find the right workout plan.

Too many people will jump into different workout plans without doing the right research, this results in boredom and failure to succeed in any of the workout plans. Picking out the proper plan, that will fit your needs, isn’t a hard thing to do. It’s just learning what to look at that will help make that process a success. I will now skim through 3 different areas that I feel need to be taken into account when choosing the perfect routine for you.

Experience Level

The routine experience level is a very important aspect to look in to when deciding if a plan is right for you. All different workout plans have different levels of know how, it is vital that you choose one that is either in line with your current level or a little bit above. Many people don’t research this and either get into a program that is way to easy which will bore them, or get into a program that is way beyond there level which will frustrate them to failure.

Usually each program will have an experience level attached to it, so it’s just a matter of looking and being aware of it.

Plan Target

You will need to make sure and choose a routine that is related to your target goal. If you are trying to tone up and slim down your whole body then you want to look for a program that will best suit that target. If thats your goal, you won’t get into a routine that has you lifting a maximum weight will low reps and sets. Same goes for if you are wanting a program that will bring a stronger upper body, then find a program that really works your upper body, don’t find a program that has a lot of leg workout.

Researching this is also really easy to do, but you would be surprised how many people miss this area all together. People get themselves into programs that aren’t related to what their goal is. If you aren’t really sure what you want to gain out of a routine that look through the different workout plans and find one that is an all body type of routine and start light. This will give you a base and will help you learn what it is that you want to achieve and what you like doing.

Plan Frequency

This is a important part of a workout plan and one that can make or break success. Figuring out how much or how little you want to workout is a must. I suggest starting out doing a low number of workouts per week. Doing this will get you involved in whatever program you are doing, plus it makes the start up easier on your body. I constantly see people who start their program by going to the gym 5 or 6 days a week, many of these people don’t last because they burn themselves out and get exhausted. It’s always easier to start light and work your way up so choose one of the workout plans that work for your motivation.

Those are 3 very simple things to look at when deciding on one of the many workout plans out there. These will help you in reaching your goals and really following through with your workout plan.

There is a great Workout Plans Resource online is Workout Pass! It gives you access to 43 different sites and over 100000 workout plans. This is an amazing place to find any type of quality weight loss or fitness program you need. They will be able to help you find ANYTHING. They have unbelievable pricing too at a one time price of $99 and that gives you access to all off the different sites in their network. That is amazing because if you were to get a personal trainer to make you a program they will charge that per hour! Take a look at Workout Pass if you are looking for a quality workout plan.

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So over the holidays here I had the pleasure of finally trying out the Nintendo Wii, it is amazing. I played the Wii Boxing game and I am still feeling the effects in my muscles days later. It’s no mistake that the Wii has been the hottest ticket item this Christmas and the best part is the games are actually keeping the gamers active while playing.

So I played about a million rounds of boxing in the one day and it turned out to be a full boxing workout, I was shocked. I couldn’t believe how real the movements are while playing. After a single round I was huffing and puffing!!

After feeling the potential the Wii has for helping people stay active and even lose weight I started searching the internet too see what others were saying. All you have to do is google Nintendo Wii workouts and you’ll quickly see how many people are using the Wii for fitness activities and weight loss. I think this is brilliant. The boxing workout I had was unreal because I was working many different muscles but I was having a great time doing it. I didn’t even realize I was working my body out until the next day because I was having so much fun!

Below is a youtube video of what a boxing workout might look like. This ones shows a little girl taking on an adult.

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Hey everyone and Happy Holidays. I hope everyone is having a great and relaxing time.

These are definatly the days where I fill my face and gain a couple of pounds. I will probably start worring about that in another day or two. So with that said have a wonderful day and I will leave another sweet post tomorrow. Happy Holidays!!

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So here is the second half of The Best Ab Exercises. These are the Top 4 best ab exercises as chosen by the American Council on Exercise. These will be great to start doing after that amazing turkey dinner you have in a few days. Make sure and give these ab exercises a try, I personally enjoy the pedal one, I really feel the burn.

Pedal Exercise – the top of the list of best abs exercises
• Lie flat on your back with the hands behind the head; fingers interlocking.
• Pull and bend the knees towards the upper body and raise the shoulders off the floor. The neck should not be pulled.
• Stretch out the left leg but keep it at a 45-degree angle from the floor. At the same time, turn the upper body to face the right. The left elbow should almost touch the right knee.
• The above step should be done again but using the other side of the body. The right leg is straight while the right elbow touches the left knee.
• The above two steps are done alternately, with the legs resembling the pedaling motion of riding a bike.

Gym’s Captain’s Chair – the second best abs exercise which is popular in gyms.
• While standing on the chair, the back is pressed towards the pad. Be sure to grab the handholds to prevent falling off.
• By using force from the abdominal area, raise the legs and bring the knees towards the upper body. Breathe deeply and keep the back pressed to the pad.
• Go back to the original position and repeat the above step.

Exercise Ball Crunch – the third best abs exercise using the exercise ball
• Bring the ball under the mid to lower back area and lie on it. Make sure that the ball is stable and will not roll off.
• With hands behind the head, lift the upper body off the ball by contracting the muscles in the abdomen.
• Lower the body to have the torso lie again on the ball. Repeat the previous step.

Upright Leg Crunch – the fourth best abs exercise with nothing needed but the good old floor
• While lying on the floor, bring the legs straight up into the air making right angles to the body. The hands are resting on the sides.
• Cross the knees and lift the upper body with the chest moving towards the general direction of the feet. Maintain the position of the legs.
• Lift as high as possible and then lower the shoulders. Repeat the above step.

So there they are the top 4 best ab exercises that are sure to make your tummy burn and help focus in on those abs. If you have tried in the past and find it hard to get that toned and slim stomach then I have a great resource for you to look at. It’s an ebook that is specific to abs and seeing results. Truth About Six Pack Abs is highly popular and has helped tons of different people reach there goals. I recommend this to anyone that wants the perfect abs!

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