Theathens Directory

Not everyone wants to build muscle up and look like a bodybuilder, sprint like an Olympian or be as skinny as a marathon runner. However many people do want to get themselves into decent shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle and a positive healthy appearance and feel. These five tips will actually aid you in doing that:

1) Eat your meals more regularly and make them smaller in size. Doing this raises the rate at which your body works through its supply of calories, this is known as it metabolic rate. You can shed more pounds faster if you increase the speed of this rate of course. If you only eat once or twice a day your body thinks it is starving and that it has to hold onto the energy it has and so chooses a much slower metabolic rate. If however you eat regular meals your body feels free to use up its supply of energy as it knows it is getting more soon hence a faster metabolic rate.

2) Do interval training as opposed to long continuous activities. Interval training involves short bursts of energy maybe for a minute or two which are very intense, these are then followed by period of much easier activity. For example you might jog for a couple of minutes then run at 80-90% of your maximum for a minute and then jog again for 2 minutes. You could do this for 20 minutes and get a great workout. This interval training system can be sued with most activities however it can most easily be applied to running, swimming and cycling. This is better for you as you can burn off more calories in a shorter space of time, you will find that you average heart rate over the twenty minutes is higher than if you did a long continuous jog. What is more, it is much less boring and as you get fitter you can change the time intervals to keep increasing your fitness levels.

3) Exercise with circuit training. The armed forces use these for a good reason. It is a far greater allround muscle building workout. Doing this can improve both your muscle endurance and strength. There are so many different routines and it is very simple to monitor your progress.

4) Consume lots of water. To keep functioning healthily your body needs a good supply of water each day as it is required for all of the bodies essential chemical reactions. This keeps your mind alert whilst also helping to flush out harmful toxins that accumulate in the body.

5) Train with a partner or with friends. This provides you with extra motivation to participate and will keep you participating for longer. It lets you both enjoy it more and helps you persist in the face of potential boredom.

If you are interested in losing body fat then I highly recommend the burn the fat feed the muscle book or if you wish to pile on muscle then try no nonsense muscle building for a great plan.

By: T Ryan

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content

HCG for weight loss is one program that really takes care of your weight problem. It has the right ingredients, a very low calorie diet that works incredibly fast but safe and of course it has the HCG hormone which has long been established as having the ability to make the metabolism work efficiently and control hunger pangs that dieters invariably have to deal with.

Some people have questions regarding the safety of the diet. They point out that HCG diet dangers can prevent dieters from really benefitting from the HCG hormone. They think that the 500 a day calorie is too calorie starved and can result to loss of energy and a level of hunger pangs that not even the powers of the HCG can offset. True these HCG diet side-effects are possible, but clearly they have forgotten that the program has considered these things beforehand and have integrated into its processes a preparatory period designed to reduce the negative effects of the very low calorie diet on the dieter’s body. Dieters, for example, are made to undergo three days of calorie load-up where for three straight days they are to consume mostly calorie rich foods. It’s easy to guess what this period is for. It’s to add to the calories already in the body. It did not escape the creator of HCG program that the diet and the power of the hormone to speed-up the metabolic process can result to the body burning up muscles and proteins after the fats have been done away with. The calorie load-up period prevents this from happening. Besides this, it also helps in controlling hunger pangs.

What makes the HCG program even more effective is it’s not concerned with just dropping excess weight and addressing HCG side-effects, more important perhaps is the opportunity it gives you to do away with poor eating habits that cause our problem permanently The HCG suppresses hunger pangs and food cravings and after 23 days of this, surely it’s easier to adjust to the maintenance diet that the program will recommend.

By: Christina Clay

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content

The first thing that comes to any body’s mind when they talk about exercise is running or jogging. Yes running and jogging are great exercises but there is a lot more to exercise than grabbing your running shoes and going for a run.

Running
Running is an excellent way to maintain a healthy body weight. It is cheap run and only require and pair of running shoes and some comfortable running clothes. Running is great for burning calories and when combined with resistance training it can really help you burn fat and to tone your body. It can help build and tone your whole body from top to bottom.

However running is not for everyone. Overweight people with a lot of weight around their belly should try to start off running slowly or try another exercise to begin with. Trying to run when overweight is not practical and could damage joints – cycling is probably a better option if you are severely overweight.

Cycling
Cycling is a great way of exercising because there is less impact on the joints when compared to running. It is possibly one of the best ways for overweight people to begin an exercise regime. It is relaxing and during the summer months if you can get out into a park and cycle it wouldn’t even feel like exercise at all. However cycling does not burn as much calories as running and mostly would benefit your lower body such as you legs and thighs.

Swimming
Swimming is an excellent form of exercise because it is great for toning and elongating your muscles. Just look at Olympic swimmers and you can see how good their bodies look. Swimming is great for burning calories and because there is little impact on joints it is great for overweight people to begin with. The water supports some of their weight so their joints doesn’t have to suffer a sever impact. There are virtually no downsides to swimming but do include other exercises because your body will over time accustom itself to any form of exercise and eventually stop burning fat or building extra muscle.

There is only one downside of swimming – you must know how to swim. Learning how to swim is great fun and can be very useful. It’s a skill that I would rather learn and have for life.

Rowing machine
The rowing machine is great for working out the upper body. This cardio activity can be very useful because working the upper body is harder work than working the lower body via running or jogging.

Yoga
Yoga is great for suppleness, good for your internal organs, helps reduce stress and great for your general well being. Yoga can help your balance and composure as well. However yoga on its own is not good enough. Cardio and strength training exercises are a must to help with overall health and body definition.

Resistance training (Includes all weight and strength training)
Resistance training is a great metabolism booster. It is great for building muscles and creating body definition. Extra muscle on your body can help burn more calories even when resting. No matter what, extra strength training can make your body look great.

There are two choices to choose from beginning resistance training – machines and free weights.

Machines take away some of the work from your training making it easier for you to do them. Beginners prefer to use machines because they are easier to use and usually do not require any assistance. However making it easier also removes some of the benefits of providing balance in your training.

Free weights are preferred by professional trainers because they provide the resistance training but also helps with balance training. This can help work more body muscles more evenly.

However you must include cardio training to burn off extra calories and to improve your circulatory system and strengthen your heart.

By: Sam Das

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content

More Americans die each year from heart disease than any other cause, it is the number one killer disease in the US and parts of Europe. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 2,500 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day, an average of one death every 35 seconds.

There is a surprising new source of heart support, and more and more medical studies are showing that the incredible effect of raw, cold processed cacao beans, the beans used in healthy chocolate, give tremendous support to the cardiovascular system in various ways.

What Can Cocoa Do For My Heart?

A 2006 study from a joint team of researchers from the University of California-Davis and the University of Dusseldorf in Germany ascertained that the compound epicatechin found in cocoa is directly linked to improved circulation and other hallmarks of cardiovascular function. The researchers explained that the relaxation response observed in the blood vessels of the subjects was mediated by nitric oxide (NO), a key signal released by the inner lining of blood vessels (the endothelium). Because the vessels are able to relax and become less stiff, they are less susceptible to clotting, blockage and risk of high blood pressure. (1)

Cesar G. Fraga of the University of Buenos Aires recently demonstrated a rise of chocolate-derived procyanidins in the blood of men and women who had just eaten cocoa-based foods. His team found that blood sampled two hours after cocoa consumption protected its circulating lipids from oxidation. The more chocolate they ate, the better the protection. (2)

Nutritionist Carl L. Keen of the University of California-Davis says that prostacyclins are naturally occurring compounds that inhibit platelet clotting, reduce risk of thrombosis and blood vessel constriction, and prevent the oxidation of LDL (the “bad” cholesterol), as well as its entry into the blood vessel walls, where it can result in inflammation. Keen’s study, published in a 2005 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that the procyanidin and flavonol content of cocoa again demonstrated significant antioxidant properties and the ability to protect the heart and vascular system. (3)

If you have high blood pressure, a daily serving of flavonol-rich dark chocolate might lower your blood pressure, researchers report in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. (4) “Previous studies suggest flavonoid-rich foods – including fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine, and chocolate – might offer cardiovascular benefits, but this is one of the first clinical trials to look specifically at dark chocolate’s effect on lowering blood pressure among people with hypertension,” said one of the authors of the study. The findings also prompted the researchers to recommend that flavonoid-rich foods should be part of an overall healthy diet, and dark chocolate should be part of that effort.

The More Cocoa, the Better

When it comes to the health benefits ascribed to chocolate, they’re almost exclusively related to the dark, bittersweet-tasting chocolate and to products with a cocoa content of 60% or more. Because healthy polyphenols are found in the cocoa bean but not in the milk, cream, sugar, waxes, fillers, fats and preservatives that are often added to chocolate, the darker the chocolate the better. It’s also important to preserve chocolate’s antioxidant properties and avoid “Dutch process” and alkalinization. Similarly, because heat can destroy cocoa’s polyphenols, choose cocoa beans that have been cold-pressed.

Beyond those caveats, enjoy chocolate and keep your heart healthy!

(1) Schroeter H, et al. – Epicatechin mediates beneficial effects of flavanol rich cocoa on vascular function in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2006 Jan 24;103(4):1024-9

(2) Engler M, et al.Flavonoid-rich dark chocolate improves endothelial function and increases plasma epicatechin concentrations in healthy adults. J AM Coll Nutr. 2004 Jun;23(3):197-204

(3) Keen CL et al. Cocoa antioxidants and cardiovascular health. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jan;81(1Suppl):2985-303S

(4) Baba, S, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Mar;85(3):709-17

(Information herein is NOT intended as medical advice. No therapeutic or medical claims are either implied or made. DO NOT ALTER ANY MEDICAL TREATMENT, OR THE USE OF MEDICATIONS, WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF YOUR MEDICAL CARE PROVIDER. FDA regulations prohibit the use of therapeutic or medical claims in conjunction with the sale of any product not approved by the FDA.)

By: Chris Robertson

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content

Your dog may have been diagnosed with cancer but, that doesn’t mean that his or her life is over. And it doesn’t mean that you are going to be forced to pay high vet bills to support your dog’s fight against cancer. There is one thing that you can do RIGHT NOW that will dramatically change the outcome and dynamics of this fight. Do you know what it is? No? You can change your dog’s diet! Yes, his diet!

Believe it or not, there is a very strange coincidence between your dog food and the high incidence of canine cancer in the United States. There is also a great deal of scientific fact to backup this claim. Without going into too much detail, all you have to do is to investigate the correlation between canine cancer and the dog food industry. You can also take a trip down memory lane and try to remember what it was that your grandfather fed his dog about 20 or 30 years ago.

Think about it, do you remember your grandparents giving their dog a big bag of dog food or was it raw meat or table scraps? I know I remember my grandfather feeding his many dogs a combination of both: raw meat and table scraps! I remember granddad feeding his favorite dog, “Duke” whatever grand-dad ate. And I never heard of “Duke” ever getting cancer back then! Matter of fact, I never heard of ANY dog getting cancer until around the 1990′s!

The truth of the matter is that when you change your dog’s diet from the processed dog food to a diet rich in raw meat, it will undoubtedly have a profound impact on their health. Processed food in any form, is no good for humans, and its even worse for canines. In the wild, dog’s eat RAW MEAT! Not processed grain! Its a scientific fact that a dog’s stomach cannot digest whole grain, so don’t feed it to him! You’re only making things worse. To see a dramatic change in your dog’s health, change his diet! You won’t be disappointed!

By: Kenneth L. White

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content

When you decide you want to lose weight, fat around the middle (Love Handles)then strategize your exercise program. Most important of all is to commit your mind that you are going to lose weight, fat or whatever. Many times we start with a routine physical with our family doctor. He Or She will suggest that we should think about getting rid of that spare tire. The doctor will usually suggest exercise and some kind of diet.

The exercise will usually consist of cardio exercises, such as mild to moderate intensity of aerobics 3-5 times a week. They seem to think this maintains the heart rhythm at a moderate pace. However, this may not be true as recent scientific research has shown concrete facts that cardio workouts do not work as well as they think.

The new facts have discovered that our bodies are designed to to perform actions in bursts of exertion. The studies have shown that physical variety varies in trying to lose weight. If we look at most sports they are stop and go movements of energy bursts.

When you establish your strategies of exercises to lose weight you must consider what they will do to your body internally. Scientists know that excessive endurance exercise for 30 minutes to a hour only trains the the heart to a certain level. Scientists have known this for years.

Exercise workouts can cause muscle wasting and create conditions that can lead to chronic diseases. STOP ands GO exercises or movements lets your body react in a more healthy manner. Your body will increase its anti-oxidant production. STOP and GO exercise and training increases your metabolic rate and produces a better anti-inflammatory affects. Stop and go movements train the heart to respond and recover from a variety of movements and stress.

This kind of exercise is two fold, as it helps you lose that spare tire, trains your heart to benefit more fully and recover from rapid increases and decreases of exercise. Combine this with healthy eating and you will have that good looking healthy body.

By: John Patters

About the Author:

Create a video blog…instantly.