Staying on track to meet your fitness goals

I’m on the path to getting back in shape and staring in the face of all of the obstacles to doing so. Everyone that starts a workout regimen begins with all of the energy and motivation in the world. Keeping it is the problem!
Like most people I began with an ambitious plan, working out at the gym, eating right, getting outdoors and staying active, even exercising during commercial breaks when watching TV! (This can definitely reduce the amount of television one watches.) Now, a few days into it when the soreness kicks in and cravings for a 64 ounce steak settle in, I have to find ways to stay motivated and not give in to temptation (is that the couch calling me?).
I’ve got a few ideas on how to stay on track to meeting my fitness goals, but jsut like anything else with fitness or working out, or dieting, it takes discipline and a huge commitment from me. To motivate myself to begin a fitness program I set some very specific goals for myself. Anyone can do this by asking themselves “what’s important to me?” For some people it’s a certain weight goal, or maybe getting into a certain article of clothing. Some people want to be able to participate in a certain event like a 5K run, or a dance competition. Some people target a body part to work on such as six pack abs or 20 inch arms, while there are some of us who just want to see the tops of our shoes again…while wearing them! Whatever your motivation, make it reasonable, but somewhat out of easy reach so that you have to work hard to achieve it. So, rule one, set a goal.
Next, remove temptations. This is easier said than done, especially for those of us who have momentary lapses in sanity in the grocery store (how did those potato chips get into my cart?) You have to eliminate the urge to cheat on yourself. You can do this by doing things like shopping only the outer ring of the grocery store, everything you love is in the middle aisles laying in wait, ready to carry you 100 miles away from your goal. Stay out of these aisles, your health and your sanity depend on it. If you really need something from the inner aisles, fall down on the floor and when a store associate comes to see if you are okay, tell them that you have a rare condition and that the only thig that can help you is the item in aisle 6! (I’ve only been kick out of and permanently barred from three grocery stores for this act.) Stop sitting down! We all feel the need to leave one room and go sit down in another, Stop it! Stay on your feet, stay active. You’re not tired so stop telling yourself that all the time. When you really are tired, your body will let you know, and then you can rest. Think about your day for a moment. I’ll give you a quick example of my morning: get out of bed, start my coffee, sit and wait for coffee, pour coffee, sit and drink coffee, sit and watch the news, sit and watch ESPN, sit and have breakfast, get ready to go to the gym, sit and think about my workout, sit and “mentally prepare” myself for said workout, do you see the trend here? I take so many breaks per day it’s amazing that my body has the opportunity to burn a calorie! If I focus on moving around more and resting less, my metabolism will increase, and after a while I will find myself having more energy. Rule two, stay active.
I’ll give you one more then wrap this article up. Stop whining and complete your workouts. This is something I have to say to myself all the time and believe it or not, it works. Listen, you may be sore, you may be fatigued, you may want to sit in a dark room with a tub of ice cream and a spoon, but will any of that help? If you’re sore and you decide not to work out, you’ll still be sore, probably even more so because you aren’t stretching out the sore muscles. You may feel fatigue, but you have to realize that it’s just because you’ve been sedentary for a while, fight through it and the rewards will be great (a Ranger school instructor said that, and he was right.). As far as the ice cream goes, refer to rule one.
Meeting your fitness goals requires determination and will power. You can take these steps and others to lighten your load, but it will always be a struggle, if it’s not, look around, you might just be back on the couch. Get out there and be active.

Getting in shape for Summer

OK I’ve taken a lot of time off from the gym and I’ve eaten poorly over the past few months. Now the weather is warming up and I’m concerned about how I’ll look this summer, I have got to lose weight and get in shape, fast!
I’m not typically the New Years Resolution type. You know, the ones that crowd the gym in January and February with their lofty goals and good intentions for rapid weight loss and a healthy diet. That’s not me. But I don’t necessarily stay true to my goals year round either, hence the need for this article.
So, how will I get back into a routine, promote rapid weight loss and maintain discipline after months of doing everything wrong? I’m going to start by putting away the rum that has kept me warm this winter and dusting off my water bottle. When it’s colder outside people tend to drink a lot less water, dehydrating themselves, slowing down their metabolism and forcing the body to retain what it gets. Drinking lots of water will flush out my system, hydrate me, act as an appetite suppressor, and increase my metabolism. This step alone will help me shed a few pounds over the next couple of weeks.
The next step is to make myself more active. Believe me, if I could lose this gut and a lot of weight just laying around watching TV I would. But wait, I might just be able to do that! Not by laying around but watching TV can help. As I watch my shows I will sit and enjoy the storyline. When a commercial comes on, I will hit the floor. I will alternate between doing:
-Push ups
-Crunches
-Jumping jacks
-squat thrusts
-Flutter kicks
I’ll post instructions for each for those who aren’t sure how to do them. I advise you to start slow with these exercises, in other words, don’t try to max out on the first commercial break. My advice, do them like this: first commercial break, 10 push ups. Next commercial break, 10 crunches, and so on like that. Remember, this isn’t your only workout, and you’ll find that after a 30 minute show, you’ll be gassed. Of course if you can do more reps during a commercial break feel free to do so, the more the better.
Make sure you keep drinking your water, and get up every commercial break. It requires a great deal of discipline to get this started, but I can assure you that you’ll start seeing major results in a couple of weeks.
My next post will began outlining my gym routine and diet, yeah, I used the D word, but never fear, I love food too much to sit around eating bark and no fun foods. I’ll show you how to get creative and eat well. Until then, get off the couch and live. It’s a beautiful world out there, go be a part of it.

Now THIS is interesting…

[ Editor's Note:  Fitness author Jon Benson shared this letter with me and gave me permission to share it with you.]

Have you ever started out to do one thing but ended up doing something different?

Night and day different?

Remember how Post-It Notes were invented?

Some guy was trying to come up with a “permanent” glue.

Obviously he failed… and he considered it a failure… but 3M had another idea.

The guy was all of a sudden Joe Brilliant.

Well, I’m feeling a bit like Joe today.

But this is much more interesting to you than Post-It Notes…

It’s about s – e – x… sorta.

Not dirty, I’m talking about couple’s stuff here.

My new book just came out today about it.

But it didn’t start off that way at all.

In fact … get this… I was co-writing a book with medical researcher Frank Mangano on lowering blood pressure without meds… really.

So how did this big U-turn occur?

Okay, okay…. funny, true story:

I read this article from a medical journal about how “lowering blood pressure would help sexual-performance-problems.”

Ding. The lightbulb went off in my head.

You see, lowering blood pressure is probably the most healthy thing you can do for yourself.

But face it — it’s really, really BORING.

I mean, who really cares about their blood pressure unless their doctor says, “Look, lower your blood pressure or you’ll die in six months.”

Then you care.

Are you with me?

I’m right and we all know it.

Heck, I was the same way.

I ignored my blood pressure for years until it hit stroke-level back in my 30s.

Then I could no longer ignore it.

I found every natural alternative possible… which led me to Frank’s books… and they are the BEST.

So Frank comes to me and asks me to contribute to his very popular on-the-shelf book “The Blood Pressure Miracle” –

… and I said,

“Hey, guess what I just read?”

Since he’s the researcher, I said, “Go see if there’s any truth to this.”

The results BLEW MY MIND.

Not only is there truth to it — that, yes… lowering blood pressure not only extends your life but also extends your sexlife as well — but WOW… it’s a major player in everything from male-ED to females feeling “out of the mood.”

It’s crazy, but it’s true.

It makes sense once you read this:

http://www.lowpressuresex.com/go/lenyrp1 <— Low Pressure Sex-System

Hang with me: It gets better…

So Frank digs up article after article on the subject of high blood pressure and LOW sexual-energy and performance… and we have a much more compelling reason to want to lower our blood pressure, now don’t we?

But we wanted more.

I said, “Look Frank, I get a lot of emails about sex-after-30… people who want to feel more kick, more alive in that area of their lives… and above all, closer to their mates.”

So… we decided to add another book on TOP of our book…

… a book on improving sexual-pleasure for couples only. “RevolutionarySex” is the name of it. My friend Alex Allman wrote it…and just like that we had two books instead of one.

But that’s not all… ( told you… this story is interesting… ; )

THEN my friend Jeff Anderson comes out with his “homemade V” — and guys, we know what “V” stands for.

Listen: V (little blue things) is really dangerous stuff. It really is. It RAISES blood pressure for one thing. For another it can cause addiction and memory loss.

But Jeff’s version is all-natural, cheap (we’re talking pennies instead of dollars per “pill” to make) and above all… SAFE.

So all of a sudden… THREE books (plus an audio)… so…

It became a System, not a book.

And the topic went from “lowering blood pressure” to …

… How you can completely solve your sexual-performance-problems and increase your pleasure all by lowering blood pressure naturally without meds.”

What a concept…

…and it WORKS.

http://www.lowpressuresex.com/go/lenyrp1 <— Low Pressure Sex-System

Here are the advantages…

1. If you take blood pressure meds… and a lot of you do… your “kick in the stick” suffers. A lot. Some men suffer all the way, which lead them to taking the V stuff…

… and that stuff ‘raises’ blood pressure.

Bad, bad combo. Our System gets you off of that dangerous and expensive cycle of drugs and on to a natural, easy approach that also adds pleasure to your relationship.

2. Cheaper… by far… than meds.

3. Something you can read and do as a couple or as a single person.

4. You get healthy and you get your vigor back at the same time. Ladies too.

5. It’s guaranteed-to-work… 60 days on us.

I’m very proud of this System. We put a lot of time, research and effort into it.

If you want a life freee from high BP and sexual-performance-issues and better health, then go here:

http://www.lowpressuresex.com/go/lenyrp1 <— Low Pressure Sex-System

P.S. There’s even more to this story –

We created an “Advanced Health and Relationship-Saver Kit” that comes with the most awesome self-hypnosis audios to help you relieve stress, lower pressure, increased your “drive”, and more.

You can get the starter Kit or the Advanced Kit here:

http://www.lowpressuresex.com/go/lenyrp1 <— Low Pressure Sex-book

Here’s to your health… and your increased pleasure and enjoyment.

Exercise Less, Not More!

[ Editor's Note:  Fitness author Jon Benson shared this letter with me and gave me permission to share it with you. ]

If I had to pick out the number one reason most people fail to achieve good results in the gym, guess what it would be?

Over-training. Exercising too much.

Sounds counter-intuitive, but trust me: It’s quite real.

Folks write to me all the time and say…

“Jon, I don’t get it. I cannot lose bodyfat and I’m running six days a week for an hour and training in the gym five days a week for 45 minutes!”

My answer back is usually:

“You are training 4x more than me, and I’m a fitness pro!”

Look, do you take 21 aspirin for a headache, thinking the more you take the faster your pain will go away?

No?

So why apply the same logic to fitness? Only a certain amount is required. Beyond that, you are spinning your wheels.

When I wrote 7 Minute Muscle (available here:  http://www.7minutemuscle.com/go/lenyrp1) I exposed all the lies about training too long and why this is not the best way to achieve the results you want. Check it out if you want the facts.

One more thing:  75% of your progress will come in the kitchen, not in the gym or on the treadmill.

As for me, I would much rather eat smart and train less than train all the time and be forced to eat 6-8 times a day just to recover from it all.

That makes no sense to me at all.

You?

http://www.7minutemuscle.com/go/lenyrp1 <— Less Is More!

Man Boobs!

3 quick questions:

1. Are you a guy or do you know one close to you over the age of 35?

2. Have you or he looked at your/his bare chest lately?

3. If so… did you see them?…The dreaded….

“Manboobs”?

Obviously if you are female this is not an issue. But for us men, “gynecomastia“, often jokingly referred to as manboobs (we can thank “Seinfeld” for that) is anything but funny.

From this point on, I’ll refer to it as “MB” if that’s okay by you.

MB is not an age thing. It can occur at almost any time in life. However, for those of us over 35, it is more common.

This is just one of the many symptoms of “andropause”, or “male menopause.”

When you age your testosterone levels decline…and more than that the testosterone gets “weaker” due to an imbalance between it and estrogen.

When you combine that with our modernized “estrogen-rich” environment that Dr. Holly Lucille frequently lectures on, you have a problem.

A big MB problem.

MB is associated with lack of drive (you know what I’m talking about guys) and excess bellyfat due to the estrogen.

Even more serious:  Excess estrogen has been positively linked to prostate cancer.

Yep. MBs are not so funny after all.

Check out Dr. Lucille’s NaturaPause Audios. There is an entire audio dedicated to male menopause and natural solutions that really work.

Most do not work worth a darn.

Hers does.

http://www.naturapause.com/go/lenyrp1 <— no more MBs!

New ways to fight fat

If you have stubborn bodyfat that just does not want to budge, you will find this freee video helpful.

It’s only 16 minutes long and covers the connection between your “hormones” and bodyfat.

Not only bodyfat… Your sexual-drive, your energy, your mood, and of course issues like menopause, andropause (male menopause) and more.

Give it a look…

http://www.naturapause.com/go/lenyrp1/video-preview

Just by taking some of Dr. Lucille’s advice (natural, without harmful drugs) you can kick-start your hormonal system back into overdrive.

That’s the best way to end stubborn bodyfat and reboot your drive at the same time.

How to Reduce Fat Fast

If you would like to lose weight effectively, you need to burn the calories in your body more than what you intake into your body. Recommendation from most weight loss experts would suggest you to do that just by subtracting 5 hundred calories to your regular diet along with decreasing your food intake and accelerating your exercise. As proved, you can easily lose one or two pounds inside a week with this weight loss technique.

If you’d like to grasp it in mathematical terms, you simply control your calories from 1,050 to 1,200 daily in combination with exercising for sixty mins. This weight loss technique can also be applied to males and females who weigh 250 pounds or more and they can use this technique to easily lose three to 4 pounds a week.

Nonetheless, you must keep in mind that quicker weight reduction essentially will leads to fast weight gain if you stop the weight loss program curtly. Therefore , most males and females select to go for the slower but surer diet programs which promise a steadier and longer-lasting effect of weight loss.

For a start, you need to scale back your salt and starch intake into your body. It is a well-known fact that salt in the body will increase water retention. Therefore if you use this reduction of salt methodology, you may expect to simply lose 5 pounds in one week time.

Many weight loss gurus advise that if you are opting for diets to shed pounds fast, you must choose diets that contain less starch, sugars, and animal fat. Experts would also counsel you to select diets to lose weight fast like egg whites, fruits, and vegetables, soy products as replacement for meat, fish, nondairy products, skinless chicken, and lean beef.

Many weight loss pros advise that if you are opting for diets to shed pounds fast, you must choose diets that contain less starch, sugars, and animal fat. Experts would also counsel you to choose diets to lose weight fast like egg whites, fruits, and veg, soy products as replacement for beef, fish, nondairy products, skinless chicken, and lean beef.

Check out how to lose weight fast using warp speed fat loss. Check out the review of most powerful exercises, turbulence training review, revealed by the world’s top fitness expert.

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How to Reduce Fat Fast

Burn Calories Today with the Stationary Bikes

There are many exercise equipments in the market today. Each has a different function and works out different body parts. But the ultimate goal is to achieve a certain heart rate, allow oxygen to run through your blood, and burn those calories away without straining yourself from the rigorous routine. This machine should be able to do this, while keep you going with the endless possibilities you can do with it. And you can do this with this piece of equipment – the stationary bike.

Unlike any other equipment you see in the gym, stationary bikes give you a complete body workout even within a matter of minutes. In spite of its immobility, you can definitely do some interesting routines with exercise bikes. You can increase your pace as you go along and decrease it whenever you’ve hit your mark. You can also multitask while doing your routine. You can choose to lift weights to complete your workout or watch TV if you have this in the comfort of your own home.

You can do a lot of routines with stationary bikes. The latest of all exercise routines that makes use of exercise bikes is a synchronized exercise that uses invigorating music and routines determined to pump the blood in your system. Some call it power cycling and some call it advance spinning classes. These exercises are becoming more and more popular for people who wanted to loose weight. It is a guaranteed way to loose those extra pounds because of its rigorous routines with the help of these powerful yet compact machines.

If you’re looking for a great routine that will surely keep those pounds away, then you might need good equipment that will help you achieve just that. Stationary bikes will help you loose the weight by improving your blood circulation and increase the oxygen intake of your body. When used regularly, it would hasten your metabolism and keep you from getting sluggish. Stationary bikes will also help you tone your body aside from giving you a good cardiovascular workout that is sure to burn those calories.

To start burning calories, you can begin with a simple 20-minute routine daily. Once you get the hang of this, you can proceed to different levels. You can do weights to tone your upper body. You can also increase your pace as you go along. Bottom line is you need to make that first step and make use of stationary bikes as a means to earn that hour glass figure.

Making a commitment to live a healthier lifestyle includes making a commitment to starting a fitness workout. Stationary bikes will help get you started with that. Begin now and reap the results.

Find more info about this subject, recumbent stationary bikes, by visiting our website that is about recumbent exercise bike.

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Burn Calories Today with the Stationary Bikes

Imperative Tips for Buying a Massage Chair

We have put together some helpful tips on researching and finding the best massage chair for your needs. There are so many choices and many features to choose from. Many massage recliners have advanced technology and state of the art luxury. You have to find out what features can best benefit you and other users of the chair. Here are some things to consider is your search.

Research Massage Chairs: The internet allows you to research massage chairs fairly quickly and conveniently. Check out the main manufacturers or brands. There are many resellers, but few actual manufacturers. Find the few top brands that are of interest to you and then go to the manufacturer website or call them. Most manufacturers do not sell direct, but they will answer your questions. Request literature and the find specifications and features list, etc. Call some of the retailers or internet retailers and ask them their opinions. Ask your friends or any you know who has a massage chair.

Buy for the Long Term Solution: Are you looking to get into a massage chair to relieve one symptom over a short time period. Maybe you want a entry level massage chair that is simple to use and lower price. Or are you looking for a longer-term solution where you expect long term performance and many advantageous features. Lower end massage chairs have short warranties and are built with lower quality components. Higher end massage chairs have longer warranties, more features and are built with higher quality components.

Massage Therapies: Massage recliners offer a tremendous variety of effective massage therapies. You can find chairs with shiatsu, Swedish, deep tissue, sports, Hawaiian and more. It helps to know a little about the more important techniques like shiatsu, Swedish and deep tissue. Each therapy has a particular focus. Also, manual massage techniques include kneading, chopping, percussion, tapping, finger press and others. It is good to try different chairs because the same massage technique may be interpreted differently.

Upholstery Material: Massage chairs come in leather, synthetic leather and faux suede. There are advantages and disadvantages to each material. Leather is very wear resistant, but requires more maintenance and cannot be used with heating elements. Synthetic leather or PVC leather has improved dramatically with many materials softer, wear resistant and easy to clean. Faux suede enables many fashionable colors to be used, but may be more problematic to keep clean.

Using the Chair Properly: To get the most out of you massage recliner and your investment: it is important to use the chair properly. Understand the main functions on the remote control. When you first sit in the chair, get comfortable. Recline the chair to what is right for you. The further you recline the stronger the massage. Raise the footrest either horizontal or so that your legs are bent Ⱥ degrees. Adjust the head pillow so it supports your head or just push it behind the chair. Once you are comfortable, then you should start the massage.

Whatever perspective you are coming from, find out what benefits you want from a massage recliner. They provide numerous therapies or you can target a particular ailment. Find the best chair for your needs over aŃ to 5 year period. That way, you will have many therapies to choose from for many years to come. Think about how your needs may change through time and find one right for you.

Get useful tips, advice and guidance from our Massage Chair Buyer’s Guide to discover the perfect massage recliner for your needs. Browse our articles, product reviews and Buyer’s Guides to assist you.

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Imperative Tips for Buying a Massage Chair

Mini Trampoline Exercises: Why You Should be Doing Them

As the population ages, people tend to gain a few pounds, especially around the belly, and nowadays with all the junk food and other processed foods we eat, people have never been so overweight. Thankfully, the mini trampoline can help you lose weight and get you fit and trim.

It can help anyone who uses it regularly. You’ll see how below. For starters, its size is perfect for storing it away, especially when your home is not big. It can even go under the bed. Unfortunately for other bulky equipment, they are quite difficult and challenging to put away. Many people continue using this apparatus because it is easy and fun to use. The fact that it is quite inexpensive is also a bonus.

Many studies have shown that bouncing on a mini trampoline is probably the best exercise available. You will be more energized without having to withstand various outdoor temperatures and other weather conditions that can pose a potential threat to your health.

People who use the mini trampoline claim to feel energized and revitalized. Clinical studies report that it is most likely the best type of exercise anyone can do. It is safe and keeps you out of harm’s way when it comes to jogging in undesirable weather conditions.

Another more important point is that rebounding can save you from damaging your joints which comes with jogging on asphalt or cement.

Plus, bouncing in this way detoxifies the body as the organs experience stimulation. This results in a healthier immune system because the toxins can be more easily removed by the body. In conjunction with a better diet that includes more vegetables and fruits, it will get you looking and feeling better in less time than with other exercise equipment.

Mini trampolines are a great way to exercise the entire body. All it takes is 15 minutes a day to lose weight and feel great.. Have fun working out – get a mini trampoline.

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Mini Trampoline Exercises: Why You Should be Doing Them

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