Lifting and Running - Which to Do First?

The dual nature of weight lifting with cardio exercises as a fitness regimen is where I have experienced the most success when it comes to losing body fat.

My lean body mass that I have built up definitely comes through and I am looking pretty good because of the fact that I have been doing muscle building and fat burning at the same time.

A lot of folks want to know if cardio should be done before they lift weights at the gym or after. Let's look at what the benefits are for each of these approaches and I will tell you just what I feel is going to work the best.

With regard to getting the cardio done after lifting weights, these are some reasons why people like to use this approach. First of all, whenever their body happens to be feeling the most vulnerable, it lets them call it a day.

White it is true that weight lifting is going to zap some of your energy, doing something like running will use way more of that energy. Also, you will burn calories by lifting weights, but when you run, more energy is required.

This is the reason that lots of people like to lift the weights first prior to doing the running at the end of the workout. They also are able to make use of all the strength that they can exert while weight lifting.

Moving to the other side of things, getting the exercise done before the strength training also has advantages to it. They say that whenever you do this, your heart rate gets going the whole time you are working out, which means your body is going to be challenged more and you will burn way more calories when you are lifting weights. You should consider this particular strategy if your body is ready for that challenge.

I really like to do a combination of the two, where the tolerance is definitely needed for a challenge. While lifting weights, every so often you should get short bursts of running in. That way, you are going to get the best results.

Todd Grummans is an experienced author with a resume that boasts many areas of interest, including sugar glider cages. He contributes regular articles to http://sugarglidercages.net.

Favorite breed

I got 10 tea samples of different breeds to study: 1Yutakamidori, 2Saemidori, 3Asatsuyu, 4Asanoka, 5Yabukita, 6Koshunn, 7Benifuki, 8Shizu7132, 9Kanayamidori, 10Okumidori. Comparing the different samples at the same will make it easier to find the differences.  However, 10 samples were kind of too many for me.  I got confused after tasting several kinds.  I think I need more experience on this, hahaha.  Anyway, it was very interesting.  Some teas have a distinctive aroma, and some teas are very mild.  I was kind of surprised to find out that Yabukita has relatively strong bitterness among the ten.  My favorite one is Asatsuyu.  I simply find it tasty.  The most significant character of this tea is umami.  You find it right after you sip the tea and it beautifully lasts to the end.  The umami merges with other flavors and creates a rich body in the taste.  You can enjoy the umami changing into milder sweetness during the aftertaste.  This tea has more bitterness than Yutakamidori and Saemidori, but it’s not sharp at all, so I can still consider it mild.  In the tasting, I used boiling water, so I prepared it again with lower temperature (leaf:2g, water:30ml/1oz, 65C/149F, 1min).  Using this method, I found out that it has a nutty sweet aroma.  The aroma will get me to have a good expectation.  With the first sip, I was sure that my assumption was correct.  The rich umami pleased me.  But, I feel something missing in the taste, so I still need to experiment for a better mixture.  Anyway, I like Asatuyu.  You try it and let me know your preference.  

View the original article here

Frontier Co-op – A Leader In Sustainability

Today's post is the second post inspired by my visit to Mariposa Food Co-op in West Philadelphia. In the first post, I wrote about the tea bag selection in the co-op. This post focuses the company that provides the loose-leaf teas and bulk herbs in the same store: Frontier Co-op:
This station doubles as a showcase or display for the herbs and tea, and a self-serve station where people can fill their own bags of herbs. Although the jars are glass jars, which are not ideal because they allow for some break-down of the herbs with light, the display was located in a dark back corner of the store, minimizing the negative effects of the light.

Pictured here are the implements for filling bags, which include scoops and funnels:

Self-serve setups like this are relatively common in natural food stores and co-ops across the country. There is a lot that I like about these sort of self-serve displays. In particular: These displays can offer a large selection of herbs and/or tea while taking up minimal space. The space taken up by the display is smaller than that taken up by many supermarkets' packaged tea bag selections.The small size of the jars allows for high turnover of the jars' contents, ensuring freshness.The self-service station keeps costs down, enabling customers to purchase tea and herbs for a reasonable price, while the store can still make a comfortable profit, without needing to expend employee time for measuring and serving herbs.Allowing people to measure out their own herbs and tea enables people to buy the exact quantity they want. This is convenient both for very small sizes (such as for sampling loose-leaf tea, or buying infrequently-used spices) or very large sizes (such as for someone like me, who goes through ground coriander faster than most households use salt or sugar). Most supermarkets offer only fixed sizes of herbs and spices, which are often either too small or too large for people's needs.
What I like about Frontier Co-Op:

First, before I go into depth about what I like about Co-op, I want to point out that the company not only sells loose-leaf tea and bulk herbs in stores, but also through their website:

Some of the things I like most about Frontier Co-op: Frontier is organized as a cooperative, wholly owned by its wholesale customers, many of which are in turn cooperatives, like Mariposa co-op, owned by individual people. The co-op model has a number of compelling advantages over other models of ownership; the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) has a website that explains this model of business ownership in depth.Through its displays in retail stores, Frontier makes a wide selection of herbs available that are not widely available in stores in the U.S., and it also sells loose-leaf orthodox teas of decent quality, which, unfortunately do not tend to be widely available in the U.S. either.Frontier Co-op is strongly committed to sustainability, and is a definitive leader in this area, going above and beyond even what many of the more environmentally- and ethically-conscious tea companies are doing. There is so much that this organization is doing to promote sustainability that it is not possible to cover it all here; if you want to read more, I'd invite you to read the sustainability section on Frontier's site. Frontier publishes an annual sustainability report, and has a tangible pathway towards achieving certain goals, with measurable milestones. They also have a great deal more transparency than is the norm in the tea industry. Perhaps some other tea companies can get some good ideas and inspiration in here!The quality of the bulk herbs is top-notch, and the teas are not bad. Although Frontier unfortunately does not sell what I would consider to be true artisan tea (single-harvest, single-estate teas), they sell a number of single-region orthodox teas of reasonable quality. And their prices are much lower than the prices on similar teas. The low prices, including on products that are both organic and fair trade certified, sold from a company that has gone above and beyond in the area of sustainability, provide proof that tea companies can deliver sustainably-sourced products at low cost. I have tried a few of Frontier's teas, and while they did not wow me as being otherworldly, they were solidly good. You can find reviews of the few teas I've sampled on RateTea's page on Frontier.
I hope that individuals reading this post can have the opportunity to try out Frontier Co-op's herbs, spices, and teas, if they have not already done so. And I hope that people working within the tea industry can look into the various things Frontier is doing to promote sustainability, and can get some good ideas and inspiration. I am hopeful that relatively soon, many of the practices that Frontier is spearheading will become the norm.

What do you think?

Have you tried the teas from Frontier Co-op? How about their herbs and spices? And what do you think about what they are doing to promote sustainability? What do you think of the co-operative model in general? And, for those who work within the tea industry, do you have any plans to implement any of the practices that Frontier has been engaging in in terms of sustainable sourcing, operations, or transparency?

View the original article here

Tea Brick Identification Help: 2008 Sheng Pu-erh?

One of my friends was moving and giving away a bunch of stuff, and gave me a brick of compressed tea. Can anyone help me with identifying it? I see the characters for Sheng Pu-erh tea (????), and I see 2008, so I assume this is some 2008 Sheng Pu-erh. If anyone could verify this and provide me with any other interesting or useful info, I'd be very grateful:

The front of the brick:

And the back:
Thanks in advance!

View the original article here

Tea in Korea

Generally speaking, I don’t drink much green teas because I find them to be relatively one dimensional. Although it was the type of tea that got me started drinking seriously, I now consume less than 100g of green tea every year. That’s one big reason why I rarely drink Korean teas – they are, by and large, green teas. While the ones I’ve had are generally pretty decent, I just don’t have the room or the inclination to drink them with any regularity, so much so that a can of tea I bought two years ago from a Korean farmer still sits in my tea cupboard, unopened. It’s a shame, really, but I have too much tea to drink, so my experience with Korean teas is limited.

Since I was going to Korea though, there was no reason not to drink some local tea. My previous experiences in Korea is that, for the most part, there’s no tea in the country. Even at restaurants, the most you’re ever going to see are some bad teabags. This time I was pleasantly surprised that the quality of teabags in the country has improved – they are no longer the scum of the earth type of tea that I experienced ten years ago. It also helped that I brought my own tea, so I wasn’t very desperate for caffeine. It is rather telling though that at a place like Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, they only had three types of non-flavoured, non-tisane teas, versus maybe a dozen or more that you’d expect when you’re in California. The local taste is really for coffee, and flavoured teas.

Since this was a family oriented trip, I didn’t have much time to spend trolling teashops. I did find enough time to go visit Insadong, which is a touristy area that sells a lot of cultural goods – paper, ceramics, arts and craft things, and among them, some teashops. The last time I was in this area was over 10 years ago, but not much has changed – I still recognize a lot of the shops that I went by last time, which, in and of itself, is pretty incredible. Some, such as one that sold puerh back in the day, is still selling puerh now. The prices, however, are extravagant.

In fact, tea in general seems pretty expensive in Korea, for reasons I don’t understand. Perhaps it is the tariffs that kills it (if I’m reading correct, tariff for green tea is 500%). Either way, we’re talking about some pretty expensive teas here, with a relatively limited selection of greens that are differentiated primarily, for the untrained eyes anyway, by the youthfulness of the buds. I didn’t hold out much hope for anything too fascinating.

While walking around Insadong, however, MadameN and I ran into a rather large shop that I don’t remember from my last visit. The store is called O’sulloc, which, upon googling it after returning, seems like a big tea producer in Korea. Mattcha, who has been writing about Korean teas for years now, says they used to sell to the Western market, but no more. We went to the third story of the teahouse, avoiding the large crowds at the second floor who were voraciously devouring shaved ice. It was rather quiet up there, and dark, with prices to match the surroundings. Looking at the menu in the dimly lit environment, I tried to pick out what looked the most interesting – we had two teas in the end, the Unhyang and the Samdayon.

After a “cleaning” cup of green tea, we each got served our own tray of tea.

Lighting is bad in there, so bear with the bad pictures. This is a picture of the Samdayon, although I couldn’t quite tell the true colour of the tea itself, because the interior of both the pot and the cup are reddish in nature, which obscures the colour. The taste of the tea though is very interesting – it is a taste that I don’t think I’ve ever had before. The “post-fermentation”, whatever it is, did something to the tea, and there is also a scent that is probably from the cedar that they stored the tea in. The leaves used for this tea is some kind of sejak base – very small, fine buds. The colour of the leaves is a reddish one – looks a little like a good Oriental Beauty. This is an odd one.

In comparison, the Unhyang is less exciting, tasting more or less like a highly oxidized roasted oolong. The problem common to both teas, really, was the relatively low amounts of tea they used in the pot. I think we each got maybe 3g of tea in the pot, which really was nothing, and was not sufficient to get a good sense of the tea itself. The water used was also lower in temperature to start off with. I think both of these teas, because of their processing, can stand higher temperature and probably would be much more interesting brewed stronger, but alas, that wasn’t the case. At the prices they want for a mere 30g of tea, I find it hard to fork out that much for something that was only decent. A nice curiosity tea, perhaps, but not one I’d go for with any regularity.

There were some other shops that looked promising, at least, but we neither had the time, nor the energy to go through them. I didn’t really get a chance to shop again either, so this trip’s tea activities were relatively limited This is inherently the problem of trying to tea shop in a place you’re not too familiar. The shops that you end up at tend to be in the more touristy areas. You have very little time, and very little information on which shop is good and which one isn’t. You have a limited amount of energy and stomach to try a lot of teas. You are, sometimes, constrained by language barriers. If I had a few months in Seoul, I’m sure I could do better and find more local shops that might have interesting things for less money, but I don’t. At least I’ve spent a fair amount of time shopping for tea in other places, but even then I had trouble getting good tea within half a day.

Now imagine if you ask a friend of yours, going to China for the very first time, to buy you some nice tea while you’re there, preferably some yancha or puerh…. you can imagine what will happen then. Which is why I always tell people don’t ask your friend to buy tea for you unless they know the area really well and they also know tea really well. Otherwise, you’re quite likely to end up with duds that disappoint.

View the original article here

Lifting Weights The Safer Way

Lifting weights, whether you do it for fun, to train for sports or for competition, can cause serious injury or even death. Weight lifting is just some routines that can make people physically fit and healthy. But are we doing this the proper way to avoid accidents and injuries? We must also put to consideration that weight lifting can also be dangerous if we do it in an improper way.

Me, myself have tried weight lifting before since I believed that it can help in weight loss. I envy those people who have such huge muscles and physically fit bodies and I begin to think when I will become one of them. Injuries in weight lifting activities are common to some unprofessional and first timers in the field, like me. In weightlifting, the most injured areas are the lower back, shoulders and knees. And some common injuries are sprains, fractures, dislocation, or it can even result to nerve damage. That is why it is very important to know the proper training techniques in order to prevent these awful injuries.

Weight lifting or training does look so easy, but if you do not take proper weight training technique into account, you might end up injuring yourself and doing more harm than good. Learn the right way and the wrong way to lift weights. Watching those people in the gym lifting weights cannot help you with the proper techniques of weight training. The best is to join a proper training program for weight training or even consult a weight training specialist in order to have a proper weight training activities.

We must always put in mind that "safety" is a comparative term because maybe what you think is dangerous for you is not at all dangerous to those who are experienced in the field. A good instructor can help you learn how to do the exercise properly. With must follow the simple rules of the instructor or the weight training masters in order to prevent injuries caused by improper ways of lifting weights. You need to consider which exercises you will use, how often you will do each exercise, what weight you will start with and when you will increase this weight because some people starts the program on the time that they think they are ready like in the age of maturity. By following these simple guidelines and rules preventing injuries is at hand.

The author, Giovannie Lumapguid, used to be involved in weight lifting trainings before but only for a short period of time. He is now writing short articles and working on some website on Scaffold Ladders [http://www.scaffoldladders.net/] which helps consumers choose the right scaffold planks [http://scaffoldladders.net/scaffold-planks/].

Schwarzenegger Got Places by Lifting Things, Why Can't You?

Mr. Universe was nothing for big Arnie, after being crowned the bulkiest man in the world he then scored many skull-bashing, action and comedy gigs in dozens of Hollywood movies as both hero and villain in various roles. With the word 'Schwarzenegger' adopting itself into modern day folklore, an eponymous weight-lifting exercise and the man himself becoming glorified as a cultural zeitgeist you would have thought that these achievements would have been enough for any man in one singular lifetime. But no, he kept on going and succeeding to win the illustrious political position of California Governor.

How did he achieve all of this!? Bernard Black is one man who aptly summarizes his achievements... Arnold achieved so much... by lifting things. Yes, by lifting things. It really is madness, and to get to his size is undeniably unachievable for any average Joe getting stuck into weight-lifting. Arnie even has his own personal trainers attend to him on movie sets and work him through an exercise routine so he would be uber-buff before shooting! Unfortunately, in the real world though, none of us can have the luxury of our own personal trainer to attend to us 24/7, nor do we have the luxury of all the time in the world.

The time that we do have available to us however, we can exercise. But even so, we do not want to be devoting all of our free time in the world to exercising. No-one does... Except the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger of course, and maybe Stallone... But carrying on, there are ways that you can incorporate weight lifting into your lifestyle that is time efficient. Weight lifting is healthy because not only does it increase the strength and resilience of your muscle groups, but it can also increase your bone density. Truth be told, there are a million different weight-lifting- exercise combinations so it can be pretty hard to actually sit back and ascertain which method best suits your exercise patterns.

Oh wait... What...? The answer is right in front of you!?

Yes. You don't have to be lifting hundreds of kilos of deadweight in order to improve on your muscle mass or your bone density. It's simply about incorporating weight sessions into your existing routine. Start with a set of strap on weights or handheld dumbbells and infuse these with your cardio workouts. If it's solely strength you're looking to build and you don't have time for a gym, use some household items. Have you ever heard of the backpack pushup? This little trick works marvels for improving muscle bulk and all you need to do it is find a decent amount of evenly districted weight, for example a 4 litre water bottle and throw this into your normal pushup routine. It's dead simple, and any personal trainer will agree.

http://www.meetyourpersonaltrainer.com.au

Strengthen Yourself With Strength Training Exercises

What do you feel when you see an old man walking with the support of a stick? What thoughts run through your mind when you see a lady moving in a wheel chair, due to weak bones? Would you like to live a similar life when you get old? No, as no one desires a handicapped life. Everyone wants to stay active and mobile till their last breath. Exercising regularly will help you do that. And strength training is an optimal way to keep you moving as it helps in building lean muscle mass. Well toned muscles can help in all your daily activities, whether it's carrying groceries, climbing stairs or doing the laundry.

Strength training involves adding resistance to the muscle groups as you workout. Through strength training you will not only gain lean muscle mass, but you will, as a result of building muscle, burn fat more effectively. Anyone, old or young, male or female who wants more strength and endurance, can benefit. Strength training can help prevent osteoporosis and build muscle even in elderly people. This is important since, as people get older, they tend to lose muscle mass and tone. Even people in their 80's and 90's can greatly increase strength through weight training. Another benefit of weight training is that well toned and larger muscles burn more calories even when you are doing absolutely nothing. So a regular weight lifting program can help you lose fat and control blood glucose levels in the long run, both during and in between workouts. It may also help reduce the risk of heart disease.

There are several approaches to weight training. It can be as simple as lifting a small set of hand weights in your living room. Or you may want to join a gym or health club where you will have access to a whole array of weight machines and exercise equipment. Most weight training programs involve sets of weight lifting exercises. Each set consists of a series of repetitions. When you first practice, start with one set each session. Gradually work your way up to three to six sets each session. Take a rest for a few minutes between each set of repetitions. As you become stronger you will find that you can lift more weight.

Discuss with your doctor before starting any weight lifting routine, as in some people, lifting weights can increase the risk of worsening diabetes or cardiovascular complication if not done the right way. Always do some sort of aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging or jumping rope for 5-10 minutes to warm up before lifting weights. Do not forget to cool down after strength training session. Always allow at least a day's rest between workout sessions or alternate upper body training one day, with lower body training the next.

Exercising with a trainer would be beneficial as he/she can help you if something goes wrong. Strength training is an essential element of fitness for virtually every sportsman and sportswoman. So start with strengthening exercises to get sportive in your life!

Get tips, recipes and products related to exercise and fitness, at Healthizen.com.

Stretching and Warming Up Are Important Before Exercise For Ideal Fitness

Are you a person who does not realize the consequences of failing to warm up before each time you exercise? If you are involved in any kind of physical exercise, it is imperative that you warm up before starting any strenuous physical activity.

This is ever more important if you are over 40 years and have not been involved with physical exercise on a regular basis. Going out in the yard or garden to work on a weekend when you are not doing it daily, can lead to not only sore muscles and joints but even serious injury. As you get older your heart becomes weaker, your joints have less fluid and are less flexible and you tendons and muscles are less supple.

Why warm up? When you warm up, you should start out gradually increasing the level of activity and physical stress which increases the blood flow, oxygen and nutrient supply to your heart and muscles.

Your warm up increases mental alertness and awareness, loosens joints and increases joint fluid, and loosens muscles, minimizing wear and tear on muscles and joints. It also allows for increase in the blood flow to your heart preparing for its needed increased activity.

How can you warm up to gain these benefits? You can jog,run,walk briskly, use a rowing machine or cycle or use one of elliptical or similar stepping/walking machines. Initially, it can be done using any activity that enables the heart to beat faster.

One can simply walk or jog or if cardiovascular equipment is available, such as a rowing machine or a bicycle, these can be utilized.Start Start slowly at a gentle pace allowing the heart rate and body temperature to slowly increase. Your pace should be increased slowly depending upon your current level of physical fitness. If you do this you will feel energized and not exhausted.

After warming up for 3-5 minutes, (working up a light sweat,longer if the person is working out in a cold environment), you should stretch your whole body which will increase flexibility especially in the spine, shoulders and hips. The type and degree of stretching is determined by the kind of activity you plan to engage in.

For instance, if one is about to play sports, the recommended kinds of stretching would be the ones that reproduce the same activities and movements you plan to engage in. Each stretch of a tendon or muscle group should last at least 8 seconds. The stretching should be done only after and initial period of warming up. Stretching is a steady process, not one of bouncing which can lead to muscle tears or strain.

If you are a weight-lifter, this stretching should be done only after your weight lifting warm up. Start out lifting 50% of your planned maximum weight for the session doing the planned number of repetitions. Then go to 70% and then 90%. Rest 30 seconds and repeat the process to finish you warm up. Now proceed to stretching.

After this warm up and stretching, you can go on to your planned heavy lifting for the day.

A cool down procedure similar to your warm up, is as important as your warm up to allow the heart and skeletal muscles to cool down and get rid of accumulated waste products from you vigorous exercise such as weight lifting. After warming up and proceeding to the main workout, it is equally important to cool down.

When a person suddenly stops exercising or lifting weights, blood gathers in the muscle and oxygen is blocked. When this happens, a person runs the risk of having a heart attack. So cooling down should have the same importance as warming up.

For your good health, be sure to follow these guidelines and precautions to maximize your work out without injury.

Gorden McMurry, (Gorden the Trainer) works to help people look better, feel better and enjoy long and healthy lives. At over 70 years of age he is in excellent health personally maintains a full time work schedule. He still enjoys skiing advanced slopes in the Rockies as well as over 5 hours per week of vigorous physical work outs. For a training program to help you maintain your best health and fitness possible, follow the link below:

[http://www.ideal-fitness.org]

The Guidelines For Weight Loss and Losing Belly Fat - The 5 Tips For Losing Belly Fat

The best way to lose belly fat; if you need to lose weight and trim your belly, subsequently adhere to these guidelines. You need to note that "spot reduction", that is reduction of fat from one body part, is not possible. Thus learning the way to lose belly fat is certainly understanding how to lose weight, as the best way to lose belly fat is to reduce your entire fat content. Regardless if you are really obese, or if you have a stubborn coating of fat still left to change before you display a set of 6-pack abs, these guidelines should resolve your problems.

Just before I proceed, make sure you observe that performing numerous abdominal training methods daily does not help to reduce fat. Ab crunches and sit ups only, though rigorous on the belly, will not shift fat - and building larger abdominals might make your belly look bigger if it is still covered in a coating of fat.

What makes me focus on belly fat? A couple of reasons - to display off your abs, and also to be healthy. Advanced idea regarding weight issues is that basically measuring body mass index will not give a good signal of health. Size of waistline circumference is a much better measure of health. Also a little bit of fats carried in the belly region is harmful.

The 5 Guidelines of Weight Loss and losing Belly Fat:

1. Keep Fit with Exercising:

The most crucial change you have to make in order to lose your belly fat and obtain a flat tummy is to begin exercising. However just running a few miles twice weekly, or perhaps playing some tennis at the weekend, will never change stubborn belly fat. The most effective way to lose weight is a mix of rigorous interval training and resistance training, preferably in the form of compound weight lifting.

You don't require to join a gym to begin getting healthy, as you can provide yourself with home workout routines and as well as weight lifting routines. Nonetheless, for motivation and assistance, becoming a member of a gym might help.

Among the best ways to obtain some intensive interval training is in a martial arts class. Kickboxing, karate, judo, etc - these are all great options. Additionally, new favorite techniques consist of spinning, kick-box exercise as well as more traditional step aerobic exercise. You should be working in the fat burning zone, so invest in a heart rate monitor, plus learn how to use it.

With regard to weight lifting, one of the super star exercises shall be perfect. Most people advocate either carrying out a exercise much like Matt Damon or perhaps Daniel Craig, if you would like to develop some amazing muscles, or for a slimmer look, stick to the Brad Pitt exercise routine. These focus on compound weight lifting workouts, which are designed to burn off fat and develop muscle. In the event that those don't tickle your fancy there are a growing choice of guidance and reports to assist you.

Make sure you aim to perform a couple of rigorous weight lifting sessions and two intensive circuit training sessions every week. Always plan a good time to rest at the weekend, and also have a day of "active rest", meaning average gentle exercise, such as golf, swimming or strolling on the other day.

2. Sugar, Saturated Fat and Belly Fat:

Lose the Belly Fat. The most important guideline for losing belly fat is to stop eating unhealthy foods or junk foods. Even though, some nutritionists say that unhealthy foods could be eaten sparingly, many times, it results in excess with little effort. Never take the risk. From today, about junk food in all forms, shouldn't be allowed into your house. Therefore no more takeaways, no more double whoppers with cheese, no more cookies, candy, snack, soda pop or other sugar stuffed treats. Additionally it is crucial to reduce processed meat - hence say no to hot dogs, sausages, salami as well as other forms of processed meats. All these meats are high in saturated fats.

3. Eat The Right Carbs:

Please be advised that, not all sweets are equivalent. Processed flours and the foods they generate, like white bread, pasta, donuts, cakes and cookies must be avoided. They could cause bloating, poor digestion, and result in build up of fat. "Good carbs", like fresh fruits and veggies, should be consumed instead. A diet which takes most of its carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits, in contrast to flours, is much healthier. Gradual release of carbohydrates are also advantageous, for example oats, brown rice, some pulses and sweet potato.

Essentially, granary or wholemeal bread needs to be eaten rather than white bread, and biscuits and cakes must be avoided. Eating a lot of carbs can raise your insulin level, which could decrease your metabolic rate. Your body cannot metabolize a lot of carbohydrate at once since the body does not require a lot energy at once. The surplus sugars will simply turn into belly fat.

Much studies have proven that adopting the low carb Nutritional Strategy, i.e. a high fat/protein diet, is the way forward. Keeping away from carbs, increases fat burning metabolism that helps to cut back belly fat.

4. Excessive Eating

Don't overeat food in the evening. Usually people eat out of boredom, frustration or stress. While at home, uncontrolled eating is extremely easy to do. The primary problem with uncontrolled eating in the evening is that there's very little activity carried out later on. Sleeping straight after eating causes high sugar levels in the blood stream and simply no energy is spent after that. Consequently the surplus sugar turns into fat. Hence, avoid an uncontrolled eating or binge.

Likewise, attempt to eat your final meal about 2-3 hours prior to your bed time. Should you be starving during late nights, eat a little meal instead of overeating.

5. Drink Less Alcohol:

Reduce alcohol usage, or better still, quit drinking completely. There is a valid reason why a beer belly is known as beer belly.The two reasons to stop alcohol consumption. First of all, alcohol drinks contain lots of calories, particularly those which are sweetened. Beer is stacked with carbs. Should you be in the routine of getting some drinks in the evening, these calories really accumulate, plus the fat is usually built up around the waistline.

And the second reason is a metabolic one. While you consume alcohol, your body prevents burning fat and sugars when using the alcohol for energy. Alcoholic beverages is a source of energy. Therefore if you spend an evening drinking, you'll not be in a state off lipolysis (fat burning) or glucosis (sugar/carbohydrate burning) and any food eaten shall be stored as fat. Only once all the alcohol has been utilized, will you begin to burn fat once more.

Losing belly fat and getting a flat tummy is a long term objective for many people, therefore persevere, follow the strategy and don't quit. Besides these tips, look to improve your health and fitness training by using certain routines and schedules. Arranging your weekly routine makes it easier for you to stick to your plan. Before long it'll become 2nd nature for you to get out and workout. If you do not have to think about what you will do, then that saves time. In the beginning maintain a diary, write up your own training goals and progress in an workout log, and simply do it.

For more information on how to lose weight and belly fat, Click Here or visit this site: http://sixpackstomachs.com.

Top 7 Mistakes When Losing Weight

Many people seem to struggle with weight loss and I don't blame them because 1) losing weight is not easy and 2) there are many misconceptions out there when it comes to the topic. This article will discuss the top 7 mistakes that people make when they get started on the weight loss process. Here is the list:

Mistake #1: No Calorie Deficit

Most people who start exercising will definitely create a calorie deficit just by exercising alone. This means that they didn't change anything in their diet. But, once their bodies get used to the additional activity, they stop losing weight. This is the situation called fat loss plateau. What do you do when you reach a plateau?

The fix: Reduce the amount of calories that you eat. Figure out how many calories you're already eating and adjust it so that you will have at least a 15% calorie deficit.This is explained more after I discuss mistake #2.

Mistake #2: Starving Yourself

The opposite of mistake #1, a lot of people tend to reduce their calorie intake by way too much to the point that they don't have energy for their workouts and/or their body cannot function well. We've all heard that we can survive on a 1200 calorie diet and still be fine but most people tend to start with this number.

The fix: A better number to start with would be about 15% under your calorie maintenance. For instance, if you need to eat 2000 calories in order to maintain your current weight then, you can reduce this down to 1700 calories in order to lose weight. After you've reached a plateau while eating these many calories, you can then reduce it by 20%, 25% and all the way down to 30%. Reducing your calories by more than 30% is not beneficial to your weight loss and is not necessary.

Mistake #3: Too Much Cardio

Have you ever heard the term "Cardio King or Queen"? These are the people who seem to hog the treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes at the gym but you will never find them in the free weights section. Most of these people are probably skinny with no muscle tone on them or probably look the same year in and year out. Many people tend to think that they can just melt their fat off by running which is a complete myth. When people run, they usually run at a low intensity for longer periods of time so they don't burn much calories. They usually only burn calories while they are running. They will not burn any calories outside the gym.

The fix: Perform high intensity interval training (HIIT) by warming up with a light jog. Then, perform sprints for 20 seconds followed by active rest (light jog) for 40 seconds. Repeat the sprints and active rest intervals for 6-8 times and then cool down. You can increase your sprinting time as you get better at doing them. But, before you do your cardio, read mistake #4 first.

Mistake #4: Not Enough Weight Lifting

This mistake is similar to mistake #3 but also different. There are also people who prioritize cardio over strength training. People who don't do enough weight lifting usually hang out by the weight machines for a few minutes and then head over to the cardio machines for an hour. The amount of weight they lifted would simply not show long term, visible changes on their body because it is just not enough.

The Fix: Focus on lifting heavier free weights for at least 30 minutes before you perform your HIIT. Some of the best exercises for weight loss are push ups, chin ups, pull ups, squats, lunges, planks, side planks, military press, bench press etc. These exercises all have one thing in common: you are using multiple joints at the same time when you do them so that you will burn more calories in less time.

Mistake #5: Diet Mentality

I've seen this mistake so many times that I just have to include it. I like diets because they teach us how much to eat and what kinds of food to eat. But, what a lot of people tend to do is they follow the diet for a certain period of time. After the diet is "over," they tend to go back to their old ways which makes them gain the weight back and leads to yo-yo dieting.

The fix: Find a good diet to follow and incorporate all the things that you learned in your daily life for the long run. Never think of eating healthy as being on a "diet" again and you will see that you will keep your results (and probably lose more fat) more permanently.

#6 Focusing on weight

Many people tend to be dictated how they're day is going to be like by the number on the scale. We focus so much about losing pounds that we don't pay attention to the other progress that we have made.

The fix: There are many ways to assess your progress and here are some of them: take before and after pictures, measure yourself with a tape measure, have your body fat percentage taken, create a workout log and write down the weights that you use to see increases in strength, etc. As you can see, there are just the tangible assessments that we use but if you're consistent with your workouts and nutrition, you will feel sexier outside and healthier inside.

#7 Doing the same thing over and over again

Albert Einstein once said that, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." But, this is something that a lot of us tend to do. We do the same exercises and eat the same foods and/or the same amount of foods but we expect to lose weight. Once our bodies get used to our increased activity, it will be more efficient at doing those activities that we would need to trick it to get more results.

The fix: Change your workout program every four weeks and adjust your calories once you lose weight. Changing your workout means your body needs to adapt to the new movements so it has to work harder and burn more calories as a result. In terms of calories, your calorie requirement needs to be adjusted based on your current weight and not the weight that you started with.

There you have, the top 7 mistakes that fat loss newbies make when they're getting started. Follow the fixes for each mistake and you will no doubt see results in no time.

Anna Dornier is a certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor (RKC) and National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM CPT) who currently lives in Northern California in a city that sits several miles east of the San Francisco Bay. You may find similar fat loss articles pathtofatloss.com.

Weight Belts For Bodybuilding -An Ongoing Controversy

Bodybuilding is an exercise program that does much more for the body than just build up muscle and physique. Bodybuilding also strengthens the ligaments and tendons, the skeletal system, and burns more calories due to the increased metabolic rate of the body. Using weight belts for bodybuilding exercise workouts is quite common, but it is also a controversial practice. There are two opposing schools of thought amongst weightlifters and bodybuilders.

Those who advocate the use of weight belts for bodybuilding believe that a weight lifting belt will protect the lumbar portion of the spinal column. There are also many who categorically do not believe in the use of weight belts for bodybuilding. They think weight belts give individuals a false sense of security, and they cannot take the place of strong, functional core and trunk muscles.

Weight Lifting Belts - What Are They?

A weight belt is rigid and generally made from leather, but also can be made out of high-strength, durable nylon. A weight lifting belt is fastened around the bodybuilder's waist and secured in they same fashion as a normal belt. The part of the belt that crosses the small of the back is usually about six inches high.

The Pros Of Weight Belts For Bodybuilding

Bodybuilders who favour the use of a weight lifting belt during their bodybuilding workouts believe that the weight lifting belt will protect the lumbar portion of the spinal column from needless injury. They also believe that the thickness and width of the belt spanning the lower back can prevent injury to the all important back muscles.

Another benefit attributed to the weight lifting belts is that the stiffness of the belt acts as a reminder to the individual not to arch or bend their back when lifting. Bodybuilders who arch their back when lifting weights risk permanent damage to the spine. For power lifters undertaking maneuvers such as squats and clean and jerk, the added support of a weight belt provides extra protection for the small of the back.

The Cons of Weight Belts For Bodybuilding

Bodybuilders opposed to the use of weight belts for bodybuilding believe that a weight belt cannot take the place of a strong, fully functioning core of trunk muscles. Weight belts can give the individual a false sense of security and safety, allowing poor form to creep into their workouts. They further argue that wearing of the belt causes needless pressure on the abdomen, which can increase the bodybuilder's blood pressure.

They also believe that the use of a weight lifting belt is counterproductive in building up the muscles of the lower back. Dependence on belt can weaken the small of the back rather than allow for its strengthening, which is one of the major reasons for taking up weightlifting or bodybuilding. In a study of 50 male weightlifters done at Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY, researchers discovered that men not using weightlifting belts had more abdominal and back strength than the men who did use weight belts.

In conclusion, whether you believe weight belts for bodybuilding are beneficial or not, you should check with your physician before starting any program. Following your doctor's advice for your exercise and health safety is paramount, and always remember, no matter what your level of fitness, make sure you lift weights with caution.

Jean Littman is a health and fitness enthusiast and co-owner of BodyBuilderWeb.com which provides quality tools and resources on bodybuilding, gaining muscle and losing fat.

Weight Lifting Exercises For Your Calves - Exercise Your Calf Muscles With Weight Lifting Exercises

Calves, the muscles on the lower leg, require lots of attention for maintaining a perfect body structure. A body with thinner calves won't look nice and also can lead to joint pains. There are many weight lifting exercises, with and without machines, which help in developing strong calves. Most of the existing weight lifting exercises for multiple muscles help much in building calf muscles as well.

One can start out with traditional weight lifting exercises like quats, lunges and calves raises. These can be done without the support of any machines to develop calf muscles. There are some machines as well, which can help you in improving the calf muscles.

An isolated weight lifting exercise targeted on calf muscles is seated and standing calves raises. It is advisable to carry out this with the help of a machine. Calf raises weight workout exercises are extremely important, as these are the only kinds of trainings specifically targeted on calves and are in fact more than adequate to hit the calves.

o Seated weight training exercises - Keep feet on calf block with arch and heel extending widely off while the pads just up from knees. Raise the heel in a way that ankles are extended as high as possible. Keep it in this posture for few seconds before lowering back down. This exercise hits soleus muscles.

o Standing Posture - Keep the pads on shoulders and the feet on a calf block. Maintaining the arch and extending off, you slowly raise heel by widening ankle as high as possible. Keep it the body in this posture for few seconds before lowering down. This improves the gastrocnemius muscles.

It is very important to pay attention to these weight exercises. You can get some good advice from the experts in the fields. If you spend some time dedicated to the calves, you can achieve good calf muscles through the use of these weight lifting exercises.

The author has been writing articles online for over 4 years now. Not only does this author specialize in health, fitness and relationships you can also check out his latest websites on Treating Genital Warts [http://genitalwartsmale.com/treating-genital-warts] and Treatment For Warts [http://genitalwartsmale.com/treatment-for-warts]