January 2009

January 31, 2009

Exercise Induced Asthma - What You Need to Know

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Most sufferers of asthma have numerous triggers, whether they be allergens or physical activity. Sufferers of exercise induced asthma, however, only experience symptoms when they exercise. This condition is not dangerous but does cause the sufferer discomfort when they attempt physical activity. With proper treatment, this condition does not stop a person from engaging in physical activities like sports or running. Still, many people with exercise induced asthma will refrain from physical activity.

Asthma, as you may already know, is a condition in which the airways become constricted and the individual is unable to breathe properly. Other forms of asthma are triggered by certain allergens or environments as well as exercise. Exercise induced asthma, on the other hand, only occurs during or after exercise. Symptoms are especially likely to occur in cold and dry environments.

Though the exact cause is yet unknown, studies have suggested that it has something to do with the air not being properly warmed as it enters the lungs when a person breathes quickly and heavily. As this cooler air enters the airways, the bronchial tubes begin to swell and contract. This gives the individual a sensation similar to breathing through a straw. They are just not able to get enough air, especially considering the rigorous activity they are doing. Thus, during an exercise induced asthma attack, the sufferer will feel chest pain and even dizziness because they are gasping for oxygen.

Other symptoms of exercise induced asthma include coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, or extreme fatigue during exercise. In rare cases, an individual could experience exercise induced anaphylaxis, a potentially life threatening allergic reaction. If a person experiences this type of reaction, they should seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms of exercise induced anaphylaxis include extreme itchiness on the face, feeling anxious, heart palpitations, slurred speech, swelling of the throat, rapid or weak pulse, red or swelling skin, hives, swelling of the lips, eyelids, throat and tongue, cramps, or diarrhea.

Proper diagnosis of exercise induced asthma requires a number of tests by a pulmonologist. These include a pulmonary function test, bronchoprovocation test, and/or a chest x-ray. There are other tests available as well, but these are among the most common. A pulmonary function test measures how much the lungs can hold and how quickly it is exhaled. A bronchoprovocation test, on the other hand, actually induces a minor asthma attack with the use of medication. A chest x-ray can also be used to rule out any other conditions that might mirror asthma symptoms.

Exercise induced asthma, though it might seem as if it would inhibit a person’s ability to exercise, is actually very treatable. It has actually been shown that the ratio of Olympic athletes who have exercise induced asthma is greater than that of the rest of the population. These athletes manage their symptoms through the use of medication, usually in the form of inhalers, and often they choose sports that are more “compatible” with their condition. Swimming, for example, is an easier sport for people with exercise induced asthma than long distance running is. People who suffer from this condition should keep in mind that, with proper treatment, there is nothing they can’t do that an average person could.

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5 Ways to Lose Weight for Good  

Studies show that over half of the USA is overweight and that number continues to climb annually. Are you one of these people looking for a miracle weight loss cure? On any given day millions of people are starting a new diet, yet only a small percentage of them are successful at the initial weight loss, and an even smaller percentage of people are successful at long term weight loss. There are a lot of factors that can influence your success or failure in losing the initial weight and keeping it off.

The following 5 tips listed below are a road map to your success. Your weight loss and maintenance program should be no different than getting in your car and driving to a predetermined destination. You’ll get there just as you do driving a car down a road. If you stay on the road, your chances of reaching your destination are quite high. However, if you turn off of the predetermined route then your chances of successfully reaching your destination decrease dramatically.

Make a Strong, Personal Commitment to Yourself

Strong resolve is a “must”, not a “should”. Many people fail at weight loss because they deviate from their plans. They disregard the impact of even small deviations using self talk to “get out of it”. They tell themselves little white lies and end up being very self-convincing that their actions will not have a negative impact on their desired goals. These deviations from their plans quickly become new habits to not follow their weight loss plan.

Keep a Daily Journal

It’s essential to keep track of your progress and is a key motivator in your success. This means you’ll have to detail exactly what you’re eating and what you’re doing to burn calories to rid your body of excess fat. You’ll also need to record the times that you deviate from your plan (road map) and use both your successes and deviations to keep yourself on track to the body that you desire.

Keep Your Body Hydrated

Water is literally one of the keys to life and also an essential part of any dieters plan. Keeping your body hydrated properly allows it to expel unnecessary wastes including fat. You'll need to space this out throughout your day. Don’t try to play catch up. Make it a part of your plan and stick to it.

Exercise on a regular basis

This is an absolute in your overall plan to burn excess calories. All diets are primarily the same regardless of which one you choose to follow. You must burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight. Just make sure that you choose a diet high in protein in order to feed your muscles appropriately. If you don’t take in enough protein your body may burn muscle in addition to fat. You’ll want to devise a plan to keep as much muscle as possible since muscle literally keeps you strong and burns calories even in a resting state.

Talk To Your Doctor

All those warning about checking with your doctor before you begin a new diet or exercise program is excellent advice. Your doctor can help you determine what is right for your body and will help you devise a safe weight loss plan.

For more information on picking a diet and workout plan for yourself you can visit Acai Berry Weight Loss review or my Acai Berry information article.

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4 Best Weight Loss Tips – Only for People Anxious to Keep the Pounds Off

Author: Alan Chai

Because a diet success is defined as one in which the weight is still gone 12 months following the attainment of the goal, finding ways to ensure the best weight loss practices is an ongoing concern. Sometimes it takes several tries to actually lose the weight and reach the desired goals, but if you then go right back to ‘normal’ eating, you will soon find that the numbers on the scales have climbed again, sometimes higher than before the diet began. So, no matter how much weight you are trying to lose and how long it has taken to reach your goal, the diet will not be really successful unless your view of ‘normal’ eating changes to accommodate keeping the weight off.

Vigilance

If you do not pay attention to your personal best weight loss practices, it’s easy to slip into old habits as soon as you are out of the active phase of losing weight.  However, if you set a personal range for weight gain or loss, it is much easier to go right after any unwanted pounds fairly quickly.  You may want to keep a weight loss journal for a while so that you can see if there are certain weight gain and loss patterns that occur.  For example, a small weight gain during parts of a woman’s menstrual cycle is quite common and not something to be concerned about as far as a diet is concerned.

An eating plan–not a non eating plan

The best weight loss plan is one that determines the things that you can and should eat, rather than just describing all the foods that you must go without during the course of your diet.  There are hundreds and even thousands of healthy and delicious things to eat, even some which could be considered fattening if prepared in one way, but are quite acceptable if prepared in some other way.

How little Things Add Up

When you are following the best weight loss tips that are available, don’t forget to take the little things into consideration for optimum results.  Just a teaspoon of peanut butter licked off the knife while fixing lunches or that handful of potato chips downed while watching the sports event on television can wreak havoc with a weight control plan.  Stay on top of those little cheating spells and you won't have to correct a major weight gain in the future.

Forgive Yourself

When you are following a solid and effective plan to lose weight and you fall off the wagon, so to speak, it is important that you don’t feel so badly about the slip up that you lost all the benefits you have gained.  In fact, giving yourself a reward day or reward meal occasionally is a good way to help you learn to control your eating, rather than having it control you. Just because you have a candy bar after lunch is no reason to eat a quart of chocolate ice cream because you slipped up.

  

About the Author:

Seeing figures on the scale going down instead of up relaxes into a daily or weekly check of maintenance may lead you to struggle with boredom. If that should happen, look to http://www.fastweightlossplantips.com for the current and most interesting developments about Best Weight Loss tactics.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/4-best-weight-loss-tips-only-for-people-anxious-to-keep-the-pounds-off-620963.html

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January 30, 2009

An Exercise Weight Loss Plan For The Busy Bee

Author: Chung Leong Yu

Do you need an exercise weight loss plan that just gets you really pumped up and gets your body raging with fire in no time so that you can enjoy the effectiveness and benefits of exercising without getting in the way of your busy schedule?

If the answer is yes, then this mini guide is for you. This weight loss plans for the busy bee can help busy people like yourself stay fit. This weight loss exercise plan can be divided into 2 plans. Plan one is the weekend warrior plan, which is you are only required to exercise on the weekends and the other plan is to workout twice anytime during the weekdays but only for 45 mins.

An exercise weight loss plan for the Busy Bee plan 1

This is an exercise plan for the busy people than can workout during the weekends only. The workout days are Saturdays and Sundays. Therefore, during Saturday, the workout consist of exercises that workouts out the legs, chest and triceps. Then on Sunday, the exercises would be the ones that exercise the back, shoulders and bicep muscles.

This way, we can actually hit the entire body muscles in two days. Stomach exercises and cardio have to be done after the weight training on both days. Each cardio session should be around 30-45 minutes at the heart rate of 75 percent of your maximum heart rate. Yes, it seems like an impossible task but then we can win all can we. The weekdays off exercise will give you ample amount of rest to recover for the next weekend.
An exercise weight loss plan for the Busy Bee plan 1 layout

The exercise format for all the exercises should be done this way. Each exercise consists of 2 sets. Each set consist of 2 phases. Phase one would be a set of 8-10 heavy reps and then without rest, continue with phase 2 which is doing the same exercise but at a lighter weight and higher reps. For example, the first phase your rep out 10 reps with a 30 pound dumbbell, then put that dumbbell down, grab a 20 pound dumbbell, and rep out 15 reps.

The purpose of doing this is to fully workout the fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers. We are at short of time here; therefore doing this way is better than the traditional 3-4 sets pyramid training.

An example of the program would be

Day 1: Legs, chest and triceps

Barbell squats
Leg press
Single leg press
Lunges
Incline barbell chest press
Bench press
Incline dumbbell chest press
Cable crossover
Dips
Standing cable triceps press downs
Lying triceps extension with EZ barbell

Day 2: Back, shoulders, biceps

Assisted chin-ups or chin-ups
Lat pull down to the front
Barbell rows
Barbell dead lifts
Dumbbell shoulder presses
Bent over rear delt reverse flyes
Standing lateral raises or up right rows
Standing biceps barbell curls
Seated incline dumbbell biceps curls

This exercise weight loss exercise plan should not last more than 45 minutes on the weights and 30- 45 mins for the cardio session.

An exercise weight loss plan for the Busy Bee plan 2

Ok, this exercise weight loss plan 2 is for those that can workout during the weekdays but only has limited time for cardio and weights. One of the most advised approaches towards this is by using circuit training on both of the days.

An exercise weight loss plan that can work both your cardio and muscles!

Yes, circuit training is a form of high intensity training that can give you the benefits of cardio and weight training. This circuit is performed by alternating 2 sets of weights and 1 set of high intensity cardio and this each session will have to work the entire body. Basically, if the muscles are challenged to its limits, you will achieve hypertrophy, meaning build muscles. There fore, each set of weights has to be done until you really tax your capabilities. By alternating weights and cardio non-stop, your heart rate will be elevated through out the session giving you the benefit of fat burning.

An exercise weight loss plan for the Busy Bee plan 2 layout

Barbell squats
Leg press
Running
Lunges
Lat pull downs
Running
Barbell rows
Seated cable rows
Stair climber
Bench press
Incline dumbbell chest press
Rower
Cable chest flyes
Dumbbell shoulder press
Running
Upright rows
Lateral raises
Running
Standing cable triceps press downs
Barbell curls

Note: For each weight exercises use the weights that can give you total failure at 12-15 reps to really stimulate the muscle fibers. On the cardio machine, each cardio will be 2 minutes and it must be your max, really killing you at the end of the second minute. Each session should be around 45- 60 minutes and your heart rate should be at 70 percent of your max throughout the session.

Abs

For abdominal workout, do basic crunches for two sets of twenty-five reps, bicycle crunches for two sets of twenty-five reps and seated knee ups two sets of fifty reps.

Exercise is the one of the most crucial component in weight loss. Neglecting it and just dieting for fat loss is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Invest in some proper weight loss weight-training program to get your fat loss accelerated. It pays to get the right direction to your ultimate goal, your dream body.

About the Author:

Yu Chung Leong is an experienced and motivated personal trainer for many years. He is passionate about health and fitness and enjoys helping people achieve their fitness goals. He writes many free weight loss tips at http://www.weightloss-ways.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/an-exercise-weight-loss-plan-for-the-busy-bee-91586.html

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January 29, 2009

7 Powerful Weight Loss Tips - Lose Weight Without Spending Any Money

Author: Lee Leong

Health experts around the world have concluded in their researches that a high percentage of Americans are overweight. There are many reasons to this modern world's disease. Amongst them are diets, lifestyles, genetic. The fact is the problem is ballooning. It is fair to say that apart from quitting smoking, weight loss is probably the single most important factor determining the quality and duration of our lives.

In the past 50 years, weight loss industry has quickly blossoming into a multi billion dollar industry. There are many products and programs which claim to help you lose weight. These include exercise programs, pills, surgery etc. Unless a person is well informed, he or she can spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on these products and may very well end up in the same weight position as before.

Losing weight does not have to be expensive nor short lived. The truth is the American obsession with losing body weight is unrealistic. In some cases, even harmful. Weight loss is often being treated as a “quick fix” or short-term goal.

The following is a list of 7 simple yet powerful tips which will help you lose weight naturally and permanently without costing you any money.

1.Write Down Your Goal

Start with the end in mind. Write down what you would like to achieve with your weight at the end of a specified date. Work backwards and break your final goal to mini goals with deadline.

2.Affirmation

Affirm and think from your goal everyday, do it every morning and every night before you go to bed. Visualise yourself in your perfect sized cloths.

3.Measure Your Progress And Celebrate Success

It is important to keep track of your progress and measures it against your mini goals. Remember to celebrate your success and reward yourself whenever your goals are achieved.

4.Regular Exercise

Get active, physically. You should exercise regularly, indoor and outdoor.

5.Proper Diet

Drink plenty of water. Cut down on fried, fatty food, fast food. Replace them with balanced and nutritional food. Never, ever starve yourself. It will not help you to lose weight.

6.Get Support

Surround yourself with motivated people who are on the same path as you. There are many forums on the internet which you could join for support and advice. Share your goals and achievement with close friends who truly understand and support you.

7.Stay Motivated

There are a lot of noise and distractions surrounding weight loss. Your only responsible is to stay focus on achieving your goal following whatever method you have decided. It is very easy to get distracted during the process especially if you do not see the results immediately. What you need to remember is anything worth pursuing is worth the wait. So, stay focus.

There you have it. 7 simple yet powerful weight loss tips to help you lose weight naturally and permanently. Remember, the key to lose weight successful is 80% mind power and 20% knowing how to. So, stay focus.

About the Author:
Read More About Weight Loss Tip

Lee Leong is the owner of Best Weight Loss Program which specializes in providing 100% free weight loss information, tips, diets and more for everyone.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/7-powerful-weight-loss-tips-lose-weight-without-spending-any-money-78047.html

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January 28, 2009

Cardio Exercise Machines - Common Cardio Workout Mistakes

Author: Chris Chew

Cardio exercise machine workouts are great for burning fat and building good cardiovascular health. These exercises not only help to cut your body fat it will also strengthen your heart and lungs thus reducing your chances of getting high blood pressure, stroke and heart diseases. Regular cardio exercises can also reduce bad cholesterol and raise the level of good cholesterol.

However, are you getting the best out of your cardio machine workouts? Are you using the cardio workout machines efficiently to gain maximum benefits of the exercises?

Well, you are probably not if you are an average gym user without any personal trainers to guide you because you will probably commit common cardio machine mistakes when exercising.

We shall now examine the more popular cardio workout machines and the common mistakes people commit when using these machines for their workouts.

Common mistakes when using cardio workout machines are :-

•Step up stair climber - This is perhaps the most common mistake for not getting the most out of the step up stair climber machine. Almost invariably, everyone when exercising with this machine will rest their arms on the railing. By doing so, the railing now becomes sort of like a crutch as it will now support some of your body weight making the exercise less intensive.

•Treadmill - The treadmill is perhaps the most popular cardio workout machine in the gym. A careful observation will show that many treadmill users run with too much up and downs. This mistake will wear out the person’s ankle and knee joints over time. The correct method is to take long, smooth and purposeful strides during the exercise.

•Stationery Bike - When exercising on the stationery bike, do adjust the height of the seat to a comfortable level. I really don’t understand why many stationery bike users adjust their seats to be either too high or too low. I mean, why be uncomfortable when exercising when you can be comfortable.

When the seat is too low, it adds strain to your knees and spine. When too high, your will butt will rock from side to side. So besides not getting the best from your cardio workout on the stationery bike because your body weight will be involved when you peddle, you will also look weird. It is such a silly workout mistake right?

Another common mistake is that I often see stationery bikers reading a book when exercising. That means that they exercise at a very low intensity level. Hey, how can low intensity cardio exercises work your heart and lung effectively?

•Elliptical Trainer - This is also another bewildering common cardio workout mistake. You use the elliptical trainer to tone your body and to exercise for your cardiovascular fitness right? Then why is it I often see people who use the elliptical trainer exercising at a high speed? So what is the mistake? The mistake is that they have set the resistant level too low.

You see, if you do not puff, pant and breakout in sweat, you are not getting the best out of your cardio exercises. Is it any wonder then that people are not losing weight and not improving on their cardiovascular health even when they are doing their cardio exercises regularly?

Now that you know how to avoid these common cardio machine exercise workout mistakes, you can now head for the gym and get the best out of these exercises. In no time, you will see your body toning up nicely, improvement on your cardio health being felt and losing unwanted body fat.

About the Author:
Chris Chew fitness personal trainer of actors, male pageant winners, models and celebrities. See his websites Free Fitness Tips and Become A Personal Trainer

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/cardio-exercise-machines-common-cardio-workout-mistakes-20471.html

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January 27, 2009

6 Natural Weight Loss Tips

Author: Kenneth Edwards

Commonly, and first of all, people who want to lose weight naturally think about reducing the amount of food they eat.

This is only part of the solution, but not exactly the best there is. In fact, depending on the amount you reduce in your diet, it may even be dangerous to your health. So, how do you lose weight naturally, effectively and safely?

Here are some points one should consider when trying to lose weight naturally:

Beware of the Crash Diets
If you are thinking of trimming down, you probably think that dropping the calories can alone shed off your unwanted excess of fat. Probably, this is because of the current fad in advertising about low-calorie food products and beverages. What you may not know is that this could be dangerous because when you decrease your calorie intake below the required levels, the body begins to digest the fats.

Sounds good, but it isn’t, in actuality. Burning fat requires a lot of energy. Since there is not much energy in the body to facilitate metabolism of fat, it will run at a very slow pace resulting in fatigue, illness and a weak immune system…And you’ll still have the fat. Fat is not the only place where the body gets it’s energy from.

A low-calorie diet is also compensated for by the body by burning muscle. People on this type of diet, who revert back to their old eating habits, end up gaining back most of their weight, if not all the weight they have shed off. This would consist mainly of fats.

…And since fats have more volume per mass than muscle, this person ends up having the same weight as before, but will be bulkier. When losing weight, one should keep in mind that they should lose excess body fats only. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn't reduce your calories…Just make sure that you’ve met the body's minimum requirement for calories to survive, energize, and repair.

However, one can try eating small meals at more frequent intervals. This way, the body will not think that it is being starved and will not store food as fat.

Eat Right
One may have considered junking the crash diet option, but that doesn't mean you should forget to watch what your is eating. Variety must always be considered so that you may be able to get the necessary nutrients your body needs from your diet.

It is also healthier to eat foods which are roasted, steamed or broiled, rather than fried. It is also important to include a lot of fiber in the diet. Frequent re-hydration is paramount.

Increase Your Lean Muscle Mass
Muscles burn calories when they work; they even do so at rest. Actually, you burn more calories just being alive than you probably ever will doing activities in a day. Unlike fats, which just lie around, bulge around the pants and dangle beneath the sleeves, muscles burn calories all-day long. With this fact as ammunition, one can start weight loss by increasing muscle mass.

The more muscles a person has, the less fat that is left. This is attainable starting with working out with resistance exercises, not just weights. There are tons of resistance moves that you can do with or without weights.

Aerobics-R-Us
Aerobic exercises are not just good for the heart by increasing cardiovascular endurance…Aerobics also help by increasing lean muscle mass, while simultaneously decreasing excess body fat. In addition to these reasons, aerobics make the metabolic process more efficient and helps to keep the metabolic rate increased, even a long while after exercising.

Imagine burning fat efficiently, while driving along the freeway or even while watching television. When you are in good aerobic shape, you will recover from workouts and between sets during your workout a heck of a lot faster. This will help you feel better while working out, and allow you to work harder without any conscious effort.

Extra “Push”
Some people need a little help with motivation. In fact, in one area or another, we all need a little extra push. So, try working out with a personal trainer once a week. Then half of the other days, get a workout partner…someone who is serious about obtaining goals. This will help hold both of you accountable,and will encourage you to show up and keep up with the plan.

On Taking Diet Pills
Over-the-counter diet supplements affect the amount of weight one loses, as well as how long one keeps that amount of weight off. However, one must be wary of the side-effects of these diet pills. As such, one must faithfully follow the instructions provided in the packaging of these pills. It is also prudent to consult a physician irregardless before trying out these drugs, and also to find out which type would be best pill for you.

Losing weight naturally does not have to mean sacrifice and suffering. It actually means opening up to a more full and healthy life where you don’t have to feel bad about yourself, aren’t sensitive about the way you look, and where you aren’t able to do what you want to do because of insecurities or lack of ability due to being overweight or obese.

Losing weight naturally might entail a little adjustment in your lifestyle, plus some discomfort, but as the old saying goes, “no pain, no gain”. What do you have to lose besides fat, cellulite, and a lack of self confidence anyway?

To your immediate and lasting natural weight loss success!

About the Author:

Discover How to Lose Weight Fast Naturally with free tips, secrets, and news at our blog here: http://www.Natural-Weight-Loss-Tip.com. Kenney Jr. is the director of the blog where you can find out the secrets to losing weight fast, naturally.

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