Technorati Tags: abdominal exercise, core exercise, Exercise DVDs, Exercise DVDs For All, Fitness DVDs, Pilates DVDs, workout dvds, Yoga DVDs

Testosterone is the male hormone that supplies many of our manly
characteristics. In addition the hormone has a great effect on our
behavior, good or bad. Excessive testosterone artificially induced leads
to aggression, sometimes unexplained anger and other mental
imbalances.

Natural testosterone produced in the body helps to maintain and grow muscle. Mentally it helps the body to sleep, stay alert, be mentally sharp and has an effect not only on emotion but energy.

Professional golfer Shaun Michael won a PGA championship in 2003. He was full of energy, sharp, and focused.

Then everything seemed to have fallen apart. He lost his ambition. He no longer enjoyed practice. If he was in a tournament and made a couple of bogeys he was ready to quit. Something had changed and he didn’t know what was happening to him. He thought he was suffering depression.

At the age of 36 a blood test revealed that Shaun had the testosterone level of a 70 year old man. His doctor prescribed a testosterone rub which he applied to his biceps each morning. Within 5 months his testosterone levels were back to normal.

He hasn’t won a major but he did manage a second place finish since then. More importantly he and his wife say he is back to his old upbeat self.

Testosterone levels are known to drop as we age. Some studies have shown that males can begin to lose 1.3% of their testosterone levels per year starting in their mid to late 20’s. To make matters worse, the modern day man has less testosterone levels than same aged men 20 years ago.

Testosterone is no longer a weight lifter, body builder or other athlete strength issue. It is an issue for baby boomers and the average male think about and learn the basics of the hormone.

If you are feeling irritable, depressed, a lack of energy, difficulty
sleeping,and inability to focus you may have a testosterone deficiency.

Check with your doctor. To obtain testosterone cream and many other health products check out www.evitamins.com

Tip: I have found evitamins has better prices than amazon,vitamin shoppe and GNC.

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In order to be a good surfer it is imperative to be a good swimmer. If you are a natural in the water then all that remains is a little training and some practice to become a good surfer.

Balance is the key to surfing. You will have to learn how to stand up quickly on a moving board no bigger than 36 inches across. And on a good day when you catch a decent size wave it will be moving very fast.

You will have a split second when you catch the peak of a wave to go from your belly to your feet while maintaining your balance.

Skate boarding helps with balance and is good for minimal leg exercise.
Push ups are good for building strength in the chest and shoulders to get that push off from belly to feet.

The other thing you will need is endurance. Paddling out will definitely take some energy especially if you have to paddle through the on coming waves.

Cardio exercise and a good shoulder routine will go a long way to assist in getting into good enough shape to handle all the activity that surfing brings. In the end it is going to take a solid core in order to bring on the waves.

Technorati Tags: Surfing, swimming

It’s hard not to notice all the different weight loss/diet programs that have
flooded the Internet/TV/Print Ads. There are plenty of gimicks, pills,
devices, surgerys, non invasive surgerys, all with the idea of helping you
lose weight, and look better almost instantly, but which ones actually
work?

If you want to lose weight there is always the natural way. Eat less,
exercise more. The end result is this, how many calories did you take in
vs how many calories did you burn off during your day?

Losing weight is simple, burn off more calories than you take in during
your day. That is, burn off more calories than your normal daily calories
that keep you at your current weight.

A 210 lb guy who should ideally be at 195 lbs would be eating will say
3000 calories a day in this example that holds his weight at 210 lbs. If he
added some exercises that burned off 500 calories a day, in 7 days he
would shred 3500 calories or the equivalent of 1 lb of fat.

If he reduced his calories by 500 a day and continued his exercise
program in theory he would lose 2 lbs of fat in a week.

Changing his diet program where he ate better and more frequently would
cause him to easily lose additional pounds during the week.

It boils down to habit. Creating some good eating habits and just getting
smart about food. Observing  how your body reacts will teach you what effects food have on you. You need to note the effects and eliminate the foods causing the bad results.

The best diet you can choose is the one you can stick to. What’s the point
of restricting yourself and losing weight when you find that it has taken a
lot of the pleasure of eating away from you.

Diet utopia is when you enjoy what you are eating and it shows in your physique. Your diet has not only transformed your body but has become a lifestyle. At this point it is no longer a diet.  You made it!

Technorati Tags: calories, Weight Loss

What’s great about Kickboxing is that it encompasses the arms and legs either randomly or in a concerted effort of a cardio movement. Kickboxing is the combining of martial arts and boxing techniques.  In the real sport there is hardcore physical contact. For the sake of cardio exercise it is the techniques of the boxing and martial kicks that provides aerobic  and cardio conditioning.

This training is an overall body workout that will develop strength in your upper as well as your lower body. As you learn the punches and blocks and if preformed consistently you will see added definition to your arms, shoulders and back. Take notice of your UFC and boxing fighters. Notice the definition of their arms, abs and backs.

Boxers will fight with 16-18oz  gloves typically. That’s maybe one pound per glove. Doesn’t sound like much. However, slinging that glove out there, round after round, while ducking your opponents will flat wear you out quick. It is obvious in later rounds of a match when the fighters typically will have their fists in a lower position. Those little 1lb gloves get extremely heavy in later rounds. Boxers typically have a fabulous physique especially the arms and shoulders. The majority of that work comes from boxing and not weight resistance like people would think. If done consistently and with enough intensity you could develop your physique in a similar fashion.

Kickboxing will build your endurance and stamina. Your legs and especially your hamstrings will get stronger and defined. Lifting those legs to throw your kicks takes strong abdominal muscles. Doing all of these techniques will develop a strong torso over time and give you a very defined body.

Kickboxing is excellent exercise for either men or women. Kickboxing taught in a family gym is typically done in class room style where the participants shadow box the moves (punch and kick air). Ironically these classes have more women in them than men. One thing is for sure, it is a great cardio session. Another great thing about it is all the kicking and punching helps alleviate stress of the day. I think the women know something here and have the advantage. If you are shy about a class pick up a DVD and try it out. You will definitely feel it and within weeks see improvements in you body if preformed consistently.  

Suggested Kickboxing DVD’s

1. 10 Minute Kickboxing Boot Camp – Keli Roberts – features 5 series of 10 minute blasts of kickboxing cardio. Do them separately or the entire series if you have the energy.

2. Carribean Kickboxing Workout -Shelly McDonald – simple and nicely done. Easy to follow and great background.

3. Kickboxing for Dummies excellent for beginngers. It will teach you the basics for punching, kicking and blocks. Easy to follow at a good pace.

4. Tae Bo T3 Total Transformation – Billy Blanks – the first DVD is instructional teaching you techniques which is good for rookies. You get clear instruction on the move and then you preform it. You will need 1lb hand weights to get the full effect.

5. 30 Minutes to Fitness Kickboxing - Kelly Meyer – Great kickboxing cardio mix. Some customizing options. Four workouts on one disk.

6. Kickbox Surge and Core Refining - Amy Bento – This dvd is a little more advanced. Fun and motivating. You will burn some calories. You will need an 8 lb medicine ball.

7. Body Strikes – Ilaria Montgnani – total body workout with an emphasis on legs and butt. 45 minute workout with no additional equipment needed.

Kickboxing Equipment

Kickboxing Bags

Kickboxing Shorts

Women’s Workout Shorts

Women’s Workout Shirts

Men’s Workout Shorts

Men’s Workout Shirts

Technorati Tags: aerobic exercise, boxing, cardio, exercise, Kickboxing DVDs, martial arts

There are plenty of diets on the market today. Some of them have been merely fads and others have survived but lost their original luster. All of them could work if only the humans could stick to the program. So what does that tell you?

You have developed some bad habits and your body craves nutrients in one form or another. I’m not sure about the nutrients in chocolate but I’m sure a debate could be fought to find something nutritionally valuable there. Actually a craving for chocolate is a metallic deficiency. So your body is telling you correctly. Are you interpreting the message correctly. Are you really hungry or are you thirsty?

I have studied a few diets mainly the Zone diet and the Atkins diet. Both have their merits and successes. There are difficulties with each. The Zone diet has a lot of calculations that you need to understand in order to be successful. The Atkins diet in my opinion throws the body into shock by carb deprivation in the first phase. I don’ t think that is healthy. You will lose weight, but you will turn into something like the Tasmanian devil. How can that be good for you or anyone around you?

What you need to learn is what to eat and when to eat. I have taken some ideas from the best of the best and employed them as my lifestyle. I know what is good for me and I focus on the good stuff. Mainly I stay away from empty calories. Calories deficient of nutritional good. That would be anything with bleached flour or sugar. Lots of calories but that’s about it as far as your body is concerned. And your body says feed me more when you eat that stuff because it got nothing out of it the first time. So flour products and the sweet stuff will not satisfy you for very long. The other part of that is it causes a glycemic bump which leads to an insulin spike. That excess insulin rushing to meet the blood sugar demands gets stored as fat. Utt oh! So learning to eat better foods is point one.

Secondly, you need to eat more often.  Eat a healthy snack in between breakfast and lunch and  dinner. A healthy snack meaning a piece of fruit or vegetable. Soy nuts, almonds, turkey, roast beef, lean meats, protein bar (watch for sugars), protein shakes, etc. Eating snacks in between meals also means reducing your meal portions. So no more gorging at meal time. Eat until satisfied. That doesn’t mean until you can’t eat another thing.

The third key is to eat a protein with every carb. Never eat a carb on it’s own. That will keep you glycemic level low and even. That will reduce insulin surges and extra fat storage.

Another method I’ve been researching has to do with calorie shifting. It’s very interesting how the body reacts to this. What typically happens to dieters is they cut back on their calorie intake. Sure they begin to lose weight but they get to a certain point and plateau. They can’t drop any more weight. They have cut back from a 2500 calorie a day intake to 1000 calories a day with no more weight loss. They are practically staving themselves and they are  not losing weight. Usually they get tired of the limited calories and figure what’s the use and go back to their old eating ways and put all the weight back on and more.

Calorie shifting gets you past the sticking point. It is a proven method of deliberately altering your daily intake of calories. Over time that allows the plateau to be broken and more weight is lost. I read this information in an ebook called “Fat loss for Idiots.” It is a well worth while read to help you lose weight and get you past the plateau.

Technorati Tags: Diet, Diet Ideas, Diet Programs, Fat Loss

Pilates was originally created as physical therapy for the injured. The program is designed to develop core muscles or the torso in support of the spine. The therapy was excellent for developing strong abs, flexibility and controlled breathing. It was discovered that the practice of the movements for healthy people enhanced their overall fitness.

Many actors, models and athletes use pilates to stay fit and healthy. They typically schedule a session several times a week. The benefits are many as stated by Super Bowl winning NY Giants corner back R.W McQuarters. He credits the exercise to no injuries. It keeps his muscles looser, hips aligned better and it also helps him sleep. Samatha Jones ala Kim Cattral from Sex in the City, says pilates is her secret weapon to staying young. It keeps her trim, improves her posture and helps her sleep.

Since spot reducing a particular body part is not realistic, pilates is ideal for a whole body workout. If you want to lose weight and develop a solid mid section then you should check out pilates. Pilates is excellent for toning abs, buttocks while making the rest of your body lean.

Pilates exercises are based on quality of movement. For example, instead of doing 25 leg raises, you may only do 10. Those 10 may be preformed very slowly so you feel the effects on the mid section inch by inch. The focus is on quality instead of just trying to finish.

Pilates vs Yoga, what’s the difference?  They are similar in that they both encompass stretching and build core strength. The difference is on focus. Yoga has a bigger focus on stretching and flexibility while pilates focuses on strength. Yes yoga does develop strength but we are talking about primary focus.

Here are some excellent choices of Pilates DVDs from beginner to advanced. Some DVDs will require extra equipment such as a mat pilates ring or dumbbells. I would recommend you get a mat that is at least 1/4″ or thicker.

1. Pilates for Dummies this is a great intro  to strictly Pilates. No cardio or weights. She demonstrates the movements, makes modifications for beginners to advance plus what not to do. Easy to follow and a great ab workout.

2. Stott Pilates Strong and Steamlined - This is not for a beginners and more suited for intermediate level. An excellent workout that will keep you  challenged for a while. This one is quick to get to the moves and assumes you know basic pilates.

3. Beginning Mat Workout with Ann Caban - although this is a beginners workout it is also challenging to the intermediate practitioner. This is a good trainer video if you are familiar with Pilates. Clear instruction that will challenge your abs and deliver noticable resorts in short time.

4. Stott Pilates The Secret to Weight Loss is for a those ready to step up to the first level of advanced. In addition to pilates moves there is a cardio componet to get the heart pumping. The aerobic  component adds variety and helps to promote  weight loss.

5. Total Body Pilates – Karen Voight is an intermediate level DVD that targets the legs, abs and back. You will need a pilates ring for this DVD. Overall an excellent workout targeting the difficult areas of abs, legs and back.

6. Classical Pilates with Peter Fiasca - This a good DVD to have as you progress through your Pilates journey. It incorporates beginner, intermediate and advanced techniques. The DVD is quick paced. This DVD is best suited for someone familar with Pilates.

7. Hillary Burnetts Intermediate Pilates is good for someone who is familiar with Pilates and short on time. This is a 32 minute workout that will keep you moving at a constant tempo.

8. Jennifer Kries Pilates Method -  is a combination of Pilates, yoga, dance, and weight training. You will need resistance bands and dumbells for the resistance training. The dance section is fun and builds a nice cardio component. This is a good overall workout not strictly focused on Pilates.

9. Hit the Spot Pilates - Denise Austin is a great DVD to add after cardio workout. It includes pilates and some yoga moves. The DVD is customizable so you can pick the area you would like to focus on or do the entire workout.

10, Rapid Results 10 minute Solutions is a modified Pilate’s DVD. Not for the purist. It is an excellent workout that uses weight resistance in the second portion of the DVD for increased challenge. Good for people who like variety over repetition.

11. Winsor Pilates Basic Workout System – three DVDs  from beginners to intermediate level. Well explained and constant reminders on form. If preformed correctly and consistently you will begin to see the benefits. 

Workout Apparel for Women

Women’s Workout Bottoms

Women’s Workout Tops

Men’s Under Armour Gear

Men’s Workout Shorts

Men’s Workout Shirts

Workout Equipment

Technorati Tags: Pilates, Pilates Benefits, Pilates Exercises

Yoga is probably one of the easiest forms of exercise to do at home. It doesn’t take much equipment, a mat, and maybe a yoga block depending on your level and flexibility. You need enough space to be able to stretch out comfortably.

What I like about Yoga is it’s a quiet workout. There isn’t a lot of jumping
around and quick movements. There are no reps, so your not counting and pushing for an extra rep. You don’t have the same lactic burn as you
get from pumping weights.  The mind is more relaxed and focused on preforming the move and maintaining balance.

Don’t get me wrong, Yoga can be a tough workout. Sure your not preforming reps but you are holding a position for an extended period of time.  I would say its similar to doing a rep with weights but holding the position at the point of most resistance. Lifting weights very slowly will give you a different burn then doing the movement at normal interval. You will feel a slightly different soreness the next day.

It’s is a good idea to mix up your standard weight resistance program employing a slow count rep session.Yoga is similar to a slow resistance workout. The difference in the movement is it’s deliberately slow, it is holding a position and places a balancing strain on the  muscle. That is great for utilizing muscle confusion and developing core strength. The precise reason why Yoga is an excellent form of exercise for both men and women.

Technorati Tags: abs development, Fitness, Yoga

There are a number of diets, gadgets, pills, and methods on the market to
lose weight fast.The fastest way to do that is with diet and cardio exercise.

Gadgets
Forget the gadgets. Doing a 1000 crunches with your gut be gone device isn’t going to give you the flat stomach look or help you to lose too much weight. Cario exercise will burn the fat off your belly. Abdominal exercises will tone the muscles. You have to get the fat off first to see anything. The best way to do that is with cardio exercise. A good way to learn that is with the top cardio dvds.

Pills
Forget the pills. Pills didn’t put the weight on you. It is what you are putting in your mouth, bad food choices. The other dangerous thing about pills is you don’t know how your body will respond to them. I have seen some negative reactions to diet pills that required a trip to the emergency room.

Diet
Sure a change in diet will start to show an immediate effect on you weight, provided you keep your body nourished and maintain or speed up your metabloism. The problem is which diet is for you. Will it be the latest fad on TV with all the great testimonials. Those testimonials may all be true, but will it be for you?

At the end of the day your body is going to act like a calculator. It will tally all the calories on the plus side of the ledger followed by a tally of all the calorie burning on the other side of the ledger. The final tally is your net.

Did you eat more calories than you burned? Or was it less? So what if you ate the same and then increased your exercise activity? The weight scale begins to show you being a little lighter. It’s the net effect.

*Change your Eating Habits
You don’t have to radically change your eating habits just yet. You do need to make some improvements depending on how much weight you want to lose.
Don’t starve yourself. That’s the worst thing you can do. Yes you want to consume less calories but don’t throw your body into starvation mode. That will trigger fat storing hormones to store those calories as fat.

Eat 3 to 4 meals a day. Yes you eat more frequently. It will take you out of starvation mode and your body can operate normally. The goal here is to keep your blood sugar level even. You want to reduce the spikes. High blood sugar will cause insulin spikes which causes many potential bad things to happen in the body.  Insulin creates glycogen which is stored as energy. If you don’t deplete your glycogen levels (EXERCISE) the additional glycogen created by the insulin gets stored as FAT.

In addition to the 3 to 4 meals a day I would also suggest you eat a healthy snack in between those meals. That will keep your metabolism running. Your metabolism is like a car. Once it’s warmed up it runs better. You will burn calories more efficiently if you keep your motor running. The digestion process will burn calories for you and keep your blood sugar levels even.

Cardio Exercise

What can you do to increase your exercise activity? There are a number of things. Anything that is in addition to what you normally do is going to help. So instead of coming home and parking it on the couch in front of the TV, get your booty outside and go for a walk. The more intensity you bring to your activity the more calories your going to burn. You want to get your heart pumping. Add some speed in your walk every 100 yards or so,increase the pace and alternate your speed. That is the beginning of your interval training. Slow followed by fast and repeat. Why not just a steady pace? Because it has been proven that interval training will burn more calories with the same duration of time dedicated to the cardio activity.
If you want to rev up that weight loss then try something that is fun and entertaining. Get yourself some cardio exercise dvds. It will give you variety and a challenge. Dedicate yourself some time to get your cardio exercise in your day. The sooner you start this the sooner your body drops weight.

Suggested Cardio DVD’s

1. Making you Sweat by Amy Bento 500 calorie burn of plyometrics and aerobics. 10 Variations in 67 minutes!

2. 30 Day Shred - Jillian Michaels - intense and challenging workout with several levels. Major calorie burn. Something for every level.

3. Get Ripped 1000 - Jari Love – be prepared for an estimated  1000 calorie burn. You will need dumbbells for the workout.

4. Boot Camp Total Body Blast – Denise Austin – Estimated 350 calorie burn using light weight dumbbells.  3 Workouts emphasizing cardio, strength, and streching.

5. One Minute Workout Total Body Toning – Minna Lessig – like the fact that it has a lot of variety and is customizable. Great to choose certain exercises or do a complete workout. Excellent as a add on to other videos.

6. InteSati Great Body Great Life - Patricia Moreno – a challenging workout blend of martial arts, yoga and sculpting moves.  Estimated 600 calorie burn.

7. Dance off the Inches - Michelle Dozois – jazzy hip hop rhythms. If you love dancing you will like this workout. Estimated to be about a 300 calorie burn.

8. Step Up -Patrick Godeau good combination exercises with motivation energy. Estimated 710 calorie burn.

9. Brazilian Dance Workout - Vanessa Isaac – upbeat fun workout. Low impact fast moving cardio workout.

10. Hardcore Series Kick Max – Kathy Freidrich -  75 tough minutes of hardcore workout. It may take you a couple of tries before you can complete the whole dvd. Great Workout awesome results.

Technorati Tags: Cardio DVDs