Archive for May, 2010

Tips On How To Wake Up In The Morning With Energy

Saturday, May 15th, 2010 at 8:41 am  
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If you’re like me then waking up in the morning and doing cardio is a must. Sometimes waking up in the morning can be the hardest thing. I tend to oversleep more than I would like. No matter how many preventive measures you take sometimes you end up sleeping that extra hour. I find that once you get into a routine you tend to be able to stick with the routine, and getting up at a certain time becomes more easier. Here are some tips on helping you to not oversleep and improve your health when you wake up:

Make sure proper nutrition is in place – Without the right nutrients in your body your body will be disrupted during the night making for a poor nights sleep.

Understand how much sleep is needed – I know for me I need at least 7 and a half to 8 hours of sleep so I plan ahead for that.

Put the alarm clock in a far far place – Not so far that you won’t be able to hear it, but far enough that you have to get up. When you get up there’s a higher chance that you won’t go back to sleep.

Set the coffee machine the night before – If your coffee machine has a timer set it before you go to bed, and make sure it’s close to the bedroom. The smell of coffee in the morning will sure wake you up. For me it’s also the fact that if I don’t get up the coffee will get old, and go to waste.

Start going to bed at the same time every night – Of course this can’t be possible for every person, but your body has a rhythm. When your body starts doing different rhythms it puts stress on the body.

Have a full glass of water next to the bed – During the night you get dehydrated, so drinking a full glass of water upon waking up revitalizes your body. Even better – adding lemon to the water will help by putting action in your digestive tract.

I would like to hear what you have done to help you wake up in the morning.

Do You Know What Food To Eat To Lower Cholesterol?

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 at 9:29 am  
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One of the biggest topics today is ‘how to lower cholesterol‘. Sometimes it can get hard to stay on a diet that will help lower cholesterol. I think the major reason is that most people just don’t know what types of food to eat. I tried to compile a list of all the foods that place a role in lowering bad cholesterol, and raising good cholesterol.

Here’s the list:

    Fruits – There are many fruits that help lower cholesterol such as apples, oranges, cantaloupe, strawberries, and grapefruit

    Nuts and seeds – Some nuts and seeds are a great source of omega 3 fatty acids such as walnuts, almonds, and flaxseeds.

    Cold-water Fish - Another great source of omega 3 fatty acids are tuna and salmon.

    Whole Grain Foods – Bread, cereal (we all know about cheerios and lowering cholesterol), and pasta.

    Oatmeal – Oatmeal is high in fibre and iron, and cleans excess cholesterol.B

    Vegetables – Broccoli, asparagus, onions, beets, artichokes, and some others I’ve never even tried before like jicama, rutabaga, daikon, and butternut squash.

    Beans – High in soluble fibre, and helps with the digestion system.

    Soy Protein – An ounce of tofu a day can lower LDL cholesterol as much as 10%

      Despite garlic being claimed that it can lower LDL cholesterol a study last year concluded that it’s not as effective as they thought. The study suggests “You achieve good health through eating healthy food. There isn’t a pill or an herb you can take to counteract an unhealthy diet.” That means consuming foods described above in part of your diet.

      Try to eliminate all trans fats in your diet. If you’re eating the foods above than you shouldn’t have to worry about trans fats. Minimizing sugars and white flour will also lower triglyceride levels, help weight loss, and lower LDL cholesterol levels. When having dairy products go for the lower fat solution. Instead of drinking 2% milk – drink skim milk. Instead of 2% cottage cheese, choose 1%. These subtle changes can make a huge difference.

      I’m still at a young age so I’m not as much concerned about my cholesterol level. The thing is the foods above are foods that I eat every single day (besides soy protein – I’ve never even tried tofu), and I’m definately feeling the benefits of eating such foods

      Keep the Fridge Simple

      Saturday, May 8th, 2010 at 9:57 am  
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      Fat Loss 4 Idiots

      Do you ever manage to move something in the fridge, and notice that there’s food behind that object that has been in the fridge for weeks. Mold growing on it? Disgusting – I know. It’s time to clean sweep the fridge, and keep it simple. Of course this rule would not apply to people have a relatively empty fridge because the fridge is already simple. For those who have the fridge so full, and constantly have food rotting at the bottom of the crisper it’s time to change that.

      The first step is to take everything out of the fridge. Get out the soap, and clean the fridge from top to bottom. Throw away anything you haven’t used in a while, or you think is too old. When putting the items back in the fridge put the condiments on the bottom row. This the row that you are last likely to look at. You should put the foods that you eat most commonly on the shelf that is eye level (usually the top shelf).

      Another important tip is to place the tallest objects in the back of the shelf, and the shortest in the front. This way things do not get hidden.

      For vegetables, you only want about 5-7 days worth of vegetables that you know you will eat. Usually if you cut up the vegetables, and having them prepared to eat there will be a higher chance that you will eat them. When I did this the first time I was shocked at how clean and neat the fridge looked. The fridge also looked a lot brighter than it ever did (due to food not blocking the light bulb). It also makes everything easier to find in the fridge because everything in the fridge is in sight.

      So get that garbage bag, and start cleaning that fridge out!

      How To Dominate Your Abs

      Thursday, May 6th, 2010 at 9:52 am  
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      As a part of a workout routine I always like to add an ab routine. Every week I fit in about 3 ab routines. Mostly on the days that I do cardio only. I also like to do abs on an empty stomach right before I do cardio to burn more calories. It’s important to never substitute an abs workout for a chest, back, legs, shoulders or arms workout. If you’re doing abs instead of the more important workouts you will find yourself falling short of your goals. Ab workouts can also be performed directly after a workout, but I prefer the morning.

      Crunches – 4 sets of 15-25

      The way to properly perform crunches is

      1. Lay down on your back, and bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor
      2. Cross your hands over your chest so your thumbs are slightly touching your chin
      3. To begin the movement first imagine how you are going to do it. You want to movement so that you are moving your chest towards your pelvis (hence ‘crunching’ your abs)
      4. As you begin to move towards your knees contract your abs, and exhale. Also remember to always keep your head up during the movement.
      5. To go from start to finish is not a very far distance, so always focus on moving your chest towards your pelvis.
      6. At the top of the movement hold the contraction for a few seconds then go back to the beginning position.

      Bicycle Crunch – 4 sets of 15-25

      To perform the bicycle crunch

      1. Lay on your back with your hands behind your head.
      2. Life your shoulders as if you were doing a crunch
      3. Bring your knees up perpendicular to the floor, with the lower legs parallel to the floor.
      4. Begin pedaling by kicking your left leg forward and bringing in the knee of the right leg.
      5. Bring your right elbow close to your right knee by crunching to that side while exhaling. Remember to twist with your waist, and not your elbow.
      6. Go back to the starting position and immediately do the same thing with the opposite leg.

      These are just two examples of exercises that you can do for abs. There are all kinds that can be performed. There are tons of videos on how to perform the various ab exercises on YouTube. Before my cardio I usually only do two or three exercises. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes to fit in an abs routine.

      With a full body routine, and proper nutrition your bodyfat will lower. Compound exercises such as deadlifting and squats work the abs tremendously. The more your bodyfat lowers the more you will be able to see your abs. You could be doing abs everyday, but if a full body routine or your nutrition is not right your bodyfat loss will suffer. When this happens you start to lose faith, and you don’t want that to happen.

      I would like to hear what you perform for abs, and what works for you.

      Hugo’s Rules For Getting Lean

      Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 at 9:34 am  
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      The hot weather is setting in, and it’s time to get lean. Hugo Rivera lays out the rules that you must follow to efficiently lose fat and minimize muscle loss. That is the most important factor to keep in mind. Are these rules going to be a quick fix? Probably not. Are you going to get completely lean in 8 weeks? maybe – maybe not. How are you going to achieve these goals? With determination. Every one of these rules you must follow. You can’t stay truthful to one, and forget about the other. So here’s the article:

      Hugo’s Rules For Getting Lean In 8 Weeks!

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