Archive for April, 2008

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Reflexology

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Learning Simple Reflexology Techniques

Did you know that you can promote well being and healing within your own body with a few simple reflexology techniques? It’s really not difficult at all. You can easily administer simple reflexology techniques to your hands before rising in the morning and after you go to bed at night. Make it a habit and you will find that you feel better. Many people suffering from anxiety report that applying pressure to the specific zones in the hands and feet can promote relaxation that is cumulative. The more you practice these techniques the more the bad energy leaves the body and is replaced by calm energy.

Anyone interested in learning simple reflexology techniques should click on to Youtube.com and watch a reflexologist demonstrate the procedure. The therapist explains everything as he/she works, and it is very easy to understand. You see how the therapist uses his/her hands to apply pressure to certain areas. Reflexology treatments are good for everyone. You can learn how to apply the techniques to your infants and children, as well as your partner. It was reported that a wife used simple reflexology techniques on her comatose husband and he responded. Over time the person said that her husband woke up out of his coma and spoke to her. It is amazing what touch can do.

Many people learn the techniques by first being treated by licensed reflexologists. Their doctors may have referred them to a reflexology clinic because the patient didn’t want to take prescribed medications for their pain and discomfort. By learning the simple reflexology techniques you can promote relaxation and healing every day of the week. Administering the techniques yourself may not replace seeing a reflexologist, but it does provide continuity in your own level of health care.

By applying simple reflexology techniques to your fingers, hands and wrists you can promote health and healing to every area of your body. By applying firm, but gentle pressure and massage to the fingers of both hands, starting at the ends of your fingers, you can promote health and wellbeing to your ears, eyes, brain and hair follicles on both sides of your body. Each hand represents one-half of the body. By massaging your thumbs with gentle pressure, not enough to hurt, you can affect the thyroid gland, sinuses and your spinal column.

Did you know that simple reflexology techniques applied to the fleshy part of your thumbs can help relieve the pain of a sore throat? These techniques, when done on a regular basis, will help to promote healing and wellness throughout the body. A combination of movements, pinching, rubbing and pulling on specific areas of the fingers and hands can affect the whole body.

Did you know that applying pressure in the center of the anterior wrist can help relieve back pain? Move your pressure upwards a little bit and you can relieve nausea. If you would like to learn more about simple reflexology techniques you may want to contact a reflexology professional, or you may want to purchase a book written specifically as a guide to learning the techniques.

Posted in Chiropractic, Homeopathic, Medical | No Comments »

12 Tips For Faster Fat Loss Now

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008

Let’s face it. Burning off fat can be frustrating, especially those final 5 – 15 pounds. Sometimes, it seems like no matter what we do, the weight won’t come off.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the important aspects of fat loss that you may already be implementing, and some that you are most likely not using. These could make all the difference in burning off those final pounds and giving you the lean, defined physique and six pack abs that you’ve been working so hard to get.

Mental Tips on Getting Started

1. Determine the reality of your current situation. Be honest with yourself about where you are and how far you have to go.

2. Figure out the things you are doing now that you would not have gotten involved with, knowing what you now know. Examples are smoking, drinking sugar laden soft drinks, junk food snacking late at night, spending most of your time on the couch, etc.

3. Do a complete and honest analysis of yourself and your skills regarding health and fitness. What do you do well? Where do you need to improve?

4. Determine a measure that you can use to gauge your progress.

5. Set specific goals for each day, week, and month of what you need to do to move yourself toward your goals and discipline yourself to accomplish these small goals that will lead you to big rewards.

Analyzing Your Lack of Fat Loss Progress

Here?s a short checklist of reasons that your fat loss progress may be stalling.

1) Too Many Carbohydrates.

This doesn?t mean you have to eliminate carbs from your nutrition plan. The right carbs are a vital part of your fat loss efforts, not to mention your health. However, any additional carbs above and beyond those needed have a good probability of being stored as body fat. Weight training does require a higher carb intake. But most people don?t train intensely enough for the amount of carbs that they take in.

2) Stack Your Carbs.

Eat most of your good carbs in your morning meals and in your post-workout meal. This will help to stabilize your insulin levels and help you burn body fat for energy later in the day.

Forego the pasta, potato or rice at your evening meals for lean proteins like fowl or fish, along with a side dish of veggies. Or enjoy your favorite protein shake recipe. Okay, maybe not your favorite if your favorite contains a lot of simple carbs, but you get the idea.

3) Too Much of the Wrong Type of Cardio.

What happens to the guy or gal who performs 1-2 hours of cardio a day? (We know you?re out there!)

They send their body into a tailspin, a state where the "starvation hormones" secreted by the body skyrocket (it?s your body?s survival mechanism, a response to too much exercise!) causing fat cells to try to hoard their energy!

Too much cardio will eat away at muscle tissue, causing your metabolism to slow down and your body to start storing fat. In other words, the exact opposite of what you are trying to accomplish. Substitute shorter duration, high intensity interval training for the slow, long duration cardio you’ve been doing and watch your metabolism get a boost as you burn more fat in less time.

4) Never "Cheating" on Your Diet.

Once in a while you should let loose and give yourself a break from the rigors of dieting and scale watching. In fact, it?s helpful in losing weight.

That?s because continual dieting eventually leads to roadblocks where the body responds by slowing its metabolic rate. Strict dieting also takes its toll on you mentally, and can leave you feeling deprived.

That?s a bad combination! Taking in a couple of high calorie meals once every 7-10 days not only provides a mental break from dieting, but helps you side-step roadblocks by preventing the body from entering a starvation state where the metabolic rate slows.

Another way to approach this is on a daily basis.

Here’s an example. Don’t forget the numbers are for the example only. You’ll need to adjust the calorie number to what’s appropriate for you.

Day 1 – 2,600,
Day 2 – 2,500
Day 3 – 2,400
Day 4 – 2,300
Day 5 – 2,200
Day 6 – 2,100
Day 7 – 2,000
Day 8 – 2,500
Day 9 – 2,400
Day 10 – 2,300
Day 11 – 2,200
Day 12 – 2,100
Day 13 – 2,000
Day 14 – 1,900
Day 15 – 2,400
Day 16 – 2,300
Day 17 – 2,200
Day 18 – 2,100
Day 19 – 2,000
Day 20 – 1,900
Day 21 – 1,800

At this point, I will take a look at my progress (using body fat calipers, the scale and the weight increases on my exercises) and then devise a new plan for the next three weeks.

The cycling of calories in this manner is good both for building muscle and losing fat. How high you start and how low you go depends both on your goals (building muscle or losing fat) and your individual metabolism. If you are building muscle you don’t want to make your low days too low. You just want to have some slightly lower calorie days so that you keep fat gain to a minimum as you add muscle.

For losing fat, you don’t want your high days too high (for obvious reasons) but you also don’t want your low days too low, otherwise you will lose lean muscle and put your body into starvation mode, which will cause it to slow your metabolism down and store fat – two big no no’s. If the weight stops coming off, don’t always go lower on calories but consider increasing your cardio training (or just increasing the intensity of the time that you do your cardio – the more intense it is, the more calories you burn during the same amount of time).

You still need to be careful with the amount of food you eat when you do this. After all, it doesn?t take too much to completely wipe out that week?s progress.

5) Paying Attention to The Scale Only.

The scale is not the "end-all" measurement of progress. You also monitor a couple of other things, primarily body composition, energy and strength.

As I?ve said before, don?t go just by the scale. It can deceive you and frustrate you. Get yourself a nice pair of electronic skin fold calipers and keep track of your muscle gains and fat loss.

Skin fold calipers, along with the scale are a much truer indication of your progress.

6) Eat More Good Fat

Getting enough of the good fats will help you lose fat, build muscle, and recover faster from your workouts. In addition, it has myriad health benefits, including being good for your heart. Good fats include: polyunsaturated ( especially Omega-3’s), such as those from fish and nuts, as well as monosaturated fats, such as those from peanut butter, olive oil, egg yolks, and fish oil.

Bad fats include saturated fats from things such as animal and coconut fats. Then there is the worst kind of fat the man made kind, trans fatty acids which can be found in our typical, of no redeeming value, junk foods such cookies, chips, fries and margarine.

Limit, if not stay completely away from, the bad fats and try to get about 30 – 35% of your calories from the good fats.

"Studies show that higher-fat diets make more sense for fit people than low-fat diets," says Liz Applegate, Ph.D., author of Encyclopedia of Sports & Fitness Nutrition. "In one study, endurance athletes ran up to 24 percent longer before they fatigued when they ate a diet that was above 30 percent fat compared to one that was below 20 percent," she says.

More importantly to most readers of this newsletter, researchers are now beginning to realize the fact that a nutrition plan high in the good fats helps the body to burn fat. Omega-3 fatty acids increase the size of your cells’ fuel-burning furnaces so your metabolic rate rises and you burn more calories every minute of every day.

Omega-3’s also help your body’s sensitivity to insulin. This helps your body store less fat. In addition, the fat you do store is more readily and easily converted into energy and burned during activity. This keeps your blood sugar levels stable and keeps you away from those famed sugar crashes and cravings and irritable mood swings.

7) Don?t Get Frustrated by A So Called Lack of Progress.

I received an email the other day from a man who wanted to thank me for the quality information I have provided to him.

He?s lost 100 pounds in the past two years and he didn?t think this was very good progress because of what he?s seen others do.

Stuff like this drives me nuts. He made phenomenal progress and should be extremely proud of himself and what he accomplished. Please people, don?t let the progress of others (especially those in ads) cause you to get frustrated with what you?ve accomplished.

Sure, you can use those outstanding results to motivate you but don?t let them make you think what you aren?t doing isn?t special. Don’t let it derail you from your goals.

Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com . Want to boost your metabolism, burn more fat with less effort and lose all the weight you want…fast? Grab his free report at http://www.fatlosssecretsrevealed.com

Interested in gaining 21 pounds of muscle in only 9 weeks? Grab his free report at http://www.fastmasstips.com

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The Top Ten Myths About Core Exercise and Training

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

Core training or exercise that specifically targets the core muscles has become one of the hottest topics in the fitness and exercise world lately. Unfortunately, its surge in popularity has also given rise to several “core training myths”. This article unearths the some of the more popular myths and offers corrective “truths” for each.

10. ‘The core is the abdominal muscles’

While this statement is not entirely false, the core is definitely much more than just the abdominals. The core is actually a collective term for about 29 muscles that work together to stabilize the connection between your hips, pelvis and low back (the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex or LPHC) ‘ so muscles like your glutes (butt) and deep back muscles also play an important role.

9. ‘If you have a ’six pack’ then you have a strong core?

This myth builds from the previous one. While it is possible to have washboard abs it does not automatically mean you have a strong core. A six-pack simply means that you have developed the rectus abdominis muscle quite possibly too much even, causing muscle imbalances in the core. The rectus abdominis is more suited to move the spine than stabilize it since it is actively used when flexing the spine or rounding the upper back like in a sit-up or crunch.

8. If I do curl-ups on an exercise ball then I am strengthening my core

Doing sit-ups or curl-ups on an exercise ball will do little to strengthen the core because it again involves movement of the spine and LPHC – not stabilization. Stabilization is muscles bracing and holding a body part still while mobilization involves muscles moving the body part.

It is not possible to specifically target the core stabilizing muscles in an exercise that causes movement of the LPHC. (This is the same reason why squatting on an unstable surface like a BOSU ball is unlikely to target the core to a great degree).

The only real benefit of curl-ups on an exercise ball is possibly the ability to work the rectus abdominis and oblique muscles through a larger range of motion, since the exercise is begun with the spine curved backwards (extended) over the ball.

7. If I do leg lifts or scissor kicking on my back on the floor i’m strengthening my core

This situation is similar to doing crunches. For the abdominals to work during leg lifts or scissor kicks, they have to pull the pelvis backwards so that the low back is pressed into the floor ? again mobilizing the LPHC. Even though the lower abdominals muscles may be working isometrically to hold the low back on the floor, the exercise does little to target the twenty-some other muscles making up the core. Besides the LPHC is also resting on a very stable surface ? the earth!

6. ?I should feel a ?burn? in my core area when I do core training?

The most important stabilizing muscles of the core work at a very low intensity when working correctly. This makes sense, as stabilizing muscles are often your anti-gravity and postural muscles, which have to work for long periods of time.

You may get the impression that core training is not doing anything worthwhile, but it is important to remember that increased strength is more an improvement in communication between a muscle and its nerve rather than an increase in muscle size. If the activating signal a muscle receives from its nerve is clear and strong, it results in the activating of more fibers and motor units – generating more stabilizing force.

What is actually more likely to happen is that your brain will feel fatigued, as training the core correctly requires extreme concentration.

5. ?If I practice ?pulling my navel to my spine? or ?scooping my abs? I’ll activate the deep abdominal muscles of the core?

This is a common ?tip? given by personal trainers and yoga or Pilates instructors to help their clients activate the deep abdominal muscle called the transversus abdominis (TVA). Unfortunately, this drawing in maneuver tends to activate the mobilizing muscles like the obliques and the rectus abdominis more than the stabilizing TVA. The TVA by design cannot cause actual inward movement of the abdominal wall but rather causes a narrowing of the whole waist.

A more appropriate pointer to help activate and strengthen the TVA is to imagine contracting the pelvic floor muscles (like stopping urine flow mid-stream) or pinching the hipbones together.

4. ?If I do exercises like ?superman? on a Swiss ball then i’m strengthening my core?

The superman exercise involves lying on your stomach over a Swiss ball, lifting the trunk and raising an alternate arm and leg.

Any time the LPHC is supported by some surface or external support, it no longer needs to work hard stabilize ? even if the surface is an exercise ball! Some of the best core exercises are those that place the LPHC suspended in an unstable, anti-gravity position – stabilizing in the ?neutral position? (the pelvis is neither tilted forward, backward, sideways or rotated). Exercise examples are quadruped (on all fours), bridging and planking exercises.

3. ?I can do core training on my own because technique is not that important?

Actually core training is all about technique and maintaining perfect form and control of the LPHC. For example, if you poke your chin while doing supine Swiss ball bridge, this causes the LPHC to move out of the stabilized neutral position and into the mobilized position. External feedback from a partner or personal trainer can help you be aware of slight deviances in technique that minimize core exercise effectiveness.

2. ?You need to actively scoop you abdominals or pull your navel up and in when performing exercises like standing chest presses and free weight work?

The TVA is the most important of all core-stabilizing muscles as it ?braces? the low back with natural corseting action. In healthy people (without low back pain) this muscle works in a reflex (non voluntary) feed forward action even before movement of the arms or legs begin. So in my opinion, it is unlikely that consciously drawing or scooping the abs (which is incorrect anyway!) will have much benefit to improving core strength.

1.?Core training is for ladies and wimps?

Au contraire Mon frere! Core training exercises are possibly some of the hardest and most physically challenging to perform and yet are also some of the most logical to include in an exercise and conditioning program. Remember the core acts as the anchor for all the muscles of the body to ?pull off? so even if you look like Swartzenegger, if your core is weak, then functionally you will be weak too.

We have seen many athletes at our facility with all the appearances of being fit and strong crumble when asked to perform simple Swiss ball exercises. Besides I doubt many people would call Tiger Woods, Australian rugby players and the New England Patriots wimps!

David Petersen is a Personal Trainer/Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and the owner and founder of B.O.S.S. Fitness Inc. based in Oldsmar, Florida. More articles and exercise video clips can be found at http://www.bossfitness.com.

NOTE: You’re free to republish this article on your website, in your newsletter, in your e-book or in other publications provided the article is reproduced in its entirety, including this note, author information and all LIVE website links as above.


Here are several core training posts we just came across. You might enjoy these too.



An Ongoing Experiment: Pete Stringer, Part 1of 2 – But try it: Focus on core training and strengthening. It probably won’t alter your stride or the running, but it shows up when you get really tired later in the race. Strength and core training helps your posture to keep you from …

Core Training for Serious Size – Neither Rome, nor Ronnie Coleman, were built in a day! Remember that and you’ll never go wrong. So STOP training like you are stepping on to an Olympia stage tomorrow, and head for the CORE. I SACRIFICED IT ALL FOR THE CORE …

Multi-core Training Workshop at Wuhan Unviersity, China – The Multi-core Training Workshop was held in the National Electrical and Electronic Teaching Base of Wuhan University, China Friday Apr. 11- Thursday Apr. 17, 2008. The workshop was sponsored by Intel and arranged by Wuhan University …

Working Your Core With A Fitness Training Regimen – Most people do not realize that their abdominal muscles, or core muscles, are the most important set of muscles in the body. The core muscles are located around the trunk and the pelvis of the body. The reason that core fitness training …

Core Secrets to Stop Back Pain – Exercises that work the abdominals and the lower back are the staples of core training. Also, exercises that target the stabilization and power-transfer duties of the core muscles are very effective. Here is brief exposure to the …

Re: Core Training Tips!! – I know i’m more than a year late but i have a question about what you have in this thread….what exactly is the TEMPO? Can you define that for me? I.

Three Core Training Components – And hello again to all my friends in and associated with the fire service. Gordon Graham here with my monthly opportunity to talk to you regarding your profession and what is going on. In my last piece I talked about the value of …

Active learning: Effects of core training design elements on self … – This article describes a comprehensive examination of the cognitive, motivational, and emotional processes underlying active learning approaches; their effects on learning and transfer; and the core training design elements (exploration …

Re: Is weight training during marathon training a positive? – Earlier this year I was trying to incorporate some core training at the end of my workouts, but all it did was cause my back to get stiff when I ran. So I stopped the core training and everything works fine now. …

May 3, Core Training Exercise How to Get a Tight Strong Core Fast – Scale Pose are body core exercises that not only work your core. But, it also works your deepest core muscles, and muscles you didn’t even know you had! Learn the best core training exercise routines!

CORE TRAINING WORKOUT – Core Training Workout Why is it important to work the core and how can you most effectively accomplish your workout in the shortest time.

Licensing Training for Breadth Partners – There are 5 core modules:. Microsoft Product Fundamentals Fundamentals of Licensing. Product Licensing: Windows and Office Product Licensing: Server Applications Selling Software Assurance. For the remaining two modules you have the …

Variety (in training) is the spice of life! – SWIM (1 CREDIT) = meet at Claremont at 9am for an enjoyable stretching and core stability session that’ll see those glutes and abs toned up nicely. We’ll then be in the pool from 9.30am for an enjoyable swim where I’ll have our new …

Supercharge your fitness with Surf Stronger! – Join us May 8th for a dynamic and interactive talk with Scott Adams, CSCS, creator of the Surf Stronger training programs, and learn all about surf-specific training and core training for surfing. At this talk, you will gain valuable …

Core Training – Exercises Part-III – To progressively train the core, select exercises based on increasing amounts of core contribution. This can be done using a variety of training approaches, body positions and movements.

Core Training – Exercises Part-II – Core training should form a vital component of your fitness programme. Choose the exercises best suited to you to ensure you stick with it – remember this should be part of your everyday life. Power yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi all focus …

You can love both six-packs: abs and beer. 43 year-old distributor … – … Philippines–Beer” connotes hefty beer bellies, smoky pubs and drunken college keg parties—an image light years away from the hard core training, single digit body fat, Lycra-clad lean mean workout machines of your typical …

Multi Dimensional Ab Training – Finally, something new in ab training by lewis on October 28th, 2007 Coach David Grisaffi is giving away his latest abdominal and core training report for FRE! It’s called, “The Ab Guru Speaks.

Core Sculptor | Strengthen Your Body From the Inside Out – Eight … – Core training, once discussed only among athletes, has become a hot trend for home gym users and fitness clubbers. The core includes the body’s midsection from sternum to pelvis, and the important muscles along the lower spine. …

Core Training: A User's Guide – The term “core” is an oft-used, yet commonly misunderstood catchphrase that has been bandied about in fitness and rehab circles over the past 10-15 years. I’m hoping to give you a mercifully-short anatomy lesson and some usable starting …

Minnesota Core Training: Inside the Republican National Convention … – Then, the April Core Training session is for you. No matter your political affiliation, you are likely to come into contact with the Republican National Convention when it is hosted in the Twin Cities on September 1-4, 2008. …

Core Training and Triathlon – Core training seems to be the latest buzz in training. But what is the “core” and what is beneficial about training it? If you ask different experts, you might get a few different views on which muscles make up the core. …

Anterior Core Training – The strength guys and the functional guys generally agree that all good core training is done standing. As usual, Mike Boyle disagrees with both parties. He thinks we need to re-invent the wheel; the ab wheel, that is.

Core Training With The Stability Ball – Core Training with the Stability BallIntroduction: Also known as the Swiss ball, the physioball the stability ball is the most versatile piece of exercise equipment to enter the fitness field in more than a decade. …

Firm and Flatten Your Abs E-Book Review – That is what separates David’s program from the hundreds of other abdominal and core training books, DVD’s and classes that clutter the fitness marketplace today. To order or get more information, visit: Firm & Flatten Your Abs.

After effects – But I also think it has to do with my core training and the close attention I pay to my posture. I’m going to continue my full body workout even though I’ve stopped the V diet. I’m still on a calorie deficit, and my body responds better …

New DBRC Ab/Core Training Class Begins Monday, Mar. 24 – The Ab/Core Training Class is a great way to get those “hard to work” areas in shape for the upcoming spring and summer months! The 30-minute class is also the perfect class to prepare your body for our 5:30 yoga class or get you ready …

The Top Ten Myths About Core Exercise and Training – Core training or exercise that specifically targets the core muscles has become one of the hottest topics in the fitness and exercise world lately. Unfortunately, its surge in popularity has also given rise to several “core training …

Learning & Development Professional (Curriculum Design & Development) – Define the framework for global core training curricula for Group business units, roles and subject areas ensuring that the framework will need to link learning materials to structured and searchable curricula and training paths and …

Guest Blog: Killer Core Training – … about his unique training style and innovative methods for many prominent strength and fitness related sites. He is also the authored of three renowned strength manuals. For more innovative training solutions, visit Combat Core …

Took Sat/Sun Off – I need the core work as well as the time under tension. I wasn’t very proud of my numbers but at least they can be improved in a short time. My pr in the clean is 264 and in with the jerk it is 255 but today none of that was happening. …

It’s gonna be a good summer… – This summer finds me back in hard-core training for the 2008 NYC Marathon, the Arkansas Iron-Mountain Half-Ironman, and a ton of other races. I’m gonna jump as much as I can in the middle of all of this. …

The Core of Your Training – Good core training is much more than just doing hundreds of ab crunches. Over time, doing hundreds of abs every day will give you a rounded or hunch back if that’s all you’re doing for your core. You need to train ALL of your core …

Best Core Training Program Tips for Skiers – The new, unique skiing workout, has no need of special equipment or machines at all for these specially developed leg and core training programs for skiers that builds incredible strength, power, and muscular endurance in the legs, …

pitching article – What you must first understand is that the force of the ball comes not from the shoulders or arms but from the core of the body. If you are not familiar with core training, it focuses on the hips, obliques, abdominal, and lower back …

Got Core? Baseball Core Training – On a different note, I’ve just posted a new article on my website called “Got Core: Baseball Core Training” Learn what core training is, why it’s so important and why most are doing this COMPLETELY wrong. …

4 Effective Tools For Core Training! – Are you confident that you are getting everything from routine core training? While considering the new advancements in core training, it is very difficult for anyone to keep up with most effective and latest tools and techniques …

How Often Can You Do "Core Training" Part 1 – I’m assuming core training is supposed to give you a hard flat stomach or possibly even a 6 pack. I think this myth about core training is also how much of the new athletic style workouts are becoming popular as may exercises athletes …

Real Core Training – Core training is definitely one of those concepts that drives a lot of attention. We could talk for hours on all the neuroscience information available along with the spinal stabilization research. However, if you are not coming off of …

Core Training and Injury Prevention Clinic – This is a special clinic focused on Core Training and Injury Prevention. Presented by Sally Talbot, Physical Therapist and Mark Talbot, 5th Dan and Director of the Health Motion Performance & Training Lab out of Grand Rapids. …

hills are my worse enemy – I’m probably doing some core training before I hit the sack. Logbook Activity. Type: Cycle; Date: 05/11/2008; Time: 20:31:36; Total Time: 1:26:00.00; Distance: 24 miles; Average Speed: 16.74 mph; Ascent: 201 ft; Descent: 206 ft.

Crunches Are Not Core Training – Brett Jones CSCS – Yes – crunches are an abdominal exercise but they have nothing to do with core stability or core training. And they may even be harmful – especially if you have a history of back injury and disc issues. …

The Hard Core training – They are all very important to your total body and core strength, balance and stability. Here are three modified core training exercises for your total body stability. Incorporate one or two of them in your next workout routine. …

Core Training and Injury Prevention Clinic- CANCELED – We are canceling the Core Training & Injury Prevention Clinic due to spring break conflicts. The Health Motion Performance and Training will reschedule our seminar sometime in May. We’ll keep you posted!

Surf Stronger — Core Training with Serena Brooke – workout video, Surf Stronger–Core Training with Serena Brooke, comes out May 5th! This new video focuses on an area surfers need to work on most — their core! The video contains two core workouts, inspiring surfing footage, …

Looking for Exceptional Personal Training Services in Rockland … – Strong to the Core Training Solutions, LLC. is a personal training and performance enhancement company that serves Rockland and Westchester Counties. I am expanding my business to include more training in Rockland County, …

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The Top Fat Loss Secrets for Flat Six Pack Abs

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

I had the pleasure of being interviewed recently by a fitness professional from NYC, Geovanni Derice, of 4evertoned.com. The interview is below and I think you’re going to like it…I reveal some of the hardest hitting strategies for getting rid of body fat to uncover those six pack abs that everyone wants.

"GD: Welcome Mike Geary to 4everToned’s Fitness Journal. For those who do not know you, please tell us a few things about yourself.

MG: Thanks for having me, Geo. Well, to go back a little, I have been heavily involved in fitness and sports for about 15 years now, ever since I was a teenager. Being involved in sports in high school got me interested in strength training and conditioning. At that point, once I started feeling more energetic, getting stronger, and looking better, I was instantly hooked for life. I’m 30 now and still addicted to the way living a healthy and fit lifestyle makes me feel energetic, confident, strong, and youthful on a daily basis. I decided earlier in my 20’s that I wanted to make the commitment to help other people experience the excitement of being fit and getting in the best shape of their lives, especially since we’ve reached an epidemic of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, etc.

That’s why I became a fitness professional. It just gives me so much satisfaction to help others, who have struggled for years to get in good shape, and show them that it can be done, and it can be fun in the process. I’ve expanded over the years from just reaching local individuals with personal training, into being able to help people all over the globe achieve their fitness goals with the reach of the internet. I only hope that my passion for fitness inspires people to take action and improve how they look and feel for life.

GD: Now Mike, there’s so many things out there as to what works and what does not work…if you had to pick 3 things that work time and time again to get flat abs, what would they be?

MG: The first and most important thing to get control of in order to get flat abs is cleaning up your diet. Exercise is important, but your diet is king when it comes to losing body fat so that you can see your abs. There’s so much confusion these days about what a healthy diet that promotes fat loss really is…after all, we are bombarded by conflicting messages in the media about what is healthy and what is not, and you have all of these gimmicky diet books about low carb, low fat, high protein, vegetarian, fasting, atkins, south beach, liquid diets, and hundreds more. There’s so much conflicting info, that the average consumer doesn’t even know where to start when it comes to eating for fat loss.

The second thing that works time and time again, is to focus on the intensity of your workouts and focus on working the body as a whole in order to get the best metabolic response to lose that stubborn body fat. In order to really get lean, the workouts should have a high intensity, with short rest periods, working the largest muscle groups of the body, instead of trying to isolate specific small muscles like the biceps, triceps, or calves.

For the third thing, let’s talk about actually training the abs specifically. When it comes to training the abs, if you want real results, I always recommend forgetting about the crunches and situps for the most part. They are ok for someone that is really deconditioned, but most people that already have some training under their belt need a much better stimulus for their abs than crunches. Crunches are one of the abs exercises that actually provide the least amount of resistance, and remember that resistance is what develops and tones the muscles. I provide a ton of great abs exercises in my book, but one of THE highest resistance exercises for the abs, is hanging leg raises (but NOT the way you see most people at the gym doing them). The key to doing these and actually working the hell out of your abs is to curl your pelvis up as you raise your legs. Almost nobody ever does this right. To be honest, the majority of people cannot do this at first, but I provide some strategies in my book as to how to progress to doing these correctly.

GD: What are people doing wrong when it comes to developing the coveted "6 pack abs"?

MG: Well Geo, I know this sounds funny to most people, but the MAIN thing that people are doing wrong to get those 6 pack abs is…are you ready for this? They spend entirely too much time focusing on training their abs! Sounds crazy, but it’s true. Remember, having a visible six pack of abs is all about getting down to a low body fat percentage. In order to do that, your workouts must focus on stimulating a fat burning hormonal environment in your body, and increasing your metabolic rate. That just does not happen when you focus too much time training a small muscle group like the abs. Instead, you must use the majority of your time focusing on training the largest muscle groups of the body like the legs, back, and chest. That’s what stimulates your metabolism and the fat burning hormones that will get you truly lean and sporting a sixxer!

GD: Which exercises are the top exercises that people need to do if they are to get maximum defintion with their midsection?

MG: When it comes to developing the abs themselves, I again refer to any kinds of hanging abs exercises, as well as some good floor exercises like lying leg thrusts (all described and illustrated in my book). However, maximum definition in the midsection comes from losing bodyfat, and the most effective exercises featured in my program for that goal are various forms of swings and snatches (unique dumbbell or kettlebell exercises that almost nobody ever does in normal gyms), squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, clean & presses, mountain climbers, sprinting, and other full body exercises and calisthenics. If you want great looking abs, focus on those instead of focusing so much on training the abs directly!

GD: When it comes to diet Mike, people really have tried millions of ways to get one thing…and that is fat loss. What recommendations have you used to successfully help your clients lose fat and keep it off?

MG: I have included a fully comprehensive discussion of this topic in my book, which accounts for almost half of the book, but I’ll try to make some nice simple generalizations to get people started on the right path immediately. The most important thing is that your diet is as natural and unprocessed as possible. It almost always comes back to the overprocessing of food that makes it unhealthy, and makes it totally wreck your metabolism and hormone balance in your body. For example, why eat refined grains, when you can eat whole grains. Why eat refined sugar, when you can get natural sources of sugar from a high nutrient whole food like fruit. Why eat highly processed, refined, and hydrogenated vegetable oils (these are THE worst thing in the modern diet), when you can eat natural sources of healthy fats like nuts, avocados, fish, eggs, coconut milk, organically raised meat, and so forth. The point is to not fall for some gimmick like low carbs, low fat, high protein, or any other combination that has you focusing on one macronutrient vs. another. Your body needs all macronutrients to thrive and obtain a variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. Trying to cut an entire food group out just works against what your body needs. I get into much more detail on this vitally important topic towards losing body fat for life in my book.

GD: Thank you very much Mike for sharing with us all of this great information. For more info on Mike Geary and his internationally popular Truth about Six Pack Abs book, please be sure to visit his site below. Remember that 6-7 weeks from now, summer will be here, and if you wait until then, I’m afraid to tell you, but it will be too late!"

Visit http://truthaboutabs.com/freenewsletter.html to receive a free copy of the innovative ebook, Training & Nutrition Secrets for a Lean-Body, as well as your own free personalized metabolic rate calculator.

Michael Geary is a nationally dual certified personal trainer and author of the internationally-selling The Truth about Six Pack Abs ?2004-2006. Also, be sure to visit http://4evertoned.com for more valuable fitness tips.

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Hand Reflexology Chart

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

The Hand Reflexology Chart Will hand you a Tool for a Lifetime of Wellness

A common area for reflexology is the hand. The hand has many nerve endings and by massaging, pinching, or squeezing the hand in various selective zones, you can benefit from good health and a complete body stimulation therapy. There are several types of charts available for the various reflex zones of the body including the hand reflexology chart. The hand reflexology chart also comes in various shapes and sizes. You can purchase these charts directly from the internet at various sites or you can Google sites to find a free hand reflexology chart.

An interesting concept of portraying a hand reflexology chart is the invention of the hand reflexology glove as a therapeutic tool for good health. These gloves come with a hand reflexology chart imprinted upon them. These gloves are extremely useful for the beginning student of reflexology or the layperson at home wishing to learn the art and wishing to learn how to perform a perfect message. The massage itself is normally done by another individual and the printed chart is color coded for quick and easy reference to the body organ that you wish to have stimulated. Both sides of the gloves are imprinted so that the back and front of the hand can get a good workout. It is also important to note that the gloves are sold in pairs because each hand glove has a completely different hand reflexology chart.

The hand reflexology gloves come in the convenient one size fits all variety and are made of a cotton blend that stretches to fit every hand size. At first it might seem strange to wear gloves while receiving a massage but the strangeness will soon disappear and you get use to them.

A variation of the hand reflexology gloves is the heated gloves but they are not reflexology gloves per se. They are often utilized by chiropractors for they offer a heated massage to help eliminate pain often associated with tired hands, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis and more. The heated gloves can work to message different areas of the body with the added enjoyment of warmth for tired muscles. Unlike the reflexology hand gloves, these gloves can be sold separately and come in the defined sizes, small, medium, and large. They do make a great choose in lieu of an expensive professional massage.

Whether you purchase a hand reflexology chart, or you obtain a free one, whether you choose the black and white or color printed chart and whether or not you obtain for yourself a pair of reflexology gloves and or chiropractic heated gloves, one thing is for certain, you will benefit from a great hand workout, relief from pain, and stimulation of your body organs and systems for general well being.

Posted in Chiropractic, Homeopathic, Medical | No Comments »

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