Students Of Success

Imagine that there was a treatment that promised not only to help you feel better physically and emotionally, but to improve your memory and thinking ability, your energy level and your sleep quality, and as a “side effect” also helped you to lose weight and reduce your stress. Imagine that this treatment was easily available, and best of all, FREE - would you want to try it?

Most of us have learned to be skeptical of claims such as the above, thinking that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. So where is the catch? What if you found out that this treatment took approximately 20-30 minutes each day, and that it may take 2-3 weeks to notice results? Still willing to try it? What if the treatment took some effort to complete (roughly the same effort it takes to go grocery shopping)? And what if you had to keep up the treatment for the rest of your life in order to maintain the benefits? Still interested?

This miracle treatment, of course, is physical exercise. If its numerous well-documented benefits were available from taking a pill, probably everyone would take one. In fact, many food supplements, herbs and vitamins are sold making similar claims, and people are often willing to spend a lot of money on those, even though their positive effects on physical and emotional well-being are not nearly as well established as the positive effects of exercise. So why are so many of us still reluctant to make a commitment to regular physical exercise? If it is not because of physical limitations, it is often because we make excuses for why we can’t find the time and the energy in our already busy lifestyles. After reading about all the benefits of exercise below, decide for yourself whether you can really afford NOT to try it. (Note: It’s always a good idea to check with your health care provider before starting a physical exercise program!)

The Mental Health Benefits of Physical Exercise
Many people think of exercise as having mostly physical and health benefits, such as strong muscles, a strong heart, and weight loss. But a growing body of research shows that exercise also promotes mental health and well-being.

Positive Mood. Not only does physical exercise improve mood, it can significantly reduce depression, anxiety, and anger. Research on the relationship between exercise and depression has a long history, and has consistently shown that both short-term and long-term exercise is related to a significant reduction in depression. The findings suggest that the anti-depressant effects of exercise begin as early as the first session of exercise and continue beyond the end of the exercise program. Researchers at Duke University found that 60% of depressed people overcame their depression without medication after exercising for three 30-minute sessions per week for 4 months (this is about the same success rate found among depressed people who use only medication to treat their depression).

But you don’t have to spend hours at the gym to gain the benefits from exercise. Even short bursts of physical activity have been found to lift people’s mood, such as walking up several flights of stairs, or jogging to the mailbox and back. Exercise also has been found to significantly reduce anxiety. The most beneficial exercise for anxiety reduction appears to be aerobic (e.g., running, swimming, cycling) as opposed to nonaerobic (e.g., baseball, strength training). Research suggests that physical exercise promotes a sense of calmness similar to that obtained from relaxation training and meditation, with the added benefit of promoting better physical health. Yoga often has a calming effect on participants as well, along with the physical benefit of stretching and building strength.

Stress Reduction. Physically active people are better able to cope with the stress of daily life than sedentary people. Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly what happens to the brain during physical exercise and how that improves the body’s natural ability to handle stress. Studies have shown that exercise seems to have a beneficial impact on the immune system, helping people stay healthier and more resilient during stressful times.

Self-Esteem. Exercise increases confidence and can have a positive effect on self-esteem. One study found that children showed larger increases in self-esteem after engaging in aerobic activity as compared to other physical education class activities (such as learning sports skills). Another study found that senior citizens who practiced light stretching also increased their self-esteem.

Restful Sleep. Regular, quality sleep is related to better thinking ability, alertness, memory, and energy level. People who engage in rigorous exercise (walking, jogging, swimming, etc.) have been found to go to sleep more quickly, sleep longer, and have more restful sleep than people who do not exercise. Research suggests that exercise has the biggest impact on sleep when the exercise is longer in duration (30 minutes or more) and is completed earlier in the day.

Memory and Thinking Ability. There is evidence that exercise increases the blood supply to the brain. An increased blood supply means increased oxygen and energy, and thus better performance. The positive effects of aerobic exercise seem to be largest for “executive functions” - judgment, planning, and problem solving ability.

Studies have also found that physically active elderly people perform better than sedentary people on cognitive tasks such as memory, reaction time, reasoning, and vocabulary. When sedentary people were assigned to an exercise program that included both strength training and aerobic activity, they showed substantial improvement in cognitive abilities after only 3-6 months. However, that advantage was quickly lost when people stopped exercising.

In short, physical exercise can make you feel happier, calmer, more confident, more energetic, and better able to think and solve problems. Maybe, instead of saying no to exercise, say no to something else today and go for a 5-minute walk around the office or the neighborhood. Do it especially if you feel too tired to do it - remember that it will increase your energy and you will be glad you did it!

Dr. Karin Suesser, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (http://www.dollandassociates.com). She provides therapy and assessment for children (ages 1-18) and their families, as well as for adults and couples. She specializes in helping individuals find effective solutions to emotional, behavioral, or life transition concerns. Her areas of expertise include anxiety issues, ADHD, aggressive and disruptive behaviors, depression, trauma and abuse issues, academic/career concerns, parenting issues, relationship and sexual issues. She also provides professional coaching to individuals to help them achieve their goals, enhance their performance, and live a more deeply meaningful life.

If you’ve ever started an ‘exercise program’ for the
purpose of relieving a health condition or losing weight
and found it very difficult to stick with the program,
there’s probably a good reason why your determination
didn’t last…

Your motivation failed because its source wasn’t directly
connected to the exercise. Simply put, in your mind the
exercise was a chore rather than a pleasure.

For most people, the consequences of doing ‘chores’ have
to be fairly immediate for us to continue them. Otherwise,
we tend only to do challenging things when they are
inherently rewarding.

If you want to stick with it when it comes to exercise,
you must find a physical activity that is inherently
rewarding for you, and let health and weight loss become
and added benefit.

When I first took an interest in getting fit, losing the
weight that I’d gained during a recent change to sedentary
work, I started with exercise videos. These appeal to some
people, especially if you make the workout part of your
daily routine, but for me, it was just too much dread.

Next, I decided to make a bigger investment, thinking that
would force me to work out. Enter the rowing machine.

I read a statistic somewhere (after I bought mine), that
97% of home exercise equipment purchases get used for less
than one month. I don’t know if the statistic is true in
general, but in my case it was right on.

Even with the inspirational music in my ear and my eye on
the view out my daylight basement window, it seemed silly
to me to be rowing madly and going nowhere.

I really did want to lose the weight, and I knew that
exercise and activity were absolutely necessary - diet
alone wouldn’t produce long term results. So I kept trying
new things.

Membership in a gym: too much hassle and drive time. Yoga
classes: the schedules never fit with the rest of my life.
If these sound like excuses, they are.

People make excuses when faced with things we really don’t
want to do. But exercise doesn’t have to be dreaded. And
that’s the message here. Keep checking out new things
until you find what works.

What finally got me in the groove was so obvious and easy
in retrospect. Walking. I read that the best exercise for
changing our metabolism is that which uses the large
muscles, rhythmically and continuously. Walking, jogging,
bicycling, swimming laps.

I enjoyed walking once I found good trails to use. By
walking every day for 45 to 60 minutes, I began to get fit.
Once I was in better condition, it was fun to ride bicycle
and do other things like playing racquetball and volleyball.

These activities are exercise, and a lot more fun to me
than a daily workout video or time on the rowing machine.
That’s why I continue doing them - to me they are play, not
chores, inherently pleasurable, and that’s my motivation.

You will have to stay motivated until something clicks for
you, but here’s the mental difference. In your mind, you
are in the process of finding something pleasurable, rather
than in the process of completing an onerous daily task.

This is not to say that there won’t be times when you have
to push yourself a little bit to get going. That is where
routine and habit help you. If it is your routine to do
something physically active each day, you will eventually
feel strange when you have to skip it.

Whatever physical activities you end up sticking with
doing, they will likely involve pleasure and a sense of
play and accomplishment. That’s why you’ll stick with
them, fitness and losing weight are just bonuses.

Cheri Ellsworth is contributing author to Atec Exercise and Acer Bike. Visit to find valuable free information and additional articles by Cheri.

You’ve been thinking about it for quite some time now. You know you need to get your butt to the gym and start working out. You know you’ve gotten yourself out of shape and an hour or so in the gym three or four days a week sure wouldn’t hurt.

Ok, so you’ve finally done it. You went down to the local fitness club and spent 2 weeks pay on a one year membership. You even went to the local K-Mart and got yourself some new exercise outfits. Now you’re ready to go and get in shape. But before you do, there are a few things you should keep in mind to make your time in the gym productive, enjoyable and most of all, injury free.

WARM UP FIRST: this is very important to not only get your blood flowing but to minimize the risk of injury. some good warm up methods include walking on the treadmill for 10-15 minutes starting out at a slower pace then working up to a more brisk pace halfway through. Perform 10 minutes or so of stretching exercises such as toe touches, hurdlers stretches, twisting at the waist and reaching your arms out fully in every direction. before you do any exercises that involve using weights (biceps curls for example) do one set with half (50%) of the weight you’ll be using to prepare the muscles, tendons and ligaments performing the exercise to better handle the heavier weight.

START OUT EASY: when you first get to the gym and you are ready to hit the weights, select an amount of weight at first that seems almost too light but still provides some resistance for each exercise. Remember that proper form, posture and technique are far more important than how much weight you are using. Also, you must give your connective tissue (tendons and ligaments) time to strengthen in order to help prevent injury from the heavier weights you’ll be using later. You can always increase the weight as you go when you can do so without compromising proper form, posture and technique.

When you first get on the treadmill, stationary bike, stair climber or elliptical machine, remember that your heart probably isn’t going to be in the kind of shape to go all out and for this reason you should take it at a slower pace for a while. Each week, pick up the pace and the length of time spent on these machines a little at a time. This will give your heart time to build up to faster paces and longer periods. Remember, your heart is a muscle and like any other muscle, it needs time to adjust to the stresses placed on it during exercise.

KEEP AN EXERCISE LOG: one of the best ways to monitor your workouts as well as your progress is to write out your exercise program, stick to it and write in the weights you use for each exercise, and when you’re ready to increase the weight on any exercise, write it in.

On the treadmill or any other cardiovascular machine, write in your speeds and length of time spent. when your ready to make increases, write them in. in this way you not only are able to stay on a structured program ( which is far more productive that having no system ) but you can also keep track of the progress you are making and see how much progress you have made since you began. When you see that you’re making good progress as you go, you will become more motivated to stick with it.

COOL DOWN: after you’ve completed your workout, take 10 minutes at a slow pace on the treadmill. This will let your body cool down a little slower and a slower cool down is easier on your heart than if you cooled down quickly. During this time, you can reflect on the workout you just performed and feel the sense of well being that exercise gives you.

Now that you know a few things that will help to make your gym experience a more productive, more enjoyable and more injury free one, you are ready to go and start working on getting the body of your dreams, the right way.

Jim O’Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Sign up now for his free 7 part mini e-course at: http://www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php

I’m sure you have asked your friends or even trainers, do I need to wear a weight lifting belt while weight training? Half of them probably said yes while the other half said no. So where does that leave you? Maybe you should have asked them, when should weight lifting belts be worn?

Based on research from Stuart McGill who is a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo in Ontario Canada, it all depends on the type of training you perform. McGill does not recommend weight lifting belts for healthy individuals. His exception is for extreme bodybuilders because a weight lifting belt will help increase stability.

Below is a list of advantages and disadvantages of wearing weight lifting belts:
Advantages - They help support your spine

- They help decrease the chance of lower back injury

- Give people confidence they may not have had prior to training without a belt

Disadvantages - Some people may cover up an injury with the belt

- Increase of blood pressure depending on how tight you make it

- They may cause a slight change in your lifting style, which may cause injury

I am a firm believer in wearing weight lifting belts. I started with one when I was younger and have been wearing one ever since. I guess it is like a security blanket for me. It also makes me feel “BIG” and gives me confidence. My thought is, if a weight lifting belt makes you feel good and it psychologically helps you to perform better in the gym, then by all means, wear it.

If you are interested in learning more information on weight lifting belts, then please browse through our web site. For all other products visit us at Ultimate Fitness Equipment.

“I need more energy!” Ashley blurted out. Tyler nodded his head understandably. Ashley had just finished pouring out her frustrations.

Each morning she dragged herself out of bed. Instead of feeling recharged, she felt like she had just finished swimming across the Atlantic ocean. After three cups of coffee to wake her up, she would drive to her job as a secretary.

Still groggy but mildly alert, she spent all morning filing papers, answering the phone, and making appointments. About 1:30 fatigue’s ugly claws would sink into her. Her productivity would be cut by 40% as she struggled through the afternoon.

Five o’clock would come and she would head home. Already feeling drained she would fight the evening battle. A quick supper and then off to evening classes. Ashley would try to fight off fatigue as she struggled to listen to the teacher.

Back at home the caffeine would flow from cup to mouth as she pressed to get her school work done. After hitting the pillow, the cycle would repeat itself the next day. Weekends were not much better.

Tyler said, “It sounds like your lack of energy is keeping you from enjoying life, preventing you from doing what you want to in life, and is making you feel depressed and discouraged.”

“Yes, that is exactly it”, Ashley tiredly replied.

Tyler asked, “Ashley, would you spare an extra 20 minutes a day if you knew it would increase your energy and make you feel great?”

“Of course!” Ashley exclaimed.

Tyler went on. “A year ago I was in a similar situation. I would get home from work tired and not feel like doing anything. Often I would get drowsy in the afternoon.”

“However, this has all changed. Now I get home from work and I am usually not tired. I sleep better at night and I am much more productive. I feel like a new person!”

Ashley leaned forward, “What is the secret?”

“There are several different secrets, but let me share the key one. Each morning I get up 20 minutes early and take a brisk walk outside or around my house. This wakes me up and gives me a shot of energy that lasts through the day.”

“If I don’t get to it in the morning, I walk during lunch break. Sometimes I may feel tired when I get home, so I take another short walk to get my energy flowing.”

“That’s work”, Ashley said disappointedly as she leaned back. “It would cut back on my sleep and I am already tired.”

“It is not work or a time waster,” Tyler countered. “It is an investment. You are investing a few minutes a day to gain back hours in extra energy. It is a simple choice: 15 hours of lack of energy or 20 minutes of walking and 15 hours of increased energy.”

Tyler went on and shared the benefits of walking that studies have discovered. They include:

=Reduced risk of colds, sickness, and the flu.
=Better rest at night.
=Enhance moods.
=Weight loss.
=Reduced risk for many health problems.

Ashley was now more interested and sat upright.

Tyler went on. “I urge you to take the one week challenge. Spend 20 minutes a day for one week walking. Observe the results and then decide if it is worth it.”

“OK!” Ashley excitedly replied.

Three weeks later, Tyler bumped into Ashley again. This time she was smiling and she had a spring to her step.

“I can’t believe it!” She exclaimed giving him a hug. “I feel better, I have more energy, and I am happier.”

“That’s great!” Tyler said as Ashley released her hug. “Let’s take a walk and I will share some more keys with you.”

“Awesome!” Ashley replied as they turned and started to walk down the street.

Bryan Falls is editor of the free “Improve Your Life Now” newsletter. He shares how people can improve their life and achieve personal success. Learn about a special excercise to increase energy at http://www.improveyourlife-now.com/a1.php

What follows is a back-to-basics approach to achieve a good level of fitness and health using simple, easy to follow steps anyone can implement.

Diet
Not All Diets Work For All People. Diets don’t work for all people and there are some very good reasons for this. It’s very much like anything else - what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else.

Basically there are two underlying, causative factors for excessive weight gain.

• External, and
• Internal

Let’s look at the background for each one:

External factors

External factors include lack of exercise, eating the ‘wrong’ food types and or too much food.

Other factors can include lack of time for the preparation of healthy, nourishing and non-processed meals.

A severe injury which prevents a person from being able to maintain an active life style which included a high amount of physical activity, may well gain weight without changing their food intake, simply because they are still eating the amount of food they ate when their life style was much more active.

Internal factors

On the other hand, there are internal factors related to health problems that can lead to excessive weight gain. Problems with an individual’s metabolic rate, and similar disorders can cause a sudden rise in weight.

Mental and emotional problems can often lead to a decrease in metabolic rate and an increase in food intake - substituting food for emotional fulfillment.

Organic diseases such as diabetes and other organ pathologies may lead to an increase in weight.

As you can start to appreciate there are lots of different causes for why one may be gaining weight. When considering the different possible causes of weight gain, is it little wonder that there are so many different diets? They all claim to work and most of them do work for some, but not others. The problem is how do you know which one will work for you and which one will not?

A diet regime for a person who has recently been injured and is gaining weight due to lack of physical activity is going to need a different diet approach to an other individual who is suffering from an organic disease and is unable to utilise the nutrients efficiently.

The saying there’s horses for courses is quite true and it is important to realise that just going on a diet and adding a strict exercise regime will often not provide the results you may have expected.

There are some basic considerations for each of the two basic causes. Lets look at these separately in an attempt to create some basic rules, which you may wish to follow.

External Factors Leading To Excessive Weight Gain

Generally speaking there are some overriding factors that may play significant roles in excessive weight gain:

Excessive food intake - irrespective of the quality of food, you can eat too much and too much of anything will lead to an imbalance in your body’s health. Nutrients your body receives, but cannot use will be converted to fat and held in reserve for later.

Eating the main meal of the day at the end of the day will have a similar effect for many people. Remember that after the sun goes down, the body is starting to prepare for rest, not activity and digesting food is activity. A large, heavy meal may take several hours to digest and our body’s normal physiological functions are interrupted when we eat a large meal and go to bed soon after.

Many people do not have a substantial breakfast and few have a healthy lunch, so dinner is the first time in the day that many individuals and families actually have the time to sit down and eat a full meal.

Lack of exercise: These days most people live a very hectic life style allowing little or no time for a regular exercise regime. This is combined with sedentary work often involving sitting in front of a computer all day or at an office desk. This does ultimately not provide any form of exercise and uses little physical energy and therefore, little of the stored energy from last night’s dinner is converted to energy and used by the body.

There is another factor. Our bodies are basically lazy. That is if they don’t need to do the work, they won’t. So, if you are in a regular pattern of eating a large meal at night and little during the day, even though you may at some point in time during the day feel hungry, your body will not start to break down the fat into sugars and thus energy, but will just wait until you have another meal and use the available sugars from the meal to provide you with energy.

You may have noticed that from around mid-afternoon onward you start to feel tired and lethargic. However, about 30 minutes after you eat dinner you suddenly experience a surge in energy.

The tiredness is because you have used up your free energy and your body ‘knows’ that it will be fed in a couple of hours, so it will not invest more energy into breaking down fat stores to access the energy stores in the fat.

Internal Factors Leading To Excessive Weight Gain

Generally speaking there are some overriding factors that may play significant roles in excessive weight gain:

Emotional factors - can affect your digestion to a great extent. If you have ever had a major event in your life that made you extremely angry, you may not have been able to eat, or if you did you felt nauseous and experience a ‘lump’ in your stomach, some people will even vomit. This illustrates how sensitive your digestive system can be to emotional stress.

If the stress is of a chronic nature and has become part of your life, the digestive tract will react adversely. For example it may be over active and as a result you feel you are constantly hungry and this could lead to you over eating.

Similarly, if you do not sleep well and therefore feel tired during the day, you may find that eating snacks very frequently during the day will give you that energy boost to keep you going, but the result of this frequent intake of food can lead to obesity depending upon what you eat.

Depression is another emotional factor that in some people leads to over eating and it is not necessarily the quality or quantity of food eaten, but the fact that the emotional state of the person is depressed and thus the physiological processes such as metabolism may also be depressed. This too can lead to obesity, as the body just converts the nutrients from food into fat, leaving you lethargic and quickly hungry again.

Organ pathologies - There are several underlying health problems that can result in excessive weight gain, for example Hypothyroidism (under active thyroid gland), which is quite common in the community, is just one of the diseases that may lead to obesity. Hypothyroid sufferers find it extraordinarily difficult to loose weight irrespective of food quality/quantity and exercise.

Similarly, hormonal imbalances/disorders can lead to deposition of adipose tissue, for example menopause, may in some instances lead to weight gain.

Where there are pathologies, it is necessary to treat the underlying cause not just try to loose weight by what ever means necessary. That is it is important to look at the whole of the person, their life style, diet, exercise regime, health of their body, etc.

Just going on a diet to loose excess weight is not the answer to weight loss if you wish to loose weight permanently. It is a total revamping of the individuals lifestyle and everything that goes with it.

It is my opinion, that a balance of all foods combined with a regular exercise regime and a adequate level of hydration are the corner stones to successfully getting control of one’s weight.

Foods to eat

I am not going to give you yet another diet and name it after myself or some such silly thing. The following is basic naturopathic advice without any extreme elements or ‘fad’ components.

Breakfast. Firstly, start eating some breakfast. It does not need to be time consuming in preparation nor does it have to be a 3 course meal. However, you should have some fibre, fruit some fruit juice. For example a mixture of 3 different types of nuts mixed with rolled oats and some oat flakes together with some pieces of fruit, say apple, banana, pear, peach, or any other fruit you’d like. Mix all these ingredients together and add a generous helping of natural yogurt. You may add some honey to sweeten the muesli to your taste. The aim is to include in the order of 15 different foods in this meal. That will provide you with a healthy, non-processed, nutritious meal that will give your body a great start to the day.

Lunch-time. Again, keep it simple. A mixed salad (include as many vegetables as you can) with or without some cold cuts of meat, fish or chicken, or tofu and soy or what ever you like. Just make sure it’s unprocessed and fresh.

If you have to attend a business lunch, just order a big salad as the main dish. Or go for a vegetarian meal. Most Restaurants these days are very aware of and cater to vegetarians and provide a good selection of vegetarian meals.

Fish is another must have (okay, vegetarians may not wish to include fish in their diet), because they contain fatty acids such as Omega 3, 6 and some also contain Omega 9 as well as many other nutrients.

Dinner. This should really be the smallest meal of the day and also the simplest. Again, keep it simple and unprocessed. Use vegetables, fish, rice and similarly light, easy to digest foods. Make a stir fry (using virgin Olive oil) for example, or a rice dish, salad, or omelet containing a variety of vegetables.

It’s also not a crime to eat a healthy muesli at night, especially on hot, humid nights when a hot meal is not really desired.

Snacks - well, you’re allowed to have the odd snack, just don’t make it not a chocolate bar. Instead, you could eat a handful of nuts, not salted, not roasted, but just plain unsalted healthy, fresh nuts. Alternatively you could eat fresh fruits and raw vegetables such as Apples, Carrots, etc. as snacks.

Last, but by no means least, you need to consume at least 2 litres of Water and or fresh fruit juices each and every day.

Did you know, that often when you are feeling hungry during the day, the body is actually asking for water, not food? This can be a bit confusing, but by the time you recognise that you are actually thirsty, you are already dehydrated. One of the first signals of ‘I need to drink some water’ is a feeling of hunger. So rather than responding to this impulse of ‘I need food’, drink a glass of juice or water and see if the ‘hunger pangs’ persist.

Exercise

Well, let me say that none of us need to become athletes just to stay fit or loose some weight. The idea of exercise is not to become Arnold Schwarzenegger or Rambo. Exercise is going for a 20-30 minute walk, using the stairs when possible as opposed to taking an elevator.

Exercise does not have to be and should not be a ‘pain’ to do, rather it should be physical activity you enjoy doing and this activity should make your body work on a physical level. Over time you will build up your strength and your level of fitness.

For example: Swimming especially in the ocean is a very healthy activity and does exercise your body. Walking, not necessarily along roads, but along the sand on the beach or through uneven grounds such as on a walk through the bush is great exercise. But if you are living in the suburbs and are not near a National Park or the beach, than walking along the road is better than not doing anything. Riding a push bike is another good form of exercise especially for the cardiovascular system.

But you can also turn work around the house into exercise. Washing the car for example can be a form of exercise, polishing it would add to this. Mowing the lawn is another form of exercise and the list goes on.

I’ll just ad a word of warning here - whenever you do exercise, be aware of your posture, especially when using household chores as intended exercise. Vacuuming for example, keep your back as straight as possible, bend the knees and take a small step rather than reach as far as you can. Change hands every now and again to give one arm a rest while the other is doing the work, than change back again and so on.

Lastly, don’t rush into exercise, work up to increasing levels of fitness using little steps. Each week or two, make the walk a little longer, or try and do the same distance a little quicker, swim a little longer or further, take your bike out and time yourself over a few kilometres, than 2 weeks later, see if you can decrease the time it took by a minute or so on a regular basis.

Take baby steps, don’t try to go too far too soon, or you may end up injuring yourself. Take it step-by-step and you’ll not only enjoy your newfound fitness, but will have fun achieving it.

Hints: Time your exercise to be either in the cool of the morning or early evening. Going for a walk at lunch-time in a city is not healthy. The pollution you breath in will end up doing you more harm than the benefits you get from the exercise. What ever you do, do not go jogging along major traffic roads, especially not during the day and definitely not during the hottest part of the day.

I see people running along major roads in Sydney during summer in the middle of the day. They look like they are about to have a heart attack and are actually a lot closer to that than they think. They are gasping for breath and breathing in highly concentrated pollution and very little (if any) fresh air… Think what that does to your Lungs and the load of hazardous chemicals that are absorbed into your blood stream - sit under a shady tree and eat a healthy lunch - you’ll get much more from that.

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

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© Wildcrafted Herbal Products 2006

Early records of strength training date back to 3600 BC when Chinese emperors made their subjects exercise daily (Webster 1976). During the Chou Dynasty subjects were required to pass weight- lifting tests before entering the military. There is large amount of evidence that indicates weight training was part of life in ancient Greece and India. In fact, the Greeks built numerous sculptures of people lifting stone weights.

Numerous systems of training have been proposed over the years. The accumulation of experience and different philosophies has led us to the current training methods utilized today. Keep in mind; many authorities have varied greatly from the original purpose of strength and conditioning. Hard work and dedication formed the foundation of earlier training methods. Today the opposite has occurred in numerous settings as easy work and quick fixes form the foundation of most people’s regimens.

During the 16th century in Europe books on weight training began to surface. Sir Thomas Elyot’s book on the topic was published in England in 1531. Joachim Camerius, a lecturer at Leipzig University, wrote several books in 1544 recommending that weight training should be a key activity offered in the model school. John Paugh published a book in 1728 titled A Physiological, Theoretic and Practical Treatise on the Utility of Muscular Exercise for Restoring the Power to the limbs, which pointed out the benefits offered by weight training for rehab purposes. In the 1860’s, Archibald Maclaren, devised the first formal system of physical training with dumbbells and barbells for the British Army.

The showmen and strongman entertainers of the 19th Century heavily contributed to methods used today in the fitness and Sports Conditioning industry. From extensive research iron game historian David Webster credits Italian circus and fairground performer, Felice Napoli as the one who popularized strongman performances on an international scale. Disciples of Napoli include Professor Attila (Louis Durlacher) and Eugen Sandow (Frederick Muller). Attila became well known and he attracted some of the world’s most well known physical culturists and many rulers of Europe. His list of students included King George of Greece, King Edward of England, Crown Prince Frederick who became King Haakon of Norway, the six children of King Christian of Denmark, the Queen Mother Alexandra of England, Princess Dagmar (Empress of Russia and mother of Tsar Nicholas), and the Duchess of Cumberland.

At the time training the wealthy was a much respected occupation. We have what we call personal trainers today. The current protocols used by the majority of today’s trainers are a far cry from the original teachings and benefits provided by trainers. The fame and notoriety of trainers of those days was a result of the public displays of extraordinary physical feats. These events were often attended by royalty and were highly acclaimed for their promotion of physical well-being.

Eugen Sandow, born in Koningsberg in East Russia in 1867, was recruited for his teachings by presidents and rulers from around the world. Nine kings and queens and many princes of Europe, as well as US presidents William Taft and Woodrow Wilson endorsed Sandow’s book Life is Movement. Sandow was a successful strongman as well as a promoter of formal fitness and health management. He emphasized that physical education and sport should be an integral part of the school system. He also toured the world lecturing and promoting physical culture as a means of improving the quality of life.

Most authorities recognize Sandow, as one of the most important figures in the history of fitness, with the history of his work revealing that the modern phenomenon of science based fitness training is not a novel invention. Sandow promoted the importance of strength and skill as being the cornerstone of fitness. A half a century later Dr Kenneth Cooper proposed that being fit was primarily dependent on aerobic conditioning. Approximately 25 years later the important role of strength training has once again been recognized by the academia.

In Russia during the same period Vladislav Krayevsky founded the St Petersburg Amateur Weightlifting Society (1885). Many respected scientists, athletes; artists became his students, including famous strongman George Hackenschmidt, who credited Krayevsky for teaching him all he knew. Hackenschmidt mentioned in his book The Way To Live that some of the world’s strongest men of the era, including Sandow were trained using Krayevsky’s system.

Krayevsky’s work and the popularity of his students had a major effect on weightlifting in Russia. Not only was he a renowned teacher, but he also achieved significant numbers in barbell lifts himself. He was the president of the jury at the first world championships in Vienna in 1898.

Krayevsky wrote two of his fundamental works during the period of 1896-1899. The writings were titled The Catechism of Health-Rules for Athletes and The Development of Physical Strength with Kettlebells and without Kettlebells. The Catechism of Health-Rules for Athletes was sent to press December 9th 1899, but was never published and is now preserved in manuscript form. His other book was published in 1900 and reprinted three times (1902, 1909, 1916) after his death (1901).

Krayevsky was well studied on the history of physical culture and all forms of gymnastics. He was knowledgeable about Swedish gymnastics and noted its therapeutic benefits, but his concern with the lack of scientific data of the Swedish system led him to recruit experimentalists to research it.

Many of Krayevsky’s recommendations are still used today. His recommendations include medical control of an athlete’s health, consistent training and varying load patterns, full spectrum physical development, psychological development and avoidance of smoking and alcohol.

The early strength pioneers developed numerous devices in regards to strength training including cable machines, kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells, odd-shaped bars, thick grip bars, weighted boots, isolation machines and various throwing devices. Yet 50 years later there are numerous people who claim to have invented this machinery. In today’s industry there are many systems and people promoting their new systems, which are not really new at all.

The development of different scientific and educational cultures split the West and East as their promotion of physical activity was vaguely different. During the years following the World Wars Russia and Europe still continued to promote various elements of physical strength, power and skill while the West primarily promoted aerobics. Kenneth Cooper’s book Aerobics was popular at the time as well as Swedish endurance exercise research. According to Cooper and the Swedish researchers cardiac and general health depended primarily on prolonged endurance work. Supporters of the endurance doctrine heavily protested strength training. Cooper told the world strength training promoted a beautiful body but did nothing for health.

During the same period that the aerobics craze was running wild in the West Russians and Eastern Europeans accumulated extensive international information on strength and sports training while developing comprehensive educational programs to promote their findings. Most schools offered weightlifting and within a few decades there were approximately 1 million weightlifters in the USSR. Strength training became a key element in all sports training programs in the USSR while the attitude in the West was that weight training would slow athletes down and limit their range of motion. Consequently Russia dominated the Olympic Games, especially in Olympic Weightlifting, at the same time the aerobic doctrine became gospel in the West.

The Russian dominance has often been attributed to the use of anabolic-androgenic drugs, but the sporting use of these drugs was actually introduced in by the West first. It is probably more accurate to say that the Eastern nations dominated due to their special strength science and understanding of comprehensive sports conditioning. On the topic of drug usage no one uses more drugs than Pro bodybuilders, which are predominantly Americans.

In the West today the majority of gyms, trainers, academia and coaches are still ill informed when it comes to fitness and Sports Conditioning. The aerobic endurance crazes still dominates in most cases, yet this makes up a minor portion of fitness. All one needs to do is study the science and abundant evidence that supports the numerous health and fitness benefits of a proper strength-training program to realize its importance.

References

Siff, M.C (2000) Supertraining. Mel Siff.

Copyright 2005 Jamie Hale

jamie Hale is the owner of maxcondition.com, gym owner, fitnes and nutrition consulant and writer. He is also a member of the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

Walking is increasingly being rated as an excellent means of staying fit and healthy. It is natural form of exercise that we do every day to some extent. For those who consider it a form of exercise the risks of suffering an injury are low as long as you follow a gradual programme and don’t do too much too soon. All you need is a pair of comfortable shoes with adequate support and shock absorption and a watch with a second hand if you want to measure the intensity of your walk by measuring the heart rate. The benefits that you derive from walking are dependant on many factors that include, how frequently you walk, the distance covered and the intensity of your walks.

While a half-hour amble through the park might do wonders to reduce your stress levels, it would not do much in terms of weight loss. However, a programme of regular brisk walking (six to eight km), combined with an energy-controlled, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet should cut some body fat.

Do’s

. Make your walks a priority. Unless you recognize them as an essential feature of your lifestyle, you will soon abandon them.

. Try to convince a friend to join you. You can motivate one another and chat while walking. Ideally, get your spouse to walk too.

. Invest in a good pair of walking shoes. Take the advice of well-trained staff at the shoe shop.

. Set yourself a goal and reward yourself when you achieve it. Positive reinforcement is strongly linked to success and sustainability.

. Monitor your progress, keep track of the distance walked, how long it took and what your exercising heart rate over a 10-second period is. Also measure your waist, hips and chest every month.

. Find an attractive variety of routes to avoid boredom. A food idea is to measure out a 3-5 km route, which you walk as fast as you can once a week.

. Read up on the benefits of regular walking, i.e. a decrease in your risk of suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, obesity, type 2 diabetes, anxiety and depression. This information will strengthen your resolve.

Must Read: Treadmill Directory: Treadmill workout, exercise and tips! at http://www.weightloss-health.com/treadmills_elliptical_trainers.htm

Don’t’s

. Don’t expect significant weight loss in the first few weeks. Walking 3-4 times a week at a moderate to high intensity can result in fat loss, if combined with high carbohydrate, low-fat meals.

. Don’t walk alone in the dark and wear a reflective belt/clothing at dawn or dusk.

. Don’t miss sessions early on in your programme. In a few months, you will probably be addicted to it.

. Don’t overdo it. Many people start off totally fired up and think that mote is better and add in extra sessions. this leads to burnout and is not sustainable.

The Starting Point-

. Men over 40. women over the 50 and those with either a chronic disease or risk factors musk seek medical advice.

. Purchase a pair of suitable walking shoes, a watch with a second hand and a reflective belt.

. Measure out routes ranging from 2-5 km in a safe and attractive suburb.

. Do some baseline measurements as well as your walking sessions.

. Warm up for five minutes before starting out on your walk.

About the Author:

Ashley Green: for http://www.weightloss-health.com/muscle_building.html your complete and most comprehensive guide on Muscle Building.

Look out for highly effective women muscle building programs at Weight Training for Women- Workouts and Tips

Upper back exercises are a good way of strengthening the upper back. The back supports the weight of the upper part of the body and has to be strong enough to carry out its work unhindered. People focus on strengthening their lower back to avoid back pain, but upper back muscles too need toning up. A well toned back looks good and helps in maintaining correct posture. Some effective exercises are mentioned below.

Women would rather have a well-toned upper body, whereas men prefer a muscular back. Dumbbell pullovers and dumbbell rows are effective upper back exercises for both men and women.

Dumbbell Pullover:

You need a narrow workout bench for this exercise. Lie with the workbench supporting the upper back and neck, and your head leaning over one end. Place one leg each on either side of the bench with feet firmly placed on the ground. Lift the dumbbell over your face with arms stretched out. Slowly lower the dumbbell over your head in an arc; hold, and bring it back to original position. Initially do five repetitions and gradually raise the count to fifteen.

Another variation of this upper back exercise is to hold the dumbbell with bent arms. With elbows bent, slowly lower the dumbbell over your head in an arc; hold, and then gently pull back the dumbbell to original position. Initially do five repetitions and gradually raise the count to fifteen.

Dumbbell Row:

Place the dumbbell on the right side of the bench, and your left leg on the bench with the right foot firmly placed on the floor. Leaning forward, place the left hand on the bench in front of the body. Your back should be in horizontal position. Pick up the dumbbell and raise your arm slowly upwards until your upper arm is in level with your upper body; hold, and take back your arm to the original position. Initially do five repetitions and gradually raise the count to fifteen. Now, repeat the exercise with the left arm.

These Upper back exercises are a great way to build a strong upper back that add to the ‘V’ shape of the body.

Asheesh Mani is the Online Editor of Online Back Pain Resource. He has developed this site to provide valuable information to people suffering from back pain. This site enumerates different causes and factors related to back pain, guides through the different back pain treatments and suggests exercises for treatments of different types of back pain. The site is a free online resource for back pain and its remedies. The visitors can also find valuable information and reviews about the different equipments and therapies for back pain relief. Visit http://www.backpain-resources-online.com for more information.

Exercising During Commercials

I’m getting up an hour earlier these days. At first I said I’d never be able to do it: I was already sleep deprived rising at 6 AM how would I ever get up at 5 AM? I’d never be able to get to sleep earlier (this is still true), and a hundred other reasons why it wouldn’t work. And then I tried it, and it does work. I’m still sleep deprived, but that extra hour in the morning is a Godsend. I love it.

How do you Present Ideas to Yourself?

So why did it take me so long to “just do it?” Probably the way I presented the idea to myself. Notice I used words such as “never” and “already” as in “I’m already sleep deprived.” I kept telling myself it wouldn’t work, that it was a bad idea and until the first time I actually tried it, I secretly believed when the alarm rang, I’d just turn it off and go back to sleep. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy getting up early. Mornings are my best time of day. I’m the most productive in the morning so it makes sense to give myself an extra hour.

I Don’t Have Time to Exercise

Sometimes a small adjustment in how you run your day can help enormously in freeing up some time for things like exercise. “I don’t have time.” I hear that a lot, but if asked, “What’s your favorite TV show?” most people can list a few — hours spent sitting and watching. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some TV, but there’s also no reason you can’t exercise during the commercials.

When I was a kid and it was my turn to clean the house, I made a game out of it. I loved TV, watching probably six or seven hours a day then, so missing a show to clean was not going to happen. So I’d clean during commercials. Today there are over 20 minutes of commercial time during each hour of the show. That’s plenty of time for getting things done. As soon as the show broke for commercial, I’d jump from my chair and dash to wherever I’d left off. I’d bring in laundry and fold it while I watched. I’d iron in front of the TV, I’d bring in piles of miscellaneous debris from other rooms and sort it into piles for where it belonged, then on the next commercial I’d go put things away.

I’d move from one room to the next, carrying things that belonged there with me, and returning with things that did not. Eventually the house was clean, and hadn’t missed my programs.

If you enjoy TV, consider how much time there is available during the commercials and start using it. Whether for exercise or cleaning, or anything else you need to get done: responding to correspondence, studying, paying bills, grooming the cat - there are lots of little chores we need to do, no reason we can’t carry them into our TV room and get them done.

Turn TV Time into “Get Fit” Time

You can turn your TV room into a fitness room easily. A cushy floor mat, if the room isn’t carpeted. A pair of dumbbells or two. Empty bleach jugs make good dumbbells, but be careful if they are only partially full of sand, dirt or water (whatever you use to fill them with something to create the weight), as if the weight shifts during the movement you could injure yourself.

Canned food make good homemade weights. I have half pound and one pound cans, heavier can may be too difficult to hold. Go on a scouting expedition around your house and see what you find that could work as weights then store them behind the couch and start using them. Twice a week or three times, consistently, and you’ll start noticing a change within a short time - usually in a month or six weeks definitely.

My first exercise equipment was a pair of dumbbells, a one pound and a five pound set. You don’t have to have a fully equipped home gym to exercise at home.

Push ups are an incredible exercise, men’s and women’s style. No special equipment needed, just get on the floor and start. Standing squats (pretend you are going to sit in a chair, then stop at about or before chair level, and return to standing straight). There are even books written for exercising on the commercial breaks. I put together a page with a few of the books I’ve found which present this concept such as “The Commercial Break Workout: Trim and Tone Two Minutes at a Time” by Linda Buch and Seth Anne Snider-Copley.

Grab some Extra Minutes and Get Started

I wanted to get up an hour earlier so I could work out in the mornings. When I exercise first thing, nothing else interferes. No matter what comes up, it doesn’t take away from my fitness program. Unexpected calls or invitations, traffic jams, “There’s no bread,” yells my son who still thinks it’s my job to keep the pantry stocked, so I need to run to the store, nothing ruins my day’s plan to ride my bike or lift weights. The consistency of a regular exercise program just makes me feel good - you might find it does the same for you, and if you have had a difficult time finding time - make time. Grab some extra minutes during commercials on TV, get up earlier, find whatever works for you. Write it on your calendar, make a date with yourself, and get started.

Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, and author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss. Visit OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com to learn how she lost 80 pounds over 20 years ago and kept it off, and how you can do the same.