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Below are some quick, but effective, exercises - specifically designed for the busy Mom - for the back and shoulders to keep you strong and prevent future injuries that may occur with poor lifting biomechanics and poor posture. The heavy weight of not just the baby, but also all the fun gadgets you’re expected to lug around. It’s no surprise that our bodies need a little help to get through the day.

Rotator Cuff Strengthener

For this workout you will need a light theraband. The beauty about this piece of equipment is that it’s small enough to carry in your bag or your stroller. Now you have no excuses - you can do these exercises on the go, at the park or when you have a few moments to spare.

You can do this exercise either seated or standing; hold the elbows close to the waist with palms facing the sky holding the theraband. Pulling the hands away from each other externally rotating the shoulders

Reps:
3 sets of 10-15 reps

Muscle focus:

Rotator cuff muscles are the small muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint. If these get weak from over use you could end up with bicep tendonitis or other potential injuries. This is very common with Moms as everything is usually done with one hand while holding the little one in the other.

Tricep push-up extension

This is the one time in your life you are going to need arm strength, the biceps are going to get over worked from the motion of picking up the baby so it’s important to balance these out and keep the triceps strong as not to put unwanted strain on them.

Hands are directly under your shoulders and knees are on the ground in a modified push-up. The pelvis is slightly pressed forward creating work in the abdominals that stabilize the spine. Place the theraband under the right hand on the floor and extend opposite arm in a tricep extension. Whilst extending the working arm be careful to keep the wrist in line with the hand not to create any unwanted tension/strain.

Reps:
3 sets of 10-15 reps on each side

Muscle Focus: 
Drawing your shoulder blades down activating your upper back muscles, engaging abs at all times. Keeping your abs strong and being aware of contracting them is very important as they play an important role in stabilizing and protecting the back.

Translating this in to functional activities such as picking the baby up out of the crib will really save your back.

Spine extension with pulses

Over time in pregnancy our posture completely changes due to the increased weight of the baby bringing our body forward and causing the spine to round forward with the shoulders. This causes the back muscles to become very stretched out and weak.

Seated up right with legs in front of body shoulder width apart, hands over your head. Hinge forward from the hips leading with the sternum, biceps are by your ears. Hold this position and slightly pulse the arms behind the body mobilizing the shoulders and working the upper back. Return back to an upright position to repeat the movement again.

Reps:
3 sets of 10 Pulses

Muscle Focus:

Upper back and hamstring flexibility. This exercise will strengthen the mid upper back and open up the tight thoracic area of the spine, correcting bad habits that the body formed through pregnancy.

Butterfly ab curls

Keeping you abs strong is essential for keeping your whole body strong and restoring poor posture left over from pregnancy.

Lying on the floor with heals of feet together and knees bent to the side in a frog like position. Arms are straight over your head, circle arms around and lift the head neck shoulders off the floor exhaling pulling in the abs hold for 5 seconds and return back to starting position.

Reps:
3 sets of 10 reps

Muscle Focus:

As you exhale and bring the head neck and shoulders off the floor think of pulling your abdominals in up and back to the spine. Moms, this is a time you can practice doing your kegal on the contraction working the pelvic floor.

Editor’s Choice Award:

Editor’s info: Terry Kent - Editor, HealthCrazed.com:

Increase Your Metabolism and Lose Body Fat Fast

by: Andrew Bicknell

Body fat for most people is that area around their midsection that is in an ever state of growth. To the vast majority of the public losing body fat means losing that flabby belly. It seems that the midsection is that area of the body through which appearance of health and fitness is measured.

What most people don’t understand is that in order to effectively get rid of belly fat they need to reduce fat storage across their entire body. The best way to lose body fat fast is to increase your metabolism. The way this is done may go against the grain of the normal dieting routine which consists of eating less to reduce caloric intake. This will work to a appoint but if we look at how metabolism works you will see that to few calories can have the opposite effect of what someone losing weight is trying to accomplish.

Metabolism is usually the most misunderstood part of any weight loss routine. What many people don’t understand is how crucial it is when it comes to losing body fat. For many overweight people eating less is a good start because excessive caloric intake does lead to obesity. The problem starts when they start eating to few calories, essentially starving themselves of the vital nutrients and caloric energy the body needs in order to function. With out enough energy the body will slow its own metabolism as it goes into starvation mode and it will be more reluctant to give up its fat stores. In fact in times of caloric deficit the body will actually continue to store fat as it perceives it own survival being at stake.
There are three things you can do to increase your metabolism and lose body fat fast.

1. Eat a Healthy Diet Eating healthy is one of the most misunderstood ways to increase metabolism. Nearly everyone equates food with the reason they put on weight in the first place. The types of food and calories you eat have a huge impact on how your body functions. Foods high in complex carbohydrates and fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, are a good way to start raising your metabolic rate. Not only will your body have the nutrients it need to metabolize its fat stores more efficiently it will also burn more calories simply digesting these types of food.

2. Resistance Training � There is no better way to increase your resting metabolism then with some form of resistance training or weight lifting. That’s right lifting weights will burn calories not only during the workout but long after the workout is over. This is because muscle growth occurs after a workout and to maintain that lean muscle mass your body has to burn more calories.

3. Aerobic Exercise Doing aerobic or cardio exercise is a good way to burn excess calories while building your cardiovascular system. A strong and healthy cardiovascular system reduces the risk for many diseases and also allows the body to more efficiently burn the calories it needs to function at an optimum level.

If you are serious about losing that excess body fat fast then your best bet is to increase your metabolism using the three steps above. It may require some changes on your part but the long term benefits will be worth the effort you put into it.

I recently signed up with 24 Hour Fitness about 2 months ago. It felt like a whole new world to me, it did take some time get used too. I had to walk around, see where all the equipment was and just get familiar with the place. I like it a lot, it has a Spinning room, HUGE Aerobics room, 2 Racquetball courts, Basketball court, Swimming pool, Hot tub & Sauna/Steam room.

Did you know that for example; if you do leg extensions on a “Cybex” machine and do the same exercise on a “life fitness” machine, it will feel like it’s more of a challenge? Your muscles get used to doing the same machine that when you switch it’s like tricking your muscles but it’s the same exercise. You know what I mean? I know i felt it the next day. This gym has some equipment that I’ve never seen before. A mass amount of cardio equipment, I walked in there the first day and was blown away. I’ll never have a problem getting my cardio in.

The staff is very nice, I’ve made some good friends already. They asked me if I would be interested in training there. I thought that was really cool that they would think I’d make a great trainer there.

Anyway, I’ll be training there for a little while. I still have my membership at my other gym, it’s paid up already for the year. So, I go back and forth, mainly when I’m training legs because my other gym has some equipment that 24 doesn’t have. SORRY!!

Pilates - Make It An Important Addition To Your Cardio And Weight Training Regime

By Dori Schwaiger

Did you know that the Pilates Method was developed in the early 20th century, in Germany, by Joseph Pilates? He first called his method the “Art of Contrology” because of the focus required in complete control of muscles with the mind. The simple idea of Pilates exercise is targeted towards improving the total body by conditioning your core strength and toning the abdominal muscle groups. All of this is based on developing better breathing habits, while improving your posture and learning to use your mental concentration and focus from within.

One of the bonuses of sticking with a Pilates workout is a longer, leaner look along with better dexterity. Did you know that an average 20 minute workout can burn up to 20% more body fat then an average cardio routine on a treadmill?

The other great thing about this form of exercise is that it can be as gentle, yet as challenging to the body depending upon the level that it is practiced. It will vary greatly depending upon your initial fitness level and ultimate goals.

One of the oldest and most popular programs out there today is Winsor Pilates, created by Marie Winsor. The products offered are kits and special value sets of Pilates Videos. These videos can range from beginners level through advanced workouts, specially created to target problem areas like your abs, buns and thighs. [To date over 5 million Winsor Pilates kits have been sold].

Another popular system on the market today is ‘Zone Pilates.’ The secret here is the “Zone Pilates Sculptor.” This guides your movement by creating muscle toning resistance to gain fast results. There is also a unique foot guide to keep your body in that perfect position. The Zone Pilates System divides your body into 3 target areas:

Zone 1 focuses on toning your upper body. If you want firm arms and shapely shoulders, use the Zone Pilates sculptor to develop strength without adding bulk.

Zone 2 is designed to tighten your abs and get rid of the flab. Strengthen your core, or Power House muscles, by working from the deepest level.

Zone 3 will give you the long, lean, sleek thighs and firm buns you’ve always wanted.

So, if you are new to working out and looking for a great time tested exercise to begin with, Pilates will work for you. Alternatively, if you are at the most practiced and skilled of workout levels, maybe its time to make this method your own!

There are so many great Pilates tools out there to choose from. Some of my personal tips to get started would be to purchase a Pilates DVD, and remember to make your choice based on your current fitness level. I find that a good Pilates Mat always makes my workout more comfortable. Some people like to incorporate weighted fitness balls and exercise bands into their routine. There is also the Pilates Reformer that is available for purchase. This is a bit pricy so see if you are able to book a session on one with a certified Pilates instructor at your local gym or a Pilates Studio that specializes in the reformer exercise moves. (FYI, a Pilates Reformer can cost upwards of $500.00 and they’re quite large to store in an average home or apartment.)

All forms of exercise are important to your health and well being. They will all bring something different to your physique as well as your fitness goals. Cardio and weight training are always the most popular but if you’re looking for something both challenging and different try taking a Pilates class. You won’t be disappointed and only inspired to return.

Can Protein Increase Your Muscle and Training Results?

By Mandy Gibbons

Getting Fed Up with Your Lack Of Muscle Tone? Frustrated with Your Muscle Growth?

Have you ever wondered why you weight train like crazy and yet your muscle tone decreases? You’ve increased your weights, cardio’d your head off to lose extra body fat, so you can see your muscle definition, but none of this seems to work. You are not sure what you are doing wrong but you are getting fed up not getting results.

So why Would Protein Help?

When exercising, particularly weight training, our bodies need plenty of protein to develop and maintain muscle. Protein is broken down into amino acids, then turned back into protein to produce and repair our muscles after our training session. Because amino acids can be burned by the body during exercise, especially aerobic exercise, it is important that we make the effort to supplement our muscles to help them repair faster and more efficiently.

What Happens to my Muscles if I don’t Bother to Increase my Protein Intake?

At the beginning of this article I mentioned instances that you may be familiar with. If you are training hard and don’t bother to supplement your muscles with extra protein your muscles can start to deplete - due to your body turning to muscle / protein as a source of energy.

So how Much Protein Should I be Taking?

This depends on your body size, training schedule and program. It is important that you increase your intake to cater for your training so your muscles can survive your training sessions.

Protein intake required for the average person - who performs a light amount of exercise.
Approximately 1 gram of protein per kilo of body weight

Protein intake required an Athlete who has a heavy training schedule that involves alot of resistance exercise, sports specific training or weight training
Approximately 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight

Protein intake required for the person - who has a hard core heavy weight training schedule.
Approximately 2.5 grams of protein per kilo of body weight

The above are approximations and examples to give you some idea of what the bodies requirements are for protein. Notice the difference in the protein intake for the programs that involve more muscle damage?

Keeping Up with Consuming Larger Amounts of Protein

Such high intakes of protein can be difficult to keep up with on a daily basis. So as well as including the following protein sources in your low fat healthy eating program you can also use a protein powder. (see below)

Sources of protein:
Lean Red Meat, Lean White Meat: Fish, Chicken or turkey (no skin), Eggs (preferably egg whites) Beans and legumes (which are high in carbohydrates). Nuts (nuts are also high in fat)… just to name a few.

When performing regular resistance training try to include a source of protein in each meal. Say for instance: Breakfast: 2 x poached egg whites, morning snack: 1 x protein shake, lunch: lean chicken with salad sandwich, afternoon snack: 1 x protein shake, dinner: grilled lean read meat or fish with veggies. If you are still hungry late at night, and you’ve been training hard, you might want to also have a protein shake before going to bed, as this is your peak muscle recovery time. 2 x protein shakes per day should be sufficient for the average person wanting to increase lean muscle mass. If just after a light snack after dinner try a low fat, low GI style yogurt - small, single serve tub.

Protein Powders

Protein Powders help supplement your eating program with the necessary muscle nutrients that your body requires such as Amino Acids (mentioned above), Vitamins and Minerals. Protein powders are a convenient way of ensuring you receive an adequate protein intake. There are so many protein powders available to us now. You can choose from a variety of different flavors, different powders for different training needs and even easier to mix powders that can be mixed in shakers rather than blenders. One more thing too. Make sure that you drink lots of water when increasing your protein intake to prevent dehydration and to help the digestion of your protein. Some people prefer to cycle their protein intake here and there to give their body a rest from trying to digest large amounts of protein. Like a cleansing process.

Eating “real food” is important so don’t go overboard gulping down protein shakes with every meal because you’ll more than likely find that you’ll end up consuming too much. Which is not only as waste of protein powder but you could cause yourself to raise your calorie intake too high.

Just a few last words!

It is important before starting any new eating program to check with your doctor regarding increases or decreases in certain food intakes and food sources. You should now have a better understanding of why protein is important for assisting with your training. Your eating program and training program work hand in hand to help you achieve the training goals you have worked so hard for.

Bootcamp Trainer Unveils Exercise To Develop Super Sexy Legs

“What are the best exercises for your legs?” I get this question all the time. Most people, especially female, are really concerned about this area. Hips, butt, and thighs. I’m going to let you know about an exercise you might not have heard, or seen before. It’s called the Bulgarian Split Squat. It’s also known as the 1-legged squat.
Anyway you call it, it is a killer leg exercise. It’s one of my favorite and also one of my least favorite. Favorite because it works so well, and least because when you start adding a lot of weight to it it starts to become a torture method.

It’s definitely, in my opinion, the best single leg exercise out there. Better than any lunge variation. The only thing that might beat it is the pistol exercise, but that is a super advanced exercise and only a very small handful of people can do it correctly. It’s always good to start off with single leg exercises as they will identify if there are any muscle imbalances between the two legs, and if they need to be corrected. Imbalances can be anything from strength to flexibility, but are easy to change and bring the lagging leg up to par with the other one with single leg exercises such as the one I’m introducing you to today.

Now, on to how to perform the Bulgarian Split Squat. It will take some balance and coordination. So if you were new to training I would not recommend this. Start off with some bodyweight lunges in multiple directions to get the feel of single leg exercises and to work on your coordination and balance.

To start the 1-legged squat you are going to elevate you back leg onto a chair, box, bench, or any other sturdy object. If your up to it, try doing it on a stability ball. It should be about 12-18 inches off the ground. Now, here’s where the balance comes in. You’ll move your front leg forward. Move it up so your knee is slightly behind your ankle. You want to make sure it is slightly behind your ankle, cause otherwise you are going to be putting a lot of sheer force and pressure onto your knee when you squat down.

So now that you are in place, you want to squat down by dropping your hips as low as you can go. Make sure you keep you upper body erect and eyes should be looking forward, not down, at all times. Your weight on the front leg, working leg, should be on the heels at all times. Push through the heel to reverse direction once you have reached the bottom range of motion. You want to work to try and get to parallel to the floor, or below. The bigger the range of motion the more muscles you bring into play, so you build more lean muscle tissue, burn more fat, and rev your metabolism up more. Once you start getting your range of motion parallel or further you can start adding weight, either dumbbells, kettlebells, or sandbags

Over training, sometimes known as Over Training Syndrome, is a rather common problem among athletes. The over-trained athlete’s body has become abused and regulatory mechanisms of the body can not return back to “normal” during the one or two days of a normal recovery time.

At first the over-trained state can be mild and if an athlete rests, his or her body will recover quickly. Later it may be more severe, and an athlete will be exhausted. The exhaustion is typical for experienced endurance athletes, who usually react in this way. Overtraining-like states can also be induced by stress. Add stress to physical over-training and you are dealing with total body stress.

Stress can be caused by both positive and negative factors. These may be a holiday, vacation, personal achievement, change in residence, school or job, change in social and recreational habits, financial problems, divorce, trouble at school, trouble with the law, death or birth in the family.

Physiological factors are a different type of stress. This kind may be caused by travel, sleep loss, races, changes in training, environmental changes (altitude, humidity, temperature), illness, injury, menstrual cycle or pregnancy.

The balance between training, other stressors and recovery has to be just right. If there is an insufficient recovery time after exercise, fatigue will accumulate. After several days or perhaps a week or two, the symptoms of over-training will show a drop in performance. Consequently, recovery could take as much as several months.

Signs and symptoms of over training vary from person to person. The symptoms and signs are due to changes in the nervous system, your hormonal status as well as other physiological medical factors. The earliest and most common symptoms include tiredness and fatigue and a drop in performance despite continued training.

Outward Over Training Signs and Symptoms:

• Depression
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Bad mood
• Anxiousness
• Confusion
• Excitement
• Desperation
• Lack of concentration
• Unwillingness to train
• Feeling of inability to go on training
• Sleeping problems
• Bad, or complete lack of appetite
• Trembling hands
• Abnormal sweating
• Palpitation of the heart
• Nausea
• Dizziness

Physiological Over-Training Signs and Symptoms:

• Increased heart rate
• Muscle soreness
• Decreased maximal heart rate
• Menstrual irregularities
• Decreased performance
• Loss of strength
• Increased illness and injury frequency
• Loss of co-ordination

Fast Calorie Burning Exercises - Knowing the Right Exercises For Faster Calorie Burnout!

Shedding pounds is something that’s simple for some and tricky for many of us. Weight reduction is mostly dependent on your body’s metabolism. Metabolism is the rate of how your body burns fats and calories. If you’d like to lose pounds, it’s important to know which fast calorie burning exercises you can use. Knowing the right exercises for calorie burnout is important before beginning your weight reduction program.

Studies prove that aerobics is one of the handiest fast calorie burning exercises. The key is a continuing non-stop movement which burns your calories as energies are used up. Aerobics is an exercise mixed with dance movements. It works generally on exercising your heart but as your heartbeat speeds up your body uses energy and burns up fats.Medical experts say that you must burn about five hundred calories each day to lose one pound of your weight in one week. Aerobics can help you burn about 7-11 calories per minute dependent on how stiff the aerobic workout you get.

Another one of most fun and effective fast calorie burning exercises is kick boxing. Kick boxing burns about six hundred to 12 hundred calories for each one hour work out. The effectiveness of this method of exercising depends on the weight of the person and the intensity of the movements.
Jogging and running are also extraordinarily effective fast calorie burning exercises. Jogging burns about 350 calories an hour and running burns about 400 calories an hour. These two exercises can be done each day and will increase calories burn out if done with greater intensities.

In addition to all the exercises discussed above, keeping a healthy lo-cal diet is vital to get to the ideal weight. Knowing the right exercises for calorie burnout will help you select which exercise will fit your needs but eating healthier and watching your calorie intake will make sure that you keep the weight off.

How To Gain Lean Muscle Mass

If you’re looking to gain lean muscle mass there is no magic secret, but it is still very doable. The keys are the right diet and the right workout routine.

The key to a good diet is that you need to eat more calories than you’re burning off each day in order to gain lean muscle

Foods that are dense in nutrients and fresh foods are always best.

When looking to gain lean muscle mass you need to intake low fat proteins like those found in turkey, eggs, low fat cottage cheese, tofu, chicken, fish and lean cuts of beef.

Complex carbohydrates are an extremely important source of fuel. Starchy foods are a source of vitamins, minerals, fiber and the healthy protective substances. These foods include pasta, wheat bread, brown rice, potatoes, vegetables and whole grain cereal.

Avoid junk food and all processed foods that are low in vitamin and mineral content and are to be avoided at all cost when attempting to gain lean muscle.

Eat every 3-4 hours in order to maintain proper insulin levels that will assist in aiding in the physical recovery that will help you gain lean muscle mass.

When trying to gain lean muscle mass healthy fat sources are very important. Nuts, avocadoes and cold water fish are such forms of healthy fat. Essential fatty acids or fish oil supplements can help you if you can’t eat 40-100g of healthy fat a day.

When attempting to gain lean muscle mass drinking lots of water is very important to maintain hydration while you are in training.

Consuming 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day is crucial when trying to gain lean muscle.

Avoiding sugars is important to gaining lean muscle, as they flood your body with the wrong kind of carbohydrates.

Reputable brands of multivitamin supplements can be a great help in augmenting a diet meant to gain lean muscle.When you’re trying to Gain Lean Muscle Mass you need to avoid overdoing the cardio portion of your work out because it will burn the calories that you need In order to gain lean muscle mass.

Your cardio work out can be cut back to as little as 4 or 5 minutes, a couple of times a week. This should be just enough to keep the fat cells from building up, but you need to be sure not to overdue it because you need the calories for muscle repair and growth.

A secret ingredient to gaining lean muscle mass is intermittent fasting. Eating for only a few hours each day and then not eating for the rest of the hours in the day will help you to burn the fat that you already have stored up in your body when it needs energy. This way, when you do eat the food energy will go towards repairing and re growing muscle as opposed to fat gain.

Following theses steps will make it possible for you to gain lean muscle mass and get you the body that you’re looking for.