If you are among the billions who watch sports, then you’ve probably wondered what it takes to maintain a fit body. Top-performing athletes have different tools that help enhance their skills and keep them healthy and strong. While every athlete may have a different fitness routine, the basic principles of health and fitness remain the same.
(more…)If you’re an exercise enthusiast, it might be hard to wrap your mind around the many benefits of low-impact exercise. Far too many fitness junkies believe that your workout needs to be high intensity every single time. While there are countless benefits associated with high-intensity exercise, it’s not the only form out there.
Low-impact exercises are especially useful if you’re recovering from a recent injury. They also serve you well when training for a vigorous event. Incorporating low-impact exercises into your workout regime helps condition your body, repair muscles, and give your body the rest it needs to recover. Want to learn more about some of the best low-impact exercises for overall health and strength? Keep reading!
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There is a huge debate going on at the moment about whether or not yoga is effective for those looking to lose weight. In fact, this topic has been debated for years now. We see many that say it is impossible for yoga to burn as many calories as needed because it is slow-paced. However, others guarantee that yoga is the most effective way to exercise when you want to lose weight. What is the truth?
No matter what people say, the truth is that yoga is extremely effective when you want to lose weight. This is due to the fact that it helps with three really important aspects of weight loss, as presented below.
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You have been slacking most of your adult life and your stomach folds are getting harder to ignore. Then you tell yourself it’s enough as you try to think of ways to lose weight. Little did you know, you have been ignoring the answer to your problem – the rebounder your mother bought you back in your “active” days.
Overview: What is creatine and how does it work?
Creatine is an organic compound primarily found in vertebrates, which is an overwhelming biological division that comprises close to 70,000 species, humans included. The reason why creatine is mostly found in these animals is because the substance is crucial to the recycling of energy at a molecular level, especially when it comes to muscle and brain tissue. Despite the fact that we have known about the compound’s beneficial effect on physical performance for over a century, creatine only came to our attention in the 1990s, when several Olympic medallists disclosed that creatine loading was part of their dietary protocol.
“Should I try CrossFit or cardio?”, “should I be doing 5 reps or 4?”, “should I be doing Insanity to get my muscles in shape before summer?” these are all valid questions that every gym goer and fitness enthusiast ask even after months of working out. Picking the right routine can be incredibly confusing for anyone. Even
Asking these questions shows that you are serious about your health and fitness. It also shows that you are finally ready to take the next step and take matters into your own hands. For most fitness enthusiasts the next step involves taking their fitness regime back home with them. In fact, today, gyms go wherever the fitness enthusiast goes. You don’t have to pay a fortune to buy the membership of a fitness boutique and drive there four times a week to exercise. Health and fitness mean a lot more than sweating it out on the stationary cycle or power rower with crowds of strangers.
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Working out and having a consistent plan can be a job in itself when you’re trying to reach your fitness goals. However, there are many things you can do to help improve and enhance your workouts so that you get the best possible results. It’s all about making small changes to help you get stronger, get more gains, and accomplish more results. Just a few simple changes can enhance your workout almost immediately.
Kids seem to have an endless supply of energy. They come back from school, run straight to practice, come back home and still want to play with their friends outside. Therefore, worrying about your kids having too much physical activity is not entirely surprising.
The sad reality is that most children aren’t getting nearly enough exercise to begin with. Their desire to run around is only a natural response to their increased energy levels, so in most cases you should just let them run their course.
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Incorporating more muscle training into your life can be beneficial, and there are numerous reasons you might want to build up your body mass. While it may be a great goal to have, it can sometimes be hard to know where to start. Learning how to balance your diet and exercise plans with the correct supplement intake is crucial for safe and successful mass building. Here are five steps you can take to begin building your body mass in the most effective way.
Building up your muscular strength and size is a process. While it can be good to jump right in and get started, it is also vital that you take some time to set goals. Not only can goals give you a way to track your progress, but they can also help you to keep things in perspective. You shouldn’t expect instant results, but you should also be able to enjoy the progress you’re making along the way. Goals help you to keep centered on the end results you want while still being able to identify improvement as it happens.
Building up your body mass can require some changes in your eating habits. Incorporating a healthy amount of protein can be one of the most important things you can do. While it’s important not to overdo it, protein can act as the building blocks for your muscles and getting enough of it can make a notable difference in the results you get from working out. You may also need to eat more than you have been normally in order to give your body the nutrients it needs to power you through your workouts and recoveries.
It can be a well-known fact that weightlifting is generally the exercise of choice for individuals interested in building up mass, but there can be a lot of different elements of a good muscle building workout to consider. You should plan a workout that pushes you to be stronger and capable of lifting more. The number of times you repeat a movement and the amount of weight involved should be designed to push you to new levels of strength without causing injury. Keep in mind that recovery time can be just as important as the workout itself and that overdoing it during training can cause more harm than good to your muscles and joints.
While not meant to be used in place of exercise and good nutrition, supplements can be one more tool for you to use in your journey towards increased strength and toning. Depending on your personal level of health, there are different options for supplements that can be better suited for you. Protein supplements, as well as vitamins and minerals, can all be worthwhile considerations. You should always make sure that any supplements you use are safe and that you only consume them in healthy amounts.
The most successful mass building plans should be catered to fit you as an individual. You can do further research into the different aspects of mass building online. There can be a lot of good information available such as this 30 Day guide to mass building. The more knowledge you are equipped with going in, the better prepared you can be to succeed at meeting your goals.
Like any worthwhile goal, building up muscle mass can require commitment. While it takes dedication of both time and energy, you should find that reaching your preferred level of muscle mass is a great reward that can make it more than worth the work. By using the steps above and balancing the different aspects involved with healthy body mass increase you should find that you are on the track to success.
Whether you’re a fitness rookie or veteran, something worth considering this new year (and the years thereafter) is finding more ways to keep you and your pet on the path to good health.
Our beloved pets often share the same struggles as us — too many treats and not enough exercise can lead to stiff joints, weight gain, low energy, and more. While enjoying the occasional indulgence is important for an overall happy, healthy lifestyle, working out regularly and enjoying a well-balanced diet can ensure you and your pet have many more memorable years together. If you want to be extra careful that your pet stays healthy, it’s always a smart choice to invest in pet insurance, like Bivvy insurance.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
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Most of the sports that are played or loved by the people have uncountable health benefits for players. Different sports have cultural importance based on their origin of the sport. One of such examples is skateboarding. Unfortunately, skateboarding was looked down upon for many years. It was associated with the rebellious people but now the world has finally realized that active skate is even beneficial for general health and fitness.
Surprisingly there are a number of health benefits of skateboarding, which it has to offer. If you love skateboarding but hold yourself back because you think it is just a waste of time or it is dangerous, then your worries are certainly wrong. Down here is a list of all the health benefits which skateboarding has to offer to your body.
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The human body is a complex machine, one that operates using a wide variety of linked and correlating systems. We all like to keep our bodies in the best possible shape – perhaps you work out, or you might simply exercise lightly on regular basis – and there is plenty to know about if you are to get the balance right.
Diets, exercise, and basic healthy living all come together, but what about testosterone? This is a hormone that is essential to the male exercise regime, and one that is helpful in keeping your body in the right shape, but what is it all about, and why should you be conscious of the link between testosterone and muscle mass?
Let’s talk a little more about what testosterone is, and why it is essential that you understand its place in the body.
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In every person’s life who’s devoted to their fitness regime, there comes a time when you just can’t do it anymore. It all goes around in circles, and you become fed up with your work out sessions. Instead of lifting your spirits and making you feel good, you just end up walking away more frustrated.
This is the point where most people give up and undo all their hard work. The truth is, all you have to do is overcome this point and you’ll be more productive than ever. Thankfully, there are some foolproof ways you can do this without wasting any time or energy.
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1. Take Timed Breaks
We’re all guilty of it. You’re focused on the task at hand, completely engrossed in your latest project and you don’t realize how much time goes by. That is until you can’t turn your neck, your back is stiff, and you feel your shoulders slouching. Don’t let too much time pass without some form of movement. Set a timer on your phone, computer, or smartwatch that gets you up and moving every 15-30 minutes. Even if you have to walk laps around your cubicle or take a stroll to the bathroom, any movement is better than none. Fitness trackers are great for this too. Most are equipped with alerts that tell you when you’ve been sedentary for too long. Pay attention to these queues. It’s your body’s way of telling you that you need to get moving.
Cannabis could be the edge you need to take your running to the next level!
Adrian Landini is not only a long-time runner, but he’s also a long-time cannabis user. Not only does he enjoy smoking cannabis, but he also enjoys smoking it before a run and sometimes during a run. What may have begun as a one-off, has now become an integral part of Adrian’s endurance training. “I just kind of Zen out, I pay attention to my movements and what’s around me and whatnot, and just bring it in with good form,” the Toronto resident says about why he smokes cannabis.
Adrian believes that cannabis is what helps him with focusing his sense of awareness and also with the pain associated with endurance running and training. Often during long endurance runs, the pain from sore toes and feet, while minor, can often become overwhelming if a runner can’t lock it out and power through it.
(more…)Let’s face it, eating healthy is expensive. Not each and every individual can afford to spend extra $500 per month on groceries. That is why people often give up on losing weight due to budget constraints. There is, however, a solution to this problem. There are ways in which you can lose weight without inflating your budget.
You are approximately 60% water. In fact, you probably wouldn’t survive for more than 3 days without water. It is an essential part of your body as it ensures nutrients are able to move between cells and toxins are flushed out.
This is even more important when you’re exercising as you’re sweating the water out of your body. To counteract this you’ll need to drink before and after you exercise. In fact, many people prefer to drink water while they are working out. But is it a good idea to drink cold water when exercising?
The first thing to understand about cold water is that it will reduce your internal core temperature. If you’re not exercising when you drink the cold water then your body will need to increase your core temperature. This boosts your metabolism and helps you to burn more calories. (more…)
So, you already know all the benefits of taking a nice, relaxing post-workout shower, but are you making the most out of those showers?
You push yourself through each workout, becoming stronger, healthier, and happier with your growth and accomplishments. However, it’s important to not let all that hard work go down the drain. Here are some important post-workout shower tips that can step up your workout routine:
Most people who exercise do so for two main reasons – to lose weight or to build muscle. Sometimes these can be done concurrently. In order to lose weight people do cardio exercises which help in shedding the fat. They also focus on burning more calories than they are consuming. Building muscle is a bit more complicated because it requires eating and exercising in the right way. A lot of lean men and women fail to build muscle because they think it is as simple as lifting some weights and waiting for the results. Building muscle takes hard work, consistency, and most of all knowledge on how exactly you can pack on the muscles.
As you work on increasing the size of your muscles you must provide your body with enough food to support this growth. It is important to consume enough calories to ensure that you are taking in more calories than you are burning. A calorie deficiency leads to weight loss so aim for the opposite. Taking in more calories leads to weight gain and when coupled with weight-training this will result in muscle growth. (more…)
Here is an interesting guest post by a good friend of Project Swole. He wishes to remain mostly nameless (aside from mentioning his name is Andy), but trust in me he is smart and experienced, and I think this piece will really connect with most Swole readers.
“It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.”
“What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?”
“You ask a glass of water.”
– Douglas Adams, British author, and humorist
Human beings like habits, as a rule. It’s like that old phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” So, if we do something, and it works out ok, we’ll do it again.
Good or bad, habits allow us to predict the future – if I do this (exactly as I did yesterday), I know what will happen. Habits equal proven outcomes. Get on this train at this time in the morning, and I’ll be at work on time.
And if those habits are linked to a reward of some description, anything from a hit of dopamine in the brain by achieving a specific goal or, heaven forbid, one of a human being’s primary rewards – either food or sex, we’ll be back same time tomorrow, guaranteed, with our plate in our hand, as it were.
Habits provide routine, and for us, routinely provides security.
Unfortunately for us, some habits don’t sit well with others, and the rewards each brings actually off-set against one another, which kind of defeats the object. Take, for example, the diabetic cake-shop owner. You get my point. In fact, like the rest of our existence, it’s all just one big juggling act, seeing what works, what doesn’t, what affects something else, and so on, and hoping for a happy medium somewhere along the line. (more…)
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