Health Specialist » fitness

Gender Specific Gyms – the latest craze

Health Specialist — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 02:56:06 +0000

There have always been gyms that tend to attract a certain profile of person. It did have something to do with gender, but was really dependant on the work out level of the customers. The body building gyms have historically attracted a male audience, but most ladies are not looking to get buff. The other gyms were focused on weight loss and toning, which typically attract a female clientele. Let’s face it we are different and therefore have different needs in our work out.

There is a chain of gyms now that goes under the name of Curves. These gyms are only for women and tout a 30 minute workout. The basic premise is there is a circuit of machines and exercises that if you follow the cues you can finish in 30 minutes. This plays to the hurried life styles we live and the desire to be fit and tone.

The idea has caught on so well for the ladies that now there is a franchise for Cuts, same concept only just for men. You go in and do the circuit, change machines when prompted and are done in 30 minutes. The focus for men is on strength training while for women it is on toning and firming. In both cases it is about getting your heart rate up and keeping it there for the duration of the circuit.

In the end only you and your doctor can decide if this option is right for you. It comes in a low stress environment and without the hassles of impressing the opposite sex. A final reminder, before starting any diet or exercise program consult with your physician to determine what is right for you.

Pure Water – The Amazing Health Benefits

Health Specialist — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:28:36 +0000

We should pay more attention to the water we drink, as it has important effects on your health. First of all, the title begs the question what is pure water? Well, to start off with, tap water is not pure water. Pure water is high-quality bottled spring water, or water filtered by a high quality water filter.

It is essential that your water be pure water, as just tap water has impurities in it that can be harmful to your health. One of the main problems with tap water is the chemicals used to purify it from pathogens. Most water sources use chemicals such as chlorine, and other chemicals which are very unhealthy. Also, most tap water originally comes from poor quality sources. A good example is the city where used to live. They got their water from the local river, which was far from clean. Several upstream cities dumped treated sewage into the river. There were also many farms upstream that contributed agriculture chemicals to the mix. In fact, most people would not even eat fish caught in the river. But that was where our drinking water came from.

So, once you have a pure source of drinking water, what are the health benefits of drinking plenty of water?

Overall improvement in health

Water is one of the most important things that your body needs to function. In fact your body is made up of mostly water. When you drink plenty of pure water, your body just plain and simple functions better.

Weight Loss

Research has found that individuals who drink plenty of water are more likely to lose weight than individuals who don’t. One of the reasons for this is that without enough water to remove the toxins stored in your body fat, your body will not burn the fat, as it has nowhere to go with the toxins.

Removal of Toxins

You may not realize it, but your body takes in many toxins each and every day. The food you eat, the air you breath, and the tap water you drink are all full of toxins. A plentiful supply of pure water helps your body to flush out and remove toxins from your liver, fat, joints, and other places they are stored.

Improved Intestinal Health

When you drink plenty of water, your digestive system is able to run much more smoothly. Many health problems can be at least partially traced to your digestive tract, and the easiest, best way to increase your digestive health is to drink plenty of pure water.

Improve your Immune Function

Your immune system is another system in your body that a plentiful supply of water is important to. If you want to boost your immune system’s ability to resist viruses and bacteria, one of the things you can do is to drink more water. Your immune system’s job is to kill pathogens before they make you sick. Part of the immune system’s job is also to remove these pathogens from your body. How does it do that? You guessed it! With water!

Other ways

The ways we’ve listed that water can help improve your health are just a sampling. Water is one of the most important nutrients that your body needs. When you drink plenty of water, every single system, organ, and cell in your body benefits. Of course, as we covered earlier in the article it must be pure water. So start drinking lots of pure water today and watch the benefits grow!

The Importance of Shape

Health Specialist — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:42:21 +0000

You may think you know when you look in the mirror, or you may be too busy trying to cover up unshapely areas to really see yourself as you are. Do you know how much fat youre carrying, compared to how much muscle? Do you know where you tend to gain weightupper body, lower body or around the middle? Until you know the answers to these questions, you are not ready to make your personal plan for losing weight and keeping it off. Understanding your body is the first step to reaching your best personal shape. As someone who teaches both doctors and the public about obesity, I believe weight loss has been overemphasized and body shape underemphasized. You have probably read about the Body-Mass Index BMI, which is a weight-to-height ratio. If your BMI is greater than 25, you are considered overweight in the U.S., and if it is greater than 30 you are obese. This ratio has been a powerful way for scientists to document the obesity epidemic in this country and its effects on health and disease. However, when it comes to you as an individual, it can be misleading. A football player can be considered overweight on the BMI scale, but if the extra weight being carried is muscle, he is not really fat. A thin woman can have a normal BMI, yet still be over-fat. So shape counts.

Shapes are personal and go beyond the usual apple and pear. Women can have three typical body shapesupper body fat, lower body fat and both upper and lower body fat. Men usually only get upper body fat. The upper body stores fat in times of stress and some people can lose and gain weight rapidly in the upper body. The lower body fat in women responds to female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone and stores fat for breastfeeding a newborn baby. Women who have both upper and lower body fat will lose their upper body fat first. Women with more upper body fat tend to have more muscle than women with lower body fat and will need more protein in their diet to help control their hunger. Losing weight is harder if you have lower body fat rather than upper body fat, but the medical benefits of losing your upper body fat are greater. Losing weight around your neck, face, chest and waist usually goes along with losing fat on the inside as well. So as you look better, you are also improving your health tremendously.

Finally, there are two more body shapes to consider The shape you can change and the shape you cant change. It is important to know the difference and work on the shape you can change, while adjusting your wardrobe and attitudes to the shape you cannot change. Due to low metabolism, many women with lower body fat cant lose weight just by cutting calories. These lower body-fat cells are resistant to both exercise and diet. Only a personalized program can help make sure you get enough protein to control cravings and build or maintain lean muscle.

Try Some Rubbers To Make You A Man Of Steel

Health Specialist — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:22:09 +0000

Try Some Rubbers To Make You A Man Of Steel.

No I don’t mean like that. I mean build some rock hard muscles.

Working out in the gym is great for building strength and muscle. Heavy iron is responsible for some of the best physiques of all time.

But there is another way to pack on solid rippling flesh.

Most of us have owned Chest ExpandersBullworkers with steel springs at one time or another and had great results from them. Then one day we go to the gym and see everyone working out with iron and think “that is the ‘only’ way to do it”.

Nowadays you can get chest expanders with rubber strands instead of steel. These have fewer disadvantages i.e. pinched chest hairs and are lighter.

Many of the old time strongmen performed feats of strength and set records for strand pulling.

Exercising with traditional weights, the resistance is the same throughout the exercise but, with springs and strands the resistance increases as it stretches.

This will work the muscles in a totally different way, starting with very low resistance and increasing as you get to your strongest point.

Want To Add A New Twist?

How about a few sets of slow motion exercises. These can be done with iron or strands.

You will need to reduce your regular resistance by at least 30. Now do the exercise in slow motion so that it takes 10 seconds to lift the weight and 5 to lower it again. Aim for 3 sets of 8 reps, each to total failure.

When I say total failure I mean it. If you can finish a rep it is not total failure. Total failure is when you get part way through a rep and can not go any further. At failure point do not just stop, try for 4 seconds more to move the resistance before slowly lowering back to starting point.

If you can complete 3 sets of 8 reps then it is time to increase the resistance by 10. If you can not complete the first set of eight in slow motion educe the weight so you can do at least 2 of the 3 sets for eight reps.

Do the exercise in perfect form without using any other cheating moves, if you do a curl, just use your biceps, not your hips or back.

You can perform many exercises with a set of strands and keep in shape when you can not get out to the gym.

With a little imagination you can do a variety of exercises in addition to the standard chest pulls.

You can put one foot in one of the handles to do one arm curls or upright rowing.

You can hold a handle behind your back and do overhead presses or tricep extensions.

Hold a handle by your abs to do lateral side raises.

Now There Is A New Kid On The Block And The Name Is Bodylastics.

Bodylastics are different sized rubber strands of varying resistance and you can exercise each body part with any resistance.

They come with, a door anchor that can be used on most doors at any height, 2 hand grips and 2 ankle straps.

With a little thought you can emulate any exercise you can do in the gym and a few you can’t. The Bodylastics website shows 140 different exercises.

What about the times when you cant get to the gym? Bodylastics are light at less than 2 pounds weight and can easily be packed in your hand luggage when travelling.

As with any new program it is recommended that you start slowly and build up gradually as you gain experience. Even Arnold had to start with low weights and learn from more experienced bodybuilders.

This article is provided as entertainment and no responsibility can be taken for loss or injuries incurred during physical exercise. If you have not undertaken any form of exercise for a while, please consult your doctor before starting any new exercise program.

Fitness is not a competition with anyone else. It is just for you, so find what you enjoy and go have some fun.

Treadmills Boost your health but make sure you choose the right one

Health Specialist — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:15:27 +0000

Treadmills are very popular methods of exercise. These exercise machines have been helping people lose weight and get in shape for many years now. Buying a treadmill is not hard but if you have ever done it, you know that it can be expensive. It is an investment you will greatly benefit from but you need to choose carefully before you buy. There are many reasons why you would choose a treadmill for yourself. You can improve your fitness and your health. You can build and maintain your fitness level all in the comfort of your home. However, you also need to be sure that before you buy a treadmill and begin a training program that you do it in the correct way to remain safe and healthy.

Before you purchase a treadmill you need to know what features to look for to be sure you are getting the best one for you and your needs. Some things to look for are

The Motor A motorized treadmill has an inbuilt motor that makes the belt and lift operate. A bonus of motorized treadmills is that they let you raise and lower the incline easily. With motors you can change the pace of your workout how you need it to be.

Horsepower The horsepower is the measure of the treadmill motor. The continuous horsepower is how well the treadmill can work without lagging. The peak horsepower is how much power the treadmill has for short bursts.

Incline The incline is used to mimic the natural human style of walking or running. Manual incline lets you change it yourself by speeding up your pace. A power incline lets you adjust the incline while you are walking or running.

Belts and Decks A thicker belt gives you more cushion for your legs and joints. Short belts give you a faster pace and some people prefer these.

Speed When you think of a treadmill, you often think of the speed. Most go from 0 to 10 MPH.

Computer Controls Treadmills all have some type of computer control to keep them going. Many have odometers and speedometers and some even have pre-programmed workouts.

Elliptical Trainer Review Sole Fitness

Health Specialist — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:53:18 +0000

One of the most crucial features to consider when purchasing an elliptical trainer is the warranty. The extent of the warranty speaks volumes as to the quality and the durability of the machine.

There is a relative new player in the elliptical trainer industry, Sole Fitness. They are defining their niche by offering one of the most extensive warranties available at any price range. This includes 5 year coverage on parts and electronics, and 2 year labor. Excludes the E25

Why is the warranty so important when purchasing fitness equipment? First, it reduces your liability if the machine breaks down. Replacing parts and hiring someone to service your elliptical trainer can be very costly. Second, the warranty generally reflects the quality of the machine.

When you think about it, a warranty is based on simple economics. If an elliptical trainer is built to last then the manufacturer can offer a generous warranty. On the other hand, if the machine is of questionable quality, it would be cost prohibitive to support it with a lengthy warranty. The company would go broke with service costs.

Why do you think cheap elliptical trainers come with a 90 day parts and labor warranty? Its because the manufacturers do not have much faith the machine will last much longer than that.

Beyond their warranty coverage, Sole Fitness is building some excellent elliptical trainers. In a recent test I very impressed with the smooth elliptical motion, and how quiet it was, even when I cranked up the resistance. I also liked the 20 stride. Most ellipticals are built with a 16-18 stride. With a smaller stride you often feel like your workout is constrained, and the elliptical motion bouncy. For someone who is over 6 the longer stride is a must, but even for people of average height the 20 stride feels natural and comfortable.

Sole has an excellent reputation. Their treadmills have won several Best Buy awards. TreadmillDoctor.com calls their folding treadmills, One of the best fold-ups on the planet.

In addition, their treadmills are used by the Hilton chain for in-room fitness. Having been proven in a commercial environment, this is a statement on the durability of their machines. This same quality can be found in their elliptical trainers.

Choosing Your Fitness Equipment

Health Specialist — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:09:00 +0000

Fitness equipment is a large group of tools that are used in exercise and are referred to also as exercise equipment. These can include simple items such as balls, track shoes and skipping ropes as well as more complex pieces of equipment such as treadmills, weights, bicycles and many others. Today a wide range of fitness equipment is available for sale with new designs constantly being produced due to the high demand for equipment that is effective in building muscles and strength as well as for losing weight.

Some of the types of fitness equipment available for use can be classified according the type of exercise for which they are built. The first class to be discussed is the strength training equipment. These include free weights and machines referred to as the resistance machines.

The most common type of resistance machine is one that uses gravity as a resistance source. This design is used mainly in weight machines. Gravity in combination with a simple design of pulleys, wheels and inclines, uses a percentage of the weight of the user as the resistance transferred. Other types of resistance machines can use other forces other than gravity to provide resistance. These include friction, spring-loaded, fan-loaded or fluid-loaded machines.

Another type of equipment belonging to the strength training equipment is the bands and tubing, which are lightweight options for training at home and in the office.

The other class is the aerobic fitness equipment which is mainly the endless-path machines. These include devices such as the stationary bicycles, the treadmills, the elliptical trainers, aerobic riders, the stair climbers, the ski and rowing machines. The stationary bicycle focuses the exercise on the legs by the action of pedaling. The treadmills are an all body exercise as you may walk or run at various speeds. There are also some models that can simulate slopes for a more intense workout.

The stair climbers replicate the action of climbing a stairway. This device now also has modifications that replicate the pulling up action off the hands for a more through workout. The skiing and rowing machines work both the arms and legs simultaneously with the rowing machine also working the back muscles. The elliptical trainers are a cross between the stair climbers and the ski machines. The aerobic riders also exercise the arms and legs at the same time by the use of a simultaneous pull and push motion.

There is also a miscellaneous group of fitness equipment. These include items such as heart rate monitors and exercise balls as well as many others. The heart rate monitors are used as a motivational tool in exercise as they monitor the heart rate and provide feedback to the individual exercising. The use of exercise balls has become very important in training such as flexibility training and for balance as well.

When using any type of fitness equipment it is always important to seek professional advice as the improper use of this equipment can cause severe damage.

Best Elliptical Machine 5 Must-Have Features When Shopping

Health Specialist — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:43:12 +0000

So you’re buying an elliptical machine? Elliptical machines give you a low impact, safe workout that burns a maximum amount of calories in the least amount of time.

But with all of the different elliptical brands out there, how do you choose the best one? Here are 5 key features to look for when shopping to help you find the very best elliptical machine.

1 Forward and Reverse motions

The ability to move in a forward or reverse motion adds variety and challenge to your workout. It works different sets of muscles and results in more calories burned overall.

This also reduces your risk of repetitive use injuries common with some treadmill and stair climber users. Most ellipticals have this option but it’s always a good idea to make sure.

2 Adjustable resistance

Quality elliptical machines will have a range of resistance levels. Increasing the resistance increases the calories burned. It also helps you continue to challenge your body as your fitness level improves.

Look for an elliptical machine that makes resistance changes simple i.e. one-touch resistance adjustment so that interval training sessions can be easily incorporated into your workout

3 Upper body workout arms

While you really don’t need these for an effective workout, many people prefer them. They do help to provide resistance training for your upper body – and again, result in more calories burned.

However make sure you don’t have to lean over while using them which can diminish the effectiveness of your workout this can happen on many of the cheaper elliptical models.

4 Quiet operation

Look for an elliptical machine that is specifically designed to stay quiet. A truly well designed elliptical machine should be fairly quiet at all intensity levels.

Also – cheaper ellipticals can develop a squeak after a few months of heavy use so be careful to buy a quality brand of elliptical machine and steer clear of the cheap department store models.

5 Elliptical Incline

It used to be that only high end, commercial elliptical trainers like Precor offered this option however lately more affordable models like Proform and Nordic Track are offering incline on several of their machines.

Incline is not the same as resistance. It changes the incline of the elliptical motion and helps to work different sets of muscles for increased fat burning and toning.

So those are 5 key features that make up a quality elliptical machine. By looking for most of these 5 key features, you’ll be assured of finding the very best elliptical machine for your needs.

For more Elliptical Best Buys visit

Why Elliptical Trainers are Growing in Popularity!

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:23:51 +0000

If you work out at a health club you probably noticed that in the last few years there are fewer treadmills, because they are being replaced by elliptical trainers. And although treadmills still outsell ellipticals in total numbers, elliptical sales are growing at a faster rate.

What is driving the popularity of elliptical trainers? There are two factors that make elliptical trainers so appealing

Low Impact Workout
Upper and Lower Body Workout

Benefits of a Low Impact Workout

Most types of exercise require some type of impact andor reverse action. For example, when you walk each step is impacting force on your ankles, knees and lower back. That impact is minor in comparison to running, which can be as much as 2.5x your body weight. Over the years that constant pounding can result in long-term injuries and strains.

Elliptical trainers reduce the hazards of impact through an elliptical motion.It feels like you are naturally walking or running without any real impact or reverse action, and yet it is a weight bearing exercise that contributes to building muscle and bone density.

If you look at the side of an elliptical trainer youll notice the shape of the motion is like a flat circular pattern. Budget ellipticals tend to be more circular and bouncy, while quality machines have a flatter circular motion and more of an even stride. Regardless, the elliptical motion significantly reduces the impact to your joints, and that is why elliptical trainers are appealing to older individuals and people with injuries. It is becoming the exercise machine of choice for the baby boomers.

Benefits of an Upper and Lower Body Workout

The concept of exercising the upper and lower body simultaneously is revolutionary. An elliptical workout utilizes the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, chest, back, triceps and biceps. There is no other machine that offers this benefit. You are not only exercising more muscle group, you are also optimizing your energy expenditure. That means it is taking less time to achieve more results, like burning calories and increasing your cardio capacity. A number of elliptical trainers allow you to reverse the motion, thereby emphasizing resistance to even more parts of your muscles.

By exercising more of your muscle mass you improve fat mobilization, which results in burning more calories and building muscle endurance more efficiently. Certain experts have suggested that this dual action process reduces the perceived rate of exertion. In other words, you are exercising harder without a noticeable difference from a less strenuous workout.

The benefit of an upper and lower body workout, combined with low impact exercising, are the reasons why elliptical trainers are so popular. And there is one other feature that should be noted. In comparison to treadmills, elliptical trainers require considerably less maintenance. That is due to the fact there are fewer moving parts, and less wear from impact.

If you havent tried an elliptical trainer, get to your local health club or a fitness equipment store and take one for an elliptical spin. Avoid the budget models and test the machines that are at least 1,000. They have a more natural elliptical motion and are more stable and durable.

Youll find that an elliptical trainer can have a major impact on your health and fitness.

Fitness and Health

Health Specialist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:39:33 +0000

Fitness and health have been closely related ever since fitness was first defined, because this sport involves good physical shape built on good state of health. The state of health of the people who practice various sports is always in attention of the instructors.

However, there are numerous sports which are rather spectacular, but practicing them exposes the sportsmen to particular risks. Such kind of problems can appear even in the sports for amateurs; there is, of course, specific pathology for every sport. Since the body is prone to different health problems, a factor which can provoke them is the volume and intensity of training. Long distance running and jogging are extremely popular forms of training.A frequent health problem in tennis is epycondylitis or ‘the tennis player’s elbow’. Weightlifting can lead to varicous veins or high blood pressure.

Fitness tries to make every exercise useful for health and body esthetics. The type of training that is recommended is the complex one, including aerobic and anaerobic exercises.

While doing aerobic exercises, the body satisfies its need of oxygen during effort. We are talking here about all types of resistance efforts, like long distance running, ski, rowing, fast walking, swimming, cycling, speed skating, etc. The consequences of these efforts are visible, first of all, at a cardiovascular and pulmonary level. This type of exercises are the most effective in burning calories and this is why they can easily burn fat tissue, as long as they last more than 40-45 minutes without stopping. The energetic support of these efforts comes from the fat acids which are mobilized from the adipose tissue.

The efforts of anaerobic type are responsible for increasing force and muscular mass and for bone resistance. During this type of short and intensive effort the body cannot satisfy the need of oxygen. What happens is the so-called ‘oxygen duty’, recovered in the breaks between the efforts. The most typical example is the break between two series of exercises meant to work the same muscle.

The effectiveness of fitness trainings is closely related to their weekly practice. There are a minimum number of trainings necessary for visible effects.

For the programs of anaerobic type force the experts say that two trainings a week are necessary, each of 30-45 minutes. During these sessions, the whole body is trained every time.

In the case of aerobic training resistance, their weekly frequency must be increased to three, each between 20 and 60 minutes.

Both types of training must be continued uninterruptedly for at least two or three months. After this period, a one-week active break is recommended. In this time the person must make lighter efforts like walking and gymnastics, the purpose being now recovery and relaxation.

Starting from this minimum frequency, any supplementary training will make progress come sooner, as long as you avoid over-training or over-exerting. Deciding the optimum number of trainings, their volume and intensity depends a lot on the particularities and the possibilities of the person who practices the sport.