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Archive for the ‘Exercises For Your Core Area’ Category

A Closer Look At Recumbent Bikes

March 30th, 2012 No comments

There is a reason recumbent bikes are now more popular for residential use than upright exercise bikes. While upright bikes offer more of a challenge to muscles throughout the body, recumbent bikes are much gentler on the joints. These bikes are more like sitting in a chair and pedaling, though you can incorporate your arms to achieve a whole body workout without worrying about injury.

Recumbent bikes were originally designed to be used in physical therapy for patients who would benefit from working their muscles on a bike but could not stabilize themselves on the seat of a regular bike or who had difficult lifting a leg and climbing up onto upright bikes. Over time the technology evolved and the market for recumbent exercise bikes for the use of weight loss and fitness at home boomed.

It isn’t difficult to find a great recumbent bike today, since all fitness manufacturers are making them. The Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike is a great reference for features found on a typical low to mid range recumbent bike.

The Schwinn 240 sells far less than $1,000, so it is considered a low to mid priced recumbent bike. While it is very affordable, it still offers all the features that you would expect from a nicely designed, durable piece of home fitness equipment. It is a great example of what you will find at the lower and mid price points of the market.

Let’s start with the design. The Schwinn 240 Bike has a reasonable sized seat and allows the legs to stretch out in front for a safe ride. It has a big console and both the seat and console can be adjusted to fit users of different heights. The design also includes a heavy 20 pound flywheel which makes the ride smooth and adds stability to the overall bike.

The frame on this recumbent bike is open so users can step through and sit down without stepping over the center bar that upright bikes usually include. There are some recumbent bikes on the market that do not have the step through design, but they are by far less popular than this design.

If your goal is to lose weight or get in shape, you will enjoy the wide range of workouts that are possible with this one bike. The bike has 16 levels of resistance and a variety of preprogrammed workouts in the console. This is fairly standard for recumbent bikes selling in this price range. The console can be used with wireless heart rate monitoring devices as well, but you don’t get the wireless strap when you purchase the bike.

The Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike is the perfect example of a high quality bike that is being sold for very affordable prices. It has a lot of valuable features but doesn’t go overboard with extras that would drive up the price.

If you want to pay more, you can purchase exercise bikes packed with amazing technology. What about a connection port or docking station for your iPod? How about a computer or television screen that flips up on your console? All of this and more is possible in the higher ends of the recumbent bike market today.

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Understanding Rowing Exercise

March 29th, 2012 No comments

From all types of physical activities, rowing exercise variations are some of the most complex, due to their capacity to involve major muscle groups in the activity. The legs, the back, the shoulders, the arms and the abdomen contribute all to rowing. And there is almost no pressure on joints if we compare rowing with running for instance. Most machines include a sliding seat-rig so that you may be able to also use your legs to give power to the stroke. In such cases, the leg power is transferred to the oars by the back and arms.

With a sliding seat, the rowing exercise could put quite a lot of pressure on the back when you don’t master the technique very well. Not everybody will therefore be able to row with a sliding-seat. The alternative is the rowing exercise with a fixed-seat that uses pedals to pull while moving the arms. In such a case, the arms and back no longer transfer the leg power. There are ropes and strings that get it to the oars. Boating could be a great opportunity for a nice rowing exercise, although the gym machine is more frequently used than the real thing.

Rowing on an open water it is a great leisure activity with a huge recreational potential. It is ten times more pleasant to exercise surrounded by a great scenery. You can work the upper part of your body extremely well by paddling a kayak for instance. Generally speaking, a rowing exercise is more complete because it trains both upper and lower body muscles.

A rowing exercise is also very helpful for your heart and lungs health as it enjoys recognition as one of the best forms of cardio training. While rowing, the heart pumps more blood through the arteries and veins. The metabolic rate increases and the entire body is better oxygenated. Other benefits include a rapid control of body weight, improved night rest and relief for depression symptoms. Learn how to use the rowing machine correctly in order to prevent injury.

A professional trainer should show you the movement essentials so that you assume the best body posture possible. It is preferable to perform rowing exercise routines at the gym under the trainer’s guidance. This is the reasonable way to prevent injuries and stay healthy.

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Families and Martial Arts Training

March 29th, 2012 No comments

I have a friend who’s a kick-boxer in Australia and is working his way up through local and state super heavyweight championships. He and his wife have been over to Korea to train under a martial arts master, and kick-boxing a big hobby of his.

Anyway, his whole family have been learning martial arts as a group for years, and it’s a big family!  They’re Polynesian, and all came over to live in Australia together, including grandkids, nieces and nephews, Uncles & Aunts. And they’re all really busy and into different things – website design, a Polynesian band, study etc.

They all train together though, and sometimes I ring my friend up  and am told “sorry I can’t talk now – its training time”.  The whole/entire family has made a set time, most days of the week to train in martial arts together. They occasionally have a martial arts master come across from New Zealand to Sydney, specially to give family lessons .

I think that this is really great, and shows how an entire family can be involved in a sport and have it keep them together, active and involved. There are so many distractions today ( particularly in large cities  ) with places to go and computer games and movies that it can be really hard finding an activity that everyone in a family is happy to do together .

Martial arts always have always had the self-defense and discipline aspects, and more and more lately they’ve developed a recreational/tournament aspect. But it should be promoted far more, that learning Karate, or Tai Kwonda or Kick-boxing or most martial arts can provide the family with a common activity that so many are looking for.

Another product of learning a martial art is the self-assurance that it gives people.   It’s so good to see this in kids, even more so than seeing it in adults .  When you’re a kid, situations and other people can often look a lot more forbidding and overwhelming, and being confident that they CAN be in control of an environment and look after themselves ( and friends ) can extravert a young person an incredible amount. This is really important and can also keep them from searching for other self-confidence boosters and escapism – like drugs.

There are lots of dojos that accept a full range of ages and are happy to have the whole family.  I highly recommend family martial arts.

John Assaraf the Spiritual Entrepreneur

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How To Properly Perform Pilates

October 30th, 2011 No comments

Pilates is a physical fitness method developed early in the last century as a rehabilitation plan for soldiers returning home from World War I. Joseph Pilates was a gymnast raised in Germany who assumed that mental and physical health are connected. Pilates tried to aid the wounded soldiers to regain their well being by strengthening, stabilizing and stretching essential muscle groups. He proposed a few particular motions which focused on form and control, and integrated them into the present rehabilitation programs. Pilates proceeded to generate “The Pilates Principles” to help restore the entire body; alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement. Another good alternative is the Sole F80 Treadmill.

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Alignment is the term for the ideal position of the pelvis, chest cavity, shoulder yoke and head with regards to each other. The right alignment must be preserved during the Pilates workout program, and that requires the practitioner to be aware of his posture while he is doing the actions.

A specific form of breathing is necessary throughout every element of a Pilates workout, principally to circulate the blood and oxygen in the body. Strong breaths and pressured exhalation are recommended to produce the expected amount of circulation, and every single Pilates exercise features breathing guidelines.

Centering, when referring to Pilates theories, indicates the idea that someone’s energy is located in the “powerhouse” of the human form, what we now refer to as our core muscles. Pilates suspected that energy flowed outward from the core to our extremities, and as a result that building a solid “powerhouse” was essential as a primary step toward developing strength in an individual’s arms and legs.

Concentration is the term for the rigorous focus necessary for Pilates workouts. Throughout these exercises, practitioners are typically called on to limit movement to an individual muscle group. To be able to do this, the Pilates student must pay very careful attention to every area of their bodies during the session. Another good product to consider is the Sole F80 Treadmill.

Control refers to the control required over our muscles and movements. Pilates exercises are especially specific motions, and slapdash, uncontrolled actions are not useful throughout the exercise period. The principle of Precision is closely associated; it is the capacity to give attention to doing one accurate and optimal movement rather than a sequence of half-hearted ones. Each movement in the Pilates system has a certain purpose and it needs to be performed correctly so as to realize that purpose.

A Pilates regimen necessitates ongoing movement, in which one motion streams seamlessly into the next by means of effective transitions. The continual movement will assist the breathing procedure as well as create endurance in the practitioners.

It is a fair bet to presume that Joseph Pilates nowadays has a group of adherents beyond wounded veterans.  As of 2005, we have 11 million adherents and 14,000 Pilates instructors in the United States. It is possible that a health club in your town is presenting a schedule for Pilates exercises, which might be appealing to you. Another nice option is the Sole F80 Treadmill.

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Three Techniques For Losing Fat Fast

September 30th, 2011 No comments

If you are trying to get rid of some weight quickly, you are not the only one because many others have this goal. While losing weight fast is achievable, it is something that requires quite a bit of effort and determination. You also want to remain healthy while you are doing it. The following suggestions on losing weight fast will guide you in reaching your perfect weight as fast as possible. By the way, are you looking for an effective weight loss workout that doesn’t take up a lot of time to do? Check out Beachbody’s Ten Minute Trainer workout. It is really good.

Remember, it’s never a good idea to starve yourself when you’re trying to lose weight fast. This is simply the other side of the coin from overeating, and it won’t help you to lose weight in the long run. Low calorie diets may help you drop a couple of pounds, but it’s surely to come back after a few months. This is a fact of life because the body needs certain nutrients to function properly and when you starve you deprive your body, which will do anything to get those nutrients at any cost. If you take such a diet too far, you can even damage your health. Sure, you are supposed to eat less to lose weight, but taking it too far will only hurt you in the long run.

One thing you have to realize is that losing weight quickly, or even slowly is not possible without regular exercise. The best way to burn calories is by doing aerobic exercises, which can be running, jogging, biking, swimming or any type of sports you like such as tennis or other racket sports. Also, you can take either dance or aerobic classes at the gym. The bottom line is that losing weight quickly means you must eliminate calories and exercise more to burn up calories.

You can lose weight quickly by always drinking plenty of water throughout the day. If you want to be healthy and you want a healthy metabolism, make sure you hydrate yourself. An extra benefit to drinking a lot of water is that you will find that you’re hungry less often. Consider this: the next time you feel hungry, you could just be thirsty. When you want to remain hydrated, water is always the best substance. Most of the energy drinks you see advertised all the time as being good for you are loaded with sugar and so they actually hurt weight loss efforts. Even healthy beverages such as fruit juices, which are high in natural sugars, should not be consumed excessively, but you can drink as much water as you want. So if you want to lose weight quickly, it would be wise to adopt this habit.

In closing, you can lose weight quickly but you are going to have to give it all your attention as it’s likely going to require a complete overhaul of your life. You can lose weight fast and keep it off, but you must be determined and driven if you ever hope to reach the finish line. Lastly, be sure to look at our 10 Minute Trainer reviews!

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