Calming Stretch Routine

After working out it is very important to stretch your muscles to prevent being cramped.

I found this routine on yahoo health a few years ago and I thought it is worth to put on here as well.

So here you are:


Start out lying on your back with both knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Take one foot off the floor and bring your knee toward your chest, pulling it gently with both hands. (Note: During all of these stretches, when you use your arms to pull your leg toward you, you should use minimal effort.) Release that leg, return your foot to the floor, and repeat on the opposite leg. Every stretch I describe may be done as many as three times for up to 30 seconds each time.

Now place one leg flat on the floor, with the other knee bent and your foot flat. Bring the bent knee toward your chest as in the first exercise. You want to keep the leg on the floor as flat as possible, with the back of your knee flat. (If you're really tight, just keep your knee as straight as you can.) Don't forget to breathe while you're holding these stretches for 30 seconds. Repeat on the opposite leg.

Start out as you did in the previous stretch, one leg flat, one knee bent. Keeping the flat leg straight, raise it off the floor and bring it toward you as close as you can, without lifting your hips off the floor or pushing off of the foot that's on the floor. Hold this stretch at the highest point. Lower your leg all the way to the floor, while holding it as straight as possible. Repeat on the other side.

Still lying on your back, go back to the first position, both knees bent, both feet flat. Hold your arms out to the side with your palms facing up. Let both knees drop to one side while turning your head the opposite way. Don't try to adjust your legs to be perfectly on top of one another. Roll back up to the center and right on through to the opposite side. Hold this for as long as you like. Take a couple of deep breaths.

Back in starting position as in the previous stretch. Cross one ankle over the opposite knee. Bring that knee toward you, taking your foot off of the floor. Hold your thigh behind your knee, and you should feel a stretch in your hip and butt area on the leg that's crossed over the one you are holding. Undo this pretzel, and repeat on the other leg.

Roll over onto your stomach, with your head down and your arms stretched out in front of you. Keep one arm stretched out in front of you while you reach back with one hand and grab the ankle on that side. If you had to move your knee away from your body to grab that ankle, move it back to the center once you have it. If you're too tight to be able to grab your ankle, grab your sock and pull that. This is a great quad stretch, and it really shows you how tight those muscles are, too. Go back and forth three times like you do with the other stretches.

Stand at arm's length from a wall with your arms straight and your hands on the wall at shoulder height, palms flat. Take a small step back with each foot, keeping both feet parallel and your knees straight, and lean toward the wall, keeping your heels flat on the floor. (Yeah, our calves are a really tight muscle group.) Play with this stretch. You can do one leg at a time, also. If you bend your knees while keeping your heels flat, you'll feel that stretch move down your calves and work into your Achilles tendon as well.

Boost Calorie Burn

You like treadmill and you want to boost up your calorie burn then how about this:

By increasing your walking pace from a leisurely 3.5 mph to a brisk 4.5 mph, you can increase calorie burn by 33%. Pump it up another 0.5 mph and you'll increase it by 50%.

What's more, researchers have discovered that walkers can burn just as many calories as runners doing the same speed when they go above 4.5 mph.

Listening to some peppy music can help you pick up the pace. For a walk that's about 4 mph, listen to music that's about 140 beats per minute (bpm): techno pop, big band, classical, jazz, square dance, polka, or Broadway Show tunes. For an even speedier stride--about 5 mph or 170 bpm--try Dixieland, boogie-woogie, jazz, national jive, classical, Viennese waltz, bluegrass, or jungle music (drum and bass).

If you don’t have a treadmill or you can’t afford going to a gym you can apply the same principles in outdoor walking.

Abstracted from "Prevention's 300 Secrets" (2000).

Anaerobic exercise:Can it be done at home?

Working out is essential in our weight loss effort. So far I mentioned about aerobic workout. However only aerobic can’t help you lose weight efficiently in the long run. It is important to include in your workout program anaerobic exercises. Anaerobic exercises help you gain muscles and muscles burn more calories. You could say you don’t have the time or the money to go to the gym and follow an anaerobic workout program.

Now no more you have to go to a gym to do this.

Here are 4 anaerobic exercises you can do at home:

Push-ups

Level 1: Wall push off. Stand facing about two feet away from a wall with your feet apart and your hands flat on the wall. Bend your elbows so your body falls towards the wall. Then slowly straighten your arms to push yourself back to the original position. To increase difficulty, move farther away from the wall.
Level 2: Bent-knee push-up. Do this like a regular push-up, only with your knees on the floor. Moving hands closer together or farther apart works different muscles.
Level 3: Straight-leg push-up. Keep feet 10-15 inches apart. To increase difficulty, elevate feet on a stool.

Tips: Keep back flat, not arched; keep arms bent, never locked straight; place hands slightly farther apart than shoulder width.

Squats

Level 1: Squat using table assist. Place one hand on a table to help balance yourself as you squat.
Level 2: Regular squat. Squat with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Level 3: Squat with added weight. Put a couple of heavy books into a plastic bag with handles. Use both of your hands to hold the bag in front of you as you squat.

Tips: Place feet shoulder-width apart. Squat as if you were going to sit down in a chair. Just when you reach the edge, stand back up. Reach hands out in front for balance. Caution! Don’t let your knees extend in front of your feet.

Sit-ups

Level 1: Crunch with arms across chest. Keep neck relaxed.
Level 2: Regular crunch sit-up. Rest head lightly in hands. Don’t pull on neck or head. Keep elbows out to sides.
Level 3: Crunch with added weight. Keep weight high on chest.

Tips: This is a very small movement -- you aren’t trying to touch your knees. Just raise your body four or five inches off the floor. Make sure you look up towards the ceiling.

Dips

Level 1: Sit-to-stand dip. Use a chair that has arms on either side. Sit on the edge of the chair and use chair arms to push yourself up and out of the chair.
Level 2: Bent-knee dip. Place hands on the edge of the chair with finger tips face forward. Place feet a minimum of 24 inches away from chair. Keep rear end close to chair as you dip down.
Level 3: Straight-leg dip. Place hands on the edge of the chair with finger tips face forward. As you dip, keep your legs straight, with a slight bend in the knees.

Tips: Keep the focus on your arms. It’s easy to cheat and let your legs do the work. The farther your feet are from the chair, the harder the exercise.

Try out the three different levels for each exercise to find the level best for you. For each exercise do one to three sets of 10.

Walking steps to lose weight

So you decided to start walking. But first do you know how?

Follow these simple steps:
Ensure that you have what you need.

You need a place to walk. Walking on a treadmill is ideal, but it’s fine to walk outside. However, if you walk outside, since walking on concrete sidewalks or paved roads may give you shin splints, find a softer surface to walk on.
You need walking shoes that are less than six months old. Not running shoes or cross trainers—walking shoes.
You will need a watch—preferably with a minute hand.
Trim your toenails properly with a convex clipper. Ensure that your feet are clean and dry. Wear clean white socks. Wear whatever other clothes are suitable for the conditions.
If you find that skin rubs on skin (for example between your thighs or between your toes or between your arms and torso), use petroleum jelly to reduce the chafing.
You will need a notebook and a pen. Keep track of each walk: distance covered, the time it took, and any notes about how you felt during or afterwards.
(If you can afford a pedometer and want to use it, fine. However, it’s not necessary.)

Set an initial goal.

If you have one in mind, fine.
If not, let’s pick a modest goal for the initial phase of your walking to lose weight campaign, namely, one mile in 30 minutes.
That may seem like an enormous challenge. Alternatively, it may seem like too small a challenge. Either way, it’s a good starting point.

Warm up.

Sitting in a chair, put your legs straight out in front of you. You knees should be locked and your feet about a foot apart. Roll both feet in a circular motion ten times one way, and then roll them ten times the other way.
Next, still keeping your knees locked, point your toes away from you and hold that position for 20 seconds. Then point your toes back towards your head and hold that position for 20 seconds.
Next, stand up. Keeping your heels flat on the floor and your toes pointed at about a 45 degree angle, squat all the way down as far as you can go. Let your knees track out over your toes as you descend. If possible, put your palms on the floor in front of you (with your elbows between your legs) and relax your neck so that your head drops forward. Maintain that position for 30 seconds and then stand up again.
This may be difficult at first, but, if you keep practicing it once a day, it will soon get much easier. It’s a wonderful, natural stretch.
Then simply walk at a normal pace for 2 to 4 minutes and you’re ready to go!

Go for your first walk.

How fast should you go? Do not try walking briskly. Just go at your normal pace.
How far should you go? Not far! Just walk for a little while, perhaps only a few minutes, until you begin to feel slightly tired. That is enough for today!
If you are using a watch, note for how long you walked. Write it down. Tomorrow you are going to walk slightly longer—another minute or two. The day after that, you are again going to walk slightly longer—another minute or two.
Persist! Soon, in a matter of weeks, you will be walking for 30 minutes.

Excellent! You are now halfway to the first goal.

All you have to do now is to walk slightly more quickly each time. Do not increase the distance. Just keep walking for 30 minutes every day religiously while pushing yourself slightly to move a bit more quickly. In just a matter of a few more weeks, you are going to be able to cover one mile in those 30 minutes.
(Alternatively, if you are using a pedometer, note how many steps you took during your walk. Write it down. Tomorrow you are going to walk for more steps—another 50 or 100. The day after that, you are again going to walk an additional 50 or 100 steps. Soon you will be walking 2000 steps. If you are taking a normal stride, that’s about one mile. Excellent!
All you have to do now is to walk those two thousand steps slightly more quickly each time. Do not take more steps. Just keep walking 2000 steps each day religiously while pushing yourself slightly to move a bit more quickly. In just a matter of a few more weeks, you are going to be able to do those steps in 30 minutes. Congratulations!)
Tip: after your walk, it’s a good idea to repeat that squat stretch again. (Also, especially if you feel the back of your body tightening up, do some stretching for your Achilles tendons, calves, hamstrings, and lower back.)

Listen to your body.

In consultation with your physician and by “listening” to your body, adjust this walking to lose weight program to best suit yourself.
If you find it relatively easy, try doing it twice a day instead of once a day. If you find it relatively difficult, try doing it every other day instead of daily.
Once you are able to walk one mile in thirty minutes, your next goal should be walking two miles in 60 minutes. Use a similar program to meet that goal. You may go for two one-mile walks in 30 minutes each or one two-mile walk in 60 minutes; it doesn’t matter. Break it up however it best suits you.

Once you are able to walk two miles in one hour every day, your third goal should be walking three miles in 60 minutes every day. Again, you may break it up. For example, walk one mile in the morning in twenty minutes—and repeat that distance and time in the afternoon and again in the evening.
Once you are able to walk three miles in one hour every day, your third and final goal should be to walk four miles in an hour every day. Again, you may break it up.
There will be days when you feel discouraged and don’t feel like walking to lose weight. So? Do it anyway. If you persist, you will succeed.
In fact, the more of an obstacle you overcome, the more satisfying your accomplishment will feel.
You now have a clear program on using walking to lose weight. You will soon be feeling much better—and you’ll be looking better and be more fit as well! 

Useful Resources:

Choose your walking shoes

Affordable pedometers

The Step Diet: Count Steps, Not Calories to Lose Weight and Keep It off Forever

Weight Loss in 10,000 Steps a Day: How to Lose Weight without Dieting (Weight-Loss Programs Guide)

Simple, Short, Easy workout for Rookies

You decided to start exercising for weight loss, good for you.

So, where do you start?

With something simple, short and easy.

How about walking?

That is a great exercise.

For now, that will be the focus of your program.

You need to get your body tuned into burning fat. And aerobic exercise –- slow and easy –- is the key.

Simple facts about burn calories

Right now, sitting at your computer, you're burning calories. That's the good news.

The bad news is you're not burning much. If you eat one candy bar while tapping at your mouse, you've swallowed about 230 calories - and it'll take almost five hours sitting at the PC to burn off that one bar, or eight hours watching TV.

Remember this: Doing almost anything for a half hour burns more calories than sitting still.

Activity (for 30 min.)

Calories Burned per 150-lb. person

Watching TV

27

Working at a PC

50

Food shopping

126

Walking the dog

158

Playing tennis

200


Every 3,500 calories you eat turns into roughly a pound of body fat. Burn an extra 100 calories every day for a year, and you've erased 36,500 calories from your system - or more than 10 pounds of body fat.

Too simple? In a way, it is.

Genetics and hormones affect the rate at which each of us gains or loses weight, and our bodies have self-defense mechanisms against massive weight loss. The first pound you lose is always easier than the tenth or twentieth! But the rates of success for people who've learned how to lose weight and keep it off are better than you might think. 

The 200 Calorie Solution ~ How to Burn an Extra 200 Calories a Day and Stop Dieting

Burn Calories While You Sleep "Change Your Metabolism to be Thin, Fit, Healthy, and Live Longer"

24 reasons to start working out!

Many people view exercise as something you were forced to do as punishment in high school P.E.

Other view exercise as something you had to do if you wanted to lose weight.

That is totally not true.

After working out for 2 months daily you will feel it as well.

You too will no longer look at it as punishment or a necessary evil for weight loss.

You too can discover how weight loss becomes a wonderful by-product of regular exercise. Your body was made to be active on a regular basis. Here are 23 other good things that happen when you get fit:

1.   Your risk for developing cardiovascular diseases -- such as heart attacks and strokes -- decreases.
2. Your risk of developing many types of cancers decreases.
3.   You have a more positive outlook on life.
4.   Your blood pressure decreases.
5.   The oxidation (breakdown and use) of fat increases.
6.   HDL (good) cholesterol increases.
7. The heart becomes a more efficient pump by increasing stroke volume.
8. Hemoglobin concentration increases in your blood. Hemoglobin is the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
9. The tendency of the blood to clot in blood vessels decreases. This is important because small clots traveling in the blood are often the cause of heart attacks and strokes.
10. Your metabolism is elevated so that you burn more calories each and every day.
11. Your aerobic capacity (fitness level) increases. This gives you the ability to go through your day with less relative energy expenditure. This enables a "fit" person to have more energy at the end of the day and to get more accomplished during the day... with less fatigue.
12. Keeping active helps maintain, tone and strengthen your muscles. It also increases your indurance.
13. Bone strength increases.
14. New blood vessels develop in your heart and other muscles.
15. Blood levels of triglycerides (fat) decrease.
16.  Control of blood sugar improves.
17. Exercise increases mental sharpness for several hours, enabling you to think more clearly and be more creative.
18. Sleep patterns improve.
19. The efficiency of the digestive system increases. This can reduce the incidence of colon cancer.
20. The thickness of joint cartilage increases, offering more protection and less wear and tear.
21. A woman's risk of developing endometriosis decreases by 50 percent.
22. The amount of blood that flows to the skin increases, making you look and feel healthier.
23. In addition to all the physiological and anatomical benefits, exercise just makes you feel GREAT!

So, try taking a more positive approach to exercise. Look at it as a wonderful opportunity to make yourself healthier and more energized. Now get movin'

Working Out Sucks! (And Why It Doesn't Have To): The Only 21-Day Kick-Start Plan for Total Health and Fitness You'll Ever Need

You decided to workout and now what?

 So far I mentioned that in order to choose the perfect weight loss program which will work for you it is important to learn some basic information.
And since I decided to make this blog to share my experience in weight loss with you all I think it’s better if I also share with you this information and not let you search it elsewhere.

So for starters here some basics about exercise:

Types of Exercise

There are two types of exercise: anaerobic and aerobic. Aerobic (with oxygen) training involves the use of the heart. Aerobic training is commonly referred to as cardiovascular training. Walking and biking are examples of aerobic training. Anaerobic (without oxygen) training does not involve the heart. Instead, it relies on energy stored within the muscles. Strength training is an example of anaerobic training.


Workout Frequency

The frequency of an exercise program can vary depending on fitness level and personal goals. Three or more workouts per week are preferred.

Workout Duration

The duration of a workout can be very brief, or it can last for several hours. Thirty minutes to 1hour is typical.

Workout Intensity

Always start with a light resistance level then gradually work your way up.

Sets and Reps

A rep (short for repetition) is any motion or exercise that is done repeatedly. A set is a grouping of repetitions. Repetition range can vary depending on factors such as the muscle being trained and fitness level. Consider starting with 10 reps and 2 to 3 sets per exercise.

Workout Assistance

Never exceed your known physical limits. Always seek the assistance of a professional before performing difficult exercises.


Breathing Technique

The contraction of a muscle during exercise is referred to as the concentric phase of the movement. The goal is to try to exhale as you contract the muscle (e.g. breathe out while you push). Inhalation should take place during the eccentric phase or opposite movement.

Useful resources:

Anatomy for Strength and Fitness Training for Women 

Workouts For Dummies

The Now What? Fitness Series Collection Complete 6-Book Set Simplifying A Total Health And Fitness Plan Including Cardio, Strength Training, Healthy Nutrition, Working Out At Home And In The Gym