devo digest » Health

Tips to Get A Toned Body

Stevie Wonder — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:06:03 +0000

Women at all ages have weight problems to whine about. Although weight gain is inevitable in women especially when they age, there are some things that we could to slow the process from happening. To give you a better understanding, I will give you some tips on how to keep yourself fit and beautiful. In this article I will discuss the exercise routines using adjustable weight benches that I personally enjoy doing to keep myself sexy and beautiful.

Tip number 1. Get a high quality sports bra. You should always remember that when you lose weight, most often it starts with your breasts. To prevent premature sagging of breasts, you should get aChampion Sports Bras. These kinds of bras give you a good breast compression that keeps you from having unwanted sagging breasts.

Tip number 2. Stretching and Cardio Workout. Stretch your whole body to prevent muscle strains and injuries. Do all the stretching routine correctly to also avoid soreness and pain in your body. Also, do a cardio workout to warm up your body before going into weight training. This should only take 30 minutes of jogging or brisk walking.

Tip number 3. Weight Training. To prevent your skin from sagging due to weight loss, you must tone your body as well. Using adjustable weight benches, lie on it, and then lift 2 pounds dumbbells on both your left and right hands. Straighten your arms; lift the weights on an up and down motion fifteen times. Repeat this process three times by giving yourself 30 seconds of rest after each set.

Do some crunches to achieve the abs muscles that you want. Simply lie down on the adjustable weight bench, put you hands behind your head. Slowly, raise your close legs upward and try to make your knees touch your tummy. Do this in 20 counts and repeat it three times.

Always make sure that when you do weight or muscle training, you have to make body rest for at least 24 hours to help your muscle regain its strength. Moreover to achieve a perfect toned and sexy figure, you must also watch you eat. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet can help you achieve your desired body in a faster time.

Three Liposuction Alternatives You May Want to Consider

Stevie Wonder — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:27:05 +0000

Liposuction is surgical solution to remove stubborn fatty deposits that won’t go away with exercise or diet. It is not a method to lose weight, in fact, obese or extremely overweight people are discouraged to undergo this treatment and told they must lose weight before.

Liposuction has been presented for the first time in the ’70s and in forty years has developed and changed a lot. The first type of liposuction, now called dry liposuction, was very invasive as it involved large incision and suction of solid fat with high suction power cannulas. The intervention was performed in general anesthesia, bleeding a lot was considered normal and the recovery period was long and painful. But back then there weren’t many alternatives to liposuction.

Nowadays there many new liposuction techniques. They are not really liposuction alternatives, they are less invasive methods of fat sucking that make use of laser, ultrasound, water jets and other technologies that dissolve the fat before sucking it with less powerful and smaller cannulas. Thanks to this more gentle approach it is possible to perform the intervention in local anesthesia, with smaller incisions and a much shorter recovery period.

However if you don’t want to undergo any kind of liposuction you don’t have to as you can choose an alternative to liposuction among the many methods available that melt the fact and then dispose of it through the urinary tract or draining massage.

The most common treatment used as liposuction alternative are Ultrasonic Cavitation, Mesotherapy and Mesoderm.

Ultrasonic cavitation relies on the physics phenomenon known as “cavitation”. A handheld emitting ultrasound is applied on the targeted area. This creates microbubbles below the skin, in the liquid surrounding the fat cells. As pressure gets higher, the microbubbles implode and break the fat cells walls, liquefying the fat. The liquefied fat is disposed of through the urunary tract or the lymphatic system.The surrounding tissues are not damaged. This liposuction alternative has effective results and very quick recovery period It is sometimes called “The Lunch Break Liposuction” referring to the fact that you could undergo it and go back to work immediately after it.

Another liposuction alternative called “Liposuction Without Surgery” is mesotherapy. Mesotherapy uses painless microinjections to introduce in the targeted area a compound of minerals, vitamins and other chemical and natural ingredients. This compound also liquefies the fat cells that are eliminated naturally by the body. Mesotherapy is not approved by FDA and the formula really depends on the doctor experience and knowledge.

Mesoderm (also called Mesoglow) uses the same principle of Mesotherapy but introduces electroporation in the process, which is a technique to make the skin more permeable. This way vitamins and homeopathic ingredients are delivered directly into the mesoderm and easily absorbed. Mesoderm not only eliminates fat deposits but also reaffirms the skin and stimulates the production of collagen rejuvenating the skin and giving you a youthful and healthier look.

The liposuction alternative exists. Talk to your doctor to find out the new non-invasive technique that suits better your needs.

Heartburn and Acid Reflux Treatment

Stevie Wonder — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 03:16:06 +0000

Heartburn or acid reflux is a type of condition that has the potential to turn into a life threatening disease if left unmanaged or untreated. If you have it, you need to deal with it as soon as possible. There are many treatment options available for you if you want to get rid of your reflux problem. There are conventional medications, surgical procedures and there are also natural acid reflux cures. Many people prefer natural solutions as they cause little to even no side effects at all as opposed to over the counter medications as well as surgical procedures. Not to mention the little fact that natural medications are a million times cheaper as compared to the two other methods. Here now are some of your natural acid reflux treatment options.

a.) Eat Safer Foods

This is the first thing that you need to do. Acid reflux is known to be triggered by certain food items. Foods that have high acid contents and those which the tummy finds hard to digest are some of the known culprits; therefore, you need to start eating the opposite.
There are also certain eating habits that you need to observe like for instance eating smaller but frequent meals, maintaining proper posture when eating and chewing your foods well.

b.) Observe Precautionary Measures

Avoid wearing tight fitting clothes. Clothes that are too tight, especially around the belly area puts much pressure on the tummy and this can force the foods and gastric acids to flow back up.
Maintain a reasonable weight. Carrying that excess weight also places strain along the tummy.
Never lie down after eating your meals. At best, wait for at least two hours before you do so.
When sleeping, have your head elevated at about six to nine inches so you avoid having nighttime reflux attacks.
For those who smoke, this is the time to stop. Nicotine relaxes the esophageal sphincter or valve and this makes it a lot easier for the contents of the stomach to crawl back up into your mouth.

Do BSN Supplements Really Help Build Body Mass?

Qurd — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:18:30 +0000

Years ago, when I was a personal trainer, many body builders who came to the gym where I worked were hyped on the newest supplements that had come out. Some weren’t much more than egg protein or whey, and in the early days, I remember the ones that were amino acid shakes that tasted like my dentist’s flavored fluoride treatments. Later there were tons of drinks and shakes that were said to build mass…they were metabolic optimizers but didn’t work so well, not to mention they smelt and tasted awful.

Personally I fell for the meal replacement protein shakes that came out in vanilla and strawberry flavors. I didn’t find they helped in mass building, but they did help to stop the munchies and keep the toned lean muscle….lean. Somewhere along the line of supplements, hormones got added and in certain cases the hormones converted into testosterone and….in a bodybuilder that was often welcomed but not at all healthy. But the fact of the matter is that, during the supplement evolution, it hasn’t been until quite recently that were effective multi action protein drinks and supplements that kept a body lean, muscle mass growing without enhancement drugs, and energy and nutritional elements included to maintain health…not just bulk.

Many bodybuilders swear by the newest award winning BSN supplements saying they really work to put on mass and stay lean and feel energetic and healthier than they have for years. The facts seem to show that after several years of clients taking the various kinds of BSN supplements, like the Syntha 6, they’ve had a gain in lean mass after about 3 or 4 months of use. The extended release protein blend allows the body to retain amino acids, and with protein, helps to build and repair muscle tissue. It’s mostly based on a concentrated whey protein, milk protein, egg and calcium formulation….just to simplify its contents.

But it’s very important to note that when you take BSN supplements, such as Syntha 6 or others, these should NOT act as meal replacements. You must also DRINK LOTS OF WATER. People who take concentrated protein supplements may experience constipation if they do not drink sufficient water and keep their body hydrated during after and between workouts. To build muscle, you must remember that mass will come over TIME. Supplements, be they award winning products like the BSN supplement series, or something else you’ve found that suits your needs, are not magic formulas. They require a bodybuilder to workout at least 2 or 3 times per week, eat regular healthy meals that contain high water content foods like fresh vegetables, not just protein, protein, protein. The BSN Supplements series that offer formulas such as True Mass and Syntha 6 have received very good reviews. If you read online comments from as far back as 2007, most users are happy with their weight gain….muscle weight that is! By the way products like True Mass DO NOT contain hormones or stimulants. They do contain essential amino acids.

Based on what bodybuilders are saying, supplements do work to build lean body mass, but only in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle, regular workouts, eating balanced meals and using supplements as what they are: Supplements!

Use EFT to Release Trauma

Stevie Wonder — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:18:05 +0000

If you are familiar with EFT (emotional freedom technique) then I’d like to tell you about a way that you can use this to release the energy of traumas that you might have suffered in your life.

So what is trauma and how does our mind react to a traumatic event? Here is how the EFT Master Rick Wilkes describes it. We as humans have stress responses that trigger in the face of what we perceive as a potentially dangerous or life-threatening situation. There are three possible reactions. Everyone has heard of going into the fight or flight mode, which is self-explanatory, you either stay and fight out the situation or run away as a defense mechanism. Your subconscious mind is programed to carry out one of these responses in the goal of keeping your body safe from harm. The third way that your body could react is to simply freeze. You were too stunned to fight or run away and you just froze. That is trauma: the failure to fight or flee in the face of danger, causing you to trap the energy of the fearful moment into your body’s memory.

We’ve all had traumatic events in our lives and at varying degrees. There might have been things that happened to us as children that seemed truly distressing at the time but that we dismiss now as adults because we say to ourselves that it was no big deal, in hindsight. But to the child’s mind, the child you were, it’s still a trauma they experienced. And it needs to be addressed.

Some people know right away what their traumas were but they are afraid to face them. They are afraid of the memories, and that is totally understandable. What I want to communicate is that EFT is a sure way to release that negative energy that is blocked in your body. Release it, let it go. Those blocks are not helping you in any way. Tap on the fear of tapping if you need to! “Even though I have a traumatic event that I need to deal with, I honor and accept my feelings about it.” Once you feel the necessary shift to begin tapping, feel free to take it slow. “Even though (traumatic event), I honor and accept MYSELF.” Do this until you feel a shift in your consciousness about the event.

This is what Rick Wilkes says: “If a person can be traumatized in a second (freeze response), why can’t they be un-traumatized in 15 minutes?” It makes perfect sense. The freeze response took all of a few seconds to record every single detail of the traumatic event in your subconscious. These details are stored so that you avoid anything that even remotely reminds you of it, as a defense mechanism. If this can happen so quickly, why can’t we release that negative hold that it has on us by shifting the energy in a matter of minutes?

Think about that. And I encourage to learn about emotional freedom technique and to use EFT to release trauma.

Best Home Gym Equipment Items For Your Workouts

Stevie Wonder — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:59:03 +0000

If you’re looking at building a home gym, then you’re probably wondering what type of home gym equipment you should be putting in your gym. While each individual will have different needs based on space constraints, budget constraints, and what type of equipment they use and are comfortable with, I am going to hopefully give you some good ideas for things you consider putting in your home gym.

Cardio equipment – Cardio equipment is great for warming up and getting the blood flowing. It is also great for training for marathons and other cardiovascular-heavy events. Various popular cardio equipment for home gyms are a stair climber, a treadmill, and an elliptical machine.
Weight training equipment – Building up lean muscle mass is important for burning fat, so that is why weight training equipment is quite popular. You can get an all-in-one weight machine which will allow you to do many different upper and lower body weight lifting exercises. You could also get a weight bench as well as a set of free weights, depending on the types of exercises you do the most.
Full wall mirrors – These aren’t only for the vain, because full wall mirrors can help you to see if you are doing certain exercises properly. If you do a lot of yoga, or if you’re lifting weights, making sure that you have the proper technique is pretty important, or else you’re just wasting energy. If you can afford a personal trainer in your home, then you probably won’t need mirrors, but mirrors can be great for people to be able make sure they are doing exercises properly.
Television – Having a TV hooked up in your home gym can help you to not focus on doing the cardio which can become boring over long periods of time. You can also get hook ups to be able to hook up your MP3 player to the TV, so that you can have music while you’re working out as well.

Hopefully some of these items have made sense and have given you an idea of what kinds of things you may want in your home gym.

Treating Elbow Tendonitis Symptoms

Stevie Wonder — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:58:07 +0000

Many experts believe that if you diagnose this particular condition early enough, then it is highly likely that you are going to find an effective method of treatment. The most common symptom associated with tennis elbow is actually a lot of pain on the affected area. It is highly recommended that you consult your doctor for a thorough examination in order to exclude other complications that possess similar symptoms. The tenderness or pain is actually experienced at the bony area of the elbow, particularly when grasping something or flexing the wrist. For that reason, any activities which require constant use of the flexor muscles such as bending the wrist can irritate the condition even more.

More often than not, the patients who are suffering from tennis elbow are not going to experience numbness. If you notice any signs of numbness, then it is highly advisable that you seek medical attention. Wrist flexors are the muscles of the hand which pull down the wrist. They start at one attachment of a tendon on the inside of the elbow known as the medical epicondyle. When the wrist is flexed and the hand is made to grip something, the muscles tense and they pull against the tendon. This results in lots of pain in the elbows as well as the wrists.

There are quite a number of activities that can lead to the appearance of elbow tendonitis symptoms. If you participate in certain sports such as golf and tennis, then you are more likely to get this condition. Other than tennis players and golfers, there are other people who are also prone to acquire this particular condition and they include painters, carpenters, cashiers, body builders, plumbers and office workers to mention a few. These people have one thing in common and that is basically that they perform duties or activities which require lots of repetitive movements over a long period of time. The repetitive activities usually involve using the same muscles which leads to inflammation of the ligaments, tendons and the muscles.

Tennis elbow is a treatable and manageable condition. The only thing that you should keep in mind is that treating tennis elbow takes quite some time before you can notice positive results. For that reason, you are supposed to be very patient in the course of the healing process. In addition to that, steer away from any methods of treatment which promise instant results. Most importantly, you are required to avoid any activity that you think is hurting the elbows and wrists to avoid further injuries. Make sure that you are getting adequate rest to give the hand time to properly heal. Pain relievers can also be used to alleviate pain to make the condition more bearable. Wrapping the affected area with a bandage is a good way to deal with the inflammation.

Another effective method of treatment for tennis elbow is the performance of stretching and strengthening exercises. Extra caution should be observed when performing the physical exercises to prevent future occurrence of the condition. The exercises assist in strengthening the muscles of the arm to guard against further injuries.

How to Get Rid of Love Handles for Women

Stevie Wonder — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:30:10 +0000

Many people have asked me for the best way for getting rid of love handles fast, but they doesn`t know that it is different for men and women. Here in this article i will talk more about women and what they should be included in these so called workout routines for women.

The truth is, that in order to get rid of love handles, you need to start a process which is made up of 3 parts. Take one part out and you may achieve partial results, but you’ll never totally eliminate your love handles. I’m not trying to make it seem like a difficult thing to accomplish, because it’s not. In fact, once you start doing this process, it gets pretty easy. The process is the same for women and men.

How To Get Rid of Love Handles – A 3 part solution

1. Do specific abs and love handles exercises — These are exercises which target your love handles and oblique abdominal muscles. They will make you love handles look firmer and leaner. I provide a link further down this article to a set of exercises, so be sure to check them out.

2. Complete body workouts and cardio routines — It’s extremely difficult to target the excess fat in your love handles. Specific exercises can only do so much. You need to reduce your overall body fat, and the way to do it is by investing some time in complete body workouts and in cardiovascular routines.

3. Keep a healthy diet — In order to further reduce your overall body fat, you need to keep a healthy diet. Lay off the fast food, fried dishes, pastries, and candy. I’m not saying cut it out entirely, but reduce the amount that you eat. Your entire body will look better, and you will also feel healthier. Your love handles will reduce as a result.

I hope that I’ve shown you why it’s important to do these 3 things together. All of them make up the best way to get rid of love handles. Give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Weight Loss Tips For Healthy Living

Stevie Wonder — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:12:04 +0000

Most people will battle with their weight at some point in their life. And for some folks, it isn’t much of a fight at all. Food can be too powerful and the fortitude to stick with an exercise plan may be too elusive. If you are looking for quick weight loss, then you should also keep healthy living in mind. Sometimes it’s not so much about the pounds you shed as it is about finding a way to incorporate healthy habits into your daily life. When that happens, it becomes much less of a fight with weight loss and it will be more likely to happen naturally. Above all else, remember to stay positive and here are some easy weight loss tips to get you started on a journey to a healthier self.

Drink lots of water. You might have to limit the foods you eat, but you certainly don’t have to put a hold on water. Water is the essence of life and it can also keep your metabolism going when you want to lose weight. Being dehydrated can put you at risk for increased snacking, so make sure to get plenty of water to help curb your appetite.
Exercise. If you want long term results then you will have to exercise because simply eating less just won’t cut it. So start off slow with some easy walking and remember that every little bit helps. Progress slowly to the point that going to the gym or fitness studio is something you look forward to.
Weight train. Muscle burns more calories than fat so you want to gain as much of it while keeping lean. Don’t get too obsessed with the scale because if you are gaining muscle then you might actually weight a bit more for a while. But the key thing to watch out for is body fat, so don’t spend too much time on the scale in the initial stages of weight loss.
Don’t skip meals. It might be tempting to skip breakfast, lunch, or dinner but this will just make you hungrier and more likely to binge later on down the line. Eat all your meals every day and feel free to snack on fruits and vegetables.
Cut out the soft drinks. If you cut out one can of soda a day, you are guaranteed to lose several pounds by the end of a year. Soft drinks are full of empty calories and sugar that you simply don’t need.

Running Machine Buying Tips

Stevie Wonder — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:05:04 +0000

It is best to do a little research before you set off down to the store to buy a new running machine. Just a small amount of time spent wisely, checking on a few important details can ensure you end up very satisfied with your purchase. So follow some of these tips and you will not go too far wrong when the time comes to get your cash out of your pocket.

The first thing to understand is that running machines come in all shapes and sizes – and prices! So the most important task for you is to set yourself a budget, and whatever you do, make sure you stick to it. Many treadmills have all manner of gadgets and gizmos, that look absolutely great – they might even seem to be crucial – but really, they just add to the price tag without you needing them at all. Don’t get suckered in to buying a treadmill running machine just because it has a built in TV!

The second consideration is whether you want a motorized treadmill or a manual one. The latter are far cheaper and have the added advantage that they can often be folded up, which is good if you need to store it away when not in use. Unfortunately, you will need to move the tread along with your feet on a manual running “machine” as it is your own stride which powers it. Of course, with an electric one, you simply switch it on and start running; the motorized treadmills are better for running as they do not change the dynamics of your running action.

If you spend some extra time considering other alternatives you might be able to save yourself some money. Apart from your local sports stores, you should check as many online stores as possible for the running machine models that they have in stock. If you are lucky, they might have some that are on your shortlist, and they might be for sale at knock down prices, perhaps because they want to get rid of last year’s versions now the newer ones are coming out. Another savvy way to get cut price treadmills and other sports equipment is to consider buying it used. You could do this through newspaper ads, person to person; or some local sports retailers buy in used equipment, and then sell it for a small profit. Either way, you’ll be bagging yourself a bargain!