GetFit.com.au

Originally employed by Swiss physiotherapists to help children with cerebral palsy, the fitball, or Swiss ball, rose to fame in the late '90s along with the formidable catch-cry of "core strength".

Because fitball exercises require you to balance before you crunch, they're more effective than traditional sit-ups at tapping into the deep abdominal muscles that wrap around your spine and keep you upright.

Your co-workers aren't just showing off when they perch at their desks on a pearly orb: beginning with as little as 10 minutes at a time, you can work the washboard as you attack the keyboard.

For more action, try a killer fitball-crunch. Sit back on the ball and cross your arms over your chest. Walk forward until your shoulder-blades are just off the ball, square your legs hip-width apart and then slowly lift three-quarters of the way up before lowering and repeating the movement. Activate your core muscles throughout by pulling your navel back towards your spine in the way you might when tightening a belt.

Although fitballs are low-impact, you can still bounce into trouble. Always work to your ability, and stop as soon as you feel any back twinges, as this means your back muscles are compensating for a tired belly.

Starting from about $20 at the budget end, fitballs are widely available in stores and online. The right sized ball will leave your knees level to or slightly lower than your hips. Pick a ball that deflates slowly, so that you won't plummet if it bursts.

WHERE TO TRY

Rebel Sport For locations, see rebelsport.com.au/stores

Posted by Dean at 11:18 AM | Permalink

Seven steps to a six-pack that will get you noticed

Forget, for a moment, that the shape of your midsection largely determines how good you’ll look on the beach this summer and how well you’ll play beach bats. We’ll get back to that in a minute. The pursuit of abs goes deeper. You strive for a six-pack as though your life depended on it – and now science has proven that it does.

At a recent meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, research was presented stating that waist circumference is more conclusive than either weight or body-mass index (BMI) as a measure of disease risk.

Cardiologist Dr Arthur Agatston, author of The South Beach Diet, puts it this way: “Abdominal fat is different and more dangerous than fat elsewhere. Unlike fat directly under the skin, belly fat, which adheres to organs, is associated with increases in C-reactive protein and other markers of in? ammation that can lead to heart disease.”

Motivated yet? Good. We trust you will lay off the chips and onion rings. Remember, it doesn’t matter how wisely you work your abs: if your body fat is too high, they won’t show (for most men, anything over 10 percent body fat will keep your abs in hiding).

For the next month, work your abs according to the following steps. And try this eating tip from dietician Nancy Clark, author of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook: “I make two peanutbutter- and-honey sandwiches every day; I eat one for lunch at 11 and one for my second lunch at three,” says Clark. Notice that the 3pm feeding is a “second lunch”, not an “afternoon snack”.

You’ll eat smarter (muscle-building protein and whole grains) and not need as big a dinner if you allow for a second lunch. Plus, you’ll have more energy for a better workout in the afternoon or evening.

Eating like this will also keep your insulin levels steady. When there is too much insulin from too much sugar and not enough exercise, your body can turn on you, depositing fat into your gut. Or worse. “When the pancreas burns out after years of producing excess insulin, that’s when build-up begins in arteries. This can cause heart attacks and strokes,” warns Agatston. But enough scary stuff. Time to hit the gym – and then the beach.

1. STAY HYDRATED

This one’s almost too easy, but drinking plenty of water not only helps you burn fat but also builds more muscle. “All creatine does is force fluid into the muscle,” says personal trainer Carter Hays. “Your body will do that itself if there’s enough water available.”

2. TRAIN YOUR ABS WITH TWO TYPES OF EXERCISE

Some abdominal exercises are based on movement. Others focus more on balance, so your abs contract harder to keep your body stable. “Most men have difficulty with either stabilisation or mobilisation,” says Hays.

Add both types of moves to a workout to challenge your abs.

For instance, try doing a physio-ball roll-out (mobilisation), followed by a physio-ball crunch (stabilisation). To do the roll-out, kneel in front of the ball with your forearms pressed against it. Keeping your knees and feet in place, roll the ball out in front of you so your hips, torso and arms slide forwards. Go as far out as you can without arching your back. Pull back to start.

3. GET MORE FROM YOUR CARDIO

Strip away abdominal fat by switching around your cardio routine so you run hard early.

In a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, eight men ran for 30 minutes on two separate days. In the first session, the men ran at a relatively high intensity – 80 percent of their maximum heart rate – for 15 minutes, then slowed to 60 percent for the final 15 minutes. In the other session, they ran the slower part first. The men burned five to 10 percent more fat when they ran faster at the start of the workout.

“And this is only a 30-minute workout,” says Dr Jie Kang, the study’s lead author. “If you do this three to five times a week, things can add up.”

Here’s why it works: to burn fat, your body first breaks down fat tissue into fat molecules.

“Our study found that this happens best when you exercise at a relatively high intensity,” says Kang. Next, molecules go to your cells to be burnt, which Kang says can occur at relatively lower intensities.

The best part: you’ll feel as if you’re burning more fat for the same amount of effort. Kang measured the participants’ perceived exertion – how hard they felt they were working – and found that their bodies felt fatigued late in a workout, regardless of what they did.

4. SKIP THE EXTRA ABS ROUTINE

Edging closer to sharp abs can tempt you to work them every day. Don’t. Training more can actually make your abs show less. “You don’t need to overwork your abs – they’re no different from any other muscle,” says Hays. “If you’re always in a state of overtraining,you’re going to get more laxity in your muscles.”

In other words, they’ll appear soft.

Instead, add resistance to make moves you already do more challenging. For instance, hold a light weight plate during your physio-ball crunches. Then give your muscles time to rest.

5. DO MORE FULL-BODY MOVES

Isolation moves like crunches are great for developing your muscles, but they don’t burn much fat. You’re better off training multiple muscle groups at once, says Hays. Full-body exercise burns more kilojoules and also causes a greater release of muscle-building hormones.

Try combination moves, like the reverse lunge to cable chest fly. Stand between a cable station’s weight stacks and grab a pulley handle with each hand. Hold your arms straight in front of you. Then step back with one leg, bending your knees and letting your arms move out to the sides. Pause when your back knee is just off the floor and your upper body looks like a T, then push yourself back up while you pull your arms together. Repeat the move with your other leg in the back position.

6. GET OFF THE FLOOR

Define the lower portion of the rectus abdominis (your sixpack muscle) with a physio-ball reverse crunch, but instead of doing the move on the floor, hop on a bench. “It allows for a greater range of motion,” says strength coach Gregory Joujon-Roche.

Lie face up on the edge of a bench with a physio ball pinched between your heels and hamstrings. Keeping your abs drawn in, roll your pelvis off the bench and, maintaining the same knee angle, bring your knees towards your chest. Slowly lower the ball. As soon as your back begins to arch on the way down, that’s the end of your range of motion. Pause at this point for a few seconds before finishing your set. Aim for five sets of 15 to 20 repetitions.

7. GO DEEP

Abdominal muscles are multilayered, but most men focus only on the outermost layer with exercises like the crunch.

Work the abdominal muscles closest to the spine. Strengthening these tiny stabilisers will provide a solid foundation to allow your six-pack muscles to grow stronger and bigger.

Mens Health

Posted by Dean at 05:55 PM | Permalink

A vigorous session at the gym isn't the only way to burn energy - get science on your side.

Muscle up. The single most important factor in determining your resting metabolic rate (the amount of energy you use at rest) is how much lean muscle tissue you have.

Your muscle tissue uses 16 to 22 per cent of your daily calories just to exist. (Your liver uses 21 per cent and your brain 20 per cent, but you can't do much about beefing them up.)

"Increasing metabolic rate through the development of more muscle tissue is the key to lasting weight loss," says Pete Williams, founder of London fitness club Health Dept

Resting muscle uses five times as many calories a kilogram a day as fat does. In an 18-week study by the University of Limburg in Holland, average daily metabolic rate increased by 9.5 per cent and energy expenditure by 10 per cent as a result of twice-weekly strength training.

"But make sure your training is sufficiently challenging to increase muscle mass, by using weights that are heavy enough and by training progressively and consistently," Williams says.

Drink iced water

Here's a bit of maths to stoke your metabolism. It takes one calorie (4.184 kilojoules) to raise the temperature of a litre of water by 1C. The body needs to heat water to body temperature (36.8C). The difference between the temperature of iced water and body temperature means you'll burn 36.8 calories (154 kilojoules) "warming up" a litre of iced water.

Supping two litres, therefore, is enough to burn off roughly half a bar of chocolate. At least, that's the theory.

Fidget

A recent study at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota found that one of the biggest determinants of who is overweight and who is skinny was the level of non-exercise activity thermogenesis, better known as fidgeting or pottering.

Obese subjects burned 1464 fewer kilojoules a day than leaner ones simply because they were more inert. The leaner folk wiggled, stood, walked and constantly changed position.

Eat more protein

Ten per cent of the calories we consume are used up in digesting what we've eaten. It's called the thermic effect of food.

"Contrary to popular belief, though, this doesn't mean that frequent small meals are more advantageous than one large meal," Symonds says.

But meal content might increase your metabolism - because not all nutrients have the same thermic effect.

"About 25 to 30 per cent of the calories derived from protein are used up in its metabolism," she says.

Compare that with 6 to 8 of every 100 calories of carbohydrate and just 2 to 3 of 100 fat calories - and ensure you include good-quality protein in every meal.

Use your cycle

Not the two-wheeled one in the backyard - your monthly one. "Basal metabolic rate fluctuates throughout a woman's menstrual cycle," says Patricia Symonds, a lecturer at Atlanta's Emory University.

"[The rate] tends to be at its lowest a week before ovulation, and research has found an 8 to 16 per cent rise in energy expenditure during the 14-day period following ovulation [the luteal phase]."

Research from Ohio University shows that exercising in the luteal phase, when progesterone and oestrogen levels are high, burns more fat than at other times.

Frontload your day

Metabolic rate is shaped like an ice-cream cone - highest in the morning, declining gradually through the day. Most of us, however, eat lightly in the morning and scoff larger meals as the day wears on.

A study in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition revealed that starting the day with a meal boosted resting metabolic rate by 10 per cent, while other research showed that people who skipped breakfast or lunch and ate most of their calories in their evening meal had lower metabolisms than "frontloaders."

Exercise more often

"Metabolic rate can increase as much as 15-fold during strenuous exercise," Symonds says. "And it doesn't return to normal the second you stop.

"In fact, the post-exercise elevation in metabolic rate, known as the afterburn, can make a significant contribution to overall daily energy expenditure."

The Guardian

Posted by Dean at 11:43 AM | Permalink

Almost everyone can exercise in some way. For some people, the most convenient approach is a home gym. There are many options in exercise machines to help burn calories and increase cardiovascular fitness.

Depending on your age, activity preferences, budget and health, some aerobic exercise machines may be more suited to your needs. The October issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers some options

Treadmills: Generally easy to use, treadmills can help build leg muscle endurance and strength as well as aerobic capacity.

Motorized and nonmotorized models are available. A motorized treadmill allows for accurate speed adjustments in your walking pace. More durable operation requires at least a 1.5-horsepower, continuous-duty motor. Runners will need a version with 2 horsepower or higher.

Stationary bikes: They can provide a low-impact and fairly intense cardiovascular workout that helps built leg muscle endurance and strength and improves aerobic capacity. Almost anyone, including people with arthritis, can use a stationary bike.

Upright models are the traditional style, with your feet positioned underneath you. A recumbent style has chair like seating, with your legs and feet out in front of you. A recumbent might be a better choice if you have low-back pain, neck problems or concerns about balance. Some models are dual action -- the handlebars move to provide an upper-body workout.

Elliptical trainers: These combine stair-stepping motion and cross-country ski motion to produce a low-impact cardiovascular workout. The result is less stress on joints than walking produces. Elliptical trainers are a good choice for people who have knee problems, arthritis or other joint problems.

Look for a stable machine with sturdy sides. There are motorized and nonmotorized models. Fit is important - your knees shouldn't bump into the console when moving in a good upright position.

New choice: Another newer option is a recumbent cross-training machine that allows for a simultaneous upper and lower body aerobic workout without stressing your joints. Although more costly than other standard workout machines, this versatile device may accommodate people who otherwise might not be able to exercise using both arms and both legs.

Whatever you choose, use it. Regular exercise not only can improve your overall quality of life, it also can help counter many negative effects of aging and an inactive lifestyle.

www.emaxhealth.com

Posted by Dean at 01:45 PM | Permalink

Getting fatter around the middle? Have a family history of heart disease or diabetes? You could be headed for the same trouble, especially if you're over 40 and female.

There are no obvious symptoms from high blood sugar or the condition called insulin resistance, so few people realize it is creeping up and putting them on the path to diabetes, heart disease or both.

But insulin resistance, a type of pre-diabetes, is a growing national problem: Some experts believe half of all overweight or obese adults are insulin-resistant.

Yet, even many women with a family history of heart disease or diabetes don't know they need to eat a healthier diet and get more exercise to avoid those problems -- two of America's top killers.

"We think this is a very important new issue for women," said Audrey Sheppard, chief executive of the National Women's Health Resource Center. "There's very little awareness."

As women enter the years leading to menopause, the hormonal changes that trigger hot flashes and end menstruation make women more likely to add fat around the waistline than in other places. (For men, it's 40 inches.)

Fat also builds up in the liver and other vital organs, predisposing them to insulin resistance, a condition in which insulin no longer can inject enough glucose into the body's cells for fuel, said Dr. David Katz, co-founder of the Yale Prevention Research Center and author of several books on weight control.

The body's compensatory mechanisms eventually fail, blood pressure rises along with levels of blood sugar and blood fat -- making cells even more resistant to insulin. Diabetes, heart disease or both often follow.

"That's the sequence that's occurring in tens of millions of American adults" and an increasing number of children amid the country's obesity epidemic, said Katz. "It's an enormous problem. We're just starting to get doctors' attention."

Besides a family history of heart disease or diabetes, women who had diabetes during pregnancy or who had a baby 9 pounds or heavier are at higher risk of insulin resistance.

Frequent fatigue and cravings for sweets, bread and pasta also may be linked to the problem. But Dr. Henry Kahn, a chronic disease epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said those are vague symptoms that could have other causes.

The women's resource center, based in Red Bank, New Jersey, has just begun a new public health campaign targeting women aged 40 to 65 because they are at greater risk than others and often hold of the role of Dr. Mom, serving as monitor for the whole family's health.

Besides explaining on its Web site how uncontrolled blood sugar harms the body, the center offers tips for a healthy blood sugar level and suggests questions patients can ask a doctor.

Among research showing the benefits of a healthy lifestyle is a recent CDC study that found modestly overweight adults who worked with nutrition and exercise experts reduced their risk of diabetes by nearly 60 percent over several years, compared with a group that made no changes, said Kahn.

Lalita Kaul, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman and professor of nutrition at Howard University Medical School, said over the last 25 years, about 70 percent of her patients at risk of diabetes have been able to control their blood sugar with diet and lifestyle changes.

The key diet changes, she said, include eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily; cutting down on sugar and desserts while eating more whole grains; eating less saturated fat and using healthier cooking oils; eating salmon and other fish rich in essential fatty acids a few times a week; and avoiding prepared foods high in sodium, which pushes up blood pressure

www.cnn.com

Posted by Dean at 11:35 AM | Permalink

A combination of supplements readily available in health food stores can double the rate at which an exercise program builds muscle and sheds body fat.

It's all a matter of timing, according to Melbourne researchers.

The researchers found that people who consumed the supplements immediately before exercising with weights gained much more muscle and strength than those who took the same supplements at other times of the day. The supplements used were whey protein, isolated from milk, and creatine monohydrate, extracted from plants.

“This study is the first to demonstrate that timing the consumption of these supplements promotes better results from exercise,” said Dr Paul Cribb the lead researcher, from Victoria University. “This is a simple strategy that most adults could incorporate into their exercise programs.”

Paul Cribb is one of 16 young scientists presenting their research to the public for the first time thanks to Fresh Science, a national program sponsored by the Federal and Victorian Governments. One of the Fresh Scientists will win a trip to the UK courtesy of British Council Australia to present his or her work to the Royal Institution.

Whey protein is a high quality dairy protein which stimulates muscle growth, and is rapidly absorbed by the body. Creatine monohydrate is thought to aid energy production. Both supplements are widely available and have been shown in research to provide a variety of health benefits.

Adult males participated in a 10-week supervised resistance training program while consuming the supplements. Those who took the supplements directly before and after exercise showed significantly better improvements in strength and muscle (fat-free) mass compared to a control group. The control group performed the same resistance exercise program and took the same supplement at other times of the day.

The changes in body composition were confirmed by muscle analyses at the cellular and subcellular levels. And the benefits were obtained without the participants' having to diet or disrupt their normal, healthy eating patterns.

Cribb argues that this information is not only important for athletes, but has much wider application. “Athletic performance and vanity aside, building muscle is a vital part of healthy ageing. An age-associated loss of muscle is thought to initiate many illnesses that shorten our lifespan such as osteoporosis, type-II diabetes, and heart disease.”

“This is one of very few studies that provides data on a safe, cost-effective strategy that can help maintain muscle mass through life.”

AST Sports Science supplied the supplements used in this research.

Posted by Dean at 11:32 AM | Permalink