Tag: Diet

Training by Conor HeffernanJul 28, 20177:19 am

Guest Post: Cardio Exercise and its History in Health and Fitness

pexels-photo

Cardio is a form of exercise that results in an increased heart rate as well as improved muscular functioning which ultimately leads to general body fitness. Cardio as a form of physical exercise, involves engagement of larger body muscles, often referred to as gross motor activities. Apart from raising the heart rate during exercise, cardio exercise also enables our muscles to maintain a good shape and condition. This results in a more healthy and efficient functioning body, while helping us to achieve the primary goal of cardio exercise, which is a stronger cardio vascular system that is characterized with more capillaries carrying more oxygen to the muscular cells. Increased oxygen supply in turn allows your body to break down more fat during exercise as well as during resting period.

Low intensity exercise rates for an elongated period of time enables you to participate in the cardio form of exercise. For instance, engaging your body in rhythmic exercises for more than 15 minutes while maintaining 60 to 80% of your maximum heart rate is an ideal way of taking part in cardio exercise. This leads to a number of health and fitness benefits such as increased stamina, control of body weight and other benefits related to psychological and mental functioning of the body including reduced anxiety and enhanced moods.

Guest Post: How To Effectively Use Cheat Meals

Our latest post comes from the wonderful and talented Samantha Olivier from Ripped.me. We’re delighted to have Samantha featured on the site again and know you’ll enjoy her latest piece.

Yes, I know, the word “cheat” sounds awful, but before you go all negative on cheat meals, you should know that they can be a valuable tool that can boost your metabolic rate. There are cheat strategies that people of all fitness levels and sizes can implement successfully. However, considering factors such as your previous dieting failure/success, daily eating habits, and fitness goals is a must as part of your self-evaluation.

Eating clean for the most of your week, staying active and rewarding yourself is at the heart of this matter. After a sudden intake of those extra calories, your metabolism starts burning hot, and the effects of enhanced fat loss and muscle gains are increased. Your body utilizes protein better, your cravings are reduced as well as metabolically damaging gut bacteria. So, there’s no need to feel guilty after consuming a cheat meal from time to time, because it actually helps you to become and stay lean.

Nutrition by Conor HeffernanJul 21, 20173:37 pm

Your Body Is An Engine, Give It The Right Fuel

If you put diesel into a petrol engine, your car isn’t going to run properly. Your body is exactly the same. If you want it to run at peak performance, you need to put the right fuel into it. We all know the benefits of cutting fat out of your diet, but too often, we focus on what we shouldn’t be putting in our bodies instead of what we should. It isn’t always about calories and protein; there are so many different parts of your body that all have their own specific requirements, and they all contribute to the overall state of your health. Building muscle and burning fat is only part of the battle, you need to start eating these foods to make sure everything else is in perfect working order.

Nutrition by Conor HeffernanJul 18, 201710:23 am

Tips on Nurturing Healthy Eating Habits

If you have been thinking that eating healthy means you have to stop eating the things that you love and instead stick to foods that make you sulk, then you are perhaps mistaken. Also, it does not mean that you have to starve to stay thin and get that much sought after size zero figure. But eating healthy means, that it should reflect in your appearance, in your attitude, and most importantly, in your approach towards life.

In fact, if you have been eating well and eating right, it should make you more energetic, make you feel great, it should also help you to visit your medical practitioner less frequently, and increase the instances of so called “feel-good factor” in you.

In this write up, let us find out what is meant by eating healthy food and staying fit and how you can incorporate these habits in your daily life.

Given below are few tips that you can follow to stay fit, healthy, and in great health and spirit. Check out these guidelines-

Resources by Conor HeffernanJun 21, 20176:37 am

Guest Post: What You Need to Know about Vitamin B12 [Infographic]

Taking fitness seriously not only means training regularly but also means paying attention to the vitamins and nutrients that our body needs. While working out is often half of the battle towards increasing fitness, enhancing health and protecting against anti-aging, getting the right amount of nutrients is a long term battle.

Most of us know about the ‘headline’ vitamins such as vitamins C and D but B is often talked about much less, and specifically B12 is one of the most under discussed vitamins, that a growing number of people are deficient in. B12 plays a vital part in many of our body’s core functions such as the production of red blood cells and nerve cells.

Not only that, being deficient in B12 is likely to make you tired, sluggish and prone to getting headaches. To find out more about vitamin B12 and the symptoms, causes and treatments check out the below infographic by psysci:

Training by Conor HeffernanJun 8, 20171:07 pm

Guest Post: Reaching the Plateau – And Overcoming It

If you’ve tried basic diet and exercise to shed unwanted pounds, chances are, you are no stranger to the weight loss plateau dilemma. When we first alter our diets by cutting calories and adding a side of exercise, we tend to shed pounds quite rapidly. Yet, once we get down to the nitty gritty of shedding those last ten to 15 pounds to reach our goal weight, we then learn that it’s not nearly as easy as it was in the beginning. That’s because once our body starts to reach a comfortable weight, it becomes more difficult to shed the rest of those pounds.

Nutrition by Conor HeffernanMay 12, 20177:47 pm

Reg Park’s Bodybuilding Diet

Known for being an incredibly bodybuilder in his own right, Reg Park was the go to bodybuilder of the 1950s. Possessing an incredible look of power and strength, Park was the envy of many a gym goer. How did Park build his monstrous physique?

Well the answer, quite simply, was that he ate like a King. A King preparing for his last meal!

Resources by Conor HeffernanMay 9, 201712:55 am

Guest Post: Cutting the Fat: Does Restrictive Dieting Work

There are countless restrictive diets on the market and more are being created each and every day. These diets claim to drop pounds in a short space of time so that people can shed any excess fat without having to follow an exercise regimen.

What is a Restrictive Diet?

Restrictive diets are defined as diets with a calorie restriction, which can be achieved through following a strict diet plan or cutting out an entire food group. Diets, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. Crash diets cause rapid weight-loss over a few weeks but the daily calorie intake is dangerously low and unsustainable.

Resources by Conor HeffernanMay 5, 20172:57 pm

Guest Post: 5 Breakfast Ideas for Fitness Enthusiasts

Skipping breakfast is not a habit that you should adopt, but still many people do it because they don’t have the time or the energy to eat in the morning. To each their own, of course, but you should know that having the first meal of the day on a regular basis allows your metabolism to go on full speed from an early morning and it actually helps in waking up. Healthy breakfast regulates your blood pressure and blood sugar, not to talk about the fact that it has a significant impact on how you’re going to eat for the rest of your day and if you’ll be able to keep cravings away.

All of these reasons are but the tip of the iceberg of why you should always have your breakfast of the champions and we’re here to help you out in this domain. Here are some breakfast ideas that won’t take up a lot of your time in the morning, they are perfect for every fitness enthusiast and they are delicious.

Nutrition by Conor HeffernanMar 31, 20177:10 am

Guest Post: How Insect Protein has begun to reach the Western Fitness Industry

The consumption of insects is an idea that is consistently getting more popular. Despite a lot of people’s dismissal of the concept, the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that about two billion of the world’s population already eat insects as part of their normal diet [1].

Although the demand is increasing in Europe and America, insects on a plate is still seen as an exotic dish or some type of novelty product, rather than a viable long-term alternative.

However, the fitness industry seems to have found a solution by incorporating bugs into items like protein powders, ice-creams and brownies.

Let’s look at why gym enthusiasts and fitness brands are jumping on the bandwagon.