As guys, we want big muscles – toned biceps, chiseled abs, etc. And when you look at your chest, you’d want to see it a big muscular chest that can give you the confidence to dominate a room. However, there’s a chance that when you look down, you’ll see a big chest but not because of muscles. Let’s talk about the dreaded man boobs.
One of the main goals in weight loss (and nutrition in general) is to cut calories that are wasteful. We all have a recommended daily intake of calories and if you surpass it, then you’re in the territory of gaining weight unless you supplement your lifestyle with plenty of exercise to balance it out. Unfortunately, some foods that we eat are “empty” calories, meaning that they provide no real benefit to our bodies. In addition, some foods simply aren’t as nutritional as others, and it can be seen as wasteful.
Portion control is just another way of watching what you eat, but it goes a little beyond just cutting out wasteful calories. If you’re serious about managing your nutrition, then it’s important to keep an eye on the portions you eat so that you’re gaining as many nutrients as possible with the fewest calories.
Millions of people start new fitness plans every week. While they can life-changing moments for some, the vast majority fail to reach their goals. In most cases, though, it isn’t through a lack of effort. Instead, it’s due to the simple pitfalls.
Those mistakes can be very damaging on the road to fitness success. Here are three that you must look out for, along with what can be done to avoid those traps.
Ah the low-carbohydrate diet, a form of eating that has become so ingrained in 21st century culture that you could be forgiven for thinking it was a relatively new idea. The truth is that low-carb diets have existed since the 19th century, when an Englishman named William Banting began promoting a low-carb way of life. Although clinical obesity is a relatively new phenomenon (it only really came to the fore in the 20th century), people for centuries have dealt with weight issues. William Banting was one such man, who so impressed with the result’s of his diet, began to market the low-carb way of living.
So who was William Banting and how did he discover this diet?
Are you trying to lose some weight? Do you want to get your muscles toned? Or perhaps you just want to fit in that new outfit you bought and look fine doing it. No matter what drove you to a workout routine, it’s important that you understand the necessity of diversity. Being versatile in the type of exercises that you do will earn you a lot during your training. Before we get into what kind of difference you could implement, let’s take a look at what it means to have or not have diversity in a workout routine.
Dieting in the 1900s
The concept of “dieting” has been around for a very, very long time. If historical data is to be believed, people have been convinced about the power of dieting for as long as 500 years now. Can people control their body weight and composition by controlling what they eat, when they eat and how they eat it? Most certainly!
Today, we have a number of facilities and fitness equipment like roman chairs, treadmills, and dedicated trainers to help us with our fitness goals. Back in the day? Diets were more sought-after. A lot of diets have been introduced and experimented with over the years. Some of them have been failures, some have been quite weird, and others have been recycled, given fancier names, and exist in the current scenario. Let’s take a look at a few of these:
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.
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.
We all know the regular ways that we can keep fit. You eat a balanced diet, and you do some form of exercise like running or jogging. But what about the other ways that you […]
What’s your flavour of exercise routine? Do you like cardio? Building strength? Endurance training? Whatever it is, you’ve probably got a whole list of exercises that you do regularly in order to maintain your current body weight and strength. However, if you don’t, then you’re probably in that stage of fitness where trying to find the right exercise routine is taking far too long. Browsing the internet, bouncing between personal trainers and listening to conflicting advice from fitness friends can muddle all of the information in your head. If only there was a simple, relaxing exercise that gave you the results you wanted, be it weight loss, muscle building or increased stamina. Well… there is.
Swimming!
Taking a dip in the pool is perhaps one of the best ways to reach all kinds of fitness goals. Not only is it one of the cheapest forms of exercise to get involved with, it’s also a fantastic group activity to indulge in with your friends or family—even the kids can join! It’s a lot of fun, it can be taken seriously or just as a hobby, and it’s easy to learn. So without further ado, here are 5 reasons why you should swim more often.
