Body Building

The gym is
obviously a great place for getting into, or helping you to stay in
shape. Even in light of this fact, it does not mean that the gym cannot
be bad for you… if you don’t use it correctly!

Injuries occurring at the gym are on the rise, and there are a pretty
broad array of things that can go wrong; from general aches, pains
strains to broken bone and even head
injuries – it
pays to be aware what the potential pitfalls of bad gym use are.

It’s important to be aware that gym injuries are, for the
most part, highly preventable; the purpose of this article is not
scaremonger and put you off visiting the gym – it is simply
to make you aware of the potential hazards that are out there.

Below are some of the most common gym injuries you are likely to fall
foul to whilst participating in your weekly fitness fix. Remember:
there’s plenty to gain without the pain!

Your workout, your injury –
perhaps the most important point
to remember is that the injury you are most likely incur is going to be
any injury related to the exercise or exercises you most often do!
Although this may sound obvious/bordering on condescending, too many
people get far too bogged-down with worries about “the most
common” gym hazards, to the extent where they go to bizarre
lengths to avoid injuries to parts of their body which were never
really “in the firing line” to begin with. The best
chance you have of avoiding injury is through utilising your common
sense.

Too much, too quickly – being too
enthusiastic to get in
shape quickly is truly an admirable quality to encounter in a
person.  However, one of the main reasons for injuries at the
gym is being overzealous. It is vital to be aware of your limitations;
after all, the whole purpose of exercise and fitness training is to
push the limitations and not ignore them. In some people’s
minds, this point is only applicable to those gym goers who are
approaching weight lifting with eyes that are bigger than their biceps;
however, forcing too much cardio exercise on a system that is not
prepared to handle it can have much more devastating consequences than
trying to lift weight that’s too heavy…

Stretching it to the limit – warming up
before any kind of exercise is
definitely a smart idea, yet a surprising number of people totally skip
this injury-saving step and dive straight into a strenuous workout. For
those who do actually remember to try and spare their muscles and
ligaments, problems often arise from incorrect stretching techniques.
The most common culprit is “bouncing” into a
stretch, instead of taking the correct amount time to stress the
limb/body part slowly and carefully. This is extremely
counter-productive and immediately over-exerts the area that the
movement is supposed to be benefiting!

Let go – the treadmill is a
top-class piece of equipment for
working out. However, it is quickly becoming one of the most common
ways for people to injure themselves at the gym. Surprisingly, leg
injuries or falling off are not the most likely hazards associated with
treadmill usage. People holding on to the safety bar while running at
top speeds can cause nasty shoulder injuries by placing the body in an
unnatural and contorted position. Although it may be scary to run on a
treadmill, it is something that you will feel more comfortable when
given enough practise.

Rules, rules, rules – in all
reality, one of the chief
reasons for injury occurring at the gym is often quite simply down to
poor health safety. It is a legal requirement for a gym to
show their members the correct methods of using their equipment; so it
is therefore a sensible idea to give that fact the due care and
attention it deserves. It is not only improper use of equipment that
can result in injury. It is also important to remember more simplistic
health safety advice, such as not rushing/running in
potentially wet and slippery areas. A gym will have plenty of hazardous
areas from wet locker rooms and swimming pool sides, to general damp
patches as a result of spilt water-bottles or even sweat!

Author: Nathan Clarke is a professional guest blogger, writing about
the best
ways to avoid injuries at the gym.

Article source: http://www.popularfitness.com/articles/gym-injuries-guide.html

When we think of
full body workouts we usually think of exercise activities that are
either done solely at the gym, in an arena or by exercising outdoors.
Even my website discusses the usual ways to exercise and stay in shape,
but there are other ways that you can get a really effective full body
and strength training workout without realizing it. I am going to look
at exercising the body at home in a different way. By this I mean doing
physical work in your backyard or garden. These are things anybody can
do and at any age or any gender. A friend of my family, she’s
in her nineties and she still does her own yard work and gardening. Of
course she is the rare exception, but if you take care of yourself you
will end up feeling healthy and strong even in your senior years.

In the past, our ancestors carried on various physical activities
during their lives and our bodies evolved over time to handle it. What
they ate was required to provide them with the energy to accomplish
these physical tasks. Nowadays, most people have jobs that involve
little or no physical activity. We end up eating more than we need to,
the calories from this extra food indulgence don’t get used
by our body and people end up being obese, overweight and contracting
various health problems. This is why eating properly and incorporating
regular exercise or physical activity in any form is important in our
daily lives.

What I like about spring, besides the fact that I can now finally enjoy
the warmer weather and feel that it’s getting closer to
summer, is that I can do a little work outside. I do the same in the
fall but cleaning up for the winter is not the same. Anyway, when the
job is done I feel good physically and I know that I have gotten in an
extra full-body workout for my body and mind (mind you of a different
type). They may not be as intensive as my gym workouts but since any
work outdoors takes a considerable amount of time it does amount to a
good, physical workout.

Also, you may consider outdoor work as a chore but it need not be. If
you look at the benefits you get from working outside in your garden,
it just adds another way to get a workout in. Let’s take a
look at some examples:

Beginning with shoveling, for this activity alone
you are using your legs, arms (which includes biceps, triceps and
forearms), back and shoulders. If you have to throw the dirt to the
side, you get a good obliques workout in.

If you have a wheelbarrow and you have to transport
soil or even concrete dividers over a short or longer distance or over
a little rough terrain, you are getting an incredible workout. Here you
are using your legs, arms, shoulders, back and mid-section for support.
Just by lifting and lowering the wheelbarrow you are actually doing the
shoulder shrug exercise without realizing it. By moving the wheelbarrow
you are engaging your legs and glutes as well as your core for support.

As for planting, you are primarily using your legs,
especially in the squat position plus some twisting, turning and
leaning over.

If you are chopping wood for your fireplace, here
is another full body activity. It has been mimicked and greatly
modified with an exercise at the gym or home gym called the Woodchopper
exercise or variations thereof, a great rotational exercise
for the lat muscles as well as the obliques and legs. It can be done on
the cable machine or with free weight plates.

Like with all physical activities it is important to do things properly
to avoid injury as when lifting heavier or heavy objects, you should
always bend at the knees to avoid the strain on your back which is form
and technique.

There are many more physical activities that you can perform and all
use more than one muscle group, and that is how our bodies have evolved
over time to work. Even when working out with weights on a specific
body part at the gym you are in fact using many muscles since secondary
muscles are always being used to perform the task.

When doing any work outdoors or gardening, you may be doing any one of
these activities or a combination of these activities. Just remember to
take it at your own pace and to perform each task safely and properly.
Outdoor tasks are all great full body and strength training workouts
that most people don’t even realize they are doing and I
wanted to highlight in this article. Plus, it’s a great way
to get some extra physical activity in during the spring to lose any
extra pounds, strengthen the muscles and tone the body for the summer.

Article source: http://www.popularfitness.com/articles/outdoor-full-body-workouts.html

It’s
almost become a trend for people to eat food that is free from Gluten
or is very low on gluten. It is common for many in the population to
experience sensitivity to gluten or suffer from celiac disease. If
Gluten-sensitive people eat food laden with gluten they are always at a
risk of suffering from various disorders like bloating, weight gain or
loss, several other problems like stomach problems, stomach pain and
nausea. Treatment of this disorder is not the only option to get rid of
these ailments. You need to have a totally gluten free diet in your
eating regimen to get rid of these kinds of disorders that you
experience.

In order to live fit and healthy it is important that you avoid food
that contains gluten. Gluten is one of the proteins found in varying
levels in wheat, rye, barley and some other grains. The flours that are
made from grains loaded with gluten give a doughy or elastic
consistency. Dough that has undergone fermentation tends to be high in
Gluten thus it’s a strict no, no for Gluten intolerant
individuals to have food products that have been prepared with
fermented dough. People use these grains in bread and other baked
products to make them soft and puffy.  So your fist step to
avoid gluten is to start reading product labels. Make sure that the
processed or manufactured food that you are planning to buy is
Gluten-free. If you are not sure, the best advice would be to avoid it
and look for another option. Get to know which ingredients contain
gluten so you can avoid them.

Here are few common gluten intolerance symptoms you
can spot.

There are a number of symptoms that can tip you off about gluten
intolerance present in your body. As discussed above, symptoms to watch
for after consuming food would be discomfort such as gas, bloating,
diarrhea and constipation. Most people have said that they get
extremely tired in the middle of the day and find themselves napping
without knowing it. Apart from it they experience body and joint pain,
depression problems. It is not easy for doctors to diagnose whether the
patient is gluten intolerant.

It really seems to be whimsical. The indicators related to digestion
are very rare in gluten intolerant people. These symptoms are very
tough even for doctors to consider whether a patient has gluten
intolerance. There have few indications that will help you to discover
if you are gluten intolerant such as abdominal pain, constipation, or
weight gain or weight loss.

If you want to be free from   these diseases, you
need to eliminate all gluten containing foods and stay on a gluten free
diet.  Instead of focusing on what you can’t eat, focus on
what you can eat such as naturally gluten-free foods like meats,
vegetables, fruits, nuts and pulses. There are many health stores and
supermarkets nowadays that are producing gluten free products. If you
are out of your town or gone to visit some place where you
aren’t sure if the food that you are going to get is gluten
free or not make sure that you inquire with the food suppliers in
advance or you can take a look at the ingredients of the product that
you are planning to purchase. For gluten-free recipes, find a good
gluten-free cookbook or search the Internet, there are many gluten-free
websites and excellent food websites that provide gluten-free recipes
these can also give you ideas to help you develop your own style of
gluten-free cooking.

Author Bio

The author is an expert in writing on topics like Food, health and
Medical Issues. She is a fitness freak and believes that nutritious
food and good health are the essential elements of life that help a
human being lead a quality life. Being gluten intolerant she is a big
time advocate of a Gluten
Free Food and Gluten Free Recipes.

Article source: http://www.popularfitness.com/articles/gtuten-free-food.html

I’ve worked in the
fitness equipment industry for over 16 years, and for the last 7 years
I have been reviewing fitness equipment online, particularly treadmills
and elliptical trainers.  Until a couple of years ago there
were only a handful of treadmill review sites, and for the most part,
those sites did an above average job of evaluating the various
treadmill models.

In the last couple of years there have been an overwhelming number of
new
treadmill review sites, and there is one reason why – affiliate
marketing.  For those not familiar with affiliate marketing it
is an arrangement between a website owner and retail
businesses.  Typically how it works is an affiliate marketer
places a link on their site to a merchant.  If a site visitor
clicks on that link and buys a product at the merchant site, the
affiliate marketer gets a commission.  So for example, with
review sites the author reviews a products and has a link that goes to
the product page on the merchant site.

Now what makes reviewing  treadmills attractive to affiliate
marketers is the price points and the commission rates. 
Because there are higher margins many treadmill merchants will offer
between 6%-10% commissions.  Cheap treadmills start at around
$200, but more expensive units can cost as much as $4,000.  Do
the math, a 10% commission on a $4,000 treadmill is $400. 
Affiliate marketing covers a spectrum of products. In fact there are
affiliate programs for just about every consumer product sold
online.  Amazon has the largest affiliate program on the
Internet.  But you would have to sell a massive number of
small items like books, videos or clothing in order to match the
commission on one treadmill.

Consequently, affiliate marketers who have no background in the fitness
equipment industry started coming out of the woodwork.  They
would write very shallow content and often regurgitate the information
found on the merchant sites.   Their reviews and
their ratings were determined by the brands and the treadmill models
that pay the highest commission and have the highest conversion.

Treadmills are very complex pieces of machinery.  They have to
be in order to withstand the abuse that comes from the constant impact
of the users.   So you have to have an in depth
knowledge of how a treadmill works and the components that make it work
in order to evaluate them.  In addition, you need to know
about the durability of the machines and the reputation of the
treadmill company’s customer service.  Furthermore, a good
treadmill review should match the machine to the user’s fitness
goals.  In other words, there is more to writing a treadmill
review than plagiarizing a merchant’s website.  A
true professional would be getting feedback from treadmill manufacturer
representatives, fitness equipment salespeople, and treadmill
customers, in addition to actually testing the products.  This
gives you insight into the equipment beyond the specs.

In most cases these inexperienced affiliate marketers have not even
been on the treadmills that they are reviewing.  But that
doesn’t matter since the majority of these affiliate marketers are more
concerned about commission in comparison to assisting their readers in
finding the best treadmill for their body and their budget.

So how can these affiliate marketers with not experience in the fitness
equipment industry be successful?  Because rather than
focusing on writing quality content and learning about the products,
they concentrate on getting their web sites listed at the top of the
ranking in search engines like Google.  This is called Search
Engine Optimization (SEO).  For example, if you can rank on
the first page for a term like “Treadmill Reviews”, you are going to
get a lot of traffic to your site from individuals who are interested
in buying a treadmill.  And buying a treadmill can be very
confusing and complicated.  Most people are completely naive
as to what qualifies as a good treadmill value.  So they do a
search for “Treadmill Reviews” and end up on these bogus treadmill
affiliate marketing sites and assume that the author of the content is
qualified to review treadmills.

Determining a Trusted Treadmill Review Site

You want to check out the “About Us” section of the site.  Not
surprisingly, most treadmill review sites do not have an “About Us”
page because there is nothing about the writer’s background that
suggests they are qualified to review treadmills.  Often you
will find that the site has an “About Us” page, but there is still no
suggestion that the author is qualified.  For example, I came
across a treadmill review site were the author was a housewife who
works out on treadmills at her local gym, and that was her degree of
qualifications!

The Internet can be a valuable resource for researching treadmills, but
do some research on the reviewer.  Do they have any experience
that qualifies them to direct you to a potentially expensive
purchase?  Are they connected within the industry and are in
touch with various players?  Finally, are their reviews
objective and do they focus on matching the treadmill buyer to the best
machine that can accommodate their fitness goals.

About the Author

Fred Waters has worked in the fitness equipment industry for over 16
years, and was previously the V.P. of marketing for Smooth
Fitness.  He has been reviewing fitness equipment for the last
7 years and is a recognized authority in the industry. You can check
out his site at Treadmill 
Ratings Reviews, where you will find objective treadmill
reviews and best buy recommendations based on user profiles.

Article source: http://www.popularfitness.com/articles/treadmill-review-sites.html

The
LifeFitness glute machine is my favorite
exercise for the glutes. As a whole, LifeFitness exercise machines are
not my favorite exercise machines but they do have 3 excellent leg
machines
that I do use and that I do like. One of their leg machines is the the
machine for the gluteal muscles.

Although the machine is primarily for the glutes, it also works out the
secondary
muscles consisting of the quads and hamstrings. For this reason I also
like to refer to
this machine as a full-leg exercise machine. If on days you do not have
time to work the quadriceps and hamstrings, try this machine. I also
like to
use this machine combined with a few other leg machines as preparation for rollerblading
season – getting my glutes and legs strengthened and in shape for
rollerblading. This is also a great machine to tone, firm up and
strengthen the
glutes for the summer. So if your gym has this machine, I recommend
that you use it or at least give it a try.

This is an exercise that when done properly you will feel it and you
will get results.

How to do the exercise

It’s a simple exercise to do.

• Choose a
  weight from the stack of weights. What I like about this exercise
  machine is that it
  also has an adjustable knob to choose incremental weights in increments
  of 5 lbs
  all the way up to 15 lbs to be added to the existing stack of weights.
• Set the
  foot rest for the side,
  leg you wish to use. We’ll
  start with the right leg, right glute. Adjust the front pad rest to the
  position where you will be leaning slightly forward, yet still standing
  a little bit upright. I like to have the
  pad resting against my abdominals and slightly below my chest. In the
  video she likes to have the pad resting firmly against her chest and
  abs. Where you set the pad rest will determine how bent over
  you
  are on the machine. Also your height will determine where the pad
  will eventually be adjusted to and where you will position yourself on
  the pad. Try both angles to determine which angle will work the glutes
  more.
• Push
  your right leg out as far as it can go, breathing out as you do so
  and keep your left leg slightly bent at the knees and supporting you on
  the machine.
• Bring
  your leg in with your knee bending throughout this movement and
  breathing in as you do so.
• Switch
  over the foot pad rest to the left side and repeat the exercise for the
  left leg.
• Do about
  3 to 5 sets of 12 to 16 reps.

If
you don’t have this machine, some gyms
carry other glute machines or you can do it as a floor
exercise for glutes with
your own body weight as resistance or add some strap-on weights around
your ankles to add more resistance and make the exercise more
challenging.

I have included this excellent video from LifeFitness to demonstrate
how to do this glute machine exercise.

Article source: http://www.popularfitness.com/exercise/glute-exercise-LifeFitness-machine.html

There are many
different types of insurance offered by the insurance company Endsleigh.
One of these is life insurance, which is coverage that pays out when
the insured party or parties die. Life insurance only covers the
insured in the event of their death. Some believe that life insurance
also can help if they are diagnosed with a critical illness. This is
partially true. This depends on if additional coverage is added to the
life insurance policy.

For a life insurance policy to provide benefits when a diagnosis of a
critical illness is made, critical insurance coverage must be part of
the life insurance policy. Without this additional coverage, those who
are insured and who are subsequently diagnosed with critical illnesses
such as cancer won’t see any benefits. The policy would only
pay out when they pass away.

If a life insurance policy does have critical illness coverage added to
it, then the policy will still pay out to the named beneficiaries when
the covered person dies. Also, with the added coverage, benefits will
be paid if a certain critical illness is diagnosed. Insurance companies
will specify what illnesses they deem as critical illnesses covered
under this policy. This can vary significantly between companies.
Always find out what is covered when choosing an insurer with which to
do business. Most insurers do agree that some critical illnesses would
include stroke, heart attacks and cancer.

By having critical illness coverage included in a life insurance policy
means
that a lump sum would be given to the insured when they are diagnosed.
The intent of this kind of insurance benefit is to help with medical
expenses. It can also be used to make up for wages lost if the person
must stop working, which is usually the case. The lump sum payment can
also be used for any other expenses that may have incurred due to the
diagnosis of the critical illness.

This is an insightful and concise article about covered illnesses in a
life insurance policy. It helps to point out one aspect about what
you should know when considering and choosing a life insurance policy.

Article source: http://www.popularfitness.com/articles/life-insurance-covered-illnesses.html

The
majority of my back exercises are aimed at adding muscle mass and bulk
but I like to add one back exercise at each workout specifically for
adding muscle definition and sculpting the back. After all,
bodybuilding is not only about adding muscle mass but you also want
definition. The seated row and its many variations depending on the
angle and type of handle grips that you use is one such type of
exercise that is ideal for this task.

The seated row exercise for the back is the last type of exercise that
I like to do when I am working out my back. I don’t do it
every week because I like to alternate it with another totally
different exercise to vary up my workouts.

I use this exercise more for sculpting and adding definition to the
middle part of the back, but it also works the lower back and lats.
Depending on which bar or handle you use, you will work the back a
little bit differently. To really focus on the middle part of the back
I like to use a narrow grip v-bar with square handles called a Chinning
Triangle or I will use two individual strap handles (non-metal ones).
Of the two, my preference is to use the individual strap handles for
each hand. Below are examples of each handle type for illustrative
purposes:

Chinning
Triangle

Gym Strap Handles

You can use any seated row multi-purpose machine to do this exercise or
a machine that is specifically dedicated to this exercise like the
Nautilus machine which is my favorite.

How you do each exercise is the same for both types of handles except
that with the individual strap handles I begin with my palms facing
downwards and I supinate my hands, and forearms during the movement
meaning as I row back my hands turn inwards so that the palms by the
mid-point of the movement are facing each other and remain so until I
have rowed back as far as I can go and I hold it there for a second or
two for added emphasis. Also, make sure you bring and keep your elbows
as close to your sides as possible because if you keep your elbows out
too much, you will not be focusing on the middle part of your back. Try
keeping your elbows out just as an experiment and you will see what I
mean! This is just a variation of the standard row
for the back movement. As you return back to the starting position, the
palms will face downwards.

With the Chinning Triangle or  v-bar handles the palms always
face inwards (because the bar won’t allow any other type of
grip) and the grip is much closer (hands are closer together) allowing
you to concentrate more on the middle part of the back. Of course you
can alternate between these two types of grips from week to week which
I like to do. This allows you to work the middle part of the back
slightly differently from week to week.

So basically I just wanted to show you a type of back exercise and its
variations that is ideal for muscle definition and sculpting the back
muscles when bodybuilding. A beautiful back just like a sculpted, large
chest and amazing biceps will also get noticed.

Article source: http://www.popularfitness.com/exercise/backexerciseformuscledefinition.html

One of the most
common activities that people do in their daily lives is running.
Running is one of the basic exercise routines that people use to stay
in shape and stay healthy.  Though running can’t
cure diseases, it can surely help prevent and avoid common diseases.
You may have health insurance plans for
yourself but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are not be
at risk of getting sick.  The wonderful thing about running is
that anyone at any skill level can run in order to achieve goals they
strive for. A lot of people run in an effort to help lose weight and
achieve a healthier balance for the body, while other professional
athletes will run because they need to meet the physical demands that
are placed upon them. For each level, running presents its own unique
set of benefits.

The reason that not everyone includes running as a part of their
exercise workouts is for the simple reason that it hurts. 
People do not like being sore, people do not like being out of breathe
and people do not like having to commit to something that seems so
annoying to do day-in and day-out. For those that are serious about
changing their lives or playing sports, the old saying is no pain, no
gain.

People who run merely as a form of exercise usually do it so that they
can stay healthy. Losing weight is one of the most obvious benefits,
but running has been proven to help prevent and reduce the effects of
several health issues. Running has been proven to prevent high blood
pressure by ensuring blood flows smoothly. This is due to the arteries
being more flexible from the constant expanding and contracting due to
running. Running maximizes the power of the lungs which is known to
help prevent several problems caused by smoking. Lastly, heart attacks
are drastically reduced through running due to having a stronger heart
that does not have to work as hard to pump blood.

Running is not just a simple process. Several problems can occur if
proper measures are not taken before and afterwards. Before attempting
to add running into the list of daily activities, think about the foot
problems that could develop. Issues like blisters, ingrown toenails,
and ankle problems can develop if proper footwear is not taken into
account. Sneakers are usually a good shoe for running, but the proper
size, width, and foot support are just as important. Grabbing some
shorts or pants that are made for moving around is a good idea, too. No
one wants to run around in jeans.

Before running, a stretching and warm up routine should be followed
routinely. If the body is not properly stretched and warmed up,
injuries to ligaments could occur such as pulled hamstrings or, in more
serious cases, injuries to tendons like the ACL thus it also reduces
the risk of having to go to hospital especially if you do not have health
insurance. It is great to want to be in better shape, but
injuring the body will not do the body any good.

After actively running regularly, try to formulate a diet based on it.
Carbohydrates are a runner’s best friend because they act as an energy
source to fuel runners. Water and electrolyte fluids are a must because
runners have to be able to sweat. Always avoid fats at all cost, but
try to add more protein to the diet, as it acts as yet another energy
source.

People often wonder why running is always the choice of exercise for
regular people and professional athletes when there are other methods
of exercise including biking, swimming, and even power walking. Each
exercise method is good, but running is the best overall because it
does so much more in one motion. Running burns more calories than any
of the above methods and helps to stimulate the blood and lungs. Biking
and swimming will work to build more muscle, but fail to do much more
than that in comparison to running.

A common mistake for beginners and professionals when running is
measuring the distance for their level. Beginners could opt to run 4
times a week with a long run on Sundays. Planning the distance of
running will depend on what each runner wants to get out of it. A
professional runner planning on long-distance marathons will naturally
want to run for as much distance as possible in order to experience a
second wind. Beginners should not go that far, but should at least try
for a mile, depending on their weight.

Running is the most consistent form of exercise since athletics made it
known in the world. Almost every sport involves some form of running
and professional athletes who are unable to run will have no place in
the sports world. Even for non-athletes, just the health benefits alone
should be enough reason to justify running as an exercise activity.

Article source: http://www.popularfitness.com/articles/runningforyourhealth.html

All
you wanted to know about Bikram Yoga and Hot Yoga

The
origin of yoga dates back to the time of
Upanishads which were written between 1000-5000 BC. Yoga is not just
meant for its physical exercise benefits, but this ancient discipline
is much more encompassing. Yoga techniques have been practiced since
time immemorial. Since then many people have also made variations to
the traditional yoga techniques.

Bikram yoga made its appearance in the early 1970s. This system of yoga
was synthesized from the traditional yoga techniques by Bikram
Choudhury. This system of yoga runs for approximately 90 minutes and
includes 26 different postures, along with 2 breathing exercises. Both
of the postures and breathing exercises are done twice in a period of
one and a half hour (90 minutes).

The environment of the room for practicing this kind of yoga should be
ideally quite warm, with temperatures set to 105 degrees Fahrenheit and
a humidity level of 40%. Because of high temperature setting, Bikram
Yoga has also become known as hot yoga.

About Bikram Choudhury

As I have mentioned earlier, Bikram Choudhury is the founder of hot
yoga. He was born in Calcutta, India in 1946. He founded the
“Yoga college of India” in United States in Beverly
Hills in 1974 at the age of 28.

Theory

The aim of Bikram Yoga is towards the overall well-being and health.
The heated room facilitates for deeper stretches and the prevention of
any injury, at the same time, it reduces stress and tension, claims the
founder Bikram Choudhury. He asserts that this yoga system helps to
stimulate and restore a practitioner’s health to every single
muscle, organ and joint of the body.

Choudhury continues that most of the people only use 50% of the
capacity of the lungs; thus lungs need to be stretched so that they can
hold more oxygen. He states that by practicing breathing exercises, an
individual can eventually succeed in enhancing oxygen absorption and
conversion. Consequently they are also able to improve blood
circulation.

What exactly in this yoga system results in the improvement of blood
circulation? Bikram Choudhury says that the circulation of the blood in
one’s body is profusely affected as a result of two processes
in his yoga system; that is, compression and extension. These two
processes work together dynamically to transport fresh oxygen to every
muscle, joint and organ within the practitioner’s body. The
practitioner stretches and compresses a particular part or parts of the
body, when performing a specific posture; what happens at this time is
that the circulation is cut off temporarily. The reaction of heart, to
this restriction, is that it starts to pump more blood. This pumping of
excess blood is known as extension.

After the posture is complete and individual comes to a relaxed
position, this new oxygenated blood rejuvenates the arteries that were
compressed during the yoga posture practiced. This volume change and
influx of fresh blood can assist in releasing of the infection, toxins
and bacteria in your body.

How safe it is to practice Bikram Yoga?

Yoga has been practiced for centuries and is known to be completely
safe, but how safe is this variation called Bikram Yoga? As a matter of
fact, this yoga system has been a subject of much debate. There have
been questions as to how safe it is to practice strenuous exercises in
a room that is heated over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Though it is not
common, but some practitioners have reported feelings of dizziness and
nausea.

Losing weight with Bikram yoga

Many people join Bikram Yoga in hope of losing some weight. To learn
how this yoga system can help you to lose weight, we would have to
consider some of the characteristics of this yoga system:

• This yoga system makes you sweat heavily and this is
believed to detoxify your body.

• The circulatory system is cleared and the blood thins.

• Results in elevation of heart rate.

• The muscles are warmed during the exercise and thus can burn
fat faster.

Let us learn how these characteristics help an individual to lose
weight faster:

• Everybody knows that any exercise or workout should make you
sweat and should also increase your heart rate in order to be
effective. This yoga
technique fulfills both of these criteria.

• As mentioned above, the muscles are warmed up during the
various yoga postures practiced. Warmed up muscles can burn fat faster
and efficiently. Practicing this yoga technique also strengthens your
muscles and makes them suppler. Both of the above factors allow
exercising of your body in a more efficient manner and aid in weight
loss process.

• Detoxification of the body and a healthy blood circulatory
system are known to be very beneficial for metabolism. Improved
metabolism results in increasing the ability of your body to shed off
extra pounds, more effectively.

• The yoga system also works in an indirect way. When you
practice Bikram Yoga, your willpower and mental strength is increased
because of the challenge of practicing the yoga in a heated room and
environment. This increased willpower also helps you to maintain the
resolve of losing weight and resisting the temptation of giving up the
resolve.

People also ask, as to how many and how frequently they should practice
this yoga technique to lose weight. The recommendation is to attend at
least 10 yoga sessions in a month. The next question which arises is
that how long does it take to see the results, after you have been
practicing this yoga? Every individual is different, so the results
might vary from person to person, but in general it takes up to
thirteen sessions to start seeing the results.

Remember to take your own towel and mat, when you go for this yoga
class, as you would sweat a lot. You should be cautious with your water
intake, when practicing Bikram Yoga. You should drink plenty of water
before and after the class (with required intervals in between).

Also go to a Bikram Yoga centre which is a certified center.

Author Bio:

Everything you might want to know or learn about yoga: yoga techniques,
yoga for beginners, losing
weight with bikram yoga, buying yoga accessories, and what
not, you can find it under a single roof, and that is
www.yogamiracles.com.

Article source: http://www.popularfitness.com/articles/bikram-yoga-hot-yoga.html

Learn
Pilates – Pilates Basics

Pilates refers to a physical fitness system which was developed by
Joseph Pilates in early 20th century. The system became first popular
in UK, Germany and USA. Pilates is now practiced worldwide and it
continues to grow in appeal for amateurs, athletes,
people looking to stay healthy and in shape as well as for people who
are looking to lose weight.

Joseph gave the name ‘controlling’ to this system
since he believed that this method uses mind to control the muscles.
The aim of this system is to increase flexibility, strength and have
better control over the body.

About Pilates

Originally,
the Pilates system was developed as mat exercises but
later Pilates introduced the use of different apparatuses. Using a range of apparatuses which are meant at
guiding and training
the body, the Pilates system tries to develop controlled movement from
a
strong core.

Every apparatus is used for its own range of exercises. Most of the
exercises which are done with the Pilates apparatus involve resistance
training since the springs are used to provide for additional
resistance. The use of springs results in so called progressive
resistance which means that the resistance keeps on increasing as the
spring is stretched. The most common of all Pilate’s
apparatus is the Reformer. The other apparatus includes Cadillac, the
Wanda chair, the high chair, the ladder barrel, the step barrel and the
baby chair. There are also apparatus which are not used so frequently
like Magic Circle, Guillotine Tower, Foot corrector and the Peri-pole.

Daily Exercise Plan

Pilate exercises are extensive. It is wise to start with some basic
exercises for the beginners. You can make a daily
exercise plan for yourself
and then stick to it. Later when you have mastered the basics, you can
go for the more advance exercises. You can find information and
procedure of hundreds of free
Pilates exercises on the web.

Of
course, it is always advisable for you to begin any
Pilates program
under the guidance of an expert. You can also buy high quality Pilates
DVDs with
full
Pilates workouts and instruction that you can work out along with
the instructor. The quality DVDs have instructors who
are professional and will instruct you on how to perform each Pilates
exercise safely and effectively so that you get the most
benefit from each exercise.

Here, just for guidance, we are providing some information on some
exercises that you can start with as a beginner:

1. Warm
   up exercises: These exercises are extremely important to start with.
   They are like the foundation. You can practice Imprinting, Arm reach
   and pull, pelvic curl, Swan prep, Wall roll down etc. You
   don’t have to do all of them, but you should definitely
   choose 2 to 3 out of them and practice them religiously as warm-up
   exercises.
2. Chest
   Lift.
3. The
   Hundred.
4.  The
   Roll up.
5. One
   Leg Circle.
6. Rolling
   Like a Ball.
7. Open
   Leg Balance.
8. The
   Side Kick Series.

These exercises,
if practiced regularly, will keep your body fit and your mind healthy.

Article source: http://www.popularfitness.com/articles/learnpilatesbasics.html