Prime Movers/Muscles worked: Medial Deltoids, Trapezius
Beginning Position:
( can be standing or seated )
* Grasp dumbbells with palms at sides and facing in
* Bend elbows slightly
Upward Movement Phase:
* Keeping your elbows bent at the same angle, slowly begin to raise the dumbbells to the side
* Stop the dumbbells as they reach shoulder level (palms should be facing the floor)
Downward Movement Phase:
* Slowly lower the dumbbells to the start position
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Hammer Curls
Prime movers/Muscles worked:
* This exercise can be performed with free weights or as an alternative water bottles can be used.
Beginning Phase:
* Grasp the dumbbells with a closed, neutral grip with the palm of the hand facing the outer thighs. Stand erect with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent.
* Arms should be fully extended with dumbbells hanging at the sides.
Upward Phase:
* Raise one dumbbell at a time by slowly bending at the elbow, bring the dumbbell to the front of the shoulder.
* Alternate arms.
Downward Phase:
* Lower the dumbbell in a slow, controlled movement until the arm is fully extended.
* This exercise can be performed with free weights or as an alternative water bottles can be used.
Beginning Phase:
* Grasp the dumbbells with a closed, neutral grip with the palm of the hand facing the outer thighs. Stand erect with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent.
* Arms should be fully extended with dumbbells hanging at the sides.
Upward Phase:
* Raise one dumbbell at a time by slowly bending at the elbow, bring the dumbbell to the front of the shoulder.
* Alternate arms.
Downward Phase:
* Lower the dumbbell in a slow, controlled movement until the arm is fully extended.
Flat Bench Press
Prime movers/Muscles worked: Pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, deltoid
* This exercise can be performed using dumbbells and/or with free weights.
Beginning Position:
* Lie face up on a bench with feet flat on the floor.
* Eyes should be below the edge of the bar.
Upward Movement Phase:
* Grasp the bar with a closed, pronated grip, and remove the bar off the shelf.
Downward Movement Phase:
* Lower bar/free weights slowly and with control to the chest keeping the wrists straight.
* This exercise can be performed using dumbbells and/or with free weights.
Beginning Position:
* Lie face up on a bench with feet flat on the floor.
* Eyes should be below the edge of the bar.
Upward Movement Phase:
* Grasp the bar with a closed, pronated grip, and remove the bar off the shelf.
Downward Movement Phase:
* Lower bar/free weights slowly and with control to the chest keeping the wrists straight.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Find Our What Pesticides are on Your Food
http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=
How Much is too much?
Q: How much pesticide exposure is too much?
A: Depends on the pesticide. Depends on the person. Depends on the timing and type of exposure.
What we do know is this: Pesticide regulations in the U.S. are well behind much of the rest of the industrialized world. This is mostly because agrichemical corporations like Monsanto have too much influence in Washington, but also because pesticide regulation in the U.S. does not adequately account for things like additive and synergistic effects.
Since the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) regulates most chemicals on a chemical-by-chemical basis, the combined and cumulative effects of a mixture of pesticides are nearly impossible for them to address – and so they usually don’t. 1
Given the complexities of chemical causality and disease-formation, the smart solution would be to follow the European Union’s lead and adopt the "precautionary principle"2 as the basis for regulatory decision-making. Put simply, this approach prioritizes protecting human health when there is significant doubt about the safety of a product. By contrast, pesticides and industrial chemicals in the U.S. are innocent until proven guilty. It often takes decades to prove a chemical guilty.
Meanwhile, we are exposed to dozens of pesticides in the food we eat, water we drink and air we breathe. People working on farms or living in rural areas near non-organic agricultural fields face even higher exposure levels.
How are we exposed?
» In our bodies
» On the farm
» In the environment
» On our plates
In our bodies
Most of us are born with persistent pesticides and other chemicals already in our bodies, passed from mother to child during fetal development. The human health impacts linked to pesticide exposure range from birth defects and childhood brain cancer in the very young, to Parkinsons’ Disease in the elderly. In between are a variety of other cancers, developmental and neurological disorders, reproductive and hormonal system disruptions, and more.
* Autism
* Breast Cancer
* Children’s diseases
* Endosulfan – Health effects
* Gestational diabetes
* Parkinson’s Disease
On the farm
"Most of us are born with persistent pesticides and other chemicals already in our bodies." Farmers and farmworkers are some of the hardest working people on the planet. Yet they and their families bear the highest health costs and face the greatest risks of pesticide exposure. Farmworkers in particular remain the least protected class of workers in the U.S. – last year another slavery case was brought in Florida on behalf of farmworkers there. Poisoning incidents among farmworkers are vastly underreported – yet in California alone, hundreds of cases of pesticide poisoning are documented every year.
Occupational exposure to pesticides in acute cases range from dizziness and nausea to death; chronic exposures are linked to the same array of diseases listed above plus a few more listed below.
* Acute poisonings (PDF download)
* Allergic asthma in farm women
* Childhood Leukemia
* Organophosphates – Health effects
* Parkinson’s Disease
In the environment
Pesticides don’t stay where they’re applied. They drift from their target and are carried in our air, oceans, rivers, groundwater and soil. They contaminate ecosystems and can poison fish, birds and wildlife. Water supplies around the world contain measurable amounts of pesticides, including atrazine. Atrazine, a suspected endocrine disruptor recently banned in Europe3, is the most commonly used herbicide in the U.S.
Besides heavy use in industrial farming, pesticides are used in or near playing fields, parks, schools, public gardens, golf courses, grocery stores, offices, apartment buildings, hotels and resorts, airplanes, cruise ships -- the list goes on. Rural communities are routinely contaminated by pesticide drift, while city dwellers may trace pesticide residues on their shoes to public parks and even their apartment’s common areas.
* Atrazine - Groundwater Contamination
* Atrazine - Hormone system alteration in mammals & fish
* Atrazine - “Chemical castration" of frogs
* Pesticide Drift
* Vanishing bees
* Endangered Species
On our plates
Does eating organic make a difference? When researchers compared the levels of pesticide breakdown products in the bodies of children who eat organic and conventional diets, they found children who eat mostly organic foods carry fewer pesticides in their bodies. The good news is that some of these pesticides break down fairly quickly, which means increasing your consumption of organic foods can have an immediate impact on your pesticide exposure levels.
By eating food produced organically or without pesticides, not only will you be reducing the amount of pesticide in your body, you will be helping create a better environment for other people, the planet, and future generations. By engaging in political action to change our food system, you'll be part of making sure that everyone can eat their meals without pesticides on the side.
References
1. See Monossoon, E., "Chemical Mixtures: Considering the Evolution of Toxicology and Chemical Assessment," Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 113, No. 4, April 2005. for an overview of the history and limitations of E.P.A.’s risk assessment models.
2. The precautionary principle states that if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the action. The principle implies that there is a responsibility to intervene and protect the public from exposure to harm where scientific investigation discovers a plausible risk in the course of having screened for other suspected causes. The protections that mitigate suspected risks can be relaxed only if further scientific findings emerge that more robustly support an alternative explanation. In some legal systems, as in the law of the European Union, the precautionary principle is also a general and compulsory principle of law. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle
3. See: http://edexim.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.php?id_left=153&annex=108&part_limit=1
How Much is too much?
Q: How much pesticide exposure is too much?
A: Depends on the pesticide. Depends on the person. Depends on the timing and type of exposure.
What we do know is this: Pesticide regulations in the U.S. are well behind much of the rest of the industrialized world. This is mostly because agrichemical corporations like Monsanto have too much influence in Washington, but also because pesticide regulation in the U.S. does not adequately account for things like additive and synergistic effects.
Since the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) regulates most chemicals on a chemical-by-chemical basis, the combined and cumulative effects of a mixture of pesticides are nearly impossible for them to address – and so they usually don’t. 1
Given the complexities of chemical causality and disease-formation, the smart solution would be to follow the European Union’s lead and adopt the "precautionary principle"2 as the basis for regulatory decision-making. Put simply, this approach prioritizes protecting human health when there is significant doubt about the safety of a product. By contrast, pesticides and industrial chemicals in the U.S. are innocent until proven guilty. It often takes decades to prove a chemical guilty.
Meanwhile, we are exposed to dozens of pesticides in the food we eat, water we drink and air we breathe. People working on farms or living in rural areas near non-organic agricultural fields face even higher exposure levels.
How are we exposed?
» In our bodies
» On the farm
» In the environment
» On our plates
In our bodies
Most of us are born with persistent pesticides and other chemicals already in our bodies, passed from mother to child during fetal development. The human health impacts linked to pesticide exposure range from birth defects and childhood brain cancer in the very young, to Parkinsons’ Disease in the elderly. In between are a variety of other cancers, developmental and neurological disorders, reproductive and hormonal system disruptions, and more.
* Autism
* Breast Cancer
* Children’s diseases
* Endosulfan – Health effects
* Gestational diabetes
* Parkinson’s Disease
On the farm
"Most of us are born with persistent pesticides and other chemicals already in our bodies." Farmers and farmworkers are some of the hardest working people on the planet. Yet they and their families bear the highest health costs and face the greatest risks of pesticide exposure. Farmworkers in particular remain the least protected class of workers in the U.S. – last year another slavery case was brought in Florida on behalf of farmworkers there. Poisoning incidents among farmworkers are vastly underreported – yet in California alone, hundreds of cases of pesticide poisoning are documented every year.
Occupational exposure to pesticides in acute cases range from dizziness and nausea to death; chronic exposures are linked to the same array of diseases listed above plus a few more listed below.
* Acute poisonings (PDF download)
* Allergic asthma in farm women
* Childhood Leukemia
* Organophosphates – Health effects
* Parkinson’s Disease
In the environment
Pesticides don’t stay where they’re applied. They drift from their target and are carried in our air, oceans, rivers, groundwater and soil. They contaminate ecosystems and can poison fish, birds and wildlife. Water supplies around the world contain measurable amounts of pesticides, including atrazine. Atrazine, a suspected endocrine disruptor recently banned in Europe3, is the most commonly used herbicide in the U.S.
Besides heavy use in industrial farming, pesticides are used in or near playing fields, parks, schools, public gardens, golf courses, grocery stores, offices, apartment buildings, hotels and resorts, airplanes, cruise ships -- the list goes on. Rural communities are routinely contaminated by pesticide drift, while city dwellers may trace pesticide residues on their shoes to public parks and even their apartment’s common areas.
* Atrazine - Groundwater Contamination
* Atrazine - Hormone system alteration in mammals & fish
* Atrazine - “Chemical castration" of frogs
* Pesticide Drift
* Vanishing bees
* Endangered Species
On our plates
Does eating organic make a difference? When researchers compared the levels of pesticide breakdown products in the bodies of children who eat organic and conventional diets, they found children who eat mostly organic foods carry fewer pesticides in their bodies. The good news is that some of these pesticides break down fairly quickly, which means increasing your consumption of organic foods can have an immediate impact on your pesticide exposure levels.
By eating food produced organically or without pesticides, not only will you be reducing the amount of pesticide in your body, you will be helping create a better environment for other people, the planet, and future generations. By engaging in political action to change our food system, you'll be part of making sure that everyone can eat their meals without pesticides on the side.
References
1. See Monossoon, E., "Chemical Mixtures: Considering the Evolution of Toxicology and Chemical Assessment," Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 113, No. 4, April 2005. for an overview of the history and limitations of E.P.A.’s risk assessment models.
2. The precautionary principle states that if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the action. The principle implies that there is a responsibility to intervene and protect the public from exposure to harm where scientific investigation discovers a plausible risk in the course of having screened for other suspected causes. The protections that mitigate suspected risks can be relaxed only if further scientific findings emerge that more robustly support an alternative explanation. In some legal systems, as in the law of the European Union, the precautionary principle is also a general and compulsory principle of law. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle
3. See: http://edexim.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.php?id_left=153&annex=108&part_limit=1
Do you ever wonder what the difference is between farmed and wild fish?
Risk/benefit analysis of farmed versus wild salmon finds wild-caught healthier
mongabay.com
December 23, 2005
A new study shows that the net benefits of eating wild Pacific salmon outweigh those of eating farmed Atlantic salmon, when the risks of chemical contaminants are considered.
The research follows a report by the British Food Standards Agency that found the benefits of eating farmed salmon still outweigh the risks. Farmed salmon are still considered healthy even though they have higher levels of PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyl) and dioxins, and lower Omega-3 concentrations than wild caught species. Wild-caught and farmed salmon are some of the least tainted by methylmercury of all fish. Methylmercury is a form of mercury that is found in most freshwater and saltwater fish, and can exist in especially high amounts in shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and albacore tuna.
Generally, the vast majority of Atlantic salmon available on the world market is farmed (greater than 99%) while most Pacific salmon is wild-caught (greater than 80%), according to figures presented on Wikipedia.
Risk/benefit analysis of farmed versus wild salmon -- Cornell University News Service
On the one hand, farmed salmon has more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than wild salmon. On the other hand, it also tends to have much higher levels of chemical contaminants that are known to cause cancer, memory impairment and neurobehavioral changes in children. What's a consumer to do?
In general, a new study shows that the net benefits of eating wild Pacific salmon outweigh those of eating farmed Atlantic salmon, when the risks of chemical contaminants are considered, although there are important regional differences.
Those are the conclusions of Barbara Knuth, Cornell professor of natural resources who specializes in risk management associated with chemical contaminants in fish, and Steven Schwager, Cornell associate professor of biological statistics and computational biology and an expert in sampling design and statistical analysis of comparative data. The two have co-authored a benefit-risk analysis of eating farmed versus wild salmon in the Journal of Nutrition (November, Vol. 135).
"None of us [study authors] argues that the benefits of salmon are not real. But the dirty little secret is that there are risks," said Schwager, noting that even taking into account the risks, the benefits of salmon may be particularly worthwhile for some groups.
"For a middle-aged guy who has had a coronary and doesn't want to have another one, the risks from pollutants are minor ones, and the omega-3 benefits him in a way that far outstrips the relatively minor risks of the pollutants," he said. "But for people who are young -- and they're at risk of lifetime accumulation of pollutants that are carcinogenic -- or pregnant women -- with the risks of birth defects and IQ diminution and other kinds of damage to the fetus -- those risks are great enough that they outweigh the benefits."
Courtesy of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Knuth added: "Because we found regional differences in contaminants in farmed salmon, with Chilean salmon showing the lowest levels and European (particularly Scottish) farmed salmon showing the highest levels, careful consumers with a history of heart disease could choose farmed salmon from Chile for their high omega-3 content and relatively lower level of contaminants." She noted that farmed salmon from North America would be a better second choice than European farmed salmon.
The researchers' benefit-risk analysis showed that consumers should not eat farmed fish from Scotland, Norway and eastern Canada more than three times a year; farmed fish from Maine, western Canada and Washington state no more than three to six times a year; and farmed fish from Chile no more than about six times a year. Wild chum salmon can be consumed safely as often as once a week, pink salmon, Sockeye and Coho about twice a month and Chinook just under once a month.
In a study published last spring (Environmental Health Perspectives, May 2005), the research team reported that the levels of chlorinated pesticides, dioxins, PCBs and other contaminants are up to 10 times greater in farm-raised salmon than in wild Pacific salmon, and that salmon farmed in Europe are more contaminated than salmon from South and North American farms.
The team also published a study this fall (Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 39:8622) that found that farmed salmon, on average, contain roughly two to three times more beneficial fatty acids than wild salmon, presumably because of the differences in the diet on which the fish are raised.
"Our results also support the need for policy and regulatory efforts to limit pollution of our waters and clean up pollution that has occurred, and thus ultimately reduce the risk side of this equation by reducing the potential for human exposure to these contaminants," said Knuth, adding that the country of origin of fish sold should be clearly labeled so consumers can make informed decisions.
mongabay.com
December 23, 2005
A new study shows that the net benefits of eating wild Pacific salmon outweigh those of eating farmed Atlantic salmon, when the risks of chemical contaminants are considered.
The research follows a report by the British Food Standards Agency that found the benefits of eating farmed salmon still outweigh the risks. Farmed salmon are still considered healthy even though they have higher levels of PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyl) and dioxins, and lower Omega-3 concentrations than wild caught species. Wild-caught and farmed salmon are some of the least tainted by methylmercury of all fish. Methylmercury is a form of mercury that is found in most freshwater and saltwater fish, and can exist in especially high amounts in shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and albacore tuna.
Generally, the vast majority of Atlantic salmon available on the world market is farmed (greater than 99%) while most Pacific salmon is wild-caught (greater than 80%), according to figures presented on Wikipedia.
Risk/benefit analysis of farmed versus wild salmon -- Cornell University News Service
On the one hand, farmed salmon has more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than wild salmon. On the other hand, it also tends to have much higher levels of chemical contaminants that are known to cause cancer, memory impairment and neurobehavioral changes in children. What's a consumer to do?
In general, a new study shows that the net benefits of eating wild Pacific salmon outweigh those of eating farmed Atlantic salmon, when the risks of chemical contaminants are considered, although there are important regional differences.
Those are the conclusions of Barbara Knuth, Cornell professor of natural resources who specializes in risk management associated with chemical contaminants in fish, and Steven Schwager, Cornell associate professor of biological statistics and computational biology and an expert in sampling design and statistical analysis of comparative data. The two have co-authored a benefit-risk analysis of eating farmed versus wild salmon in the Journal of Nutrition (November, Vol. 135).
"None of us [study authors] argues that the benefits of salmon are not real. But the dirty little secret is that there are risks," said Schwager, noting that even taking into account the risks, the benefits of salmon may be particularly worthwhile for some groups.
"For a middle-aged guy who has had a coronary and doesn't want to have another one, the risks from pollutants are minor ones, and the omega-3 benefits him in a way that far outstrips the relatively minor risks of the pollutants," he said. "But for people who are young -- and they're at risk of lifetime accumulation of pollutants that are carcinogenic -- or pregnant women -- with the risks of birth defects and IQ diminution and other kinds of damage to the fetus -- those risks are great enough that they outweigh the benefits."
Courtesy of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Knuth added: "Because we found regional differences in contaminants in farmed salmon, with Chilean salmon showing the lowest levels and European (particularly Scottish) farmed salmon showing the highest levels, careful consumers with a history of heart disease could choose farmed salmon from Chile for their high omega-3 content and relatively lower level of contaminants." She noted that farmed salmon from North America would be a better second choice than European farmed salmon.
The researchers' benefit-risk analysis showed that consumers should not eat farmed fish from Scotland, Norway and eastern Canada more than three times a year; farmed fish from Maine, western Canada and Washington state no more than three to six times a year; and farmed fish from Chile no more than about six times a year. Wild chum salmon can be consumed safely as often as once a week, pink salmon, Sockeye and Coho about twice a month and Chinook just under once a month.
In a study published last spring (Environmental Health Perspectives, May 2005), the research team reported that the levels of chlorinated pesticides, dioxins, PCBs and other contaminants are up to 10 times greater in farm-raised salmon than in wild Pacific salmon, and that salmon farmed in Europe are more contaminated than salmon from South and North American farms.
The team also published a study this fall (Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 39:8622) that found that farmed salmon, on average, contain roughly two to three times more beneficial fatty acids than wild salmon, presumably because of the differences in the diet on which the fish are raised.
"Our results also support the need for policy and regulatory efforts to limit pollution of our waters and clean up pollution that has occurred, and thus ultimately reduce the risk side of this equation by reducing the potential for human exposure to these contaminants," said Knuth, adding that the country of origin of fish sold should be clearly labeled so consumers can make informed decisions.
Slim Down Shimmy
Slim Down Shimmy
Another avenue of belly slimming involves dancing, especially the kind that keeps the hips moving and that core engaged. One such exercise to lose belly fat that a lot of e find extremely effective is a hybrid of Pilates and belly dancing, and it only takes 15 minutes.
Apart from the aesthetically-minded goal here is the fact that any core strengthening work you do is going to help you avoid lower back pain and help with posture too. The abdominals are used in just about every movement you make to some degree which brings me to my next point. Engage your abs as much as possible in all of your daily mundane activities above and beyond what you do during your specific exercises geared toward them.
Engage them when you’re at the sink, when you bend down to pick up or do something, and even when you’re walking around. Every muscle, every cell for that matter has a brain, so send the message down there that it’s time to think and look like a washboard. The thought is always, without fail, the ancestor to the deed. Make use of the power of visualization in creating the vision you want and your commitment of bringing that to fruition by suiting up and showing up for your workout routines. And don’t forget to thank your body for all that it does for you when you’re done.
Stick with these exercises and you'll slim down your belly in no time.
Ab Exercise
Leg Lifts
Leg lifts are a great way to not strain the lower back. You can modify your leg lifts, if you are having back pain.
Get on your back with your legs lifted up straight and slightly bent. From here you simply move your legs forward and backward to a limited extent. Lift them from the 10 O’clock to the 2 O’clock position if you were looking at your body from one side. Pause when the legs are at 2 O’clock for this to really burn and do the trick. For these you might want to make fists and sit on them for added support to the lower back.
Exercises That Slim Down your Belly
Exercises that Slim Down your Belly
Pelvic Work - the pelvic thrust
Lie on your back, knees bent and your arms lying naturally at your side. As you exhale, bring your pelvis up and tilt it toward the sternum. It's important to keep your lower back on the floor. Hold for 5 - 10 seconds, inhale and let your buttocks gently down. As far as repetitions, do between 10 and 25 depending upon the kind of shape you're in for 3 sets.
Another lower abdominal workout gem entails assuming the same starting position with the knees bent. This time lift those knees up and bring them in with control engaging that lower belly to do so. Bring your legs back down and tap those toes on the floor. For a more advanced version, lift your hips up as well when those knees are hovered above your sternum (knees remain at a 45 degree angle throughout), then drop it and bring the toes to the floor.
Exhale on the way up and use the ends of the fingertips to press the floor and keep the movement in the right direction for lower belly targeting like as already discussed in part 1. To add resistance and make it even harder, cross one leg over the other and perform the same sequence. You’re going to want to do 3 sets of these and as far as reps, see how many you can do the first time before muscle exhaustion and use that as a target for the consecutive sets. Fifteen is a good goal and the slower you work, the harder it will be, meaning getting to muscle fatigue quicker.
Monday, June 22, 2009
6 Reasons You Need Abs
6 Reasons You Need Abs
Strip away fat, strip away trouble
Study after study shows that the people with the most belly fat have the most risk of life-threatening disease. The evidence couldn't be more convincing.
According to the National Institutes of Health, a waistline larger than 40 inches for men signals significant risk of heart disease and diabetes.
The Canadian Heart Health Surveys, published in 2001, looked at 9,913 people ages 18 to 74 and concluded that for maximum health, a guy needs to keep his waist size at no more than 35 inches (a little less for younger guys, a little more for older ones). When your waist grows larger than 35 inches, you're at higher risk of developing two or more risk factors for heart disease.
And when researchers examined data from the Physicians' Health Study that has tracked 22,701 male physicians since 1982, they found that men whose waists measured more than 36.8 inches had a significantly elevated risk for myocardial infarction, or heart attack, in which an area of the heart muscle dies or is permanently damaged by a lack of bloodflow. Men with the biggest bellies were at 60 percent higher risk.
Now the real scary part: The average American man's waist size is a ponderous 38.8 inches, up from 37.5 in 1988, according to the journal Obesity Research. The same sad truth holds for women, too: A woman with a flabby midsection is at increased risk for the same health problems. And American women have seen their weight rise just as men have.
Of course, abs don't guarantee you a get-out-of-the-hospital-free card, but studies show that by developing a strong abdominal section, you'll reduce body fat and significantly cut the risk factors associated with many diseases, not just heart disease.
For example, the incidence of cancer among obese patients is 33 percent higher than among lean ones, according to a Swedish study. The World Health Organization estimates that up to one-third of cancers of the colon, kidney, and digestive tract are caused by being overweight and inactive.
And having an excess of belly fat around your gut is especially dangerous. See, cancer is caused by mutations that occur in cells as they divide. Fat tissue in your abdomen spurs your body to produce hormones that prompt your cells to divide. More cell division means more opportunities for cell mutations, which means more cancer risk.
A lean waistline also heads off another of our most pressing health problems-diabetes. Currently, 13 million Americans have been diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes, and many more go undiagnosed. Fat, especially belly fat, bears the blame.
There's a misconception that diabetes comes only from eating too much refined sugar, like the kind in chocolate and ice cream. But people contract diabetes after years of eating high-carbohydrate foods that are easily converted into sugar-foods like white bread, pasta, and mashed potatoes.
Scarfing down a basket of bread and a bowl of pasta can do the same thing to your body that a carton of ice cream does: flood it with sugar calories. The calories you can't burn are what converts into fat cells that pad your gut and leaves you with a disease that, if untreated, can lead to impotence, blindness, heart attacks, strokes, amputation, and death. And that, my friend, can really ruin your day.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Slim Down That Belly!
Slim Down That Belly!
In order to slim down your belly, you need to combine good exercise and a healthy diet.
Don't get frustrated after you many core exercises but don't the results. You’ll never see the result of all that work without fat-burning cardio madness. So you’ll have to trade in that time doing ab work or resistance training for more cardio to make this happen for you.
Nevertheless, you will have to commit some time to a lower abdominal workout that works fast. Upper ab workouts involve bringing your pelvis to the sternum while lower ab work is generally the opposite, bringing your pelvis to the sternum. Now both kinds are going to of course work all of your abdominal muscles to some extent but the specific exercises I will pinpoint will be an excellent lower abdominal workout.
It’s also a good idea to do a little bit of core work with every workout above and beyond the times once or twice a week that you concentrate on them with a series of exercises. But vary it up because this muscle group is smart and they’ll acclimate to repeating the same exercises over and over which will reduce the effectiveness of your efforts. By utilizing this strategy, you’ll maintain a conscious connection with the role diet and nutrition has in slimming down your belly. You might think a little bit harder about eating that extra helping when you remember all the hard work you put in to this quadrant of your body.
Finally, all these abdominal exercises aren’t exclusively for aesthetic purposes. That fat that accumulates down there is not good for you and it can cause all kinds of trouble later in life such as increased risk for heart disease. Being steadfast with an exercise to slim down your belly is an extremely daunting task for most humans so set your goals realistically and feel good about the work you do.
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