ARE YOU TOUGH?

Toughness is strength and then some; It's strength forged by adversity. If you want to be tough, you have to expose your weaknesses ruthlessly and eradicate them. You have to embrace challenges that are tougher than you—for now, at least—and spend your hard-earned time and money to do so. 

 

 

You need the following qualities to be tough:

 

Strong grip and arms for carrying or grappling

A core that can withstand a heavy load or a hard blow

A cool head, even when in physical pain

The ability to focus amid action and distractions

Enough cardiovascular endurance to persevere in an emergency

Legs that don't quit, but can also explode into speed

The ability to recover quickly and get ready for more

We need an unyielding determination to complete our respective missions, regardless of the adversity we face in the process. That's the toughness we seek, and it's in the background of everything we do inside of the gym and out of it.

 

Exercises that build Toughness

 

1. Farmers carries, suitcase carries, weighted dips, Pull ups

2. Obstacle courses and adventure races

3. Sparring against experienced fighters

4. Deadlifts

 

8 WAYS TO STROKE-PROOF YOUR LIFE

A stroke is a disease that affects the blood vessels in the brain. It occurs when blood vessels carrying oxygen and nutrients to part of the brain suddenly becomes blocked or bursts. This means that part of the brain can’t get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so the affected brain cells die and parts of the brain may be permanently damaged, causing the person to experience the symptoms of stroke.

 

Knowledge is power; you can reduce your risk of suffering a stroke if you are aware of your age and family history- two factors that impact significantly on a person's susceptibility to stroke.

 

Here are 8 steps to start reducing your risk of stroke from today:

 

1. Reduce your blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a huge factor, doubling or even quadrupling your stroke risk if it is not controlled. Monitoring blood pressure and, if it is elevated, treating it, is probably the biggest difference a person can make to their vascular health. Your goal is to maintain a blood pressure of less than 120 (top number) over less than 80 (bottom number)

• Reduce the salt in your diet to no more than 1,500 milligrams a day (about a half teaspoon).
 
• Avoid high-cholesterol foods, such as burgers, cheese, and ice cream.
 
• Eat 4 to 5 cups of fruits and vegetables every day, fish two to three times a week, and several daily servings of whole grains and low-fat dairy.
 
• Get more exercise—at least 30 minutes of activity a day, and more, if possible.
 
• Quit smoking, if you smoke.
 
• Take medication, if necessary

2 Lose weight

Obesity, as well as the complications linked to it (including high blood pressure and diabetes), raises your odds of having a stroke. If you're overweight, losing as little as 10 pounds can have a real impact on your stroke risk. Your goal is to keep your body mass index (BMI) at 25 or less.

How to achieve it:

• Limit or avoid saturated and trans fats.
• Try to eat no more than 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day (depending on your activity level and your current body mass index).
• Increase the amount of exercise you do with such activities as walking, golfing, or playing tennis, and by making activity part of every single day.

3 Exercise more

Exercise contributes to losing weight and lowering blood pressure, but it also stands on its own as an independent stroke reducer. One 2012 study found that women who walked three hours a week were less likely to have a stroke than women who didn't walk.

Your goal: Exercise at a moderate intensity at least five days a week.

How to achieve it:

• Take a walk around your neighborhood every morning after breakfast.
• Start a fitness club with friends.
• When you exercise, reach the level at which you're breathing hard, but you can still talk.
• Take the stairs instead of an elevator when you can.
• If you don't have 30 consecutive minutes to exercise, break it up into 10- to 15-minute sessions a few times each day.

4 Drink—in moderation

What you've heard is true. Drinking can make you less likely to have a stroke—up to a point. Studies show that if you have about one drink per day, your risk may be lower. Once you start drinking more than two drinks per day, your risk goes up very sharply.

Your goal: Drink alcohol in moderation.

How to achieve it:

• Have one glass of alcohol a day.
• Make red wine your first choice, because it contains resveratrol, which is thought to protect the heart and brain.
• Watch your portion sizes. A standard-sized drink is a 5-ounce glass of wine, 12-ounce beer, or 1.5-ounce glass of hard liquor.

5 Take a baby aspirin

The landmark Women's Health Initiative study found that women over age 65 who take a daily baby aspirin lower their stroke risk. Aspirin helps by preventing blood clots from forming.Your goal: Take a baby aspirin every day (if it's appropriate for you).

How to achieve it: First talk to your doctor to make sure aspirin is safe and appropriate for you to take. If you have a bleeding disorder, you may need to reduce your dose to every other day or avoid this regimen altogether.

6 Treat atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a form of irregular heartbeat that causes clots to form in the heart. Those clots can then travel to the brain, producing a stroke. Atrial fibrillation carries almost a fivefold risk of stroke, and should be taken seriously.Your goal: If you have atrial fibrillation, get it treated.

How to achieve it:

• If you have symptoms such as heart palpitations or shortness of breath, see your doctor for an exam.
• You may need to take blood thinners such as high-dose aspirin or warfarin (Coumadin) to reduce your stroke risk from atrial fibrillation. Your doctors can guide you through this treatment.

7 Treat diabetes

Having high blood sugar over time damages blood vessels, making clots more likely to form inside them. Your goal is to Keep your blood sugar under control.

How to achieve it:

• Monitor your blood sugar as directed by your doctor.
• Use diet, exercise, and medicines to keep your blood sugar within the recommended range.

8 Quit smoking

Smoking accelerates clot formation in a couple of different ways. It thickens your blood, and it increases the amount of plaque buildup in the arteries. "Along with a healthy diet and regular exercise, smoking cessation is one of the most powerful lifestyle changes that will help you reduce your stroke risk significantly," Dr. Rost says.Your goal is to Quit smoking.

How to achieve it:

• Ask your doctor for advice on the most appropriate way for you to quit.
• Use quit-smoking aids, such as nicotine pills or patches, counseling, or medicine.
• Don't give up. Most smokers take several tries to quit. See each failed attempt as bringing you one step closer to successfully beating the habit.

 

BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA

I just had a cup of green tea and honey, and I felt so inspired that I just had to write about it.

 

 

Tea drinking has been an active part of many Asian cultures for centuries, and whilst it was reputed to possess health benefits, the health benefits of Green tea are yet to be fully uncovered. Studies have found an association between consuming green tea and a reduced risk for several cancers, including, skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder. This is because Green tea is the best food source of a group called catechins. In test tubes, catechins are more powerful than vitamins C and E in halting oxidative damage to cells and appear to have other disease-fighting properties.

 

 

Drinking a cup of tea a few times a day absorbs antioxidants and other healthful plant compounds, boosting your metabolism and promoting weight management. In green-tea drinking cultures, the usual amount is three cups per day. Allow tea to steep for three to five minutes to bring out its catechins.

 

The best way to get the catechins and other flavonoids in tea is to drink it freshly brewed. Decaffeinated, bottled ready-to-drink tea preparations, and instant teas have less of these compounds. Tea can impede the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables. Adding lemon or milk or drinking tea between meals will counteract this problem.

 

 

 

 



WHAT FORM OF CARDIO IS BEST FOR ME?

 

 

The cardio machines in your gym or fitness centre can be a persistent source of confusion if you don't understand the different benefits provided by each cardio machine. When it comes to getting results, boosting your fitness and shrinking your waistline, the best cardio machine is the one that burns the most calories. In the course of researching the different benefits derivable from cardio machine training, I came across a Huffington Post article by Bob Greenfield which encapsulated my views on various machines.

 

The Bike

The pedaling motion of the bike incorporates the big and powerful leg muscles and can burn 500-1,000 calories per hour, which ranks it among the highest calorie burners (as long as you use it correctly). But most people don't choose a resistance that is high enough to stimulate all the calorie-burning leg muscles, and instead let the natural movement of a bicycle's pedals do the work for them. To get maximum benefit from a bike, choose a resistance that makes you breathe hard at 90 RPM (revolutions per minute). Most stationary bicycles show RPM on the computer display.

 

The Treadmill

Running on a treadmill can burn 600-1,200 calories per hour, and running up an incline on the treadmill is the best way to boost your metabolism for hours after you've finished your workout. In contrast, walking on the treadmill burns only 150-400 calories per hour, depending on your speed and incline. If you're using a treadmill, then either run or jog (if your joints can handle it) or walk up a steep incline. Avoid the common mistake of constantly holding on to the handrails. These should only be used if you have extreme balance difficulties or must stabilize yourself to change a setting.

 

The Elliptical

You generally burn about 600 calories per hour on the ellipticals that don't include arm movement, and 700-900 calories on the ones that do. Using an elliptical burns fewer calories than running because once you get the parts on an elliptical moving, they use momentum to keep going, and you expend less energy. To get the best results on an elliptical, use the rails as little as possible, and challenge yourself with the resistance settings. You should be breathing hard while aiming for a cadence or stride rate of 120-140+ (this is shown on the display). If you don't feel your muscles contracting during the forward and back stroke of the elliptical, then you probably need to increase resistance.

 

The Stairmaster

Although the stairmaster is popular, it doesn't get great results. It incorporates small, low-calorie burning calf muscles, and just a small part of your upper thighs and butt -- and only burns at most 400-500 calories per hour. In addition, if you have low back pain, then you may find that the pain is aggravated during the up and down motion of the Stairmaster.

 

However, if you are lucky enough to have access to the kind of machine where you walk up a moving belt of stairs (like a stationary staircase), then you can get far better results. It will give you just as much calorie-burning benefit as running up an incline on a treadmill, and do a fantastic job toning your butt and thighs. While using it, try holding dumbbells or switching to a slow pace and taking 3-4 steps at a time.

 

The Rowing machine

The rowing machine can burn over 1,000 calories per hour, and it's an excellent upper and lower body muscular endurance and cardiovascular workout. But it can be boring. To make things more interesting on the rowing machine, try to intersperse short periods of very hard pulling with easy pulling. For instance: row for 250 meters as hard as possible, then row 100 meters easy, and repeat 6-8 times. When rowing, use both your torso and legs -- not just your arms.

 

No matter which form of cardio you choose, be sure to regularly switch things up and incorporate new forms of cardio that are unfamiliar to your body. So if you always walk, then switch to cycling or the elliptical; or if you always run, then try rowing. This will ensure that your body is constantly challenged and burning as many calories as possible.

CELEBRATING YOU

 

 

Many people begin the fitness journey by hating themselves, and this leads to unhealthy or downright dangerous health and fitness habits. Walk into a gym and you're likely to see people  going through the motions of training in ways that are detrimental to their health, all for the purpose of looking like someone else.

 

The fitness journey isn't only about being thinner, bigger, stronger or fitter; it's about discovering who you really are inside. When you get into the gym, discard any preconceptions you hold about your appearance (indeed, the mind often makes us look far worse than we really look). Focus on the workout at hand, crank out as many sets as possible, and Go home happy and fulfilled.

 

Remember, it's a lifelong marathon, not a sprint.

 

 

 

 

 

TEN TOP FAT LOSS ERRORS

1. You focus too much on exercise and forget nutrition. The workout is not nearly as important as proper nutrition.

 

2. You don't eat enough.

3. You think you can outtrain a bad diet.

4. You think that the more you exercise, the better.

5. You actually believe you can lose 14 kg in 4 weeks

6. You believe fat converts into muscle, and you fail to plan to build muscle.

 

7. You spend hours on the cardio machine.

8. You forget that fitness is more than losing fat.

9. You fail to congratulate yourself for the small successes

10. You don't read LegallyMuscled

THE BENEFITS OF YOGA TRAINING

 

A few months ago I encountered a 60-something year old Indian psychotherapist on a flight from Mumbai. This elderly man was impressively vibrant and flexible for his age. In fact, he was capable of performing a full split and he displayed this ability, attributing his extraordinary flexibility to a strict regime of Yoga training.

 

 

Yoga teaches us how to adopt a new lifestyle, which is the key to permanent change. It offers the practitioner what few other physical exercises can: a potent combination of ancient science and self-mastery, tools that facilitate the self-reflection required to discover why one gained weight in the first place, and the ability to literally (as they say in yoga-speak) "let it go."

Where yoga really shines is when it stays true to its origins, as a science that fosters the union of all aspects of being, rallying us to discipline, helping us to slow down mentally, teaching us to distinguish between the urge to eat and the emotional impulses that sometimes drive us to eat, and helping us to discern what we are truly hungry for.

Yoga can be practised from the comfort of your home. All you need are some comfortable clothes and a yoga mat and you are good to go.  It is light on the joints and the chances of injury, if done initially under the guidance of a trained professional – are minimal.

 

 The incredible message you receive with yoga is that it's not about achieving, or losing weight—although most people do. It's about being, which is really just accepting yourself just as you are