Use Ginger to Beat Muscle Soreness
If your only experience with ginger has been leaving it on your plate after finishing your sushi, you may be missing out on what could be one of nature’s strongest anti-inflammatories. Add ginger to your diet, and you may be able to train again sooner.
TEA
Grate some fresh ginger root into water and bring to a boil. Stir in honey and lemon juice. This cocktail also helps fight colds.
Supplements
Ginger can be taken in capsule form and promises better digestion Stir-Fry Chop up ginger and garlic and add to peanut oil on high heat. Throw in a variety of vegetables and meats for a classic Asian dish.
Source: mensfitness.com
Training Tips for Couples
Your lady wants to start going to the gym-and she wants you to show her what to do. It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. This is your chance to spend time together-in your element (rather than at the mall). To help you get started, we’ve developed a checklist for leading her through the weight room from Day One.
1.) Forget your own training
“If you’re trying to show off by demonstrating how much you can lift, you’re going to have problems,” says Rachel Cosgrove, a strength and conditioning coach and co-owner of Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, Calif. “She wants you to pay attention to her.” This means concentrating on moves that she can do and enjoy (unless you want a dumbbell dropped on your foot).
2.) Say the right things
Feed her compliments-and try to ensure that she processes them as such. “Don’t say, ‘Wow, your arms are getting so big,’ or, ‘You’re looking really buff!'” says Cosgrove. “If a woman hears that, she might never come back with you to the gym.” Instead, reinforce her work by telling her that her arms are really “toned,” or that her legs are “defined.”
3.) Know what she wants
Her goals are to burn calories and fat, and get more “shapely.” So take it easy on the isolation exercises, use lighter weights and higher reps, and keep her moving. “Women are multitaskers,” says Cosgrove. “They want combination exercises, compound movements, and circuit sets.” In terms of body parts, she’s concerned with her legs, glutes, and-most of all-abs. “As much as guys love the bench press, that’s how much women love ab work,” says Joe Stankowski, a trainer of pageant contestants in Wilmington, Del. So grab a Swiss ball and crunch!
4.) Disguise the workout
Women often fear weights, so hide weight training in moves like medicine ball squats and med-ball overhead presses. You can also use those colored, plastic kettlebells for figure eights and swings. And there are always cable moves like wood chops. She will find these exercises more fun and less intimidating, and she won’t feel like she’s turning into the Incredible Hulkette.
5.) Think outside the gym
Stankowski has his female clients drag weighted sleds and flip tractor tires. “They love it, because it’s so different that it’s interesting,” he says. “And it gives them confidence because they feel like they’re doing something no other woman is doing.”
6.) Play the metabolism card
“Girls tend to gravitate toward inner-thigh machines, leg extensions, and other machines and exercises that aren’t so useful, ” says Brian Grasso, a strength coach in Chicago. Rather, women should be doing squats and deadlifts because they involve a great deal of muscle recruitment, “which leads to a more aesthetically pleasing physique and increases their metabolic rate significantly,” says Grasso. Tactfully point out these facts to leverage your girlfriend away from the inefficient machines and toward the free-weight movements. As much as she dislikes iron, she hates cellulite even more.
7.) Challenge her
See who can do the most jump squats in a minute. Or who can lift the most proportionally, says Grasso, who regularly works out with his ex-figure-skater girlfriend. Start with Romanian deadlifts at 50% of your body weight and work your way up. The winner is the one who can lift the higher percentage. Grasso says battles like this push him, because he hates losing to a girl. “If you have a competitive girl and work body percentage into a friendly dare, you’re both going to see massive gains.”
Source: mensfitness.com
Ladies’ Corner
5 NUTRIENTS FOR FASTER WEIGHT LOSS
Calcium
Calcium promotes weight loss by binding to fat in your GI tract, preventing some of it from getting absorbed into your bloodstream.
Protein
In addition to keeping hunger in check, regular doses of protein help to keep body composition-the amount of fat relative to muscle-in better proportion.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Fatty Acids Omega-3s enable weight loss by switching on enzymes that trigger fat-burning in cells. They also help to boost mood, which may help reduce emotional eating.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
CLAs are potent fat burners that are found, along with D and calcium, in dairy products. When we consume these foods, the CLA helps blood glucose enter body cells, so CLA can be burned for energy and not stored as fat.
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAS)
MUFAs are a type of fat found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados, peanut butter, and chocolate. Specific foods that are high in MUFAs-especially peanuts, tree nuts, and olive oil-have been shown to keep blood sugar steady and reduce appetite, too.
Source: womenshealthmag.com
Men’s Corner
5 BEST FRUITS FOR BETTER HEALTH
Apple
One medium-sized apple is a filling, ready-to-eat snack that is packed with four grams of soluble fiber-17 percent of the Daily Value (DV), or the amount you need each day.
Grape
Research has shown that consuming high-glycemic carbs after workouts produces a greater amount of glycogen-replenishing what you’ve depleted after a hard session
Cherry
These have the highest concentration of anthocyanins 1 and 2, which help block enzymes associated with inflammation.
Blackberry
Are high in the mineral manganese, which helps support optimal testosterone production.
Grapefruit
Is an appetite suppressant and also contains pectin, a soluble fiber that’s been shown to slow the progression of atherosclerosis.
Source: mensfitness.com
Get Better Balance
Your equilibrium begins to decline as early as your mid-30s. If yours is less than optimal, doing the balance exercises below will help you almost immediately.
Test Your Balance
Stand barefoot on a hard flat surface with one foot in front of the other, heel to toe, hands crossed on your chest. (Make sure you’re near something you can grab on to, in case you feel tippy.) Close your eyes and start counting slowly. When and if you lose your balance, write down the number you reached. Repeat three times and take an average.
Rate Yourself
If you made it to 48 without teetering, you’re in a healthy balance zone. Anything less means that you could benefit from some balance training.
4 Balance Acts
- Stand on one leg while talking on the phone. Start with your eyes open, then see how long you can last with them closed.
- Stand on an unstable surface — a rolled-up exercise mat or towel, or a balance board — and do squats or arm curls while holding 3-pound dumbbells.
- Strength-train your legs twice a week; stronger muscles will keep you from falling.
- After you have been doing these exercises for six months, retest your balance to see how much improvement you’ve made.
Source: lhj.com
How to Eat Healthy at Work
With our schedules being as hectic as they are, healthy eating at work is often not a priority. However, finding healthy foods to eat at work and fuelling yourself properly throughout your day can literally make it or break it as far as your energy levels go.
In order to perform at your very best and to avoid the 3 p.m. slump, it’s important to fill your day with low-sugar foods such as lean proteins, essential fats, fruits and vegetables. Here are a few tips that will help make healthy eating second nature.
- Invest in a portable water bottle so you can stay hydrated, and a covered cup for grab-and-go smoothies on the way to work.
- Invest in a mini blender to make quick and delicious morning protein smoothies to drink on your commute to work.
- Prepare healthy foods the night before so they are ready and waiting for you in the morning. For example, prechop some vegetables or make a sandwich or wrap for lunch.
- Pack healthy leftovers from tonight’s dinner for tomorrow’s lunch.
- Scope out healthy restaurants or food kiosks in your work area that offer healthy, grab-and-go salad options for lunch.
Source: canadianliving.com
The Best Snack for Your Lifestyle
Refuel without eating back all the calories you burned with these tips:
You do: 30-minute walk
Best post-exercise snack: A glass of water
You do: Cardio intervals (45 minutes)
Best post-exercise snack: A 100-calorie snack, like a cup of fat-free yogurt and a handful of Cheerios
You do: 6-mile power walk (about 90 minutes)
Best post-exercise snack: A 150-calorie snack, like half a PB&J sandwich on whole wheat bread
You do: 1 hour of strength-training
Best post-exercise snack: A regular meal within half an hour of finishing your session
Source: prevention.com
Healthy Living Tip!
Each month check for healthy living tips. These tips will help you with your workout, eating healthy and living well.
Pick exercises you enjoy.
When you enjoy the sports, you’ll naturally want to do them. Exercise isn’t about suffering and pushing yourself; it’s about being healthy and having fun at the same time. Adding variation in your exercises will keep them interesting.
