Archive for June, 2009

According to a recent study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, men who regularly performed strength training workouts and had the highest muscle strength were between 30 and 40 percent less likely to die as the result of a cancerous tumor. For the study, thousands of men between the ages of 20 and 82 were tracked by a team of Swedish experts.

Even among volunteers who had excess tummy fat or a high body mass index, regular weight training seemed to have a protective effect, although the researchers stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. So coupled with a healthy diet and smart decisions regarding your health, strength training can be an effective cancer prevention method and a key to better health.

If you’re at risk for cancer, talk to your doctor about possible prevention methods and more things that you could do to improve your overall health through diet, exercise, and lifestyle.

The mission at Ultimate Body Press is to develop strength that supports and active lifestyle.  Whether you are a couch potato or a competitor, running can also be a rewarding part of your fitness experience and it is a great compliment to an Ultimate Body Press workout.  So if you have never tried running or it has just been a while, now is the best time to start.  Do a few reps of your favorite exercises on the UBP to warm up then go for a jog.  Short, long, fast, slow whatever, it feels great.  Give running a try and checkout seriousrunning for some added insight.

The site is chock full of resources for runners, with running shoe reviews, a message board, training plans for races from 10k to full marathon, and user-submitted maps of running routes, and a spot devoted to finding, sharing and reviewing competitive races around the world. Add in their excellent blog on all aspects of the running lifestyle, and it’s a great destination for anybody interested in running.

Yuri Elkaim is a wellness expert. Between his blogs, his top-rated YouTube channel and his fitness podcast, the diet and exercise guru has a huge (and growing) presence on the web. When you consider that Elkaim is a registered nutritionist, kinesiologist, and the conditioning coach for a nationally ranked soccer team (as well as a former pro soccer player himself), it becomes clear that he knows his stuff.

For some really sound fitness advice, check Yuri out at the Total Wellness Blog. You can find links to free workout videos and to Elkaim’s other projects on the web, including his book Eating For Energy.

Even we need some inspiration to work out once in awhile. When we do, we look to some of our favorite workout and fitness blogs online to get us in the mood to burn calories.

That’s Fit is definitely one of those blogs. With a focus on feature content from real personal trainers and nutritionists, the site is a great destination for weight loss, diet and exercise tips. Our favorite feature is the That’s Fit Club, which lets readers tell their own fitness stories.

One of the best things about the site is that it’s got information for people at any stage in their quest for fitness; check out this post on yoga for overweight people.

When it comes to finding the right exercises to build your body, trim down the fat, and get you into the shape you want, you need to connect with knowledgeable trainers and experts who know how exercise can work for you. At Workout-Routines.net, that’s just what site owner Brian Carson does. He provides thousands of readers with fitness tips, reviews of exercise equipment, and premium features that athletes and exercise professionals alike can enjoy.

On Workout-Routines.net, users can join in on discussions, tips, and exercise hints, as well as enjoy sports specific workout regimens, fitness information and news, and much more. Not to mention, their premium membership fee is incredibly affordable and can open up a wide variety of features including old school workouts, audio, and video. Want to learn more? Stop by and visit them at their brand new site (just moved today!) and see what Workout-Routines.net can do to boost your athletic performance and get you ready for the next competition.

Athletes know that their bodies need the right amount and types of energy to perform, but when choosing breakfast foods, many tend to neglect proper nutrition for easy and convenient dishes. Carbohydrate rich foods like pancakes, waffles, and cereals can be delicious, but they lack the protein you need for energy and calories during performance. Some athletes even try tossing a scoop of protein powder into their pancake or waffle mix, but this can be rough on the body and still won’t give the boost you need.

The body can only properly break down either a protein or a carbohydrate one at a time, and most recommend that you should enjoy your sugars or carbs at least 30 minutes apart. As an alternative, consider starting out your day gluten-free with a breakfast composed of 4 eggs cooked with olive oil and red pepper, followed by a banana, pear, or orange about thirty minutes after. It’s delicious, packed with nutrients, and gives you the calories you need to perform. But don’t worry about wiping carbs out completely from your diet or trying to eat four eggs every day. This is just one type of breakfast plan that can work for you. Talk to your nutritionist to find out what changes you can make to your diet to improve your athletic performance.

At UltimateBodyPress.com, we celebrate proper exercise and nutrition. We feel a healthy lifestyle must incorporate both, and will provide both increased mental and physical wellness. We’re always on the lookout for fitness and health blogs that share our similar sentiments, and came across Makeover Fitness - a very helpful exercise and proper nutrition blog to get you on the path to total wellness.

We love their post, “Choosing the right items when eating out”. It’s so tempting to splurge when you’re eating out, but this post gives you some great ideas when faced with having to eat fast food.

“Are you doing an exercise routine or wasting time?” is another helpful post, and illustrates how important it is to use a total body workout - both strength training and cardio. Be sure to exercise several times a week, and both your mind and body will thank you for it.

Be sure to stop by MakeoverFitness and tell them we said hello! They’re a great resource for starting on a healthy lifestyle.

Even if you have no intention of ever running a 100 meter dash, you stand to gain a great deal by trying some of the exercises of world class sprinters. You might think track exercises would be strenuous, but they’re not. Many of the exercises require no running at all. Instead, they focus on refining the way the athlete moves. They are repetitive exercises that emphasize posture, body control and core strength. It’s like finishing school for athletes.

First off let’s be clear that contrary to what you might think, keeping your shoulders back is not the most important part of good posture for sports or any other application. The most important thing you need to understand is that perfect posture actually begins at the base of your spine. There between your hips is the largest of all the bones in your spine. It is actually 4 bones fused together and contrary to what you might think, this bone actually curves forward. It is called the sacrum and by using the muscles surrounding your hips you can adjust its angle to set the pitch and balance of your entire body.

To correctly position this primary posture bone all you need to remember is “Suck and Tuck”. Suck in your stomach and tuck your rear end in underneath your hips. Next are your shoulders. Keep your shoulders back, but also in a low and relaxed position. You don’t want your shoulders up around your ears. You want them to be back and relaxed. Always remember “Back and Relaxed”. It’s kind of like getting ready to have your picture in your bathing suit. You want to look good so you “Suck and Tuck” through your lower abdomen, then shoulders are “Back and Relaxed and there you go, Bob’s your uncle Fanny’s your aunt, you look 10 pounds lighter and 5 years younger. Always remember before and most importantly during track exercises, “Suck and Tuck” and “Back and Relaxed”.

The next thing to understand is that practicing entry level track exercise can even be done inside your house and they give you a dynamic way to develop great posture and core strength. Whether you are an elite athlete or just someone interested in good health, practicing these type of simple speed and agility exercises consistently over time will lead to better results.

Please check back for new posts descibing the beginner track exercises, but for now, give the “Suck and Tuck”, “Back and Relaxed” posture a try next time your go for a run or pose for a picture and let me know how it goes.

While strength training can be a great exercise method for anyone, most people don’t recognize that different types of strength training can affect and benefit the body in different ways. Depending on your unique build and body composition, strength training may have different affects on various muscle groups. The changes will be both in appearance and performance, but just be prepared for varied results.

One of the most dominant forms of strength training is that of body building. Using specific workouts and dieting, this fitness regimen can yield big gains in physique, yet can leave the body without the agility, balance, and coordination shared by those who use an all over approach to strength training, another popular style of exercise. While muscles may not get as large with this method, using total-body, multi-joint exercises can help you build your entire system and gain the other fitness skills you need to be a formidable athlete.

Dips, squats, the snatch, the clean and jerk, and deadlifts are popular strength training exercises that will work your entire body, including your hormonal, nervous, and skeletal systems. Coupled with a healthy lifestyle and a good diet, you can see great improvements in your ability to not only have power behind your exercise, but also skill. Train your body correctly and get the healthy, lean muscle you want. Remember, it’s not about muscle size. It’s about performance.

Running is an important part of maintaining good health, especially if you want to boost your cardiovascular performance and increase your stamina. As one of the best and easiest forms of aerobic exercise, running can be incredibly beneficial to your overall health. Haven’t sold you yet? Maybe National Running Day will.

Get out and run!

National Running Day is a national event where many of the running industry’s best will join forces to promote running as a healthy, easy, and accessible form of exercise. There’s no equipment involved, it’s great for building community, and it’s a great alternative to jetting to the gym in order to get in shape. Today, groups around that nation will participate in fun and informative sessions on the sport, how it can impact your health and how it’s an important part of an active lifestyle.

To find out more about some of the Running Day events near you, check with RunningDay.org or just slip on your shoes and plan a run with family or friends. It’s that simple and it’s great for your health.