Tips for Starting a Healthy Lifestyle!

Nutrition Tips For Runners - Juicing Basics

Nowadays, more and more runners are getting into the habit of juicing. This is not about buying a cold boxed cartoon of apple or orange juice but this is about making your own home made juice freshly extracted from fruits and vegetables.
Basically, home made juices are very healthy drinks that your digestive system can absorb within about 15 minutes.
When you make your own juice using fresh fruits and vegetables, you can really extract its rich nutrients and enzymes. This is a big benefit compared to buying boxed juices from convenient stores. Juices from stores are likely to have been depleted of many of its nutrients and enzymes. They are commonly been pasteurized and this destructs their nutritional value.

Why runners need to drink freshly-made juices?
Your optimum performance is related to the high supply of nutrients into your body while maintaining the toxicity level low. Drinking freshly-made juices helps you to achieve both of these goals because they help you to eradicate toxins from your body. Home made juices are also a great source of minerals, vitamins and other natural chemical elements that your body needs to fight disease and function at its best.
Juices versus smoothies
A lot of people seem to be confused to differentiate between juices and smoothies. Smoothies are made from fresh fruits which are blended using a blender while juices are fresh fruits that are put within a juicer. Fruits that are blended using a blender will contain fibres while a juicer will produce a fruit juice which is completely separated from its fibres. The advantage of using a juicer is to allow us consuming large quantities of nutrient-rich juice without burdening our digestive system with their fibres. Freshly extracted fruits and vegetables that are properly juiced using a juicer will be able to by pass your digestive system and be absorbed very quickly. We need to stress, however, that we are not advising you to ditch fibres from your diet. We just want to let you know that juices complement your high fibre diet.

Best juice for runners
All juices offer great nutritious benefits but in our opinion, the green juices are the best for runner as they have high chlorophyll content which can assist you to oxygenate your blood. Green vegetables also have high minerals such as iron, calcium and magnesium, which are all important for health. Green juices also have the least impact on your blood sugar so you will not experience sudden blood sugar spikes that can drain your energy.

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10 Fitness Myths You Need to Forget Right Now

Plyometric Training - What Is It All About?

Plyometric training is a form of intensive exercise involving muscle stretching and contraction. Plyometric training exercises utilize controlled high-impact and powerful movements. These usually include jumping and hopping using objects as obstacles. It evolves from a training methodology created in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. It was done originally through shock training that became popular because of the dominance of the Eastern European athletes in the world of sports. Today, plyometric training is adopted by major sports events such as basketball, martial arts, volleyball and other mainstream sports competition.

Benefits of Plyometric Training

Plyometric exercises equate the movements used in such sports as volleyball, tennis, skiing, basketball, football, and boxing. It is responsible in the physical conditioning among the professional athletes. In following appropriate plyometric workout, adolescents and children can also largely benefit from these exercises. Plyometric jump training develops the muscle that is primarily responsible in improving vertical jumping. Plyometric training also trains the central nervous system in handling explosive movements involved in performing high jump. The increase in mobility is due primarily to the development of the reactive strength achieved through plyometric exercises. The strength gained by this exercise also ensures the maximum result in vertical leap.

Common Plyometric Exercises Beneficial in Attaining Effective Results

Plyometric training provides exercises to benefit the upper and lower body through established plyometric drills:

The Medicine Ball - The objective of this exercise is to increase upper body strength. This is performed by lying with the back on the ground. An assistant will drop the so-called "medicine ball" towards the chest, and using the pre-stretched muscle throws the ball back. It is a high-intensity exercise, which should be performed only after the required basic conditioning.

Press Ups and Hand Clap - This exercise is performed by bringing both hands up from push-up position and clapping them in the air. The pre-stretching happens when the hands are brought back to the ground while the chest does sinking motion supported by upward action.

Bounding and Hurdling - This plyometric training is running with oversized strides and spending extra time in the air. The one-leg bounding is done to increase the intensity. This is best performed using the stairs steps and rises.

Drop Jumping - This plyometric exercise is performed by dropping oneself to the ground coming from a high platform, and immediately jumps upon touching the ground. The pre-stretching is achieved by the drop-down force that provides the leg muscles.
The Common Equipment Used in the Plyometric Training Program

In achieving the goal of plyometric training, the person involved performs exercises combining the ability in allocating speed, strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. The enhancement of the exercise is made by giving the maximum capacity of the person in stretching the muscle such as fast running and high jump. Wide range of plyometric training equipment is useful for training in order to assist the person in performing specific skills such as plyo boxes, jump testers, training materials, jump soles, hurdles, jump harness, plyo blocks and other plyo exercising products.

People that are benefited by Plyometric Exercise Program

Athletes are doing the plyometric exercises in order to enhance the power of their body. Many of these athletes, including their coaches, sought to implement improvements to the power for the purposes of revitalizing their performance. Sports involving bounding, jumping, and hopping exercises have utilized the essential training methods of explosive plyometric programs. The explosive reaction of the person involved is enhanced through energetic muscular contractions using rapid eccentric contractions.

To avoid any physical injury, it is always best to consult your doctor before starting any Plyometric training program.

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Exercises and Workouts - Should You Use An Activity Tracker?

If you've been keeping track of the latest products to hit the fitness scene, there's no question you've discovered one or two of the latest "fitness trackers" now available.
What are these and why are they so beneficial? People everywhere are jumping on the bandwagon, picking up their choice of device.
Let's give you a brief overview of what you should know...
1. What They Are? These fitness trackers are basically small devices you wear on your body and will determine various fitness statistics such as how many steps you've taken, how many hours you're sleeping, how many floors you've climbed, and an approximation of how many calories you've burned.
Each tracker will offer slightly different metrics, so shopping around to find one that offers what you want to know most will pay off.
2. Will They Work? The question you might be now asking yourself however, is how accurate are these? Can you really rely on them?
The answer is yes and no. In a sense, they can be relatively accurate. Most are proven within about +/- 10 to 20% depending on the device, so they can give you a general idea of about how many calories you are burning.
For step counts, they do tend to be very accurate as they are basically just a pedometer.
The main thing to know though is they will not accurately assess calorie burn during certain activities such as cycling or weight lifting since there's no way to assess the calorie burn here. Ones that actually read body chemistry and have metal plates that touch the skin, may be slightly more accurate in this regard, but they will never be 100%.
3. How To Use Them Effectively. So if you want to use these, go ahead. Use them as a guideline only though. Still make sure you count your calories and track your body weight. Adjust as necessary. The tracker is better used as a baseline for measuring more active days with less active ones.
For instance, use it to help you reach a certain step count goal - 5000 steps for example. If you notice you're only at 3000 by evening, get up and do something to make up for the more sedentary day.
This over time can help you reach your weight loss goals faster and improve your health standing. For many people, they serve as an excellent wake-up call to see just how little you're actually moving.
So consider a tracker, but don't rely on one. When used properly though, they can be beneficial.

Although managing Type 2 diabetes can be very challenging, it is not a condition you must just live with. Make simple changes to your daily routine - include exercise to help lower both your blood sugar levels and your weight.

CLICK HERE to find out more about   Activity Tracker.

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Abs Workout for People who get Bored Easily - Core and Cardio Workout

Why Is Exercise Important? It Is One Of The Best Ways To Lose Weight And Keep Fit And Healthy

Getting active is one of the best ways to lose weight and keep fit and healthy.
Many people go for a brisk walk, gentle jog or try an exercise class. Everyone is different, so you must choose something that you find enjoyable. As a fully pledged adult, you should try to get your heart rate up at least four to five times a week.

There are all sorts of activities and sports that can get you moving and aid weight loss.
Cycling, Dance, Football, Gym, Running/Jogging, Racket Sports, Swimming, Tai Chi, Walking/Rambling and Yoga.
Calories and Weight
A pound of fat equals 3500 calories. To lose 1 pound a week you will need to expend 3500 more calories than you eat that week, whether through increased activity or decreased eating or both. Losing 1-2 pounds of fat a week is a sensible goal, and so you will want to use the combination of increased activity and eating less that will total 3500 calories for 7 days.

Although exercising is great just being more active is also a good way to burn calories. There are many small changing you can make to your daily routine that will burn calories for example:
1. Take the stairs instead of the lift
2. Keep walking whilst the escalator caries you up
3. Walk or cycle instead of driving short distances
4. Park your car further away than you need to or get off the bus one early
5. Do some exercise on your lunch hour - swimming, yoga etc
Why is exercise important

1. Boost to your emotional well being
Even light exercise can help boost your mood. Also, more intense exercise can stimulate the release of mood elevating compounds called endorphins.
2. Reduce risk of heart disease
If you are overweight or obese, you are more prone to heart disease, as you have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. You can improve your cardiovascular function if you partake in exercise.
3. Improvement to memory
If you exercise more regularly, you move blood and oxygen to all your body's organs, including the brain, which is great for revitalising your mind.

4. Reduced risk of Diabetes
Physically active people are less likely to develop Diabetes, as exercise increases the body's ability to use sugar for energy and thereby decreases the need for insulin.
5. Other benefits include
Improved sleep pattern, increased strength, improved energy level, pain relief, longevity and increased bone density
The only way to make exercise part of your life is to build this into your everyday life. So why is exercise important? You will feel better, lose weight and keep fit and healthy. 

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Why You Should Choose A Vegetarian Diet

There are many benefits that people can derive if they resort to a vegetarian diet. Meat-based meals are very tasty, but these are not for everyone.


The reason is that many people get sick in the long run if they eat meat excessively and this will manifest in the form of elevated cholesterol levels, growth of certain cancers, and high blood pressure. Those who prefer a vegetarian diet do not have such problems and scientists have also discovered that vegetarians are less prone to cancer. Furthermore, vegetarians are not overweight or do not need to be on "a diet" to lose excess poundage.
Many people are now turning to a vegetarian diet because they want to live longer. Incidentally, there are a number of ethical reasons that have spurred people into becoming vegetable lovers. First, food wastage is a problem in many countries and there is an excess supply of grains and soybeans. These are used to feed livestock and one can imagine if people learn how to eat these things. Moreover, starvation can be eradicated in many countries if vegetables are used more often in their diets. Sadly, this is not the case and plenty of food are not used properly or ended up being thrown away as waste.

Another fact that many people overlook is that livestock excrement is produced thirty times more than humans can produce. Since there is a need for meat products, the overproduction of these animals that feed the population can have a possible disastrous effect to the environment. To illustrate this point, cows emit a huge amount of methane gas towards the atmosphere and this contributes to global warming. Also, feed animals are not treated humanely especially when they are being killed in slaughterhouses. For these reasons, it is not surprising that a vegetarian diet is something that many people now prefer because it contributes very much to their well-being.

A great majority of vegetarians do not eat meat, poultry or even products from the sea. Some people do eat fish or chicken sometimes, but they stick to their vegetarian diet. People may wonder what vegetarians eat and they will find that majority of them will consume fruits, dried beans, nuts, seeds, peas and grains to name a few. These vegetarians get all the nutrients they need under a vegetarian diet, but they have to eat various foods in order to get the much-needed nutrients for their bodies.

Incidentally, people who want to try the so-called vegan diet can eat anything except eggs, dairy products, fish, poultry and meat. Another kind of this diet is the Lacto- vegetarian wherein people can eat dairy products such as cheese, butter, yogurt and milk. Lastly, people can go for the Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet that will allow them to eat dairy products and eggs. Planning a vegetarian diet is necessary so that people are able to prepare themselves very well. The secret to this diet is eating the right quantities of food and dividing them into food groups.

Ralph Wilhelm-dude17111 is an online researcher and marketer.

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