The Top 10 Mistakes Gym Members Make...

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently polled 2,500 certified Fitness professionals to learn what they considered to be the top 10 mistakes being made by gym members. Here are the results:

1. NOT consuming a nutritious "meal" within one hour of workout: the optimal time for consuming a combination of protein and carbohydrates is immediately following an intense workout session.
   
2. NOT drinking enough water: in exercise, the key is hydration, hydration, hydration!
   
3. NOT warming-up properly: people who start their workouts full-force are likely candidates for injury and/or exhaustion.
4. SKIPPING a cool down: cooling down after a workout will lower the heart rate and prevent dizziness.
5. NOT stretching: stretching helps reduce the likelihood of injuries and increases muscle length and mobility.
6. LIFTING too much weight: if a complete range of motion is not possible, then they weight is most likely too heavy. More is not necessarily better!
7. USING momentum rather than muscles to lift weights: slow, controlled movements are what builds muscle strength.
8. BAD posture: people should never slouch or slump when exercising. Proper posture can prevent back injuries.
9. NOT exercising intensely enough: picking up the pace will help members achieve changes. If their workout is not challenging enough, then lack of results will be the consequence.
10. EXERCISING too hard: moderate exercise is the most effective. Many people think they can "make up" for missed workouts.
    

The Benefits of a Sports Massage

Everyone has heard of a Sports Massage but ever wonder what exactly the benefits of one are? Jim Poniente spells out the best things about this unique service:

Sports massage is a specialized type of massage therapy used before, during and after athletic events. The purpose of this type of massage is to help the athletes prepare their body for the event and to help it heal faster afterwards. All athletes extol the benefits of a sport massage and this is why many of the major competitive teams have their own therapist on the payroll. Some of the benefits include:

* Enhance performance
* Reduce muscle fatigue during the event
* Relieve pain and swelling afterwards
* Promote flexibility of the muscles
* Prevent injuries

To read the rest of the store, click here

Top Foods for Burning Fat

It seems everyone these days is looking for the best foods to burn fat. Just eat those particular foods and see the fat melt away, or so we wish! Of course, it just isn't that easy. But, research does indicate that certain foods seem to help burn fat when used sensibly.

The reasons vary for why some particular foods are better at burning fat than others. Some foods are thought to increase metabolism, some seem to satisfy cravings so that we don't overeat, and still others work wonders because they are rich in Vitamin C or contain lots of fiber. However, most people looking to get rid of fat don't care about the scientific details; they just want to know what works!

Instead of looking at specific foods, let's look at the top categories of foods that tend to burn fat. For instance, some lists of top fat burning foods include cayenne pepper. However, there are several other similar foods that could also be listed such as garlic and mustard, which all fall into the category of spicy foods. Thinking in terms of these broad categories will give more variety in choosing foods to help burn fat.

Here are some of the top categories of fat burning foods:

* Spicy Foods - we already mentioned foods such as cayenne pepper, garlic, and mustard. Cinnamon and ginger should also be included in this group.

* Protein - lean meats such as turkey and chicken, very lean red meat.

* Essential Fatty Acids - best sources are fish, salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, and sardines.

* Dairy - low fat and nonfat milk, cheese, and yogurt, eggs, especially egg whites.

* Fruit - apples and berries, bananas, citrus fruits, especially grapefruit.

* Green Tea - natural and safe to use, it helps to rev up the metabolism.

* Water - good for you in so many ways, it's necessary to flush the burned fat out of your system.

* Vegetables high in Vitamin C - these include broccoli and cabbage, celery, carrots.

* Soybeans - considered by many to be the newest wonder food, soybeans can be found at most health food stores.

* Whole Grains - oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain breads.

The above list is by no means all inclusive. And it has to be said that you can't expect to just eat some of these foods and then sit around while the fat burns away. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work that way. As in all nutrition and dieting programs, a combination of proper diet and exercise is the key to healthy weight loss. But being aware of the food categories that can help burn fat will guide you in adding more of these foods to your diet.

By Laura Hinkle

No Time to Exercise Is No Excuse

ScienceDaily (Sep. 18, 2006) — A new study, published in The Journal of Physiology, shows that short bursts of very intense exercise — equivalent to only a few minutes per day — can produce the same results as traditional endurance training."The most striking finding from our study was the remarkably similar improvements in muscle health and performance induced by two such diverse training strategies," says Martin Gibala, an associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster University (Canada).

Gibala's team made headlines last year when they suggested that a few minutes of high-intensity exercise could be as effective as an hour of moderate activity. However, their previous work did not directly compare sprint versus endurance training.

The new study was conducted on 16 college-aged students who performed six training sessions over two weeks. Eight subjects performed between four and six 30-second bursts of "all out" cycling separated by 4 minutes of recovery during each training session. The other eight subjects performed 90-120 minutes of continuous moderate-intensity cycling each day. Total training time commitment including recovery was 2.5 hours in the sprint group, whereas the endurance group performed 10.5 hours of total exercise over two weeks. Despite the marked difference in training volume, both groups showed similar improvements in exercise performance and muscle parameters associated with fatigue resistance.

"Our study demonstrates that interval-based exercise is a very time-efficient training strategy," said Gibala. “This type of training is very demanding and requires a high level of motivation. However, short bursts of intense exercise may be an effective option for individuals who cite ‘lack of time’ as a major impediment to fitness."

5 Reasons you've Failed at your Goals

1. Lack of Clarity

Clarity is perhaps the most important concept in Setting up Goals. The greater clarity you have, the easier it will be to reach our goals. Decide exactly what you want. Write it down. Only about 3 per cent of adults have clear, written goals. This helps us to keep focus on the goals. Normally unwritten goals lead to confusions.

2. Lack of crystallizing the dreams

Crystallize and give a tangible form to the the goals. Be specific and practical about the dreams and eliminate the fantasies.

3. Lack of Planning

Make a list of all the steps you have to take to reach your goals. Keep reviewing the list and make necessary improvements.

4. Lack of homework

Prioritize the goals in a list. Try to do some steps every single day which helps to move closer to the goals.

5.Lack of action

Once all the above four steps are accomplished, take the action plan. Start working on the goals. Review the steps taken daily. Take all the measures which help to move closer to your dreams.

Heard of an old proverb? Something is better than nothing. Yes Time is never late. So lets start with a pen and paper and scratch the dreams there.

Develop Back-saving Habits

You can take some of the pressure off your back by following these simple tips:

1. While standing to perform ordinary tasks like ironing or folding laundry, keep one foot on a small stepstool.
2. Don’t remain sitting or standing in the same position for too long. Stretch, shift your position, or take a short walk when you can.
3. When bending from the waist, always use your hands to support yourself.
4. When sitting, keep your knees a bit higher than your hips and bend them at a 90-degree angle. Sit with your feet comfortably on the floor. If your feet don’t reach the floor, put a book or a small stool under them.
5. Because vacuuming can take a toll on your back, tackle rooms in chunks, spending no more than 5–10 minutes at a time doing this task.
6. Choose an office chair that offers good back support (preferably with an adjustable backrest, lumbar support, armrests, and wheels) and set up your workspace so you don’t have to do a lot of twisting.
7. Try not to overload briefcases or backpacks (see “Lighten your load”).
8. Make frequent stops when driving long distances.
9. While driving, sit back in your seat, and if your seat does not provide sufficient support, place a rolled blanket or some towels behind your lower back. Try to shift your weight occasionally. If you have cruise control, use it when you can. Also consider using a foam seat cushion to absorb some of the vibration.
10. Sleep on your side if you can, and curl your body up a bit. Also, choose a pillow that keeps your head level with your spine; your pillow shouldn’t prop your head up too high or let it droop. Choose a mattress that’s firm enough to support your spine (so that it doesn’t sag into the bed) and that follows your body’s contours.

Best Workout Tip Ever

Leonard Rogalski gives what he considers "the best workout tip" EVER:

The tip I am going to give to you today I got from my younger brother (of 2 years).

One day out of the blue he asked me why I increased the weight on my exercises every time I worked out.

I replied, well I got my targeted number of reps, so I felt I should increase the weight, to drop the reps back down.

True, my brother replied, but I watched you do your last couple of sets of dead lifts ( a wonderful exercise that when done correctly works a ton of muscles in the body) and you looked like you were about to pass out. Don’t you think you would be wise to keep the weight the same for at least a couple of workouts, better yet keep the weight the same until you are not scared of it anymore, when you know without a shadow of a doubt you can get all of your reps, and you do, without having to kill yourself. Then, he went on to say, you will know that your body and almost more importantly your mind has adjusted to the weight, so then and only then should you increase the weight.

Click here to read "the rest of the story"