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Obesity is a rising metabolic disorder that affects the entire world. Obesity is closely related to heart disease and other health issues. It is the condition based on the body mass index (BMI), calculating the fat ratio from a formula using the height and weight of the individuals.
The formula is weight in pounds divided by the height in inches squared divided by 703. The total of that calculation then is used against the chart to determine if the individual is underweight (18.5 or lower), healthy weight (18.5 24.9), overweight (25 29), or obese (30 +).
Obesity and coronary heart disease are closely related based on clinical studies. Obese people tend to have a higher risk of heart disease due to their other health related factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. The one contributing factor with heart disease is directly connected to the high cholesterol, which also has issues with clogging of the arteries; increasing the risks of heart disease in every individual, but is extremely higher in obese people.
People with high risks of heart disease; generally have other health issues that once were thought to contribute to the disease. Yet in recent studies it has been discovered those that are obese have a higher risk of heart disease; even without the other factors. Obesity causes heart disease since the obese person is not as active as the healthy weight individual is. The amounts of exercise play a role in heart disease.
Other contributing factors include the diet of the individual. Obese individuals tend to have a high caloric and carbohydrate diet, which blocks the blood vessels and can lead to heart muscle damage.
When the individuals limit their amounts of fat, sodium and starch, which are turned into fat when not burned up by the body with physical activity and exercise, the individuals can reduce their weight and risks of heart disease. Learning to eat a healthy diet will help with the levels of risks, while not completely removing the risks, if damage to the vessels and heart muscles has previously occurred; prior to the weight loss.
Medication is available for heart disease to help with the complications. Other methods are extensive such as surgery for heart bypass and heart transplants in extreme cases.
The fact of learning to take care of the heart and blood vessels, prior to any damage, is the most important factor, many need to realize. As once the damage is done to the cardio system, it is not possible to repair the damage; short of surgery and transplants.
Several methods are available to reduce the risks of heart disease including eating a healthy diet, avoid smoking, add a daily exercise regimen to the life style, and avoiding stress when possible.
For someone being obese, health problem risks are greatly elevated. The extra weight can cause physical problems like bone and joint problems. And things like diabetes, heart disease, cancers and other serious conditions are more likely to occur. For those who are being obese, health problem risks often center around a condition known as metabolic syndrome.
For someone being obese, heath problem risks are generally directly tied to this syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is just a term for a cluster of conditions that tend to occur together. The presence of these conditions is a pretty good indicator about future health.
For instance, someone with metabolic syndrome is going to have a much higher chance of heart disease, stroke or diabetes than someone who doesn’t have the condition. For people who have one or two of the conditions that make up metabolic syndrome, their risk of these serious diseases is still a little less than someone with a full-on case.
The conditions that are generally present in metabolic syndrome include:
- Obesity. People with metabolic syndrome are generally obese, often with much of their body fat centered in their stomach, giving them an “apple” shape.
- High blood triglycerides (fat).
- High blood pressure.
- Low HDL cholesterol levels. This is high-density lipoprotein, also known as the “good” cholesterol. Having a low good cholesterol level has been found to be more dangerous. than having a high “bad” cholesterol, or LDL (low-density lipoprotein) level.
- Insulin resistance.
A person can have one or two of those conditions without having metabolic syndrome. But their risks for developing the other conditions is very high. In fact, having just one of the conditions listed above makes it very likely that you’ll develop the others.
Being obese, health problem risks are elevated, but there are some factors in metabolic syndrome that a person can’t control. A family history of diabetes, for instance, puts a person at greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
Age and race are also factors. Asians and Hispanics tend to develop metabolic syndrome at a greater rate than other races. And the older a person gets, the greater the risk of developing the syndrome.
But for the most part, the conditions that make up the syndrome and the syndrome itself are preventable. And there are no special drugs or treatments required to prevent or reverse metabolic syndrome.
The first recommendation, whether you want to prevent the syndrome or reverse it, is to eat a healthy diet. Choose whole foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables and avoid carb-laden, starchy processed foods. Don’t drink sodas or other sugar-rich beverages, but opt for water instead.
The next step is to get some exercise. Walk for a half an hour or so each day. That’s all it takes. This along with a healthy diet can help you lose weight, the third thing to do to defeat metabolic syndrome. Being obese, health problem risks including that of metabolic syndrome are elevated if you smoke, so quit smoking and you’ll be on your way to preventing or reversing the disease.
As much as you may have heard that eating healthy and exercising go together many people just don?t put the two together. This is really a shame as the benefits you get from improving both aspects of your life improve tenfold when combined.
If all you change in your life is to take up walking or cycling you will still get some benefits, but not as many. Think about it this way. If you start walking thirty minutes a day but still continue to eat the same foods and drink tons of pop or beer, do you think you will lose weight or feel better. You may to some extent but you could feel so much better if you change what you eat as well.
It really isn?t that difficult to change what you eat. You don?t have to totally revamp your diet, just make some small changes.
To start off you can make the following changes:
Switch sugary drinks for water
Light beer for regular beer
Muffins for donuts
Fruit instead of cookies
By doing just one of the above changes you could easily lose 10 pounds in your first month. If you can?t quit one of these habits cold turkey then just cut back each day. It takes about three weeks to form a new habit so it won?t take you too long before you will automatically grab water instead of a can of pop.
When you eat correctly and this includes eating more fruits and vegetables along with lean meats you are fuelling your body. This one aspect allows your body to perform an exercise better. For example if you are walking or cycling you will find that you can cycle or walk further when you eat in a healthy manner.
Consuming too much fat or sugar makes you feel lazy and lethargic. In turn this makes you not want to get out and exercise so your motivation will be lacking.
Try to listen to your body and see how you feel just by drinking 8 glasses of water each day for one week. Believe me you will notice a huge improvement in your energy level. Plus you will also notice that you will be sleeping much better. Sleep is another huge factor in making your workout more effective.
Just try to remember that whatever you put into your mouth will have some type of impact on your body, good or bad. By being aware of changes in your mood and energy level you will see what foods help energize you, and you will know which foods to avoid. So now you have all the tools you need to get the most of your exercise routine.
The one arm dumbbell rows will concentrate on the middle of your back. This is the best exercise for last when working your back out. It will give your back one last stretch for building the strength and the muscles. It will also work the muscles in your shoulders, biceps and your lats.
When doing the one arm dumbbell rows, you will need a flat bench and a dumbbell for each hand. Use dumbbells that are on the lighter side to begin with. Put one dumbbell on the floor on each side of the bench.
Place your left foot flat on the ground and slightly bend your knee. Lift your right leg up and place your knee towards the end of the bench. Place your right palm face down on the bench towards the top. This is going to give you extra support. You want your torso parallel to the ground while bending at your waist.
Slowly lower your body down and with your left hand grab the dumbbell. The palm of your hand will be facing under the bench. Straighten your body and back out so it is parallel with the ground. Your arm will be extended straight down while holding the weight. Keeping your back straight you are now in the starting position for the one arm dumbbell rows.
Start exhaling as you bring the weight up to your chest side. Make sure you keep your arm close to your side. Concentrate on lifting the weight with your shoulder, lat and back muscles. Do not use your forearm for lifting the weight. When your weight is level with the side of your chest hold the position for a few seconds. While you are holding the position now is the time to squeeze those back muscles.
Start inhaling and lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. Keep your back and torso straight during the lowering of the weight. Keep repeating the motions until you have completed the recommended repetitions.
When you are done with the repetitions it is time to switch arms. Place your right foot flat on the ground with a slight bend in the knee. Lift your left leg onto the bench with your knee located toward the end. Place your left hand toward the top of the bench with your palm down. Make sure your torso is parallel with the ground and grab your dumbbell with your right hand. You are now ready to repeat the steps for the repetitions.
If you do not feel comfortable using the dumbbells you can still perform the exercise. Go to the high or low pulley machine for doing your one arm rows on. Adjust the weight so it is not too heavy and take your position on the bench. The pulley will give you the same kind of workout as the dumbbells would.
These exercises targeted your lower and middle back. If done properly then will build the strength along with the muscles in your back.
This is another very important factor for any leg exercise. This is a great exercise because it works so many of the different muscles of the leg giving you a very comprehensive workout. It works the quadriceps and calf of the leg you are lunging with and it allows you to stretch and work the opposite hamstrings. The weight of the dumbbells allows you get more of a workout because that is simply extra weight that these muscles must work to support.
How to do a dumbbell lunge
1. Start with your body completely straight and your feet facing forward hip width apart.
2. Bring one leg forward and lunge. Make sure to keep your foot perpendicular to your shin (do not lean your shin forward) so that you are targeting your quadriceps
3. You will want to make sure that you land on your heel and roll onto the ball of the foot
4. You want to bend your knee and hip as your move your weight from the heel of your foot to the ball so that your thigh is parallel to the floor.
5. Then you will push off from the ball of your foot to go back to standing straight up with both of your feet together, hip width apart
6. Repeat the above instructions with the opposite leg. Continue this pattern of rotating legs until you have completed the amount of reps in your set
Tips for getting the best results whiles doing a dumbbell lunge
Remember your posture because it is very easy to cheat with this exercise by throwing off your posture. What this means is that you can do many sets and find that it is doing little for you because you are not working the right muscles in the right way
You can get a more complete workout by working the upper body with the dumbbells in your hands. This can be as simple as just doing your bicep curls while you are doing your lunges. The one thing to keep in mind though is that you do not want to have an exercise that will throw you off while you are doing this exercise
Make sure that you sit into the lunge and the farther you can go the better
It is important to not let your knee come forward while doing this. Your calf and foot should be positioned in an L position (90 degree angle)
If you want to really blast your legs with this exercise, instead of alternating legs, you can just do all the reps for the set on one leg and then move to the other leg and do all the reps for that leg
It is important to focus on the muscles as you move through the exercise. Do not just move fast. Instead you want to perform it at a speed where you can make sure you are moving with control and focus on the muscles you are working.
If you thought that the One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls is hard, well…let?s just say that the barbell biceps curls is a workout that is not meant for beginners. This exercise combines the use of heavy weights with a special movement that helps to place virtually all the pressure exactly where you want it ? on the muscles of your abs. Some people would prefer to work with a trainer until they get used to the exercise
Yes, everyone wants to Get Ripped, but as mentioned earlier on, this exercise is NOT MEANT for beginners! If you have mastered all the exercises that have been explained to you in the past series, then you are good to go.
What You Will Need to Perform This Exercise
In order to perform this exercise, you will need a large barbell, two weight plates that weigh ten pounds (at least) and two weight clips.
How to Perform the Barbell biceps Curls
First set the weight plates on the barbell, then use the clips to hold the weight plates close to the middle of the barbell as much as possible. These plates need to spin freely ? this way, the barbell will roll (they mustn?t wobble).
Then, kneel in front of the barbell, make sure that your knees are shoulder width apart; you should have a firm grip of the barbell with both hands. Ensure that your hands are a bit wider than shoulder width apart.
You should extend both feet behind you ? this way, your body weight will balance on not just your toes but also on your straight arms as well. Your arms should of course be straight but not locked.
Now, roll the barbell ahead of you in way that your body drops almost to the floor. But you will need to nearly lock your arms to do this. Keep looking forward and down and also make sure that your body is in a straight line.
You will then need to push the barbell and yourself back into the push-up position. Make sure you don?t bend your arms or even arch your back when performing this exercise. Ensuring that you keep your body straight will of course need serious concentration on your part and a lot of abdominal strength.
You can repeat this exercise for as many times as you please. But at first, you should do few repetitions in every set and also make sure that you take note of your body position. As you begin to gain endurance and your comfort level with this exercise rises, then you can go on to increase the number of repetitions. You need to understand that it is a lot better (and safer) to do fewer repetitions and execute them perfectly than to do lots of repetitions and do them incorrectly.
It is important to immediately stop if you feel any back or neck pain while performing this exercise and consult your physician before you even attempt to do the barbell biceps curls again.
Whilst lifting weights there are several different techniques and lifts that you can use to hone your body into a perfect shape. One of the best for zoning in on your triceps, deltoids and also your pectorals, is the Bench Press. Bench Press is also 1 of the 3 competitive lifts used in Power Lifting competitions. Regardless of your aim, perfecting this lift will allow you to really turn up the volume on your muscles, allowing them to become bigger and stronger. The main focus when using a Bench Press is on your Petoralis Major Muscles but it also has an effect on the surrounding muscles allowing them too to be developed and sculpted, these include;
Triceps Brachii
Scapulae Fixers
Serratus Anterior
Anterior Deltoids
Coracobrachialis
Trapezzii
Biceps Brachii (Long head)
All of these muscles and muscle groups when exercised together allow the person using the Bench Press technique to full develop and strengthen their chest. The basic Bench Press consist of the person in question lying down on their backs whilst they raise from their chests to their full arm extension weights which are graded in Kilograms or Pounds depending on the country in question.
In the interests of your own safety when performing this exercise you should always complete a Bench Press in pairs. One person lies down in the Bench Press board whilst the other stands behind it so that they are able to assist the other if they need it. After several Bench Presses your arms and chest can become sore and weak until the muscles grow so having someone there to help you lift the weight back onto the bar is important as it stops you from hurting yourself. Other reasons include; that you may have tiered to Bench Press too much weight or that you simply just lose your grip. After finishing you can then swap over the roles. Because you use different muscles and groups to help your Bench Press partner it means that you are able to swap places and work with a buddy, you will not be putting the other person in danger.
There is a specific way to Bench Press as this allows the possibility of injuring yourself to become highly unlikely and that it works out the correct muscles that you are zoning in on. You have to ensure that you are lying down correctly, which means that you have to ensure that your shoulder blades are held together tightly so that you are able to ensure that the press will have a solid base to work from, your feet need to be flat on the floor and that your buttocks stay always in contact with the bench itself. When the weight is taken off the rack you need to ensure that your hands are kept in a way that allows your forearms to be at a right angle to the floor. This ensures that you are fully stable in your grounding and able to push up correctly in your arms to maximize your Chest muscles.
The dumbbell tricep extension is going to help build strength in your upper body. It will help in balancing the strength between your two arms.
The one arm dumbbell tricep extension will work one arm at a time. Choice a dumbbell that has the proper weight on it for you, then find a bench with back support. Sit on the bench with your back flat against the support. Place one leg on each side of the bench with your feet flat on the ground.
Once your back is flush and your feet are flat lift the dumbbell in the air. Then move your arm up in the air until it is straight up and down. Turn your wrist so it is pointed toward the wall in front of you. Your pinkie will be on top of the dumbbell towards the ceiling. Relax your other hand going straight down your side. You are now in the starting position for the dumbbell tricep extension.
While inhaling, lower the dumbbell behind your head only using the forearm. Bend your elbow as you lower the weight behind your head. As you are lowering the weight start turning your wrist so it is facing your head. Your elbow will be pointing at the wall across from you while your pinkie will be on top of the dumbbell towards the ceiling. Tighten your tricep for a second then start exhaling. While flexing your tricep pull the weight up and come back to the starting position. Complete the required repetitions then put the dumbbell in your other hand and repeat the steps.
The lying dumbbell tricep extension will build upper body strength also. You will need two dumbbells with weights on them that you can handle with ease. With the weights in hand sit on the bench and place your feet flat on the floor. Carefully lay back on the bench so your back is flat.
Slowly raise the dumbbells in the air until your arms are straight and in a 90 degree angle. The palms of your hands should be facing each other. This is going to be your starting position.
While inhaling, start lowering the dumbbells down to your ears. Bend your arms at your elbows and keep your upper arm straight. When the dumbbells have almost touched your ears then start exhaling. While exhaling bring the weights back up to the starting position. Make sure to complete the required amount of repetitions.
If you have any problems with your elbows then you might not want to proceed with this exercise. Since you are only using your forearms and triceps the exercise could put some unnecessary pressure on your elbows. Whenever you work with dumbbells you do not want more weight then you can handle with ease. If your weights are too heavy then you will not be able to control them. By not controlling the weights properly you could hurt your elbows rather badly. Do not over exceed your limits when you are working with the dumbbells.
More and more teens are presenting as overweight and obese. It is becoming an epidemic that is putting a strain on the medical resources and the life expectancy of many young people. All of which, given the state of the average teenager’s diet, is no surprise. Therefore, finding a free weight loss for teens program has become a regular quest.
With this in mind, it is important that any program of weight loss that is going to work has to be one that does not exploit or offer unrealistic goals. Instead a weight loss program that takes into account the growing and changing body and mind of the teenager should always the preferred option.
Without a doubt, any free weight loss for teens program should start with the basics. A close look should be taken at what the teenager is eating on a regular basis and also, how much physical activity the teenager is taking.
As already stated, some teenagers do not have the healthiest of diets. Many of them exist on nothing more than junk food. If this is the case, then the first thing that has to go is that junk food diet. The more junk food that can be cut out of the diet, the more weight is likely to be lost.
Instead a diet made up of fresh fruits and vegetables is what is needed. This might not sound as interesting as a diet of pizza, fries and hamburgers, but the more fruit and vegetables that are eaten, the better the all round weight management and health. Does that mean no more pizza ever? Well no, it just means that pizza, and other considered junk foods, should be eaten sparingly and not eaten as the norm.
The next step towards finding a free weight loss for teens program, is to make sure that there is plenty of regular exercise being taken. That means getting the heart and lungs pumping and working at least three or four times per week for at least twenty minutes at a time. It doesn’t mean that any teen who is not gym orientated or who does not enjoy jogging has to start doing those particular activities. No, any sport or activity that is not preferred, should not be undertaken. Going for a vigorous walk a few times a week is considered adequate exercise. Whatever the exercise taken, it should be done so willingly, only then is it more likely to be continued.
Above all, a free weight loss for teens plan should be realistic and not set the teenager up for failure. Repeated failures are demoralizing and will only result in weight gain. Small, steady progress is always the way to go to see long lasting weight loss.
While there’s a lot to be said about homemade cooking and how it helps you lose weight and save money, the fact of the matter is that it’s likely you’ll want to go out to eat once in a while. Whether you’re going out with friends or there’s a certain place that makes guacamole like nowhere else, there’s absolutely no reason why you should deny yourself the pleasures of restaurant dining every so often, even if you’re on a budget and trying to live healthily.
Just like with anything else in life, there’s a positive, intelligent way to go about eating out on a budget and there’s the not-so-good way. Here are some times to avoid the not-so-good-way.
First, try going out for lunch rather than dinner. Most restaurants are cheaper at lunch and the food is just as good. Many restaurants even offer special business lunches, which have multiple courses and are usually steals. Even better, lunch food has a tendency to be lighter than dinner courses, so eating out at lunch may offer you healthier choices than the dinner menu will.
If the place you love to go has large portions, try dining out with another health conscious friend and split the plate. The truth of the matter is that the vast majority of restaurants have enormous portions, and digging in to that chili dog meal alone is an excellent way to blow your calorie count out of the water for the rest of the day. Alternatively, ask for a doggie bag and take half your meal home to eat later – after a spot of exercise, perhaps!
Order vegetarian. Many restaurants these days offer vegetarian options ” or will at least listen if you tell them to hold the meat. This depends highly on what kind of restaurant you are at, as you’re likely to be unable to ask the guy making you a burger to “hold the meat” However, if there is a vegetarian option available, it’s likely to be lower in calories and just as delicious as its meat-laden counterpart.
Last, make it a point to skip dessert. Now, one of the cardinal rules of dieting is not to be overly cruel to yourself, but the fact of the matter is that a giant sundae is likely to have more calories than the rest of your meal combined and will definitely add some dollars to your bill. Enjoy eating out, of course, but don’t go overboard!
