Sunday, January 31, 2010

Top 10 Ab Exercises

If you haven't visited www.plus50fitness.com recently, do it.

New videos going up every couple of days -- diet and exercise both.

And, if you didn't see this article on "best ab exercises" in fitness magazine, check it out! http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/abs/exercises/top-10-abs-exercises/

Have a great week!

Train hard.

Jim

You Want To See What's Possible Over 50?

Check out "the old Superman."

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2MrQw4/www.superswole.com/interview-with-the-amazing-popps-aka-oldsuperman-aka-edward-cook-jr//r:f

Great Quad Builder?

Front squats.

This article by Tom Venuto is one of the best I've read about this effective and very difficult exercise.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/8zJCQA/www.superswole.com/the-greatest-quad-builder-that-almost-no-one-wants-to-do//r:f

Weigh More, Pay More

Whole Foods is offering bigger employee discounts to workers who stay in shape.

The grocery chain will give 30% discounts to those who don't smoke and have low blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index (BMI) rates, said CEO John Mackey.

Workers who sign up for the voluntary plan are given free health screenings and assigned to one of four categories: bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

Those showing "platinum" health will earn 30% discounts; "gold" gets 27% and silver 25%, while "bronze" wins 22% off. (All employees will continue to get 20% discounts whether they sign up or not, but management is hoping the discounts will convince the workforce to trim down.)

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/01/26/2010-01-26_whole_foods_to_give_greater_employee_discounts_to_workers_with_lower_bmi_cholest.html#ixzz0eCqjJVp1

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Dozen Tips For Better Diet/Better Health

1) PREPARE YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS

In order to begin you need to prepare yourself mentally. Plan in advance what you will be eating during the week, write it out for yourself, stock up on those foods and make it happen!

2) PROTEIN IS VITAL

Make sure you eat protein in some form at every meal, including breakfast.

3) EAT LESS REFINED BREADS AND STARCHES

Cut back on the amount of bread and pasta you consume. Eat your pasta as your mid-day meal and if you do eat pasta or bread it comes from whole grains.

4) LIMIT YOUR DAIRY CONSUMPTION

Drink non-fat milk, eat low fat or fat free cheese and low fat yogurt but check the yogurt, some low fat yogurt has a very high sugar contant!

5) DON’T OVERDO THE FRUIT

No more than 2 a day and use just the good fiber kinds. Apples, pears, plums, and berries are best. Avoid fruit juices, they’re loaded with sugar!

6) EAT NUTS

Just stay in moderation here. A quarter cup of pistachios, almonds or cashews are not only tasty, but a good source of protein.

7) REDUCE THE PORTIONS

When at home, use smaller plates. If you go out, order the smaller size or if one size fits all, get a doggie bag in advance and put half your meal in it before you start to eat. You will fell better and have a good meal to eat again later.

8) DRINK LOTS OF WATER

Water has great dietary and overall health benefits. Many hunger pangs are due to lack of water. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will keep you hydrated and will reduce food cravings.

9) GO MEATLESS FOR A MEAL A DAY

Try eating one meal per day with no meat. For example, have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich rather than a hamburger. You reduce bad fat and increase fiber and protein.

10) NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST

A proper breakfast gets your metabolism going. Use cereals with at least 5 grams of fiber and no more than 8 grams of sugar and use non-fat milk.

11) EAT MORE SEAFOOD

Eat water packed tuna and salmon, they are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids that help protect the heart. You should have these seafoods 2-3 times per week.

12) BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH

Rather than eating lunch out all the time, make your lunch and only eat out for lunch once a week. You’ll save money and know your eating good things like whole grain bread, lean chicken or ham and fruit or veggies.

The fact is, if you use these simple guidelines as a means to put together a plan of good eating habits you will be well on your way to developing them with sound nutrition and you will be paving the way for a life long journey of better health.

(This post courtesy of "Mr. Gym.")

Weekend Motivation from Arnold

Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most well known bodybuilders and the Austrian Oak has provided us with an endless amount of quotes of the past years. They include:

* “It’s simple, if it jiggles, it’s fat.”

* “The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.”

* “The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens.”

* “We all have great inner power. The power is self-faith. There’s really an attitude to winning. You have to see yourself winning before you win. And you have to be hungry. You have to want to conquer.”

* “The best activities for your health are pumping and humping.”

* “Failure is not an option. Everyone has to succeed.”

* “I just use my muscles as a conversation piece, like someone walking a cheetah down 42nd Street.”

(Thanks to Superswole.com for these).

Have a great workout this weekend!

Jim

Friday, January 29, 2010

Hack squats - more videos!

Hi,

Hope all is going well with your diet and exercise.

More videos going up at plus50fitness.com each day through next week . . .

Today's new video -- hack squats -- great for those who really want to add shape to their legs.

As we get older, our legs lose both size and shape. No reason to let that happen.

There are food videos at the site, too, so if you're interested in eating clean but well, don't miss those.

Have a great weekend!

Jim

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Calorie Calculator/New Videos

Ever wondered how many calories a particular exercise or activity uses?

Found this calculator -- check it out!

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/links/calculators/calorie_calculator.htm

And, watch www.plus50fitness.com -- new video posted today and more coming!

Train hard.

V-Bar Row Video

I will be uploading a new video everyday for the next 7 days.

Today's is an exercise video -- 1 minute -- the "V-bar row."

Don't miss it! (Each new video shows up on the home page and when another video is uploaded, it moves to the archives.)

www.plus50fitness.com

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The 400 Calorie "Fix"

400 calorie meals net the best weight loss results. 4, 5 or 6 meals a day are best. Divide the calories you alot yourself by 300 or 400, and you get the number of meals you should be eating.

Prevention Magazine writes about it in the "400 calorie fix." check it out at: http://ow.ly/118rd

Example fast food lunch that fits the bill: Quiznos Black & Bleu Flatbread Salad, 340 calories, 10g fat, but you have to skip the flatbread and enjoy the steak-blue cheese salad.

Best advice: Tell them not to put the bread on the plate. After all, if you're not going to eat it, why be tempted?

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

If You Have To Have a McDonald's Fix, This Is It

If you absolutely positively can't get through a week without McDonald's, try this fast food lunch:

McDonald's Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken & half the dressing, 345 calories.

But even this mean, one of their healthiest fares, still has 16g of fat.

Be careful.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

20% of Teenagers Already At Risk of Heart Disease

"Forget mistakes. Forget failure. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it. Today is your lucky day."
- Will Durant

That may be true, but it is each of our decisions in great part.

And even if we have given up on ourselves, what about our children?

A risk of heart disease in one-fifth of U.S. teenagers was identified through tests of lipids in the blood, showing the importance of diet, exercise and screening, according to U.S. researchers.

Obese children were at the highest danger of abnormal levels, with 43 percent testing outside the recommended ranges, according to today’s report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The results were based on blood tests taken from 3,125 children ages 12 through 19 from 1999 to 2006.

Even if some are willing to give up on themselves, I know few who are willing to write off their own children.

It is time to step up, time to be an example.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Obesity=Inflammation=Cancer

Every January 1st, millions of people resolve to get in shape and lose weight.

Unfortunately, before February 1st rolls around, two thirds of those people have fallen off the bandwagon, abandoned their gym memberships and returned to the normal diet of pizza & ice cream.

So, in an attempt to recharge your collective weight-loss motivation, I thought I would let you in on a recent piece of obesity research that concluded that…
Obesity = Inflammation = Cancer

Here's the website. If you know someone who is obese, share this with them and maybe save their life.

http://www.healthhabits.ca/2010/01/22/obesity-inflammation-cancer/


Have a great weekend!

Jim

How To Get In Your Full Workout On The Road

I am about to leave Cabo San Lucas where I gave a executive fitness seminar yesterday.

I am reminded how important it is to prepare before going on the road.

Diet is important and the most difficult and we'll do some blogs on that later, but now I want to talk about your training when you're on the road.

Here are some tips that work for me:

1. If you have a choice of hotels, you can (and should) first check the gyms that might work for you and book close to one of those. For example, when I am in St. Louis, I book at hotel very close to a Gold's Gym that I like.

2. If you don't have a choice of hotels, check and see what your hotel has to offer. In this case, the hotel is a resort and the gym is fine. I couldn't get a good leg workout in this gym, but no problem. I scheduled arms and shoulders over the last two days, will be off today and back at my gym tomorrow when I'll get legs in.

3. If you're in a hotel that offers the usual -- a few dumbbells and a cardio machine or two, that won't cut it. When you find out where you are booked, call the hotel and ask them if they are close to a "full service gym -- like Gold's, 24 Hour Fitness, etc." Oftentimes, they will know. When I am in southern California, for example, I stay at a great hotel, The Portofino, in Redondo Beach. It doesn't have an adequate gym but it is across the street from a Gold's and because I am staying in the hotel, I get a discount at that gym.

There are a lot of ways to get this done, but you have to do a little planning.

Bottom line: It's worth it.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Welcome to the Plus50Fitness Blog!

Welcome!

This blog will be an active one, as I will pass along fitness tips here, and let you know when new diet info and videos are posted.

Make our communication go two ways. Stay in touch and let me know what you're looking for.

Best,

Jim Karger
plus50fitness.com