Last Day Of Exercises.

Hi Guys,

Today is the last day of exercises for a while.

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To begin with sit down on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you.

Lean back onto your hands with the fingers pointing towards your toes and the hands in line with your shoulders.

Now lift you bottom of the floor so that your body is in a straight line from your head to your toes.

Make sure that you do let your bottom drop.

You have to engage your core muscles to keep it in a straight line with your body.

From this position turn your feet to one side and reach with your arm to the opposite side of your body.

Make sure that the arm that is not moving stays straight and in a locked position.

Then go back to the start position and do the same movement but with the other arm.

I have provided a video to show you how to this correctly.

It does not include the reaching movement.

That is only for those who can hold the reverse plank for at least 30 seconds.

Click Here

Speak to you again,

Stephen Hart

You will have to get off your butt today!!!

Hi Guys,

Today I am going to show you how to do the standing knee cross  crunch.

www.womenshealthmag.com

This is a very easy exercise to do.

Standing up makes it more challenging because you have to use other muscles in your core to maintain your balance. 

You can do this exercise at a speed that suits you.

You should start off slowly until you have got the form perfected before you start to speed up the movement.

Do not go too fast however, always make sure that you are using excellent form. 

Let us look at how to perform this exercise.

• Stand with your shoulders in line with your hips, and extend your left arm up and your right leg to the side, toes pointed. 

• Lower your left elbow and raise your right knee, crunching them together on a diagonal line. Return to the starting position. 

 

• That's one rep. Do 12 to 15 on each side.

This is a nice and simple  exercise but it strengthens your core and improves your breathing. 

I have provided a video in case you are unsure about your form. 

Standing Knee Cross Crunch

I will be back tomorrow for the last of this mini series about how to strengthen your core.

Regards

Stephen Hart

Let Us Look At Some More Core Exercises.

Hi Guys,

Today I am going to look at some more exercises you can do for your core.

crazybusymama.com 

 Today it is the turn of the side plank.

Let us have a look at how it is performed.

• Lie on your left side with your left forearm on the floor perpendicular to your body and your right hand resting on your side. 
• Stack your legs and hips and pull your bellybutton in towards your spine. 
• Raise your body up by straightening and lengthening the waist so that you are balanced on your left forearm and the bottom of your left foot. 
• Hold that position for a slow count of 10. 
• Repeat to the other side.

 As you get stronger, you can hold the position longer. 

I have provided a video of how to do this exercise with a few variations you can try.

Side Plank Video

Speak to you again tomorrow.

Regards,

Stephen Hart

Core Exercises

Hi Guys,

Time for some more exercises for you.

I hope you have had a good weekend.

This week I will be concentrating on your core.

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 For those of you who do not know,  the core is basically your mid-section.

It helps with all sorts of movements. 

It also helps to balance your body.

When you twist, bend or stretch, the muscles in your core come into play.

It is therefore very important to have a strong core to prevent you from pulling your muscles and getting injuries. 

Today I will be looking at the number 1 exercise for the core.

It is called the plank.

nbfit.net

 

 Let us look at how to perform the plank.

• Get in the pushup position, only put your forearms on the ground instead of your hands. Your elbows should line up directly underneath your shoulders. Toes on the ground.
• Squeeze your glutes and tighten your abdominals.
• Keep a neutral neck and spine.
• Create a straight, strong line from head to toes – a plank, if you will.
• Hold that position.

That is it. 

There are no movements to perform when you are in the plank position.

The key here is to tense all the muscles in your core.

Do NOT let your belly sag.

You can do this exercise while you are watching the television so long as you do not need to raise your head to see the television.

I would recommend that to begin with you hold this position for about 20 seconds on your first and try and increase your time by an extra 10 seconds a day.

 

Do three sets of this exercise with a break of around three minutes between sets.

 

Chances are you will ache the next day because you are using muscles you do not normally use.

 

Give it a go and see how you get on.

Tomorrow I will be back with some more core exercises.

 

If you want to see a video of how to perform the plank just click the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz0oFaVGuh4

Speak to tomorrow.

Stephen Hart

More About Home Exercises

Hi Guys,

Today is the last day of your simple home exercises.

Next week will require a bit more effort.

 www.huffingtonpost.com

Exercising is easy but it does take a bit of concentration at first. 

When you first try a new exercise you have to make sure you are doing it correctly.

Once you have learned the technique it will become second nature, but you have to master it first. 

It is just like learning to walk.

At first it seemed difficult but now you can do it without thinking about it.

Let us look at some other home exercises you can do.

Do simple things like making the bed.

That requires all sorts of muscles to work together.

It works the arms and legs as well as the core. 

Generally people have a weak core because they are sitting around for long periods of time.

Next week we will be looking at some core exercises.

These will strengthen your core, make your posture better and have a slimming effect on your body.

Having a strong core also helps your digestive system.

I will be back after to bank holiday weekend, so make sure you are ready.

Regards,

Stephen Hart

Exercise At Home

Hi Guys,

Today I am going to talk about simple exercises you can do at home.

woman.thenest.com 

I have some bad news for you.

You cannot get away from exercise just by staying at home.

You can do all sorts of exercises in your own home.

Let us have a look at some of these exercises. 

An exercise does not mean you have to get hot and sweaty.

 You can do simple exercises that can help you firm your body.

You can do simple exercises while you are doing the washing up for instance.

As you are standing at the sink spend some time squeezing your buttocks.

You need to squeeze your buttocks for a count of ten and then rest for ten seconds.

 Do this all the time that you are doing the washing up.

This will help you get a firmer looking bottom.

Another exercise you could do is to try lifting one of you legs off the floor.

This helps to tone and strengthen your hamstrings.

It also helps to strengthen your core because you need to use other muscles to help maintain your balance. 

You could do calf raises to shape and tone your calfs.

To do these just go on tip toes and hold for around ten seconds.

As you get better at it you could try doing it whilst standing on one leg.

This makes it more difficult and involves more of your core muscles. 

These are just a few simple exercise you can try.

Tomorrow I will be looking at some slightly  more strenuous exercises.

Speak to you tomorrow.

Stephen Hart. 

More Exercise To Help You Lose Weight.

Hi Guys,

Today I am going to be looking at more easy exercises to lose weight.

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There are many fun ways that you can do exercises to tone your body.

For example, if you have a small child you can use them as a weight.

Every time you lift and play with your child you are having fun, bonding and exercising.

If you do not live too far from where you work, why not walk to work?

If you have friends that live nearby ask them if they would like to walk to work with you.

When you have someone to walk and chat with it will not seem as if you are exercising.

If you do walk to work, do not make it into a casual stroll, the faster you walk the more calories you will burn up.

Try and get your heart and lungs working.

Try and walk whenever you can.

Get out of the habit of using your car.

It will improve your health and your wallet.

Petrol prices are not cheap these days. 

If you have children why not walk them to school?

If necessary get up earlier and make time for it.

People these days are getting very lazy which is why there is an obesity epidemic in the western world.

People are just not doing enough exercise.

Tomorrow I will be looking at exercises that you can do at home.

Regards,

Stephen Hart

Easy exercises For You To Do.

Hi Guys,

Trouble with the internet this morning but now I am back.

Today I will be looking at easy exercises you can do.

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 As I said in a previous blog,  getting fit does not mean that you have to join a gym.

All you have to do is some activity that will raise your heart rate and you breathing.

One of the easiest exercises for this is walking up and down stairs. 

A good place to get fit is at work.

Make sure you use the stairs as opposed to taking the elevator.

If you are in a rush the do not waste time waiting for the elevator.

Try running up the stairs.

This will show you how fit or unfit you are.

If you end up short of breath then you are definitely unfit.

I am only talking about a few flights, not a high rise building.

To make this harder if you need to, you could try carrying your shopping up stairs. 

This will add extra weight and therefore make you lungs and heart work harder.

Now the good news is that the harder your heart and lungs work, the more energy you will use up.

The more energy you use, the more calories you will burn.

Finally, the more calories you burn, the more weight your body will lose.

Hopefully you can now see how exercise and weight loss works.

Walking up and down stairs is a great way to lose weight but it can get a bit boring.

You need to find other ways to lose weight.

Tomorrow I will be looking at other easy ways to lose weight.

Speak to you tomorrow.

Regards, 

Stephen Hart

Time To Have A Look At Exercise.

Hi Guys,

I know you will not like this but now it is time to look at exercise.

www.methodsofhealing.com

 Exercising does not necessarily mean going to the gym.

 You can get exercise from doing simple things such as taking your dog for a walk.

 Even going shopping is exercise.

That must be good news for the shopaholics out there.

Exercise is basically anything you do with your body.

It is better the higher you raise your heart rate.

You do not have to get to the stage that you are gasping for breath.

Just make sure that you are breathing heavier than when you are just sitting down doing nothing.

This week we will be looking at things you can do to increase your breathing and heart rate.

There will be no need to buy any equipment clothes.

So unfortunately for you you will have no excuse not to do any exercise.

If you are not interested in getting fit then I am afraid I cannot help you.

If you are then come back tomorrow and see more.

Regards,

Stephen Hart

Next Weeks Posts

Hi Guys,

Hopefully by now you are learning what you can and cannot eat to stay healthy.

Following these steps will greatly improve your health but what about your fitness?

Next week I will be looking at some of the things to help improve your fitness.

This is an area that most people neglect. 

They always say that they do not have to exercise.

That is no excuse.

You do not have to join a gym tom exercise.

There are hundreds of other ways to get fit.

I am not talking about how you can fit in a 2 mile run or something like that.

I know you will just say that you do not have the time.

I have heard virtually every excuse in the book.

Excuses are just a way of saying that you are lazy and do not want to do it. 

If that is you then fine.

You can just carry on being unfit and damaging your health.

You may not worry about it now but you will as you get older.

Do not try blaming it on the Government, it is your responsibility to look after you health.

You are the one who decides what you eat and how much exercise you do.

Chances are you would complain if the Government put you on an enforced exercise program.

Next week I will be telling you about exercises you can do that do not get in the way of your everyday life.

 Regards,

Stephen Hart
  
Busy Woman Weight Loss Solution

A summary!!!

Hi Guys,

I hope you have had a great week.

Today I would like to go over what you have learned before you do your weekly shop.

Hopefully you have been making notes in your notepad.

Make sure that you take is shopping with you.

You will need it to check what you can and cannot eat.

You should have noted down in red and green ink what you can and cannot eat. 

This makes it easier to read.
 and move on.
When you are doing your shopping remember to check the labels.

See if it contains good or bad fats.

If it contains bad fats such as trans fats just put it back on the shelf and move on.

Every time you walk away from a bad fat product you will be improving what you are eating.

To begin with this may seem a bit of a pain to do, but in time you will learn what you can and cannot eat.

If you do want to do this in the shop, then wait until you get home.

Then check all the labels and make a note if the product is healthy or bad for you.

Make a note in your note pad whether they are good or bad.

In time you will get to know what you can and cannot eat.

Remember,  TAKE YOU NOTEBOOK SHOPPING WITH YOU.

Speak to you tomorrow,

Regards,

Stephen Hart

Dietry Fat And Cholesterol.

Hi Guys,

Today I want to talk about dietry fat and cholesterol.

www.thepaleosecret.com

 First the goon news.  

Cholesterol is a fatty, wax-like substance that your body needs to function properly. 

Now the bad news.

When you get too much of it, it can have a negative impact on your health. 

As with dietary fat, there are good and bad types of cholesterol. 

HDL cholesterol is the "good" kind of cholesterol found in your blood. 

LDL cholesterol is the "bad” kind. 

The key is to keep LDL levels low while, conversely, low HDL can be a marker for increased cardiovascular risk. 

High levels of HDL cholesterol may help protect against heart disease and stroke, while high levels of LDL cholesterol can clog arteries, increasing your risk. 

Research shows that there is only a weak link between the amount of cholesterol you eat and your blood cholesterol levels. 

The biggest influence on your total and LDL cholesterol is the type of fats you eat—not your dietary cholesterol. 

So instead of counting cholesterol, simply focus on replacing bad fats with good fats.

• Monounsaturated fats lower total and bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, while increasing good cholesterol (HDL).
• Polyunsaturated fats lower triglycerides and fight inflammation.
• Saturated fats raise your blood cholesterol.
• Trans fats are even worse than saturated fats, since they not only raise your bad LDL cholesterol, but also lower the good HDL cholesterol.

I know I keep going on about Trans Fats, but that is because they are very harmful to your body. 

Tomorrow I will be looking at a topic that is less intense to read.

Speak to you tomorrow,

Stephen Hart

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats

Hi Guys,

Today I will be looking at  monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

 www.cdc.gov

The best sources of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and fish.

Cook with olive oil. Use olive oil for stovetop cooking, rather than butter, stick margarine, or lard.

 For baking, try canola or vegetable oil.

Eat more avocados. Try them in sandwiches or salads or make guacamole.

Along with being loaded with heart and brain-healthy fats, they make for a filling and satisfying meal.

Reach for the nuts. You can also add nuts to vegetable dishes or use them instead of breadcrumbs on chicken or fish.

Snack on olives. Olives are high in healthy monounsaturated fats.

But unlike most other high-fat foods, they make for a low-calorie snack when eaten on their own.

Try them plain or make a tapenade for dipping.

Tapenade is an olive-based Provençal condiment.

To make it, you pound together olives, capers and anchovies with a mortar and pestle (or a food processor), plus olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and a possible drop of Cognac.

The end result is a slightly chunky paste you can spread on toasted baguette slices or scoop up with raw vegetables.

Dress your own salad. Commercial salad dressings are often high in saturated fat or made with damaged trans fat oils.

Create your own healthy dressings with high-quality, cold-pressed olive oil, flaxseed oil, or sesame oil.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat. While all types of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, omega-3 fats are proving to be especially beneficial.

We’re still learning about the many benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but research has shown that they can:

Prevent and reduce the symptoms of depression

Protect against memory loss and dementia

Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer

Ease arthritis, joint pain, and inflammatory skin conditions

Support a healthy pregnancy

So you can see the benefits of eating monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

I will be looking at this further tomorrow.

Regards,

Stephen Hart

 

Reducing The Bad Fats

Hi Guys,

Today I would like to look at how to reduce the bad fats.

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 Everyone has heard how bad trans fats are for you.

The primary source of trans fats in the Western diet comes from commercially-prepared baked goods and snack foods.

How do you find out if the food contains trans fats?

You have to do a bit of research and detective work.

The marketers do not want you to know if there are trans fats in their food. 

It would reduce the number those items.

Here are some tips for you.

When shopping, read the labels and watch out for “partially hydrogenated oil” in the ingredients. 

Even if the food claims to be trans fat free, this ingredient makes it suspect.
 
With margarine, choose the soft-tub versions, and make sure the product has zero grams of trans fat and no partially hydrogenated oils.

When eating out, put fried foods, biscuits, and other baked goods on your “skip” list. 

Write these down in red in your notepad. 

Remember to take your notepad with you everywhere.

Avoid these products unless you know that the restaurant has eliminated trans fat.

Avoid fast food. 

Most places have no labeling regulations for fast food, and it can even be advertised as cholesterol-free when cooked in vegetable oil.

Watch out for this crafty way of disguising it.

When eating out, ask your server or counter person what type of oil your food will be cooked in. 

If they do not know then ask to speak to someone who does know or go somewhere else.

If it’s partially hydrogenated oil, run the other way or ask if your food can be prepared using olive oil, which most restaurants have in stock.

If you are in any doubt at all then just walk away.

They will try and persuade you that it does not contain trans fat but that is only because they want you to buy from them.

I bet if you asked for a signed written statement on the companies stationary stating this, most would not do it because they know they could be sued if it turned out not to be true.

 Tomorrow I will be talking about monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, the good fats that your body needs.

Speak to you tomorrow.

Stephen Hart

 

 

 

Good and Bad Fats.

Hi Guys,

Today I am going to speak a bit about good and bad fats.

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All fats make you put on weight right?

WRONG. 

Some fats are actually essential for your body.

Let us first look at bad fats so we can put them to bed.

Bad fats increase cholesterol and your risk of certain diseases.

Check you note book for items in red.

These are the fats that must not be consumed.

They include things like:- baked potato chips, fat-free ice cream, low-fat candies, cookies, and cakes.

They have NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE  and just cause you to put on weight in the form of fat.

There are certain fats that are actually GOOD FOR YOU.

Let us looks at some of the myths about fat.

Myth: All fats are equal—and equally bad for you.

Fact: Saturated fats and trans fats are bad for you because they raise your cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease. 

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, lowering cholesterol and reducing your risk of heart disease.

Myth: Lowering the amount of fat you eat is what matters the most.

Fact: The mix of fats that you eat, rather than the total amount in your diet, is what matters most when it comes to your cholesterol and health. 

The key is to eat more good fats and less bad fats.

Myth: Fat-free means healthy.

Fact: A “fat-free” label doesn’t mean you can eat all you want without consequences to your waistline. 

Many fat-free foods are high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and calories.


Myth: Eating a low-fat diet is the key to weight loss.

Fact: The obesity rates for Americans have doubled in the last 20 years, coinciding with the low-fat revolution. 

Cutting calories is the key to weight loss, and since fats are filling, they can help curb overeating.

Myth: All body fat is the same.


Fact: Where you carry your fat matters. 

The health risks are greater if you tend to carry your weight around your abdomen, as opposed to your hips and thighs. 

A lot of belly fat is stored deep below the skin surrounding the abdominal organs and liver, and is closely linked to insulin resistance and diabetes.

Let us have a look at the different kinds of fat.

 
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are known as the “good fats” because they are good for your heart, your cholesterol, and your overall health. 

Saturated fats and trans fats are known as the “bad fats” because they increase your risk of disease and elevate cholesterol.

Appearance-wise, saturated fats and trans fats tend to be solid at room temperature (think of butter or traditional stick margarine), while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tend to be liquid (think of olive or corn oil).

• Try to eliminate trans fats from your diet. Check food labels for trans fats. Avoiding commercially-baked goods goes a long way. Also limit fast food.

 

• Limit your intake of saturated fats by cutting back on red meat and full-fat dairy foods. Try replacing red meat with beans, nuts, poultry, and fish whenever possible, and switching from whole milk and other full-fat dairy foods to lower fat versions.

 

• Eat omega-3 fats every day. Good sources include fish, walnuts, ground flax seeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, and soybean oil.

How much fat is too much?

How much fat is too much depends on your lifestyle, your weight, your age, and most importantly the state of your health. The USDA recommends that the average individual:

• Keep total fat intake to 20-35% of calories
• Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of your calories (200 calories for a 2000 calorie diet)
• Limit trans fats to 1% of calories (2 grams per day for a 2000 calorie diet)

 I think that is enough for one day.

Tomorrow I will be looking at how to reduce your bad fat intake.

Kind regards

Stephen Hart