Month: July 2011

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Weight Loss Exercise

Putting Definition in Your Leg Muscles



Some people are simply born with well-defined leg muscles ? and some of us have to work for them. There are a number of exercises that are specifically designed to sculpt and strengthen your leg muscles. These exercises usually combine fat-burning cardio to decrease body fat with strength training that exclusively targets the toning process of the leg muscles.

Putting Definition in Your Leg Muscles

Putting Definition in Your Leg Muscles

Putting Definition in Your Leg Muscles

Most leg-defining programs make use of aerobic exercises several times per week. Leg-strengthening exercises such as squats, lunges and calf raises will help to sculpt the major muscles in your legs.

Any sport that utilizes the leg muscles to the fullest will also help to strengthen and define the legs and give them those sexy curves that beg to be revealed with short skirts and shorts. Sports such as tennis, water or snow skiing and swimming are excellent methods for overall toning of your leg muscles.

All you really need to exercise your legs to the fullest are a treadmill (or simply take a brisk walk outside) and a workout bench (a yoga mat on the floor will do just as well). You can also add an exercise ball to the workout equipment to get the full effect of stretching those leg muscles.

Some of the best exercises to tone leg muscles

  • Squats – Bend at your knees, back straight and count to 10. Repeat 5 times.
  • Kicks – Laying, stomach down, on the exercise ball, kick upward 3 times with each leg.
  • Outer thigh lifts – Balance yourself with a chair and lift each leg outward 5 times each.

Of course exercise is critical in sculpting your leg muscles, but if you’re overweight you’ll need to reduce the body fat to achieve the lean, toned legs you want. Adopting a good fat-burning diet can also help you get the results you desire.

The best diet to burn fat and boost your metabolism is to simply make it a balanced one. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, limes and lemons. These fruits are high in Vitamin C, which can dilute fat so that it can be easily flushed from your body.

Other fruits, such as apples and berries can also boost your system so that you’re burning more fat. They contain “pectin,” which helps your body place boundaries on how much fat your cells can absorb. Remember to drink plenty of water to flush out the damaging toxins in your body during your quest to improve those leg muscles.

If you really work and concentrate on improving your legs — before you know it, you’ll be showing off those toned and tanned legs in shorts and mini-dresses.

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General Weight Loss Tips

And the Cycle Starts

If talk about PMS or hormones make you squeamish, you might want to skip this post because I’m about to lay it all out.

I have really bad PMS.

And I don’t think there are many women out there that talk about it. When I talk about PMS or period woes in general other women seem to give me a look that says “yeah? what’s new?” or a look that seems to say “deal with it” or “I can’t believe you’re complaining about PMS”.  Looks aside, I want to know that I’m not alone, so I write this here because sometimes when a doctor asks me why I have trouble with eating, I want to ask them…is there anything you can do about PMS?

And while I take full responsibilty for my actions. Food doesn’t just go from hand to mouth on it’s own- I find the forces of nature to be a huge struggle for me when it comes to weight loss.

Here’s what I mean…

You know that in the past two weeks I lost 10 pounds? I’ve documented my food on myfitnesspal.com and my thoughts here. For the past two weeks I’ve been indifferent to food. I took out the triggers and was seeing real results from it. I was going about my day working away at my desk and I would think “oh! I’m hungry. Time to eat…” and that was that. And then I’d go on without any obsessive thoughts about food.

And while taking out the triggers has helped (a lot) I can’t help but think that starting this new plan  during and right after my period made it that much easier. I was not battling hormones.

Here we are two weeks before my next period and I’m dealing with a strong desire to overeat. Part of me thinks “see this is what happens when you cut out delicious simple carbs! they come back and haunt you!” but I’m not and I wasn’t deprived. I eat what I want and what is delicious to me.

But this week, I want to eat everything in site. I’m bloated. I have feelings of hopelessness. I’m struggling with focus. I’m in the part of the cycle where it wouldn’t be just a taste of anything. One donut, or one slice of pizza would not satisfy me. It would need to be all or nothing.

And this is why losing weight is a struggle. For two weeks of the month, I could care less about food. I drop weight. 10 pounds is easy. And then hormone week stomps right on in. I’m retaining water. Before I know it I’m back up four pounds. And then I eat. And I’m back up another four pounds. And then I get sad and frustrated because yet again…I’ve lost and gained the same ten pounds– so then I eat. A day later I’m back right where I started. And this my friends, is my struggle. And I’ve never shared this portion of my issues.

For fear of advice, that “well, if you just did this…” or “if you weren’t doing that” or the “you’re doing it all wrong!” .

What I’ve decided to do is share. And that is right. I’ve also decided on an action plan. A two week action plan to get me through until I’m back to feeling normal about food.

It involves exercise, protein, fresh fruit and vegetables, plenty of sleep, journaling (lots of writing!), meditation and checking in with myself daily. I won’t let these two weeks derail my process. So what if I’m dealing with a little water bloat? It will go away and I will continue losing weight.

What I won’t do is bake, sneak around, or eat trigger foods. That’s the cycle.

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Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Effective Workout Routines for 6 Pack Abs




In order to get 6 pack abs you need to have a good workout routine that will fully develop your abdominal muscles. You must also motivate yourself to follow through with your 6 pack ab workout routine. Keep in mind, however, that no one will notice your ripped abs if they lie beneath a layer of fat. Men must lower their body fat to less than 10% and women to less than 14% if they want to show off their hard-earned six-pack abs.

Effective Workout Routines for 6 Pack Abs

Getting toned abs depends a lot on choosing the right workouts. The best 6 pack abs workout routines include crunches, sit ups and leg raises.

Don’t forget that you need to burn off fat to reveal your powerful abs. The most effective way to burn calories fast is to speed up your metabolism. Cardio exercises should be part of an effective 6 pack ab workout routine. You will also have to eat a balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, lean meats and low-fat dairy products.

Effective Workout Routines for 6 Pack Abs

6 pack abs

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Ab Workout Routine

If you want to develop 6 pack abs you must start with a good ab workout routine. You can find free ab workout routines on the internet. An effective workout routine for 6 pack abs targets all the major muscle groups on the trunk, namely the Rectus abdominis, Transverse abdominis, Pectoralis major, External oblique, and Internal oblique.

Some ab exercises require the use of an exercise ball or an ab bench. Other exercises can be done on the floor.

Your 6 pack ab workout routine can include the following exercises:

  • Hanging Leg or Knee Raise
  • Weighted Crunch on Exercise Ball or Ab Bench
  • Oblique Crunch
  • Back Extensions

The workout can be done once or twice a week. Always allow adequate rest between sessions. Don’t forget that your body repairs and builds muscle tissues while it is resting.

Cardio Workout

Cardio workout is essential in a 6 pack ab workout routine. Cardio or aerobic workouts are designed to boost your metabolism and burn fat. One of the best cardio exercises is interval training. Interval training or workout routines burn fat more efficiently.

The cardio workout for a 6 pack abs workout routine starts with a short warm up period. This is followed by 20 to 40 minutes of intense aerobic workout to burn fat. Interval training consists of 1 to 3 minutes of high intensity aerobic exercise followed by 1 to 3 minute intervals of recovery. End your cardio workout with a 5-minute cool down period.

For your cardio workout, you can run, jog or bike. You can also do your cardio exercise on a treadmill, elliptical trainer, or stationary bike.

It takes hard work and dedication to get ripped abs. Get started on your 6 pack abs workout routine today

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