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Akshay Kumar Diet and Fitness Secrets

2011-11-08T02:03:00.000-08:00

Akshay Kumar’s diet and fitness secrets are something that everyone would like to benefit from. You have seen him hosting the Kitchen Show Masterchef with aplomb. At 43, he looks so hot and fit that even guys half his age may get a complex. No wonder, he was looking absolutely perfect paired opposite Jiah Khan,22, in Housefull as he did with Raveena Tandon eons ago in Mohra. Let’s hear it from the man Akshay himself about fitness and diet tips

Akshay's diet regimen I'm more of a vegetarian, though it is not like I don't eat chicken. One thing about my diet is that I take my meals very early.
Lunch is at 11.30am or by noon and dinner by 7.00pm. It is a habit.

My strong point, on the other hand, has always been sports. I have been connected with the word "khiladi" ever since my schooldays.

I used to play volleyball and cricket. There was also a game called sqareball which was played only in our school, Don Bosco´s. No
other school knew it. It´s a very rough game in which you hit the opponent with a football and try to knock him down. Sometimes I
remember, boys used to fall flat on their faces and injure themselves.

Try and eat within 20 minutes of waking up. The most important thing to do in the morning is cleanse your body and boost your metabolism. Start with hot lime water. Then start with slow cardio so your body can immediately go into 'fat burning' mode.

You can never drink enough water. Tank up with healthy fluids so your body doesn't think your stomach is empty, it also helps you eat less at meal times.

Eat as often as possible. Keep the portions small. Make sure you are getting enough of carbs, proteins etc. Go for steamed, sauteed or grilled food instead of deep fried. Eating every two hours may seem boring but that's the only way to keep your metabolism high, burn fat and stay healthy. You should never go without food. If you starve yourself, your body goes into shock and stores the food you eat instead of burning it.

You don't have to be so strict on your diet, you just need to be sensible. Eat everything in moderation. If you restrict yourself from eating something you like, it won't be long before you lose control and start to binge. That's the biggest failure of all dieting techniques. Diets are a regime; they are not there to kill you, just to guide you.

Know when to stop If you are given a big plate of food, it doesn't mean you lick the plate clean. Eat in a small plate, take small bites and chew your food properly. Stop eating when you are feeling 70% full. In order to shrink your over sized stomach you must learn to eat little and often. Trust me, it's the best way.

Try to finish eating your meal at least two hours before bedtime. At night, your body is resting so it doesn't need a big meal. Ideally try and have your dinner no later than 7-8 pm. Soups, salads and veggies are perfect for dinner. Definitely no carbs (rice, bread) because your body will not burn them while you're sleeping. It'll only gift you the famous Indian paunch.

Build an all-sport body

2011-11-07T02:14:00.000-08:00

Lay the foundation for muscle growth with a versatile training tool – the power cage (also known as a squat rack). Most men shy away from the power cage, so you won’t have to wait in line to use it. You’ll improve your strength, mobility and endurance with this simple routine. Do the workout three times a week, resting for at least a day between sessions.

BARBELL DUCK-UNDER
Set a barbell at waist height on the supports of a power cage and stand with one hip next to it. Take a long step sideways and duck under the bar. Stand up on the other side and repeat the motion to return to the starting position. Repeat until you’ve passed under the bar eight to 10 times in each direction

REVERSE PUSH-UP
Sit on the floor under the barbell with your legs straight and grasp the bar with a shoulder-width grip. Hang so only your heels touch the floor. Pull your shoulderblades together and bend your arms to pull your chest to the bar. Pause at your highest point, then lower yourself. Aim for eight to 10 reps.

FRONT SQUAT TO SHOULDER PRESS
Load the barbell with a weight you can press overhead eight times. Holding the bar on the front of your shoulders, bend at the hips and knees. Pause when your thighs are parallel to the floor (or lower) and then press up and push the bar overhead. Lower the bar to your shoulders. Do eight reps.

PULL-UP TO HANGING LEG RAISE
Grab the pull-up bar at the top of the cage with your palms facing forward. Pull yourself up until your upper chest is as close to the bar as possible. Holding that position, bend your legs and bring your knees in towards your chest. Lower your legs, then lower your body to the starting position. Aim for six to eight reps.

The Perfect Day of Weight Loss

2011-11-07T01:51:00.000-08:00

You can always use your time better.

Boost metabolism, burn kilojoules and torch your belly for 24 hours with these secrets

7:00am
Wake up and do two minutes of star jumps, high knee skips, push-ups or crunches

7:15am
Have two scrambled eggs on a slice of bacon. A 2009 study from Purdue University in the US found that a high-protein breakfast makes people feel fuller throughout the day, so they're less likely to overeat

7:45am
Hit the gym, and lower weights slowly. Taking three seconds to lower weights during full-body resistance training can rev your metabolism for up to three days, according to a study from Wayne State University in the US. (Study participants used a challenging weight for five sets of six reps for each exercise.)

9:00am
Chug some milk. A diet with plenty of calcium-rich dairy can enhance weight loss, according to a 2007 study of overweight people.

10:00am
Grab a protein-rich snack, like half a turkey sandwich on multi-grain bread with Swiss cheese. In a Georgia State University study, athletes who ate three 1050-kilojoule snacks a day were more likely to lose body fat and have more energy then those who didn't.

11:00am
Walk briskly around the office for a while. A recent study from Mayo Clinic in the US found that lean people walk an average of 5.6 kilometres per day more than obese people do.

1:00pm
For lunch, eat a baby spinach salad with smoked salmon and almond slices. All contain magnesium, a metabolism-friendly mineral.

2:00am
If your meeting is with just one or two people, do it West Wing style, walking the halls as you talk.

4:00pm
Down a cup of green tea. According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, the catechins in green tea decrease body fat.

5:00pm
Have another mini-meal - and make it fiery. According to a 2006 study review, spicy foods help burn fat and kilojoules.

7:00pm
Take a short walk before dinner.

7:30pm
Eat dinner. If you ate lightly today, don't worry about a heavier meal now: "It doesn't matter when you fuel up; it's how much fuel you put in the tank," says Dr Gary Foster, director of the Centre for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in the US.

9:30pm
Grab a good book (or magazine!), pop in some tunes, and relax. Stress jacks up your levels of cortisol, a chemical that boosts abdominal fat.

10:30pm
Draw your shades so the sun won't rouse you early. According to a 2008 review, losing sleep affects the hormones that turn your appetite on and off, making you feel less satisfied by food and hungrier overall.

A Beach Body: Bingo

2011-11-07T01:37:00.000-08:00

Add explosive power to your arsenal this season with these four total-body drills

Perform these moves in order, resting only as long as it takes to set up between exercises. Then break for 30 seconds and repeat the circuit once or twice. Rest a day between sessions, but stay active outside the gym.

Stair Shuttle

Stand at the bottom of a staircase. Place one foot on the first step, with your opposite arm slightly bent in front of you and your other arm behind your torso and slightly bent, as if you're ready to sprint up the staircase. Begin switching your feet and arms so you're sprinting in place. Go as fast as you can for 30 seconds.

Crab-Walk Pushup

Assume the classic pushup position. Perform a pushup, then squeeze your abs forcefully and slide your left leg and left arm out to the side as far as possible. Do another pushup, then bring your right arm and leg over so you're back in the starting position. That's one repetition. Do two or three reps in each direction.

Agility Run

Place three cones or small objects 5 yards apart in a straight line. The first marker is your starting point. Sprint to the nearest cone and back. Then sprint to the farthest cone and back. That's one repetition. Rest 10 seconds and repeat for five reps. Mix it up to include backpedals, side shuffles, and skips.

Interrupted Pullups

With an overhand grip, place your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart on a bar. Pull your chin over the bar, then lower slowly. Perform two or three pullups, then rest for 10 seconds. Continue this sequence until you can no longer complete two pullups

Beach Body Workout

2011-11-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

Burn fat and tone your trouble spots in 4 weeks.

5 Body-Sculpting Rules for Faster Results

Stand tall
To maintain your posture (read: beautify your body in seconds), keep your chest open, shoulders down and back, head level, and spine long.

Contract your core
Engage your abs, back, and obliques (side torso muscles), keeping them taut at all times.

Keep your muscles active
Focus on contracting the muscles you're working throughout the move.

Remember, quality beats quantity
Perform only as many reps as you can do with good form. As soon as you get sloppy, call it quits.

Perfect your breath
Inhale and exhale deeply and evenly throughout each move. Don't hold your breath or gasp for air.

Calorie-Sizzling Cardio Plan

To get a beach-ready body, "you need to bounce the heart rate--get it out of your comfort zone for short bursts," says Jan Griscom, an elite trainer at Chelsea Piers in New York City. By turning up the intensity in short bouts, you'll burn about 40 percent more calories than you would if you worked out at a moderate but even intensity.

This cardio plan works with any type of aerobic exercise, including walking, cycling, and swimming. For the best results, do this 25-minute routine 4 or 5 days a week and choose activities that target your most troublesome body part. To slim your hips and thighs, try walking on hilly terrain, inline skating, or cycling. For belly-flattening cardio, choose rowing or swimming.

Warm up by performing your activity of choice at an easy intensity for 4 minutes, gradually increasing your effort to a moderate intensity level of 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10 for another minute. (1 is not much harder than reading; at level 10 you're running so hard that you can't speak.) From there, ramp up and perform the following bounce intervals at an intensity of 7 to 9:

30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds. Between each bounce interval, recover for 1 minute at level 5 or 6. Cool down for 4 minutes when you're done.
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Beach Body Workout

2011-11-06T23:29:00.000-08:00

Burn fat and tone your trouble spots in 4 weeks.

Ballet Lifts

(Trims hips, glutes, and thighs)

A. Stand straight with hands on hips (or one on a wall for balance), heels together, and toes and knees turned out to sides as far as comfortably possible. Keeping torso and hips steady, brush right foot against ground as you lift right leg (toes pointed) straight out in front as far as possible without moving hips. Return to start.

B. Using same technique, lift leg out to side. Return to start.

C. Lift leg behind you. Return to start; that's one rep. Do 3 reps. Switch legs and repeat.

Ball Hug

(Sculpts chest and shoulders)

Hold large, firm beach ball (or exercise ball) between hands. Lift breastbone, contract chest muscles, and squeeze ball as firmly as possible for a count of 5. Release ball slightly, then squeeze again. Do 16 reps.

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Beach Body Workout

2011-11-06T23:28:00.000-08:00

Burn fat and tone your trouble spots in 4 weeks.

Beach Ball Squeeze

(Slims inner thighs)

Lie on back with arms at sides. Place large, firm beach ball (or exercise ball) between legs and raise legs until perpendicular to body. Feet should be flexed and legs bent slightly. Using inner thigh muscles, slowly squeeze into the ball for a count of 4. Pause, then slowly "unsqueeze" to a count of 4, without completely releasing tension. Do 10 reps.

Bridge

(Shapes glutes and hamstrings)

A. Lie on back with arms at sides, knees bent, and feet flat on ground, about hip-width apart. Contract glutes and lift hips up toward the sky to form a straight diagonal line from shoulders to knees. Straighten right leg and extend it toward sky.

B. Lower hips 2 to 3 inches, then press into left foot, contract glutes, and lift hips back up. (Right leg remains in air the entire time.) Do 10 short lifts. Then switch sides and repeat. (If too challenging, start by performing move with both feet flat on ground.)

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Rear-End Crunch

2011-11-06T23:27:00.000-08:00

This move is a double-whammy for your backside. Pinpointing both the hamstrings and butt, this exercise strengthens the muscles you use every time your walk or run. This move uses a small dumbbell held between your ankles to heighten the effects of a basic double-leg kick often practiced in Pilates. Be sure to press your hips into the floor to alleviate strain on your lower back.

Carefully hold a light dumbbell (3 to 5 pounds) between your feet or, for greater safety, use ankle weights. Lie facedown with your forehead resting on your hands, palms down, elbows pointing out to the sides, and legs extended.

Press your hips into the floor and bend your knees until your calves are perpendicular to your thighs. (Be sure to squeeze feet together so as not to drop the dumbbell.) Next, tighten your glutes and lift your knees off the floor as high as comfortably possible (not shown). Hold for 3 seconds, then return to start

Beach Body Workout

2011-11-06T23:24:00.000-08:00

Burn fat and tone your trouble spots in 4 weeks.

Plank Twist
(Whittles waistline)

A. Sit on left hip with legs to side and right foot just in front of left. Place left hand on ground beneath left shoulder and right hand on right leg.

B. In one motion, contract obliques (side torso muscles), lift hips off ground, and sweep right arm overhead, so body forms a diagonal line. Hold for two breaths, then slowly lower. Do 4 reps. Switch sides and repeat.

Hit-the-beach shortcut This pre-photo shoot trick from swimsuit models will give your body and confidence an instant pick-me-up. Do two or three of your favorite Bikini Shape-Up moves before you slip into your swimsuit, then grab your towel and glow.

Leg Pull-Back

(Tightens abs and glutes)

A. Assume push-up position with hands directly beneath shoulders and legs straight.

B. Keeping abs tight and torso stable, contract glutes, and raise left leg 6 to 12 inches. Hold for two breaths, then lower. Do 8 reps. Switch legs and repeat.

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Stomach Exercises

2011-11-06T23:23:00.000-08:00

Side Crunch

1. Lay on the floor as if you were doing regular crunches. Starting at your waist, turn your legs completely to the left side. Place your hands behind your head for support.

2. Lift your head up slightly off the ground as if you were doing a regular crunch

3. Lower your head back down so it almost touches the ground. After desired number of reps is achieved, repeat exercise on other side.

Tip: To avoid bending your neck forward and straining it, try keeping your eyes on the ceiling while doing the crunches.

Beach Body Workout

2011-11-06T23:20:00.000-08:00

Burn fat and tone your trouble spots in 4 weeks.

Curl Down-Curl Up
(Tones abs)

A. Sit with legs bent, feet flat on ground, and arms extended at chest height. Lift breastbone to sit tall.

B. Using abs for control, slowly roll down one vertebra at a time, allowing spine to curve naturally and arms to come overhead as you lie back onto the ground. Slowly curl back up. Do 8 reps.

Extensions
(Firms lower back and glutes)

A. Lie facedown with hands at sides. Keeping head and neck in straight line, lift chest 2 to 4 inches off ground. Hips and tops of feet should stay anchored. Hold for two breaths, then slowly lower. Do 8 reps.

B. With toes pointed, contract glutes and hamstrings and lift and extend both legs 6 to 12 inches off ground. Hold for two breaths, then slowly lower. Do 8 reps.

C. Lift chest and legs simultaneously, balancing on pelvis. Hold for two breaths, then slowly lower. Do 8 reps.

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Beach Body Workout

2011-11-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

Burn fat and tone your trouble spots in 4 weeks.

It's time for sun, fun, and, if you're like millions of women, stress. Despite dozens of figure-flattering swimsuit styles, one-third of women still find bathing suit season so distressing they refuse to be seen in one, according to an MSNBC survey of about 30,000 women. That's why this summer, Prevention's got your back and your front and your love handles covered with our fast Beach Body Workout. This two-part plan includes exercises to tone all your trouble spots and a cardio routine to melt away fat so you can enjoy the body-baring season without worry.

The Bikini Shape-Up moves will firm you up and boost your overall body confidence. In a study of nearly 80 women, University of Houston and Old Dominion University researchers found that after just 6 weeks of strength training, women rated themselves as more attractive and had less anxiety about their figures.

"These moves target those 'bathing suit muscles' that you don't want to think about until you have to put them on display," says Howard Schissler, a body-sculpting and Pilates instructor at Chelsea Piers in New York City, who helped design this workout.

And the Calorie-Sizzling Cardio routine will speed up your results so you can uncover with confidence in just 4 weeks.

Bikini Shape-Up
These exercises work every muscle from your shoulders to your thighs. Do this 30-minute routine 3 days a week on nonconsecutive days. Complete two or three sets of each exercise, performing the specified number of reps before going on to the next move.

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Spine of the Times

2011-11-06T23:18:00.000-08:00

Teen TV viewing is to blame for boom in back pain.

Think kids grow up fast these days? Here's proof: A Norwegian study found that nearly 60 percent of 15-year-olds complained of having had chronically achy backs during the preceding year.

Those who planted themselves in front of the TV or computer for 15 hours a week or more were three times as likely to have lower-back pain as their more active counterparts (the average American teen watches 3 hours of telly a day). "They sit with their low back flexed--really hunched over--for hours," explains lead researcher Astrid Noreng Sjolie, PhD, a consultant at the University of Bergen.

Kids who walk or ride their bikes at least 1 mile daily can cut their back pain in half; those activities give still-developing spines a chance to stretch out.

Every Body Benefits from Pilates

2011-11-06T23:08:00.000-08:00

Try these beginner ab exercises

Lower Ab Strengthener This exercise prepares your lower abs--the lower end of your rectus abdominis, a traditional weak spot in women particularly after pregnancy--for tougher Pilates work that follows.

You should feel the impact of these moves mostly in your lower abs and groin, not your ribs and upper abs. Before lifting your hips, tighten and pull the muscles in your groin up, as if you were holding a penny between your legs in your groin area. Then press your navel down. Doing just those two movements will strengthen your abs, even if your hips don't noticeably rise. Also, remember to relax your head into your fingertips and keep your elbows out of sight.

A. Lie with your back on the floor and position a pillow or cushion under your hips and buttocks for added support. Raise your legs and bend your knees, crossing your legs at the ankles. Place your hands behind your head. Your elbows should be out to the sides.

B. Press your abs toward your spine and exhale as you curl your hipbones toward your ribs, initiating the movement with your lower abs. Inhale as you lower your hips. Repeat. More Challenging Lower Ab Strengthener If you can do the first variation easily, try this one.

A. Lie with your back on the floor, your hands down at your sides, and a pillow or cushion held between your thighs and calves. Lengthen your body from the crown of your head to your tailbone.

B. Press your abs toward your spine and exhale as you curl your hipbones toward your ribs. Inhale as you lower your hips. Repeat.

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Every Body Benefits from Pilates

2011-11-06T23:04:00.000-08:00

Try these beginner ab exercises

Your Feet

Some moves require you to flex your feet. Others require you to point, or extend them. When flexing your feet, press through your heels to create length in your body, but keep your toes straight, not curled back toward your shins. When pointing your toes, create length by extending through your big toe, but don't overpoint, or overextend, by curling your toes toward your arches.

Your Neck

Don't arch your neck. Whether sitting or lying in position to do Pilates, you want a long neck. Concentrate on lengthening through the crown of your head and tuck your chin toward your neck slightly. Basic Ab Strengthener The benefits of this exercise are increased circulation as well as stronger abs, particularly your upper abs. Resist the tendency to work your upper body in this exercise. Relax your arms, and don't use them to pull your head and shoulders up. If your shoulders rise less than an inch, that's okay. Just do your best.

A. Lie with your back on the floor and your head and neck supported by a pillow or cushion. Your knees should be bent with your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows out to the sides.

B. Press your abs down to your spine and exhale as you curl your ribs toward your hipbones. Inhale as you lower to the floor. Keep your navel flat throughout the exercise. Repeat.

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Every Body Benefits from Pilates

2011-11-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

Try these beginner ab exercises

The Basics

Every Pilates movement--when done correctly--starts in your core (abdomen), stays in your core, and ends in your core. A strong core:

Allows a gymnast to hold a handstand and a yogi to hold a headstand
Allows the martial artist to kick through a board and a dancer to leap into the air
Puts more oomph in your tennis swing, more speed to your run, and more control in your ski slalom
Creates power in your midsection and shrinks middle-age spread, helping you to accomplish goals you never before dreamed possible

That's why it's so important that you learn how to move from your core before you attempt any Pilates routine. If you lose the core emphasis, you lose many of the benefits of Pilates. To understand what I'm talking about, try this simple exercise, which I call "zipping up your abs":

Zipping Up Your Abs

Lie back on the floor, with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor, and your back slightly arched, as shown on the left. Focus on your pelvic area and your lower abdomen, below the belly button. Pull those muscles up and inward, as if you were zipping up a corset. This upward and inward motion will bring your belly button toward your spine as well as lengthen your torso, creating more space between your ribs and hips.

Notice how you've slightly lifted your pelvis and flattened your back but still have a slight neutral curve in your lower back, as shown on the right. Take note of the length in your core. Memorize this sensation.

Imagine that zipper again. Now try to zip yourself up even tighter, lengthening as the imaginary zipper comes up your midsection, almost squeezing yourself taller. This is how you want to feel during every Pilates exercise.

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Every Body Benefits from Pilates

2011-11-06T22:54:00.000-08:00

Try these beginner ab exercises

Possibly one of the most exciting aspects of Pilates is that anyone can do it, and everyone can achieve amazing results. Because there's no bouncing, jarring, or stress to your body, Pilates offers the ideal form of exercise for people who, because of joint pain or muscle weakness, shy away from exercise.

It's also convenient. You don't need any heavy, expensive equipment, and you can do Pilates anywhere, anytime. Some of the routines take less than 10 minutes, making Pilates the perfect form of exercise for anyone who finds there's not enough time in the day for exercise. You have 10 minutes to strengthen your abs and back, don't you? You'll start to see and feel results in as few as 10 sessions.

Just some of the many ways you can benefit from doing Pilates regularly include:

A Healthy, Supple Spine Pilates gives more support to your spine, creating space between each vertebra. That extra space not only makes you appear taller, it also creates more mobility, transforming your spine from a stiff rod into a supple string of pearls. This new suppleness prevents degenerative spinal problems, such as slipped disks. It also helps you move with more grace and ease.

Kinder, Gentler Conditioning If you're out of shape, Pilates provides a wonderful way to ease into any kind of fitness plan. Pilates puts no stress on your joints and no wear and tear on your ligaments and cartilage around your joints, especially your knee and shoulder joints. It conditions your muscles in a balanced way and increases your self-awareness by drawing your focus inward. In reality, Pilates is very rehabilitative. It's almost like going to physical therapy sessions. In fact, unlike other forms of exercise, you can safely do Pilates every day without overstressing your muscles or joints. To see results, however, you need to do Pilates only three times a week. But you have to be consistent. That's the key. Improved Mental Outlook and Increased Motivation Pilates benefits your emotional health. The smooth, steady movements quiet your mind and soothe your nervous system. As you lengthen and strengthen your muscles, you'll improve your circulation and whisk tension away. Each workout will leave you feeling calm, balanced, and rejuvenated. Focus on letting the tension go, and you'll be on the path to a healthier body inside and out.

Better Balance, More Coordination In your 40s, balance starts to deteriorate as your muscles weaken and your nerve receptors lose sensitivity. Pilates reverses this aging process by stabilizing your core. Pilates works the small, deep muscles needed to keep your body steady when walking and your spine both supple and strong.

Less Pain and Stiffness If you suffer from osteoarthritis pain, you'll find that lengthening your body through Pilates will help soothe the soreness. Appropriate exercise is vital to managing arthritis, because it increases flexibility for stretches and reduces pain and fatigue. Stretching helps pump vital nutrients to your muscles and tendons, which help keep them healthy and minimize your risk of injury. It also stimulates the production of joint lubricants (synovial fluid) and prevents adhesions. As circulation increases, your legs, back, neck, and shoulders loosen up, relieving aches and stiffness. Pilates also leads to subtle posture improvements, which will also eliminate tension, driving away headaches, backaches, neck aches, and other aches and pains.

Faster Return to Prepregnancy Figure Many women who have given birth ask me how I got my lower tummy so flat after I had my two kids. It doesn't take that much time, but if you do a few moves on a regular basis, you will see results. Muscles have a beautiful memory. They will bounce back with just a little toning.

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Breast exercise tips for men

2011-11-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

More and more body-conscious teens want surgery to reduce their man boobs - proving it's not just women who struggle with their body shapes.

While girls get bingo wings, muffin tops and cankles, boys suffer too.

Here Fit Squad 's Nicki Waterman reveals how lads can combat moobs, boy bingo wings and male muffin tops with a handy workout guide.

Manage your moobs

To minimise moobs, cut back on sugar-laden foods and refined carbs like white bread that raise blood sugar levels. Also cut down booze consumption and saturated fats while boosting your activity level.

Weight training will firm up your chest, but you'll also need to do some aerobic exercise to burn calories.

Do something that raises your heart rate for 45 minutes, five times a week. Try running, swimming or football.

Use these toning exercises to give your chest a pick-me-up:

PUSH-UPS

Start by lying on the floor face down. Put your hands by your sides, with your arms bent and in line with your ears. Slowly lift yourself onto your toes and push your arms to lift your body as far as you can, keeping your back straight. Lower and repeat until you start to feel the burn. Do three sets of 10. For a more intense workout place you hands wider apart, this will stretch the pecs more.

CHEST PRESS

Lie on an inclined bench, with a dumbbell in either hand. Begin with dumbbells resting beside your chest, with palms facing forward, then lift them up and together in a triangle shape so they meet in the middle above your chest. Breathe out as you lift, in as you bring the weights back down.

Beat boy bingo wings

To reduce arm wobble, you need to pump some serious iron. If you can't get to the gym, try these simple exercises at home.

TRICEP DIPS

Sit with your hands close to your body, gripping the bench or chair. Stretch your legs and slide off bending your knees slightly. Once in position, bend your elbows, lowering your body as low as you can whilst you breathe in. Now raise your body by straightening your elbows, exhaling as you come up. Remember to keep your back straight at all times, always looking ahead. Do three sets of ten.

DUMBBELL CURLS

Stand upright, with a weight in each hand. Curl one weight at a time towards your chest. Pivot using your elbows which should be in line with your hips. The strain should be entirely on your bicep. Slowly lower the weight each time you curl. Repeat the exercise ten times, switch sides and do three sets of ten on each side.

Remove male muffin tops

THE CRUNCH (for upper abs)

Lie on your back with your knees bent and the balls of your feet placed flat on the ground. With your abdominals clenched, raise your torso off the floor until reaching the crunch position. Hold your ears for balance. Do three sets of ten and work up.

THE LEG SWING (for lower abs)

Lie on your back and tense your ab muscles. Keeping your legs completely straight, inhale and raise both your legs up over your body. Exhale as you lower your legs and stop when they are four inches from the ground. On the fifth repetition, hold the position for five seconds. Do three sets of ten.

Better Habits, Better Results

2011-11-05T23:16:00.000-07:00

You probably first learned how to build muscle and lose fat by watching other guys in your gym. Some of them got it right, others definitely did not. Still, you made some gains, and now you're looking to be one of the guys others come to for counsel.

Well, embrace these six simple nutrition and diet fixes—in most cases, minor tweaks to already good ideas that make a big difference—and you'll build muscle and burn fat even more effectively. You'll be one step closer to being the gold standard in the gym.

1) WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW:
Drinking a cup of coffee before you work out.

DO IT BETTER:Switch to green tea. A recent review of 15 studies found that the combo of green tea extract and caffeine resulted in greater weight loss compared to caffeine alone. In addition to helping you get leaner, green tea may also wind up making you healthier since it is also filled with a wealth of disease-busting, anti-aging antioxidants. Shoot for three to five cups daily.

THE BOOST:
Burning an additional 3,500 to 10,000 calories in a month

2) WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW:
Training for higher testosterone.

DO IT BETTER:
Use a supplement. Lifting heavy on compound exercises like the bench press increases your body's production of testosterone, but research from the University of Connecticut has shown that taking two grams per day of L-carnitine (a common amino acid found naturally in the body) prior to working out may also help to increase the number of testosterone receptors in your muscles. More receptors mean more places for testosterone in your system to "bind," assisting with recovery and muscle growth.

THE BOOST:
An increase of up to 13% in testosterone receptors.

3) WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW:
Cutting back on high-carb foods.

DO IT BETTER:
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Don't be afraid to pile fresh fruits and veggies on your plate, even though they have carbs. A Penn State study found that a 12-month diet rich in fruits and veggies led to greater overall weight loss than many low-fat diets.

THE BOOST:
An additional 5 to 10 pounds of fat loss each year.

4) WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW:
Pounding a post-workout shake.

DO IT BETTER:
Drink the shake before you train. Post-workout shakes get nutrients to hungry muscles, fueling growth. However, you may be able to jumpstart your muscle growth and recovery (and have more energy for training) by chugging your drink on your way to the gym. Research from the University of Texas shows that getting an extra shot of nutrients before you work out channels more amino acids to your muscles, setting you up for even bigger muscle gains.

THE BOOST:
A 79% increase in the uptake of the amino acids used to build muscle immediately after each workout.

5) WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW:
Taking creatine for muscle growth and strength.

DO IT BETTER:
Pair it with beta-alanine. Creatine can give your muscles energy to crank out an extra rep or two, but combining it with the amino acid beta-alanine may make your supplement regimen even more effective. Recent studies show that beta-alanine may help quell the lactic acid burn your muscles experience when lifting, allowing you to do more reps. Shoot for six grams daily on workout days.

THE BOOST:
You'll delay fatigue during a hard set, so you'll get more reps overall, increasing the exercise's stimulus.

6) WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW:
Avoiding the scale when trying to lose weight.

DO IT BETTER:
Weigh yourself regularly. Some experts say how your clothes fit is a better indicator of progress. But a 2008 review of 11 studies found that men and women who weighed themselves at least once per week lost more weight (between three and six pounds in three months) and kept it off longer than people who rarely weighed in. Whether the scale kept them accountable, or simply moreaware of what they were eating, wasn't clear, but the results were.

THE BOOST:
Better tracking of your goals and more consistent weight loss.

The 7 Grossest Gym Germs

2011-11-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

Being a fitness buff and a germaphobe is not a good combination. If you're wondering why, it's because your local gym is positively swimming with bacteria, fungus and other things that make you go "ah-choo" in the night. But fear not! Before you buy a containment suit and set your gym membership card on fire, rest assured that these common germs are easily avoided and much less frightening than they sound. Which is why we've provided a handy list of germs that have been found in gyms, what they actually are (in English) and how you can get them. So spray and wipe down machines before and after you use them, lay a towel down before you lay your ass down on a bench, invest in a pair of shower flip-flops, change out of your sweaty gym duds as soon as you're done with your workout, and, most importantly, wash your hands before you stick them up your nose and in your mouth like a filthy toddler and you won't have to worry about these microscopic critters.

(HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS) What is it? Human Papillomavirus is a virus that you probably know as HPV. It's the most common sexually transmitted disease... but that doesn't mean sex is the only way you get it.

Symptoms HPV usually causes genital warts in both men and women. It can also cause warts in the throat and mouth and even on the feet (known as plantar warts). If untreated, it can lead to cervical cancer in women and (shudder) penile and anal cancer in men. It also results in the inability to land a date ever again.
How do you get it? You can pick it up plantar warts from walking around barefoot in bathrooms and showers.

How do you treat it? There's no actual cure for HPV, but there are prescriptions to treat outbreaks.

(KLEBSIELLA) What is it? A bacteria that is usually found in healthy human intestines and stool.

Symptoms Klebsiella can result in a variety of infections, most commonly urinary tract infections and pneumonia, but in rarer cases blood infections and meningitis. The type of infection you get depends on how it enters your body (i.e. through your nose results in pneumonia).

How do you get it? It's spread through contact, so any shared surfaces--cardio machines, workout mats, weights, water fountains and locker rooms--are fair game.

How do you treat it? Different varieties of Klebsiella are resistant to certain antibiotics, so it can be difficult to treat, but the right antibiotic will clear it up.

E. COLI What is it? Escherichia Coli, commonly known as E. Coli, is a common bacterium found in the intestines and stool of animals. It's infamous for almost putting Jack in the Box out of business in 1993.

Symptoms E. coli infections cause cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and can lead to pneumonia.

How do you get it? You usually get it from eating contaminated food, but it's possible to catch it from tainted gym surfaces.

How do you treat it? Most healthy people just need to drink a lot of water and wait for the gut-wrenching symptoms to pass, but if it escalates, get your ass to a hospital. Children, the elderly and people with compromised immune symptoms are especially at risk.

(STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS) What is it? Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as staph, is a bacteria that mostly causes skin infections.

Symptoms Staph infections are usually mild and include superficial rashes, pimples and/or boils on your skin. However, if the bacteria spreads and gets deeper into your skin, it can become a life-threatening infection such as pneumonia, sepsis or meningitis. Recently there have been reports of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a very aggressive form of Staph that's resistant to antibiotics, in gyms, but it's extremely rare.

How do you get it? It's spread through contact, so it can be picked up through a shared towel or razor, exercise equipment surfaces and grips or skin-to-skin contact.

How do you treat it? A course of antibiotics should do the trick.

(CANDIDA) What is it? The most common culprit in fungal infections, this yeast-like fungus can lead to everything from athlete's foot to ringworm to jock itch in men and yeast infections in women.

How do you get it? Contact. It loves warm, moist areas, so locker rooms, saunas, swimming pools and showers are the perfect environment to pick up some tasty foot fungus.

Symptoms Ringworm is usually marked by ring-shaped skin rashes, usually on your toes, sometimes on your palms and between your fingers. Athlete's foot gives you itchy, cracked, flaking and peeling skin between the toes or side of the foot, while jock itch causes a rash in your groin. If it's untreated, it can escalate to blisters and severely cracked skin.

How do you treat it? Antifungal creams, but if it escalates into an infection, antibiotics will do the trick.

(STREPTOCOCCAL BACTERIA) What is it? A type of bacteria that usually causes upper respiratory infections--strep throat. There are 20 different types of strep bacteria

How do you get it? It's very contagious and is spread through person-to-person contact, airborne droplets, doorknobs and other surfaces. Sweaty exercise equipment, saunas, locker rooms and drinking bottles can harbor strep.

Symptoms Symptoms can range from mild throat infections to pneumonia. It can also cause skin infections such as impetigo, which causes blisters, and cellulitis, which affects deeper layers of skin.

How do you treat it? Antibiotics, although minor strep infections, such as a throat and inner ear infections, usually get better on their own. Skin infections are treated with antibiotic tablets or creams, and more serious infections like pneumonia and meningitis require hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics.

(INFLUENZA) What is it? You probably call it the flu. It's a virus, which causes a nose, throat and lung infection that makes you feel like crap for a few days.

How do you get it? Through the air, so contained areas like airplanes, movie theaters and gyms are a great place to catch it. Breathe in the droplets from someone's coughs or sneezes, or get the virus on your hands and touch your mouth, nose, or eyes.

Symptoms Fever, body aches, coughing, sneezing, chills, dizziness, flushed face, headache, lack of energy and, sometimes, nausea and vomiting that lasts between four and seven days.
How do you treat it? There's no cure for the flu, but over the counter drugs help alleviate symptoms. Otherwise, your best bet is a healthy dose of rest, chicken soup, bad television, fluids and self-loathing.

8 Ways to Get an Early Morning Edge

2011-11-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

As a man living in a hectic and highly competitive world, it's not enough to establish proficiency in one or two aspects of life. You need to take a more holistic approach if you hope to gain that all-important edge. That's why we've put together a panel of experts to give you some quick and easy tips in the fields of meditation, brain health, physical fitness, and nutrition—soul, mind, and body. By incorporating their expertise into your morning routine, you'll be on your way to a happier, healthier, and more productive life. Our experts are: Mas Vidal, the founder and director of Dancing Shiva Yoga and Ayurveda (DSYA) in Los Angeles; Cynthia R. Green, Ph. D, a leading expert in memory fitness and brain health, and the author of the forthcoming book 30 Days to Total Brain Health; and Mark Sisson, the bestselling author of The Primal Blueprint and 21 Day Total Body Transformation and one of the most ripped 58-year-olds you'll ever meet. SOUL Relax, lower your blood pressure and improve your concentration with these quick and easy breathing techniques.

Step 1: Mas Vidal's Three-part Breathing Exercise (two-three minutes) Choose a quite place, and take a seat. When you're ready, breathe in while silently counting to seven. At the top of the inhalation, hold your breath for a count of seven. Then slowly exhale for a count of seven. Repeat the cycle for two to three minutes, increasing or decreasing the count depending on your breath capacity. According to Mas, this exercise will relax your body and mind, lower your blood pressure, and improve your concentration.

Step 2: Mas Vidal's Tensing and Relaxing Exercise (less than a minute) Remain seated, and take a long, deep breath. Hold your breath at the top and tense your body completely for three seconds. Then open your mouth, exhale, and completely release all tension in your body. This exercise will improve your concentration and release tension and anxiety—a good way to begin the day. MIND Boost your brain's performance by challenging yourself to think outside the box and maintain focus

Step 3: Dr. Green's Tips for Better Brain Health (no extra time) On Monday, wear your watch upside down. On Tuesday, brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand (i.e. if you're right handed, use your left hand). Have an early conference call on Wednesday? Then doodle while listening in. On Thursday, eat your breakfast with you non-dominant hand. On Friday, tune in to a foreign radio station while getting ready for work. Whatever you do, make sure to throw your brain a little curve ball. According to Dr. Green, when we challenge our brains, we force our neurons to make new connections (and doodling helps improve the brain's capacity for attention and memory).

Step 4: Dr. Green's Focus Challenge (no extra time) Rather than rushing through your morning meal and thinking about work, family, or the news, focus on the food before you. What does it look like? How does it smell? How does it taste? What does it feel like in your mouth? What does it sound like as you chew? This is a form of mindfulness meditation. By focusing your attention on your immediate experience, you'll improve your memory and begin to function at a higher level. (Note: this can be done with nearly any experience, not just breakfast.)

(BODY FITNESS) Step 5: Mark Sisson's Quick and Intense Workout (30 minutes or less, three days a week) You can complete most of these workouts in about 20 minutes and you won't need a gym. Using only your body weight, you can do all of your workouts at home, in your hotel, or at the nearest park. Complete two intense body weight exercises per week and one sprinting session per week, to maximize results

Body Weight Exercise Option 1: Burpees This is the simplest workout and you can do it in your living room. Start in the standing position, shoot down to a squatting position with your hands on the ground, thrust back into a pushup position, do a pushup, and jump back into a standing position. Repeat that 20 to 35 times, with little to no rest in between, and you have yourself a quick and effective workout. You can do this twice a week—once before work on Monday and once before work on Friday.

Body Weight Exercise Option 2: 50-50-12 This one's a bit more demanding. It requires three sets of 50 pushups, 50 squats and 12 pull-ups with little to no rest in between. Sisson calls this his "hotel" workout because even if your hotel room doesn't have a pull-up bar, you can do it in the stairwell using the top step (above your head).

Body Weight Exercise Option 3: Three-Two-One The most demanding of the bunch, this one requires 300 pushups, 200 squats and 100 pull-ups. Do as many as you can in each category, and then move on to the next, repeating the cycle until you've reached your target numbers. You can feel free to adjust the numbers according to your ability. So if you can only do 100 pushups, then do 60 to 65 squats and 30 to 35 pull-ups. You can mix it up with some lunges and burpees. And for rest, you can stand up, shake it out and pace around for up to 40 seconds.Sprints If you don't have a park to run in, a stationary bike, elliptical, or treadmill will suffice. The concept is simple: 20 to 30 seconds of all-out sprint followed by 30 seconds of rest, repeated six to eight times. With a little warm up and cool down, it will only take about 20 minutes of your time. But if that sounds too easy, try 45 to 60 second sprints with up to two-minute rests in between. That should get your blood pumping. Do this once a week.

(BODY NUTRITION) Step 6: Mark Sisson's Breakfast of Champions (30 minutes or less) If you're on the go, you can make yourself a quick breakfast shake using only whey protein powder, coconut milk and almonds, or simply heat up some leftover meat from the night before. If you have a little more time, you can make an easy omelet with four whole eggs and your choice of veggie. The key is to replace grains, legumes, sugar and industrial seed oils with plenty of protein, fat, and natural fiber. Say no to cereal, sweets (including OJ), and toast, and yes to eggs, nuts, veggies, butter, and olive oil. According to Sisson, the goal is to transform you into "efficient, fat-burning beast" and it starts with your diet.

Steps 7 and 8: Dr. Green and Mark Sisson's Tips For an Effective Morning Commute Dr. Green recommends periodically altering the route you take to work to help you challenge your brain and become more mentally fit. Sisson recommends parking a mile away from your office (or getting off a few subway stops early) to give your body an extra edge. Alternately, if you work in a high rise and normally take the elevator, Sisson recommends that you take the stairs. The goal isn't to work up a sweat, but to raise your metabolic rate and burn more fat.

How to Get to Size 0

2011-11-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

Whether you are trying to drop a pant size to fit into a size zero, or lose a significant amount of weight to drop several pant sizes, healthy and sustainable weight loss requires adherence to a low-fat, well-balanced diet and routine cardio exercise. Health and fitness professionals recommend that individuals lose no more than 1 to 2 lbs. of fat per week to help ensure that weight is lost sustainably. Before beginning any new weight loss regimen, it is advisable to contact your physician to determine what is the most appropriate amount of weight to lose according to your height, current weight and body type.

Step 1

Perform 30 to 60 minutes of cardio exercise each day to elevate your heart rate to a level that supports maximum calorie and fat burning, according to MayoClinic.com. Do cardio exercise to activate major muscle groups, helping to tone muscle and burn fat throughout your entire body. Perform exercises like running, jumping rope, swimming, cycling and kickboxing to burn upwards of 500 calories per hour. Diversify your workout to help you stay motivated toward achieving your goal of reaching a size 0.

Step 1

Step 2

Perform weight-training exercises using free weights and resistance machines. Alternate your focus between upper and lower body workouts to give your muscles an adequate amount of time to rest. Use enough weight to tire your muscles after 12 repetitions. Do at least three sets of 12 repetitions using various machines to help strengthen your muscles and help burn fat more efficiently.

Step 3

Do spot training with situps, pushups, lunges, squats and leg lifts to strengthen your core and enhance muscle definition. Perform at least three sets of 20 or more repetitions of various calisthenic exercise, increasing the number of repetitions as you build endurance. Do calisthenic exercises to help tone and develop muscle, thereby helping you to burn fat more efficiently as you drop to a size 0.

Step 4

Maintain a calorie deficit. You must cut approximately 3,500 calories from the diet to lose 1 lb. of fat, therefore it is essential to monitor your daily caloric intake. Create a calorie deficit by cutting 500 calories from the daily menu to deduct 3,500 calories a week. Consume a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, seed and nuts while low in fat and cholesterol. Drink at least 64 oz. of water each day and limit your intake of beverages high in sugar and caffeine.

B'wood Beauties & Their Diet Secrets

2011-11-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

If you have seen the celebrities flaunting their perfect figure but want to know how they maintain that perfect shape then check out the Bollywood Celebrity diet of three extremely fit female actors-

1.Deepika Padukone- The secret behind Deepika Padukone perfect figure is her strict diet regime. She is one of the most slim and trim Bollywood female actors. Also her sports gene make a mix of sexy and athlete figure. Check out this Bollywood Celebrity's diet and Deepika Padukone's fitness regime....

2.Shilpa Shetty- Shilpa Shetty's fitness mantra is her yoga which she basically started to recover from a neck problem and started doing Ashtanga yoga two years ago as she feels that yoga targets the mind, body, soul together at one time. Shilpa Shetty's diet...

3.Bipasha Basu- Bipasha Basu is a fit Bollywood celebrity who has worked hard on diet to get the perfect shape. Bipasha Basu diet was flexible but her super-fit boyfriend made her diet conscious 4 years back and her passion for fitness is visible to all. Read Bipasha Basu diet and fitness regime

Bipasha Basu's Diet & Fitness Regime

2011-11-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

Bipasha Basu is a fit Bollywood actor who has worked hard to get the perfect shape. Bipasha Basu diet was flexible but her super-fit boyfriend made her diet conscious 4 years back and her passion for fitness can be seen by her figure.

Bipasha Basu's fitness routine is like this:

Day 1- upper body
Day 2- abdomen workout
Day 3- legs and lower body
Day 4- gluteus maximus

These exercises are accompanied by 108 Surya-namaskara, 50 minutes of cardio, 10 minute warm up which includes stretching, breathing and 20 minutes of rowing machine or spinning. Bipasha Basu's fitness routine includes Bhujangasana and weak-point training to work on her triceps.

Bipasha Basu's fitness routine is strict and to stay fit she follows a strict diet.

Lets check out Bipasha Basu's diet:

Bipasha Basu's diet starts with warm water followed by tea and almonds soaked overnight.

Breakfast: 8 scrambled egg whites, mushroom toast, wheat flakes or porridge.

Snacks: Bipasha Basu's diet includes healthy drinks like coconut water and apple juice or raw apple.

Lunch: Bipasha Basu loves to eat rice but to maintain her perfect shape she has quit having rice except on her birthday. Bipasha Basu's lunch diet cocnsists of green vegetables sabji, dal, grilled chicken or fish, green salad and soya chapatis.

Evening snacks: Bipasha Basu's snacks diet is very light comprising just of tea and digestive biscuits or soya chaklis.

Dinner: Bipasha Basu's dinner diet is extremely light. The diet mantra of having light dinner has kept her in shape. She only has broccoli/asparagus/ spinach/ chicken soup or salad with grilled fish or chicken and little dessert.

Bipasha Basu's diet and fitness is very strict and her passion for fashion and fitness makes her a true fitn diva. This passion made her take out her own DVD for people who are shy to work out in gym or can't afford. Her idea to spread the message of staying fit and healthy is highly achieved.

Shilpa Shetty's Diet And Fitness Mantra!

2011-11-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Shilpa Shetty Kundra has been known in the Bollywood for her perfect shape. The actress since her debut film, Baazigar has been getting compliments for her shaped figure. Shilpa Shetty fitness mantra is not just to look good but to feel good within. She believes that in order to be successful and achieve what you want, all you need to do is stay fit so that the strength to work hard will come.

Shilpa Shetty's fitness mantra is her yoga which she basically started to recover from a neck problem and started doing Ashtanga yoga two years ago as she feels that yoga targets the mind, body, soul together at one time. Shilpa Shetty was so much into yoga that she took out a yoga DVD in 2008 to spread the message of yoga and its contribution for a perfect shape.

Shilpa Shetty loves to have non-veg food and haves it everyday except Thursdays. She maintains a 2000 calorie diet intake on a regular basis but once in a week she haves sweets like cakes, gulab jamuns or kulfi. Lets check out Shilpa Shetty's diet:

Breakfast: Shilpa Shetty's diet chart starts with a bowl of porridge and tea. After a workout, Shilpa Shetty prefers to have protein shake with two dates and eight black raisins.

Lunch: Shilpa Shetty's diet chart replaces all whites with the brown like brown rice over white rice. Her lunch comprises of a ghee roti made from different kinds of grains to ensure high fiber and protein intake. She combines her rotis with chicken curry or green vegetables.

Snacks: Green tea with omelette sandwich if hungry. Shilpa Shetty's perfect figure is due to hot water intake. She has been addicted to having hot water since 5 years.

Dinner: Shilpa Shetty's diet chart excludes roti from the dinner. She likes to eat early and prefers having fresh salad with chicken or apple or clear soup.

Shilpa Shetty is a foodie and loves chicken dishes. Inspite of being a foodie, Shilpa Shetty's diet and fitness is due to her healthy diet chart. She believes it is not about dieting but about your diet. So, a work out is not a must if you eat the right and healthy food.

Deepika Padukone's Perfect Diet & Fitness Regime!

2011-11-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

The secret behind Deepika Padukone perfect figure is her strict diet regime. She is one of the most slim and trim Bollywood female actors. Also her sports gene make a mix of sexy and athlete figure. Deepika Padukone is 5'9" tall and weighs around 60 kgs so her BMI comes to 19.5 which is prefect according to her body. The Om Shanti Om star was into sports since childhood so her metabolism rate is high so she can easily have a good amount of food and she won't pile the fat.

Lets have a look at Deepika Padukone's diet and fitness regime:

1. According to the sources, Deepika gets up early at 6 during shooting and on home days she gets up by 8. she heads to the garden and starts her fitness regime. She prefers doing yoga and free-hand exercises to stay fit. Deepika Padukone's fitness regime has forced her neighbors to follow on her foot steps to get the perfect figure. If she goes to the gym when she doesn't get much time for work out during hectic days, she does cardio and light weights.

2. Deepika Padukone's fitness regime is doing yoga two times in a day. She says if you can't go to the gym regularly, prefer walking two times daily for 40 minutes.

3. Deepika Padukone's diet starts with a healthy breakfast. She thinks becoming skinny or slim will not help get the perfect figure. Eating a healthy and wholesome diet is important.

Lets see Deepika Padukone's diet chart:

Breakfast: Deepika is a foodie and loves to binge on Thai food and chocolate desserts. She believes one lives to eat and starvation will not help in weight loss. Combination of a healthy diet and exercise is her mantra for a good figure. She prefers eating egg white, plain dosa with pudhina chutney, upma, idlis or paranthas.

Lunch: Deepika Padukone loves to eat homemade food such as dal, rotis, sabji, salad, raita etc. If she eats lunch outside, she only sticks to idlis or food which are not oily.

Snacks: Deepika Padukone loves to have fruits like grapes, mangoes, apples and watermelons or her all time favorite coconut water. She haves it either in the morning after breakfast or in the evening.

Dinner: Deepika Padukone's diet chart doesn't have rice. She only eats light food for dinner. She likes to eat porridge with pickle or homemade dal and steamed sabji. Deepika Padukone's diet chart for dinner excludes non-veg food.

Deepika Padukone's diet chart is perfect to get the exact figure but her cravings for dark chocolate makes her worry about her well maintained figure. She feels she needs to quit the bad habit of having chocolate as it has lots of calories but the foodie actress knows how to burn the fat gained after having them. As she believes 'Think healthy and have a positive mind set!'

Size Zero Diet Chart To Look Lean & Attractive!

2011-11-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Size zero diet plan has become a trend among women who want to look lean and skinny. Kareena Kapoor's size zero made the term a famous one after she got this figure after a diet plan for her role in Tashan. So what is size zero?

Size zero means having a bust size of 31.5 inches, 23 inches waist and 32 inches hip. To get this figure crash diet is a most common option among women but the best diet for size zero need not be a no-diet food!
Lets check out the size zero diet plan:

1. Eat 500 calories and work out for 2 hours to reduce the twice amount of fat consumed.

2. Prefer having water, coconut water and nuts for snacks and electoral to stay active and hydrated. It is very important to stay well hydrated if you are following a size zero diet chart.

3. Green vegetables rich in Vitamins, proteins, minerals, magnesium, iron and calcium constitute size zero diet chart. Green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce to name a few are healthy and nutritious.

4. Whole grains and cereals are recommended as they are less in calories and fat. Whole grains like oats, barley flakes, wheat, whole wheat pasta etc are preferable.

5. Avoid rice. Have chapatis to avoid gaining unwanted fat. Include legumes, dals, fish and sometimes egg in the size zero diet chart.

6. Avoid having junk, oily and fast made food items as they are not only heavy on weight but also digestion.

7. Go for low fat dairy products in size zero diet chart to prevent putting on weight.

8. Soups like cabbage soup and other vegetables soup are healthy. It fills your stomach and is nutritious too.

9. Have salads and fresh fruits to get proper nutrition supply. Follow a workout regime to help as a diet plan is not just enough to lose weight.

10. Size zero diet chart excludes all the fat food which almost everyone loves like chocolates, cakes, street chaats etc.

To get size 0 follow this seize zero diet plan and achieve the flimsy figure!

Kareena Kapoor's Diet & Fitness Routine: Simple Yet Effective!

2011-11-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

Kareena Kapoor, best called as a size zero figured actress has worked really hard to get this shape. Earlier she was called as a 'typical Punjabi kudi' because of her well-toned body but actors need to be perfectly shaped to flaunt their bodies

Kareena Kapoor's size zero has become a fitness term for girls who want to become thin and lean. Size zero means having a bust size of 31.5 inches, 23 inches waist and 32 inches hip. This chubby Bollywood beauties diet changed as she decided to lose weight and followed a strict diet and fitness plan to get the slim figure.

Kareena Kapoor's weight loss was so drastic that many people couldn't believe. It was speculated that she went on a crash diet or did surgeries to remove the extra fat from her body.

Kareena Kapoor followed a healthy diet and fitness regime to lose weight and has crashed the humors that she became weak after the weight loss.

This celebrity's diet had vegetarian food and the actor had to quit all her favorite dishes like paranthas, cheese, pasta, Thai and Chinese cuisines and Kareena Kapoor got into a nutritious diet which consisted of soups, green vegetables salad, fruits, yogurt and other such flattening food which are less in calories, rich supplier of proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Kareena Kapoor's fitness routine is for two hours where she does yoga and cardio exercises to maintain her figure. Kareena Kapoor's fitness routine involves yoga asanas like

Pranayama, Bikram yoga also known as hot yoga
Naukasana (for abs)
Bhujangasana (for back)
Kapalbharti (breathing exercise)
Parvatsana and Virabhadra (for arms and legs)

Kareena Kapoor's diet is healthy and nutritious. She didn't starve or went on a crash diet but a healthy one which doesn't harm her health. Kareena's diet is based on the level of day's activities. Lets check out Kareena Kapoor's diet plan:

Her day starts with fruit or milk and no tea or coffee. For breakfast she prefers having muesli or chillah (bread slices) or paranthas with milk. Every three hours she haves snacks like nuts or soy milk or sandwich with electral to get energized.

Kareena Kapoor's diet for lunch consists of chapatis and dal with lots of green vegetables. Kareena Kapoor's diet excludes rice and fatty food but she loves cheese so everyday she haves a slice of cheese with sandwich or paranthas.

Kareena Kapoor's diet for dinner is light consisting of dal with chapati or soup with green salad. She believes the diet should be in accordance to the activity. If the day is less active then a light meal and vice-versa.

Kareena Kapoor's diet is not unique as dietitians and nutritionists suggest such a healthy celebrity diet. Cutting out food quantities or meals is not the solution to getting size zero, believes the gorgeous Kareena Kapoor.

Weight Lifting Basics - Six Training Principles To Gain Mass & Strength

2011-11-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Like anything else, weight training has its dos and don'ts, and if you want to change your physique, you should pay attention to them. Basic training principles have been established to help lifters of all levels optimize their workouts. Even so, a lot of people work out without fully understanding what these principles are and how they can be used to their fullest advantage. If all lifters (and yes, if you pick up a weight, you are a weight lifter) were to apply these simple guidelines to their training, they'd soon see radical improvements.

Here are six basic weight training principles for beginners.

1. Progressive Overload

The basis for increasing any parameter of fitness - strength, size, endurance, etc. - is making your muscles work harder than they're accustomed to. You must progressively overload your muscles to advance. To gain strength, increase the weight in your workouts. To increase muscle size, handle heavier weights and increase the number of sets you do. To increase muscle endurance, decrease your rest time between sets or increase the number of repetitions or sets. Everything is progressive. This concept underlies all physical training

2. Isolation

Muscles can work together or separately. If you want to maximally shape or build a muscle independently, you must isolate it from the other muscles as best you can through anatomical position changes. For example, cable pressdowns isolate the triceps better than close-grip bench presses.

3. Adaptation

Part of constant growth is never allowing your body to adapt to one specific training protocol. If you constantly vary your exercises, sets, reps, weights, rest times and angles of pull upon your muscles, they can never adapt to the stress. Confuse your muscles to keep them growing and changing. If you're not getting sore after your workouts, it means you need to shake up your training.

4. Muscle Priority

Train your weakest body part first when your energy is highest. Great intensity builds muscle, and your intensity can only be great when your energy is high. If your shoulders are weak relative to your chest, do your overhead presses, upright rows and lateral raises before benching. Giving priority to your shoulders allows you to put maximum intensity into your workout. If all body parts are equal, train the largest body part first when your energy is highest

5. Flushing

You must get blood into a muscle and keep it there to produce growth. When you train your chest by doing three or four exercises for this body part alone, without exercising another body part until you complete all your chest exercises, you're using the flushing principle. You're spending all your time on one area and consequently, flushing this area with blood.

6. Consistent Tension

Momentum can be your muscles' worst enemy. If you train so fast that you swing the weights through most of their full range of motion, you decrease the work of the muscle. It's better to train slowly and deliberately, maintaining constant tension on your muscles.

By Ric Rooney

Fitness Contributors - Ric Rooney Provides Diet & Exercise Articles

2011-11-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

Ric Rooney has over twenty five years of experience in both the fitness arena and computer field. He joined a small California computer surplus company ProDel, Inc. in the late 80’s as Marketing Director, becoming ProDel & Rooney, Inc. where he increased sales from 1.1 million to 6.5 million in thirty-six months. He then established Rooney & Associates in Colorado Springs and ramped computer sales from a standing start to 4.5 million within twenty-four months.

But his love of fitness eventually became the priority in his life and in 1990, in addition to his computer surplus business, he founded MiriCal Corporation where he developed the initial version of the Personal Food Analyst (PFA) software program for Hewlett-Packard’s HP95 palmtop computer and introduced it to the market in 1991. The PFA became the best selling nutritional analysis program for the HP95 market. However the palmtop market turned out to be a small, niche market and the demand for the majority of palmtop users was for business applications, not fitness applications.
With the world wide web just coming into its own, Ric formed VisiCal, LLC in 1999 to rewrite the Personal Food Analyst as a web-based program that is now capable of reaching and helping users on a global scale. The current PFA 2.0 version is light years more sophisticated then the original program. With the addition in 2005 of the Fitness Leagues gaming software that is tied into the core PFA program, it represents the current state of the art in totally automated on-line weight loss programs.

Ric Rooney

Website: www.physiquetransformation.com

Cardio Exercises to Burn Major Calories!

2011-11-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

The best cardio exercise is simply the one you will do day in and day out consistently. Choose one which you enjoy doing and don't be afraid to mix the exercises up. Interval cardio work consists of moving from one exercise to another in set time intervals. For example, you could do the elliptical trainer for 15 minutes, then switch to the stationary bike for another 15 minutes and finish off on the treadmill for the last 15 minutes. Interval training is a great way to keep everything fresh!

There are two schools of though when it comes to cardio training. The "slow & steady" group and the "high intensity" group. These two groups breakdown like this:

Slow & Steady Cardio

Long duration (45min - 1 hour)
Low intensity
Burn fat and not carbs
Preserve joints

High Intensity Cardio

Short duration (20min - 30min)
High intensity (interval training)
Burn tons of calories & rev up your metabolism throughout the day
Treat cardio like weights - explosive movements (sprinting, etc)

Our advice is to try both for at least 6 weeks and make sure to monitor your progress with a journal and take weekly photos of yourself to see if you're truly losing body fat.

Which Cardio Exercise Burns the Most Calories?
Below are the top 10 cardio exercises which burn the most calories in 30 minutes

1. Step Aerobics - one of the most favorite cardio exercises preferred by women. Step Aerobics mainly target your legs, hips and glutes, and can burn approx. 400 calories in 30 minutes.

2. Bicycling - stationary or outdoors is a great cardio exercises, depending on resistance and speed can but 250 to 500 calories in 30 minutes.

3. Swimming - like cross-country skiing is an excellent cardio exercises as it is a full body exercises. Swimming is a great cross-training for other cardio activities. Doing the breast stroke can burn approx. 400 calories in 30 minutes.

4. Racquetball - side to side sprinting makes racquetball and excellent cardio exercises. A 145-lb person burns over 400 calories in 30 minutes.

5. Rock Climbing - is not only a cardio exercises, but also uses arm and leg strength and power. Rock Climbing can burn up to 380 calories in 30 minutes

6. Cross-Country Skiing - whether on a machine or outdoors on snow, is an incredible cardio exercises as it involves both upper and lower body. A 145 lb person can burn approx 330 calories in 30 minutes.

7. Running - Running is an excellent cardio exercises because all you need is a pair of quality running shoes. Running burns serious calories. A 145 LB person can easily burn 300 calories in 30 minutes.

8. Elliptical Trainer - is an excellent cardio exercises and a great way to build endurance. A 145 LB person can burn about 300 calories in 30 minutes.

9. Rowing - is both a cardio exercises as well as giving your arms an incredible workout. 145 LB person can burn about 300 calories in 30 minutes.

10. Walking - Brisk walking is a less strenuous form of cardio exercises. Walking can burn up to 180 calories in 30 minutes. Sprinting, adding hills or an incline can increase amount of calories burned.

For the real high intensity cardio people out there who love the H.I.I.T training (High Intensity Interval Training), below are the top three cardio exercise which will provide amazing results!

1. Jumping Rope - This is one of the simplest, yet most effective exercises one can do. In just 15 to 20 minutes, jumping rope will give you an unparalleled total body workout. Jumping rope is ideal for cardiovascular endurance and enhances performance in virtually any sport - tennis, basketball, football, skiing, volleyball and more. This simple exercise is also great for eye-hand coordination, lateral movement, foot and hand speed and agility.

2. Sprinting - Sprinting not only burns HUGE amounts of calories while sprinting, it also keeps your metabolism flying for days after. Sprinting combined with running / jogging can bring amazing results

3. Spinning - These high-intensity workouts to music simulate a challenging bike ride, complete with hills, valleys and varying speeds, all dictated by the group instructor.

Short Documentry On Size Zero

2011-10-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

The Truth About Size Zero, a documentary originally screened on ITV1, 7th March 2007, followed Louise Redknapp as she revealed the truth about what is involved in attaining a ‘stick thin’ body.

By following a crash diet and intense exercise regime, 32-year-old Louise tried to reach a size zero figure in a 30-day experiment.

Here is a week-by-week account of what she went through, physically and mentally, to expose the dangers of extreme dieting and discourage other people from attempting crash diets.

Before the Experiment Began

Louise’s credentials:
Weight	7 st 10 lbs
BMI	19.4
Bust	32D
Waist	26.5 in
Hips	33 in
Dress Size	8

Louise had a thorough medical with nutritionist Dr Adam Carey, who advised her not to go through with the experiment, but he agreed to monitor her throughout in order to help get the message across to people that crash diets are unhealthy.

She also visited LA, where she had her first encounter with Barry from ‘Barry’s Boot Camp’, the most popular fitness destination for Hollywood stars who want to shape up fast. Barry was to be in charge of Louise’s diet and exercise regime in her quest to reach a size zero.

It is widely perceived in LA that anyone who wants success must be a size zero. Louise discovered she could not fit into a size zero dress, but arranged to have one flown in from LA to her home in the UK, in the hope that at the end of the 30 days she would be able to get the zip done up.

Week 1

Barry from Barry’s Boot Camp flew in to the UK to help restock Louise’s cupboards.

Carbohydrates were out, and Louise was to spend 30 days surviving on oats, omelettes, berries, fish and greens, with only fist-sized portions at that. Louise reached the supermarket checkout with a fairly empty trolley.

Barry set Louise an exercise regime consisting of a 3-mile run plus an hour of weight training each day. She found herself getting up at the crack of dawn to work out before she went off to work.

Despite it still only being week 1 of the experiment, Louise was already finding the diet plan difficult and boring, and she felt exhausted. She found the exercise strenuous and hard to fit in around her work and family commitments.

Louise became very hungry in the evenings, and went to bed early in order to avoid being tempted by food.

Louise’s credentials:
Weight	7 st 4 lbs
BMI	18.5
Bust	32C
Waist	25 in
Hips	33 in
Dress Size	6/8

Week 2

Louise was finding her quest to be a size zero very unglamorous, and her life was no longer how she would like it to be. She was irritable and constantly felt hungry, and having to prepare her family’s food when she could not have any was difficult.

At this point her energy levels were still very low, she was snappy and grumpy and difficult to live with, even her dogs were bearing the brunt.

Feelings of isolation started to kick in as Louise realised how much her diet and exercise commitments were encroaching on her social life.

Week 3

Louise was falling behind with her exercise regime.

She was becoming increasingly worried about her husband’s attitude toward her shrinking body, as she noticed her ribs were beginning to protrude.

On top of this Louise had a cold, interrupted sleep patterns, dry and flaky skin, dark circles under her eyes and stomach cramps, and she worried she may end up with an eating disorder.

Another visit to Dr Adam Carey revealed Louise’s Body Mass Index was on the verge of being unhealthy and he urged her to quit the experiment. Approximately 50 % of her weight loss was fat, while the other 50 % was muscle mass

Louise became upset about what she was doing to her body, and realised how ridiculous it was to deprive her body of what it needed. She felt vulnerable and out of control as a person due to the lack of food.

Despite her doctor’s concerns as well as her own, Louise continued on with the programme, as she still felt strongly about the size zero issue.

Louise’s credentials:
Weight	7 st 1 lbs
BMI	18
Bust	32B
Waist	24 in
Hips	32 in
Dress Size	6

Week 4

The intense diet and exercise regime was taking its toll. Louise was fed up, weepy, hungry, paranoid, and did not have the energy to do much with her 2-year-old son.

She realised there were so many more important things to do in life other than aspire to look like someone with a so-called ‘perfect figure’, yet her mission to become a size zero was running her life.

Even though she was mentally and physically exhausted, Louise continued with her job as presenter of The Clothes Show Live. She found it difficult to concentrate and learn her lines.

Louise discovered she was beginning to think differently about food. She felt guilty for eating the smallest thing, even if it was something she had been told she could eat. She started to understand how people begin to lose control when they are dieting.

The detrimental effects on Louise’s health were becoming more serious. She was suffering from stomach cramps, throwing up on an empty stomach and feeling weak and dreadful.

In a last ditch attempt to reach the elusive size zero Louise headed back to Barry’s Boot Camp in LA where she was put through her paces one last time. She also took some desperate Hollywood style measures in the form of deep tissue massage, mud shrinkage, endermologie and acupuncture treatments to become thinner.

The Outcome

Louise’s credentials:
Weight	6 st 13 lbs
BMI	17.6
Bust	32B
Waist	24 in
Hips	32 in
Dress Size	4 - American 0

Louise got down to a size zero and fitted neatly into her size zero LA dress. But how did she really feel about it, and what were the consequences?

n 30 days, Louise worked out for a total of 52 hours and ate less than 800 calories per day. She hated every minute of it and felt exhausted. She found the whole process extremely hard and did not get a full night’s sleep since it began.

Another visit to the doctors showed Louise’s BMI was on the border for a diagnosis of anorexia. She was unwell, and no longer a normal, healthy young woman.

Her oestrogen levels dropped to that of a post-menopausal woman, the long-term effects of which could be infertility and osteoporosis. She lost 5 lbs of muscle mass, leading to a decreased metabolic rate.

Louise was now dangerously underweight, after a total weight loss of 11 lbs

Despite her ‘success’, at being able to fit into the dress, to Louise, it represented the difficulties she had had to face in order to get in it, which outweighed any positive things she might feel about losing a bit of weight.

The size zero dress, which had haunted her for 30 days, found its way into the bin, along with its best friend, the tape measure.

Even though Louise feels being able to get into the dress was not worth the quality of life she lost and the effect it had on those close to her, she hopes it will make people aware of just how bad crash dieting is and think twice about doing it.

Louise hopes to have a daughter some day, and she wants her to grow up in a society where she can feel as though she can be any size she wants without judgement.

The size zero experiment was exactly that, an experiment. Louise had people overseeing the whole process, before, during and after. Anyone thinking of trying to replicate the experiment themselves is likely to become quite ill, especially if they follow this type of regime for many weeks, months or years.

Louise’s health recovered after two months of a supervised re-eating programme.