Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Exercise Your Way To Six Pack Abs

Exercise Your Way To Six Pack Abs by Lawan

We all know everyone wants to have a great looking body to attract the opposite sex. Here are a few tips on how to get a nice set of six pack abs.

1. Lose Fat - Lift weights. The more muscle your body has, the more calories your body burns. Many people are afraid of getting huge due to weight lifting. This is meaningless. You will not gain a lot of mass if you are not taking in a lot of calories as well. The most effective muscle groups to work for fat loss are large muscle groups. Thighs and hamstrings, the back and the chest. You can also lift your body weight without going to a gym. Do push ups, sit ups and chin ups.

2. Do Cardio - Running, biking, swimming, stair climbing, jumping rope, tennis, dancing and any other activity that gets you moving and keeps you moving will burn fat. Cardio workouts should be performed for at least 20 minutes to burn fat.

3. Do Crunches - Lie on the floor(with or without a mat). Cross your arms in front of your chest(Do not place both hands behind your head. Placing both hands behind your head can cause lower back problems in the long run.) Draw in your abdomen towards your spine while inhaling through your nose. Now raise your shoulders(upper torso) towards your knees, using strictly your abdominal muscles. It is very important not to lift your entire back off the floor, as this can cause back strain, and the extended movement does not help you develop six pack abs any faster. The most important part of the crunch is the initial flexing of your abs as you lift your shoulders off of the floor. As soon as you begin lifting off the floor exhale through your mouth, ending with a gasp once your shoulders are off the floor. Then pause for a second once you are at the top of the crunch and exhale the last bit of air from your diaphragm while flexing your abs. The proper breathing and flexing make all the difference. Now lower back down slowly and controlled while inhaling through your nose, just until your shoulder blades touch the ground. Do not let your head touch the ground and repeat

4. Do Leg Lifts - Do Leg Lifts. Lie on the floor, legs straight out, hands at your sides. Lift your legs straight up (not bending your knees at all) until they're at a ninety degree angle (or close). Lower your legs and repeat without letting your legs touch the floor. For more challenge there is equipment at most gyms that will allow you to raise yourself up using your arms as support and dangle your legs. You can perform leg lifts there too. If you're using this piece of equipment, you can make it easier by just raising your knees to your chest. It's more difficult to raise your legs to a horizontal position with your legs straight. This helps firm up the lower abdomen. If you're truly a monster, try doing leg lifts with a medicine ball hanging from your feet. Or hang from a pull up bar and raise your legs in front of you all the way up to the bar. Still too easy?

5. Train your oblique Muscles - It is not as important to work on your oblique muscles at first, but eventually you will want to start working on these. These muscles are located on both sides of your stomach. Be aware that many beginners tend to have weak oblique’s compared to their abs, and some of the other movements will more or less involve your abs.

Benefits Of Yoga And Types Of Yoga

Benefits Of Yoga And Types Of Yoga by Peter Sams

Yoga originated around 4000 years ago in the Far East as a spiritual practice designed to realize the Divine nature of the self. Today in the West, yoga usually includes three elements of the traditional yoga techniques: postures (or asanas in Sanskrit), breath control (or pranayama) and meditation. Imagine an activity that increases your flexibility, strengthens your muscles, centers your thoughts, and relaxes and calms you.

Types Of Yoga

Raja Yoga - This is attaining Yoga or unification and reach Samadhi or oneness by practicing the Ashtangas of Yoga like Yama, Niyama, etc. (which we discussed in the last article). One who achieves the yogic state by this mode is considered to be the Raja or King of Yoga - we can take Swami Vivekananda as an example.

Bhakthi Yoga - This reaching the ultimate oneness by sheer devotion and faith. Kuchela can be an example for this. The traditional bhakti yoga does not preach the traditional pranayama, mudra, yogasnas or controlled meditation. Instead of all these, bhakti yoga devotes attention towards loving God, surrender to obey God's will and love of God towards humanity.

Jivamukti Yoga: Developed in 1986 by Sharon Gannon and David Life, the Jivamukti Yoga method expresses the spiritual and ethical aspects of the practice of yoga that have been disregarded or devalued in contemporary times.

Ananda Yoga: Ananda Yoga classes focus on gentle postures designed to move the energy up to the brain and prepare the body for meditation. Classes also focus on proper body alignment and controlled breathing.

Effects

Any one of several paths of spiritual discipline intended to lead a person to deliverance from samsara and the realization of moksha--i.e., to at-onement with ultimate reality. Specifically, it means a "yoking" of the self by spiritual discipline, a method of training designed to lead to union of the human spirit with ultimate reality and release from the limits of the individual ego. Also called margas (paths to salvation).

Normally following a yoga involves apprenticeship to a guru (spiritual teacher or guide). In the universe, finance is one of the prime factors for any individual life. Without financial status, one's life may become misery. It determines and dictates terms to the individual life. It is our endeavor to inform some yogas which will determine one's financial status.

Movable sign having a planet or many planets gives the native some wealth, any two of the chara rasis occupied by planets brings honour and regards for the native. The native will be having the capacity to mesmerize the public at large, if three movable signs are filled by planets, the native has a very good appearance and wealth like Kubera (the God of wealth) when all charas having in them.

Benefits:

Increasing Flexibility - yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the 'radar screen' let alone exercised.

Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body - Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those - such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime.

Excellent toning of the muscles - Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity.

Improvements in blood circulation Improvements in our capacity to breathe fully, and direct the breath to parts of our body. This is especially good for helping release stiffness and physical pain.