Zen My Fitness – Linking Muscle and Mind

Posts Tagged ‘Fat Loss’

One of the best ways to develop overall functional fitness is to adopt methods used by MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighters.       

BJ Penn Underwater Training

 Using these methods you will be able to tweak your current routine into a very effective total body conditioning workout.       

Top class fighters like BJ Penn, Sean Sherk, Rich Franklin and Georges St Pierre all develop explosive power, speed and strength by using fight specific non stop metabolic circuit training.       

In the off season they work on their techniques, learning new styles of fighting and the weaknesses of others then adding in typical gym training to build muscular strength.       

During fight season, leading up to their event these warriors start moving into weighted high repetition functional exercises increasing their anaerobic fitness so they can sustain high levels of intensity for the duration of a match.       

“In a fight, if you are too tired to hold your hands up or unable to escape a submission … See Ya Later!”    Read the rest of this entry »

Celebrities have a huge influence on us.

Everything they do is always in the spotlight and at times we want to copy “everything they do”.

One area that gets a lot of attention are their diets and workouts.

Some are spot on with their weight loss but some are so far off the track it becomes dangerous, here are a couple examples of crazy and not so crazy diets they follow.

You might be surprised which celebrity gets its right!

Jennifer Love Hewitt – The Grape Whisperer

This hard working actor would work on set for up to 15 hours a day.

Not having a lot of time Jennifer would go home and make simple but high carb (carbohydrate) meals of mashed potatoes, risotto and pastas and not having the time to work out took its toll on her body as the weight piled on.

When it got to the point that Jennifer felt she need to lose weight the first diet she tried was The Grapefruit diet (also known as the Hollywood diet)  a short-term fad diet. Read the rest of this entry »

The Sun Salutation Sequence or Surya Namaskar is a set of 12 yoga poses performed usually in a connecting series of smooth flowing movements.

I'm about to start the Surya Namaskar at Sunrise - 2010

It was originally created for the worship of Surya (the Sun), the Hindhu solar deity.

Each movement is coordinated with the breath (pranayama) and traditionally at the beginning of each pose a sacred mantra is recited.

Today, you will find most yoga classes will include this sequence into their program (sometimes ignoring the importance of breath and mantras) as a way to offer building flexibility and strength.

The different styles of yoga perform the Sun Salutation with their own variations but the core sequence is the same.

The basic Surya Namaskar uses alternating backward and forward bending postures, flexing the spinal column through over a range giving a profound stretch to the whole body.

Sun Salutation would normally be done at sunrise, facing the sun, its used to generate energy and awaken the body but really anywhere is fine as long as you get to do it. Read the rest of this entry »

Ground and Pound, Clinch or Sprawl and Brawl, do you have a battle strategy in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)?

Every kick is an Abs Crunch

Well whatever your style, getting into the ring you need more than a chiseled midsection but one that is going to absorb punishment from hands, feet or any part thrown at you, then follow these MMA core workouts to build your abs.

Every kick delivered or a raised leg block is simply an abdominal crunch.

To get out of serious trouble in a grapple you’ll need an extraordinary strong abs strength.

Executing forceful escape manoeuvres off the ground comes down to core strength.

Trying to resist an opponent’s attempt to uncurl their bodies with floor spins or pushing off the cage with their feet will demand a solid foundation.

In MMA Cage fighting you need explosive movements and developing a combat core is crucial.

If your opponent is going to throw a body punch and you can’t take a shot you’re in trouble.

Get hit in the stomach and either you will lose your breath or be on the floor, it all depends on how good your core is.

You will need to absorb strikes and need to maintain a fight posture without fatiguing otherwise as soon as you drop your hands… LOOK OUT a huge round house kick is coming your way. Read the rest of this entry »

Be The Toughest Tabby Cat in Town

Tabata workouts are a fantastic high intensity interval training method for burning body fat.

It is one of the best hiit routines available that has proven results for increasing fitness.

Easy to incorporate into your workout, this style of training can be adapted to any exercise.

Amazingly it ticks all the boxes! It gives you;

• Muscle Gains √
• Burns Body Fat √
• Builds Endurance √

Nothing will bring you to your knees faster than doing this style of training.

Why do it? Read the rest of this entry »

The health benefits of walking are quite obvious but having a dog not only as a companion but as an exercise partner will help you get out there and do it.

I get excellent results when I walk for weight loss, it’s also the easiest and cheapest way to exercise.

Walking is Healthy For Everyone or Nearly Everyone

However, if I can walk with my dogs it makes it more enjoyable for all of us. It’s a Win-Wag-Win situation.

I mean what other piece of workout equipment looks you in the eyes, wags its tail and get excited about exercising?

What other exercise equipment has to stop to relieve itself at every tree!

Dog Gone Benefits:

Most dogs have excess energy. Sometimes you see it in the backyard  in the form of excessive barking, digging, getting overly excited and then, exercising is a must everyday.

To deal with canine behavioural problems I have learnt ” A tired dog is a good dog“.

For us humans, physical inactivity provides a very powerful risk factor of heart disease.

Regular walks lower cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, reduce stress but also burns calories. Read the rest of this entry »

Hey Everyone,

Sorry but this is a very Quick Post I wasn’t expecting to do.

I really wanted people to know about this UNREAL OFFER .

For 21-days you’ll get to try the TURBULENCE TRAINING workouts and all you pay is $4.95 during that time.

I use this “Extreme Body Weight”system and I personally guarantee it works for achieving an ultra lean and muscular body.

This program usually costs $39.95, but you can start a 21-day trial for only $4.95.

And nothing will be held back.

You’ll get access to the entire Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system, plus you’ll still get your free membership into the TT Member’s area where you can ask any question you want about your fat loss workouts and nutrition program.

You have nothing to lose. If you don’t like the program, you can ask for your money back.

So there is no risk to you.

Instead, you can get started on the world’s most popular home-gym fat burning workout program that you can do with minimal equipment and in minimum time to help you burn belly fat. Read the rest of this entry »

How do you live longer?

Well READ this article before you;

1. Re-order your monthly dose of Tibetan Goji Juice,
2. Go off for a 20km run,
3. Book a spa retreat so you can meditate like a Zen Monk.

So just throw those ideas out the window for the next 10 minutes!

Unfortunately living to a 100 is still guess work but we do have some control over our longevity.

You might not want to live that long but hey everyone’s goal should be striving for an excellent quality of life for as long as possible.

But what we do know about living longer comes from a combination of 10% genetics, 20% family history and 70% lifestyle choices which is the only part we can control.

I like to use historically based data.

Finding trends in historical data usually provides a reliable forecast for the future. Read the rest of this entry »

What does Team Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Insulin levels have in common?  Nothing really but you would think vampires have an appreciation for the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels!

Anyways to look as lean as Robert does for the Twilight series, you might want to try Carb Cycling to loose fat but not muscle along the way.

So shovelling breads, cereals, and pastas into yourself as if it’s a race to the finish, is not the answer.

Eating meals or snacks like this which are high in carbohydrates will send your blood glucose level into outer space.

To counter for this rapid rise, your pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into the bloodstream which lowers the levels of blood glucose.

This insulin level caused by excess carbohydrates will ultimately promote the accumulation of body fat. OOPS and that’s what we don’t want!

In other words, if we eat too many carbohydrates, we’re sending a hormonal message to store fat.

However, regulating your blood sugar level is the most effective way to maintain your fat-burning capacity. Read the rest of this entry »

What food you stick into your mouth will determine blood sugar and insulin levels which have an effect on metabolic range for fat burning, muscle building,  maintaining a healthy weight and sports performance.

There are too many myths about how to manage blood sugar levels, where confusion reigns supreme but the result is you take a long time or never able to meet your health goals.

I have listed some basic tips of the right things to do, it will help lower and regulate blood sugar levels.

I’ve kept it general since following strict rules are too hard, boring and following a more general approach most of the time will allow for an effective long term improvement rather than fix me now mentality.

• We know carbohydrates (carbs) are insulin spikers so instinctively we avoid or limit their consumption.  However, eating minimal carbs will start to affect your brain (that’s one big fat cell but maybe not as big for some !) and deteriorate your muscles.
• With limiting carbs your workouts will start to suffer and you’ll have a lack of concentration, since carbs are needed by the brain and central nervous system to function . Low carb diets can eventually decrease your memory (we are talking Alzheimer’s). Read the rest of this entry »