Sunday, 24 November 2013

Met Rx – Your Ideal Snack Subsequent To Workout

Just to satisfy your guilty pleasure

Most of the Met Rx products are either available in the form powder to be used in drinks or as meal replacement bars to supplement your daily nutritional requirement if you are working out. Apart from excellent taste, the brand also maintains the appropriate ratio of nutrients involved in the making. Initially, Met Rx developed meal replacement powders that assured easy consumption of high calories. However, the primitive formula has evolved since then and now you have the choice of various products.

Met Rx Big 100 bars are amazingly delicious but they can’t be classified as meal replacement bars because their nutrient content is not that high. If you have tasted snickers, you would probably say that they taste just like them with the only difference that the Met Rx Big 100 bars have additional 10g of carbohydrates and a massive 30g protein. Almost all protein bars or meal replacement bars from Met Rx are aimed for people who like to work out but you can also enjoy the snack to satisfy your guilty pleasure or just to gain lean muscle mass.



These protein bars will score ten on ten when it comes to taste and texture but this is not the best bar to be taken as nutritional supplement so just enjoy them as your guilty pleasure. Also, Met Rx protein bars can be a good snack after a heavy workout. You don’t have to worry that your workout results would diminish by taking a high caloric snack. With high protein content, this bar will enhance the effect of workout and help you gain lean muscle mass. This quality coupled with the taste of snickers will just make these bars irresistible.

There are three flavors available for Met Rex Big 100 protein bars. It has Peanut Butter Caramel Crunch, Crispy Apple Pie, and Super Cookie Crunch. The last one happens to be the favorite. Nonetheless, all three flavors serve as the meal replacement bars that contain up to 400 calories on average. Met Rx Colossal bars have around 32 g protein and 40 grams of net carbohydrates. Although most Met Rx products have high glycemic index, this product category beats them all.

Monday, 11 November 2013

Wrist Weights And Fitness Go Hand In Hand

Wish to add intensity to workouts, add wrist weights. With more effort, more calories will burn. If you have always wanted an upper body workout with additional benefits, use wrist weights in your cardio sessions. Usually, most aerobic workouts tone the lower half of the body and the other half remains untoned. Wrist weights can turn your routine cardio into stealth workouts. However, you must know how to use them correctly so that any possibility of injuries can be avoided.

Choosing the right equipment

Wrist weights are available in two basic styles: the stretchable cuffs or wristbands that can be positioned with Velcro. In case of the wraparound wrist weights, the weighted material lies in the pockets. These weights also have a place for pulling out the thumb and this will prevent the weights from sliding either way. In fact, the weights of the right size will fit you like normal gloves.

Adding weights

Wrist weights have a variety of sizes ranging from 1 pound to 5 pounds. However, the stretchy cuff variety is not found in heavy weights. On the flip side, the wraparound variety can go up to 10 pounds but it should be kept in mind that heavier weight is kind of suitable for lighter wrists. If you think one pound weight improved your training session and 5 pounds will be even better, then you are wrong. You must learn to hold your horns.

It will be a mistake to add so much weight suddenly. Increasing the weight by one pound will increase your work with 20 percent and this will be stressful to the muscles. And it's not just the muscles of the wrist and arms that will bear the pressure, it goes all the way to the elbows and shoulders. This happens because there is some leverage involved as well.  When there is more weight on your arms, it will get proportionately transferred to the elbows and shoulders.

When not to add weights
 
Adding extra weights can be a recipe for disaster if your wrists cannot cope with it. They must be totally avoided in exercises where the elbow or shoulder experiences a jerky motion. For instance, it won't be good for the joints if you are wearing wrist weights and throwing a fastball. Repetitive and controlled moves like lifting weights can be performed with weights but jerky moves are not advised in such workouts. 

Tuesday, 5 November 2013

What Are Carbs Doing to This Country

From dawn to dusk we have several different sources of meal and every meal cycle tends to have different amount of carbohydrates in them. From the morning bread to pasta dinners and several different rice dishes, we absorb our share of carbohydrates. If they are consumed in moderate quantities, there is no harm, but the amount of junk food our people use increases the risk to several health problems that rise over the life span.

A point which most of the food groups argue on is the positive aspects associated to carbohydrates consumed in the right amount like excess energy and other important nutrients which are consumed through wheat and oatmeal.

If you have a meal composed of carbohydrates in major, you become at risk of greater intake of calories. According to a verifiable research by the Center for disease control and Prevention in 2004, Americans are now very much more exposed to carbohydrates as compared to the 70s. In males the calories intake exceeded to about twenty two percent while in the females, it rose to about 7%.

Fats which were previously considered the major sources of calories are now much less used while carbohydrates become the main source of calories for the majority of Americans. The very major impact of this rise in calories is obesity or weight gain which is hands down the root of many diseases and medical conditions.

Weight Gain and the Colossal Damage to the Humans

The carbohydrates that majority of us consume in our diets are processed and refined. They are bound to possess some very empty and unfulfilling calories. These carbohydrates don’t give the body the right amount of nutrients for growth and for maintaining the essential body functions that help us move though the day.

Diseases and Medical Conditions
 
There are many diseases and medical ailments associated with having excess carbohydrate levels in the system. The rise in calories alter the many typical functions of the body like metabolism and digestion which causes rather severe conditions of heart, diabetes, and the list goes on.
 
Heart Diseases
 
Every medical expert agrees that highly processed carbohydrates have very high calories and have a great contribution in cardiovascular ailments like strokes.

Researches done in the British Medical Journal have proven that women who consume a high carb and low protein diet on a regular basis have very high chances of developing heart diseases. The risk of having cardiovascular diseases resulting from high intake of carbohydrates amounted to about 28%.
 
Blocking of Arteries
 
It is a common misconception to consider fats as the only source of cardiovascular diseases. Carbohydrates also play an important role in the evolving of such diseases. Having carbohydrates increases the amount of triglycerides which is a type of fat found in the blood stream. This increases the risk of developing a heart attack and stroke.

Tips To Enhance Cardio Performance

What is the one reason why cardio is considered apt for health and fitness regimen? It burns calories to trim down the extra fat. However, this does not require you to spend several hours on the treadmill. You can achieve effective results with cardio workouts by following some tips.

Go for inclined plane

Jogging on a treadmill or flat road is so old school. Running on inclined plane for 10 minutes is equal to running over plain surface for half an hour. This means, you tend to lose more calories while running uphill. Furthermore, running on inclined plane assures better leg strength.

No need for support

When you are running on a treadmill, choose a pace that you are comfortable with. No need to rush or you will have to use the handrail for support. Move your hands back and forth naturally for an effortless and natural workout.

Step outdoors

For most people, the idea of indoor treadmill jogging is boring. However, you can add variety by stepping outdoors. For instance, trail running on inclined surfaces will help you improve balance and get more athletic.

Swinging makes it fun

This is recommended for people who have been doing cardio for a while. Add two equal-sized kettlebell swings to pump up your heart rate. While swinging the kettlebell, the athlete has to do an extra effort. In the process, arm muscles get strengthened.

Maintain a Certain Pace

Some smartphone apps can really spice up your cardio session. Install Fit Day app to determine heart rate while the GPS notes the distance, calories consumed and the pace. All these parameters are not just great motivators but also help you maintain a pace. Athletes using apps to maintain a pace are able to prevent performance plateau.

Turn up the music

Music is a stress-reliever and it overcomes the feeling of fatigue. During a gut-wrenching cardio, good music acts as a soothing balm. Usually, upbeat music and fast tracks enable us to stay motivated while increasing energy levels.

Monday, 4 November 2013

How Pushup Bars Are Used In Exercise


Why is it that most people shy away from cardio? Usually in the process of burning calories, the long gut crunching workouts are too strenuous for some muscles. Push ups are meant to exercise the muscles in upper body including the triceps, chest, biceps and shoulder muscles. Though no equipment is needed for performing pushups, the use of push up bars can prevent the strain on the wrist muscles.

The bars will elevate the hands of the performer from the floor. This will be a suitable position for the wrists and palms since it minimizes the risk of injury. The portable pushup bars will enhance your cardio experience.

Keep the push up bars at least shoulder length apart on the floor. As you take a position for pushups, grab the bars in both hands and kneel down. While leaning up, try to keep your body straight from head to toes. Since you are balancing on the push-up bars, there won’t be much pressure on the toes and palms. In the beginning try not to do fast pushups.

The use of bars in pushups will give you an edge in taking a wider stance. Your shoulders should be as much apart as possible. While your shoulders are ready to bear the pressure of your upper body, it will be more simple to tuck in the abs and take a deep breath.

When you squeeze in the abs, the body gets flat and it gives more ease in bending for pushups. While leaning down, do not go any further than the level of the pushup bars. Or think it this way, your chest should not go below the plane of your shoulders. Once you reach this point, push back up. Pushup bars will improve your performance such that 8 to 10 reps are easily doable. However, it all depends upon your consistency and will to work. You can eventually aim for a set of 20 reps.

A word of advice for fitness geeks. Pushup bars will elevate you quite a few inches above the ground. This provides a better range of motion but it is advised not to go all the way down to the ground while leaning in unless you are training for a tough sports activity. This stunt can only be done repetitively under supervision because it is one of the injury-prone positions for pushups.

Spice Up The Treadmill Experience – The Best Cardio Ever!

 

Why is that most people stop using treadmill after some time? Some say it’s a source of visual entertainment and soon loses its charm if the performer stops enjoying it. Moreover, without quick results in weight loss, a treadmill experience seems pointless. Achieving great results on treadmill is just a matter of running that extra mile but where to find that motivation. I am about to reveal the tops 2 means to spice up that otherwise boring experience.

Go for “the Hill”


Those of you who have had military training will know what I mean by “the hill”. Those of you who can recall those military days will agree that they make you run on different terrains. They make you experience the dryness of deserts, the slippery ice covered roads, the grassy fields and the dense forests. You can enjoy that toughness on a treadmill when you do the “Hill” cardio program.

Actually, it’s simpler than it sounds. Set the treadmill on Hills setting and start running. It’s the inclined plane that makes it a fascinating workout. Start off at a slower pace and increase the speed after one week. This type of workout gives you a sweet pain while gradually increasing your heart rate. After every hill cardio program, there will be some muscle fatigue that occurs due to the inclined plane of the treadmill.

Sprinting mix

While running on a treadmill, there is always a way to spice things up by adding intervals or short bursts of sprinting. Over-sprinting is not recommended right from the beginning of the workout. Your heart rate must first be elevated to cope up with additional stress. Attempting to sprint without warming up can cause injury. An ideal sprinting session takes 20 minutes and there must be recovery intervals before and after the sprint.

Your speed during recovery period must replicate the light jogging style, nothing heavy but just enough to get your heart rate pumping. Moreover, long duration sprints will make you tired in a while. Hence, the duration of sprints should be lesser than the recovery span. This strategy will prevent the muscles from tiring earlier in the session.