Muscle & Fitness: 3 Six Ab Exercises You've Never Tried.

Staying in shape & Seeing results is about getting out of
your comfort zone. And when you're traveling and find yourself without a gym or somehow unable to do your regular routine, you're well out of that zone already. So you may be forced to use different exercises or training implements to complete a workout.

 nathanfitness will show my dears readers ( friends)  3 different exercises you've never tried taken for your abs, one for each training tool you're likely to have access to, plus body-weight alone so you can stay on track no matter where you are.
So let's get started:

1} Barbell Straight-Leg Situp:

Almost any place that advertises "fitness" will have a barbell of some kind. You won't need much weight, if any, to perform this exercise, which combines a full situp with an overhead press. It's a brutally hard move, especially for those with long arms or legs, as your muscles will have more to stabilize.

• How to do it: Lie on the floor holding an empty, or lightly loaded, bar over your chest, as in the top of a bench press. Your legs should be extended on the floor in front of you. Perform a situp, raising your torso until it's vertical. Keep the bar over your head, so it drifts back to an overhead press position at the top of the situp.

2)  Band Pallof Press:

Most people don't know how to train their abs with a band, but it can be as simple as standing still. The Pallof pressdoesn't look hard, but it forces you to keep your torso locked in place while the band is trying to twist it. This works your core deeply, and your oblique muscles (side abs) in particular.

• How to do it: Attach a band to a sturdy object at chest level. Grasp the free end with one hand over the other and step away from the anchor point to put tension on the band. Turn perpendicular to the anchor point, stand with feet shoulder width, and extend your arms in front of you. The band will try to twist your body toward it—resist. Bring your hands back to your chest and then press again.


3} Suspension Trainer Sprinter:

Moving your limbs while your torso stays solitary makes for a deceptively hard ab workout. When you pump your legs like you're running, the rest of your body wants to move too. It takes a lot of bracing from your core to prevent that movement. That's the idea behind this exercise, called the sprinter, which also gets your heart rate up so you burn more calories, helping you to uncover the abs you've worked hard to build.

• How to do it: Place your feet in the foot cradles of the trainer and get into pushup position with your hands on the floor. Drive one knee to your chest while the other leg remains extended. Now drive the opposite leg to your chest while you extend the other back. Continue so it looks like you're running in place.

How to combat fatigue to get your energy back.

Fatigue is more than a state of mind. Your body’s cells are lacking an important nutrient or are overwhelmed by toxins and calling out for help when you are fatigued. Don’t ignore the pleas from your cells for help.

Your best strategy is to return your cells to their optimum state and commit to giving yourself extra tender loving care the minute you start feeling fatigue. Take it easy and relax a bit.

Here are best ways to start combating fatigue to get your energy back:


1- Eat More Protein in Your Diet

Protein foods are one of the best rejuvenators because they don’t cause a big surge in blood sugar followed by a drop in sugar levels an hour and a half later like carbohydrates do. Protein foods keep you on an even keel, no matter how much stress you are experiencing. They include beef, lamb, buffalo, pork, fish, shellfish, dairy products, poultry, cheese, yogurt and eggs so you have much to choose from. Strive for an additional 4 ounces on days you are dragging yourself around with no energy.

2- Cut Out the Sugar Immediately

As good as sugar tastes, it’s equally bad for your energy levels. Sugar affects your blood sugar levels negatively, causing your moods and energy levels to increase and then fall. Stop sugar for five days in a row and you’ll see an immediate jump in your energy level. Why five days? It takes four days for a food to clear your system, so by day 5, you’ll be feeling your normal self again.


3- Eat a Large Quart-Sized Bowl of Vegetables

Most people don’t eat enough life-giving, nutrient-filled, teeth-building, and energy-building vegetables. One little salad bowl of lettuce with a dinky slice of tomato on it per day is ridiculous when you consider your needs for these foods to rebuild your energy. Boost your level of vegetables to a quart bowl a day and include lettuce, kale, spinach, dandelion greens, swiss chard, parsley, cilantro, turnip, radishes, cucumber, and carrots. Now this salad would truly give you energy.

4- Get a Vitamin D Test

When vitamin D levels are low, you’re going downhill. You’re more susceptible to infections. Your bones and joints ache. You don’t have the get-up-and-go mentality. Find out what your levels are by asking your doctor to order a vitamin D test for you. The scale goes from 0 to 100 ng/dl and the ideal level is 65 ng/dl according to some prominent physicians. Anything less means you’ll need 5000 IU to 10,000 IU vitamin D3 daily for at least 3 months. Then re-test.

5- Take a Magnesium Supplement

Magnesium decreases inflammation in the body that contributes to low energy levels. Magnesium also allows your body to absorb phosphorus and calcium from foods you eat. The phosphorus that is absorbed goes directly into the ATP molecule in your cells, which is sheer energy. Try a 300-500 mg magnesium supplement once daily, not exceeding 750 mg. Then watch your energy soar.

6- Spend Time Getting a Massage

A massage can release any kinks in your muscles that are zapping your energy. Try a series of three massages in a week to totally remove any hint of fatigue that your body may be harbouring.

7-Soak in a Mud Bath or in a Hot Springs

Detoxifying the body is the best way to restore your energy levels. The toxins leave your body with a mud bath or in a hot springs and your cells will feel exceptionally invigorated.


8- Add Adaptogen Tea to Your Daily Routine

Adaptogens are herbs that are meant to reduce your stress level, rejuvenate your antioxidant systems, and give you the extra oomph you need for the day. They also increase libido. These herbs include Suma, Chinese Ginseng, Maca, Ashwagandha, Korean Ginseng and Schizandra. Mixing one teaspoon of any of these herbs into a cup of boiling water to make tea is a healthy way to combat fatigue and may be taken daily.

 9- Get More Sleep

Analyse your sleep habits to make sure they aren’t contributing to your fatigue. Is it time for your mattress to be replaced? Is your pillow too fluffy and puts your neck at an angle that causes muscle spasms during the night? These are easy things to change. Restful sleep goes a long way in beating fatigue for the next day.

5 Vegetables That help you lose Belly Fat Fast.

Fruits and vegetables are the best source of carbohydrates and sugars with a high nutritional value and fewer calories. some types of fruit and vegetables are better than others to help in weight loss.

Here's a list of some of the vegetables that help you lose fat fast:

1) PEPPER :

All forms of peppers are excellent for weight loss, pepper is one of the richest sources of vitamin C which enhances the function of the immune system, and help to absorb other nutrients. Cup of the pepper contains only 30 calories.


2) TOMATO :

One cup of the tomato contains only 25 calories, the biggest reward healthy tomatoes is that they are rich in lycopene & a carotenoid who's working on the prevention of cancer.

3) SPINACH :

From less sugary vegetables, one cup of spinach contains 10 calories and a lot of fiber.

4) CUCUMBER :

Contains very low calories and high water makes it an ideal vegetables to satisfy hunger without an increase in weight, the cucumber   contains many vitamins and minerals as it helps the body get rid of dangerous toxins.

5) CABBAGE :

Cabbage characterized by low calorie, high nutrient cleared of blood by getting rid of free radicals and uric acid, which can lead to pain in the joints and gout. Cabbage contains a high percentage of vitamin C, and contains iodine, which is essential to the health of the brain and the endocrine and nervous system work.


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How Yoga Can Improve Your Health, and Your lifestyle.

Thought yoga was just to improve your muscle tone and help you relax? Think again. There are particular yoga postures that can actually help improve your skin, depending on the skin issue that you may be having at any given time.
Yes, this may seem a bit silly to some, but these yoga postures have offered significant improvement for women and their skin.
If you have tried every cream on the shelf to try and help your skin, or if you are looking for a more holistic way to improve your skin’s texture and tone, yoga is the way to go.

•How to Get Rid of Dry Skin with Yoga

To help cure your dry skin woes with yoga, start off by sitting on the floor while taking care to keep both you back and your chest straight. Close your eyes and your mouth by drawing your palms over your face and bring your palms down. Breathe in slowly and deeply, and exhale slowly and fully. Continue with this until you feel that your body and your mind are completely relaxed (this may take some time for beginners). You can do this by using your index finger to close off one nostril and making you breathe from the other. Alternate every few seconds, always making sure that you are breathing from the open nostril. Continue with this process up to 5 times.

•How to Get Rid of Oily Skin with Yoga

If you have oily skin, chances are that you will do anything to get rid of it. To get rid of oily skin through yoga, begin by sitting straight. Close your eyes and your mouth, and relax. Make sure you stay in a relaxed state for at least 5 minutes. After that time, take one long breath and hold it for 5-15 seconds. When you are ready to release the breath after those 5 seconds, squeeze your abdominal muscles. Now loosen the muscles and then release all of the breath from your nose. Continue with this process for 5-10 times.

•How to Get Rid of Sensitive and Acne Skin with Yoga

The best way to start this off is to sit on the floor and become completely and fully relaxed. Keep your mouth wide open and curl your tongue so that it forms a tubular shape (if you cannot curl your tongue, try stretching it out as long as you possibly can on the inside of your upper jaw). Try to not allow the tongue to come in contact with the teeth while you are doing this. Now close your mouth and bring the tongue back to its normal shape while also breathing out of your nose. Do this for up to 3 minutes a day and you should find that your skin is far less sensitive than it was previously, and you should notice that any pimples are fading away.

You may feel a bit silly doing these poses at first to help improve your skin, but even just taking those 10 minutes or so every day to relax will do wonders not only for you physically, but mentally as well.

Muscle & Fitness : Your Abs Start in the Kitchen.

You can do as many crunches as you want, but you’ll never get those toned sexy abs if you don’t eat the right stuff. Some of your favorite foods likely lead to bloating and sodium retention, which is anything by good for that six-pack you’re trying to show off. Here are the foods that will help give your stomach the look you want.

•Almonds

Filling protein keeps you satiated and magnesium gives you energy to play at the beach all day long. Almonds are best for long-term weight loss because they help regular blood sugar—stable blood sugar keeps you from having ravenous cravings and eating foods that will lead to weight gain and a flabby midsection.

•Watermelon/Celery/Cucumber

These water-heavy fruits and vegetables are perfect for your beach-day snack pack. Not only is it important that you stay hydrated when you’re out in the sun, but their high water content keeps you full for a long time, similar to protein. Dip celery and cucumbers in hummus and nosh on the watermelon as is.

•Beans/Legumes

These powerhouse foods are full of protein, which your muscles need to rebuild and become strong. They also help your body burn fat and regulate digestion. A healthy digestive system is key to beat bloating, which can hide those hard-earned abs.

•Leafy Greens

One cup of spinach contains only 40 calories—so go crazy with your greens. Make a big salad (watch what toppings you put on; avoid high-fat dressings, oily croutons, etc.) and indulge whenever you want. Greens are also a great source of calcium, which your body needs to push through a workout and get stronger. The more muscle you build, the more fat your body burns at rest, and the sooner you’ll see your abs.

•Yogurt

If you want less gas, bloating and extra love around your midsection, grab a yogurt for snack. While this flat-belly food is loaded with calcium and protein, its real advantage is in the high probiotic content. Probiotics keep your digestive system healthy, which is why you experience less gas and bloating. Toss in high-antioxidant berries for a healthy snack that will help fight the bulge.

•Fish

Think salmon and tuna, both of which are high in omega-3s—the fats that help your body burn more of the bad fat. Fish also helps to slow digestion and cravings so you’re not reaching for chips at 3pm between lunch and dinner.

Women's Health : Exercise and Posture.

There are many things can affect your posture sitting at a desk all day, slouching at the dinner table, and more. However, there’s one great way to improve it: exercise. The best way to improve your posture through exercise is to strengthen your core and upper back.

A strong core keeps your back safe from injury, helps your body balance and allows you to move with control and efficiency—all of that leads to a better a posture. If you’ve felt pain in other areas of your body, like your back, it could be because of a weak core; when your core can’t do its job other body parts and muscles have to pick up the slack causing weakness and pain

A strong back is also a critical part of posture because a common cause of poor posture is weak upper back muscles, which leads to shoulder slumping.

Try these exercises to gain better control of your posture.

Plank and Variations

Start with the standard plank: Get into pushup position, with your hands below your shoulders. Keep your back and butt flat and pull your abdominals in. Hold here for 30 seconds to one minute.

Some variations include:

Move from hands to forearms; one up and down is one rep.Put towels underneath your feet and slide them out and in horizontally, or pull them in toward your chest like a jackknife.Hold the plank position on your forearms and bounce your butt from one side to the other. One tap on each side equals one rep.

•Russian Twist

Sit with a medicine ball in your lap. Pull your legs off the ground and sit on your tailbone, adjusting the angle until you feel the burn your abs. Now move the ball from side to side, touching the ground each time.

•Reverse Dumbbell Flies

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and dumbbells in hand, slightly bent at the waist. Hold your arms straight down and slowly bring them out to shoulder height and return to start for one rep.

•Weight Raise

Hold a round weight block with two hands in front of your pelvic area. Raise it up to shoulder height and lower back down for one rep.

Many areas of your life can affect a good posture, from working at a desk to many years of slouching without realizing it. Incorporate these exercises into your daily routine and you may notice you’re standing up straight in no time.

5 Ways to Burn Your Belly Fat Fast.

Belly fat is actually the most dangerous type of fat besides aesthetics, large waist lines are indicators of disease-disease-disease.

It takes more than just crunches! We start to gain weight in our midsection when our cortisol levels spike. Stress is one of the primary culprits for high levels of cortisol secretion. When this happens cortisol breaks downs lean muscle (the type of tissue that burns calories most efficiently) and also holds on to fat storage in the abdominal region. That stress can even get WORSE with bad dieting; studies show that the stress caused by dieting can increase cortisol levels, making no change in belly fat even with calorie restriction. So how do you shape up? Incorporate these 6 things below and you will be on your way to a flatter belly in no time flat!

1. Sleep

If you want to work late at night, think again. When your biorhythms are off, you end up eating more. When you’re tired you produce more ghrelin, which triggers cravings for sugar and other fat-building foods. Losing sleep can also alter your hormone production, affecting your cortisol levels that cause insulin sensitivity, prime reasons for belly fat! Getting about 7 hours of sleep a night is one of the best things you can do for your body shaping goals.

2. Short bursts of exercises

1000 crunches a night may get you strong abdominal muscles, but with a full layer of fat on top, you will not get the results you really want. Instead of all those crunches, do exercises that engage multiple muscle groups and work your cardiovascular system. Try planking, where you hold yourself in a push-up position, resting your forearms on the ground. Try 3 or 4 sets of holding for 30 seconds each. Getting up and moving throughout the day by going for walks will also help.

Milk lite, one of my favorites, because it has zero sugar and a ton of protein that will satiate while also torching my sugar craving! Another great trick is a sprinkle of cinnamon in your morning coffee or oatmeal- the spice has been shown to help stabilize blood sugar. It also slows the rate at which food exits the stomach, which helps you feel fuller longer.

4. Vitamin C

When you’re under extreme stress, you secret more cortisol hormone. Vitamin C helps balance the cortisol spikes that happen to you under this stress. Besides being a good way to counteract a cold, Vitamin C is also essential for making carnitine, a compound used by the body to turn fat into fuel, making this vitamin your fat burning friend.

If you’re going through an emotional crisis, stress from work, or a bad eating splurge, increase your vitamin C – it’ll help counteract the negative side effects. Try bell peppers, kale or kiwi fruits. These have even more Vitamin C than the famous Orange!

5. Eat Fat

Yup, you heard me! It takes fat to burn fat. Like I said above, it’s sugar that gets you fat, not fat. Good fats include foods rich in Omega 3′s, like salmon, avocados & walnuts. These foods are full of nutrients that help keep you satiated throughout the day.