The EASY Way to Great Abs

Don’t Run the Mile Everyday

That’s right, DON’T run the mile everyday. According to Diana Taylor of the University of California-San Francisco Center, “Your body can interpret excessive exercise as stress, causing you to retain fluid and become constipated.” That’s not good! Solution? Try walking or yoga instead.

You can’t get rock hard abs doing Pilates

False. Pilates is an excellent ab workout! It focuses on working out your core. If you do Pilates along with cardio and dieting well, you are bound to get that rock hard six pack!

Do the Bicycle

No, not the dance move. We’re talking about the ab workout. Lie on the floor, hands behind your head. Then lift your body and bring your right elbow to meet your left knee. Alternate, meet the left elbow with your right knee. Do a few reps, feel the burn!

Sit-ups everyday

MYTH: You need to work on your abs everyday to get that rock hard six pack. FACT: Your muscles need to rest and recover after a workout in order to build. Instead of daily, work out your abs 3-4 times a week.

Drink more water!

Here’s a fun fact: drinking more water can help you retain less water because it carries out elements that cause you to bloat like salt, for example. So drink up!

You need a weight machine to get firm.

That is false, you do not need a weight machine to get firm muscles. Those Greek gods seemed pretty firm and they probably didn’t have a Bowflex around. That’s not to say they don’t work, however. Many weight machines are not designed for women and this can lead to injury. Best advice: stick to a yoga mat and the floor for a good ab workout.

Super slow crunches make your stronger

Super slow crunches will not make your stronger or give you a better workout. Sure, steady and controlled crunches will get your abs burning, but if you’re spending a minute per crunch, you’re not getting a better workout than you would with regular crunches and your workout could be less-effective!

Potassium is Your Friend!

Extra salt can cause your belly to do a little bloating. Counteract this bloating with foods high in potassium. Some good ones include bananas, tomatoes, almonds, salmon, and cherries.

The best time to work on abs is at the end of a workout

Physically, it makes no difference when during your workout you work on your abs. The only thing to be aware of is that if you do train your abs at the beginning of a workout, you need to make sure you warm your body up first. You can avoid injury by getting your blood flowing before you work out.

Get 2x the results in half the time!

Only have a limited amount of time to work on your abs a day? Don’t worry, there’s a way to get twice the results from your workout in half the time! The secret? Slow down! When you’re doing crunches, don’t breeze through them. Take 4 counts to sit up. At the peak of your exercise, do 10 small pulses. Then take another 4 counts to sit back down. Feel that burn!

A good ab workout should take 30 min

You do not need to work on your abs a solid 30 minutes to get the best results. You should feel your abs burning long before 30 minutes! If you don’t, you’re doing something wrong. Check your form!

Try the Marine Crunch

Want abs like a Marine? Try this. Lie on your back with your legs straight up so you’re hips create a 90 degree angle and your arms reaching for the ceiling. At the same time, lift your legs and hips off the floor and reach for your toes. Doesn’t that burn?

atch the condiments!

Condiments are high in salt and as we have learned, salt causes puffiness and bloating. The next time you order a sandwich hold the mayo and mustard. Or, on your next sushi date, skip out on the soy sauce. A tablespoon of soy sauce contains nearly half a day’s consumption of sodium!

Keep an eye on those carb-snacks!

Too many carbs can result in bloating. Snacks like bars and candies are high in glycerin or sugar alcohols. Your body struggles to digest these carbs and therefore, you get bloating. Stick to fruits and nuts!

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10 Reasons to Stop Smoking

Smoking is Expensive

The average smoker spends over $2000 a year on their dirty habit. Just think of all the other fun things you could do with that money! For example:

Go on a tropical cruise
Buy a top of the line computer
Go on a wild shopping spree at the mall

Or alternatively, think of all the bills you could pay off if you weren’t spending so much money on cigs.

Smoking Can Cause Impotence

Smokers are much more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than non smokers. Enough said?

Smoking Makes You Look Bad

Smoking causes premature wrinkles, not just on your face, but on your whole body. It also causes many of these unattractive symptoms:

Staining of the teeth and other dental diseases
Tooth loss
Premature hair loss

Some of this damage can be reversed by quitting smoking, so the sooner you quit, the better off you’ll be!

Smoking Lowers the Immune System

Smoking cigarettes not only impairs a smoker’s immune system, leaving them more susceptible to diseases such as pneumonia, but also the immune system of those around them. Children, and especially babies, are put at extreme risk

Smoking Affects the Mind

Smokers who keep smoking into middle and old age are much more susceptible to early mental decline, including dementia and Alzheimer’s. These diseases will occur even if it doesn’t run in their families!

Smoking Isn’t Cool Anymore

Let’s face it, most people just don’t like smokers. It’s becoming harder and harder just to find a place outside of your own home where it is acceptable to light up, and when you do, it’s not a popular move. Also, most non-smokers won’t date a smoker.

Secondhand Smoke Kills

When you choose to smoke, you aren’t just hurting yourself, you are hurting those around you. In fact, there is evidence that secondhand smoke may be even more damaging than firsthand smoke! Each year secondhand smoke kills 50,000 people, and that’s just not acceptable.

Smoking Can Cause Infertility

Smoking can cause infertility in both men and women. In men, it can cause their little swimmers to have problems. In women, it can damage their ovaries and make it harder for them to produce healthy eggs. If you do happen to get pregnant, smoking increases chances of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

Quitting Smoking Can Lower Insurance Costs

If you quit smoking, you could lower your health and life insurance payments. Some life insurance companies may even bribe a smoker with lower rates if they promise to quit.

It’s Not Too Late

Many of you may think you have already smoked so long and caused so much damage there is no point in quitting now, but that is not true. As soon as you quit smoking, your body begins to repair itself almost immediately. Some of the first signs will be a recovery of your sense of smell and taste, which should happen in a week or so. In a few weeks, you should even be able to breathe better!

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High Blood Pressure Quick Tips

7 tips to keep your blood pressure numbers in check.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects millions of people. It’s true that certain risk factors are out of your control, but there are key diet changes you can make to help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range—one of which is watching your salt intake. Here our experts provide quick diet tips to keep your blood pressure numbers looking good, including how to know how much sodium you’re eating and how you can cut back.

1. Wash Excess Sodium Down The Drain

Most of the sodium in our diets—approximately 77%—comes from prepared or processed foods, but sometimes using convenience items, like canned beans and tuna, can make it easier to eat more healthfully. The good news: rinsing those canned foods will remove much of their sodium.

2. Spice It Up

To prevent hypertension and boost flavor, cut back on sodium by using more herbs, spices and salt-free seasoning blends when cooking. Not sure where to start? Add lemon juice or vinegar to homemade tomato sauce; the acidity will impart a sensation similar to salt. Or, experiment with herbes de Provence or fines herbes—two sodium-free French spice blends—when cooking meat, poultry or your tomato sauce.

3. Sum Up The Sodium Of Your Servings

Nutrition facts labels list nutrient amounts for one serving—but, often, we eat more than one. If you eat two servings, be sure to double all the nutrient numbers, not just the calories. A whole can of soup, for example, may look fine from a caloric perspective but eating it could send you soaring past the recommended daily limit for sodium.

4. Scan Sodium Counts On Condiments

When you think of salty foods, it’s likely that canned chicken soup and frozen pizza—not ketchup and salsa—come to mind. But many condiments, including meat tenderizer, steak sauce, soy sauce, salsa and ketchup, pack high doses of sodium. If you’re watching your blood pressure, read labels and look for “low sodium” products.

5. Box Out Salt

Avoid boxes of flavored rices, pastas and soups: they often contain lots of added salt. Also, when you prepare these grains or starches from scratch, skip the step of adding salt to the water. Add flavor later with herbs and spices.

6. Just Try It

Don’t cook foods with salt; add it at the table instead, after you’ve tasted a bite. Maybe it doesn’t need any additional salt.

7. Give Yourself A Hand

If you must add salt to your meal, shake it into your hand before sprinkling it on your food. Seeing exactly how much you’re adding can help you control it.

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How To Increase Your Height Naturally

Many people who are short were desperately trying to increase their height. Many are often go for various chemical products. The best ways to increase the height naturally were exercise and having super food which helps to increase the height. The combination of exercises and healthy diet is most important to increase the height. Usually After 21, Growth is usually stopped. Those who are below 21 and trying to increase their height, For those here we list the best natural ways.

1. Skipping : Skipping helps to increase the blood circulation and helps the body muscles grow. It is one of the simple exercise to increase our height.

2. Milk : The 3 nutrients; Proteins, Vitamin D and Calcium in the milk helps to grow tall.

3. Coral Calcium : Coral Calcium is the purest form of calcium which is derived from the sea corals. It helps to increase the growth as well as bone density.

4. Leg Kicking : It is also the best exercise that helps the lower parts of legs grow. It is a vital warm up exercise in Martial Arts.

5. Soyabean : Soyabeans are rich in proteins. It boosts the growth of muscles.

6. Vertical Stretch : Stand straight on your toes and raise your hands over your head and then stretch as far as you can. It will helps to stretch the body muscles and grow.

7. Animal Proteins : Chicken, Beef etc like this animal proteins helps to grow the muscles. This is the best source of raw proteins which are required for muscular growth.

8. Cobra Pose of yoga : This is the action which resembles the snake raising its head. Lie flat on your chest on the floor and then lift up your upper portion of the body to fullest. This helps your upper muscles of the body stretch and grow longer.

9. Eggs : Calcium, Proteins, Vitamin D are abundant in Eggs. This 3 nutrients helps you grow taller.

10. Vertical Hanging : Holding and Hanging from Vertical bars helps to increase the height. If you do this at a younger age, then your spinal cord and vertebral column will grow.
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Foods to Keep You Young

Avocado

Avocado should be one of your anti-ageing staples. Avocados are an excellent source of vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant and a free-radical scavenger that helps prevent damage to collagen. Their high levels of beneficial unsaturated fats and beta-carotene nourish skin and protect from the visible signs of ageing, as well as keeping your heart and eyesight healthy as you get older.

Brazil nuts

These are one of the best sources of the trace mineral selenium, which helps to improve skin elasticity. Selenium is also a potent antioxidant which helps to reduce the risk of skin cancer and prevents premature ageing. Eat a few Brazil nuts each day, with your muesli or in a trail mix, to give you a good dose of this anti-ageing nutrient.

Chlorella

This nutritionally dense super algae has antioxidant and anti-ageing properties. It’s rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C and can enhance the health of your skin. It’s also a good source of chlorophyll and can assist with detoxification. Add chlorella powder to a vegetable juice or water daily to help remove toxins from the body. This will benefit your skin and work wonders to prevent premature ageing.

Red grapes

These are rich in resveratrol, a super antioxidant with great health-promoting and anti-ageing properties. A study published in the journal Science revealed resveratrol directly activates a protein that promotes health and longevity. Choose organic grapes as they typically have higher levels of resveratrol and don’t contain pesticide residue.

Kale

This is one of the best leafy greens to help combat ageing. It’s packed with antioxidants, and vitamin C, which protects against free radical damage. Its sulfur compounds assist in liver detoxification, while healthy omega-3 fats nourish the skin and help prevent dryness and wrinkles. It’s abundant in vitamin A, an important nutrient for eye health, and vitamin K and calcium, needed for strong bones and to prevent osteoporosis.

Maqui berry

These South American berries are one of the best antioxidant-rich foods. They have exceptionally high levels of anthocyanins, highly effective antioxidants with potent anti-ageing effects. They’re abundant in vitamin C, which is essential for collagen production to help give skin its tone, elasticity and a more youthful appearance. Add a scoop of maqui berry powder to smoothies, fresh juices or stir it through yoghurt.
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8 Red-Hot Ways to Have More Romance

Great news, guys: You’re not the only horny one around the house. According to a new survey from Yahoo! Shine, roughly half of all women want sex more often.

Now that you’re armed with that awesome knowledge, it’s time to chart your next move. Read this advice from the country’s top sexperts to seduce your partner and start having the wild sex life that you deserve.

1. Send Her a Romantic Text

It’s simple science: Women take longer to become aroused. So if you’re looking to get lucky later in the evening, start by piquing her interest early. How? Sext her. (No, seriously.) “Sexting can be extremely hot for a woman,” says Dr. Ava Cadell, founder of Loveology University. Women are much more auditory than men, she explains. So reading something sexy—like how badly you crave her taste—will only plant the seed of anticipation in her head.

2. Speak Up

No one wants to have sex with someone who’s completely silent the entire time, so make yourself heard. “Most women find dirty talk extremely sexy,” says Gloria Brame, Ph.D., a sex therapist and the author of Come Hither: A Commonsense Guide to Kinky Sex. So whether it’s grunts, moans, or just whispering in her ear, any sort of verbal reaction will help her get riled up, says Brame.

3. Slow It Down

Arousal doesn’t start the minute you enter the bedroom. And simply getting naked doesn’t mean she’s ready to go, says Brame. To up her heat index, Brame recommends taking your time when stripping down. Unbutton her clothes and remove them slowly. Kiss her bare skin and spend extra time in the area you just disrobed. “Women need to be able to relax and get into a good mindset,” says Brame.

4. Step Out of the Box

Kissing her neck is always a wise move, but switching things up will only work in your favor. Your move: Focus on something more foreign, like her hands. “Start by kissing her fingertips and then slowly spread her fingers apart, licking in between each one,” says Cadell. “Women like to be teased, so this sultry symbolism (licking in between her fingers versus her legs) will rev up her sex drive.”

5. She Comes First

Women are more open to sex if they know their needs are going to be met, says Cadell. So rather than issuing your own sexual demands, focus on her satisfaction instead. Hone in on the areas that especially put her in the mood: Her ears, neck, and inner thighs are all surprising hot spots that can push her over the edge. And since women like spontaneity, never stay in one area for too long, says Cadell.

6. Compliment Her Goods

If you want oral sex to play a bigger role in your sexcapades, make sure she knows how crazy you are about her body. Research has shown that women who are more comfortable with their genitals are not only more open to receiving oral sex, but they enjoy it more and orgasm more, says Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., sex researcher at Indiana University and author of Sex Made Easy. The next time you spend some time below the belt, tell her how much you love the way she looks, tastes, and smells, Herbenick advises. Your words will benefit the both of you in the long run.

7. Forge a New Path

Don’t put her on the spot by asking her what she wants mid-romp, says Brame. Yes, communication is key for good sex. But expecting her to give you a step-by-step walk-through on how to pleasure her isn’t exactly getting her off. It puts pressure on her because she thinks she has to respond with something new and kinky, when she should just be enjoying the moment, says Brame.

“Women like men who are in control,” says Cadell. So instead of asking, “what do you want me to do to you?” try experimenting on your own, and then asking her if it feels good.

8. Cook for More Romance

Keep in mind that heavy meals do not pair well with sex. “When your body is full of food, your first instinct is to just lay around and digest,” says Brame. Plus, if a woman is full, the last thing she’s going to want to do is strip off her clothes, she explains. So if you’re planning to wine and dine her, make sure to keep the meal light and sexy.

And here’s a fun fact: Black licorice has been shown to speed up her genital bloodflow by 40 percent, Cadell says. So try incorporating it and other aphrodisiacs—including wine and chocolates—into your pre-sex routine. (Looking for sexy meal ideas?
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5 Cholesterol-Fighting Foods

Lean Beef

Yes, it’s true: Even beef can give bad cholesterol a gut-punch, says a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Study participants ate portions of 4.0 and 5.4 ounces of lean beef daily, and saw decreases in “bad” LDL cholesterol of up to 10 percent when combined with a healthy diet.
What’s the best way to prepare that beef? Pick up Grill This, Not That for dozens of healthy, delicious recipes.

Soy Protein

Toss some chickpeas on that chicken salad. A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology found that soy protein is more effective than milk protein at lowering non-HDL cholesterol.

Almonds

Just a handful of almonds not only lowers your cholesterol, it also provides a whopping dose of Vitamin E, according to a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. That’s good news: The average guy gets only about half of his required intake per day, says the National Academy of Sciences.

Pistachios

Pistachios not only wreak havoc on your LDL, they also supply much-needed antioxidants that you’d normally get from vegetables and brightly-colored fruits, according to researchers at Penn State. Benefits like those are among the reasons we included them in our Men’s Health Nut Mix.

Tomato Juice

It took people just one glass of tomato juice and 2 tablespoons of ketchup every day for 3 weeks to cut LDL levels by an average of 8.5 percent, according to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition.

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