Monthly Archives: July 2015

Because the sun will shine again! How to Burn Major Calories in 6 Minutes before Breakfast

6-Minute Morning Workout

6 minute morning workout!

Morning workouts don’t just have an impact on your health, but it also helps you set the tone for the rest of the day.

University of Michigan reported that working out in the morning not only elevates your metabolism, increasing the amount of calories your body burns but also improves your sleep cycle and boosts energy by getting an endorphin rush.

With all the added benefits morning workouts provide, squeezing in your sweat session before jumping into shower is not just about exercise, it’s a way of life that supports weight loss, optimum health and positive outlook on the day (and life!).

If that’s not enough for you, how does burning major calories in 6 minutes before breakfast sound?

Too good? Check this out.

Science says 4 minutes is enough for burning major calories.

Dr. Tabata who studied training protocols to effectively train an Olympic skater found that 4 minutes of HIIT can increase both your aerobic and anaerobic capacity and boost your resting metabolic rate more than long and steady cardio workouts.

The secret to this staggering result is in the workout intensity.

Tabata protocol (yes, you guessed it! That same doctor ended up coming up with his own protocol and it’s widely used amongst professional athletes and fitness gurus.) is done in a way that you alternate high intensity exercise with a little rest and complete several rounds.

The result is, you trigger the affterburn effect. It’s the effect you only get to achieve when you max out yourself.

Your body simply gets a heavy load of work that it takes energy to come back to the pre-exercise state.

This means, you burn major calories during the 4 minutes up to 48 hours post workout.

To sum up, your calories burned from this extremely short workout is greater than some 45 minute cardio workout that only burns calories while you are on the treadmill, not after.

Whether you are looking to kick start your energy for the day or jump start your metabolism to burn more and lose fat, this workout is definitely worth giving it a try.

This 6-minute morning workout is a HIIT style workout that uses 4 best bodyweight exercises that target various parts of your body including your most stubborn body parts: butt, thighs, abs, and back of your arms (triceps).

 

Let’s take a look at each exercise and what body part it works to tone and slim down:

Squats: Squats are the secret weapon to slimmer thighs, firmer butt and leaner legs.

Almost all workout routines that have squats burn more calories than the ones without! and we are not exaggerating. Squats are that effective at burning major calories and toning the butt, hips and legs.

When considering squat’s primary target, the gluteus maximus (gluteus) being the largest muscle out of over 600 skeletal muscles in your body, it’s no surprise that squats burn more calories than others that target smaller muscles by expending the most amount of energy.

Push-ups: Pushup is a classic bodyweight exercise that strengthens your body and sculpts your upper body. Push-ups are often considered an arm or shoulder workout, but in fact, it has a high core engagement.

It engages the entire core just as planks do, but more intensely than a simple plank hold (because of the pushup motions).

It’s a great way to get a stronger core, melt your body fat and lose the stomach rolls without actually doing an “abs workout”.

Push-up, by the way, is by far the best full-body or upper body exercise you can do just with your bodyweight. You can’t go wrong with it.

Plank: The plank does everything from engaging the abs to sculpting your entire midsection. It is excellent at working every part of your stomach and not leaving a bit of stomach flab on the table.

It wipes out your stomach fat and gives you a stronger core if you incorporate planks into your daily routines.

As effective as it can be, its simplicity tends to get people underestimate the power of an isometric hold.

While most abs and core exercises involve dynamic movements, plank is done by simply holding the plank position for 30-60 second.

By doing so, it has the benefit of reaching the deep stabilizing muscles in your core and strengthening them.

According to Dr. Jinger Gottschall, assistant professor of Kinesiology at Penn State University, the plank is a superior core exercise to the crunch or sit-up because it provides “more three-dimensional activation, from hip to shoulder, whereas the crunch is an isolated move that hits just your abs.” She came to this conclusion after researching the benefits of planks and comparing them with other popular and most widely performed exercises such as sit-ups and crunches.

She adds that planks not only strengthen the core, but also the shoulders and hips—and you can improve your balance if you do variations with your arm or leg.

Bicycle Crunch: Although the basic crunch may not be as strong of an exercise as the plank, it’s variant, the bicycle crunch is a different breed.

According to a study sponsored by ACE, the bicycle crunch is one of the top abdominal exercises among 12 other abs workouts.

The bicycle crunch not only works the six-pack muscles (the outer layer abdominal muscles) but also the obliques, giving you a slimmer waistline.

For all your love handle problem, leave it to the bicycle crunch.

It can make it disappear by melting all the fat away from the sides of your stomach.

HIIT, short for high-intensity-interval training not only burns calories and fat during the workout but also continues to burn calories hours after your session (unlike a typical low to moderate 30 minute cardio workout.)

 

6 Minute Morning Workout Routine by Fitwirr

Whether your goal is to lose weight, burn fat or gain lean muscle tone, this HIIT total-body workout will rev up your metabolism and make body more efficient at burning fat.

Not having enough time to workout is no longer an excuse to skip your routine, get up 6 minutes earlier every morning to crush calories and burn fat before breakfast and shower.

“Get this 6-Minute Morning Workout in. You’ll have a reason to shower.”

It’ll not only give you a reason to shower but also set your day right before heading out the door.

Do this short yet intense workout before your morning shower to get fit and lean.

Complete all four moves in sequence with minimal rest in between the exercises. Do 1-3 sets.

6 Minute Morning Workout Routine

A1: Squats

How to Do Squats

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Contract your abs and lower your body as far as you can by pushing your hips back and bending your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
  3. Pause, and return back up to the starting position. Continue for the prescribe number of repetitions.

A2: Push-ups

How to Do a Push-up

  1. Get down on all your fours in a pushup position with your arms straight and your hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Your body should form a straight line from your ankles to your head. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.
  3. Pause, and then push back up. Continue for the prescribe number of repetitions

B1: Plank Exercise

How to Do a Plank Exercise

  1. Get down on the floor and lay face down on your stomach and bend your elbows and rest your weight no your forearms and not on your hands.
  2. Your body should form a straight line from shoulders to ankles. brace your abs and Engage your core by sucking your belly button into your spine.?

B2: Bicycle Crunch

How to Do Bicycle Crunches

  1. Lie flat on the floor with lower back on the ground. Put your hands behind your head, without locking your fingers together then bring your knees in towards your chest and lift your shoulder blade off the ground.
  2. Straighten your right leg out to about a 45-degree angle to the ground while turning your upper body to the left, bringing your right elbow towards the left knee.
  3. Make sure your rib cage is moving and not just your elbows. Now switch sides and do the same motion on the other side to complete one rep.
  4. Continue alternating from side to side until completing the prescribed number of reps.

If you enjoy this 6-minute morning workout, then you’ll love performing our 6-Minute Daily Workouts for the next 30 days. Each day you’ll do the Workout of the Day for 6 minutes to burn calories and burn fat before jumping into the shower. You’ll love the results after the 30 days!

 

 

 

 

by Misato Alexandre In Beginner’s Workout Guide

Source: http://fitwirr.com/

23 Natural Alternatives for Depression

Help combat depression the natural way
23 Natural Alternatives for depression

Many people unfortunately have struggled and continue to struggle with feelings of depression, general sadness, or intense sorrow and grief.

Plant products have historically been consumed and utilised for their nutritive and holistic benefits. Many plant materials are being researched for their therapeutic value for our mental health. Here are 23 natural substances, which can help to optimise our biochemistry, neurotransmitters and address nutrient deficiencies.

 

  1. Kava is safe and effective in treating anxiety disorders and depression.
  2. L-tryptophan is as effective as imipramine in treating depression.
  3. Saffron may be of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of mild to moderate depression and has similar efficacy as the drug imipramine.
  4. St. John’s Wort is as effective as Selective Serotoin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) in the treatment of Depressive Disorder, with a greater safety rating.
  5. St. John’s Wort’s cortisol reducing effect in brain may contribute to anti-depressive effect.
  6. Blue-green algae improves quality of life, mood, anxiety and depressive attitude in menopausal women.
  7. The omega-3 fatty acid EPA is as effective as fluoxetine (Prozac) in treating major depressive disorder.
  8. Goji improves sense of well-being and other indicators of good health.
  9. Homeopathic medicine is as effective and better tolerated than Prozac (fluoxetine) in the treatment of acute depression.
  10. Lavender fragrance had a beneficial effect on insomnia and depression in women college students.
  11. Lion’s Mane mushroom intake results in a reduction of depression and anxiety in mice by 4 weeks.
  12. Motherwort improves symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with arterial hypertension.
  13. Omega-3 fatty acids were shown to be more effective than placebo for depression in both adults and children in small controlled studies and in an open study of bipolar depression.
  14. Rhodiola shows anti-depressive potency in patients with mild to moderate depression.
  15. Dietary intake of zinc was inversely associated with depression.
  16. Curcumin exhibits antidepressant properties.
  17. Lobelia has antidepressant properties.
  18. Nutmeg demonstrates antidepressant activity.
  19. Onion powder has an antidepressant-like effect in a rat behavioral model of depression.
  20. Panax ginseng extract exhibits antidepressant activity.
  21. Rosemary exhibits antidepressant action probably through the monoaminergic system.
  22. Valerian extract has anxiety-reducing and anti-depressant effects, but is not a sedative and does not interfere with muscle function.
  23. Folate may have a therapeutic role in treating depressive symptoms.

 

Source: http://www.holistictherapistmagazine.com/