How To Have A Body That Can Rock Skinny Jeans

By on September 23, 2012

Skinny jeans are all the rage. It’s rare for a certain piece of wardrobe to be well-liked and well-worn by both men and women, but skinny jeans definitely make the cut.

Not everyone has the body to rock them, though. If you’re a woman and have deemed yourself not skinny jean-worthy, we have a few tips to help you sculpt a body that can rock sexy skinny jeans.

Although women with various body proportions can wear them, skinny jeans look best on women with slim hips, slim thighs, and a firm backside. If you are not naturally blessed with these physical attributes, then it’s time you lose fat and tone your thighs and butt.

To burn fat, you will have to watch your diet and perform adequate cardio activities daily. To tone up, incorporate this routine in your workout program four to six times a week to see fantastic results:

For Your Hips

* Standing Side Kick
1. Stand with your hands on your hips and your feet hip-width apart.
2. Extend your right leg to the side slowly until it is at hip height.
3. Count to 3 before lowering your leg to the floor.
4. Repeat 15 times before switching sides.

* Hip Raise
1. Lie flat on your back with arms on your side, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Lift your hips off the floor and extend your left leg towards the wall.
3. Count to 3 before lowering your leg to starting position.
4.  Repeat 15 times before switching sides.

For Your Thighs

* Squat with Ball
1. Place a stability ball between the wall and your lower back.
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
3. Slowly lower your body down by bending your knees until your thighs are 90 degrees parallel to the floor.
4. Count to 3 before standing back up.
5. Repeat 15 times.

* Plie
1. Stand with your feet about 5 inches wider than hip-width apart and your toes pointing outward.
2. Bring your body down to a squat position while bringing your arms straight in front of you at the same time. Contract your glutes and make sure to not let your knees go past your toes.
3. Go back to starting position after 3 counts.
4. Repeat 15 times.

For Your Butt

* Facedown Hip External Rotation
1. Lie on your stomach with arms folded under your head, face towards the side, and legs extended straight.
2. Bend your right leg with your knee pointing out. Place your foot on the back of your left knee without raising your hips off the floor.
3. Lift your right knee while contracting your right butt check without raising your hip.
4. Count 2 before going back to starting position.
5. Repeat 15 times before switching sides.

* Dumbbell Bent-Knee Deadlift
1. Place a pair of 15-pound dumbbells on the floor in front you.
2. Go down into a squat position and pick up the dumbbells, keeping your lower back slightly arched and your chest up.
3. Stand up with the dumbbells, making sure to contract your glutes.
4. Count to 3 before lowering the dumbbells to the floor, still keeping your back arched and chest up.
5. Repeat 15 times.

Filed Under: diet, Fitness and Exercise, Health Lifestyle Tagged With: , , ,

How To Have Slimmer Thighs

By on September 9, 2012

Everyone has a weakness for the perfect legs – men love them in women and women would die to have them. Though great legs come in all shapes and proportions, but the best looking ones come with slim and well-toned thighs.

Like most body parts, our thighs tend to get flabbier and chubbier as we grow older, especially if we do not follow a healthy diet and a regular exercise regimen.

Thunder thighs, as some mean girls in school like to call them, are unattractive and can make you self-conscious in whatever type of shorts or pants you wear. If you have thighs you feel uncomfortable wearing clothes in, it’s time to do something to slim them down.

Here are some of the best ways to have thighs that men go crazy over and other women would envy:

1. Walk, jog, or run

The easiest way to slim down your thighs is walking, jogging, or running. A simple walk around the block, a morning jog, or an afternoon run at least once a day will do wonders for your thighs. Just make sure to wear comfortable shoes when doing so.

2. Ride a bike

If you have a gym membership, spend a good 15-20 on the stationary bike. Bike riding is a great exercise to reduce leg fat as it is said to result in a calorie-burn of 500-600 in an hour.

3. Weight train

To have the perfect legs, you do not only want them slim — you want them well-toned. So, lose the fat and build muscle in your thighs by doing some weight training. If you’re worried about bulking, you can seek the help of a fitness instructor for the right weights and reps.

4. Use a stability ball

Lie on your back with your legs resting on a stability ball. Lift your hips up, and, using your legs, slowly roll the ball towards your hips. Roll your hips back down and repeat.  This exercise is not only good for slimming your thighs; it’s great for toning your abs too.

Here’s also another way to use a stability ball for slimmer thighs:

5. Avoid fatty foods

Your hips and thighs are the most common areas fats go when you consume foods rich in them. Avoid fatty foods and there will be less fat to be stored in your legs.

6. Drink lots of water

Aim to consume at least 8 glasses of water each day. Water not only helps get rid of toxins in the body, it also helps get rid of cellulite that is common in women with chubby thighs.

Remember, if you’ve had chubby thighs since you can remembbber, it may be tough to get slim them down at first. Don’t lose patience and follow these steps religiously and you will have slim, shapely thighs you’ve always wanted.

 

Filed Under: diet, Fitness and Exercise, Health Lifestyle Tagged With: , , ,

The Beginner’s Guide To Having Flat Abs

By on August 26, 2012

By today’s standards, a tight core is the centerpiece for any muscular physique — for men and women alike. Flat abs are not just sexy, they’re a sign of your health and strength too. No wonder why it is one of the most eye-catching features of your body.

Although tight, strong abs are what most people work hard at the gym for, not everyone will get to see the results they want — especially beginners. If you are a beginner who is looking for the best program that can help you achieve washboard abs, then follow this guide and you will have one in no time.

1. Be consistent in doing cardiovascular exercises.

Cardiovascular ExercisesCardio exercises have numerous benefits, and one of them is weight loss. You may wonder why you have to lose weight when all you want is flat abs. The truth is that it doesn’t matter how hard you work your core, you’ll never get a chance to see it flat and fabulous if there’s a layer of fat covering it.

To make flat abs visible, you need to get rid of fat in the belly. However, since it’s not possible to force your body to lose fat in just one particular area, you need to burn fat from all over the body, and the best way to do this is to perform cardio exercises.

A 30-minute jog or 20-minute run on the treadmill 3-4 times a week should be sufficient to lose belly fat and keep it off.

2. Be mindful of your eating habits.

To prep your body for killer abs, you need to watch what and how much food you eat. Refrain from eating junk foods and start adding fruits and green vegetables to your meals instead. If switching drastically seems pretty hard to do, you can enjoy a burger or a Coke float now and then but consume only half of what you normally do, or share them with a friend.

Cutting calorie intake in half will help stave off belly fat, thus giving your sculpted abs a chance to become visible.

3. Perform ab workouts.

There are countless of ab workouts you can do, but as a beginner, you can start doing crunches or sit ups. As soon as you become too familiar with these exercises, you can switch to other routines that work different muscles in your abdominal area.

To get the most out of abdominal exercises, you can wear an ab toning belt while doing them.

A key note to remember when it comes to getting toned, well-sculpted abs: One of the main reasons why a lot of people just cannot achieve washboard abs is that they give up too easily. As a beginner, some of these ab exercises may prove to be tough to perform, but they will get easier in time.

Do not stick to one program though. It is always best to vary your exercise routine to keep your ab muscles guessing and, more importantly, working.

Filed Under: ab belts, Ab workouts, diet, Fitness and Exercise, Health Lifestyle Tagged With: , ,

3 Yoga Poses For A Flatter Stomach

By on July 28, 2012

Yoga is a fitness activity that originated in ancient India but is now very popular in almost any part of the world because of the physical and mental benefits it provides.

Unlike traditional fitness programs, Yoga does not provide intense cardiovascular workout or body building exercises meant to lose a significant amount of weight or bulk up muscles. Rather, it focuses on uniting the body and mind to improve a person’s overall well-being.

Although it’s not necessarily the most efficient way to lose a significant amount of weight, Yoga can complement your daily exercise regimen to help you become as physically and mentally fit as you can be.

If you are on your way to having a smaller waistline because of cardio exercises, you may want to strengthen abdominal muscles by doing specific fun and exciting Yoga exercises, instead of neck breaking crunches.

Here are 3 Yoga poses for a flatter stomach:

1. The Bow

You start by lying face down on a mat. Curly your legs up and grab your feet a couple of inches below your toes. Keep your thighs about 5 inches apart and take a deep breath before you kick your legs up behind you, lift your torso and look up.

Stay in this position for about 10 seconds with your toes pointed up before you slowly lower down your feet and relax your hands on your side. Repeat 3-5 times.

 

2. The Cobra Pose

Lie on your belly with your legs aligned properly and all toes are touching the mat. Place your hands right under your shoulders with your palms down and your elbows up. Take a deep breath and lift your chest up and stretch all the way out as far as you can comfortably go.

Hold this position for 10 seconds before slowly bringing your upper body down. Repeat 3-5 times.

3. The Reclining Twist

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. With your hands extended out to your side, inhale as you lift your feet off the floor and draw your knees towards your chest. Exhale as you drop both your bended knees towards your left. You can hold your knees down with your left hand and turn your head towards your right. Keep your knees at a 90 degree angle or less from your body.

Stay in this position for about 30 seconds before your lift your knees back to center and slowly bring them down towards your right side. Hold your knees down with your right hand and turn your head towards your left. Repeat 3-5 times.

These 3 are just some of the several Yoga poses for a flatter stomach. Make Yoga a part of your daily fitness routine and you will see and feel amazing results.

Filed Under: Ab workouts, Fitness and Exercise, Health Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , ,

Losing Weight Without Counting Calories: Is It Possible?

By on July 27, 2012

If you want a straight answer, then yes, it is possible. But how? With almost every resource you find on losing weight – whether magazines, books, or online sites – telling you to consume just the right amount of calories, you may find yourself wondering how it is possible to do so without counting them.

To most dieters, calorie-counting is not only overwhelming, it can be counter-productive, too. Obsessing on the number of calories you consume can make you forget to pay attention to the nutritional value of what you’re eating. Rather than lose weight, you can end up eating food that will do little to nothing to increase your metabolism and will just end up as stored fat.

So how do you lose weight without crunching numbers every meal and snack time?

As a non calorie counting dieter, here are 2 eating habits to practice daily to ensure that you still shed those unwanted pounds:

1. Eat when you’re truly physically hungry and stop when you’re full. 

Emotional eating – a practice of consuming large quantities of food in response to stress, frustration, anxiety, and even boredom instead of physical hunger – is one of the most common causes of uncontrollable weight gain.

Before you reach for that Snickers icebox pie, ask yourself first if you are indeed hungry or just wanting to eat out of boredom.

If you are an emotional eater, come up with healthy ways to deal with this problem. You can either go outside for a walk, read a good book, or call a friend.

When you are truly hungry, eat until you feel full. No need to have a second serving if your stomach is telling you it doesn’t need one

Treat this as a golden rule in eating and you will never have to worry about counting calories to stay in shape again.

2. Fill up on fruits and vegetables. 

Not only are fruits and vegetables good for lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, and risks of life-threatening diseases such as stroke, cancer, and diabetes, they are also ideal for those who want to keep obesity at bay.

Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins and minerals to keep your body strong and fiber to keep your stomach full at longer periods of time.

Ideally, your plate during every meal should have more portions of fruits or vegetables compared to other viands.

Filling up on produce is a great way to keep your calorie count in check and still consume lots of vital nutrients at the same time.


Filed Under: diet, Health Lifestyle Tagged With: , ,

4 Easy Ways To Have a Flatter Stomach

By on July 24, 2012

A bulging stomach is not just unpleasing to the eye, it poses a risk to one’s health, too. Whatever our personal reason is in losing unattractive rolls of belly fat – whether just to fit nicely into a fitted shirt or to keep the risks of life-threatening health diseases at bay – we soon realize that a flat stomach does not come easy.

It is something to work really hard for. Years of eating unhealthy food and lack of exercise have taken their toll on our body, and everyday that we postpone that much-needed change towards a better and healthier lifestyle, we only make it harder for our bodies to lose excess pounds.

Sure, there are already lots of products in the market that promise a flat stomach without the need to work your butt off at the gym. While there are products that do show great results after consistent use, most are not safe, show little to no results, and most of all, expensive.

Unless you want to experience the nasty side effects of slimming pills or can afford to undergo a liposuction, you’d want to take the traditional yet still extremely effective route to having a flatter stomach.

When it comes to losing belly fat and keep it off, nothing can beat healthy eating habits and adequate sleep, and daily exercise. Hearing the words diet and exercise may sound intimidating enough to make you want to run to the nearest drugstore or plastic surgeon.

Contrary to what many people believe, getting a flatter stomach is really not all that hard. Just make sure you follow these tips:

1. Do not starve yourself.

Many people associate dieting with starving oneself. They couldn’t be more wrong. The more they starve themselves, the lower their metabolism becomes and the slower they will lose unwanted weight.

Eating six times during the day is what fitness experts advise. This way, you up your metabolism and you prevent the surging of hunger pangs, which can cause you to overeat.

2. Eat high-protein, fiber-rich, and low-carb foods.

Studies show that foods rich in protein and fiber take longer for the stomach to process, thus making you feel full for longer periods during the day. Make sure to include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, eggs, and beans in your daily diet.

Although carbohydrates remain to be an essential part of our diet in order for our body to have enough energy to last throughout the day,  consuming too much of it will result in belly fats. Therefore, you should stick to low-carb foods if you want to have a flatter stomach.

3. Get enough sleep.

The keyword here is enough. This means that you get not too little nor too much sleep each night. If your body does not get enough rest – as in less than 5 hours of sleep – it will produce hormones that can cause you to overeat when awake.

On the other hand, if you sleep more than 7 hours at night, your body will not be able to shed calories you consume due to long periods of inactivity.

See to it that you get 6-7 hours of sleep to avoid the adverse effects of oversleeping or sleep deprivation on your abdominal area.

4. Perform abdominal exercises at home.

You don’t need to have a gym membership just to be able to perform abdominal exercises. You can do them right in your own home. Crunches, Pilates exercises, and sit ups – so long as done with proper breathing techniques – can go a long way.  You can even invest in an ab toning belt to maximize the benefits of these abdominal exercises.

A flatter stomach does not only make you look fit and lean. More importantly, it minimizes, if not eliminate the risk of diabetes and heart-related illnesses.


Filed Under: ab belts, diet, Fitness and Exercise, Health Lifestyle Tagged With: , ,

How Do Your Sleeping Habits Affect Your Weight?

By on July 18, 2012

Adequate sleep is an important part of our overall health. A well-rested person not only thinks and feels better, but also lives a better lifestyle compared to another who is constantly sleep-deprived.

The benefits of getting the right amount of sleep, however, go beyond refreshing your mind, lifting your mood, or brandishing dark under eye circles. It also helps prevent unnecessary weight gain and the life-threatening health conditions that usually come with it such as diabetes, heart diseases, and respiratory problems.

Most, if not all, weight loss advice out there mention sleep as a significant weight loss factor. Significant as its role is, however, it is often undervalued. Many people fail to see the importance of getting adequate sleep as an important step to achieving a slimmer and healthier body.

The Effect of Too Little or Too Much Sleep

A study conducted by Wake Forest University researchers show that Inadequate amount of sleep is linked to fat gain. The subjects of the study were men and women between ages of 18 and 81. Those who reported that they typically slept for a maximum of 5 hours each night gained a hefty 32% in visceral fat, while those who slept more than 8 hours each night gained 13% abdominal fat.

As to why too little sleep affect one’s weight, researchers and experts have different theories.

The most common and logical is that those who are sleep-deprived do not have the energy to exercise. Worse, the need to grab a cup of coffee or a donut may become instinctive for that much-needed energy boost at work. The less hours of sleep you have, the more calories from comfort foods you’ll consume.

On the more scientific side, lack of sleep will affect the body’s production of hormones called ghrelins and leptins. When you are sleep-deprived, the body produces more ghrelins and less leptins.

Ghrelins tell you when to eat, so you can only imagine the vicious effect the abundance of supply of these hormones can do to your body.

Leptins, on the other hand, tell you when to stop eating. If there is less of these hormones than the normal amount in your body, then you could end up consuming more calories than you ought to.

If ghrelins and leptins will have their way, you could be eating non-stop!

Too much sleep also has the same adverse effect on your body, though not necessarily on the same level. Weight gain due to oversleeping can be attributed to the fact that you spend less time being active.

If you are serious in losing unwanted fat – especially in your abdominal area – then you’d want to get rid of bad sleeping habits.

If you normally sleep 5 hours or less each night, strive to meet the 7-hour mark. If you sleep more than 7-8 hours a night, make it a habit to start waking early.

You’ll be amazed how minor changes in your daily habits can result in significant improvements in your weight.

Filed Under: Health Lifestyle Tagged With: , , ,

2 Lifestyle Changes You Have To Make To Lose Weight and Keep It Off

By on June 21, 2012

Remember the time when you were younger? Back in those years when you felt stronger and looked better? Think back and try to recall the younger and healthier you. No, you are not just trying to reminisce happier days. You are looking back to recognize the difference between the lifestyle you had back then and the lifestyle you are living right now.

Do you realize that it’s not just the years that have taken their toll on your body? Though it is true that it gets harder to lose weight as one gets older, you cannot entirely blame the passage of time for excessive weight gain. In fact, the major reason why you have packed on extra pounds is that you have gone from living a healthy lifestyle to an unhealthy one.

A study conducted by Berkeley Lab shows that although weight gain is one of the normal consequences of growing older, you can still fight off extra pounds by making simple (or significant, if you are obese) yet extremely helpful lifestyle changes.

  • Re-instill good eating habits

When at school where you spent most of your younger years, your eating habits were restricted. You basically got to eat only 3 full meals a day: before going to school, during lunch break, and dinner time. Now that there’s only YOU to restrict your meal times, a good rule to follow is to eat only when you’re hungry and stop when you are full. Stick by this rule and you will never be out of shape even as you age.

When you feel hungry an hour after a full meal, drink a glass of water. Water is not only great for keeping your energy levels high, but it also serves as a natural appetite suppressant. Som

etimes, a lot of people mistake thirst for hunger. Don’t. Keep in mind that extra meals will mean extra calories, which of course, turn into extra pounds.

  • Remain active

Gym class was a requirement, and you probably pursued extra curricular sports activities back when you were still a student. Long hours spent sitting behind an office desk and watching television to de-stress are a far cry from the active lifestyle you used to live when you were younger. A sufficient amount of daily exercise compliments a healthy diet in losing weight naturally and keeping it off. Sign up for a gym membership to keep you motivated. If going to the gym is not an option, set time aside for jogging, bicycle, or power walking – anything just to get your body moving. A little effort, so long as done consistently, can go a long way.

The more you think about it, the more it will make sense to you that the key to losing weight is to reverse bad habits that made you gain those extra pounds in the first place. Live younger and you will feel and look younger.

 

 

Filed Under: Fitness and Exercise, Health Lifestyle Tagged With: ,

Tips To Getting A Smaller Waist

By on June 17, 2012

Throughout history, and still in many of today’s cultures, a woman is considered attractive if she has a waistline predominantly smaller than her bust and hips. Although a study conducted by the North Carolina State University states that only 8% of women have an hourglass figure, many still regard it as the ideal feminine shape. Women with small waists are not only effortlessly sexy, but they represent fertility and good health as well. The reason behind is that fat is equally distributed between the upper and lower parts of the body.

If you are not among the very small percentage of women who are blessed with a naturally curvaceous body, you can still be as shapely as you can be by trimming excess fat from your waist.

Here are 5 tips to help you get a smaller waist:

1. Watch your daily diet.

Aside from keeping junk and fat-ridden foods at bay, make sure to eat ones that contain lots of soluble fiber as it has been proven to speed up the burning of visceral belly fat. Fruits and vegetables are your best friends when it comes to a fiber-rich diet. Substitute coffee with green tea and stay away from carbonated drinks.

2. Drink at least 8 glasses of water.

You probably hear this weight-loss tip all the time, but it’s worth repeating as drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day is an often overlooked advice. Water does not only contain zero calories, but it also helps wash away toxins and fat from your body, including your belly.

3. Perform cardio exercises.

Cardio exercises are a must if you want to trim fat off your waistline. If you don’t have access to a treadmill, you can go running outside, bicycling, kickboxing, swimming, or just plain walking. Cardio exercises increase your body’s metabolism and puts it into fat-burning mode all throughout the day, so get the most out of them by working out in the morning.

4. Perform ab workouts.

Include sit ups, crunches, and Yoga or Pilates moves in your exercise routine. Pilates, especially, is known for its core strengthening exercises that can not only get you a slimmer waist but six pack abs as well. A Pilates move known as The Hundred targets your transverse abdominals, which act as your body’s natural corset. If you tone these abdominals, you will have the smaller waist you want.

5. Get yourself a hula hoop.

Hula hoops are not just for kids. They’re also great for grown ups who want to lose a few inches off their waist the fun way instead of the usual sit ups and crunches.

Although your genetics will still have the final say as to how small your waist can get, don’t make it as an excuse for not having the small waist that will serve as key to a curvaceous new you.

Filed Under: Fitness and Exercise, Health Lifestyle Tagged With: , ,

5 Habits That You Don’t Know Are Making You Fat

By on June 13, 2012

You’ve been eating only healthy food and exercising religiously, yet you just can’t seem to shed those extra pounds you’ve been trying really hard to lose. What’s keeping you from getting that slimmer and healthier body you want?

It may be one or all of these 5 habits that you don’t know are making you fat:

1. Sleeping too much

While it is known to many that too little sleep increases the risk of weight gain, few realize that too much sleep can also prevent them from losing those extra pounds. In fact, a Wake Forest research shows that while people who sleep less than the recommended 7-8 hours are likely to put on 2 1/2 times more belly fat, those who oversleep can easily gain weight just slightly less than that.

Getting adequate amount of rest does not only apply to nighttime sleep, however, but afternoon naps as well. Keep power naps to a maximum of 30 minutes – just enough time to revitalize your mind and body. Otherwise, you will wake up groggy, disoriented, and still sleepy, which can result to slow fat burn throughout the rest of the day.

2. Eating too quickly

Do you know that it takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to send the brain a message to stop eating? This means that by eating too quickly, you are likely to take in more calories before your brain realizes that the body has had enough. What’s ironic is that even though eating too quickly can result to overeating, those who eat at a normal pace feel more satiated compared to those who gobble down food.

Take slower and smaller bites as it not only allows you to savor your meals, but it also provides your stomach ample time to tell your brain that you are already full.

3. Eating too late

If there’s one thing you can be thankful for, it’s that your body continues to burn fat even while asleep. But not when it’s busy processing a full stomach! For a slimmer waistline, eat your dinner between 6 and 8 o’clock.

4. Not drinking water before every meal

It is no secret that drinking water can help you lose weight. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water at any time during the day has been proven to be a viable weight loss strategy. What some people do not know is that drinking 2 glasses of water before every meal will boost a dieter’s weight loss efforts.

Drinking water before eating can give you a feeling of fullness, which can help you refuse the temptation of drinking sugar-filled beverages after a meal.

5. Watching too much TV

Too much TV viewing is not only detrimental to your eyesight, it can lead to weight gain too! Aside from the fact that it does not require you to do anything except sit for long hours, TV viewing is something people like to do while snacking. Combine calorie-intake with sedentary activity and you are sure to gain unwanted pounds.

Limit time spent in front of the television to an hour a day, if possible. If you find it hard to cut down on TV time, try exercising while watching your favorite shows. Get on your exercise bike or do some push ups – anything just get your body moving while watching television.

Remember, no matter how hard you exercise or how strictly you follow your diet, your efforts will prove useless if you don’t get rid of these 5 mindless habits that are keeping you from getting the slim and healthy body you want.


Filed Under: diet, Fitness and Exercise, Health Lifestyle Tagged With: ,
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