spape11and12

Taking the right foods will help you in attaining your target fitness and physique.

Coffee: Take a cup of coffee before you start to workout.

caffeine present in coffee blocks the pain-processing adenosine

Fruit Group should provide 4 daily servings, or 2 cups.

Vegetable Group should provide 5 servings, or 2.5 cups

Grain Group should provide 6 ounce-equivalents (1 ounce-equivalent means 1 serving), half of which should be whole grains.

Carbohydrate energy Carbohydrates provide your body with energy fuel.

Failing to provide your body with quality carbohydrates for your workout will make you quickly feel tired and worn out

Avoid processed foods like white rice, white bread and white pasta. Also avoid sugary drinks and foods for the same reason.

increased heart health

vegetarians also consume more soy milk (often to replace milk), which reduces "bad" cholesterol and has been linked to good heart health.

increased skin health

Between 1950 and 1994, global meat production increased nearly fourfold, rising faster than the human population. During this period, production rates jumped from 18 to 35.4 kilograms per person

Overpopulation puts pressure on the earth's resources

Each person has needs for food, water, shelter, heating/cooling and transportation. To a large extent domesticated animals have the same needs.

Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images As more and more teenagers are being classified as over

gers are bei

teenagers

Creatine and protein shakes are commonly used by weightlifters and athletes looking to bulk up or improve their overall physical fitness levels. Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid found in fish and meat and produced naturally in the liver, kidneys and pancreas, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Protein shakes are supplements used to fuel the body with protein in an effort to build muscle.

Creatine works by supplying the muscles with additional energy during a workout. This can help you increase the intensity of your workouts, although it has been shown to be ineffective for some people, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. Protein powders are primarily used immediately following a workout to help replenish the body with much-needed proteins lost during an intense lifting session. Muscles are made of protein, considered the building block of all bodily tissues.

Contrary to what some people believe, protein supplementation is not necessarily a healthy way to lose weight, cautions Mayo Clinic dietitian Katherine Zeratsky. Meal-replacement shakes that are high in protein cannot replicate or achieve the nutritional value of whole foods. Zeratsky recommends focusing on eating healthy, well-balanced meals and watching your calorie intake to lose weight safely.

Healthy Habit 2: Savor leisurely dining

Healthy Habit 3: Practice portion control

“It's changing up your workouts on a very regular basis to make sure that your body doesn't get used to the task

doing the same workout over and over, the body's muscles dull to the routine

mixing up exercises, sets and reps, muscles become “confused,” forcing them to work harder

Glucose, which is transported by your bloodstream to organs and tissues after eating carbohydrates, provides an essential source of energy for both your muscles and brain when working out. As energy and glucose needs to increase with exercise, it's important to eat enough carbohydrates in order to fuel your workouts. Having low blood glucose levels during exercise harms performance and can lead to physical and mental fatigue, sometimes resulting in weakness, dizziness and hypoglycemia. Glucose also prevents the body from using protein for energy.

When glucose isn't needed for immediate energy, the body stores it as glycogen in the liver and skeletal muscle. Glycogen stores are especially important when working out, as the body's energy demands may exceed the amount supplied by glucose in the bloodstream after prolonged exercise or when exercising with insufficient carbohydrate intake. According to Iowa State University, during low-intensity workouts, glycogen stores can be used to increase glucose levels in the bloodstream for as long as 90 minutes -- whereas during high-intensity exercise, glycogen stores provide energy for only about 20 minutes. Active people therefore need to replenish glucose regularly by eating plenty of carbohydrates. However, in less-active people with adequate glycogen stores, additional glucose is stored as fat.

Exercise 1 - Chest and Shoulders Lie on your back and grasp your weights with the palms of your hands facing up, and your arms outstretched to the sides. With your elbows slightly bent, lift your arms above your chest until your hands are almost touching. Return to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 2 - Chest and Shoulders Lie on your back and grasp your weights with the palms of your hands facing up, and your arms outstretched above your head. Grip your weights and bring them over your head and down to your hips, by your sides - a semi-circular motion. Lift back to starting position and repeat.

Exercise 3 - Chest and Back Sitting with your back straight (preferably supported) and legs straight out in front of you, hold your weights in at your chest with your elbows out to the side (parallel to the floor). Push your arms out straight in front of you then pull them back in. Repeat.

How Many Reps/Sets To Do You've figured out the exercises you should be doing, but what about the number of sets and repetitions? Your decision should be based on your goals. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 8-12 reps for muscular strength and 10-15 reps for muscular endurance. They also recommend at least 1 set of each exercise to fatigue although you'll find that most people perform about 2-3 sets of each exercise. In general:

For fat loss: 1-3 sets of 10-12 reps using enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired reps.

To gain muscle: 3+ sets of 6-8 reps to fatigue. For beginners, give yourself several weeks of conditioning before going to this level. You may need a spotter for many exercises.

Split your workouts into smaller workouts throughout the day.

Make the time. People who workout don't have more time than people who don't. They've just practiced making exercise a priority. Scheduling your workouts and treating them like any other appointment you wouldn't miss may help you stick to your program.

Do all those things you know you should be doing: take the stairs, walk more, stop driving around looking for that front row parking space, etc.

One of the best abdominal exercises for men is the basic crunch. There are a lot of people who figure the regular crunches just do not work but in fact this is one of the best exercises you can do for toning and shaping your stomach. It is all a matter of focusing on your core and squeezing your abdominal muscles as you perform each crunch, to ensure you are working the right muscles.

This is one of the most effective abdominal exercises for men, so lets see how you should be doing it. Lie flat on your back, knees bent, and arms folded with your hands behind your head. Concentrate on your core and squeeze your ab muscles, using them to push your torso up until your head is almost at your knees.

This is a full crunch and you should include at least fifteen reps in your set, and try to do three sets minimum.

Oatmeal can help you stave off your hunger and take inches off of your waist. Cravings are caused by a drop in blood sugar. Oatmeal is high in fiber, which will keep you fuller longer and stave off any snack attacks or sugar cravings. Fiber also allows you digestive system to work better, ridding you of any bloating or constipation and leaving you with a firmer midsection.

Eggs are full of vitamins and nutrients that burn fat and build muscle. Eggs contain vitamins A, D, E and B12, which the body uses to metabolize fat. They are also a great source of protein, which the body uses to build muscle. A study at Louisiana State University found that those who ate eggs for breakfast daily lost more weight than those who ate bagels, the Quick & Simple website notes.

You need fat to lose weight, believe it or not. Monounsaturated fats are a good thing, and you can find them in cooking oils such as olive oil and canola oil. Good fats also help lower your cholesterol and lessen food cravings. Olive oil has also been shown to help prevent Alzheimer's disease, and to help deliver nutrients to the brain. Other foods high in monounsaturated fats include olives, avocados and almonds.

The concentration curl focuses on the biceps. Excises that focus on the biceps are important for building strong arms.

Seated preacher curls The seated preacher curl works the biceps and also strengthens your forearms. This is a great exercise for the biceps since you cannot easily cheat and use other muscle groups to help with the exercise.

Standing dumbbell curls This is a good a good exercise for beginners when you start using free weights. An alternate to the standing dumbbell curls is the seated curls. The seated curls will help stabalize your back more proper.