Have you seen the beach body infomercials on TV? They have been running for at least a couple of years and are now rebranded as P90x. P90x is a workout system that is suppoosed to help you lose weight and gain muscle using a series of 12 different workouts that are tough, really tough and are contantly changing to lead your body to muscle confusion.

Muscle confusion os a good thing. What happens is that you body after lifting weights for even a short period of time will get use to the workouts and you will eventually stop making gains. You need to change your weights, sets, exercises and anything else on a constant basis to confuse your muscles into making change. This is the basis of the no nonsense muscle building program that I reviewed a while ago.

To do P90x you need to order the package online or over the phone and it costs about $140 for the core system although there are a bunch of upgrades that you can buy, mainly equipment for $100 or so and then of course  they recommend their own supplements. There is only a little bit of equipment which is nice so that you can do these workouts at home and not need to join a gym, although this means that you need to have motivation to continue after the first week is done and excuses start popping up.

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Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: USD

So you neither have money nor inclination to join a fitness center but would still want to burn fat by working out? A home exercise equipment is the answer for you. You see, no one said that fitness comes with a huge price tag. For those who don’t want to venture out of home for the purpose of working out or simply cannot afford the expensive gym memberships, home exercise equipment offers an ideal way to keep themselves fit and slim.

However, if you don’t plan everything ahead of time, you might end up with an exercise equipment you won’t even bother to use. To make sure you get the best out of your investment, this article would offer you some tips on buying home exercise equipments.

Variety is the key

You see, if you keep dong the same workout day after day, it is only natural that one day you would get fed up of your exercise routine and quit it all. You may or may not know it, but most people quit working out simply because of boredom. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: exercise equipment, Fitness Equipment, home exercise equipment

So what’s The Purpose of Leading Exercise Ball?

Before looking at the motives of using a leading exercise ball, we need to understand as to what exactly are exercise balls and why are they even used in the first place?

Exercise balls are also known by several alternative names such as Swiss balls or fitness balls, the latter term being more prevalent. There are several exercises in yoga, Pilates or other general workout in which the body needs to stay balanced while performing the exercise. It is under these conditions that an exercise or fitness ball is used.  Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: muscle strain, strain on the contact muscles

There is not much more humbling experience for you physically than moving.

When you exercise whether it is running or weights or going for a bike ride or swimming you always usually know how tired you will be after an hour or two or exercise. Moving is a bit different and the guys that are movers are different still.

Today we had movers in that helped us to move our furniture in a move that seems to have been taking far too long already. Two skinny guys show up in a big truck and after a bit of conversation they tell me that I can help them move. I haul furniture with one guy while the other guys packs everything up correctly in the truck.

This is when I broke my first sweat of the day. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: fitness, furniture, movers, moving guys, stairs, workload

I wrote a while back about the Wii Fit coming out and then again later about how incredibly popular Wii Fit seems to be. Well I heard a rumor last night about the local supermarket getting Wii Fits to put on sale this morning and I was third in line and had my New Wii Fit hooked up by 7:30 this morning.

Wii Fit First Impressions

Well I put the batteries (included) into the Wii Board and started the initial sign-in. I chose my Mii that I have been using on the Wii and it sucked in my birthdate, weighed me, asked me how tall I am and what year I was born and then after a couple quick balance tests gave me some results.

I was not too happy with the results. I am in real life 41 and at 6 feet tall I weigh 193 so the Wii Fit told me that I was overweight by BMI standards and had a Wii Fit age of 52….a bit of a kick to my ego. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: little piggy bank, Wii Board

Well after all of the dragged out hype the Wii Fit has finally been released, it came out yesterday. I have not made it to a store to get it or even see the box but of all place Business Week has a review of Wii Fit. I like one of the quotes from the article:

Wii Fit’s major downside is its lack of tact. The company decided, in the name of being useful, not to pull any punches. If you’re overweight or obese, Wii Fit will tell you so. (Gamers 330 lb. and heavier need not apply, as that’s the game’s official weight limit.) But some of the game’s messaging seems overly harsh. I, for one, wasn’t too pleased when the Wii Fit told me my balance was “weak” and that in some poses it considers me a yoga “novice.” And, forums have been abuzz in recent weeks with parents concerned the game could damage their children’s self-esteem.

What is wrong with this? The self esteem of a child should not be based on weak balance or even weight issues. We see this a lot in society and it is not at all fair, the last thing I would want to see is a diet for an 8 year old kid….geez let them eat good food instead. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: athlete, Canada, food, United States, USD

Well Summer is here, or at least close to being here and the summer driving season has started in earnest by now. I have always loved how people in North America that are satisfied at being strangers in their own city will start up conversations with strangers at a campground so easily when on vacation.

Anyway, one of the real challenges for most people is the lack of exercise on a car trip. You pack up the car on Friday night, drive to the next hotel or campground and don’t move until you are there. Then you get out of the car and are stiff. There are a few ways to avoid this and I hope you take advantage of them. I found and edited a bit this article by Mike Strawbridge on car exercises that you can do while on the road.

Exercises to do while driving

Tummy toner – Sit up straight in the seat in a normal driving position. Breathe in deeply into your lower abdomen. Now instead of exhaling, push the air up to your chest, filling your upper lungs. Now slowly exhale. You will feel your posture improve and get a big rush of energy by doing this exercise. Don’t be surprised if you have to readjust your mirrors due to a higher seating position. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: back pain, car facing, car trip, driving exercise, energy, gas pump, heel spurs, Janice, lean forward, Massage, Mike Strawbridge, nasty road trip food, north America, owner of Straw Solutions performance improvement consulting, pain, physician, plantar fasciitis, travel tips

Lisa over at Workout Mommy sent me a quick email after I commented about my lack of knowledge about an exercise called Mountain Climbers.

Mountain Climbers are an exercise that you do from almost a pushup position and kick you legs in and out. I could never describe it well but Workout Mommy has a quick 2 minute video where you can learn exactly how to do this great cardio exercise. Best of all you can do these Mountain Climbers in your house easily and they will help build your core strength as well as really improve your flexibility.

Tags: Mountain Climber, Mountain Climbers

Stretching in the morning for many people, exercising the first thing in the morning is convenient. It may or may not be the most welcome time, but it is convenient. Some people are morning people like me, ready to dash out into daily living with oomph. Many more people are very slow getting going in the morning and need a few minutes to really wake up. Nothing can or should be done about the way we wake up.

The thought of indulging in a few exercises upon awaking is enough to discourage almost anyone. But try them a few times and perhaps you will see a difference. stretching exercises can be profitable.

Why stretching in the morning?

When we sleep and therefore let our muscles sleep, blood tends to collect in the internal organs, or “splanchnic circulation.” Very little blood is needed in the muscles, or “peripheral circulation.” If on waking there is no noticeable muscular activity, blood very slowly leaves the splanchnic pool, resulting in sluggish circulation to the brain and muscles. The person wakes up groggy, listless, and without energy. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: energy, stretching in the morning

The Vancouver Province has an article on what tools are best for home exercising. the list consists of medicine ball, stretching tubing, heart rate monitor and a couple more.

I do not have much at home. I have the following

Some weights – to put on my bars. 5 and 10 pound weights and quite a few of them. My short bars are stacked with weights and long bar has about 60 pounds on it at all times without having to change weights. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: barbells, crunches, curls, dumbell, heart rate monitor, incline bench, pain, The Vancouver Province, vancouver province, yoga mat