Body Fitness and Health Tips

A Paradox of Choice Highlights The Need To Evaluate

If you already take nutritional supplements or are considering starting then you’re no doubt well aware of the seemingly endless array of products and choices in the market.

Supplement consumers face a paradox of choice and they know only too well that the quality, safety and efficacy of the thousands of various brands out there are far from equal!

Physicians Management Journal backs this up by reporting that one in three dollars spent on nutritional supplements is WASTED!

Because nutritional supplements in the US are currently regulated under ‘food GMP’ (and these do not address the unique aspects of supplement manufacturing) the market has become flooded with supplements lacking product integrity and making fanciful performance claims.

Supermarket shelves and on-line stores are filled with supplements put together by marketers or other unqualified people trying to cash in on the popularity of the latest ‘in-vogue’ nutrients and on consumers lack of nutritional science knowledge.

The majority of people putting together supplements for sale have little idea of the complex bio-chemistry involved when ingredients are combined or which metabolic pathways they follow when assimilated into the body.

So the need to evaluate supplements is clear. Consumers need a reliable way to evaluate and compare supplements in order to find products that are safe, effective and which offer the best value for money. More on this below.

Different Categories of Supplements – Evaluate Them All

Cheap and ‘middle of the road’ multi vitamin supplements are currently the most popular category choice for the majority of supplement users.

Consumers however need to consider the limited health benefits offered by these types of supplements and that most do not offer good value for money. They contain large amounts of cheap vitamins and minerals and excessive amounts of non-active ingredients (excipients).

While these types of supplements help to ‘top-up’ deficient levels of essential micro-nutrients, they are in reality missing, or deficient in, expensive, key ingredients such as high potency phytonutrients, standardized herbal extracts and male and female ‘support’ nutrients, which are needed to optimize wellness throughout the body.

At the top end of the market is a small category of the best vitamin supplements based on synergistic and nutritionally complete formulas. They have been formulated by highly qualified bio-scientists using the latest research in bio-cellular chemistry and nutritional science.

These broad spectrum multi ingredient supplements target all organs and systems in the body, including the brain, and offer the strongest of health benefits. They do far more than just ‘top-up’ nutrient deficiencies but rather take a holistic approach to wellness by treating the body as a whole.

The consumption of this category of supplement is trending up worldwide. This is being driven by the aging baby boomers generation who use them as a form of preventative health-care to achieve their aim of “staying young and beautiful” as well as allying their fear of chronic illness, particularly cancer.

Now here is a key point:

The markets’ best science-based supplements are far from being equal!

There are always varying degrees of efficacy and value for money and in many cases these differences are significant.

This is primarily due to factors such as organizational structure, shareholder pressure and the marketing model(s) and distribution method(s) of supplement companies. These factors impact on the type and number of ingredients that manufacturers can afford to include in their products as well as the potencies and dose amounts – all of which are key variables when comparing supplements.

Consumers should always keep in mind that almost all supplements are manufactured to a price!

So regardless of which price category a supplement falls in it should be evaluated and then compared to its competitors. This applies even more for the up market multiples because value for money varies more-so.

Criteria for Evaluating Nutritional Supplements

A supplement can be broken apart and evaluated by examining it through 6 criteria:

The Formula

Ingredient Quality

Bio-availability

Synergy

Manufacturing Standards and Protocols

Value for money

By understanding the basics of each, supplements users can get a feel for the science behind supplements and target in on the fine details that manufacturers often love to keep hidden. This then allows consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.

The full 6 criteria can be used with multi ingredient products while less complex or single ingredient supplements can be evaluated using only 4 or 5.

To read further details on how to evaluate nutritional supplements follow these link to dedicated pages covering each of the 6 evaluation criteria.

Learn how to evaluate nutritional vitamin supplements

Nutritional vitamin supplements



By: Brett Seagrott

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Looking for the best home gym? Home gyms come in many different sizes and varieties – so much so that it can get confusing.

While there’s never been a better time to buy – you want to make sure you choose a home gym that will get you where you want to go, without wasting your time or money.

Everyone is different and needs different things in a home gym.

This article will lay out the 8 key features that make up the best home gym for you. Keep these things in mind when shopping and you’ll easily be able to select the optimal piece of equipment for your needs.

The best home gym has these features:

1) Meets Your Goals

Not every type of home gym will get you where you want to go – you need one that will give you the results you want. For example, if you’re looking to get ripped and build an Arnold-type body, you might want to consider plate-loaded machines or even leverage machines like the Powertec brand.

If you’re looking to simply tone up and burn fat, you might want a power rod machine like a Bowflex.

If you’re somewhere in the middle – you want to build muscle but don’t necessarily want to go into bodybuilding, you might want a traditional weight stack machine like those made by Bodysolid or Bodycraft. The best home gyms will help you reach your personal goals quickly and efficiently.

2) Fits Your Workout Space

Gyms come in all different shapes and sizes. When shopping for a home gym, consider how much room you have available. Note the length, width and height of the room where you plan to place your gym. Some gyms are quite high or have a large footprint.

Also, when you look at the footprint of a piece of equipment, make sure you add at least 2 to 3 feet on either side of it for room to move, and an additional 12 to 18 inches in height (if it has a stationary chin up/pull up bar).

If the machine has a low pulley row station (particularly those gyms with plate stacks or free weights) and does not have a sliding seat (like some of the Bowflex machines), note where it is located. If it’s located on the outside of the machine (so you are sitting away from the machine), you will need to add at least 6ft to that size of the machine for workout space.

3) Lightweight/Easy To Move

If you’re going to be moving the gym equipment around, you’ll want to look for a home gym that is either foldable and/or lightweight. Many weight stack machines and plate loaded machines are not lightweight.

However there are other gyms like the power rods gyms that may fold up or are lightweight and easy to move around. These would be ideal for small spaces like condos, apartments or a smaller home gym.

4) Number of Exercises

When looking at equipment, keep in mind the number of exercises it can do. If you are a beginner, it’s important that the machine can give you a good total body workout (chest, shoulders, back, arms, legs), and the number of exercises isn’t as important.

But as you become more experienced, you will need to change those exercises and workout routines to prevent your body from plateauing (adapting to your training, and stop growing), as well as to fight off boredom.

5) Workout Routines

Some home gym manufacturers provide complete workouts for beginners, intermediates and advanced. As a minimum most of the manufacturers provide you a basic guide for each exercise. Some even add in DVD workouts to help you get started on their machines.

6) Weight Resistance

If you are new to strength training, you may find a typical 200lb stack or resistance more than enough to train with. But as you become stronger, you will either have to increase the number of repetitions (the number of times you do a particular move) or increase the weight.

That’s why it’s usually a good idea to pick up the additional weight if a manufacturer offers it.

7) Cardio Station

Does the home gym have a cardio station (usually a row station)? If you want a complete body workout (cardio and strength training), either make sure it has a row station, or look to adding either skipping, running, or a cardio session (kickboxing, etc) in your workout.

Warranty

A good warranty gives you an idea of the quality of the parts used in construction. This is important especially if you have a lot of moving parts, or parts that might not be available easily.

As machines become more digital, pay attention to the warranty. If they run on a digital system this piece of machinery may breakdown and make your equipment useless, unless you get it fixed. So you want to make sure the digital portion of the machine is covered by a lengthy warranty.

So those are 8 key features that make up the best home gym for you. Keep these things in mind when buying a home gym and you’ll save time, money and loads of frustration.



By: Kathryn Oneill

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When it comes to exercise and achieving the individual fitness goals that we set for ourselves, often we need more fitness equipment than just our own body. Increasing fitness levels and achieving overall health, requires a commitment to a regimented eating and exercise program that will result in the shedding of fat and building of muscle. But in order to achieve these goals we must first identify the type of exercise that is likely to mean success for our particular body – and the type of fitness equipment that will help us do it.

For cardiovascular exercise – the fitness equipment depends on the type of exercise you choose. Runners – and walkers for that matter – require a good pair of shoes as their exercise equipment. Proper shoes can never been underestimated; they will further fitness goals and prevent injury. Whether running or walking, pounding on pavement can put an enormous amount of stress on knees, ankles, feet, and even back. High quality shoes can absorb the shock and make this fitness experience a much more pleasant one.

Other fitness equipment corresponds to other cardiovascular exercise – kickboxing often requires a punching bag; boot camp programs may require a medicine ball; and a high-energy step class will require a sturdy step on which to perform your exercises. For those who prefer to get their exercise by machine, fitness equipment may include the treadmill, stair climber, stationery bicycle, and elliptical machine.

But of course, fitness equipment extends to other forms of exercise as well. Weight training requires a variety of weights – both machine and free weights. Core training – such as yoga and Pilates – requires mats as a part of fitness equipment.

Fitness equipment does not have to be high-end expensive pieces of machinery. Optimum physical fitness can be achieved in the comfort of your home by simply utilizing every day objects around the house in order to supplement your exercise routine. Do dips on a kitchen chair, squats against a wall, or sprints on your stairs – exercise doesn’t have to be confined to a gym. As a matter of fact, many people consider their exercise videos to be the most important piece of fitness equipment that they have.

Fitness equipment can maximize your workout and go a long way towards helping you achieve your fitness goals. Keep your choices in fitness equipment creative – you’ll soon discover that exercise can be quiet enjoyable.



By: Michelle Bery

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I’m sure you’ve seen lots of weight loss programs lying all over the place on the Internet – each promising that you’ll lose a certain amount of weight within a short span of time. Are these weight loss programs “magical wands” that will allow you to lose weight overnight? These weight loss programs contain a set of blueprints to weight loss success – you need to follow each and every step documented in a step-by-step fashion systematically to have a successful weight loss experience.

There are so many weight loss programs both online and offline – how do you know which one to sign up? The answer is very simply – depending on your needs and requirements. Let’s say, for example, if you have fat thighs and you want to get rid of these excessive fats in your thighs, you should take a weight loss program which deals specifically with reducing fats on your thighs. However, in any weight loss programs you sign up to, always make sure to take the exercise regimens in proportions as recommended by your trainer.

Choosing weight programs is easy but always remember that these weight loss programs will be coached by a professionally-trained trainer. If you have any medical history such as heart disease, asthma, or diabetics, always seek your family doctor’s advice first before signing up for them.

One important advice when going through these weight loss programs – these weight loss programs are planned to help you lose weight gradually, and not immediately – always think long-term, not short-term. Therefore, you must be patient, and follow the steps as instructed carefully, correctly and patiently over a period of time. Always consult your professional trainer whenever you are not sure or certain or certain steps or procedures. He/she will be able in the best position to clarify your doubts and pinpoint whether or not you’ve followed the steps correctly and on the right track.

Follow through the program closely and I’m sure you’ll be able to experience weight loss success in no time. Good luck.

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By: Jun Yuan Lim

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When you are a serious body builder, choosing your body building clothes can be a strange decision you have to make. After all, you have to keep in mind what you are wanting to achieve in your body building workout – and, believe it or not, your clothes can make a difference in the effectiveness of your workout.

Some people really don’t put any thought into their body building clothes. They throw on a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants and head to the gym. This might work for some people, but you really should put a little thought into your body building clothes.

The biggest consideration you need to keep in mind is comfort. When you are undertaking an intense body building routine, you need to be able to move around easily. You should wear clothing that allows you to move freely without constraint.

For both men and women, the ideal body building clothing choice would be a tank top and shorts. This type of clothes allows you to move your body and work your muscles without the restraint of tight fitting or binding material.

When choosing body building clothes, keep in mind that you are going to sweat. That sweat can help you melt off body fat and can also help your muscles work more effectively. So, you might want to choose some clothes that will keep the sweat in and make it work for you.

Spandex clothing can be good for keeping the sweat in. Spandex will hold in body heat and allow the sweat to work for you. You may also want to wear sweat pants that are designed to keep body heat where it can work for you best of all. Reebok even makes body building clothing that will emit peppermint scent when your body starts to sweat. I don’t know about you, but it sure sounds like a smart thing to me!

When you are competing in body building competitions, you will want to choose clothing that can show off your body in the most tasteful way possible. The idea in contests is to show off the muscles you have worked so hard to build, so pick a swim suit that is a complementary color and that makes your body look as good as it has become.

So many people don’t really put much thought into the type of clothes they choose for body building, but it really can be an important part of your workout. While being in the gym is by no means a fashion show, you will still want to dress for comfort as well as effectiveness. Put a little thought into your body building clothes and make your workout work for you!



By: Steve W Sharpe

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