blogilates asked:

GO TO www.facebook.com share your video response with me! I’d love to see you do this workout BLOG: www.blogilates.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.com TWITTER: www.twitter.com MY OTHER WORKOUT CHANNEL: www.youtube.com MY FITNESS FASHION CHANNEL: www.youtube.com CLOTHES: My shorts are from FitActivewear – www.fitactivewear.net

jefforig asked:

Subscribe for weekly pilates videos. Leave a comment below if you did the workout. For other pilates videos, view the full description below. Upside-Down Pilates (www.UpsideDownPilates.com) is Honolulu’s premiere pilates studio. This is lesson 52 of our TV show which has been on the air in Hawaii since 2008. In this lesson we cover the balance ball. For the full 30 minute pilates lesson Upside-Down Pilates – Balance Ball – Lesson 52 – Full 30 Minute Lesson www.youtube.com If you prefer to do this pilates lesson in parts: Upside-Down Pilates – Balance Ball – Lesson 52 – Part 1 of 4 www.youtube.com Upside-Down Pilates – Balance Ball – Lesson 52 – Part 2 of 4 www.youtube.com Upside-Down Pilates – Balance Ball – Lesson 52 – Part 3 of 4 www.youtube.com Upside-Down Pilates – Balance Ball – Lesson 52 – Part 4 of 4 www.youtube.com To view the Playlist with all of the episodes we have uploaded click here: www.youtube.com To learn more about pilates and our studio visit www.UpsideDownPilates.com Ensure you get the latest videos and Click “Subscribe” at the top of the page. Also, Click the “Thumbs Up button. And leave us a comment to let us know how we are doing. Jeff Orig produces, directs, shoots, and edits this show. To learn more about Jeff visit www.OrigMedia.com Copyright 2011 Upside-Down Pilates, LLC

blogilates asked:

www.ogorgeous.com Sculpt a strong and **** back with just a mat and resistance bands. Get rid of that bra bulge and tone up your back with these super effective moves. For a step by step guide to every move demonstrated in this video, see my blog post at www.blogilates.com Songs in this workout: “Sexy Back” by Justin Timberlake “Touch” by Natasha Bedingfield “Raindrop” by Carmen Reece —— Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com Read my Blogilates: blogilates.com Join me on Facebook facebook.com

In this article we’re going to look at some healthy weight loss tips that you can use to shed weight safely.

Ready? Lets get right to the tips…

Tip #1 Avoid Dieting

Stay away from short term rapid weight loss diets. Most of them have you cut calories to a point that it wouldn’t be enough food to feed a 10 year old for a day.

Very low calorie diets create a chain of physiological events that causes you to lose water, muscle and fat.

Muscle is your number one friend in the battle for weight control. You don’t want to lose any of it!

Muscle loss ultimately causes your metabolism to slow down, and that’s the main reason very low calorie diets fail to keep the weight off.

Tip #2 Eat A Balanced Diet

Eat a balanced diet is not really a “diet” but simply a supportive way of eating.

Your meals should be made up of…
• lean protein
• complex carbohydrates
• vegetables
• good fats

Throw in a couple servings of fresh fruit every day and wash it all down with plenty of water.

Many diets have you cut out one of the above items. For example, low carb diets have you eat mostly protein and fat.

Short term reductions in carb intake or carb cycling can be helpful for quick weight loss. However, many diets tell you to cut carbs to very low levels for extended periods.

Carbohydrates provide energy for your brain, exercise and all other activities.

Carbs play a big role in muscle maintenance. Maintaining or adding new muscle is important for long term safe weight loss.

There are very, very few healthy weight loss diets. Stay away. You’ve been warned!

Tip #3 Hit The Weights

Many people believe you should do cardiovascular exercise to lose fat and then lift weights to “tone” it up.

What happens is people wind up doing too much aerobic exercise and hardly any resistance exercises.

Too much aerobics leads to muscle loss, and that leads to a slower metabolism.

I’m not saying skip aerobics – it’s just one part of what you should do. You have to challenge muscle through resistance or weight training.

Tip #4 Take Lessons

To stay injury free when you exercise you have to know correct posture, how to lift weights correctly, the right way to breathe, and how to stretch safely.

Get proper instruction through books, videos, or a good Fitness Professional. Try to obtain some reviews and testimonials.

Take some lessons. Don’t skip this important healthy weight loss tip.

Tip #5 Lose Just 2 Pounds A Week

Two pounds isn’t much, but here’s the deal…

Two pounds is the established healthy amount to lose per week. If you lose much more than two pounds a week, chances are you’re losing muscle along with fat.

The exception is if if you’re very overweight. You’ll likely lose more than two pounds a week when you first start exercising and changing your eating habits. You’ll lose lots of water weight and fat at first.

As you get closer to a healthy weight for your height, the pounds lost per week needs to fall to one and a half or two pounds per week.

If you’re eating well and following a balanced exercise program, you’ll lose two pounds of fat per week while maintaining or adding muscle.

Tip #6 Don’t Overdo It

You do not have to work out 2 hours a day to lose weight!

Too much exercise can possibly lead to overtraining.

Overtraining may cause…

• minor or major injuries
• muscle and joint aches and pains
• feelings of fatigue
• muscle loss

Workouts should stay between 30 and 60 minutes long and not much more.

Don’t go all out every time you workout. Intense exercise every single day will lead to overtraining.

If you’re a new to exerciser, work out 4 to 5 days for a few weeks to ease your body into the new activity.

Believe me, you can get your desired results by working out 5 or 6 days a week for 30 – 60 minutes.

Tip #7 Stay Off The Pills

Those weight loss pill ads are sickening! They often succeed at making folks believe that a container of caffeine pills is the reason for those phony before and after pictures of people who lost weight.

Here’s the deal…

Some studies have shown that caffeine may increase metabolism and encourage fat release. Using caffeine 30 minutes before a workout might help you burn off more fat. Pre-workout caffeine is probably most helpful for people who don’t already drink a bunch of coffee everyday.

I say avoid caffeine pills. If you want to try some anyway, use this checklist:
• know the ingredients,
• follow all directions,
• assess your tolerance with a small dose,
• don’t take them 7 days a week,
• don’t overdose!

Also, don’t use caffeine pills for more than about 3 or 4 weeks. Leave the pills alone for 2 to 4 weeks so your body’s natural energy systems restore to normal.

Couple more things…

Consult with your doctor if you have any conditions or if you’re on medications.

Last but not least, do your research and look for reviews before you buy any weight loss supplements.

There you have it – 7 healthy weight loss tips that can help you lose weight safely and keep it off for good!



By: Terrence Banks


About the Author:

Gaining weight is very easy but losing is really hard. There are several dietary plans that are available for weight loss. All these dietary plans are designed as per the expert’s guidelines and are available for every body type. Healthy diet plans and regular workout are the natural ways for achieving weight loss. Some people believe in starvation and food deprivation for quick weight loss. These are some unhealthy habits that will never help you in weight loss but might produce adverse affect on your health. Moreover natural ways of losing weight will always benefit you in maintaining your balanced weight for long time.

Cause of Obesity

There can be several causes for gaining weight that can be natural or un-natural. Let see some of them:

1. Genetics:

Many people become obese even they follow dietary routines and regular workouts because they genetic tendency is to become obese. That is why it is strictly advisable for these people to maintain regular healthy diets and exercise.

2. Environmental factors:

It basically includes unhealthy lifestyle like stress, junk foods, minimum or no physical activities and water qualities, etc. In other words unhealthy daily routine is one of the causes of obesity.

3. Medical conditions:

Weight gain can also be possible due to certain medical condition that includes hormonal imbalances, hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome/PCOS (in case of women) and many others. Even certain medical treatment side effects can also cause obesity.

4. Pharmacy factors:

Certain antidepressants and steroids are also some of the medicines that can cause weight gain. Beside other hormonal medicines can also affect person’s weight. That is why it is always advisable to take medicines as per physician’s prescription. Do not follow what others are recommended because each body type has its own genetic construction. So what suits the other body may be reactive in some nature to your body.

Even there are several other causes of weight gain. The reasons behind obesity are wrong food choices and less physical activities or lowering of metabolism rate. That is why it is necessary to make healthy dietary choices as per your physiology. Everybody has a different built and hormonal condition that is why it is not necessary that one type dietary plan will be suitable for all. As per eminent dietitian’s opinion every person must choose his/her dietary plans as per their physiology that will avoid future medical complications.

Steve is a professional writer discussing about various upcoming niches in the market. In this age of people getting more conscious about their health and fitness here is a one good resource that may help people to get the looks they have always wanted.



By: Steve L Patterson


About the Author:

Fast weight loss diets are popular because most people who set out to lose weight want to do it very quickly. Unfortunately losing weight quickly is not a realistic goal. Make no mistake there are a lot of marketers who are more than happy to sell you products that promise miracle results, and they may well work in the short term. However if you do lose weight quickly you will also regain it quickly. You simply can’t achieve lasting weight loss in a short period of time; it takes months to lose a significant amount of weight.

The main problem with losing weight quickly is that most of the weight that you lose will be water and muscle rather than fat. The result is that when you go off of the diet that you are on you will quickly put the weight right back on. In most cases you will actually end up with even more fat than you had before you started. The reason is that losing the muscle slows down your metabolism, which means that you will burn less fat naturally throughout the day. Therefore any successful weight loss program will be designed to ensure that you retain muscle, something that can’t happen with fast weight loss programs.

Since we have established that you can’t lose weight quickly, at least not if you expect to keep it off, it is reasonable to ask just how fast can you lose weight? As a general rule you should expect that you will be able to lose about two pounds a week. This is the maximum that most people can lose without most of it being muscle and water. There will of course be some variation from person to person but you should not expect to lose much more than this.

The best way to lose weight is by reducing the amount that you eat to slightly less than the amount that you need to maintain your current weight. There are lots of calculators online that you can use to determine how many calories you need at your current weight level. Once you know this you will want to reduce the number that you eat each day to a few hundred less than this amount. In addition you will want to add exercise to your daily routine both to increase the number of calories that you burn and to add muscle. This will make sure that you are losing weight the proper way and not doing it too quickly.



By: Joe Varghese


About the Author:

Do episodes of anxiety and staying stressed out keep you from enjoying life and relationships? If you can relate, yoga and meditation benefits for anxiety can give you a new lease on life.

I’ve been there and it seemed like everyone and everything was just against me, and striving to do and say things that “set me off”.

If you’re like me anxiety and stress gets you in a place where the smallest little things seem to be magnified so far out of proportion that non-significant incidents will just consume you and you world.

Most people are unaware that anxiety, stress, tension, and even memory accumulates in our body and muscles.

When this happens yoga and meditation benefits for anxiety and stress can help you take the edge off, increase your concentration levels, teach you how to breath in more healthful ways, and give you very real relief from anxiety.

Scientific studies prove that yoga can dramatically reduce anxiety levels and give you a new perspective on managing stress.

The National Library of Medicine indicates that people who suffer from GAD (general Anxiety Disorder) can learn physical methods for relaxing and managing your stress.

In western society we don’t generally see yoga as meditation, but it is the gateway into mindfulness and meditation because it teaches you to concentrate your mind and thoughts on your breath and body.

Your focus, concentration, and the gentle stretching of every muscle and tendon in your body allows anxiety and stress to just melt away.

Yoga and meditation benefits for anxiety will be noticeable immediately after a 1 hour session, which is the norm for yoga classes.

When you are through with this gentle exercise session, you will usually feel completely free of anxiety, and as if you have been washed clean of the days events.

The ideal way to learn yoga is by finding a yoga class in your neighborhood, and paying what is usually a small monthly fee.

It’s a great advantage to beginners to be with a room full of other people being led and taught by a certified instructor two or three times a week.

In a class you will learn the different postures quickly and easily while also learning that yoga isn’t designed to be laborious exercise, but gentle, soothing stretching.

Yoga perfectly encompasses the idea of being mindful, which just means to be mindful of the moment that we are in, not imagining the events of yesterday and tomorrow.

Mindfulness is the core of meditation, and as you learn to be mindful of the moment, anxiety very naturally evaporates from your mind and your life.

Anxiety is really about imagined fear in our subconscious, and with mindfulness we can learn to be in control of our thought process, and separate the imaginary from the true thoughts.

If it’s time for you to begin living a full life free of anxiety and stress, don’t underestimate the real results of yoga and meditation benefits for anxiety



By: Mike Mahaffey


About the Author:

svigue asked:

Visit www.seanviguefitness.com to purchase my workout DVDs including the #1 “Pilates for Men” and “Starter Series”! This is Pilates workout video number 2 in a series designed by Sean Vigue. They are titled Pilates Thunder. Enjoy!

People who’ve had psychological and mental illnesses have claimed that yoga has helped them a lot. As more and more is learned about mental illnesses we are discovering that there are several kinds and aspects of mental illnesses. Then there is one named bipolar disorder. Bipolar is considered a major illness especially since it has no clear cut cure. People are prescribed medications in order to keep the illness under control. Yoga experts claim that yoga can help with bipolar since the exercise can balance and calm the mind back down.

Bipolar disorder is considered to be a manic depressive illness. The illness jumbles up the brain and the sufferer can experience mood swings, lack of energy, and a marked reduction in the overall ability to function properly. Normally every one of us experiences these types of emotions but not as drastically as someone diagnosed with bipolar. After a point, when and if these emotions get out of hand then the sufferer’s job, school work, and relationships become damaged. If the person sinks even deeper into depression then there is even the risk of *******.

When a person’s mood is thrown way high and then crashes all the way down into a deep depression this can leave them emotionally and mentally drained of any energy. In order to assist such a person live a normal life there is talk therapy along with prescribed medication. Working along similar lines of keeping the mind calm and at peace, yoga has been known to help relax the mind so a person can think more clearly and help keep the disorder tamed down.

Bipolar Disorder explained

Bipolar disorder can present drastic changes in temperament and sudden mood swings. The mood swings into high gear for mania and then experience a low down for depression. There are two forms of mania: hypomania and full blown. Full blown mania is when a person is diagnosed with Bipolar-1. When diagnosed with Bipolar-2 they are said to have hypomania. A bipolar person can experience the bipolar cycle experienced many times a day or it can only happen couple times a year. People have been known to lose interest in sleeping and concentration becomes much harder. There could be times that irritability, agitation, and lose of desire for reaching any goals are experienced. If experiencing symptoms of depression a person will have problems with sleeping, feeling very fatigue, deep sadness, high anxiety, and no concentration level what so ever.

Of course, antidepressants are prescribed but they don’t always help with the mania. With the massive highs and lows, it becomes harder for the medication to tackle the problems. Bipolar disorder is very serious and people could have high levels of anxiety, anger issues, terrible irritation, and even suicidal impulses.

Though Yoga Energy Is Unblocked

Anxiety in people diagnosed with bipolar disorder, has been successfully reduced with yoga. A psychotherapist named Stephen Cope wrote a book titled Yoga and the Quest for the True Self. He says when yoga is used, there are certain postures that help a person’s mood. Energy is moved away from the spots where there are anger and grief feelings being stored. Liz Owen is a yoga instructor that works with a number of people who are feeling depressed. Liz focuses on releasing the knots that are formed in the throat, heart and navel. When the knots are released then energy can flow easily through the body.

Medication and Yoga work together

Many centers that treat mental health patients that are diagnosed with bipolar disorder are using yoga for therapy. When taking the proper medication mania is dealt with but, there is still the problem of depression along with anxiety. The centers are using yoga for helping to reduce stress, anger, depression, and anxiety within people.

Yoga helps in dealing with bipolar induced insomnia

When a person has bipolar, then they do not get a lot of sleep because of the mania and depression that is being felt. When there is not enough sleep being had, then the levels of depression can increase exponentially. If caffeine is used for helping the person stay awake then there is the risk of experiencing mania. By using yoga a person is able to sleep deeper while becoming sustained. By improving how much one sleeps it helps reduce fatigue and a person is now able to relax.



By: Zach Shalev


About the Author:

Weight loss goals must have a plan. Most dieters have an easier time when meals, exercise, daily routines are all planned so you stay on track. A plan can help you eliminate the rough patches like when you are too tired to think about what to eat. Check out these weight loss tips and start losing weight starting today.

Start your morning with a glass of warm lemon water and a fiber supplement. This can curb morning cravings that some of us get, whether those cravings are for muffins, sweet rolls or even that coffee that may be overloaded with fat and sugar. Drink this morning drink as soon as you get up so you start your day on the right path. Make your drink with room temperature or warm water with fresh lemon juice squeezed into it. (Cold water may turn you off in the morning if you live in a cold climate.)

Follow up on your morning routine with a healthy breakfast that contributes to weight loss. Some good breakfast ideas are; two high-omega eggs with steamed greens and tomatoes, yogurt with granola and a piece of fruit or real oat meal – not instant. Eat a healthy breakfast to keep up your energy and start revving your metabolism. This can make a huge difference in how you feel the rest of the day.

Clear your kitchen of junk foods and other foods that will sabotage your weight loss goals. Having less temptation will help you stay strong during times when most of us falter. This is usually in the evening while watching television or any time you are fatigued. Keep only healthy foods and snacks on hand. If you need help, keep foods to replace your favorite snack foods; baked chips instead of regular, low-calorie sweets made for diets or even dates, fruits or more wholesome, natural snacks.

Exercise first thing in the morning. It is proven that making this habit is easier to keep than exercising later in the day. This is because often, when we have time to think about it, we may put off exercise thinking we will do it later. But this often leads to tomorrow and other procrastination habits. Get a treadmill, exercise bike or even a ten minute exercise routine on DVD and make up your mind to do it every day. You may be surprised how easily this habit can form.

Plan your meals ahead of time. This will help you to stay on track and not decide to take the easy way out when you are too tired to think about it. Cook and package portions ahead of time, prepare vegetables so you can grab and steam or turn into a salad, and even write out your meals for the week, if that helps you. If you write it out, keep a copy on your refrigerator so you see it as a reminder to stick to it. This can help you reach your weight loss goals easier.

Weight loss is not easy. If it were, nobody would be overweight. Having a plan can make it a little easier to reach your goals, get healthy and get in shape. And always keep in mind that if you have health issues, you should check with your doctor or health practitioner before any change in diet or exercise habits.



By: Cindy Papp


About the Author: