when we think about exercise usually we think of the major muscle groups in our legs, shoulders, etc. but what about our faces? they, of course, have muscles too. these 43 muscles attach to bone and skin allowing us to show emotions (and chew!). those who study emotions have found that the basic seven-anger, sadness, fear, disgust, contempt, surprise and happiness-are pretty much universally shown throughout all cultures. hopefully you are expressing those last two the most.
but back to exercise. some call facial exercises "face yoga" as they relax the tension in our faces. you might be surprised how many exercises there are for the face and one women, carole maggio, has created an entire business called "facercise*" to help us tighten these muscles, look younger and avoid more drastic measures. does it work? can't hurt to try.
so here's an example that is easy to do. like any other type of exercise those for the face need to be done regularly and with variety. now think dizzy gillespie (jazz trumpet player) and take a deep breath puffing out your checks. hold for as long as you can-up to a minute. breathe out through your nose.
i didn't have time to check out you tube but i can just imagine what's available there.
*www.facercise.com
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Belly Fat and HIIT
nobody wants to be fat and especially nobody wants belly fat*. as i posted last week, taking a pill that claims to burn only body fat does not work. but what does work?
it was thought that consistent, low intensity cardio** was the best way to burn body fat. but no. it seems the harder you work out the more total calories are burned including fat calories. recent research has shown that what works best is HIIT-high intensity interval training. i won't go into all the science but HIIT also burns belly fat faster.
this doesn't mean that you need to go crazy hard especially if you are just starting out***. but if you can do (or work up to) 75-80% of your maximum intensity-this equals just about being able to talk-when doing cardio and do it for 20 minutes or more your body will burn fat.
HIIT is more involved with weight/strength training, not just cardio. it is what its name describes. basically one does a variety of sets using weights with little rest in-between. an example would be doing as many loaded squats in a minute as you can and then rest for 15 seconds before going on to your next exercise.
any exercise is great but if you are serious about becoming leaner, healthier and stronger it takes increasing the intensity of what you close to do. it doesn't have to be HIIT but remember it needs to be intense-at least 75% intense.
*belly fat is especially bad for our health and our posture
**being in the "fat burning zone"
***if you haven't been exercising it is always best to check with your doctor before starting a program
it was thought that consistent, low intensity cardio** was the best way to burn body fat. but no. it seems the harder you work out the more total calories are burned including fat calories. recent research has shown that what works best is HIIT-high intensity interval training. i won't go into all the science but HIIT also burns belly fat faster.
this doesn't mean that you need to go crazy hard especially if you are just starting out***. but if you can do (or work up to) 75-80% of your maximum intensity-this equals just about being able to talk-when doing cardio and do it for 20 minutes or more your body will burn fat.
HIIT is more involved with weight/strength training, not just cardio. it is what its name describes. basically one does a variety of sets using weights with little rest in-between. an example would be doing as many loaded squats in a minute as you can and then rest for 15 seconds before going on to your next exercise.
any exercise is great but if you are serious about becoming leaner, healthier and stronger it takes increasing the intensity of what you close to do. it doesn't have to be HIIT but remember it needs to be intense-at least 75% intense.
*belly fat is especially bad for our health and our posture
**being in the "fat burning zone"
***if you haven't been exercising it is always best to check with your doctor before starting a program
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Can You Believe It?
i've been seeing more tv than usual as i had minor skin surgery on my leg and need to elevate it-already miss my 5 mile walks! so the ad for Lipozene caught my attention. for $29.95 this product claims that you will lose pure body fat without any dieting or exercise. wow, that would be amazing! so i was curious-what is this stuff? many so called diet aids contain a lot of caffeine but Lipozene is made from the root of the konjac plant that grows in asia and is technically "glucomannan". glucomannan is a water soluble fiber that works by making you feel full faster. in simple terms it slows down digestion and is a laxative. as such it should be taken with a lot of water. studies have shown very mixed results. but obviously if you eat less because you feel full you will eventually lose weight. so maybe it does work for some people. but i do find the claim that you will lose only body fat questionable.
to maintain good health and weight our bodies need a balanced diet that includes lots of fiber and exercise. apples, nuts, seeds, beans and lentils are just a few of the foods that supply us with water soluble fiber and that are a pleasure to eat. an apple a day? sounds good to me. there are no magic pills.
to maintain good health and weight our bodies need a balanced diet that includes lots of fiber and exercise. apples, nuts, seeds, beans and lentils are just a few of the foods that supply us with water soluble fiber and that are a pleasure to eat. an apple a day? sounds good to me. there are no magic pills.
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