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Fasting is one of oldest and effective ways of burning huge
amounts of accumulated waste products in the body. Previously,
people used to fast by drinking water only throughout the day.
Experts say that fasting on juices, both vegetable and fruit, is
much gentler and beneficial in normalizing all body processes.

Juice fasting involves intake of juices diluted with water every
hour or two from morning to night. Avoid taking solid foods or
other kinds of liquids, especially canned juices if you are on
juice fasting. The total juice intake in a day should be about
7-9 glasses.

Vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, iron, calcium and enzymes
contained in these juices supply much needed nutrients for the
body’s own healing activity and thereby speeding up the recovery
process. While on juice fast, ensure that your bowels are
flushed out regularly.

Juice fasting is known to have many advantages. It is the safest
method to detox one’s body by cleansing and eliminating those
cells and tissues, which are dead or damaged. It reduces the
cholesterol levels; treats symptoms of allergies, acne, and
headaches by flushing out toxins — making one feel good and
healthy.

Juice fasting can be done with almost any fruits or vegetables
that are eaten raw. Best veggies for juice fasting are tomatoes,
cucumbers, celery and carrots. A combination of apple and carrot
juice or apple and tomato juice i.e. a combination of a fruit
and a vegetable is a healthy and nutritious drink. Huge
varieties of fruits and vegetables can be used in combinations
or separately. They give the body its daily calories and enhance
health.

First, peel the off skin from vegetables and fruits. Rinse in
filtered water. After extracting the juice, dilute it with water
in equal parts. Make sure that your juicer does a good job of
extracting the juice. Consume the juice immediately after
extraction. Before you start your juice fasting, consult your GP
in case your body does not agree with juice fasting. Foul
breath, a coated tongue, and a bad taste in the mouth are said
to be the first symptoms to appear when one fasts. These
symptoms can be felt till your body has cleared out all wastes.

In short, exclusive diet of juices of vegetables and fruits is
an effective way to restore health from diseases, cleanse and
regenerate tissues and rejuvenate the body.

It’s important to read the fitness rower reviews before investing in them. Fitness rowers give a complete workout and are high impact cardio vascular machines. They help in cutting the flab as well as toning the body. The fitness rowers simulate the action of rowing in water (like rowing small boats). Therefore there is exercise for arms, legs and the whole body. Fitness rowers give washboard abs (or abdomen) and make the butt more clenched.

However they have certain disadvantages. They are very pushing for the joints and the knees, thus people who suffer from arthritis of the knees and the joints should avoid it. Instead they should go in for the low impact cardio vascular machines. Before using the fitness rowers, one should seek the advice of the doctor. When you get the go ahead from the doctor, you’ll find many reviews which can tell you which fitness rower will work the best for you. The fitness rower reviews show the comparison between the various fitness rowers that are available in the market. After you have gone thru a thorough comparison, make the decision to buy the fitness rower.

If done properly and without pushing yourself too far, then this machine is great for a whole body workout. You can use the air rowers both at the gym as well as at home. The home models are more compact and can be easily folded away under the bed or some such similar way. That’s why it’s great even for small spaces. Thus if you are looking for the home versions of the fitness rowers, look for a review such that the reviews of the fitness rowers help you in the purchase decision. Ask your gym instructor as well a the personal trainer to give you tips for buying the best fitness rower.

If you enjoyed this article check out this list of fitness rowers related articles. And here you’ll find our most recently added fitness rowers article for your reading.

With so many highlighting techniques out there, it can be
confusing when it comes to choosing the right type of highlights
for your style and cut. But with a few pointers, you can have
highlights that compliment your cut and style in a way that
you’ve never imagined.

Many of today’s highlighting techniques like chunking and
slicing are geared toward younger audiences with trendy
haircuts. But if you have a classic cut, these techniques can
give you a look that is a little mismatched or over the top. So,
instead of opting for those boring frosting cap highlights that
you’ve worn for the past 10 years, why not try a new technique
that is just as classy but one that will bring your hair into
this century.

The highlighting technique I’m talking about is multiple color
weaving. By weaving 2 or 3 different colors into your strands
with different densities use on different parts of your head,
your stylist can create a custom highlighted look that cannot be
emulated by anyone else. Granted, weaves have been around for a
while, but the key to keeping them fresh is to change the color
and color density to compliment your particular cut and style.

If you have ultra short hair, highlights can end up looking a
bit spotted. But by combing color only onto the tips and
predetermined areas of this style, your stylist can create a
custom look that emphasizes your cut’s trendy lines. Why not try
a splash of vibrant red in the bangs or a few blond spiked tips
in the back?

Perhaps no styles are best suited for chunking and slicing than
today’s textured bobs. These styles can be taken up a notch or
two by simply placing a couple of streaks near the face. You can
also put a few highlights on the tips of the hair. This is great
especially if you wear your ends messy or flipped out. The color
will work add interest and movement to your style.

In addition to trying different highlighting techniques, you can
also experiment with different colors. Gone are the days of
boring pale-yellow highlights. Today’s highlights are infused
with color and color variations. In fact, some colors use
multiple colors from a varying palette to add interest and
drama. There used to be a day when one did not mix browns,
blonds and reds all on the same head of hair. Now, that day is
history.

A fitness test will tell you a number of things about your
stamina, suppleness and strength. But one thing it won’t tell
you is whether you are moving as well as you could. Are you
using too much effort causing execessive wear on your joints and
increasing the risk of injury. Try this ultimate fitness test
and it may surprise you just how your habits may be limiting
your fitness.

Habit and feeling fitness
test

1. Fold your arms and note the position of your hands and which
arm is on the outside.

2. Now unfold them and fold them again but this time the
opposite way. Note your reaction to how this feels.

Does it feel odd or even wrong? In the first step you used your
habitual ‘folding the arms’ pattern. You did not have to think
about how you did it because you have an existing pattern, its
automatic and feels right.

Did you have to think for a moment before carrying out the
second instruction? It may even have taken several attempts to
achieve. This is because you do not have an existing pattern for
this movement and it has to be consciously worked out. It will
probably feel wrong because you will not have done it like this
before so the sensations from the muscles and joints will be
new.

The important lesson from this experiment is how the two
positions feel. Your habitual pattern feels right and is easy to
do, your n on-habitual opposite way feels wrong and is not quite
so easy to perform. There is obviously nothing wrong with the
opposite arm-fold but that is exactly how it will feel.

Would you normally choose to fold your arms in this manner? What
feels right and wrong is therefore determined by habits that may
be working for you but also against you. The actions you take
are governed by this sense because you would not usually perform
a move deliberately to feel wrong - certainly not in the heat of
competition. So if all your training and practise is done
because of the way it feels, your progress will be limited by
the boundaries dictated by your existing habitual
patterns.

The next time you want to fold your arms, see if you can change
the pattern, go into the unknown, and fold them the opposite
way. You will invariably find your arms are already folded
before you have had chance to try the opposite, non-habitual
way. This represents the challenge you are up against when you
want to raise your performance. A standard fitness test will not
test your reliance on habit.

Habit and effort fitness test

1. Sit on a chair and get ready to stand up.

2. Before you move, observe what preparations you want to make.
Do you hold your breath? Do you push forward with the lower back
and raise the chest? Do the muscles in your neck stiffen and
pull back the head? Do you feel the need to push with your hands
on your legs? Spend a little time to study this movement before
attempting the next step.

3. Now try to stand up from the chair without doing what you
have just noted (it may be necessary to ask someone to observe
your actions to give you feedback). How far can you execute the
move before one, or all of these patterns appear?

To successfully execute step 3 can be difficult because the
usual preparations you make are a part of your habitual ‘getting
out of a chair’ programme and are ready to go before you even
begin to move. You would not attempt to start the move until the
familiar conditions such as the sensation of muscle tension
associated with the act are present.

>From a biomechanical point of view the common actions mentioned
in step 2 actually reduce the efficiency of the movement. If
your preparation and subsequent actions for this exercise are
unnecessary, why do you do them? Why are you not aware that the
amount of effort applied was inappropriate placing unnecessary
stress on joints and ligaments?

This is because you do not have a reliable mechanism that rings
an alarm bell when an appropriate limit with regard to effort is
exceeded. You continue to do it like this because it is a
habit.

The presence of one or more of those actions in step 2 of this
experiment suggests inefficient preparatory patterns are likely
to be present in others. Whilst they remain, attempts to improve
performance will have limited results because the same patterns
will be used as a basis for every technique.

My point is that conventional training and exercise systems do
not recognise the role of the most fundamental aspect
influencing performance and therefore do not adequately address
it. This aspect is habit. It dominates life, is active in all
actions, yet we are barely conscious of its presence. Does your
fitness test check for these? Probably not, a conventional
fitness test will only tell you what your current capacity is
based on your existing habitual patterns. You may have
discovered that these patterns may be limiting your progress
towards peak fitness. So rather than work on your fitness, first
experiment with different ways of performing your sporting
techniques.

Gyms are increasingly popular and as a result public facilities
are usually stretched to the limit and as a result offer poor
service leaving most users frustrated. Then there are those
people who are just not comfortable working out in a public
setting. The result is that they usually get very uncomfortable
in the gym and are not able to work out enough. Still there are
those who prefer to go into the high initial cost of purchasing
exercise equipment knowing fully well that in the long term it
will end up being a lot cheaper than the increasingly high gym
memberships being charged.

These are just three of the most compelling reasons why somebody
would want to set up their own home gym. The truth is that home
gym can be a good investment for anyone wanting to set up one in
their basement or workout room.

A good place to start when looking for equipment for your home
gym is with used exercise equipment. These can be picked up at a
very good price, more so because their demand is still limited.
Your local newspaper classified ads and Ebay are some good
places where you can start your search. It is important to pick
up as much knowledge as you can on the different types of home
gym equipment. This is the only way you will be able to figure
out the advantages and disadvantages of buying the different
types of exercise machines and equipment. This will help ensure
that whatever equipment you end up spending money on will not be
underutilized or even prove to be useless or a duplication
because of some other equipment that you had earlier purchased.

Apart from home gym equipment, you should also seriously
consider buying commercial fitness equipment, which will be much
closer to the stuff that you are already used to at your local
gym or fitness center.

These are the key aspects to take into consideration when
looking into the possibilities of setting up your very own home
gym.

Top 10 bicep workout and bicep exercise mistakes

As a beginner, it’s often difficult to get into weight training
and working out. Most beginners (including me when I was a
beginner) don’t want to approach the big guys and ask them
questions about workouts and what they’re doing. In today’s
article we’re going to look at the top 10 bicep workout and
bicep exercise mistakes. The aim of this article is to help
people who are new to bicep workout and bicep training
techniques. This will ensure that bicep workout and exercise
beginners build the most muscle in the time they spend in the
gym.

Bicep workout mistake #1 - Bad technique

I go on and on about this on eBicep.com, bicep technique is very
important to build big biceps. If you cheat during by swinging
the weight or not lifting the full range of motion you are only
cheating yourself. For details on how to do each bicep exercise
correctly, see eBicep’s bicep exercises section.

Bicep workout mistake #2 - Too many sets!

There have never been a rule that says more sets = bigger
biceps. It’s all about quality or training. You are better off
doing 15 sets of quality bicep workout exercises than doing 30
sets of poor form rubbish. You need to concentrate on every rep
of every set, watch your bicep muscle as you pull the weight up
- focus on it. Just remember, a small amount of quality training
will build bigger mucles than a large amount of poor quality
training.

Bicep workout mistake #3 - Overtraining

Overtraining so very common, especially in a competitive
environment like bodybuilding. As a general rule for all muscle
groups (not just biceps): if the muscles you are about to train
are still sore from your last workout, don’t train them. Simple
as that. As you’ll see from my next point, resting is more
important than training.

Bicep workout mistake #4 - Not enough rest

To someone new to working out, this just sounds plain stupid.
Buy as experienced muscle builders know, rest is a very
important part of building your mucles. When you workout your
bicep muscles you’re actually breaking and tearing them (that’s
why they “pump up”). And when you rest and sleep your muscle
grow and repair. Not enough rest = not enough muscle growth.
rest up!

Bicep workout mistake #5 - High reps / light weights

One of the most commonly asked questions in muscle building is,
“how many reps should I do to build the most muscle?”. There’s
is no straight answer to this because there’s so many variables.
There is 1 common rule though, heavier weights/less reps =
bigger and stronger muscles. So to get the most out of your
bicep workout, drop the reps down to 6-8 on your big bicep
exercises and do a few extre sets.

Bicep workout mistake #6 - Same ol’ routine

After a few months of doing the same workout, your muscles will
get accustomed to the workout and stop growing. This is called a
plateau, and every muscle builder hit’s it at some stage. You
need to mix up your bicep workouts every 2-3 months. Change
days, change exercises, workout your biceps with a different
muscle group. Mix it up, you’ll see and feel the difference!

Bicep workout mistake #7 - Pre-exhausted biceps

It’s important when planning your bicep wourkout that you don’t
work any other body parts that use the biceps before your bicep
workout. For example, a big mistake I see all the time is
training the back then the biceps. This is not good for your
biceps because all the back exercises use biceps as a secondary
muscle group. So don’t train your back before your biceps, or
vice versa. Train your back and biceps on seperate days.

Bicep workout mistake #8 - Wrong exercise order

If you have read our bicep workout page you’ll see that we always do our
biggest bicep exercises at the beginning of the workout. These
are the heaviest weight movers and need the most energy. So
stick to your big exercises like bicep curl at the start of your bicep workout and
follow with the smaller exercises.

Bicep workout mistake #9 - Not enough rest between sets

You need to make sure you have adequate rest between sets, other
you wont be able to left heavy weights, and you will not be able
to grow as much muscle. For the bigger bicep sets a longer rest
is OK, take what you need and don’t rush it. If your workout is
taking to long, split it over a few days.

Bicep workout mistake #10 - Poor eating

You know the saying, “eat big to get big”, well it’s true. In
particular you need to eat as much protein as possible and
complex carbohydrates. You need to eat small meals, more often.
For more information see our food to eat to build muscle article.

Copyright 2005 Adam Waxler

Is the Mediterranean diet a real weight loss program or is the
Mediterranean diet just another fad diet?

There are many fad diets that suggest carbohydrates and fat are
the main culprits in weight gain and heart disease. This has
lead to many fad diets to focus on low-carb dieting. However,
the findings of a 1993 Harvard Medical School study revealed
that carbohydrates and fats were not main problems, and
suggested the “right” fats and carbohydrates should be the basis
for a healthy diet. The study pointed to low rates of obesity,
diabetes, and heart disease throughout the Mediterranean region
as proof of their contention.

So, exactly what is the Mediterranean diet and can it help you
lose weight?

There actually is no ‘Mediterranean’ diet. Instead, the
Mediterranean diet is a compilation of the way that people in
the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea eat. While there
were some differences, all of the countries studied based their
diets on the same proportions of food groups and calories, and
all included olive oil as their main source of fat. In fact,
their Mediterranean diet contained far more carbohydrates and
fats than the recommendations made by the USDA. Still, the
evidence was irrefutable. Therefore, it must have been the type
of carbohydrates and fats that make the difference.

The basic Mediterranean diet consists of the following
guidelines:

* 60% of total carbohydrates from grains, fruits and vegetables

Those include whole rice, fresh vegetables and fruits, whole
grain breads and cereals, polenta, pasta (made with whole grain,
not refined white flour).

* Sparing use of red meat, fish and poultry

The typical adult Mediterranean consumes about 15 ounces of red
meat and poultry per week. Another 5-15 ounces of fish per week
account for the bulk of their meat protein intake. Compare that
to the typical American diet which might include a 1 pound steak
for dinner one night, a 1/2 pound chicken breast the next, and
on and on.

* Olive Oil

Olive oil is not a miracle oil. It is, however, monounsaturated
- a good fat. Monounsaturated fats help lower cholesterol rather
than raising it, and are healthy ways to add fats to your diet
(and yes, even though we think of fat as a dirty word, your body
does need some, or it can’t use many of the vitamins you feed
it!)

The Harvard study also revealed another important component, the
Mediterranean lifestyle is active. The typical Mediterranean day
includes walking rather than driving, physical activity in the
fields or the home and recreation. Physical activity and
exercise are vital in helping the body to lose weight, and
maintain weight loss.

The secret to losing weight with the Mediterranean diet is to
base your meals on healthy carbohydrates - leafy green
vegetables, brightly colored vegetables, whole grains and meals.
Use meat sparingly - no more than 3-6 ounces per day. Derive
dietary fat from vegetable sources - or from fish oil. Exercise
regularly to boost your metabolism. The Mediterranean diet isn’t
an actual weight loss program. It’s a new way of eating that
will help you reach your ideal weight and maintain that weight
loss.

Back injury is caused primarily by your habits - professional or
personal. There are no fixed reasons or causes of a back injury.
It is a result of a combination of many factors. Some of them
are preventable and some are not. Hereditary factors also play a
major role in causing back pain and back injury. Back injury or
back pain is primarily a lifestyle related result and changes
can prevent it to a maximum extent.

Causes:

1. Exerting excessive force on your back by lifting or moving
heavy weights can cause back injury. 2. Repetitive tasks like
bending or awkward posturing of your body will result in fatigue
and injure your back muscles. 3. Posturing properly while
standing, working or sitting will go a along way in avoiding
back injuries. A posture should not be kept up for more than 20
minutes at a stretch. 4. Pressures of work and stress result in
tensioning and tightening of muscles leading to back injury.

Prevention:

Proper and regular exercise would help prevent back injury in
addition to using proper posture and lifting techniques. The
following exercises may be performed if not advised against by
your physician. They will strengthen the required muscles and
eliminates the risk of back injury.

Stomach muscles:

Lie flat on the floor with knees bent. Put your hands on your
chest and raise your head and shoulders off the floor. Repeat 30
times.

Lower back:

Lie flat on the floor with knees bent. Keep your arms at your
sides, tighten the stomach and buttock muscles and life your
hips off the floor. Stay in position for 5 seconds and lower
your hips to the floor. Repeat 20 times.

Back and Leg:

Stand with your feet a foot apart and your back to the wall.
Slide down to a sitting position as though you were sitting on a
chair. Hold position for as long as you can and then slide back
up. Repeat 5 times.

There are other exercises like aerobics that help strengthen
your back muscles and your lower back. Combine these exercises
with a healthy diet to maintain an ideal weight. This will
greatly help easing pressure on your lower back due to obesity
and reduces the risk of back injury.

Are you looking to buy a life insurance policy? Well, be
careful. Life insurance can be difficult to understand and it’s
easy to be conned into buying something under false pretenses.

Recently a prominent life insurance company together with
several of its agents paid a huge fine because it permitted the
sale of a life insurance policy disguised as a retirement plan.
There was little attention given to what a life insurance policy
is truly designed to provide.

Life insurance is not an investment for your benefit. It’s
guaranteed income tax-free cash paid to someone you designate in
the event of your death. If you deeply care for someone and want
to protect them, then buying a life insurance policy makes sense.

As primary bread winner in your family, your lost income could
jeopardize the ability of those you love to continue to enjoy
their standard of living.

The only way to guarantee an immediate replacement of this money
is with the intelligent purchase of a life insurance policy.

Notice I didn’t say term life insurance, low cost life
insurance, or whole life insurance.

To your loved ones … this doesn’t really matter.

Over the years I’ve delivered millions of dollars of life
insurance benefit to the families of deceased bread winners. And
you know what?

No one ever asked me what type of life insurance policy it was.
They were just extremely grateful to get the money.

Term is the cheapest, but it’s unlikely the death benefit will
be paid since the life insurance policy will probably lapse
before you actually die. Right now the premium may seem cheap
compared with other types. But what happens when you’re older?

Term life insurance premiums can be level for a specific number
of years, but when that number of years is up the price will
skyrocket to a point you won’t be able or willing to pay.

Whole life insurance provides a lifetime level premium until the
policy is literally paid-up. This could be 10, 20 years … or
when you reach age 65, 85 or 100. One big advantage is you don’t
have to worry about your policy expiring before you do.

One type of life insurance policy is not necessarily better than
another. But it’s critical you understand what you are buying,
how it works and your net cost.

After all, if the policy isn’t in force when you die you have
thrown your premium dollars right down a rat hole.

By the way, don’t fall for that line about buy term and invest
the difference. Anyone who cons you with this bunch of malarkey
has absolutely no idea how to intelligently evaluate the
purchase of life insurance.

An excellent life insurance policy to consider is universal
life. This is the type of policy that guarantees the death
benefit up to age 115 regardless of the performance of the
underlying investment.

Although more expensive then term life insurance, universal life
is far less costly than a typical whole life insurance policy.
But be careful because some universal life policies are sold by
focusing on projected interest rates rather than contractual
guarantees.

If you are considering the purchase of a whole life insurance
policy from a mutual company that declares annual dividends, ask
the agent for a hypothetical illustration using a dividend
forecast at least one percent less the current rate.

In the past when long-term interest rates were higher, mutual
companies credited very handsome dividends to their policies.
But today with long-term rates still depressed, it’s unlikely a
life insurance policy will perform as illustrated.

In summary, pay close attention to the guarantees of whatever
life insurance policy you decide to buy. Also, make sure you
know the credit rating of the life insurance company.

There is nothing wrong with term life insurance, but understand
your options about converting to a permanent plan. This could be
critical if you become uninsurable before the policy expires.

Remember, you may never get a second chance to make the right
decision.

One of the biggest concerns that I hear from adults with ADD is
that they can’t find a professional who really understands adult
ADD. Many people begin with their primary care physician or go
through their insurance company to try to get evaluated and/or
treated for adult ADD. Some very lucky people do find great
professionals on their first try but the majority of people
sadly do not. Instead they become even more frustrated which
often leads to them not getting any help for their ADD.

There are some ways to find professionals who actually “get
adult ADD”:

Online Listings: There are some websites with listings of
professionals who treat adults with ADD. ADDA, the World’s
Leading Adult AD/HD Organization has a growing Professional
Directory of people who treat adults with ADD. ADD Consults, the
First And Only Virtual Online AD/HD Clinic also has a
professional directory. In addition to the professional
directory, Terry Matlen, MSW, ACSW also offers consultations in
which she can help people find professionals.

ADD Coaches: In addition to all of the other benefits people can
get from working with an ADD Coach they can also get help
locating professionals who can diagnose and help treat them.
Many ADD Coaches network with other ADD Professionals around the
country and the world.

Word of Mouth: Try to locate other Adults with ADD who live
locally. Many ADD Professionals who do understand adult ADD
don’t advertise their services. Many don’t need to because they
get plenty of referrals by word of mouth. Joining local ADD
Support Groups is a great ways to not only get support but get
recommendations for professionals who can diagnose and treat
Adults with ADD. Adult ADD Meetups are similar to support groups
and their Adult ADD Meetup Website allow for people to
communicate with other local adults with ADD.