Winston Salem Fitness

People just cannot believe that it is possible to work out your way to better health exercising just a few minutes daily. Times have changed and along with them the concepts that people have of everything they do and this includes exercising too. Ask any modern fitness freak and they will explain the long hours they spend at the gym just to reduce their flab and to tone up their muscles. They will also explain about the dietary supplements and the pills they take as part of their fitness program. Most of them do not see any special change in their physique after undergoing this form of exercising for a few weeks.
There are doubts if they will find any difference even after an extended period of time. These people are misled by the ads and by the well-figured models that are displayed in the ads of these products. They dream that they too will be able to achieve the same figure as that of the model if they go about sweating it out a couple of hours in the gym daily and the popping in a few pills per day. You can be rest assured that this routine along with the pills and other supplements will never help if you start taking junk food at the end of the day.
You are amazed and that is obvious, because the advertisers had mentioned that there would be no problems if you took junk food as long as you consumed the supplements too. This is pure crap. Why go in for a system that has not been proved? Why not stick to the time tested exercises that require you to work hard for just a few minutes a day and yet produces outstanding results without the assistance of any special diet and additives. Achieving a slim figure and toning up your muscles can be achieved by just burning away the extra fat and for this one does not need to slog it out for hours at the gym.

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1153400

How many out there have suffered from severe, even debilitating back pain? How about upper back and neck, sciatic etc. Have you been told it’s because of depressed vertebrae, loss of cushioning cartilage? Have you been given medication in the form of anti-inflammatory, or pain medication? Worse, has surgery been suggested as an alternative? I know because I’ve been all routes except surgery until I heard about a book by Dr. John Sarno called: Healing Back Pain. Not the greatest title because he goes so much deeper than that title would suggest. It’s the mind body connection.
Anyway, I was at the end of my rope. I was in constant pain in my middle lower back and it would just “go out” for seemingly no good reason. We had a history in our family of bad backs, beginning with my grandfather, my father, my brother and myself. When my back first failed me I thought: Oh no, I’ve inherited the “bad back” portion of my existence in life, and I more or less accepted it as a sort of family tree sentence. I knew the pain would get progressively worse for about a three to four day period, culminating to one entire day of bedridden misery. After that, it began to get better until I’d be pain free a few days later. This painful ritual went on for a number of years and my brother knew my pain and I his. My father shared with us the news of degenerative lower back arthritis that awaited us in the future. His golf swing gradually became more stiff and aggravating. We just had to put up with our bouts of misery three to four times a year.
During my divorce some ten-years ago I was so crippled with back spasms I couldn’t get out of bed in the mornings. I swallowed Tylenol like it was all we had for breakfast. For the first time in my life the pain was always there, sometimes less, but never completely gone. I was desperate and willing to try anything. I got a hold of Sarno’s book and devoured it while trying to stay in a somewhat comfortable position on the couch. When I began to understand the simple concept of what he had to offer, I literally felt the pain begin to subside. The jig was up, my brain couldn’t fool me anymore. I finally understood that it wasn’t that day in the gym years ago doing heavy lifting that caused irreversible compression in my lower back. My back was fine. It was stress that made the beast. That was the key, it wasn’t phycosymatic, the pain was real believe me.
It was caused by what he describes as: TMS (tension myositis syndrome) it is a harmless but potentially very painful disorder that is the result of specific, common emotional situations. It is a cradle-to-grave disorder, that if understood, is completely easy to control and recognize. The primary tissue involved is muscle and nowhere on the body are there more striations and formations then across the back and neck. I finished the book ten-years ago and I’ve been pain free ever since. So has my brother, and we dont’t “baby” the back and stray from physical activity, hoping that it doesn’t “go out”. My dad, sadly, just keeps putting up with the pain though he does have far fewer bouts now that he’s retired. He doesn’t see the correlation between the two, he insists there’s something structurally wrong. One year when he was under extreme pressure at work, his back blew out. He was bed ridden for about two days and then the strangest thing I’ve ever seen occurred. He began getting burning sensations running down his right leg. Soon after (hours) a round red circle began to form on his outside right ankle. It was about three inches or so across and it began to bubble up, after a while my mom called his doctor and arranged a quick visit. He was in agonizing pain and the circle quickly became very inflamed looking just like a raw hamburger attached to his ankle. The doctor sent him to the hospital and my mom was fearing the worst as was my dad. No one could figure it out. There were actually a small team of doctors and interns called in to witness this strangest of occurrences. They ran a battery of tests on him and everything came up negative. I went to visit him and he was a little groggy from sleep medication, he’d had a busy day. The next morning he awoke in the hospital completely fine, back pain gone, ankle just like nothing had been there. No one could figure it out. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing like regular checkups and physicals to make sure everthing’s working right. The femur, the biggest bone in the human body can heal in six weeks, your body knows what it’s doing. But, when I read Dr. Sarno’s book the first time that’s the story I thought of the entire time. My dad was a text book example of extreme TMS.
I’ve read the book twice, and I’m midway through it a third time. Why a second and third time one might ask, or be thinking? Well, the mind has a way of forgetting what we learn, it gets categorized and filed under: “learned stuff”. Then we forget about it, but, TMS never sleeps and about a week ago or so I found out the painful way. This had been mildly annoying for about the past four or so years. I noticed a little pain on the outside of my hip, just a bit further back than the front pocket of my pants. It was occurring while driving the car for more than half an hour or so. Well, it began to get worse to the point it was tough to haul my right leg over and out of the car. Strangely or not, I began to think I may have a pinched nerve, maybe some kind of structural flexor damage. Well that’s just the foothold TMS needs, a firm belief there’s a problem in the house. It was off and running. I brought bags of groceries into the house and could barely make it up the stairs. I couldn’t put any weight on m y right leg. The pain was in an area the size of a silver dollar, painful to the touch. I could barely sit or stand.
I went online and Googled hip pain, pain outside of hip etc. Talk about stoking the furnace, the pain increased with each keystroke. I read about blocked arteries not allowing proper blood flow to the site, torn flexors and degenerative arthritis (my dad) loose cartilage, hyper extended hip and joint muscles. I slept a total of three-hours that night. The pain was horrific I’m not kidding, I fantasized about a little back pain in exchange. Then in the middle of agony, an epiphany occurred, where did I put Sarno’s book? It’s only a little paperback filled with a 183 pages of gold, easily misplaced, or worse, lent to someone who never even cracked it open and now being used to collect dust under a bed.
I got up as quickly as I could afford (not quickly) and hobbled to my books. It wasn’t there and I cursed my self for ever lending it to someone who’d told me I’d never felt pain like they had. And then, there it was, buried under useless fiction and a 2003 ticket stub to a sleeper of a Ranger’s game. Believe it or not I’d forgotten about TMS all together and its insidiousness. I sat and read in the euphoria of pain. I literally felt the pain begin to subside, I lie to you not. My oasis of relief was found and as I write this the book is by my side. If you suffer now or have in the past you owe it to your self to pick up this book. Buy it used on Amazon if you have to and keep it, don’t lend it out to people who want to prove you wrong so they can continue with their drugs and surgeries. It’s been one of my greatest finds and again I found it when I needed it most.

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1001829

Ever since circus strongmen and the early superstar bodybuilders like John Grimek and Steve Reeves were winning the Mr. Universe contest the question to perform barbell squats has been a hotly debated topic. In the 1970′s, top bodybuilders like Ken Waller and Arnold would swear by the squat, while fitness guru’s like Vince Gironda would not even have squat racks in their gym! His argument was that the barbell squat would overdevelop the glutes and would be a detriment to the symmetrical bodybuilder. Others, like Arnold and France Columbu squatted religiously, and they attributed there overall muscular balance and strength to the squat. So which point of view is correct? I don’t want to ride the fence but in my humble opinion both are!
There really isn’t a better exercise you can do for overall body balance, mass and conditioning that the squat. When I perform squats as part of my leg routine I can almost feel my strength and conditioning increase as I am doing them. I also feel that I have endless energy and stamina for the rest of my workouts, and every exercise seems that much easier to do. Barbell squatting is that good for conditioning! However my body type tends to gravitate more towards the ectomorph side (thinner and a hard gainer), so putting on too much mass was never an issue for me.
If your body type is more of an endomorph (larger and heavier) you may not ever need to put on more mass on your body, especially in the glute area. Although lighter weight and high repetition squats would still be of benefit to you for shaping and conditioning, heavy squats probably would not be the first and best choice of leg exercise, unless you’re a powerlifter.
So there you have it, both sides of the squat coin. Take this information along with your goals and decide what is best for you! You can subscribe to this newsletter at Unique Fitness Concepts

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1111761

So here’s the million-dollar question:
What’s the number one reason people do not work out?
Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the ideal workout plan?
Nope. It’s TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.
We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn’t [exercise] and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time. This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.
Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who exercised “traditionally” — 90 to 120 minutes per day — with another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and only three days per week.
That’s a whopping one hour per week folks.
Did you know that Jon Benson’s “7 Minute Muscle” plan calls for only five 7-minute workouts with resistance training (weights or bodyweight) plus only 9 minutes cardio a few days per week?
And that actually works? Yeah… you bet it does.
If you do the math, that’s about an hour per week as well.
This is the “Level 1″ workout. There are three levels depending on your goals and exercise tolerance.
Find out more here –
http://www.7minutemuscle.com/aff/chelle1984 <— brief is best!
Back to Gibala’s study:
In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the presence of oxygen.)
The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their improvement. Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with greater focus and more intensity — exactly how Jon suggests you train.
This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits of shorter but more intense workouts.
However, there is a catch: Train too hard and you will shut down your fat-burning furnace.
Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal sequence that says, “I’m being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!”
The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.
You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and recover.
Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.
Jon devotes an entire chapter to putting your mind into your muscle to make gains faster than ever befor in “7 Minute Muscle.” You can read more here –
http://www.7minutemuscle.com/aff/chelle1984 <— brief is best!
Just remember these three key points:
1. Time is the greatest barrier to fitness. 2. Workouts can be short and very effective. 3. The body goes where the mind directs.

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1178294

“Maybe they just don’t know” I thought to myself after looking around the gym. I mean, they’re at the gym, working out, trying to take better care of themselves. They must have a serious interest in looking and feeling their best. Why else would they be here? Still I wondered, “Why do so many people at the gym have bad posture?”

As I sat watching, it became very clear to me the problem. They were all doing it. Bad posture on stairclimber, bad posture on the treadmill, bad posture on all the weight machines. A lot of people were using the equipment improperly, but that wasn’t telling the whole story. Most the exercises being done were all going to make the person’s posture worse, not better.

In any attempt to improve posture through exercise, you have to consider a couple of things. What activities do I do all day that may be contributing to my bad posture? What muscles do I need to exercise in order to make my particular posture problem better?

The first one is pretty easy for most computer users. They know they are hunched over the computer all day making things worse. Then their posture changes little when they drive home, when they eat their dinner, and when they sit on the couch. It’s all the same posture! Each one of these positions makes the muscles in the front of the body shorter while increasing the length of the muscles in the back.

Then they head off to the gym and continue to work the front muscles while ignoring the back. Maybe they work the front and back muscles equally at the gym? However, their daily activities are still “front-heavy” and they have to consider that during their workouts. Chances are they should be working out their backs twice as often as their fronts! For some people the ratio might even be 3:1.

The bottom line is going to be the results they are after. If they sit in front of the computer all day, then go to the gym and ride a stationary bike for an hour, they are still hunched over. They have to spend time exercising their back muscles and stretching the muscles in the front of the body.

Good posture is about balance. Balance from front to back and from side to side. Many people at the gym try to keep things balanced while doing their exercise. They would never work out their right arm and not their left. They do “chest” one day and “back” the other. But how does this work when their daily activities spend so much time ignoring the strengthening of the back? Where does it balance out? It can only balance out if you work the back muscles at a higher frequency than the front.

Work on having good form on the machines you use, and more importantly choose wisely the best activities and exercises to counteract what you do all day. It may not seem like much activity, but it’s enough to affect your posture and make long term changes in your spine and your health. It doesn’t need to be like that!

Intimidated by the gym because of all the strange equipment, machines, silent rules and huge

mean-looking guys? Don’t be! Everybody has been in the same spot as you. Just remember that you

have to start somewhere. Here are a few tips that will help you get over your fear of going to

the gym:

1. If you feel like you are way too out of shape and are simply too embarrassed to go to the gym

at all, try exercising outside of the gym. Look on Craigslist for some great deals on used

exercise equipment. You will be shocked to see some of the great deals you can get on a piece of

equipment that was hardly used. If you don’t want to buy anything, start doing push-ups, squats,

sit-ups, dips, etc. at home every day. Once you feel more comfortable with yourself, get into the

gym and get over your fear.

2. Select a gym that is appropriate for you. Choose a gym that is open when you want to go, has

the equipment and classes that you need and is located close enough to your home so that it isn’t

too much effort to go. My gym is a few miles away from my house, so I try and be as efficient as

possible by riding my bike to the gym.

3. Avoid peak hours. Try going at odd-ball times when nobody else is there. These hours vary from

gym to gym, so call a few places and just ask. The attendant will just assume that you are trying

to get a better workout and will tell you when the slowest times are. Go out of the way to avoid

peak hours until you become more comfortable. Even though I am rather comfortable with the gym, I

still avoid peak hours because I just prefer less of a crowd.

4. Don’t compare your body to other people at the gym. If you want to feel good about your body

by comparing yourself to others, go to McDonalds. Simply stay focused on your own personal

improvement and goals. Don’t be intimidated by the members who look like they far beyond your

wildest dreams; at one point, they were in the same place as you – a newbie to the gym!

Personally, every time I see newbie just starting out in the gym, I get excited for them. I know

that I was once in their shoes and if they keep at it, they will be very satisfied with the

results.

5. Don’t be afraid to try new machines! Some machines look complicated, but don’t let that stop

you from utilizing them. You can usually figure them out by looking at the diagram. If there is

no diagram, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I would recommend to either sit on the machine

looking confused until someone offers to help you, or better yet, ask the gym attendant. If you

are just to embarrassed to ask, go online and read a tutorial about how to use the equipment.

Just remember that nobody was “born” knowing how to work every machine in the gym.

6. Always keep safety in mind. Don’t lift weights that are too heavy for you. Make sure you

aren’t dropping or slamming weights down unnecessarily. Always put your weights back where they

belong so that people aren’t tripping over them. You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself, someone else

or get kicked out of the gym.

7. Be courteous and enjoy yourself. If someone asks “how many sets do you have left”, let them

know. If it is a lot, offer to let them “work in” with you (take turn doing sets). If someone is

doing a bench press without a spotter, offer to spot them. Don’t hog machines and always be sure

to wear deodorant.

Always keep in mind that you have to start somewhere. You also have to start sometime, and what

better time than now! Get yourself into a gym and put your fears behind you!