PalFitness - Personal Trainer

5 Reasons Why You’re Overeating

Pal — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:20:49 +0000

You may have recently put on a few pounds and are not sure why. Or, perhaps you’ve been working out diligently, but still can’t get rid of those pesky love handles. You may, in fact, need to start paying closer attention to your eating habits.

Many men overeat and don’t even realize it; in fact, eating is often tied into so many other activities that it’s hard to pinpoint when overeating takes place.

However, if you tend to absentmindedly munch on chips while watching TV, gorge on buttered popcorn at the movies (even though you’ve already eaten dinner) or accept a second helping of mom’s meatloaf even though you’re stuffed, you may be consuming larger portions and eating more often than you need to.

To discover if you’re eating enough for a man three times your size, you need to examine your eating patterns to determine how often you really are eating, and — more importantly — why you’re overeating. Overeating is most often a symptom of an underlying problem, not the cause.

Once you realize why you’re overeating, you can deal with the real issue behind your eating habits and be on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

Find out what is overeating and how to avoid it in AskMen.com

High levels of vitamin D cut risk of colon cancer

Pal — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:52:29 +0000

High levels of vitamin D are linked with a lower risk of colon cancer, according to a comparison of more than half a million Europeans, published online Friday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
The body produces vitamin D in response to exposure to the sun. Patients with the highest levels of vitamin D in their blood had a nearly 40 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer compared to those with the lowest levels.
Vitamin D, derived mainly from sunlight but also found in foods, plays a key role in bone strength by increasing levels of calcium in the blood. Whether it affects incidence of cancer has been hotly debated and the evidence is sketchy.
More in Yahoo News

Heavily armed: 5 tips for bigger arms

Pal — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:53:56 +0000

Change your grip
When doing exercises with a barbell or E-Z bar, try gripping with your thumb under the bar rather than wrapped over it. This reduces the role of the forearm in the move and places greater emphasis on the biceps or triceps, forcing these muscles to work far harder for each rep.

Don’t ignore your triceps
It’s easy to concentrate on blitzing your biceps, but your triceps are actually the bigger muscles in the upper arm. Focusing on triceps exercises that isolate the muscle, such as dips, narrow-grip bench presses and lying triceps extensions, will lead to bigger gains, so that you fill out your T-shirts in double-quick time.

Read the other 3 tips in Men’s Fitness

One-minute mirth: Happiness in 60 seconds flat

Pal — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:59:11 +0000

‘The self-help industry suggests visualising how you want to look, act and be perceived as the best way to achieve a better you – but a large body of research now shows that such exercises are at best ineffective and, at worst, harmful,’ says Richard Wiseman. ‘So here are a few practical tips that can turn your life around in seconds.’

Be happier
Money can buy you happiness. ‘Spend your hard-earned cash on experiences, not material goods, because when it comes to happiness they represent the best value for money,’ says Wiseman. ‘Go to a gig. Go on holiday. Go bungee jumping. Do anything that provides the opportunity to do things with others, and then tell even more people about it afterwards.’ This will create a happy memory that will last forever, rather than a new gadget you’ll tire of.
Be more attractive
The briefest of touches on a woman’s upper arm will improve your luck. ‘This increases the likelihood of women finding you attractive,’ says Wiseman. ‘In one study 20 per cent of women approached on the street gave out their number when touched on the arm, compared with just ten per cent of those who weren’t. But beware: touching is a strong social signal and a few inches can make all the difference between her inviting you for coffee or calling the police.’

Other interesting tips here

Sleep Tips: Top 10 Sleep Mistakes And Their Solutions

Pal — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:42:55 +0000

Although we may not like to admit it, many of the sleep problems we experience are the result of bad habits and behaviors. We stay up late or sleep in late. We eat foods that disagree with us or enjoy a drink late at night, oblivious to their disruptive impact on our sleep rhythms. Over time, we teach our body not to sleep and for relief we often turn to sleeping pills, which mask rather than solve the problem, and can lead to addiction. Ultimately for real success, with insomnia as with any chronic problem, one must look for the underlying imbalances and root causes and address those.

Read about the common sleep “mistakes” and their solutions in The Huffington Post

Ten ways to get fit on the cheap in 2010

Pal — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:25:10 +0000

If you’re already struggling to keep your new year’s resolution to get fit in 2010, don’t let the cost of joining the gym be your excuse; there are plenty of ways to inject some exercise into this year without forking out very much at all. Here are Times Money’s ten tips to keep your waistline (and your credit card bill) slim.

1. DVDs

Fitness DVDs, offering everything from aerobic exercises to beginner’s yoga or pilates classes are a good way to tackle the embarrassment of exercising in public – and are much cheaper than joining a gym. If you don’t want to buy, your local library or DVD shop will have a large selection or join a DVD home delivery service such as Lovefilm for a small monthly fee.

READ the other 9 tips at Times Online

New Year fitness: Ways to motivate yourself

Pal — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 09:37:39 +0000

Here are some of the things you can do to keep your new exercise regime on track.

Set short-term goals
Having something specific to aim for, such as losing a certain amount of weight or entering a race, will help you stick to your training plan. But make sure your goals are realistic. Setting and failing to reach outlandish targets will put you off.

Reward yourself
Hit one of your targets? Then you’ve earned the rightto spoil yourself by spending some cash on something you’ve always wanted. Fitness-related gadgets are ideal because they encourage youto keep training so you can test them out.

More of these great tips in Men’s Fitness

New Year fitness: Reasons to get fit

Pal — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:34:23 +0000

OK, so that you’ll live longer is nothing new, but did you know fitness could get you promoted?

You’ll live longer
Exercise can reduce therisk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. And if you don’t succumb to any of these you’ll be on track to live a long, healthy life. It’s not rocket science, is it?

You’ll be a love machine
A good workout gets the blood pumping around your body for up to several hours after you’ve finished training. This means that if your baby-making appendage is calledto action it’ll be up to the task with minimum effort.

More great reasons in Men’s Fitness

New Year fitness: Most common gym mistakes

Pal — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:32:07 +0000

Want to train like a seasoned pro in the gym? Then avoid the below silliness.

Warming up with just a jog
To prepare your muscles for the work they’re about to undertake, do ten minutes on the treadmill or rower, followed a series of bodyweight squats, lunges, twists and bends. Then do one set with very light weights to prime your muscles for action.

Picking the wrong weight
If the weight’s too light you won’t place your muscles under enough tension to have any meaningful muscle-building effect. If it’s too heavy you won’t be able to perform the exercise with perfect form. Trial and error is the only way to find the weight that’s right for you on any given exercise.

Read the rest of the story at Men’s Fitness

New Year fitness: Train like a pro

Pal — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:29:51 +0000

Do all of the below and you’ll achieve your fitness goals fast and safely.

Maintain good form
To get the most out of an exercise you must do it properly, which means maintaining good form throughout. Although form changes from one exercise to the next, bracing your core and avoiding jerky movements will help prevent injury whatever the move.

Mix it up
If you always do the same exercises your muscles will get used to them and will stop growing. Aim to change your routine every four to six weeks to give your body a new challenge. Doing new workouts will also prevent you from becoming bored and giving up.

Read the rest in Men’s Fitness