FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog » Fat Loss

3 Lower Abs Exercises for a Washboard Stomach

FitBuff Blogger — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:45:24 +0000

Fat hanging around the belly can really disrupt that sleek and chic look you are aiming to achieve, so lower abs exercises are essential. A flat stomach can really bring out the fitting of the dress on you, making you look absolutely dazzling. But the problem with lower abs is that it’s an arduous job to work off the fat stored in that area. You've got to make use of the right muscles so that the work out does not prove to be futile.

Here are 3 of the most effective abdominal exercises in which you are not required to lay down on your back or curl your shoulder blades off the ground. In fact these three exercises are free from all that annoying routine of sit-ups that are super exhausting and not that effective.

These 3 abs exercises can be carried out in a circuit fashion for an outstanding abdominal exercise that will assist in burning belly fat exclusive of forcing any stress on your lower back.

3 Best Lower Abs Exercises

1. Ab wheel:

The first exercise is termed as the “ab wheel”. To start, you are required to put your knees on the ground and place your body in the upright position. Compress, with your back straight, while compressing your abs and then go back to the starting position. Repeat this around 20 times.

2. Stability ball jackknives:

The second exercise for the lower abs is termed as “stability ball jackknives”. There are various types of variations of this work out; such as, resting your elbows on a bench with your feet on a stability ball, keeping your body in a diagonal position. Strut your abs and push your knees into your chest and then pull out.

For a tougher work out and better results, you can try the one-leg stability ball jackknives. This way when one leg is pushed in, the other one kick out and vice versa. Another variation to this exercise can be adding a bit of rotation to the stability ball jackknives. This will require transporting your knees to one side and then to the other.

With your hands pressed against the ground, there can be another variation to execute stability ball jackknives, with an extra push up incorporated for good results.

3. Cross body mountain climber:

The cross body mountain climber is the final exercise for this circuit. Rather than what you do with the regular mountain climber work out where you bring your knees to your chest, the twist to add to help work the lower abs muscles will be that with the revolving you are going to convey your knee to the converse elbow. The integration of the rotation element basically allows for better and effective lower ab work out.

With these three abs exercises that are aimed at actually making you work off the belly fat, you are bound to see those absolutely amazing results in no time with the emergence of the flat abs.

What are your favorite lower abs exercises?

Fat Loss Rate – Lose 5 Pounds in 10 Days!

FitBuff Blogger — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:44:53 +0000

Fat loss rate is a tricky subject for many people for many reasons. Of the countless times that you've caught yourself pinching that extra inch of fat thinking it's shrunk to half its size since the last decade, of the many pictures that you brood over during the nights deciding whether you've actually become a tad bit lighter or is it a photographic miracle, how many do you think are mere illusions?

It is a desperate attempt to convince yourself that somehow over the years you are moving towards that dream body. Well maybe you are, but then maybe you aren't. It’s the time to stash the "maybe" in the trash can of illusions and get down to some real change; one that you can actually feel in that pinch and see in your version of "before and after" pictures. Today it's all about making big changes in little time! It's about increasing your fat loss rate to lose 5 pounds in 10 days.

Following a Balanced Diet Plan

When following a weight loss plan the very first step is to work on your eating habits, this does not mean resorting to starvation or fasting, rather there is a need for a balanced diet plan to be formulated. There is truth in the saying ‘you are what you eat’ and healthy eating will make a healthy man out of you. Fast foods, cookies, candies and chocolates are a hazard for the diet program and need to be crossed off the menu. In an attempt to shed rapid weight it is advised to walk the line of a vegetarian, the ingredients of such a green diet contain low fat and high levels of vitamins and calcium. We have devised a sample diet plan that will help you to get rid of some vanity weight and help in maintaining the lean and smart look.

For those of you, who can not function without a cup of coffee in the morning, you'll be glad to know that the contents on our breakfast table include one plain bagel, a cup of coffee with a table spoon of cream.

The breakfast is an essential part of the diet plan as it speeds up the metabolism and such a modest intake of food will be easy to burn through out your daily activities.
To keep you from getting too hungry we have added small snacks between meals, the set of choices for the snacks will be fresh juices or skimmed milk.
The Lunch menu for today has three special low fat items, fish or salad with sugarless dressing and water. Fish serves the purpose of fulfilling you daily requirements of protein and at the same time keeping fat levels to a minimum. Water acts as a detox helping in purifying the body from toxics, wastes and even parasites.
Dinner timings will be scheduled 4-5 hours before sleeping and will have servings of a bowl of cabbage soup, white rice, pulses and of course water.

For this diet plan to be successful the most important attitude you should possess is patience and at the same time be optimistic in believing the fact that this is something good for your body.

The Work Out

Exercise and regular workouts will be the perfect partner to help you sail through the period of 10 days. A combination of two 30 minute work outs during the day with a balanced diet will make you shed those unwanted pounds in no time. The 30 minute work out will consist of cardio exercises, aerobics and a little bit of weight lifting.

If you follow this routine, you are sure to lose more than 5 pounds in 10 days and retain that youthful look. Just make sure that you continue to eat healthy and add a daily exercise routine to maintain your weight, lose more weight and prevent your body from gaining back the weight lost.

Do you have any other tips for increasing your fat loss rate?

Vegan Protein Diet – How You Can Make It Work

FitBuff Blogger — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:22:46 +0000

Proteins are said to have immense benefits for the body, and while there are many different healthy dietary options, a vegan protein diet is one of the most extreme and possibly beneficial.

Let’s see, Protein reduces the amount of bad cholesterol and raises the amount of good cholesterol. Protein reduces the risk of hypertension and keeps the cholesterol level low. Also, studies have shown that those people who have ample intake of protein and less of carbs have fewer chances of having strokes. And even for all those weight fanatics, a protein diet has shown its self capable of shedding off unnecessary fat. So what does a high protein diet basically do?

What happens in a high protein diet is that the amounts of carbs are replaced with protein. As we all know, carbohydrates activate the insulin resulting in more weight gain ultimately. So in a high protein diet, all those sugars, and bread and pasta and potatoes are replaced with protein. Major sources of protein are meat and fish. And seemingly many people seem to be excessively happy with these animal protein forms. But what does a vegetarian do under such circumstances? Worry not, because even the vegetarians can pursue a high protein diet. It’s just about knowing all the protein sources and fitting them in to your diet plan.

Vegan Protein Diet

A large amount of public is shifting towards adopting a vegetarian eating lifestyle due to the concerns and health related issues that have taken birth because of the excessive meat intake. It is a fact that vegetarians have a lower tendency to get inflicted with various chronic maladies. The results of Vegetarian times magazine showed that around 14 million Americans have called themselves vegetarian. While there are various types of vegetarians out on the streets, some of them who might eat fish but not red meat, there is still a much stricter category of vegetarians termed as the Vegan. This post will thus focus on what Vegans should include in their diet to enjoy the benefits of a high protein diet. By the way, going vegan is considered to be very helpful for those suffering from asthma.

Here is an example of a vegan diet high in protein

Breakfast: 1 cup Oatmeal 1 cup Soy milk 1 Bagel

Lunch: 2 slices Whole Wheat Bread 1 cup Vegetarian Baked Beans

Dinner: 5 oz firm Tofu 1 cup cooked Broccoli 1 cup cooked Brown Rice 2 Tbsp Almonds 4

A high protein diet for vegetarians is easily achievable. Nearly all the vegetables, nuts, beans and grains have an ample amount of protein in them. Of course, the trick is to combine these foods in such a manner that the human requirement of having all the 9 amino acids that are present in meat are met by the variations and combinations of all vegan products.

Have you tried or are you currently trying a vegan protein diet? Why or why not?

Intermittent Fasting – Introduction and How-To

FitBuff Blogger — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:03:41 +0000

Intermittent fasting is becoming increasingly popular. It appears that apart from marketing, losing weight is the most popular topic to be discussed online. People want to get rid of all those pounds, whether extra or seemingly extra to attain the ideal body shape. A multitude of diet plans have been devised; from cabbage soups to high protein diet to eight losing herbs and supplements, everyone is trying everything that might have the slightest notion of producing likable results. But in most of these diet plans, one has to give up eating their favorite foods. No more pizzas and pastas, some happily adopt an herbivorous lifestyle, just to lose weight.

But what if you do not have to give up eating your favorite dishes? What if you don’t have to try any experiments with artificial supplements on your body? What if weight loss could happen with you eating what you generally eat, and in the quantity you eat but still losing weight? Sounds elusive, right?

The truth is that it is possible. And this is not a new found theory, but it has been around for quite a while. Surprised?? Wondering what exactly is this magic diet plan? It is called, "Intermittent Fasting".

Intermittent fasting is the trick to adopt. It requires a person to go on a fast for 24 hours, once or twice every week depending on the individual capability, and having a large intake of water/green tea during this time span. With the lifestyle we all lead, packed with work, food, more work and a truckload of responsibilities, it is not only difficult to take out time for gym and aerobic classes but truly impossible. Similarly, even following a diet plan can become monotonous, and everyone is aware of how diet plans quit working after some time since the body becomes immune to them. So you might just lose weight during the first month of your diet plan routine, it is assured that the results will start to wear off once the body becomes accustomed to the routine. On the opposite end, Intermittent Fasting will help you consistently lose weight and also maintain it. The routine is not difficult to adopt.

All you have to do is pick a day or two in the time frame of a week when all you are going to be consuming is water, or better still, green tea. That one day where the intake of liquids is going to be on the rise; it will allow the metabolism to flush up and work off all those stored fats in the body. Take it more like a body cleansing day. Just like a shower is vital to rid the exterior of all the germs, a day on water is pivotal to rid the body of the harmful fats that are stored up.

In the remaining days of the week, keep on going with your normal diet. You do not have to give up food at all during that time. Sounds great? Well you will feel great once you try out this truly genius form of putting off those extra pounds!

Have you tried intermittent fasting? What are your thoughts?

How Can Brown Fat Actually Help You Lose Weight?

FitBuff Blogger — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:23:24 +0000

Brown Fat

Use the word ‘fat’ in any conversation with a woman… yes, the mere mention of good fat (where the word ‘fat’ is used as a noun as opposed to its common usage in the adjective form) such as brown fat and you’ll find the conversation taking an ugly, self-deprecating turn consisting of phrases such as: I’m fat… I need to exercise… I need to go on a diet… I need to eat less… I’m a vegetarian… and so on and so forth.

And while I sit there pretending to listen, I wonder while trying very hard (and I mean, very) to pay attention and be sensitive: F***, why me?

I also make a futile attempt to change the topic to soothe the young one’s troubled mind in order to cater to one of her numerous ‘unspoken needs’ involving the use of one of my many talents: mind reading!

Er… sorry, what I meant was I tune out completely. Sanity and confinement, as they say, is the last refuge of the ‘single’ man.

Yet I do have a soft corner for the ‘fairer sex’ despite the blathering nonsense while I play the ‘agony aunt’ in purging their deepest fears of obesity… ok, I’m going to stop here ‘cause the internal dialogue in my head is going: More woman for me!

So, since I’ve been a pig for sometime now, let me redeem myself by demystifying the ‘fat’ word that will alleviate the pain and misery of many a fair damsel, and the psychological trauma and scarring that their potential or current soul mate can do without!

First, not all fat is bad for you. There’s good fat and there’s bad fat. Good enough? OK, let’s move on…

Second, you need to consume 30% of the right kind of fat daily as fat acts as fuel for the body; helps build hormones, absorbs particular vitamins and insulates the nervous tissue in the body.

Third, unsaturated fat and essential fatty acids can be safely classified as ‘good fat’ while trans-fatty acids and nutrition containing saturated fat are ‘bad fats’.

So, the idea here is not to deprive your body of ‘fat’ completely, but to ensure that you consume nutrition that contains ‘good fats’ as mentioned above.

So, while you digest these facts for now, let’s take this up a notch by discussing ‘brown fat’ as opposed to the ‘white fat’ that we’ve looked at so far.

I’m sure you’d remember Morpheus in The Matrix talking about babies reduced into the equivalent of Duracell batteries? It’s not all that fictitious actually.

Well, in the real world, brown fat makes up 5% of the total body mass in children and mammals that hibernate in order to create heat and prevent hypothermia, which is a major cause of death in children.

Who knows, that might have just been what Morpheus was referring to!

Now, brown fat contains mitochondria, the cellular power plants as we studied in school, (unless you aren’t smarter than a 5th grader) which disappear as we grow, thus burning this brown fat (which shares the same embryological origin to skeletal muscle) to generate heat when we feel very cold, converting it into the white fat that we have all come to dislike and consider a detriment to our effort to stay lean.

Scientists say that ‘brown fat’ might be the key to successfully helping people lose weight in the future once they figure out how to turn these dormant brown cells into active fat-burning cells other than staying cold which is the only way by which one can activate these cells by default.

Infants have brown fat mostly as a sheet of cells covering their backs while for adult humans it is present in the upper back, on the side of the neck, in the dip between the collarbone and shoulder, and along the spine. Women as well as people who are lean are said to have more brown fat activity than their male or fatter counterparts.

So, if this idea of eating what you want and then burning it off by sitting in a place that has a chilly temperature helps in reducing obesity… well, why not?… since the idea of using drugs to stimulate brown fat are still not considered safe enough yet.

In summary, while scientists find a way to help you reduce white fat apart from the unconventional way by increasing the brown fat in your body, conventional methods of diet (involving “good white fats”) and exercise can be adopted for now.

How much brown fat do you have?

Sprint Training – Are you ready to ignite your results?

FitBuff Blogger — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:27:48 +0000

Sprint Training

Sprint training is essential to accelerate your fat loss, but it's hard, so people don't do it. How have those 2-hour-long, People-magazine-reading treadmill sessions been working out for you? Satisfied with the results?

Didn't think so!

I know it's been a long time since you've run at full speed, probably since you were a kid, and while you'll definitely need to ease into it, I promise it's just as exhilarating as an adult to do a few all-out sprints!

Interestingly in the area of cardio exercise, studies have shown that high intensity interval workouts really help in burning fat, while also increasing flexibility, cardiovascular health, and muscular strength which are the building blocks of true fitness.

What high intensity interval workouts intend to do is to improve performance in shorter training sessions which is to say that in taking on a HIIT workout, you will lose just as much fat in about 15-30 minutes as compared to lower intensity aerobic exercises that are much longer in duration.

And we all know how precious time is in today’s world, with us hardly having the luxury of spending hours in order to work out, due to an endless list of errands, responsibilities and other much more pleasurable activities that can’t (and in some cases, won’t) wait.

Let’s try and examine the difference, using a simple example of a HIIT workout. This workout should be conducted outdoors (yes, say goodbye to the treadmill, just this once!). For the sake of clarity, let’s also use a scale of 1 to 10 to measure the intensity of running action (1 being a casual walk and 10 being sprinting as hard as you can).

Step 1: Begin with a five minute warm up jog at about a 4-5 followed by a couple of minutes of stretching.
Step 2: Jog at about a 5-6 intensity level for 60 seconds
Step 3: Immediately switch to a sprint at an 8-9 intensity level for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Repeat steps 3 & 4 for about 6-8 times depending on your fitness level.

Now if haven’t noticed already that this entire routine spans about 12 to 15 minutes and that the jog time to sprint time ratio is about 2:1, which explains the increase and decrease in intensity at regular intervals.

Here’s a video that illustrates this point further:

It’s interesting to note that this might seem a bit short and simple, but there are complex routines that have been designed specifically for people who are used to elliptical trainers and treadmills, which involve increasing or decreasing speed, intensity and incline levels.

And just as a precaution, before you think about taking up one of these routines, please ensure that you talk to your physician or trainer in order ensure that you're ready for this type of training.

So, have you tried HIIT or sprint training? If so, what are your thoughts?

What Makes Others Lose Weight Faster?

FitBuff Brandon — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:27:18 +0000

Losing weight is a problem that everyone seems to carry. In this fast-paced world, there’s always something going on. Everyone wants everything fast, even weight loss. So just what makes someone lose weight faster?

There are several reasons why there are people who lose weight much faster.

One, obese people tend to lose more weight faster. This translates to about 3 to 4 pounds in a week. But for average weight people it would be approximately 1 to 1.5 pounds or 0.5 to 0.7 kg. Rough estimates of your weekly weight loss are dependent on your current weight, but there are still other factors.

Two, your current diet affects how fast you can shed those extra pounds. This makes you focus on what you eat and what others eat. Lifestyle also affects how many pounds you can lose over a period of time. If you choose to just drive through fast-food chains every day or eat anything you fancy, then this affects just how much weight you can lose. And, yes, even if you are on an exercise program.

Three, high level of physical activity spells higher chance of losing weight easily. You tend to burn off higher amounts of calories. If you also try to increase physical activity, then you tend to have more energy, thus increasing your metabolism.

Four, your own gender may have a say on just how fast you can lose weight. Generally, men have faster metabolic rates than women. This is attributed to the hormones present in men.

Five, age. As one grows older, hormonal changes are typical for both men and women. Some changes result in lower metabolism rate, thus, making it harder to lose fat weight. The usual age when the body decreases metabolic rate is 30.

Six, the body shape. There are three general types of body shape, ectomorph, endomorph, and mesomorph. Each has different characteristics that affect rate of weight loss.

Seven, the motivation. Motivation varies from person to person. And just how much that person wants to achieve his or her target weight affects their rate. Though, this still depends on their set realistic goals.

These aspects are just some of the reasons why some tend to lose weight faster. Don’t fret if you fall under the slower rate of losing weight, because you can use this knowledge to help speed up the process.

Wink Fit – Even Bingo can burn calories!

FitBuff Brandon — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:50:14 +0000

I stumbled across a funny fitness promotion today called Wink Fit. Wink Bingo, an online bingo site, is telling its users to get off their computer chairs and get in shape. For the player who wins in the bingo tournament on March 1st, they get 1000 pounds towards getting fit. I thought this was hilarious and pretty clever. I wonder how they'll actually enforce this? Can you see some website software guys yelling and spotting some british women at the bench press?

Waist to Hip Ratio – Men Can't Stomach the Facts

FitBuff Brandon — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:31:50 +0000

This week, our Aussie friends conducted a study that found that about 60 percent of men in the country were clinically overweight.

Big deal, right? We Americans can beat that!

But, the more surprising finding was that, of all those pot-belly men, only 36 percent perceived themselves as being overweight.

Sure, that may be beneficial to their self-esteem, but it doesn't change the fact that they could be setting themselves up for more serious health complications by ignoring the keg resting on top of their six pack.

Just like your last AA meeting, the first step is to admit you have a problem. That means stepping up and facing the cold, hard numbers.

Waist to Hip Ratio

photo credit: Vee Dub

Of course, the quickest way to get an overview of your weight situation is to simply step onto a scale. For many, the number staring back at you will be enough of a wake-up call.

Then, there's always the BMI (body mass index), but that doesn't take into account your lean muscle mass, so it's less effective at separating the fatties from the fitties.

One of the most accurate measurements is the waist to hip ratio. The WHR is better for tracking your visceral fat (the most dangerous kind that gathers around your stomach).

It's very simple (provided you can handle 3rd-grade level math), and all you need is a measuring tape. You can man up and use the abrasive yellow metal one from your toolbox, or you can check your ego and spring for one of these cheap, but softer and easier to use, MyoTapes:

First, measure your waist at it's thinnest point (usually right above your hip bone and below your rib cage). Try to calm your trembling hand, and write down that gargantuan number.
Measure around your hips (down near the top of your butt) at their widest point. Whoa, and you thought the last number was big! Write down this King Kongian number.
Now, just divide number 1 (your waist measurement) by number 2 (your hips measurement), and that's your waist to hip ratio.

For example, I just tried mine, and here's the results:

Waist measurement (between hip bone and rib cage) = 32.2 inches
Hip measurement (widest point, top of butt) = 38.6 inches
My waist to hip ratio = 0.83

I managed to measure in under the recommended "OK" level of 0.92, but anything under 1.0 isn't devastatingly bad.

Get Low, Low, Low, Low…

If you're over the one-to-one ratio, it means you have too much dangerous belly fat, causing your stomach to jut out and sag in classic beer-belly fashion.

But, you only have to lose a couple of inches in your waist to get back under that 1.0 level, and eventually under the magic 0.92 level.

Let's say you're pretty out of shape right now: Your waist measurement is 40, and your hip measurement is 39, so your WHR is 1.03. That's a red flag that you need to start changing your body composition, but it doesn't take much.

If you lose just 2 inches from your waist, which is entirely possible in a matter of 2-4 weeks with proper exercise and nutrition, your WHR would drop all the way to 0.97. Stick with your new diet and exercise plan a little longer and drop 2 more inches: Now your waist to hip ratio is officially fit at 0.92!

One of the best ways to burn belly fat is HIIT (high intensity interval training), and the new technique can be even more effective.

Find out your waist to hip ratio right now, and start bringing it down!

Don't be shy. Post your own waist to hip ratios below in the comments (no pictures required!).

Dumbbells Are the New Running Shoes – Why Lifting Can Outweigh Running

FitBuff Brandon — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:00:38 +0000

photo credit: Crissy Teena

If 50 is the new 40, and 40 is the new 30, then simple math should tell you: Dumbbells are the new running shoes.

Well, maybe that pattern doesn't exactly add up, but the long, boring, two-hour treadmill sessions are dead. They don't work now, and they never did.

Burning fat and improving your body composition (lean muscle vs. body fat) is best achieved through short intense workouts. High Intensity Interval Training is the most popular form, and people are now starting to realize, reluctantly, that just exercising longer isn't necessarily exercising better or smarter.

So, now, can we get those same people to take it one step further, by convincing them that they can actually gain cardiovascular benefits without ever going near an exercise bike, treadmill, elliptical machine, or any other traditional piece of "going nowhere" equipment?

Scientists performed a study, published in Cell Metabolism, that showed weight training can burn fat with the best of them.

They fed two groups of mice the same high-fat, carbo-loaded diets, to mimic the poor choices of "fast food America."

One group was engineered to have the lean muscle tissue that would be gained through resistance training, while the other mice were left all natural (at least they weren't in the Mitchell Report!).

The new and improved mice saw marked increases in their metabolic rates and actually burned fat without any increase in physical activity, while the control group gained weight and suffered from liver problems and early signs of diabetes.

Even better news, the amount of muscle added to the mighty mice was relatively small and could be easily duplicated through moderate weight training in a short period of time.

So, if you want to speed up your metabolism, burn fat while you sleep, and increase your lean muscle mass, then start lifting your treadmill instead of running on it.

FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog » Fat Loss

3 Lower Abs Exercises for a Washboard Stomach

3 Best Lower Abs Exercises

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Fat Loss Rate – Lose 5 Pounds in 10 Days!

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Vegan Protein Diet – How You Can Make It Work

Vegan Protein Diet

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Intermittent Fasting – Introduction and How-To

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

How Can Brown Fat Actually Help You Lose Weight?

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Sprint Training – Are you ready to ignite your results?

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

What Makes Others Lose Weight Faster?

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Wink Fit – Even Bingo can burn calories!

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Waist to Hip Ratio – Men Can't Stomach the Facts

Waist to Hip Ratio

Get Low, Low, Low, Low…

Other Posts You'll Find Useful:

Dumbbells Are the New Running Shoes – Why Lifting Can Outweigh Running

Other Posts You'll Find Useful: