Fit and Youthful Life

Guest Author: Vijay Raisinghani


It is not surprising that with the rise in the demand for anti aging skin care treatment products, there has also been an explosion in the number of useless and ineffective products that claim that they are the best anti aging skin treatment. This article shall give you clear pointers on how you can safeguard yourself against misleading and hyped up products.

Most of the anti aging skin care treatment products available in the market do not give the desired results that they have promised in advertisements on television and glossy magazines.

They do not contain the effective natural ingredients the are vital for skin rejuvenation, and have just gained publicity and market share by getting their products endorsed by popular celebrities who have not themselves even applied the products once!

Here are some of the important points that you must consider before you invest your hard earned money on the best anti aging skin treatment products -

1) Make sure that the anti aging skin care treatment products that you use do not contain harmful chemicals and substances in them that have damaging consequences on overall health. For example, many harmful chemicals such as parabens, fragrances, alcohols, dioxanes and mineral oils are used in skin care products that you should avoid at any cost.

The harms they cause are very severe. They are known to cause skin allergies, rashes, irritation, dryness and acne eruptions. Fragrances are known to cause depression, anxiety, hormonal disturbances and disruptions in the normal functioning of the central nervous system. Parabens are known to cause cancerous breast tumors and are well known carcinogens!

2) Don’t buy anti aging skin care treatment products looking at the big brand names and the marketing hype created. Make sure that the best anti aging skin treatment has been prescribed by a Dermatologist, Skin Care Expert or someone who has really used the products themselves.

3) Make sure that the product is guaranteed on its effectiveness and has a full money back guarantee.

Here are some of the scientifically proven natural ingredients that the best anti aging skin treatment should contain -

a) It should have powerful antioxidants in it. These antioxidants are necessary to combat free radical damage on skin cells and tissues before it occurs. One of the most effective antioxidants is Coenzyme Q10.

b) It should have natural ingredients that preserve and maintain the balance of hyaluronic acid in the body. It functions as “glue” and binds the skin cells together. Phytessence Wakame is one such amazing Japanese sea kelp extract that plays a unique role in preserving hyaluronic acid in the body and giving soft and supple skin.

c) It should have natural ingredients like Cynergy TK that help in enhancing the natural production of collagen and elastin in the body. These are the vital youth giving skin proteins that are responsible in giving us a firm, supple, vibrant and elastic skin.

This understanding clearly gives you an upper edge when you look out for the best anti aging skin treatment for yourself.

Visit my website to find out in more detail about such natural ingredients that you should look out for and harmful substances that you should avoid in the most effective anti aging skin care treatment products so that you can achieve a young and beautiful skin glowing with natural health.

Guest Author: Vince Delmonte


Can you imagine you are wasting all your time on the wrong weight training exercises? Can you imagine that every weight training exercise you are doing is dead wrong? Skinny guy’s must meet a different set of requirements when choosing the most effective weight training exercises for maximal muscle growth. You do what to transform your skinny body into a rock-hard muscular body, right?

Without further ado, here are the top two exercises for each muscle group I used to gain 41 pounds of muscle mass in under six months:

Chest: Bench Press and Flat DB Chest Press

Back: Bent Over Barbell Rows and Close Grip Chin Ups

Shoulders: Seated DB Shoulder Press and Standing Military Press

Triceps: Dips and Tricep Pressdowns

Biceps: Standing Barbell Curls and Incline Bicep Curls

Quads: Squats and Lunges

Hips: Deadlifts and Stiff Leg Deadlifts

Lower Back: Good Morning

Calves: Standing Calve Raises

Abdominals: Weighted Ball Situps and Weighted Cable Crunches

Yes, there are many more exercises I did not list but these are simply the best. Stick to these weight training exercises for the best possible muscular and strength gains and you will have a rock-hard muscular body in less time than before!



Health and Vitality Now

Guest Author: Rachel Hammond


Have you ever wondered to yourself why it is that there is not a decent anti wrinkle cream for men that the leading companies are producing?  It’s hard enough just to find men’s wrinkle cream let alone finding a product that actually makes a visible difference in your appearance.  Why do you think it is that the major cosmetics companies can’t seem to deliver a formula that is effective?

Even though our skin is of a slightly different texture than a woman’s and needs specialized care you are very rarely going to find an anti wrinkle cream for men.  This is because the cosmetics industry focuses their products, and marketing almost exclusively towards women.  I guess that they figure that historically it has been women that have driven their business.

The need for a men’s wrinkle cream that is focused on the special needs that our skin has is growing, because we don’t treat skin care the way that the generations of men before us did.  To the men of that era all that you needed was a good aftershave lotion, and you were all set.  The sad thing is that even the aftershave that they used was bad for their skin, and nothing much has changed since then.

The products that were available to the men of past generations were not good for their skin because the products were loaded down with drying alcohols and chemicals that were harmful to not only their ski, but also to their health.  Even with scientific technology improving and healthy ingredients available don’t expect the bulk of anti wrinkle cream for men that you find today to be much better.

The majority of men’s wrinkle cream that is being produced is still going to be composed primarily of the same types of ingredients as the products that your father and grandfather used.  This is because chemical and synthetic ingredients are cheaper for the cosmetics companies to use as opposed to the extra processing cost that healthy natural ingredients require.

It’s not as though the makers of these chemical laden products don’t realize that they are shortchanging their customers, and potentially harming their health, because they do.  Luckily for us not every company follows the example of the major brands when it comes to producing their anti wrinkle cream for men.  There is one company in particular that excels in producing all natural anti aging products.

There is a company in New Zealand whose all natural men’s wrinkle cream contains a mixture of protein peptides that cause your body to produce far more collagen and elastin than it has become used to producing.  This increase will allow your skin to become full and firm once again, and your youthful good looks will return to you to a great extent.

Their anti wrinkle cream for men also contains ingredients that will soothe the burning, and itching that most men suffer due to their daily shaving routine.  The all natural ingredients that you will find in this specially formulated product of you everything that you need in order to truly heal your skin.

Visit my website today to learn more about the natural substances that are excellent for keeping your skin young looking and healthy.



Smooth Away Wrinkles Instantly

Guest Author: Alien


Weight training is a very popular and common type of strength training that is useful for the development and volume increase of skeletal muscles of the body. Strength training includes weight trainings and many other kind of trainings where muscle strength and size is increased. There is difference between weight training and other kind of strength training regarding how the opposition of the muscular contraction is generated. The overall benefits of weight training can be compared with the other types of strength training regarding increased volume of muscles, density of bones, strength of ligaments and tendons, tone, flexibility, metabolic rate and postural support. There are many benefits of weight training when compared to other strength training as well as there are also many limitations.

Weight Training versus Resistance Training

Resistance training uses the hydraulic or elastic resistance and emphasizes on the contraction of the muscles rather than the gravity. In weight training the majority part of the resistance is provided at the beginning and the muscle should overcome the inertia and the mass of the weight used. Initially the joint angle of the movement is emphasized and after this the point of the total resistance alters reckoning on the angle of the joint. On the other hand, hydraulic resistance depends on the speed of the movement and thus generates a fixed amount of resistance during the motion created in the exercise. Elastic resistance provides the highest resistance at the end of the movement when the elastic element is stretched enormously.

Weight Training versus Isometric Training

Isometric Training generates a fixed amount of resistance and depends on the force output given by the muscles. The muscles become stronger at the specific angle of joint by isometric exercises. Also at the point of proximal joint angel strengthening of the muscle takes place to a lesser amount. In contrast, by weight training the muscles gain strength throughout the range of movement, and the physical strength is increased from initial to the last joint angle involved in the exercise.

Weight Training and Body Building

The weight training and bodybuilding though somewhat similar in nature but have a basic difference. The body builders increase their muscle volume and size with lowest fat accumulation as they take part in different body building competitions while the weight trainers do not concentrate on the lowering body fats. The practitioners of the weight training emphasizes on increasing muscular strength and anabolic endurance.



Longevity and Health Now

Guest Author: Richard Morrisson


Yoga can be defined as a physical and mental exercise that helps in increasing will power of people. Most of the people believe yoga is a spiritual exercise, which enlightens the spirit and purifies the heart. For example: Doing yoga can help you increase patience and get relief from worries. Yoga has to be practiced in a peaceful environment. Most of the people prefer practicing yoga in natural surroundings. Some people prefer practicing yoga at meditation centers. Whatever may be the place, people should concentrate on the type of clothes they wear for yoga. Yoga Clothes play an important role in yoga practice. 

Clothes people wear during yoga should give them maximum comfort and help them to ease body movement. Yoga Clothes unlike ordinary clothes are made of special material.

It’s good if people wear Yoga Clothes that are loose, i.e. clothes like shorts, leotards, sweat pants, camisoles, vests, etc. Men and women generally prefer shorts when practicing yoga. Shorts allow people to see the alignment of their foot, knees and ankles. Yoga Clothes for men comprise of yoga shirts and pants. Yoga shirts need to be light and comfortable. All yoga shirts are made of natural materials and preferably are seamless. In fact that’s true with most yoga clothing. Yoga pants can be used for practicing yoga, martial arts, aerobics, dance, and exercise. Yoga pants fit easily around the waist, and permit stretches.  

Women should wear yoga shorts along with a yoga bra. Yoga Clothes should be comfortable, sweat absorbent and breathable. Women prefer stretchable cotton pants when practicing yoga. These cotton pants fit loosely around the hips, and have a flattering leg finish. Hard tail cotton pants are easily available and these pants are made of cotton Lycra blends.

Pants are usually pre-shrunk with a mix of 90% cotton and 10% Lycra. These pants are available in varying colors, and are ideal for women with varying waist sizes. People should always wear clothes that are good for all yoga exercises. They should check for yoga clothes that are form-fitting, i.e., clothes they select should be suitable and well adjusted irrespective of yoga movements.

Guest Author: Craig Ballantyne


I’m not a huge fan of cardio, spinning, or aerobics in terms of people looking to lose body fat obviously in short time periods. I mean if somebody likes doing it; if somebody wants to be the triathlete, you know what, go ahead and do it and love what you do.

But I’m not a big fan of it for those people I see who are running on the sidewalk and look like they despise every single minute they are doing it.

That is probably a greater percentage of the people who do it when they are looking to lose weight. There are a lot of research studies to say that aerobics and cardio aren’t the greatest way to lose weight. And I’m not a fan of having somebody do stuff they don’t like to achieve a goal when there are other ways to do it.

I’m not a big fan of certain machines in the gym for cardio. It may not be the machine itself, but it may be the excuses. Its human nature that some of these machines allow us to slide by and do stuff that we think is helping us, but subconsciously we’re taking the easy way out.

I have what I call the human nature test; because I always make fun of elliptical machines and I really think that they are not again what people make them out to be.

Let’s say you take 100 people. You go to a mega gym – you’ve got 100 treadmills and 100 elliptical machines – you take 100 people into that room and you say, “Okay, you have to work out for 30 minutes at a pretty good pace. You choose your machine.”

You know darn well that 70-80 of those people are going to be on the elliptical machines rather than the treadmill. To me, that says something. I just think that we’re wired to take the easy way out.

You can extend it even further and say, “Okay, you’ve got 100 people; you’ve got 100 treadmills and a track. Go do your training. You can either do the treadmill or the track.” You know 80% of those people are probably going to use the treadmill.

Humans take the easy way out when given hard choices. The other thing that I’m against in terms of cardio is – I refer to it as one of the dark sides of cardio – is that people can get injured doing a high volume of cardio work.

Of course, to be fair, you can get injured doing a high volume of body building work. When I was young and reading the magazines, I was doing too much upper body work and had a little bit of shoulder problems; not anything I haven’t been able to get over.

So injury risk is often proportional to the volume of exercise you do. Too much volume in lifting, too much volume in cardio, or even too much volume in crunches and you’re going to end up in the doctor’s office or the physiotherapy office.

Ironically, many trainers and physiotherapists are the worst offenders of over-use injuries. There is one physio that I worked in a gym where she worked, and she literally could not walk properly because she did so many spinning classes.

Spinning classes are another thing I’m not a huge fan of. On one side, there’s great benefit to your fat loss program because of the group mentality because social support is huge. Working out in that group encourages you to come back. And a lot of people have fun with it. Plus, its interval training in nature. So lots of good things about spinning.

But I figure, why do something for 45 minutes when you can get the same results in 20 minutes? Also, I’m not a big fan of the high RPM spinning because I think that’s where a lot of hip problems have been developed in people that I’ve trained personally and also in some of the classes I’ve watched.

I just don’t think that it’s great for your hips, especially in women who have hip problems already from childbirth, to be going at 140-160 RPM or whatever they are doing and you just watch their bodies flopping around without the right torso strength and endurance and stability there, they are going to end up with problems.

One last thing I’ll say on this is that an aerobic training program is probably one of the worst places to start a 300 pound person out on a fat loss program because their muscles are not prepared for this and neither are their joints. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t want to run with an extra 120 pounds on my back, or even walk quickly. We need to re-examine where we start people out.

So if you are not getting the results you want but you are doing a lot of cardio, spinning, or aerobics classes, decrease the volume, try some interval training, and focus on quality workouts for fat burning.



Instant Skin Tightener

Guest Author: Ric Hawkins


Are you frustrated with all the different reports about how helpful is resveratrol to your health? There are some very important reasons to include this super nutrient into your daily routine.

For a start, studies have shown that it can stop cancer in all stages, and also a wide variety of them too. It is a very powerful antioxidant and helps to prevent damage to our cells, in fact it has been hailed as the most powerful substance found to reverse the aging process!

How helpful is resveratrol to your health and future health? We have learnt that this incredible nutrient can help protect you from a wide range of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer as I mentioned, heart disease, and even diabetes.

Another quality is that it has been proven to increase endurance, giving your more energy over a sustained period of time. Mice were able to run over twice as far than those not given it!

You may have heard that it can now be had from red wine, and while that is true, you would need to drink over a liter a day just to start to get the benefits! Now that is maybe doable by a few people, but it is not ideal and will increase your risk of alcohol related illnesses obviously.

How helpful is resveratrol to your health and life expectancy? There is now growing evidence that it could potentially help you to live a longer and crucially, healthier life.

 It’s no good if we start to live longer but are ill and have no energy. Tests on various life forms showed that they could live up to 50% longer, so there is hope for us all!

Many of the big pharmaceuticals are now investing millions into researching resveratrol as it could be the next big thing as it has so many beneficial qualities for us. Watch this space!

Many experts agree that the best way to add resveratrol to your diet is through a multi health supplement, whereby you can benefit from all the different nutrients and herbs.

When these ingredients are put together they create synergy, which means you get the direct benefits of each nutrient and the benefits from their interaction with each other.

So how helpful is resveratrol to your health when combined with green tea and ginkgo biloba for example? Well this will help improve you energy levels and even your eyesight and enhanced mental clarity.

So in closing, I hope I have answered the question of how helpful is resveratrol to your health, and that you can see the amazing benefits to be had not only now, but for the future too.

If you would like to learn more about the synergistic supplements which I personally take, including resveratrol, why not visit my website.  



The French Women’s Beauty Secret

Guest Author: Steve Evans


Children is a wonderful antidote to the hectic lives that our children lead. Yoga can be relaxing, stimulating, and promotes well being. It provides closely controlled exercise and is enormous fun for children at the same time.

A number of Yoga for Children programmes have been created by Yoga teachers to introduce the benefits of yoga and relaxation at an early age in a playful, simple and fun way. The combination of special yoga moves, breathing exercises and relaxations will energize, strengthen, loosen and balance little bodies, while helping to calm and control and relax little minds.

Kids yoga is a wonderful opportunity for the child to learn life skills that can be implemented into their daily routine. Whether it\’s breathing and relaxation techniques that will help them, focus, concentrate or be calm; or postures that will help their endurance, flexibility, balance and coordination these are all very naturally a strong part of yoga.

Yoga for children is most successful if the children are encouraged to use their imagination. A dynamic, creative and stimulating approach grabs the children\’s attention.

Yoga for children is practiced in the United Kingdom. It is not new to Britain, with after-school clubs and classes gaining popularity in recent years as parents realize its wide-ranging benefits. What is new to the UK, however, is the method of Research on Yoga in Education (RYE), an international non-profit making organization which blends the standard school curriculum with exercises on concentration, attention and relaxation, drawn mainly from traditional yoga.

What is also claimed is that Yoga for children gives the benefit that the children may be protected from injuries and at the same time they get all the benefits of exercising the system. This is not to suggest that the other exercise including outdoor forms of exercises and sports and games are not beneficial.

Parents have expressed appreciation for the presentation of yoga in a playful manner with its presentation of actively moving exercises balanced with those that require stillness and inner concentration, all in a child-friendly way. Parents may be practicing yoga themselves, and kids are always interested in what their parents are up to.

When assessing yoga trainers for children, parents should also inquire as to the spiritual nature of the classes; some instructors take a strong religious stance, while others offer no particular religious slant, instead focusing simply on the movements and breathing.

In the best classes the kids learn balance with dozens of yoga poses, develop strength, improve coordination and enhance their flexibility all with these children\’s yoga exercises. Furthermore, kids develop an overall sense of strength, flexibility and well-being, while they get hold of their active lives and sometimes overactive minds. Kids get to prowl, growl and wiggle through yoga animal poses from Alligator to Zebra! Certified children\’s yoga instructors will introduce stretching, breathing, standing poses and simple meditation.

Kids yoga provides an answer to children who we might described as being are little bit harder to reach, although we stand firm with our belief that every child has an angel deep down inside them.

We have said that children’s Yoga allows a child to deal with daily stress. What do we mean by that?

The answer is that each time a child enters a Yoga class for kids, he or she can “close the door” on negative feelings that stress overload brings. They can simply put that behind them throughout the lesson and afterward doing that tend to take a more mature perspective. Kids need a way to manage all of their stress and anxiety. It is not healthy for a child to feel so much anxiety over any given situation.

There you have it! Kids and yoga seem like a natural match. It can be immensely therapeutic for those who need it.

However, yoga can be presented well and insensitively. The best trainers recognize that kids need a practice that suits their physical and emotional needs. Luckily, many yoga schools across the nation are responding to the growing interest in yoga for the younger set in a very well managed and sensitive way.

It is a fact that to provide kids yoga a specialized training might be needed, and is in some places being made available, but patience is a key quality needed for Yoga instructors who want to embark on this path. I teach children myself, and a Kids Yoga class has to be well devised, be fun, and include games.

So, we hope that we have shown you how yoga is such a great way to relax and de-stress equally for the child and the adult.

However, did you know that there are even now some yoga practitioners who are providing training to parents in yoga from soon after birth?

By using yoga with babies, parents confidence grows in handling, playing and having fun with their babies. The classes are fun class in a system which also offers gentle post-natal yoga and tummy toning exercises for mummy!

The Real Youth Potion

Guest Author: Rando Meresmaa


The goal for anyone who wants to lose fat is to achieve maximum fat burning in the shortest time possible. It is very important to choose or create the right training program that is the most effective. There are a lot of discussions and arguments about what is more effective: long duration and low intensity workouts or high intensity workouts. This can be very confusing for people. A personal trainer in one gym suggests low intensity workouts and if you go to a different gym then a personal trainer there may suggest high intensity workouts.

So how much cardio is needed to burn fat?

As it is with so many other things, both sides have some truth in them. The low intensity aerobic exercise proponents say that this method is more effective in burning body fat because if your heart rate gets out of the target heart rate, you stop burning fat for fuel and start using carbohydrates for fuel. That is why so many experts promote this method.

But the problem with this method is that if your exercise is low in intensity, then you just do not burn enough calories. If you don´t burn enough calories then you will not lose fat. It is better to use more intense exercises in your workouts because they burn more calories. High intensity aerobic exercise can use as much as 65% of the body’s energy needs in the form of carbohydrate. Burning calories is more important than what you use for fuel. The harder you work out the more calories you burn.

But high intensity exercises are only effective if you can maintain it long enough to burn more calories then with low intensity. To burn calories effectively your workout has to last from 25-60 minutes. If you do a very high intensity workout but you it only lasts for 15 minutes then it is not effective. The trick is to find the right tempo. The most effective method to burn calories is a relatively high intensity for 30 minutes or so. The only way to find out what is the most effective zone for you, is to find it out yourself. There is no magic number. Trial and error!

Guest Author: peterhutch


Cardio exercises are the best way to increase your heart rate and metabolism and if you train using intervals, you can keep your body burning fat even hours after finishing your workout. These exercises are one third of the factors to have a flat stomach (the others being strength training with stomach exercises and dieting).

The reality is, there actually is no number 1 cardio exercise. The most beneficial activity is the one you will do regularly. Therefore, finding out something you like is vital to accomplishing your weight loss dreams. That said, some workouts offer more intensity than others.

Cardio exercises are most important for anyone who is looking to pick up an exercise routine. Especially for a beginner exercises are most important as it will help to develop the stamina and the resistance that are required for other exercisers. The cardio exercises strengthen the muscles of the heart and of the lungs and make them more beneficial.

Cardio exercises may seem tough and boring. Some treadmills and stair climbers may claim to help you burn 1000 calories per hour, but you may not survive more than 30 seconds on them. Start with the activity which you can continue for a longer time period. Number of calories depends on your heart rate and fitness. A beginner will be able to burn 4-5 calories per minute but a fit person will burn 10-12 calories per minute. There are slow cardio exercises and high intensity cardio exercises and both burn your calories effectively.

It depends upon how fast you want results- Some cardio exercises are high intensity which would bring you faster results as compared to other cardio exercises. For example cardio dancing would provide you with a high intensity strong workout as compared to plain jogging. Therefore if you want fast results and are willing to put in the energy you must go for high intensity workouts.

There are a number of cardio exercises that are meant for the beginners. It depends on the person that which ones he want to perform and which ones are suitable for him. Cycling, running, swimming, aerobics, rowing, stair climbing and walking can be good examples of cardio exercises.

Those who spend longer hours will likely to burn more fat than those who stay for only 30 minutes of cardio exercises. The 10 common fat burning cardio exercises stated in this item have one common goal: to break down body fat and strengthen heart. Pick one that suits your capacity and body type.

A great way to get the best of both worlds, is to add some high-intensity interval training to your cardio workout. For example, do your low-intensity walking for about five minutes, next go into a higher-intensity jog for the next five minutes. Then return to walking until you catch your breath. Now break into a sprint for about a minutes and then walk again. Continue alternating between walking and running until the end of your workout, or for about 15 minutes.