Big Breakfast Diet Could Help You Lose Weight - Eat Like a King

Research from the Virginia Commonwealth University, USA, has shown that eating breakfast like a King could be the key to long term weight loss and weight management. In the study, overweight and obese women who consumed half of their daily calorific intake in the morning, as part of their breakfast, lost more weight, than those who spread their calories throughout the day. The "Big Breakfast Diet" was tested against a low carb diet, with a study group of 96 obese and sedentary women. In the low-carb diet people were restricted to just 1,085 calories a day - the majority of these coming from protein and fat. Breakfast was the smallest meal of the day in this group, at just 290 calories. In the "big breakfast diet" 1,240 calories were consumed each day, and breakfast accounted for 640 calories a day. After four months of dieting, the low-carbers had on average lost more weight (this will please the Atkins Diet fan club). However, by the eighth month, the big breakfast dieters had taken the lead, and had lost more weight overall. These results actually agree with previous research carried out on low-carb diets. Lead researcher Dr Jakubowicz reported that the big breakfasters said they felt less hungry, particularly in the mornings. Also, Dr Alex Johnstone of the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, suggested that other studies had also shown that low-carb diets helped people lose weight quickly, but were not ideal diets for life. However, the Atkins diet, which made low carb dieting famous, allows for increased carb intake in the later stages of the diet. A spokesman for the British Nutrition Foundation said there was evidence that a good-sized breakfast could help dieters. She said: "Research shows that eating breakfast can actually help people control their weight. This is probably because when we don't have breakfast we're more likely to get hungry before lunch and snack on foods that are high in fat and sugar, such as biscuits, doughnuts or pastries." The key to losing weight is controlling how much you eat, and to do that, controlling your appetite is vital. Like a low-carb diet, a big breakfast diet can help you to control hunger. This research is not really revealing anything new though. For many years "old wives" have said that to lose weight and be healthy, you must "eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dinner like a pauper". Consuming a large cooked breakfast in the morning, then a healthy salad for lunch, and finishing the day with a low-carb meal (following the no carbs after 4pm rule) leads to successful weight loss in many individuals. I am sure that Prince Harry follows this advice, as his military training would have taught him that an army marches on its stomach, and if anyone should eat like a King, it's Prince Harry.

Interview with Gavin Henson - Welsh Rugby Player

Gavin Henson has truly become a household name throughout the UK and is fast becoming recognised as a world class player who thrives on pressure within the international scene. Notoriously one of the toughest sports, rugby can take a tremendous toll on the body and image conscious Henson with his trade mark spikey hair and gold and silver boots which he alternates is well aware of this and knows that using quality nutrition is the key to looking good off the pitch whilst ensuring he is able to perform at his best on the pitch. He attracted much media attention as part of a Wales team which achieved Grand Slams in the Six Nations Championship in 2005 and 2008. He has also played for the British and Irish Lions, touring in 2005 to New Zealand but has never appeared at a World Cup. MH: If you hadn't played rugby what would you have done? GH: Probably gone into the family business working with my father. MH: What has been the highlight of your career so far? GH: Hard to pick one, the end of last season was immense, winning the Six Nations Grand Slam, winning the Celtic league and then being selected for the Lions tour to New Zealand all happened in a short space of time! MH: What is your weekly training programme? GH: Strict diet, early mornings, a lot of gym time, a lot of relaxation, massages etc and of course structured team training with both the Ospreys and Wales. MH: What do you concentrate on when training in the gym? GH: Muscle definition and strength building. MH: To be able to maintain the physique you have, is your diet strict? GH: Yes. When I'm in training and playing I try to stick to a very strict diet; using Maximuscle products assists with this and my recovery. Chocolates, cakes, takeaways, anything with a sauce, crisps and chips are all off the menu. Strictly Cyclone and Promax. MH: You have to be very fit to train and play rugby, do you find sports nutrition products help and how do they help? GH: The Maximuscle products that I use are essential to my routine for recovery and maintaining the fitness levels I need.

More Women are Developing Beer Bellies

For many women are regular binge drinking is leading to an increase in women's waist lines. Whereas in the past only men suffered noticeably from the beer belly, more and more women are finding that they are putting extra fat on around their waists, rather than around the bum and thighs, which is the natural place for women to accumulate fat. Cutting back on alcohol is the fourth rule on how to lose belly fat, so women that wish to regain their flat stomachs should take heed to the belly fat rules. The new figure that women have started to develop even has a name now - the wine class figure - named really because increase bellies in women are often as a result of increased consumption of wine when out socialising, and entertaining clients. Jacqui Lowdon of the British Dietetic Association says that women who are watching their waist line need to watch their wine glasses.

Workout with Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox - Budokon Fitness

There is a new fitness craze spreading through the celebrity ranks in America a fusion of martial arts, yoga and meditation called Budokon. The celebs that have started training in the Budokon way include Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Chris Tucker and Amber Valletta. Budokon is a physically challenging fitness regime with aspects of yoga and meditation. Budokon is designed to "create balance and permanent change in the entire system," according to Cameron Shayne, the founder of the system. Budokon is influenced by the Japanese martial arts - the name budokon can be translated as "the way of the spiritual warrior" - bu (warrior) - do (way) - kon (spirit). Budokan is very intensive - it is not uncommon for people to burn up to 900 calories in a session, which is 50% more than a spinning session. And unlike spinning classes, Budokan is dynamic, exciting and far more socialable, like many other martial arts. Every class involves three disciplines: meditation, martial arts and yoga. The order varies depending on the day, as Ryan believes in working with the mood of the class. This is actually how all good martial arts instructors teach. A class can be planned, but the students' needs can change from week to week, and a flexible teacher makes a more engaging class. It is inspired by the centuries-old training systems of Buddhist monks and it offers an emotional, physical and spiritual work out. Really Budokon has a very similar philosophy to Tai Chi Chuan and Bagua. Budokon has not only impressed celebrities, but also professional athletes, including Kerri Walsh, who won an Olympic gold in women's beach volleyball. A Budokon warm up is again similar to a martial arts warm up - the joints are loosened and stretched - this helps prevent injury. Then a series of yoga postures, often incorporating elements of the sun salutation routine, are done to help warm the body up. Budokon has gradings, like many other martial arts, so students can progress. The main thing that makes martial arts such a good way to get fit is that the grading system keeps students motivated and competitive. Healthy competition is essential to avoid becoming bored with a fitness regime. Budokon has recently started to become more popular in the UK, and Cameron Shayne is aiming for it to become a leading fitness regime in the Britain. "I'd like to see British cities becoming thriving hubs for Budokon. My sense is a lot of people in the UK are like: get up, go to work, go to pub, go home, then get up and do it all again. There's so much more to life." The is certainly very true if many British people. The big question is, is Budokon differnt enough from the plethora of martial arts, yoga styles, Pilates and Jazzercide, Boxercise and military bootcamp training that is already available? Buy an instructional DVD:

Belly Dance like Shakira for Fitness and Fun

There are many fitness crazes coming out at the moment, which seems to be due to the increasing amount of awareness surrounding the importance of exercising to help combat the obesity epidemic. Along with pole dancing, capoeira and simulated horse riding, belly dancing is another fitness activity which was until recently only practised by professional dancers and people from the middle east. Here we have a belly dancing tutorial video from YouTube, which helps to explain some of the aspects of belly dancing, as well as explaining some of the techniques and movements. Belly dancing helps strengthen the core abdomen muscles, as well as provide a good all round workout. The origins of Belly Dancing is actually uncertain, but there are several theories: Many dancers subscribe to one or another of a number of theories regarding the origins of the form. Some of these theories are that the dance form: It descended from indigenous dances of ancient Upper Egypt It descended from Greece, spreading with Alexander the Great It descended from a religious dance Temple Priestesses once practiced It had been a part of traditional birthing practices in the region(s) of origin It had spread from the migrations of the Romani people (also called "gypsies") and related groups, descended from the Banjara of Rajasthan[citation needed] in northwestern India. It originated in Uzbekistan, traveling to India through the slave trade. Most of the basic steps and techniques used in belly dance are circular motions isolated in one part of the body; for example, a circle parallel to the floor isolated in the hips or shoulders. Accents using "pop and lock" where a dancer either shimmies or makes a striking motion in her shoulders or hips are common, as are feats of flexibility, rolling one's belly muscles, balancing various props like baskets, swords or canes, and dancing with chiffon or silk veils. With its growing popularity in the western world, belly dance classes are thriving throughout the UK, though the belly dance culture has been evidenced since the early 1960s, with many styles being taught including traditional, modern, tribal, Persian, Oriental, Turkish, Greek, Egyptian, American Tribal. Many festivals and workshops are held over the various regions, with two of the most popular being the Annual Glastonbury Majma and Raqs Britannia. September 2007 sees the first Annual International Bellydance Congress being held in the UK. Various celebrities, including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Paris Hilton, have been reported to belly dance for pleasure and to stay in shape, however the most famous belly dancing celeb must be the beautiful Shakira, who also taught Beyonce Knowles how to belly dance. The "Bootylicious" singer told PEOPLE magazine: "Shakira taught me how to belly dance, she taught me the whole routine. I used to watch her videos and I thought she was so cool. When she was teaching me the moves I thought, 'This is crazy, Shakira is showing me how to belly dance!' You can see Shakira dancing in her video Whenever, Wherever on YouTube. "I got the best teacher. We didn't have a lot of time to come up with the choreography - most of it was done on the spot. I was just watching her and learning from her. It was so much fun, the best energy. She was really easy to work with, so sweet and humble." Beyonce also reported recently that she has regained the weight that she lost for her role in Dreamgirls, and is very happy with her current figure. In February we reported on Beyonce's maple syrup diet, and were a little concerned with such extreme dieting. We are glad to report that Beyonce has her sexy curves back, but is still in excellent shape.

Atkins Diet Review - After 36 Years of Atkins, Is It Safe?

Is the Atkins Diet safe? The Atkin's Diet Revolution was first published in 1972, 36 years ago. Ever since then, the dieting community have been split into two groups - those that have tried it and lost weight, and support the method whole heartedly, and those that claim that it is a high risk, unhealthy diet that will lead to heart disease, high blood pressure and dangerously high cholesterol. Dr. Atkins provided many case studies of people that had shown reduced blood pressure, bad cholesterol and other indicators of heart disease, however, critics claim that this is not the whole picture. So, where are we now, in 2008, with the Atkin's diet? The Atkins Diet is certainly not in the press as much as it was before. When celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Geri Halliwell and Minnie Driver were all "on Atkins" many people followed suit, as often happens. However, there has certainly been no recent press regarding celebs on Atkins. In addition to that, some libraries in reviewing their diet book collections, have discarded copies of the Atkins approach. The most important opinion however, is that of the scientific community. So, how does the medical and scientific community feel about Atkins today? Scientific Timeline on Atkins: In 2003, research carried out by the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania showed that the Atkins diet can actually reduce the risk of heart disease. The results of the study came as a surprise to lead researcher Gary Foster. In this study, following the Atkins diet raised HDL (good cholesterol) levels by 11%, compared with only a 1.6% increase for low-fat dieters. Also, triglycerides were reduced by 17% after a year on Atkins, whereas low-fat diets showed no improvements. Research did not determine how the diet worked, but suggested that increased weight loss was the result of more structure eating, and from dieters feeling fuller sooner, rather than the role of lipolysis and insulin control. Also in 2003, Belinda Linden, head of medical information at the British Heart Foundation made a statement on the Atkin's diet, based on their research: "Previous studies have shown that weight loss from the Atkins Diet may involve muscle loss rather than body fat. Another potential problem is that it is so far unclear from studies whether weight loss is sustained over a longer period than six months. One of the studies shows no significant difference at 12 months. With minimal fruit and vegetables included in the diet, it holds serious implications for coronary heart disease and cancer. Diets need to be varied to protect against these conditions - and this one isn't. This diet requires further long term and larger studies before its effectiveness can be confirmed." Some controversial news came out in 2003, which shortly after of Dr. Atkin's death in Apri. A nutritionist condemned the Atkins Diet, saying there was not a "shred of evidence" to suggest that it worked. However, it emerged that the nutritionist, Susan Jebb, who was the head of nutrition and health research at the Medical Research Council (MRC), had been commissioned by Fab, the organisation which is recognised as the lobbying arm of the National Association of British and Irish Millers. The MRC was to be paid GBP10,000 by Fab to fund the research, which mostly involved reviewing scientific papers on low and high carb diets. In May 2004, the Annals of Internal Medicine, (vol 140, p778) reported on research comparing followers of the Atkins Diet with those on a low fat diet. This was the longest study to date - a year long. Blood analysis showed that Atkins dieters had lower levels of triglycerides, potentially harmful blood fats which can trigger heart disease. Concentrations of beneficial high density cholesterols (HDLs) were also greater in the Atkins group. Also. these favourable changes remained until the end of the study, suggesting that there might be lasting benefits. In another six month study, this time on 120 overweight patients at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, more positive results were shown for Atkins. The low-carbohydrate dieters lost an average of 12 kilos, twice that lost by those on a low-fat regime (Annals of Internal Medicine, vol 140, p769). And the pattern of blood fats and sugars mirrored that in the first study. In 2005 a Belgian study indicated that the Atkin's diet was effective, but not as a result of lipoysis, but just because when on the Atkins Diet people just eat less. The theory put forward was that putting on weight following a high-carb meal is how our hunter-gather bodies are programmed to respond. Before humans developed agriculture, humans relied on hunting and gathering. Large quantities of carbs would appear briefly each year just before a winter famine. To survive human would have to eat as much as possible before the food rotted, or someone else ate it. For the rest of the year, high-quality carbohydrate was scarce and leafy plants, ants and meat formed that main part of the diet. The Atkins approach essential replicates the winter famine scenario, where appetite is reduced, and less food consumed. However, the results of the research did still show that it was effective at losing weight. In March 2006 came some worrying news for the Atkins corner. A 40-year-old obese woman developed ketoacidosis, a potentially deadly blood disorder, after one month on the Induction phase of Atkins. However, some scientists did point out that vomiting, from a clinical problem which is not triggered by diet, would have led to the ketoacidosis. So the low-carb diet may not have been to blame after all. In July 2006, some of the most important research was carried out. A study showed that a diet of low GI foods reduces body fat while also reducing levels of "bad" cholesterol, that contribute to the risk of heart attack and stroke. 189 overweight and obese adults were studied at the University of Sydney, Australia. The Atkins approach emphases that carbs should come from low GI sources, such as leafy green vegetables, and not high GI sources, such as potatoes and carrots. In March 2007, Stanford University in California studied a group of female dieters, to compare the effects of four different diets. Subjects of the study had a choice of diet to follow: The Atkins Diet Approach The Zone Diet, which cuts carbs less severely than Atkins LEARN, a low-fat, high-carb diet based on US government guidelines Ornish, a more extreme low-fat plan. Results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (vol 297, p 969) and showed that the Atkins dieters had lost 4.7 kilograms on average, which was significantly more than the Zone group, but only marginally more than the Ornish and LEARN. So, the Atkin's diet in this study was the best, but only by a small margin. However, Dr. Atkins had documented that women do find this approach more difficult due to hormonal responses to contraceptive medicine. In 2007 research started to reveal that the Atkin's diet may help sufferers of epilsepy - although results are still not conclusive yet. Research was reported in the journal Epilepsia (Volume 48 Issue 1 Page 182-186, January 2007) Overall there, there is more evidence and research supporting the Atkins diet revolution. There have been cases in the press of people developing heart problems after being on Atkins for a year, and Dr. Atkin's himself warned pregnant women not to go on a low-carb diet. However, a majority of research still supports the view that the critics of Atkin's mostly base their arguments on a few isolated cases, whereas the supporters of Atkins carry out scientific trials and studies, which are published in the scientific and medical press. So far, there has been no support of the view that an Atkins diet is bad for your health in the scientific press. Therefore, we conclude, that following the Atkin's Diet Revolution is good for your health. Dr. Atkin's actually pointed out in his book, that the risks associated with being obese are generally greater than the risk of consuming a diet high in fat. If you are obese, you are more likely to suffer diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and the Atkin's diet is an effective method of losing weight, and kick-starting a healthier way of life, as well as reducing bad cholesterol and triglycerides. The Atkin's approach is by no means the only or the best way of losing weight, but it is very effective, and for many people that have failed a low-fat approach, Atkins can work. It is vital to read the rules, and follow the plan. There are many misconceptions about the Atkins diet, and most negative responses to Atkins actually comes from these misconceptions, rather than direct from the rules of the Atkins Diet Revolution. Read "Low Carb Diets" to learn more about about how the Atkins diet works.

The Most Influential and Inspirational Sporting Heroes

It was only in the late twentieth century, during the post-war period, that athletes and sports persons really became celebrities in their own right. There were many famous athletes, that would be reported in the news, but the average person would marvel at their athletic performance in sport, but generally would not idolise them or become fanatical followers of theirs. However, in the the last 50 years, some people have become athletic icons, fitness role models and sporting heroes. So, who are the greatest athletes, sport personalities and fitness icons of all time? Which people are still admired today, who still give people the motivation to train, to fight, to win, and strive to follow in their heroes footsteps to become the greatest themselves? Here is Motley Health's Greatest Sporting Heroes: 1. Bruce Lee Bruce Lee will always be the greatest martial artist that ever lived. No-one can replace him, because he was the first to popularise martial arts in film. He wrote books, gave interviews, and set up schools to teach his methods. But most importantly, even 37 years after the release of his first great films, The Bigg Boss, Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon, he is still admired by youngsters today. People still wish to know how he trained, what he ate, how he fought, what he believed in, and how he conducted his life. Bruce Lee, is the true Legend of Martial Arts, the epitome of fitness and strength. His skill was exceptional, his speed unbelievable, and his training routines were legendary in their intensiveness. Bruce Lee is our number one. 2. Roger Banister Roger Banister is a bit different from Bruce Lee. Roger Banister was an athlete, born in 1929 between the wars, and lived in a time when athletics was only a pastime for gentlemen and scholars. He attended Oxford University, and later became a distinguished neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, where he continued to work until 2001. However, Roger Banister is famous for being the first man to break the four minute mile. There was a time that break world records really was something to be marvelled. Nowadays people break world records and it hardly makes it into the mainstream news (unless there are drug tests to invalidate the record). Bannister started his running career at Oxford in the autumn of 1946 when 17. He had never worn running spikes previously or run on a track. His training was light, even compared to the standards of the day, but he showed promise in running a mile in 1947 in 4:24.6 on only three weekly half-hour training sessions. He went on to compete in the 1952 Olympic games, but failed to win. After his poor performance. he decided on a new goal - to be the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. Accordingly, he intensified his training. On May 6, 1954, at a competition in Oxford, he did the impossible and broke the four minute mile, in 3 min 59.4 s. What makes Roger Bannister so great is that well educated people strongly beleive that it was not possible to run a mile in less than four minutes. However, his determination and spirit resulted in him proving the doubters wrong and achieving what was beleive impossible. Since his success, thousands of others have followed in his footsteps. 3. Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Schwarzenegger grew up in humble surroundings in Austria in the 1950's. Born in 1947, and had a strict Catholic upbringing. He was a sporting child, and started weight training in 1960 as part of his football training. He soon took up bodybuilding, and was so dedicated that he went AWOL during while serving in the army to attend the Junior Mr. Europe contest in 1965, which he won. As a result he spent a week in an army jail: "Participating in the competition meant so much to me that I didn't carefully think through the consequences. When I got to Stuttgart, I was all confused. I forgot my posing routine, I had to borrow posing trunks, but still I won!" By 1967 he was a strongman, winning the Munich stone-lifting contest. Schwarzenegger's goal was to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world. In 1970 he won his first My Olympia contest, and at 23 years old was the youngest ever winner, a record he still holds. He then followed this up by winning again for the next five years, until 1975, where he announced his retirement after beating Franco Columbo (who later won, and also trained Sylvester Stallone). In 1980 he competed again, simply because he was in such great shape as a result of because of the running, horseback riding, and sword training he had been doing during the filming of Conan the Barbarian. He won. Arnold Schwarzenegger later developed an successful acting career, where he reinvented the action hero. He has been an inspiration for thousands who have started bodybuilding after seeing his films. Many say that his success is due to his will to succeed, and his fighting spirit. 4. Sylvester "Sly" Stallone Sly Stallone is possibly America's favourite action hero. He brought emotion and feeling to the characters he played, Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, as well as great athleticism, and became an international icon of machismo. Stallone is an actor first, and bodybuilder second. He started to improve his fitness and started building more muscle for his role in Rocky 2. He employed former Mr. olympia Franco Columbo to aid him in this task, and the result was a body of a professional heavyweight boxer. People the world over love Stallone's portrayal of Rocky Balboa. A story of how a nobody can work hard and become a somebody, is something that gives inspiration to millions of people today. The Rocky training montage music is still heard in gyms and fight clubs to help motivate and inspire people. Whereas Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Lee were athletes before becoming movie legends, Stallone build his physique to become a movie legend. For this he has earnt our respect. 5. Brad Pitt Although Brad Pitt has not made many action films, his performance in Fight Club and then later Alexander has motivated many people to strive to develop a body like his. For his role in Snatch, as a gypsy boxer, he trained for the role, and honed his boxing skills at a boxing gym in London, rather than employing an A-list fitness coach. Brad Pitt has a very well toned, and ripped frame. He has kept muscle mass down, but has great muscle definition, and always looks in great shape. We will be discussing our other heroes of athletics and fitness in later editions. Following these three are: 6. Muhammad Ali 7. David Beckham 8. Lance Armstrong 9. Billy Jean King 10. Michael Jordan 11. Pele 12. Joe Weider 13. Ricky Hatton 14. Paula Radcliffe 15. Kelly Holmes

Old School Fitness - The Push Up

A while ago we looked at the resurgence of popularity of old school fitness training. Old school training is the style of training that was once common in school physical training classes, and often practised by the military. Today martial artists and dancers alike go "old school". Really old school is just bodyweight circuit training and core strengthening using compound weight training. But is the a "best exercise"? If there was one all round exercise that everybody should perform on a regular basis, what would it be? Well, the answer seems to be the mighty, noble, and often neglected, push up (or press up, if you prefer). Considered the ultimate measure of fitness by many experts, and an exercise that the American College of Sports Medicine suggests should replace softer exercises, such as gentle Pilates and yoga postures, that are often adopted into fitness routines nowadays. There are many variations of the push up, ranging from the standard military style push up, to the one-handed push-up for the supremely athletic (as demonstrated by Sly Stallone in the Rocky films), but the basic principle remains the same: How to Do A Proper Old School Press Up: • Balance on your toes and hands, pressing your palms into the floor and keeping your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart. • Straighten back and legs so that your body remains in a "plank" position. • Breathe in and lower your torso to the floor by bending your elbows to 90 degrees. • Engage (tense) your abdominal muscles to help to keep legs straight. • Breathe out and push back up to the starting position. The reason that push ups are still so popular, even in this age of techno fads and gadgets, is that the push up engages so many of the body's core muscle. The muscle in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips and legs are all engaged with each repetition. Researchers in one US study showed that on average, 66.4 per cent of total body weight is lifted with each push-up. So if you weigh 70kg you are heaving a mighty 43kg — far more than you would on a bench-press machine. And if you weigh in as a heavy weight boxer, at over 15 stone (or 95kg) the each press up is like benching 63kg. For those who cannot manage a single press-up, they key is to start gently. Bridgitte Swales, lecturer in sport and exercise sciences at Roehampton University, gives some advice on building up strength with press ups. Firstly you do not even have to lie down. Doing a push-up against a wall reduces pressure on the arms and upper back. The closer to the wall you stand, the easier it is. Also, beginners can perform the quarter-push ups, which are simply performing a normal push up, but with the knees on the floor, rather than the toes. This reduces the percentage of body weight that you are lifting, while still engaging the same muscles. After you can do 25-30 push-ups without stopping, or if you can do three sets of 15 with short rests between sets, it is time to make the exercise more challenging. Do this by placing your feet on top of a step or a couple of heavy books. Raising the surface your feet are on will force you to work harder against gravity. Eventually, put your feet on an even higher platform like a chair or bed. The press up is really the king of the old school body weight exercises. Often prescribed to help with back problems, as it helps build core strength to support the spine, it is really one of the best exercises to perform to build up all round strength and fitness. Check out our push up video clips with more instructions.

Indian Army Replace Military Drills with Yoga Workouts

Many people consider yoga to be a peaceful pastime for people looking for a gentle way to tone up and improve general health. However, the Indian Army is considering adopting yoga practice after a trial showed that it improves strength, flexibility and balance in its soldiers, and makes a stronger fighting force. Yoga does not have a hard man image, it is difficult to envisage a troop of soldiers doing daily yoga practice as part of their military training. However, the recent experiment by the Indian Army showed that after three months new soldiers of the Bengal Engineering Group who did 50 minutes of yoga a day combined with 40 minutes of traditional exercise had steadier hands, stronger grips and leaner muscles than peers who underwent a 90-minute military workout instead. "The yoga group showed an improvement in activities requiring co-ordination and concentration as well-as muscular strength and endurance," according to the project analyst, Shirley Telles. "This would be especially useful for activities such as shooting." The interest of the Indian Army, which is the the second largest in the world after China, comes at the same time as a renewed interest in yoga throughout India. The military's routine is based on the teachings of Baba Ramdev, a guru who has championed yoga across the sub-continent through a combination of plain speaking, fierce diatribes against Western lifestyles, fast food and and cable television. The study is being carried out at Patanjali Yogpeeth, a yoga research centre in northern India led by Ramdev. His results showing that yoga helps soldiers back up anecdotal evidence from those already using yoga to combat soaring levels of stress in India's military. India's military is in difficult times, with more soldier suicides occurring across the country over the last few years. Incidents of fragging, an event where soldiers from the same force turn on each other — are soaring in the Indian miliatary. Indian troops serving in the disputed region have a standing order to engage in a weekly one-hour yoga session. They are taught 14 poses to help calm nerves which have been frayed by near-constant low levels of military action. So, yoga helps them both mentally and physically. It provides them with mental strength to continue to operate rationally in stressful conditions, and it also helps improve their martial skills. One of the easiest ways to incorporate yoga into a daily routine is to perform the sun salutation. Ashtanga yoga, which is practised by Madonna and Sting, starts with up to 10 repetitions of the sun salutation, before the main yoga postures are done. Therefore aiming to complete 10 sun salutations each day is an excellent way to incorporate yoga into your daily routine, without having to join a yoga club and follow an teaches instruction all the time.

Josh Lewsey Rugby Workouts - Rugby's Most Athletic Player

Josh Lewsey MBE (full name, Owen Joshua Lewsey) is an English rugby union footballer who plays fullback, wing, centre or fly half for Wasps and England. He is also one of Rugby's most athletic players, with an incredibly toned physique. Rugby is a rigorous game to play, and requires speed, strength and stamina, i.e. you need to be very athletic to excel in Rugby. Many rugby players carry a bit of extra padding (body fat) to cushion the blows during the game. However, some players, such as Josh Lewsey, prefer to take a different approach. That is to be stronger and faster, to ensure that you do not find yourself in a dangerous spot to start with. Bio for Josh Lewsey: For London Wasps he has participated in many major title victories, the latest being the Heineken (European Cup) win for the 2006/2007 season. Lewsey featured heavily in England's campaign to retain the Rugby World Cup in 2007, scoring the only try against France in the 14-9 victory which put England into the final. However, just before half-time in the same match he picked up a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the final. Josh Lewsey's Rugby Fitness Training Program: Josh's weekly training schedule is very busy. It includes a lot of weight training, Rugby specific training with the Wasps team, army training, track techniques for speed, abs and core training plus a lot of cardio. It is not surprising that Josh is one of the most athletic players in Rugby today. Here is his typical weekly schedule: Monday: 05:30 - 07:00 Power weights and sprint drills 07:00 - 11:00 Lessons 11:00 - 14:00 Wasps training and skills 14:00 - 18:00 Lessons Tuesday: 07:30 - 11:00 Army (endurance session) 11:00 - 14:00 Wasps training and skills 14:00 - 18:00 Army lessons 18:00 - 20:00 Track speed endurance Wednesday AM - 40 minutes CV and abs PM - Hams & Calfs Thursday AM - 40 minutes CV and abs PM - Delts Friday AM - 40 minutes CV and abs PM - Bi's & Tri's Saturday AM - 40 minutes CV and abs PM - Quads Sunday AM - 40 minutes CV and abs PM - Off Josh's Sports Nutrition: Josh uses Promax Meal bars as convenient, high protein, low-carb meal replacements. He also uses Recovermax for rehydration and recovery, and Promax which is vital for muscle building. Josh attributes the role of diet supplements to much of his athletic development over the years. Josh has been using Maximuscle products for over 7 years in his fantastic England & Wasps career. He says "I have been taking Maximuscle products for over seven years now as an important part of my balanced diet which, together with my rigorous work in the gym and on the training field, has enabled me to reach and maintain my level of fitness. Maximuscle products have significantly helped me in reaching my fitness goals and helped me become faster and stronger than ever. He also says that "supplements have been one of the biggest things to come into the game in recent years" says Lewsey. "If you train all day you can't get enough calories inside you from food without feeling bloated". "The difference between using them and not using them is 10 or 20% and that's the difference between winning and losing the European Cup" London Wasps' Fitness Coach Paul Stridgeon adds, "Maximuscle products provided excellent support for our athletes. The excellent range of supplements continually meet our high standards. This support was crucial in our pre-season overload period and we believe the products helped our athletes to make further strength and power gains." Like any competitive sport, whether it be full contact kick-boxing, long distance cycling, or track and field, a competitive advantage is essential for success, and ensuring that your body receives all the required nutrients, at the right time, in the correct form, provides a very good competitive advantage.