Super Food 7-Day Diet from Self Magazine!

So what is a "Superfood" exactly?

According to Wikipedia.com, the term Superfood is "a term sometimes used to describe food with high phytonutrient content that may confer health benefits as a result.For example, blueberries are often considered a superfood (or superfruit) because they contain significant amounts of antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber.^[1] "

Fight wrinkles, weight gain, cancer and colds all at once! Try this 1600 calorie-per-day menu designed by SELF magazine to be healthier and summer slim in no time!

*Do you have an idea for an article, have questions or need advice? Please write us at info@elementfitness.net! Subject: Blog

The Benefits of Martial Arts Training

Though the exact origin is unknown, martial arts have been around for thousands of years. Today, hundreds of different techniques and styles exist all over the globe from Capoeira in Brazil to Kalarippayattu in southern India. Though the various schools of martial arts have evolved over the generations, their purpose remains the same: to use self defense as a vehicle to better one's mind, body, and spirit. Martial arts can help you to become a physically and psychologically healthier person, and here are a few ways how.


Physical Health
Martial arts training can be very physically strenuous depending on the style and the teacher. In kick boxing, the kicking motion is used as a conduit for an intense cardiovascular workout. Proper breathing technique is emphasized in all styles of martial arts. Students learn to exercise on a regular basis which is about the healthiest habit one can form.


Discipline
If you’re a couch potato by nature and you want to learn how to be more productive, martial arts is a great place to start. Persevering through the levels of belts which become exponentially harder to obtain teaches sticktoitiveness and gives students a feeling of real accomplishment. This carries over into the students life outside of the dojo. A kid who studies martial arts is probably also going to excel elsewhere in life, such as school.


Confidence
Of course learning to defend one's self is empowering and confidence building, but martial arts can help cultivate confidence in many other ways. So often we send subconscious messages with improper posture. Martial arts emphasizes correct body posture and teaches students to carry themselves with pride and dignity. Confidence also comes with increased physical fitness.

Yoga-nna Love It: 5 Reasons To Try Yoga Today!

For thousands of years, Yoga has been used to calm the mind, enrich the spirit, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Yoga can be done nearly anywhere and with minimal equipment. Its physical and psychological health benefits are innumerable as yoga has been shown to increase concentration, promote better breathing, improve posture, tone muscles and improve mind-body awareness. Here are some ways that yoga can help you be a better you!

Flexibility

Yoga is obviously all about flexibility. We’ve all seen pictures of master yogis performing seemingly impossible feats of strength and flexibility which may appear intimidating to the beginner, but the truth is that no matter how inflexible you are, yoga will help you increase range of motion in your joints. Keeping limber is a great way to ward off injuries such as pulled muscles. It also helps relax muscles which can reduce the risk or effects of lower back pain.

Breathing

In yoga, there is much emphasis put on the importance of breathing. As an extremely important bodily function (obviously) it is worthwhile to learn to breath in the most effective manner possible. In most forms of yoga, one is taught to lengthen and deepen their breath which can improve lung capacity. Learning to be a better breather will not only help you in your yogatistical endeavors, but also in any other cardiovascular exercises you might be doing.

Strength

Yoga is always relaxing, but often times it can be very physically strenuous. Almost every yoga position (if practiced correctly) increases core abdominal strength, others focus more directly on triceps, biceps, hamstrings, quadriceps, etc. Increased strength can mean more toned muscles and greater endurance which brings us to my next point.

Posture

With greater range of motion, and increased core strength, good posture (correct alignment of the spine) is more easily maintained for extended periods of time. Over the years, gravity tends to take a toll on most people which causes them to slouch, hunch and slump. Inevitably, detrimental habits are formed. Yoga can help to reteach your body good posture to eliminate back pain.

Psychological

Yoga is proven to reduce stress dramatically due to the release of hormones such as endorphins and oxytocin and reduced levels of hormone neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. This leaves the body with a sense of calm and tranquility. Yoga also emphasizes meditative techniques which can improve one's ability to concentrate effectively over long periods of time. There is also speculation that yoga can help those afflicted by depression and other psychological disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Get out there, give yoga a try and see how it can help you achieve your goals.

*Do you have an idea for an article, have questions or need advice? Please write us at elementfitnessny@gmail.com! Subject: Blog

How to go From Belly Fat, to Belly Flat

Does this summer have you in a mad dash to lose those few extra pounds you stored up over the winter? Look no further, for here are some helpful tips on how to reduce belly fat and lead a more healthy lifestyle.

Steer clear Of “Miracle Weight Loss Solutions”
There are no shortcuts to a leaner you. The internet and late night informercials alike are filled with snake oil, contraptions, and pills all claiming to help you lose weight. These are all to be avoided. Nothing other than good ol’ fashioned hard work will do a darn thing.

Forget about Sit-ups
Doctors agree that sit-ups, crunches, and other similar spot exercises are an effective means of developing abdominal muscles, but will not help in your quest to reduce belly fat. Focusing on just your abdominals will not help you lose weight, instead you must take a holistic approach to your exercise regimen. Make sure your workout includes exercises for each individual part of the body.

Don’t Forget About Cardio
There are many different kinds of cardiovascular exercise, but not all are created equal. Oftentimes, someone will jog for an hour at the same speed in the hopes of burning fat, but this method is relatively ineffective. Interval training is any physical workout which involves alternating periods of high and low intensity. During the high intensity periods, muscles are depleted of their oxygen supply which creates lactic acid (what you would associate with that burning sensation). During the low intensity periods, oxygen is restored to the muscles and the lactic acid dissipates. This allows the body to increase cardiovascular fitness and raises the bodies potential to burn fat. One effective way to go about interval training is to set your treadmill to 60 seconds of jogging followed by 30 seconds of sprinting.

Eat Right
Eating healthy is an integral part to losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Belly fat is closely associated with many health problems including heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancer, and high cholesterol.

A healthy diet emphasizes:
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Whole Grains
• Reduced fat milk products
• Poultry
• Fish
• Beans
• Brown Rice
• Eggs
• Nuts

And Reduces intake of:
• Saturated Fats
• Trans Fats
• Cholesterol
• Salt (sodium)
• Added sugars
• Processed and red meats

Prepare Your Own Meals
The most effective way to insure that your body is ingesting healthy foods is to do your own cooking. If your eating from a bag or a box, it will most likely not aid in weight loss. The American Cancer Society has created a very helpful way to ensure healthy portion sizes by relating everyday objects to correct portions of foods:
■ 1 oz. meat: size of a matchbox
■ 3 oz. meat: size of a deck of cards or bar of soap—the recommended portion for a meal
■ 8 oz. meat: size of a thin paperback book
■ 3 oz. fish: size of a checkbook
■ 1 oz. cheese: size of 4 dice
■ Medium potato: size of a computer mouse
■ 2 Tbs. peanut butter: size of a ping pong ball
■ 1/2 cup pasta: size of a tennis ball
■ Average bagel: size of a hockey puck.
■ Medium apple or orange: the size of a tennis ball
■ 1 cup chopped raw vegetables or fruit: baseball size

Preparing healthy meals does not necessarily have to be labor intensive. Simply adding strawberries to your cereal in the morning, lettuce and tomatoes to your sandwich along with an apple at lunch, and preparing a salad with dinner can account for your daily recommended servings of vegetables and fruit for the day.



*Do you have an idea for an article, have questions or need advice? Please write us at elementfitnessny@gmail.com! Subject: Blog





http://www.mypyramid.gov/guidelines/index.html

Living Smart: The American Cacer Society’s Guide To Eating Healthy and Being Active

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/belly-fat/MC00054/NSECTIONGROUP=2

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/weik51.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10048

http://www.marc-kent.com/beach-ready-body.html

Lose Your Booty to earn some Booty!

While we all know that healthy bodies are synonymous with healthy minds,did you know your healthy body and diet plan can earn you some cold hard cash or rewards?

Along with overall better performance in many areas in your life, taking care of your body can take care of your wallet as well. Many employers, in an effort to encourage employees to set health goals and care about their weight, are offering incentives such as cash, paid vacation time, lower healthcare premiums, and other rewards for being committed to a healthier lifestyle.

While this concept may be controversial, these seemingly attractive programs have a pretty high failure rate. Employers taking part in programs that reward employees looking to improve their overall health should get two thumbs up for caring, yet employees don't seem to find the financial benefits worth it.

IBM employee, Kevin Acocella, stated that he failed twice in keeping with his goals. His excuse? The environment. After relocating from IBM’s New York City office to the San Jose, California office, he felt there were more health-friendly activities as part of the local culture and has since stayed on track, losing 9 pounds in 3 months.

Studies are being conducted on the best ways to encourage employees to lose weight. While a reward is linked to much success with weight loss, it has also been proven that, in general, people are more concerned about losing potential money than receiving money that is not already theirs. This logic has led some employers to take a deposit from participating employees which will only be refunded if they are successful in achieving their goals.

StickK.com, a website developed by a Yale economics professor, uses a method of motivation in which the deposited money will go towards an organization the unsuccessful employee hates. While research is still being conducted on the most effective ways to reward healthy employees, there is still little known about maintaining health for the long-term.

While some employers are concerned about the legal risks they may be taking in participating in weight-loss challenges, concerned employees may perceive their actions as invasive and offensive by calling out cheaters, assigning co-workers as counselors, and maintaining an overall presence in the lifestyle of employees. Others, however, are taking risks for rewards and taking on the creative challenge to stay healthy while enjoying a little healthy competition between themselves and co-workers.


Would you participate in a program like the ones described above? Element Fitness NY wants to hear what you have to say!

~*Do you have an idea for an article, have questions or need advice? Please write us at elementfitnessny@gmail.com! Subject: Blog


*http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1950896,00.html?artId=1950896?contType=article?chn=sciHealth
**http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/34664760#37466193
***http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37385706/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/wid/11915773/page/2/

What's your Happy Weight? (Via Self.com)

According to Self.com, 87% of women of a normal or healthy weight wished the scale would say they've dropped a few pounds. In a recent article, they invited readers to drop the unrealistic goals and use a formula to find your healthy and maintainable number you can reach and not compulsively obsess over. They even provide you with details as to how this oh-so-wonderful formula works, dealing with things like frame size, family weight history, age, smoking, whether or not you have children, if you allow yourself treats and weight training. They even have a handy little chart to teach you how to determine the size of your frame.

This is a great tool and something every-body (pun intended) can use!

Enjoy!

Happy Weight Calculator via Self.com

** Do you have an idea for an article, have questions or need advice? Please write us at elementfitnessny@gmail.com! Subject: Blog