Get a rock-hard body from head to toe, and ripped abs with this exercise!

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer The Front Squat (a surprising exercise not only for legs, but also rock hard abs!)

As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with deadlifts) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss).  This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man.  Squats and deadlifts use hundreds of muscles throughout your entire body to move the load and also to stabilize your body while doing the drill.

Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises.

In fact, university research studies have even proven that inclusion of squats into a training program increases upper body development, in addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific joint movements are not performed during the squat. Whether your goal is gaining muscle mass, losing body fat, building a strong and functional body, or improving athletic performance, the basic squat and deadlift (and their variations) are the ultimate solution.

If you don’t believe me that squats and deadlifts are THE basis for a lean and powerful body, then go ahead and join all of the other overweight people pumping away mindlessly for hours on boring cardio equipment.

Squats can be done with barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, or even just body weight. Squats should only be done with free weights – NEVER with a Smith machine! My program, The Truth About Six Pack Abs contains the full story on why machines are so inferior and even potentially DANGEROUS compared to free weights.

The type of squat that people are most familiar with is the barbell back squat where the bar is resting on the trapezius muscles of the upper back.  Many professional strength coaches believe that front squats (where the bar rests on the shoulders in front of the head) and overhead squats (where the bar is locked out in a snatch grip overhead throughout the squat) are more functional to athletic performance than back squats with less risk of lower back injury.

I feel that a combination of all three (not necessarily during the same phase of your workouts) will yield the best results for overall muscular development, body fat loss, and athletic performance.  Front squats are moderately more difficult than back squats, while overhead squats are considerably more difficult than either back squats or front squats. I’ll cover overhead squats in a future newsletter issue.

If you are only accustomed to performing back squats, it will take you a few sessions to become comfortable with front squats, so start out light. After a couple sessions of practice, you will start to feel the groove and be able to increase the poundage.

To perform front squats:

The front squat recruits the abdominals to a much higher degree for stability due to the more upright position compared with back squats. It is mostly a lower body exercise, but is great for functionally incorporating core strength and stability into the squatting movement. If you’re doing front squats right, you’ll feel a hard contraction in your abs during these.

It can also be slightly difficult to learn how to properly rest the bar on your shoulders. There are two ways to rest the bar on the front of the shoulders.

In the first method, you step under the bar and cross your forearms into an “X” position while resting the bar on the dimple that is created by the shoulder muscle near the bone, keeping your elbows up high so that your arms are parallel to the ground. You then hold the bar in place by pressing the thumb side of your fists against the bar for support.

Alternatively, you can hold the bar by placing your palms face up and the bar resting on your fingers against your shoulders. For both methods, your elbows must stay up high to prevent the weight from falling. Your upper arms should stay parallel to the ground throughout the squat. Find out which bar support method is more comfortable for you.

Then, initiate the squat from your hips by sitting back and down keeping the weight on your heels as opposed to the balls of your feet. Squat down to a position where your thighs are approximately parallel to the ground, then press back up to the starting position. Keeping your weight more towards your heels is the key factor in squatting to protect your knees from injury and develop strong injury resistant knee joints.

Keep in mind – squats done correctly actually strengthen the knees; squats done incorrectly can damage the knees. Practice first with an un-weighted bar or a relatively light weight to learn the movement.  Most people are surprised how hard this exercise works your abs once you learn the correct form.

For complete descriptions of over 50 of the most effective full body exercises for stripping away body fat while developing a rock-hard body, download my world-famous program -
The Truth About Six Pack Abs (used by over 263,000 readers in 154 countries currently).

Technorati Tags: Barbell, Physical exercise, Squat, weight-loss

Get a Six Pack

an interview by Geovanni Derice with Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

I had the pleasure of being interviewed recently by a fitness professional from NYC, Certified Personal Trainer, Geovanni Derice. The interview is below and I think you’re going to like it… I reveal some of the hardest hitting strategies for getting rid of that stubborn stomach fat to uncover those flat six pack abs that everyone wants.

“GD: Welcome Mike to our 4-ever-Toned Fitness Journal. For those who do not know you, please tell us a few things about yourself and how you can help our readers with their fitness and health.

MG: Thanks for having me, Geo. Well, to go back a little, I have been heavily involved in fitness and sports for about 17 years now, ever since I was a teenager. Being involved in sports in high school got me interested in strength training and conditioning.

At that point, once I started feeling more energetic, getting stronger, and looking better, I was instantly hooked for life. I’m 33 now and still addicted to the way living a healthy and fit lifestyle makes me feel energetic, confident, strong, and youthful on a daily basis.

I decided earlier in my 20’s that I wanted to make the commitment to help other people experience the excitement of being fit and getting in the best shape of their lives, especially since we’ve reached an epidemic of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, etc. That’s why I became a fitness professional. It just gives me so much satisfaction to help others, who have struggled for years to get in good shape, and show them that it can be done, and it can be fun in the process.

I’ve expanded over the years from just reaching local individuals with personal training, into being able to help people all over the globe achieve their fitness goals with the reach of the internet. I only hope that my passion for fitness inspires people to take action and improve how they look and feel for life.

GD: Now Mike, there’s so many things out there as to what works and what does not work… if you had to pick 3 things that work time and time again to get flat lean abs, what would they be?

MG: The first and most important thing to get control of in order to lose your belly fat and get flat abs is cleaning up your diet. Exercise is important, but your diet is king when it comes to losing body fat so that you can see your abs.

There’s so much confusion these days about what a healthy diet that promotes fat loss really is… after all, we are bombarded by conflicting messages in the media about what is healthy and what is not, and you have all of these gimmicky diet books about low carb, low fat, high protein, vegetarian, fasting, atkins, south beach, liquid diets, and hundreds more. There’s so much conflicting info, that the average consumer doesn’t even know where to start when it comes to eating for fat loss.

The second thing that works time and time again, is to focus on the intensity of your workouts and focus on working the body as a whole in order to get the best metabolic response to lose that stubborn stomach fat.

In order to really get lean, the workouts should have a high intensity, with short rest periods, working the largest muscle groups of the body, instead of trying to isolate specific small muscles like the biceps, triceps, or calves.

For the third thing, let’s talk about actually training the abs specifically. When it comes to training the abs, if you want real results, I always recommend forgetting about the crunches and situps for the most part. They are ok for someone that is really deconditioned, but most people that already have some training under their belt need a much better stimulus for their abs than crunches. Crunches are one of the abs exercises that actually provide the least amount of resistance, and remember that resistance is what develops and tones the muscles.

I provide a ton of great abs exercises in my book, but one of THE highest resistance exercises for the abs, is hanging leg raises (but NOT the way you see most people at the gym doing them). The key to doing these and actually working the hell out of your abs is to curl your pelvis up as you raise your legs. Almost nobody ever does this right. To be honest, the majority of people cannot do this at first, but I provide some strategies in my book as to how to progress to doing these correctly.

Free Tips for Losing Stomach Fat & Eating Healthier

* Discover the top 12 fat burning foods you didn’t know
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* Also get a free metabolic rate calculator to determine your personal metabolism

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GD: What are people doing wrong when it comes to developing the coveted “6 pack abs”?

MG: Well Geo, I know this sounds funny to most people, but the MAIN thing that people are doing wrong to get those flat 6-pack abs is… are you ready for this?

They spend entirely too much time focusing on training their abs! WAY too much time spent on abs exercises. Sounds crazy, but it’s true.

Remember, having a flat and visible six pack of abs is all about getting down to a low body fat percentage. In order to do that, your workouts must focus on stimulating a fat burning hormonal environment in your body, and increasing your metabolic rate. That just does not happen when you focus too much time training a small muscle group like the abs.

Instead, you must use the majority of your time focusing on training the largest muscle groups of the body like the legs, back, and chest. That’s what stimulates your metabolism and the fat burning hormones that will get you truly lean and sporting a flat sixxer!

GD: Which exercises are the top exercises that people need to do if they are to get maximum defintion with their midsection?

MG: When it comes to developing the abs themselves, I again refer to any kinds of hanging abs exercises, as well as some good floor abs exercises like lying leg thrusts (all described and illustrated in my book).

However, maximum definition in the abs and midsection comes from losing bodyfat, and the most effective exercises featured in my program for that goal are various forms of swings and snatches (unique dumbbell or kettlebell exercises that almost nobody ever does in normal gyms), squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, clean & presses, mountain climbers, sprinting, and other full body exercises and calisthenics. If you want great looking flat abs, focus on those instead of focusing so much on training the abs directly!

GD: When it comes to diet Mike, people really have tried millions of ways to get one thing… and that is fat loss. What recommendations have you used to successfully help your clients lose body fat and keep it off?

MG: I have included a fully comprehensive discussion of this topic in my book, which accounts for almost half of the book, but I’ll try to make some nice simple generalizations to get people started on the right path immediately. The most important thing is that your diet is as natural and unprocessed as possible. It almost always comes back to the overprocessing of food that makes it unhealthy, and makes it totally wreck your metabolism and hormone balance in your body.

For example, why eat refined grains, when you can eat whole grains (even better are sprouted grains, as I usually recommend limiting grain foods overall for best results).

Why eat refined sugar, when you can get natural sources of sugar from a high nutrient whole food like fruit. Why eat highly processed, refined, and hydrogenated vegetable oils (these are THE worst thing in the modern diet), when you can eat natural sources of healthy fats like nuts, avocados, fish, eggs, coconut milk, organically raised meat, and so forth.

The point is to not fall for some gimmick like extremely low carbs (although I do believe in a fairly reduced carb intake as that is a big problem for most people), low fat, super high protein, or any other combination that has you focusing on one macronutrient vs. another.

Your body needs all macronutrients to thrive and obtain a variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. Trying to cut an entire food group out just works against what your body needs. I get into much more detail on this vitally important topic towards losing body fat (especially that stubborn stomach fat) for life in my book.

GD: Thank you very much Mike for sharing with us all of this great information.

program for lean flat absWell, I hope you enjoyed this interview and plucked several nuggets of info to get you motivated and started on showing off your flat abs shortly. If you don’t already own a copy, be sure to pick up a copy of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book and discover the entire system I’ve developed for ridding yourself of that extra ab fat for good!

Go here to see the results many of my readers are getting in losing stomach fat and getting lean abs.

Lean Body Ezine Exercise and Nutrition Tips, Healthy Fat Loss Recipes

Workouts, Exercise, & Diet Articles

Technorati Tags: Adipose tissue, fitness, health, Heart disease, Mike Geary, Personal trainer, Physical exercise, Strength training

Potatoes, Glycemic Index, and “White Foods” - Friend or Foe for a Lean-Body?

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

I’d like to start a little discussion today about carbohydrates… and in particular, “white foods” as well as potatoes. One reason I wanted to mention this is because so many health and fitness professionals trash talk potatoes about being a bad carbohydrate choice because of the high glycemic index. Some even say such ridiculous things as “avoid any and all white carbohydrates”.

Ok, now while I certainly agree that white bread and refined white sugar are two of the worst things we can be feeding our bodies, I definately don’t agree with avoiding any and all “white carbohydrates”. Now I know all of the buzz lately has been about colorful foods and the protective antioxidants that they contain. They tell you to focus on colors and stay away from white.

“White Foods” aren’t necessarily always the enemy

It’s true that colorful foods are great, but it is a big mistake to specifically avoid white foods! There are plenty of white foods that have specific nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere. Let’s look at a few examples…

Onions & Garlic

What about onions and garlic? They are both white and they are chock full of protective phytonutrients, vitamins, and trace minerals that aren’t easy to find elsewhere in a normal diet… such nutrients as allicin, quercetin (an important flavonoid), chromium, and other unique anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Cauliflower

Another example of something white that is great for you is cauliflower. Cauliflower is loaded with vitamin C, fiber, minerals, and special compounds such as glucosinolates and thiocyanates, which are specifically abundant in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.  And a little-known fact is that some of the compounds in cruciferous vegetables help to combat other estrogenic compounds in our food supply and environment and can help prevent excess belly fat.  So eat up on that cauliflower!

Mushrooms

Not many people realize this, but surprisingly, even white mushrooms have high levels of unique nutrients and antioxidants. White mushrooms are high in a couple types of antioxidants called polyphenols and ergothioneine.

Potatoes

Now that also leads us to another example – white potatoes (which by the way, can also be found in red, yellow, purple varieties, etc). Many health professionals claim that potatoes are a bad carbohydrate because they are thought to have a high glycemic index. First of all, if you’ve read my Truth about Six Pack Abs book, then you understand that glycemic index is not necessarily the most important factor in choosing your carbohydrates.

While a generalization can be made that most low glycemic index carbohydrate choices will help you lose body fat easier than high glycemic index choices, it is not all that it’s cracked up to be. There are many other factors that determine how your body will react-to and process the carbohydrates you ingest, such as glycemic load and also how you combine the high GI food with other foods.

For example, using glycemic load as an example… it is known that watermelon has a high glycemic index. However, the glycemic load of a normal serving of watermelon is just way too low for your body to start packing on body fat just because you ate a high glycemic index fruit. You would have to eat such an enormous quantity of watermelon just to get enough grams of carbohydrates to have any negative glycemic effect, that it is just non-sensical.

Not to mention that watermelon is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and lycopene. There’s just no reason to avoid it simply because it has a high GI. My point is… candy bars, cupcakes, and donuts make you fat… NOT watermelons, carrots or potatoes… French fries excluded of course.

Also, as i mentioned, food combinations are important in how your body processes the carbohydrates and the associated blood sugar and insulin response you receive. For example, if you mix a high glycemic index carbohydrate with an extra source of fiber, healthy fats, or even certain proteins, many times the blood sugar and glycemic response will be slowed down considerably by the way you combined the food. Again, I talk in detail about this entire topic in my Truth about Six Pack Abs book

Alright, so back to my point that white potatoes are actually a healthy carbohydrate as long as you eat them in the right form… with the entire skin, and please don’t ruin them by deep frying them into french fries either! French fries are one of the most evil things ever invented for your health, but only because we ruin them by soaking them in a scorching bath of trans fats in the deep fryer from the hydrogenated oils that are typically used.

Keep in mind that potatoes contain so many vitamins and minerals that the list is way too long to even try. Also, as long as you eat the skins, you get a decent shot of fiber too.

Will 7-9 potatoes per day make you fatter?

On the topic of potatoes not being so bad after all, I don’t remember where I saw this referenced, but I recently saw a particular study that had participants eat something like 7-9 whole potatoes per day for several weeks.

At the conclusion of the study, the potato eaters had actually consistently lost weight! I’d venture a guess that the reason the people lost weight is that they were probably so full from eating all of those damn potatoes, that they actually consumed less calories than normal! An average sized potato only has about 100-120 calories, and I can surely imagine you’d be full constantly from eating 7-9 potatoes each day.

Now I would never recommend going to those extremes, but my point is that an occasional potato is not going to hurt your efforts to get lean, especially if you combine it with some other fibrous vegetables and maybe a healthy fat and some protein. On that note, I have one of my favorite recipes for you, using potatoes.

Geary’s Lean-Body Potato Side Dish

• Desired quantity of baby potatoes (I like to use this mixture I found recently at a health food store… it is a mixture of white, red, yellow, and purple baby potatoes)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 or 2 onions
• a couple cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and/or coconut oil
• a little salt and pepper to taste (I like using a sea salt instead of normal commercial salt)

Cut the baby potatoes into slightly smaller pieces and place in a steamer until soft all the way through. Slice up the peppers and onions into strips and add with the chopped garlic into a pan with the olive oil. Cook the peppers, onions, and garlic until tender, and then add the steamed baby potatoes. Stir it all together and serve. This is a delicious and healthy side dish that goes great with chicken or red meat.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little topic today about potatoes, healthy carbohydrates, glycemic index, and my killer healthy potato recipe idea!

If you enjoyed this article today, feel free to copy/paste this link and email to your friends and family that would be interested.

Sincerely,

Mike Geary
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Nutrition Specialist

.

Technorati Tags: Carbohydrate, French fries, Glycemic Index, health, nutrition, vegetable, Vitamin, White bread

Physiotherapy is a form of treatment that uses physical or mechanical methods for correcting an injury as opposed to using drugs and surgical operations.

It’s used to treat allot of ailments, a few of which include sports injuries such as knee injuries and tennis elbow and it can also be used after surgery such as bypasses, replacement of heart valves and even complete heart replacement. Physiotherapy can help alleviate symptoms of cardiac diseases like heart failures, chest pains, cardiac arrests or artery diseases.

With the right exercises, physiotherapy will allow people to go back to their former lifestyle as quick as possible – without it, you will remain weak and will take longer to recuperate from your ailment or operation.

There are various Physiotherapy methods applied depending on the patient and the ailment. These include acupuncture, manual therapy (such as massage), electrical stimulation, ultrasound, cold application, heat application and general exercises.

A proper examination by both your doctor and physiotherapist will enable your therapist to know which type of therapy is most suitable for you. You will then be assessed after each therapy and treatment may be adjusted accordingly.

Physiotherapy is not only a relief from pain but it can also prevent more
injuries and is an important method of recuperation. Many elderly people use it to loosen joints and make their lives more comfortable.

angel physio

So whether it is caused by age, injury, weight gain or just bad posture, physiotherapy can help ease discomfort and get you back on your feet quickly.

islington physio

Without a doubt, physiotherapy requires hard work and dedication. People that perform physiotherapy are normally called Physical Therapists, but thesedays, allot of other medical professionals have training in similar fields. Treatment can be undertaken at hospitals or by private therapists either in private clinics or at home.

If you would like more information on the benefits of physiotherapy, please contact n1 physiotherapy experienced physio therapists for all types of ailments.

Technorati Tags: angel physio, angel physiotherapy, islington physio, islington physiotherapy, n1 physiotherapy, north london physio

A heart monitor is a device that was created to measure heart rate in real time. The heart monitor by Garmin, the 305 Forerunner, is exceptionally sensitive, and it possesses an excellent signal from its global positioning system. Because it is so sensitive, whether you are under trees or next to tall buildings, you will be able to receive accurate and reliable results from the Garmin 305.

Garmin Forerunner 305 Features

You can use the Forerunner GPS while you’re windsurfing, running, biking, skiing, or participating in many other outdoor or indoor activities.  The Garmin 305 is just as capable inside as it is outside, and allows you to compare the data from your current workout to those of previous workouts so that you can gauge your progress.

The Garmin 305 Forerunner GPS device is capable of recording the distances you have traveled, your pace, and the amount of calories that you have burned. Additionally, you can set your Garmin 305 Forerunner GPS device to provide you with alerts when you achieve a particular pace or travel a certain distance, which, of course, need to be established before you start your workout. The device can also mark particular locations on an electronic map to help you with the navigation of your workout.

This Garmin product comes with 3 data screens that the user can use to have their data fields personalized. This is used occasionally to give them an immediate feedback or response. To also help the user manage workouts effectively, the data on the 305 can be analyzed and stored. To help in the proper, reliable and effective analysis of the feedback from the trainer’s work out, it is also possible to download workout data. The heart rate monitor comes with the data cable and is handy for the job.

More Functions and Features

Up to 5000 laps can be recorded manually to help you in your workout. An amazing thing that the Garmin 305 can do is store up to two years user’s data whether by month, week or day. It also comes with a rechargeable lithium ion that is reliable and durable. For up to ten straight hours between charges, this battery is able to last. This is very helpful if you are on a long workout as you will not have to worry about the heart monitor losing power before you complete your workout.

This Garmin heart monitor watch comes with a one year warranty that covers both labor and parts. One thing you need to note at the start is that the heart rate can jump but it will steady itself when you settle your run. Since this product is able to manage your workouts effectively, it should definitely not disappoint.

For more on the Garmin 305, check out the Garmin Forerunner GPS review.

Technorati Tags: Forerunner 305, Garmin, heart rate monitor

Women from all walks of life are reminded every single day about their physical flaws. Perhaps it is easier for these supermodels and big names to get six pack abs for women. The good news is that you don’t have to be a movie star to look like one.

Just like men, women have struggled for years to lose weight and define their midsection. Unlike men, however, women are required to exert a bit more effort to build muscle. Even though women need to put in more work than their male counterparts, it doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Don’t be discouraged by all the negativity going around. It’s important that you realize that regardless what your profession or age or ethnicity is, six pack abs for women can be achieved.

For you to achieve a slamming body, you should first understand what steps you need to take. Setting these three practical goals will help you get your fitness program in gear:

1. Get rid of belly fat;

2. Build a cardiovascular workout routine; and

3. Target the abdominal muscles!

Eating for a trim tummy: Women have had to deal with “dieting” since forever. When in fact, all it requires is regularly eating (take note: not STARVING) the right kinds of food. Forget about fad diets, artificial food supplements, and extreme “zone” regimens.

This is truly the first step you need to take to get six pack abs for women.

As a woman, and potentially a mother, your body tends to store more fat, but don’t let that be a hurdle. If you’re used to preparing processed food all the time or calling your local restaurant for take-out, you have to start thinking about what that does to your body. By simply tweaking your eating habits, you can speed up your metabolism and burn more fat along the way.

All you need to do is plan your meals and stick to them. By eating small, balanced meals frequently, you allow your body to stay nourished and “full” so you rarely feel the urge to over-eat. Always remember to include just a small portion of healthy fats, some whole grains, and lean meats or high-protein sources in your meals.

Putting together a complete cardiovascular routine is the next step to get 6 pack abs for women. Regularly performing a variety of fun, blood-pumping exercises, such as aerobics classes, jogging, and swimming will help condition your WHOLE body.

These holistic exercises will also prepare your abdominal muscles for your next and final goal – abs training and sculpting.

Performing crunches, sit ups, leg raises, and other exercises will define every inch of your abs. Remember to increase the frequency and reps of every exercise as you advance – that should get you sizzling hot abs fast.

Getting six pack abs for women can be a reality. Six pack abs don’t discriminate, and so shouldn’t you. Start working on those abs and execute your total fitness program now!

Technorati Tags: cardiovascular workout routine, getting six pack abs, six pack abs fast, six pack abs for women

Since more people are becoming more health conscious, it is imperative that sports nutrition products as well as vitamin and mineral products, advance and grow as well. Many men and women, while aware of the vitamin deficiencies in their bodies caused by fast-food lifestyles, are unwilling to introduce too many chemicals into their bodies. In other words, while vitamins and minerals consumed naturally in food are ideal, the vitamins and minerals themselves isolated in pill form and combined with other engineered metabolism boosters and amino acids worry a lot of individuals.

What exactly are the health consequences of these chemically-formed products? Is it really true that the long term consequences of these chemicals, especially in the case of an overdose, could far outweigh any of the short term benefits? As such, even though most of these vitamins are the same as those found in food, more and more men and women are turning to herbal nutrition products for their health boosters. However, while herbal nutrition products are herbal, not chemical, they still are not always as natural as men and women assume, and sometimes they too can have consequences.

Not Just a Name

In some ways the modern world is an herbal world as herbal nutrition products are surpassing their expected popularity. Many people are moving beyond quick diets and limited exercise to really become conscious of everything that goes into their body. Because of this new focus, herbs are rapidly becoming more popular than chemical based products.

Even ailments such as depression, arthritis, and high blood pressure are now being treated with herbal drugs. And for good reason—a lot of the side effects found in traditional medications are absent in their herbal counterparts. Of course, the question can be raised whether or not the herbal medications are as productive, and the same question can be raised about herbal nutrition products.

Nutrition products are taken for their vitamins and minerals, but often include other ingredients as well. They may also contain chemical compounds to help the body absorb the vitamins better, and possible other helpful things like amino acids or metabolism boosters.

However, a lot of individuals are weary of these chemically-engineered products and instead turn to herbal nutrition products. Just like their traditional counterparts, herbal nutrition products offer vitamins and minerals along with other compounds that help boost metabolism, maintain a healthy immune system, build muscle and aid in other bodily functions.

While herbal drugs may seem harmless, they actually can be just as harmful as the chemical based drugs. Herbal brands often contain the same exact herbs that the chemical versions are made from. Some herbal nutrition products are even banned for professional athletes because they contain herbs classified as mild steroids. Men and women should always consider closely what they introduce into their bodies, but simply trusting herbal nutrition products over traditional products can be equally harmful.

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Did you know that the amount of exercise you get can have a significant effect on the amount of ringing in your ears? It’s true, and in this article I’ll explain why.

Before we go further, I want to be clear. Exercise doesn’t directly reduce your tinnitus. However, it has a number of major indirect effects. Here are just some of them.

Regular exercise reduces stress levels. It has long been known that a regular exercise program is effective in reducing the amount of stress you feel in your life. If you’re stressed, you’re more likely to have stress-induced tinnitus. The higher your stress level, the worse things get. Beyond that, the more stressed out you are, the more your current level of ringing in the ears will upset you, which causes still more stress. Exercise helps short-circuit this ugly cycle.

A regular exercise program will improve your circulation over time. Do you understand how this helps? Well with better blood flow throughout your body, all of your biological systems will work better. Many of the conditions that trigger tinnitus can be improved by exercise. When you improve the conditions, your hearing problems may well subside. Especially important is the way that exercise improves your circulation. And the healthier your circulatory system is, the lower your blood pressure is likely to be. High blood pressure is often a factor in tinnitus, so reducing it can have real benefits.

We’ve just talked about two of the ways that getting enough exercise, and the right exercise, can help you reduce your tinnitus symptoms. Exercise clearly needs to be part of any holistic treatment for your condition. As you’ve seen, the benefits of a proper exercise program are far-ranging both for your general health and for your tinnitus.

To learn more about how exercise can help reduce your tinnitus, as well as what kinds and durations of exercise can make up part of a holistic cure for tinnitus, go to http://Tinnitus-Cures.info today.

Technorati Tags: blood pressure, regular exercise, ringing ears, stress levels, tinnitus cure, tinnitus miracle

Intervention

The Banana Man

I have seen Cirrohis up close, and I can assure you it is nasty. One of my lifelong friends and my former business partner is an alcoholic. His name is John and he promised to stay on the wagon to entice me to work with him, and it proved to be the biggest mistake of my life. He worked out of his house on the West Coast and I was in Chicago, so it was difficult to see what he was up to every day.His wife had passed away recently and he was despondent about it, and I thought he might have fallen off the wagon. Those fears were confirmed when I received a phone call four or five months after his wife’s passing from a mutual friend who said John had been taken to the hospital after a binge.He said his prospects were not good.

I hopped on the next plane and got to California and took a cab to the hospital. I was astounded by what I saw. My friend was the color of a fresh banana–sort of like the Incredible Hulk but the color of French’s mustard. He was babbling incomprehensible phrases. He recognized me but quickly forgot I was there. A group of our Bay Area friends met at the hospital. The doctors said it didn’t look good. One pulled me aside and said my friend had Cirrohisis, which wasn’t a surprise from his appearance.His liver had shut down–liver failure, and as I learned over the next few days, when your liver goes, so does everything else in your body, The liver controls most of your major organs, at least in a dependant way. His kidneys were failing and he had to go on dialysis treatments three times a day.

Bedside Vigil

Most of the next week he really didn’t know where he was. The doctors said the next few days were critical but that he probaby wouldn’t make it six months even if he survived this immediate crisis. I literally spent thirty minutes talking to him one morning trying to get him to give me the details on how to retrieve his phone messages back at his apartment. He couldn’t remember the password. And this entire time his body was still 100% pure banana colored. It was a real bummer.

Kidney Dialysis 3 Times A Day

A week passes and he starts to get better. Gradually. He’s still on dialysis three times a day, but at least he can talk fairly cogently. And slowly he regains his personality–starts kidding with all the nurses and telling stories. After three weeks he was discharged but had to go to a half-way house that could take care of his dialysis and other medical needs. He would get transported three times a day in a van to a clinic where the dialysis was done. I flew home as I had been there a month and had a lot of business matters to attend to and see my wife, who was very supportive during this period.

A month goes by and my friend’s best friend in SF calls and says John is going home–he’s getting out of the half-way house after six weeks, but still requires dialysis daily, but now just once a day. I flew back to San Francisco and we all (there were about six of us) go out to celebrate John’s birthday. As dinner ended and we were having a cognac (not John!our mutual friend says he wants to make a special toast. He makes a toast and says that today is a special day. It’s John’s birthday, and he’s pleased to announce that the doctors have decided he no longer needs dialysis! There was a hurrah that filled the restaurant!

It was truly a remarkable experience. On the plane back to Chicago, I was thinking how John and I used to drink rounds together at the bars in Georgetown, chasing women and getting “steaming” together. ,. It was really part of our culture.

But this is where it led. And there were no laughs and jokes being told. If it weren’t so personally tragic, I wish we could have fast-forwarded into the future from those early care-free days to see what drinking and alcoholism is all about and where it leads.

Luck Of The Irish (At Least Some Of Them)

John was lucky, and his liver bounced back and healed. But the doctors told him that he could never drink alcohol again–that it would poison him, like drinking a glass of cyanide.  And you know what? John’s stayed on the wagon ever since. He still goes to bars and shoots the bull with his friends. Now he drinks ice tea instead of alcohol. And he’s enjoying his life just as much as before. Lucky for him. He got a second chance.

Alcohol Is A Killer

If you know someone who is a big drinker and his skin color looks a little jaundiced, you can be sure his liver is damaged. Before it gets to the point my friend faced there are some  natural homeopathic remedies to detox your liver and get you back on the right track. Of course, once you go through this process, you need to be committed to a life of alcohol abstinance if you want to live a longer life. Not lecturing here, but those are just the facts.

Good luck!

Published By Rehab Help Online

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