Meifaba

Health Related Fitness consists of 5 Components which relate to good health. These are Cardiorespiratory or Cardiovascular Fitness, Body Composition, Muscular Strength, Muscular Endurance and Flexibility.

Although there are several types of exercise which can enhance the functional capacity of all 5 components, this article addresses, in particular, that of muscular strength and endurance.

The point-of-departure of High Intensity Training (HIT) is lifting weights to the point of momentary muscular failure. The principles usually focus on maximizing muscle fiber recruitment with weight workouts in order to optimize gains.

HIT Workout Routines are intended to be infrequent, brief, and intense. The resistance exercises are performed to “failure” with weights that are heavy enough to cause the required training effect to promote muscular size and strength gains. In terms of “brief” workouts, this refers to a minimum number of sets – usually as few as 1 to 3 per body part.

Advantages of HIT

Pundits of High Intensity Training advocate its sheer simplicity and time-efficiency over High Volume Training (lower weights and higher volume of work). In addition, HIT is touted as requiring less recovery time from workouts and furthermore offsets the possibility of overtraining.

Proper execution of the exercises

The main elements in addressing muscular strength and endurance is terms of health related fitness are smooth even form, full range-of-motion, heaviest set first, and proper repetition range. These are important considerations for producing optimal results while minimizing the chance of injury. Also, regardless of physical fitness condition, a weight should be chosen which is challenging to train with, yet allows for correct performance of the exercise. Let us look at the elements in more detail:

Smooth, even form Safety first – at all costs. By definition, HIT means training with weights that heavily challenge the muscles of an individual. Therefore, one should tackle a weight workout only after warm up exercises have been performed, and when muscles are fully limbered, so as to avoid injury. Each repetition of the exercise should be performed smoothly, with no bouncing, jerking or compensatory swaying of the body. The movement of the involved body part and weight should occur through muscular action only, without resorting to a “pendulum effect.” Control of each movement is of utmost importance to ensure that the weight is allowed to return to the starting point with care, and not merely dropped, or allowed to swing back due to gravity. The lowering or “eccentric” part of the rep should take longer than the lifting or “concentric” part. In this way, one works the muscle throughout the whole exercise set. Full range-of-motion For best results, a muscle needs to be worked throughout its full movement (or rotation) from a fully flexed to a fully extended position. A muscle can only be optimally developed if it is trained though the complete extent of its movement capability. This does not mean forcing a limb further than you would under normal pain-free movement. Common sense should always prevail – the eccentric part of a rep requires due caution when using heavy weights, as with HIT. For example, exercises like the “squat”, “weighted dip” and “dumbbell fly” can easily lead to muscle, joint and/or tendon trauma by pushing the envelope too far. Heaviest set first This may seem the wrong way around in light of the caution pointed to in the above point, but there is a method in the madness. For muscles to grow, they need to be stressed “progressively” to work harder than they are accustomed to. This means after warm up and limbering exercises, one begins with the hardest set and works the muscle/s to failure, preferably between 6 and 12 reps. Instead, with ascending sets, as in High Volume Training, energy is depleted with the preliminary sets, and so when one gets to the all-important heaviest sets for maximum overload, the muscles are no longer fresh. Certain training philosophies and points-of-view may disagree with HIT principles due to the risk of injury. However, this can be addressed with adequate attention to warm up exercises and stretching beforehand. Proper repetition range Health Related Fitness calls for good muscular strength and muscular endurance (together also know as muscular fitness). This means that not only is strength applicable, but so is the ability for a muscle or muscle group to perform a weighted movement repeatedly. Therefore, for strength training, one should maintain a range of between 6 to 12 reps in each set. If one can perform 12 or more reps without momentary muscular failure, then the weight for that particular exercise should be increased. On the other hand, performing a higher number of reps per set (like circuit training or supersets) targets muscular endurance. Depending on individual requirements, muscular endurance training is usually performed less frequently than strength training. Ideally, the rep range is between 15 and 25. Maximum effort During High Intensity strength training routines, exercises are typically performed with an “all-out” effort until it is no longer possible to perform another repetition in good form, hence the term “momentary muscular failure.” Further repetitions beyond this point may be possible with certain assistance techniques like forced reps, negative reps and/or cheating. However, these methods are only advisable for more advanced exercisers. For an increase to occur in muscle strength and size, it is important to gradually overload the muscles through progressive-resistance training. This means taxing the muscles and progressively exceeding their capacity threshold, so that an adaptive response occurs, also known as “training effect.”
HIT vs HVT

I would like to point out that I do not support the one training principle over the other. However, there are advocates of both High Volume and High Intensity training who believe their method is is the better way to build size and strength. And since there are several famous pundits of both schools-of-thought claiming their success was achieved from differing points-of-view, this healthy disagreement in the Health and Fitness industry is destined to continue.

Nonetheless, the key consideration here is to realize your Health Related Fitness potential. Approached in a sensible manner, one can achieve good health via any number of health and fitness techniques and principles available. HIT presents tangible advantages but the best way would be to experiment, learn and see what works best for you as an individual – not only in terms of schedule, training effect, but also from recovery-time.

My own particular take is that for good levels of health and fitness, the human body requires challenge both physiologically and spiritually. Our bodies are innately programmed to to seek homeostasis. Basically, your body will stop progressing as soon as it has decoded and adapted to an activity or exercise program. Further adaptation only occurs with consistent challenge – by “raising the bar.” In this way, one can optimize results by cycling not only the workout routines, but also the principles.

Although you may find HIT suitable, why not try alternating mesocycles (monthly) of High Intensity Training with Higher Volume Training? I found this worked well for me and it kept me interested by alleviating boredom.

Remember to have your condition examined by a medical practitioner prior to taking on any form of physical exercise, especially if you have not previously engaged in any.

Happy training!

You have worked your entire life accumulating assets. These hard earned achievements can be lost in a short period of time if they are not protected. If you are sued, all of your assets are at risk. They are also at risk if you file for bankruptcy. Seeing as the best thing to do is to protect those assets, lawmakers have passed various acts that will protect certain assets.

Regardless of what you read in asset protection blogs, many people believe only the wealthy are targets. This is far from the truth. No matter how many assets you have, whether your IRA & retirement plan investing account is $10M or $200,000, you are a target as long as you own those assets in your name. There are many legal circumstances that can place your assets at risk. Civil lawsuits and divorce can be perfect examples of where people lose their unprotected assets. No matter how safe you think you are from being sued, it is almost always best to take extra precaution. This is why asset protection is so important. It will help you safeguard those assets if there ever is a time where a lawsuit is filed on you.

There are various state and federal laws that determine what type of protection many of your assets can have from judgments and creditors. For example, your Traditional and Roth IRAs have a protection cap of $1 million from any bankruptcy proceeding. Any money that has been rolled over from other retirement accounts, such as 403(b) and 457(b) plans, are completely protected by law. It is important to remember that this protection is only in effect during a bankruptcy proceeding. They will not be protected from other court judgments.

In addition to IRA accounts, qualified retirement plans are also protected by law during bankruptcy. ERISA plans are also protected, so an ERISA asset protection retirement plan is not needed if you are going into bankruptcy.

Consider your large assets, such as your home. The amount of protection on your home can vary depending on what state you reside in. There are some states that offer limited legal protection, while other states will not provide any protection at all. Again, this is why it is imperative that you have an asset protection plan in effect. If the state and federal laws do not offer protection, you will already have a plan in place that will protect all of your assets.

State laws will determine how much protection is given for life insurance and annuities. In some cases, the cash surrender value of the life insurance policy will be protected. However, this does not always happen. In other cases, the only protection is for the beneficiary’s interest. Again, there are many states that offer no asset protection at all. If you need to know what laws are in place to protect your assets, check with your state’s official website to find out what protection is offered.

Just because there are laws in place, this does not mean that you will be safe from creditors during a lawsuit. No matter what kind of protection is offered by your state, it is always best to consult with an expert on asset protection planning such as Estate Street Partners. This is the only way you will be sure that your assets are protected, regardless of the type of legal proceeding.

Too many people rely on just the protection offered by their state. This often leads to a disastrous outcome. These people usually end up losing most, if not all of their assets. There are many strategies that are effective when planning for asset protection. Proper planning can actually deter creditors from attacking your estate and may save you from your assets from being lost. Proper asset protection planning may even save you from a lawsuit being filed in the first place. What contingent lawyer will take a case if he cannot find assets in your name when he does an asset search? None.

No matter what the physical or psychological causes of sexual dysfunction, there’s a single underlying problem. Our society has become increasingly convinced everything can be perfect the first and every time. Although consistency is desirable, it’s almost impossible to guarantee every experience will always meet the same high standards. This means many people are setting themselves up to feel dissatisfied with their own or other people’s performance. Although this may not be too serious a problem in everyday living, it can become more dangerous when it comes to sex. There’s a mythology about sexual activity that often gives rise to high expectations. Our young are often led to believe the first experience will be extraordinary. Disappointment is therefore quite common. If these disappointments are repeated, it can affect libido and people can lose some or all their interest in sexual activity.

Physical and psychological causes of erectile dysfunction

Some causes of erectile dysfunction are purely physical. This can be an injury affecting the spine or lower part of the body, there may be damage to the nervous system because of diabetes or similar diseases, or it may be a symptom of cardiovascular disease. The most common cause is too high a level of carbohydrates in the bloodstream. This produces a deposit of platelets on the walls on the arteries and slowly restricts the flow. If the penile artery is affected, erections fail. Dysfunction can also be a side-effect of some common drugs.

The psychological causes are fairly easy to list. Libido may be lost because of a trauma, e.g. abuse or coercion, or a deep depression, i.e. any disastrous social event may have long-lasting consequences or a man may become so depressed he loses interest in all aspects of life. Performance anxiety is slight less serious where fear of failure becomes dominant and the man stops trying. In younger men, there can also be sexual confusion as to orientation. If the man is actually gay, there may be no consistent sexual response to a female.

The proper treatment and Viagra’s help

Physical causes can be treated by more conventional treatments for the underlying cause and the use of Viagra to give a boost to performance.

Psychological causes have to be resolved by counseling and therapy before sexual activity can be resumed. The problem is that, unless the mind finds the situation sexually stimulating, there will be no erection. This means treatment with antidepressants or other drugs to reduce anxiety alongside behavioral therapy. The plan is to reduce the level of depression and then work on relieving any performance anxiety. This means talking through attitudes toward sex and changing expectations. Some teaching to improve social skills will also help. Once the talking has done its work, Viagra and the creation of non-demanding sexual situations can build confidence.

Importance of mutual understanding bettween partners

The aim is to improve sexual behavior, get a better response from the partner and so build responsiveness. The better the relationship between the parties, the better the sex is likely to become. This means both parties have to improve the way they communicate with each other. Only if they both understand what the other wants, what fantasies the other has, and what gives the most pleasure, can the sexual relationship become genuinely successful.

Low carbohydrate diets increase risk of bowel cancer

I know we are always being told to eat a balanced diet of good food and sometimes get fed up hearing about it, but there really is proof that this information really is beneficial for our good health, whatever our age.

Did you know that diets that are low in carbohydrates, such as the popular Atkins diet could increase your risk of bowel cancer? I find this quite alarming as several of my friends have used this diet.

Bowel cancer is a subject very close to my heart as my father was diagnosed with bowel cancer twice, the second unfortunately being fatal. Even so as a family we consider ourselves very lucky, as there was a gap of seventeen years between the bouts.

Nowadays there is not such a great taboo over bowel cancer, thanks to famous people in the media speaking out about their symptoms, the general public are more aware and prepared to talk about it and seek medical attention much sooner.

When my father had bowel cancer the first time in 1980 the word cancer was never mentioned at home, it was always glossed over and ‘stomach problems’ was the only mention of his illness, but on its reoccurrence in the nineties there was a much more openness to the disease and even more so today, thank goodness.

It is now known that one of the factors of bowel cancer is a poor diet, and in today’s society of us all wanting to be ever slimmer, several different diet fads have taken off all over the world.

Researchers have found a link between eating a low carbohydrate diet and lower levels of the cancer fighting acid that is in the gut called butyrate.

The chemical butyrate is produced by bacteria and helps to kill off cancerous cells. Scientists found that by eating a low carbohydrate diet can cause a fourfold reduction in the cancer fighting butyrate bacteria, and have said “in the long run it is possible that these diets could contribute to bowel cancer”.

The Atkins diet has been immensely popular worldwide with celebrities swearing by it to stay slim. However critics believe there are several potential risks with a diet regime that calls for such drastic cuts in carbohydrates, and has also been linked to heart disease and osteoporosis.

On this study, obese men were put on one of three different diets, eating either a low, medium or high level of carbohydrate.
The men on the high-carb regime consumed 400g of carbohydrate a day, which is the same as an average diet. Those on the low-carb diet only consumed 24g a day, this being equivalent to starting the Atkins diet.

It was this group, the low-carbohydrate diet that had a fourfold drop in the level of cancer fighting bacteria in their stomachs. Professor Flint said ‘The changes in butyrate production that we observed in this study are the largest ever reported in a human dietary trial.’ He also said that it was likely the results would be exactly the same in women.

I believe we should all eat a varied diet to maintain good health, and even when trying to lose weight should still continue eating a good balanced diet. Good Food really is beneficial for continuous good health and should be a priority for all of us.

Eating a healthy diet has become the golden rule in our house – ‘good food good health’, and even our children recognise the benefits now they are older, although it was difficult to maintain at times.

Annie Anderson, nutritional adviser to the Bowel Cancer UK charity, said ‘there is little merit in low carbohydrate diets, apart from the fact that they can help people to lose weight.’

‘Cutting down long term on fruits and fibre- for example in bread, as this report shows doing so is likely to have a negative impact on your bowel health and may increase the risk of bowel cancer’.

Previous studies have blamed the Atkins diet for causing constipation through the lack of fibre eaten during the diet, which can raise the risk of bowel cancer. This is caused through the lack of fibre, meaning that the food moves much more slowly through the gut.

The Atkins diet is based on the theory that cutting carbohydrates changes the body’s chemistry, turning it from a carbohydrate burning machine in to one that burns fat instead.

This low-carb diet craze became popular in the 1990′s when Dr Robert Atkins wrote and published his book Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution, and still is one of the top ten diets used today.

Scientists and medical professionals say that bowel cancer is on the rise and fear that this diet could have an input on this, but with greater awareness of the disease and early detection, more people are surviving.

So remember, all foods can be eaten in a small amount or as a treat, and some should be treated only as that, and that continuously eating one type of ‘foods’ can only do us harm.

So why not make our ‘good food good health’ slogan yours as well, and put it into practice next time you are in the supermarket. Now is a great time of year for local fresh produce, you will be surprised
how much fresher fruit and vegetables are at you local farm shop, and better for the environment with less carbon trail and packaging.

I am a great believer that we should all eat a balanced diet, to keep our bodies in tiptop condition. We all know that bowel cancer is on the increase in the UK, but let’s get our diets right and give ourselves a greater fighting chance to keep bowel cancer at bay

Do not forget good food is good health

Sandra & Ted

A large number of men define their masculinity and self worth using the skill to perform sexually. They think men are weak and embarrassing if they are faced with erectile dysfunction (ED) problems. In our modern days there is no longer a need to be suffering from ED.

ED becomes a more common condition as men age. Experts evaluate that about half of men older than 40 years have at least modest problems in achieving and maintaining an erection. Taking into consideration the US male population, that means erectile dysfunction may affect about 18 million men.

Nobody knows yet exactly why ED happens but the consequences are very serious in some cases.

A research team conducted by a scientist working for the manufacturer of Viagra concluded that men had problems in maintaining a relationship had important troubles related to depression, anxiety and self-esteem. After 10 weeks of treating erectile dysfunction, members of trial group restored self-esteem and improved their depression and anxiety condition.

Of course ED treatment is beneficial for people in need and many trials have confirmed the life improvements. But more important is to try to prevent this uncomfortable situation.

More and more studies confirmed that every man can avoid the physical factors that cause erectile dysfunction with just a little effort. A healthy lifestyle is very important to prevent these kind of troubles. Avoid smoking, excessive use of alcohol and high fat foods. Keep the body weight in normal limits, maintain the cholesterol and blood pressure at low level and go exercising daily.

Life insurance is a type of insurance that offers protection to people and their families, in case of unexpected death of the earner. The policyholder has to make periodic fixed payments to the insurance company in order to keep the policy alive. The insurance company in turn, promises to compensate the beneficiaries named in the policy, in the unfortunate event of the policyholder’s death. These contracts or insurance policies are written for the customers with the help of insurance agents. Insurance agents are representatives of the insurance company that assesses the needs of the people and recommend the best-suited policy. The best life insurance agents specialize in selling life insurance policies and therefore, posses all the expertise and knowledge to assist their customers in choosing the right policy.

The best life insurance agents have the knowledge of their product and the market, to guide their customers towards the most affordable life insurance policy. Life insurance agents need to have a license to sell life insurance in any state, provided by the state’s regulatory body. Life insurance agents can also sell life insurance policies that double up as a securities product. However, in order to sell such products, agents need to have a securities license as well, along with a state insurance license.

The life insurance agents who are the best in the business also become members of certain associations to serve their clients better. For instance, a membership of the National Association of Life Underwriters (NALU) signifies that, the agent maintains the ethical and professional standards in his practice.

Life insurance agents can also study many life insurance and family financial courses to enhance their knowledge of the market. The qualifications mentioned after the name of the agent, indicates the courses they have taken. Some of these qualifications are FIC (Fraternal Insurance Counselor), CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter) and LUTCF (Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow). These courses are aimed at helping the life insurance agents serve their clients in the best way possible.