Wednesday 30 December 2009

A Fighting Workout

Here are 4 Workout tips used by martial arts fighters notably the UFC.
Bar Bell Push
Get a barbell that is 80% of your on rep max and lie on a bench. Lift it up as high as you can, then slowly lower it down to your chest while inhaling. Then push it up as powerfully as you can while keeping your arms straight.
Reps - 10-12
Squat Press
Stand on a bosu ball with your feet shoulder width apart. Then slowly raise your arms so they are parallel to the ground. Bend you knees and hips to lower yourself in the squat position while keeping your arms straight. Try and go as low as you can, then rinse and repeat.
Reps – 10-12
Skipping
Skipping requires a lot of hand eye co-ordination and involves a lot of practice before you can move fluently between each swing of the rope. When you have had enough practice and feel competent, mix up your swings with different styles (Double Jumps, Split leg, Single – leg hops).
Time – 2 Minutes
Bosu Ball Pull
Firstly place your right hand on the bosu ball then your knee with a light bar bell in your left hand. With the light barbell in your left hand raise it in a rowing motion towards yourself, while making sure your core is tight all the way through. A bosu ball is suitable for people of all ages; they are used to train your balance and aerobic activities.
Reps -10-12

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Tuesday 29 December 2009

You CAN do it! The Power of Positive Thinking

We all get bogged down with our daily Stress and activities but thinking positively is a way to minimise these threats and keep us in good health. It’s true that scientific research has found that people who are most positive recover from surgery faster and suffer less pain when they are ill. This can be true for many situations and roles of life. Try these tips to give yourself a positive outlook on life.
1. Know you are Successful
When you have good feelings about yourself, don’t let negative thoughts come across and ruin it. Try and embrace all you can and believe that you are successful at what you do and what you plan to do. Everyone is successful at something in one way or another, just have belief in yourself.
2. Look at the Solutions, Not Problems
When you have done something wrong or badly don’t look for excuses, these will cause you to make more mistakes as you continually blame it on outlying events or circumstances. Instead look at how you can solve this and really use your imagination; you’ll be surprised at what you can think of.
3. Go ahead reward yourself
Completing even a small task will give you positive energy; every great idea starts with one small step. Experiencing results builds trust in yourself and will give you a further positive outlook on life. Every time you do a task reward yourself with a chocolate or anything that motivates you, this may well be a reason to carry on.
4. Intentionally Speak Positively
Try and remove any negative thinking you have about events in the past and present and move towards a more constructional point of view. Look at what you have learnt from the event and try and correct it. For example losing a client may seem quite bad at first but it will free up time to potentially find a bigger one and you could be more motivated.
5. Change Where you are to Change What You DO.
People get accustomed to similar places and so develop similar habits associated with that environment. Try to move to a new place even if it’s just another room, like a study room or maybe even the local coffee shop. It will spark new ideas and bring about a new creativity and outlook on your work and challenges. It will help you think more clearly and remove any negativity associated with your old working spot.

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Thursday 24 December 2009

10 Reasons Why You Should Eat a Banana

It has been known for many a time that bananas are good for your health, and are a fantastic snack. Here are some information and tips that will hopefully remind you how important eating fruit but in this case a banana is.

1. Gives you an Energy Boost
The combination of slow energy releasing carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose and sucrose, not forgetting fibre, makes the banana ideal for an immediate and slightly prolonged source of energy. Have one 30 minutes before a workout or even at breakfast to give you energy at the start of the day.


2. Put You in a Better Mood.
Bananas contain tryptophan, an amino acid (Protein) that the body uses to convert to serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that is responsible for boosting your mood and making you feel happier. People who suffer from depression have low serotonin levels, so a simple snack like this can help.

3. Reducing High Blood Pressure
Bananas are brilliant for people with high blood pressure since they contain a lot of potassium and hardly any salt, therefore having a perfect ratio to combat high blood pressure. Since this has been heavily proven, the US food and drug administration has allowed the banana industry to make official claims about the fruits abilities to lower high blood pressure.


4. Giving You Stress Relief
Potassium in the banana is used to normalise the heartbeat and naturally regulate the body’s water balance. When you are stressed mentally or physically, the body uses the stores of potassium and depletes it from the body. This is bad for you since it’s the third most abundant mineral in the body. Bananas are an easy way to replenish these supplies rather than medication.


5. Helps you quit Smoking
If you are looking for a fruit that helps you quit smoking, consider the banana. They contain the vitamins B6 and B12 which also contains magnesium: These substances help the body recover from nicotine withdrawal, a good alternative to nicotine patches.

6. Keeping Healthy Bones
Bananas are a remarkably rich source of fructooligosaccharide, a compound that nourishes friendly bacteria in the colon. Thanks to this helpful bacteria is produces enzymes that increase our digestive systems ability to protect us from unhealthy infections and bacteria. When the compound is absorbed it increases the number of these enzymes and their functionality, which helps the body absorb calcium,


7. Protecting Your Eyesight
According to the research published in the Archives of Ophthalmology intake of three pieces of fruit daily can reduce the risk of ARMD (Age related macular degeneration) the primary cause of vision loss in older adults by upto 36%. That’s compared to people who eat 1.5 portions daily.


8. Restoring Nutrients from Diarrhea
Thanks to bananas containing a lot of fibre, it helps the body restore normal bowel activity and function. During Diarrhea the body is deprived of important electrolytes and fluids (One of the majors being Potassium). Many deaths are caused a year due to Diarrhea an estimated 1.1 Million from the ages 5 and up.


9. Helps you Avoid Gaining Weight
Researches have found that the most obese people are the ones that work in high pressure jobs and use food as a comforter. To avoid this stress be sure to eat snacks like bananas high in carbohydrates and potassium, it will also stop your craving temporarily.

10. Morning After Cure
A fast way to do it would be to make a banana milkshake with traces of honey. Bananas simulate the cells on the internal stomach lining to produce a thicker mucus which protects the body from acids. With honey or a sugar of your choice it will keep blood sugar levels up and stop you from feeling sick. More on foods that stop high blood pressure highs and lows Here.

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Tuesday 22 December 2009

Get What You Want Successfully, in a Dispute

1. Actively Listen

Being able to listen fully to what they are saying is the very first procedure you should take. It will show you care and are willing to negotiate and understand why they are reacting this way. Firstly you must seek to understand before being understood” as this is vital to the relation to the person and also to your argument. Since many people use emotion rather than logic in arguments, it’s best not to ask questions just to try and settle the emotions and bring them to your point of view.

2. Value their opinion

Wherever possible try and listen and talk with empathy especially in a personal dispute. One technique to use is to reiterate what they say and communicate that you understand what they are saying “but my point is…” this will leave them more open to think about your point since you are with theirs.

3. Try and Relate

There will always be something you can agree on no matter what. Finding common ground is a good way to sway the other person to your side, as they realise you aren’t droning on about what you want. For example I and a friend had an argument over the irony that rage against the machine got number one and beat a major corporation when they used Facebook (The biggest social site) and didn’t understand the hype. I agreed with him and said I could see the irony and that me myself is not a rage fan but there should be hype because people made a stand and stopped x factor getting number one, for the 5th year in a row.

4. Think Win/Win not Win/Lose

When you gruellingly get your point across even if you were right, you have upset the other person. This situation may be perceived as a win/lose situation but really it’s a lose/lose one, which will cause stress and negative emotions. The facts being you have destroyed your trust bank and respect from that person in a matter of minutes. A good negotiation is where both parties walk away happily and have each others interests in tact but most importantly the relationship.

5. Final Thing to Avoid…

After the dispute don’t gloat or do anything that makes it seem as you ‘Won’. It will make your task 10x harder the next time one opinion is raised against another. The only real win in a dispute as I mentioned earlier is one where both people come to an agreement and are happy, this is win/win.

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Saturday 5 December 2009

Tips on How to End a Relationship.



You have tried so hard to keep it going but as heart-breaking it is, you know it won’t work. Now there is no time to waste and you need to get to the point. This may be especially hard for some people to do, when you have loved them and had big dreams with them. Just try and take some courage to follow these steps.

Be 100% Certain and Don’t go Back.

When ending a serious relationship it should only even be considered when you are 100% confident it’s what you want. One of the biggest and hardest mistakes to overcome is leaving someone then giving out the wrong messages. Getting back together almost never works as there was a good reason for it, and you may have forgotten its influence on your decision. It will lead to an on and off relationship which is unfair and cruel on the both of you.

Where Should it be Done?

The best possible places to end a relationship are where you can leave. An ideal place would be her place or a quiet spot at the park. This is especially important if tears and anger are going to be involved. This is so all of your attention is focused on her and there are no distractions, including the radio, tv and any sounds etc or even women.

What you should say?

When you are in a quiet place at hers or the park etc, don’t start with small talk to postpone what is eventually going to happen. Stay calm and get straight to the point, while being clear and concise. You should then expect her to be shocked, surprised, emotional and maybe even aggressive. Don’t expect logical answers especially when this is an emotional conversation and should be taken very softly.

What you must avoid?

The number one thing you must beware of, is listing bad things about her and why she ruined the relationship. Even if its true forget it, it will turn into a nasty argument where both of you will be biting at each others necks. Another one is to not mention anyone else and tell the truth no matter what. Don’t take some rubbish out of movies and start saying “Its not you it’s me” that wont work. A much more effective method at soothing the tense atmosphere is to blame it on outside factors and never use self blame or personal reasons. Try to avoid contact with her at all costs this will spark a lot of confusion and unnecessary rethinking.

As a final note you should try and visualise the best you can how you want the meeting to go. You should want it to be fast, clear and for her to understand the situation calmly. Best of Luck.

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