Editors Note: This post is written by our elite performance specialist Andrew Verdon. Andrew has completed a Diploma in Exercise Science, Certificate IV in Fitness, Level 1 Strength Coaching Qualifications with ASCA. He is currently completing a Post Grad Diploma in Applied Science (Elite Sports Training) and will go on to do a Masters in Recovery.

Some recent research has further emphasized the need for a proper cool down after intense exercise. Japanese researchers looked at the effect of  light activity after an intense exercise session on rugby players. While they found it difficult to validate the of  impact any physical recovery on the players they did find the recovery work acted as a mood booster and left the players with a positive feeling afterwards.

Why would this happen? I think even though the positive benefits reported were mental there is still a  physical process going on here. I do believe a proper warm/cool down  mentally gives you a chance to “switch” off after an intense engaging workout or session.

Physically the light exercise will enable the waste products  produced (during the chemical processes of energy creation) to be removed more effectively and will flood the blood supply (including the brain) with freshly oxygenated blood.

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Tagged As: cool down, exercise, firness, Workout

If you’ve been stuck in an exercise rut, repeating the same old exercises, with barely any results, then maybe your body needs to be shocked by something new and different. Cross training is a workout that constantly changes, working all systems in the body from musculo-skeletal and cardiovascular. What’s the benefit? A body like Jose and Juanita over there, fit and strong with the explosive power of a leopard!

What is cross training?

You can read the dictionary definition of cross training, however, I like to call it the ultimate ‘Smash-em-up’ session! You know those days when you’ve got pent up stress, or you are feeling down, they are the best days to get into that gym (or lounge room) and go NUTS! Crank up the music, don’t worry what other people may think (security may be called) because when cross training you do whatever it takes to get your heart leaping out of your chest, and sometimes that means going crazy!!

Cross training is the combining of different exercises for different parts of the body that will improve strength, agility, fitness, and power. It usually involves big compound movements where multiple joints are working at once which elevates the heart rate giving the person a cardiovascular and strength workout at the same time. Explosive movements, such as jumping, build strength and fitness at the same time which is the ultimate aim.
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Tagged As: Cross training, exercise, fitness, strength, tone, Weight loss

Editors Note: This post is written by contributor Vin Miller. Vin is a certified health practitioner who is passionate about helping people get the most out of life. If you’d like to learn more about maximizing your life through health, fitness and perspective, visit his blog at NaturalBias.com or read about vin on the About Page.

There is much more to stress than the mental frustration that most people associate with it. It’s bad enough that the fast pace of modern life exposes us to significant amounts of anxiety and frustration, but what most people don’t realize is that it doesn’t end there.

Stress is often regarded as a negative state of mind, but that’s not always the case. In fact, we need it to survive, and in some cases, it results from a positive occurrence. It’s when we experience excessive amounts of stress on a regular basis that it becomes a problem.

The Physiology of Stress

Our autonomic nervous system controls many of the functions that keep us alive without us thinking about it. Breathing is one example of such a function that is essential to staying alive but impossible to forget. The autonomic nervous system is split into a parasympathetic branch and a sympathetic branch.
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Tagged As: exercise, nervous system, Stress

Editors Note: This post is written by contributer Andrew Verdon. Andrew has completed a Diploma in Exercise Science, Certificate IV in Fitness, Level 1 Strength Coaching Qualifications with ASCA. He is currently completing a Post Grad Diploma in Applied Science (Elite Sports Training) and will go on to do a Masters in Recovery.

All of us know the benefits of regular exercise and most of us are keen to exercise regularly but too often “stuff” gets in the way.

The main excuse I hear is lack of time but other excuses include lack of motivation, boredom, no energy, no access to a gym – in fact the list of excuses can be as endless as your lack of progress and results.

So what can we do to overcome these obstacles? Here’s my top seven tips to overcome these obstacles:

1. Time – make it a priority

All of us have busy lives – school, uni, work commitments, family, social and other responsibilities. Exercise time often comes very low on the list of demands on our time. The most successful people I see are those who schedule exercise into their week. They have a standing time every week and do not miss these sessions – no matter the weather or their location. Treat your session like a dentist appointment- would you blow this appointment off in your saw it in your diary? No you would show up as you know it is important.

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Tagged As: exercise, Motivation, program, Training

Have you ever wondered what exactly the celebrities do to stay so hot and sexy? One magazine company FitnesMagazine.com have collated over 50 celebrity workouts straight from the celebrity trainers. It’s very kitch but you can try Demi Moore’s Butt workout, or Uma Thurman’s Shoulder exercises. Maybe you’d like to know how Angelina Jolie trains her legs and abs!?! There are some silly exercises in there but also some good variations of the traditional exercises such as twisting lunges (Angelina Jolie). I particularly like this video of a variation of the twisting crunch, called The Rockette. Try it, it’s actually quite effective. Watch your lower back though…

Tagged As: celebrity, exercise, fitness, Hollywood

Truth be told, no amount of abdominal crunches will get rid of your love handles. Spending 30mins on a treadmill will do more for that spare tyre than 30mins of crunches. If you want to lose the annoying flab around your middle, first determine is it fat or muscle. If you bear down and grab the loose skin around your belly button, that is not muscle, it is fat (and skin). Dig deep with your fingers and you will feel the muscle. Does that feel firm or flabby? In fact most of us have a pretty good six pack, it’s sometimes just hidden under a doona of body fat!

The core abdominal muscles underneath our body fat are extremely important for stabilizing our entire body and protecting our backs from injury. They can certainly affect the shape of our torso even if there is excess body fat around them. So just because you can’t spot

reduce fat, doesn’t mean you skip your abs session, you still should be doing some strengthening of your core. Your internal and external oblique muscles (see diagram) are responsible for any twisting movement your torso makes. They stabilize the trunk and help protect the back. Well defined obliques help to narrow the waist giving men the V shape they want and women their sexy hour glass figure. Follow these five effective oblique exercises and your sides will be aching tomorrow!

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Tagged As: abdominals, abs, core stability, exercise, fitness, Weight loss