Can you spot the Super Food

Can you spot the Super Food

         Super food?

There is no universally accepted definition of a “super food,” and some health organizations, including the American Dietetic Association and the American Heart Association, take the position that there are no true "super foods." However, certain foods are rich in nutrients and have been shown to promote good health. The ADA also recognizes that rather than focusing on individual foods as a key to good health, your overall eating pattern is most important to a healthy eating style.

         The primary focus of your diet should not be to eat as many “super foods” as possible.

Rather than focusing on specific foods, you should make sure your overall dietary pattern includes a wide variety of healthy, nutrient-rich foods.

         Eggs are a good source of Vitamin D

Vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium and can help reduce the risk of bone fractures, is found naturally in few foods: eggs and fatty fish. (Fortified foods, such as milk, cereals, and orange juice, are also good sources.) One egg can provide at least 10% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D and is also a good source of protein, providing about 12% of the recommended daily allowance.

         Salmon is the best source of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids.

Salmon is an excellent source of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for heart health, brain function, and normal growth and development, but the body can’t make these fatty acids very efficiently. Salmon is also rich in protein and healthy fats and is considered low in mercury. (Young children and women who are pregnant or nursing should avoid eating fish with higher levels of mercury, including shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish.)

         Almonds, Peanuts and Walnuts contain healthy unsaturated fats, fiber, and protein.

Eating certain types of nuts, including almonds, pistachios and walnuts, may help reduce the risk of heart disease. They contain heart-healthy unsaturated fat and may help lower LDL, or bad, cholesterol. Walnuts also contain a plant form of omega-3 fatty acids, almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E, and peanuts are a good source of niacin; all of them are good sources of protein and fiber. But while nuts are a good substitute for chips or other less healthy snacks, they do have a lot of calories (pistachios, 82 calories per oz; almonds, 165 calories per oz; walnuts, 185 per oz). So don’t add them to your diet without making sure to reduce calories somewhere else.

         In addition to being high in antioxidants, blueberries are also a good source Vitamin C and fiber.

Blueberries are among the best sources of antioxidants per serving and are a good source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, and manganese. Antioxidants help protect the body from damage caused by molecules called free radicals that are associated with such diseases as cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's. Recent studies also have linked eating berries to a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

10 Bodyweight Exercises you can do anywhere !

This is our trimmed list of body weight exercises, which can be performed by anyone and anywhere.  Bodyweight exercises listed here  are simple, less time consuming way to keep fit.  We have tried to include at least one exercise to cover every part of the body, try it now !. 


1. Inchworm: Stand up tall with the legs straight,. Keeping the legs straight (but not locked!), slowly lower the torso toward the floor, and then walk the hands forward. Once in a push-up position, start taking tiny steps so the feet meet the hands. 

2. Mountain Climber: Starting on your hands and knees, bring the left foot forward directly under the chest while straightening the right leg. Keeping the hands on the ground and core tight, jump and switch legs. The left leg should now be extended behind the body with the right knee forward.

3. Burpees: One of the most effective full-body exercises around, this one starts out in a low squat position with hands on the floor. Next, kick the feet back to a push-up position, complete one push-up, then immediately return the feet to the squat position. Leap up as high as possible before squatting and moving back into the push-up portion of the show.

4. Wall Sit: Slowly slide your back down a wall until the thighs are parallel to the ground. Make sure the knees are directly above the ankles and keep the back straight. Go for 60 seconds per set.

Total Body Warm Up Workout Routine

Pre-workout cardio and stretching is often grossly underestimated in importance. 

When warming up, a stretch position should not be held for longer than 10 – 15 seconds. When doing a preworkout stretch routine, a short hold is enough to loosen up stiff muscles, but it is not enough to loosen up a joint. 

Stretches done with the intention of increasing range of motion (corrective stretching) should be done after a full length exercise routine, when muscles are fully warmed - or at periods of the day when you have a significant amount of time before your next bout of rigorous physical activity.

For warming up, you should never hold stretches for an elongated period of time as this can expand and loosen joints making them more susceptible to injury. 

Though different studies have debated back and forth about the benefit of stretching cold muscles before jumping straight into a strenuous workout, gentle cardio and working the range of motion of joints is inarguably a good way to start any kind of exercise routine. 

When you go from a standstill directly into some kind of high intensity cardio that raises your heart rate and engages your muscles without a warming up, it causes a greater amount of stress on your body. This is because when your heart tries to circulate your blood supply through constricted blood vessels to feed your muscle tissue, it meets resistance and causes your blood pressure to spike momentarily. 

Aside from potential health repercussions, this can also interfere with your fitness progress by leading to premature fatiguing, because your body has to catch up to the demands of blood and oxygen flow that your muscles are requiring.

This short total body routine engages a multitude of muscle groups in a way that steadily increases blood flow and flexibility, rather than shocking your system with positions that tax the muscles before they are ready, or before you jump straight into a full blown cardio routine.

This would also serve as a great cool down workout. If you want to use this as a cool down, do the cardio component at the beginning of the workout, rather than at the end.

Reference : www.fitnessblender.com

19 Tips for Lifting Weights for Martial Arts

1. Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes on the treadmill, stairmaster, etc. Heading straight for the weights without warming up is a good way to get injured, ESPECIALLY in cold climates. If your main goal is strength development then only go hard enough to break a light sweat. If your main goal is to build strength and endurance then go as hard as you can.

2. Exercise selection: push something off your body (e.g. bench press), pull something towards your body (e.g. pull-ups), bend your arms (e.g. dumbbell curls), straighten your arms (e.g. dips), push something away with your legs (e.g. squat), bend your legs (e.g. hamstring curl), work your calves (e.g. calf raises), bend your body forward (crunches), bend your body backwards (e.g. hyperextensions). You DON”T need to do three different exercises for your biceps when starting out.

3. Do at least one ‘warmup’ set for each exercise, followed by two to three ‘working’ sets.

4. Do your heaviest, hardest exercises early in the workout. Do squats before leg curls, do pull-ups before bicep curls.

5. The squat is one of the most important exercises for overall strength development, but make sure that your form is good. Don’t let the knees wobble, don’t let the ass come up before the head, make sure that you can go down with your knees somewhere between 90 degrees bent and thighs parallel (even if you have to go lighter).

Fitness Dos and Don'ts

1. No pain, no gain = False

Exercise doesn't have to hurt to help you get in shape. If you’re a beginner, start slowly. A little muscle soreness is normal in the beginning, so don’t let it keep you from exercising. But if you have severe pain, stop exercising until it goes away. If it doesn't, see a medical professional before you start up again.

2. Which is the most balanced exercise plan?

Walking, weight lifting, and yoga would be the most balanced exercise plan because it has three different types of exercise: aerobic/cardio (walking), strength training (weight lifting), and flexibility training (yoga). All three are important. Aerobic or "cardio" (walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, tennis, basketball) boosts the strength of your heart and lungs; strength or “resistance” training (weight lifting, resistance band exercises, etc.) help to keep your muscles and bones strong, and help with balance and coordination; and flexibility exercises (yoga, stretching, tai chi) can improve your range of motion and reduce your risk for injury.

3. Do your cardio exercises before your strength training = False

There is no "correct" order for cardio and strength-training exercises but it may make a difference if you have a specific goal in mind. If your primary goal is endurance, do cardio first. If it’s building strength or burning calories, do resistance training first. This gives your body the energy to focus on your main target. The most important thing is to get enough of both types of exercise every week.

4. You'll get more fit doing 30 straight minutes of exercise than by doing 10 minutes three times a day = False 

Start Your Day Off Right: The 15-Minute Bodyweight Workout

Have you ever intended to work out in the afternoon or evening but didn’t get a chance to and were bummed that exercising that day was a wash?

Or maybe you have a tough time getting started in the morning and feel sluggish throughout your day.

Luckily, you don’t have to spend hours in the gym to experience the benefits of working out. And you don’t need any machines or weights either — you can get a great workout in your house or apartment.

I highly recommend that all men find time for a short bout of exercise first thing every morning. By starting your day with the 15-minute (or less) workout below, your body will release endorphins that promote brain function, and improve focus and creativity. You’re going to have a boost in energy, and also a boost in metabolism, helping you burn more fat throughout the rest of your work day. Making a short bodyweight workout part of your morning routine will have you heading into your day feeling at the top of your game.

Plus, by starting your day off with at least some physical activity, if you have to miss your gym session later on, at least you’ll have this workout under your belt. It’s a good feeling and guarantees that you’ve done something active and healthy each day.

FITNESS MOTIVATIONS FROM MOVIES

Movies often offer great inspiration. They remain a tremendous temporary escape from reality and take us to a place of immense imagination. When a movie moves you, it is rarely forgotten and the lasting impression can be good motivation to either be more confident, more inspiring, or more heroic.

Throughout the years there has been no shortage of fitness motivations from movies. As you become lost in the story, scenery or special effects of a great film, the hero (and sometimes villain) often presents as an awesome catalyst for fitness. How else could someone save the World if they were not in great shape? Of course, it is possible to save the world with strength of character and love, but the actors we see before us on the big screen encourage us to strive for a stronger, fitter body.

There is nothing wrong with seeing a shining example of physical fitness and wanting to look that way yourself. It’s human nature to want to look and feel your best, and if movies can be the fitness motivation you need, by all means use it! You deserve to be fitter and stronger, not just for vanity’s sake, but for your health.

Here are some examples of fitness motivations from movies. Keep in mind that these actors and actresses worked extremely hard to look this way. Reaching your goals will only come once you dedicate yourself and commit to a consistent workout routine.

Photo from: wallpaperscraft.com

Gerard Butler 300 – The King of Sparta spared no expense in training for this movie. He took on a warrior’s mentality and trained for 4 straight months for the flick.

Ryan Reynolds Blade: Trinity – Reynolds was already in good shape, so spending 6 months with weapons and strength training for the final Blade film took him to another level. He adopted a high-protein diet to compensate for all the workouts and ate between 6-8 evenly spread out meals a day.

Chris Evans Captain America – Evans got so buffed-up for this role, the director had to use a body double for pre-Captain America. Evans face was placed on the body using the same special effects used for the twins in The Social Network.His workout was geared toward muscle mass. Like Ryan Reynolds, he was already in good shape (see The Fantastic Four). 

Let’s not forget the ladies! These ladies consistently train hard for their roles: