Muscle Toning for Women

When looking into muscle toning for women, women are
surprised by many findings. Not only are women unable to
build bulky muscles, as they may have feared, but they also
are surprised to see that muscle toning can actually help
them lose weight better than cardio exercise. With muscle
toning for women, you can create the body of your dreams
without having to starve yourself in the process.

The key to muscle toning for women is that you need to
realize what the results of building muscle will be. When
you break down your muscles, they will build back up,
creating more strength. These new muscles need to burn more
energy in order to remain strong and healthy – and they
burn this energy in the form of calories. As you increase
the toning of your body, you increase your muscle mass,
which means you'll be burning more calories at rest than
you do right now. And when this happens, you can eat more
without gaining weight or you can eat the same amount as
you are right now and lose weight.

The trick with muscle toning for women is that you want to
learn how to create muscle mass. This means that you need
to learn basic strength training exercises that will help
stress your muscles. To be even more effective, you should
learn how to lift weights for their larger muscles – i.e.
glutes and thighs. Because these muscles are larger, they
can help to burn more fat and calories when they are
strengthened through regular workouts. Try to find a
fitness program that focuses on your major muscle groups
instead of just your specific 'trouble' areas. You will
want to know now that you can not spot reduce areas with
toning exercises.

To properly fuel these new muscles, a muscle toning for
women program should include a diet that's filled with lean
protein options and moderate fat grams. This isn't about
starving yourself to become slimmer, but rather fueling
your body so that it can make muscle as well as burn fat at
the same time. Drink plenty of water and eat a balanced
diet that contains whole grains, vegetables, and fruits as
well. Since women need calcium, low fat dairy products are
also recommended. Try to eat about 10 calories per pound
for your goal weight. So, if you want to weight 130 pounds,
you should try to eat around 1300 calories each day. If you
find that you're really hungry on that plan, try to eat
just one hundred calories more to see if that sates you.

When muscle toning for women, you should realize that it's
the most effective way to get in shape without torturing
yourself. By following these easy tips, you're going to
uncover the body of your dreams – slimmer and stronger is a
great combination.

----------------------------------------------------
Machelle Lee owns and operates, The Invisible Gym in Santa
Cruz, CA. Her mission is to inspire people to become
physically active and enjoy the benefits of a balanced,
healthy lifestyle. For more information and questions you
can visit her website.

http://www.the-invisible-gym.com/

Natural Pain Relief Safety and Benefits

Pain can be experienced as a result of old age, physical
illness, extensive exercise, overwork, heavy lifting,
strained muscles or broken bones. Pain triggers a region of
the brain known as the lateral occipital complex, reducing
a person's ability to concentrate and accurately recognize
images, i.e. our ability to think and perceive properly.
Pain also interferes with our ability to cope with life
emotionally, e.g. sadness, irritation and perhaps
depression and hopelessness. Supermarkets and pharmacies
have aisles and aisles of pills, powders and bandages to
help with pain relief. Some common pain relief medication
can cause mild side effects like drowsiness or nausea.
Other pain relief medications are prescribed and can have
even more serious side effects. Drugs like vicodin and
percocet are prescription, heavy duty narcotic pain relief
pills that are addictive and dangerous if not taken
carefully. New studies suggest those drugs that block pain
could also be stimulating receptors that cause pain as well.

A safer option for society's pain relief is the variety of
all natural products. These all natural products aid in
pain relief for muscle and joint pain, as well as relax the
body for a general improvement of the body and soul. Some
examples of natural pain relief products are vitamins,
supplements, herbs, ointments, creams and even bath
formulas to reduce inflammation

Both glucosamine and chondroiton are a nutritional approach
to maintaining the fluids needed to lubricate joints and
cartilage. . Glucosamine is an amino found in the body that
stimulates growth of new cartilage and can also help to
reduce joint pain. People using glucosamine experienced as
much pain relief as those taking over-the-counter
medications. Antioxidants such as glutathione can help
tissue recover from inflammation. The antioxidant
acetyl-cystine, a precursor to glutathione, can reduce pain
from nerve damage. There are widely known natural and
herbal remedies for pain relief. These include varying
amounts and combinations of "Devil's Claw", Willow Bark,
Boswellia, Camomile, Bromelain, Oil of Oregano, Cayenne
Pepper, Nettle leaf, St. John's Wort, arnica gel, celadrin,
hyaluronic acid, collagen, msm and natural pain relief
formulas to reduce neuropathic pain.

Bromelain is particularly useful for reducing muscle and
tissue inflammation and as a digestive aid. Supplements are
made from enzymes found in the pineapple stem. Bromelain is
believed to be an effective blood thinner and
anti-inflammatory that works by breaking down fibrin, a
blood-clotting protein that can interfere with good
circulation and stop tissues from releasing used material
and toxins properly. Bromelain also blocks the production
of compounds that can cause swelling and pain. When
inflammation is reduced, blood can move more easily to a
traumatized area, Bomelain can help reduce muscle and joint
pain, reduce swelling, bruising, redness and drain excess
fluid from the injured area.

Sleep disturbance is one of the most common experiences for
people with chronic pain. It may not always be that the
pain itself prevents a good night's sleep. Some studies
suggest that poor sleep makes the pain worse. In fact, one
study in healthy men found they grew more sensitive to
painful stimuli when deprived of sleep. There are many
natural sleep aids available to facilitate a good night's
sleep that do not carry the risk of morning after
drowsiness, dependence, or impaired thinking or physical
ability.

As mentioned earlier, pain can also interfere with one's
ability to cope emotionally, concentrate, and perceive
properly. Pain may arouse fear, sadness, irritation,
moderate depression and decrease one's ability to give and
hold attention. There are a wide variety of natural
supplements and formulas to help increase oxygen and
serotonin to our brain to help us remain calm and alert.
These natural supplements include may also be pain
relieving as well as mood enhancing at the same time e.g.
St. John's Wort, acytl-cystine, and other antioxidants and
amino acids that improve general circulation and promote
healing as well as enhancing brain function.

Hydrotherapy, i.e. the use of water for relieving stress,
tension, and muscle aches, is an ancient and widely used
form of natural pain relief. There are natural elements
that can be added to our warm, soaking baths to increase
water's natural ability to relieve pain. There are also
many aromatherapy bath products, e.g. sea salts, minerals,
and oils, that not only help with pain relief but also
provide therapeutic aromas that help soothe our emotional
well being and emotional ability to cope with pain.

There are many topical and ingestion natural supplements
and formulas available to help us relieve and cope with
pain. These natural substances do not present a risk of
harmful or unwanted side effects e.g. dependence,
drowsiness, pain increase, etc., as do some prescription
synthetic drugs. Natural pain relief supplements can
actually help eliminate the source and cause of pain, i.e.
aid healing, as well as reducing the feeling and
experience of pain. Often natural pain relief supplements
provide additional benefits, beyond pain relief, for
improving our overall health in general.

----------------------------------------------------
Jennifer has more than twenty years experience with natural
pain relief products. More information about natural pain
relief and products is available at =>
http://www.sweetmedicineessentials.com/natural-pain-relief-c
-10.html

Massage & Massage Therapy: The Fountain of Youth.

Is there such a thing as the fountain of youth?

The traditional view of the fountain of youth is wrapped up
in the mystical notion of ancient secrets and rites being
passed down through generations of Tibetan monks living a
life of blissful solitude somewhere high up in the
Himalayas… Unfortunately, this romantic notion has been
hijacked by some very persuasive advertising from cosmetic
companies who'd have us believe that they've discovered the
secrets of the fountain of youth, and that the fast track
to looking young and youthful is only ever a pill or a
potion away.

Don't get me wrong, I fork out far too much money on
lotions and potions myself, so I'm not immune to the power
of a good anti wrinkle cream sales pitch. (I'm not sure
about the pills though!)

Where I part company with the lotions and potions
fraternity though, is that I believe the fountain of youth
really does exist, I just happen to have a more abstract
view of it.

Certainly lotions and potions have a role to play in terms
of moisturising and cleansing, but I'm afraid I can't quite
believe that they have age-reversing properties.

It really is one of life's great truths that beauty lies
within. And the person who appreciates that fact is already
on to a winner. If you think you're beautiful then you are.
Having this level of acceptance comes from having a good
appreciation of who you are and offers a glimpse at your
level of self-esteem.

Unfortunately having high self-esteem is not the norm for
the vast majority of us, which leads to quick and
comforting fixes such as the aforementioned lotions,
potions and pills.

If I really had to offer my own opinion, I'd suggest that
the fountain of youth is flowing within us all. Our
thoughts lay the foundations of our own self worth and in
case you didn't know it, you can control them. Weed out the
negatives and encourage the positives. Eat healthy foods,
take regular exercise and look in the mirror and tell
yourself you're beautiful.

Go a step further and give yourself a helping hand. Give
yourself a massage. Start with a facial and when your
confidence improves, go for a full massage. Massage
enhances the skin condition by improving the function of
the sebaceous and sweat glands, which keep the skin
lubricated, clean, and cool. (and young looking!) In
addition, by giving yourself a massage, you will be
igniting and releasing naturally occurring wonder drugs
called endorphins which induce a wonderful state of
euphoria. There are few other therapies that produce such
positive and potentially life changing results as massage
and massage therapy. Results can be dramatic or subtle,
visible or invisible but always beneficial. Your mind and
body will feel invigorated and if you do this often enough,
your self-esteem and wellbeing will skyrocket.

If there is such a thing as the fountain of youth, then for
me, a healthy balanced diet, taking regular exercise and
simply liking yourself, amount to drinking from that very
fountain. (told you I had an abstract view) Good luck on
your quest.

To your continued, outstanding health.

P.S. Don't be afraid to slap on some so called age-reducing
lotion or potion and don't beat yourself up either, after
all, you're only human.

----------------------------------------------------
RESOURCE BOX:
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Discount Cosmetic Dental Care: A Real Story

In June 2007, our local news channel ran a story about a
young man named Rudy, who crossed the border to Juarez,
Mexico to get discount dental care. It seemed he wanted his
teeth capped, and his dental benefits didn't cover cosmetic
dentistry. He couldn't afford the $14,000 price tag in the
U.S. to get it done.

When the story began, I thought, "Why in the world would
someone cross the border to another country to get
'cosmetic' dental work done? Is he crazy or just really,
really desperate?" Then I looked up at the screen to see a
"before" picture of Rudy. His teeth (if they could be
called that) were so tiny and broken and crooked and
discolored they looked like they belonged to a vicious
little Chihuahua rather than to this nice young man named
Rudy. The Rudy who was now smiling back at me with a full
set of nicely capped, white teeth, didn't look like he
regretted his decision at all. He paid $3000 for a mouthful
of neatly sculpted caps-a fraction of what the dentist
wanted in the U.S.

The news reporter on the story interviewed an American
dentist to get a professional opinion about Rudy and others
who cross into Mexico to get discount dental care, and it
was this. 'There are risks when you go to another country,
whose standards are not as high as ours, to get discount
dental care,' she said. 'When you go outside of the US in
search of cheap dental work, you're likely to get what you
pay for.' But she offered no viable choice for Rudy to get
quality care inside the U.S.

I wondered why neither of them had ever heard of
Consumer-Driven Discount Dental Plans. CDD dental plans
just make good sense. They offer dental care without
restrictions at an affordable price, with the same quality
care as the $14K dentist, and they are backed by the
American Dental Association, as well. With an average
discount dental program, Rudy's total payment would have
been 56% below his dentist's standard rates-and without the
added cost of airfare, hotel stay, car, bus or taxi
service, and other travel expenses. Without dealing with
passports or birth certificates (or whatever legal
documents are tendered on your way to Juarez). No missed
work. And, should there be a problem with Rudy's dental
work under the a US Consumer-Driven discount dental
program, Rudy simply drives up the street to get the
problem fixed rather than having to book a flight and deal
with all the aforementioned details needed for travel to
Mexico.

For Rudy, the story appears to have had a happy ending. His
teeth look 100 percent better than before his trip to
Juarez. But the warnings from the American dentist in his
story are partly true. You do need to think carefully when
you go to another country for discount dental work. The
question of whether the dentists in Juarez (or anywhere
outside the US) are as skilled as those inside the US is
perhaps a question for another news reporter. But the cost
in time, money, risk and convenience is much too high for
me.

Good luck, Rudy. I wish you the best.

----------------------------------------------------
Jim Martinez is a National Sales Director for AmeriPlan USA
offering discount dental, health, vision, prescription and
chiropractic benefits plans starting at only $19.95 per
month for your entire household. Sign up today for discount
dental benefits plans at

http://www.familydentalhealthplans.com/dental-benefits.html

6 Common Female Bodybuilding Errors

How to do build beautiful female muscle? Many might say
muscle is built by weight training, but that's only part of
the equation.

Now, how do you build beautiful female muscle? The answer
is weight training with the proper intensity, right form,
and training just enough to stimulate growth.

If building muscle was so easy, how come so many ladies
aren't building desired muscle mass so easily?

It's because many ladies are falling victim to the 6 common
female bodybuilding errors.

When you can identify the 6 common female bodybuilding
errors you can tweak your training program and successfully
make satisfying muscle gains.

Common Female Bodybuilding Error #1

Not challenging oneself is the biggest muscle building
mistake I witness. Granted, some women train hard, but few
challenge themselves each training session.

You can squat 185 pounds for 8 reps and work hard, but
unless you challenge your body to do one more rep or 5-10
more pounds, your muscle gains will be stagnant.

Muscle growth occurs when maximal force is applied using
progressive overload.

Common Female Bodybuilding Error #2

Failure to employ heavy compound exercises is another
training issue. You are not going to build well-developed
and dense muscle by doing chest flys and leg extensions.

A compound exercise is a multi-joint exercise, where all
the muscles and joints of that specific area are called
upon to execute the movement. Compound exercises are the
backbone to any muscle building program.

If your training program is lacking compound exercises,
it's lacking muscle growth potential.

Common Female Bodybuilding Error #3

Lack of consistency is the third muscle growth error I
witness. You are not going to build muscle by working out
haphazardly. You have to set a scheduled plan and follow it
with full force.

Common Female Bodybuilding Error #4

Failure to give a program enough time to prove itself is
another common error. If you want your muscle building
program to give you results, you have to be patient.

Jumping from one program to the next is only cheating
yourself. How are you going to find out what works for your
body if you continually change programs each week without
rhyme or reason?

If you want to ensure muscle building success, log your
workouts so you can visually see the progression, and be
sure that you are challenging your muscles every workout.

Common Female Bodybuilding Error #5

Expecting overnight changes is a very common female
bodybuilding error. You can make changes, but they are not
going to appear overnight.

When you see well-developed built ladies, they worked hard
for that physique. They didn't just pick up a weight and
eat right and have that body overnight. Such well-built
physiques followed the proper training principals and
avoided these common female bodybuilding mistakes.

Common Female Bodybuilding Error #6

Another common female bodybuilding error is training too
often. Don't say you are not guilty of it because everyone
has trained too much at one time or another.

Weight training for muscle growth doesn't need to be a
weight training marathon, and you don't need endless sets
and reps every day in the gym. In fact, if you are guilty
of overtraining, you will halt your muscle growth.

The purpose of weight training is to tear down the muscle
so it can rebuild into a stronger and dense unit. Once you
tear down the muscle in the gym, the work is done.

You can have a stable muscle building program just by
training 3 times a week for 45 minutes, doing about 3
exercises per muscle group, 2-3 sets of 4-8 reps.

That's it. More is not always better.

Conclusion to Common Female Bodybuilding Errors

If you are serious about building muscle, then stop the
training marathons. Set a schedule of training 3 days a
week and follow one program for atleast 8 weeks to give it
a fair shake. Be consistent and don't expect overnight
miracles.

----------------------------------------------------
Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988.
She is a nationally qualified bodybuilder and holds two
personal training certifications. She has written 6 ebooks
on fitness and has helped hundreds of clients transform
their bodies.

http://www.iron-dolls.com
"Use of this article is authorized provided it is
reproduced in full, and all web URLS are active hyperlinks
directed to the author"

A Neuroscientist's Perspective on How to Protect Your Brain

Dr. Yaakov Stern is the Division Leader of the Cognitive
Neuroscience Division of the Sergievsky Center at the
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University,
New York. He is one of the leading proponents of the
Cognitive Reserve theory.

Alvaro Fernandez (AF): Dear Dr. Stern, it is a pleasure to
have you here. Let me first ask you this: the implications
of your research are pretty astounding, presenting major
implications across sectors and age groups. What has been
the most unexpected reaction so far?

Yaakov Stern (YS): well...I was pretty surprised when,
years ago, a reporter from Seventeen magazine requested an
interview. I was really curious to learn why she felt that
her readers would be interested in studies about dementia.
What she told me showed a deep understanding and insight:
she wanted to motivate children to stay in school. She
understood that early social interventions could be very
powerful for building reserve and preventing dementia.

AF: That's great...so let's now fast forward, say, 60 years
from our high-school years, and suppose that persons A and
B both technically have Alzheimer's (plaques and tangles
appear in the brain), but only A is showing the disease
symptoms. What may explain this discrepancy?

YS: Individuals who lead mentally stimulating lives,
through education, occupation and leisure activities, have
reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's. Studies suggest
that they have 35-40% less risk of manifesting the disease.
The pathology will still occur, but they are able to cope
with it better. Some won't ever be diagnosed with
Alzheimer's because they don't present any symptoms. In
studies that follow healthy elders over time and then get
autopsies, up to 20% of people who did not present any
significant problem in the daily lives have full blown
Alzheimer's pathology in their brains.

AF: What exactly may be going on in the brain that provides
that level of protection?

YS: There are two ideas that are complementary. One idea
postulates that some individuals have a greater number of
neurons and synapses, and that somehow those extra
structures provide a level of protection. The other theory
emphasizes the building of new capabilities, how people can
perform tasks better through practice, and how these skills
become so well learned that they are not too easy to
unlearn.

AF: OK, so our goal is to build that Reserve of neurons,
synapses, and skills. How can we do that?

YS: In summary, we could say engaging in activities. In our
research almost all activities are seen to contribute to
reserve. Some have challenging levels of cognitive
complexity, and some have interpersonal or physical
demands. In animal studies, exposure to an enriched
environment or increased physical activity result in
increased neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons). You
can get that stimulation through education and/ or your
occupation. There is clear research showing how those two
elements reduce the risk. Now, what is very exciting is
that, no matter one's age, education and occupation, our
level of participation in leisure activities has a
significant and cumulative effect. A key message here is
that different activities have independent, synergistic,
contributions, which means the more things you do and the
earlier you start, the better. But you are never stuck:
better late than never.

AF: Can you give us some examples of those leisure
activities that seem to have the most positive effects?

YS: For our 2001 study we evaluated the effect of 13
activities, combining intellectual, physical, and social
elements. Some of the activities with the most effect were
reading, visiting friends or relatives, going to movies or
restaurants, and walking for pleasure or going on an
excursion. As you can see, a variety. We saw that the group
with high level of leisure activities presented 38% less
risk (controlling for other factors) of developing
Alzheimer's symptoms. And that, for each additional type of
activity, the risk got reduced by 8%. Physical exercise, by
itself, also has a very beneficial impact. So, we need both
mental and physical exercise. The not-so-good news is that,
as of today, there no clear recipe for success. More
research is needed before we prepare a systematic set of
interventions that can help maximize our protection.

AF: What do you think of the relatively recent appearance
of so many computer-based cognitive training programs?

YS: At least from the point of view of Alzheimer's, we
don't know if learning a new language is more beneficial
than learning a new musical instrument or using a
computer-based program. It is too early to tell the
long-term effects. Right now, the most we can say is that
those who lead mentally stimulating lives, through
education, occupation and leisure activities seem to have
the least risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.

----------------------------------------------------
Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains,
which provides the latest science-based information for
Brain Fitness and Brain Exercise, and has been recognized
by Scientific American Mind, CBS, Forbes, and more. Alvaro
holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University, and
teaches The Science of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong
Learning Institute. Learn more at
http://www.sharpbrains.com/

Ways to Improve Fitness on the Beach

Finding fitness on the beach is easy. Just look around and
you will see many fit people walking on the sands. But if
you're looking for your own fitness, the beach has plenty
to offer. From the sands to the waters and even your beach
towel, you can find fitness on the beach to be more than
just fun in the sun – you can get in shape too.

The secret behind fitness on the beach is that everything
and anything can be used to improve your health – if you
just use your imagination. The sand is the easiest place to
start to increase your fitness. Running or walking on the
dry sands is much harder than walking on pavement,
increasing your fitness levels and adding to your
cardiovascular health. When you're pushing sand out of your
way, you're using more muscles and the workout is harder –
it's really the best exercise equipment. You can also use
the sand as a weight machine by trying to kick it with your
feet – excellent for your legs. Or you can try lifting the
sand to help with a sand castle with the kids – great for
your arms and chest.

The water is the most obvious help for fitness on the
beach. If you know how to swim, you can get a nice workout
in while you're relaxing for the day. With a stronger
riptide or current, it will be all the more helpful for
your entire body. Try to swim laps if you can, using your
arms and legs at the same time for the maximum benefit.
Cupping your hands as you swim will increase the resistance
for your arms and add to the benefits you receive. You can
also try surfing for another challenge to your muscles or
head out on a kickboard or with flippers to really work
your leg muscles.

But you probably haven't considered how your towel can help
with fitness on the beach. Try this exercise: take a towel
the long way and hold one side in each hand. Slide your
hands towards the middle so that your hands are about
shoulder width apart and straight out from your body. Lift
the towel above your head as you grip it tightly and then
slightly lean to one side and then the other. You're
working out your arms as well as defining your sides. You
can also use the towel to workout your legs by lying on
your back, placing the towel around both heels and creating
resistance as you push your heels away from your body and
then back to your body.

Fitness on the beach can be fun as well as convenient if
you just bring your imagination along with your sunscreen.

----------------------------------------------------
Machelle Lee owns and operates, The Invisible Gym in Santa
Cruz, CA. Her mission is to inspire people to become
physically active and enjoy the benefits of a balanced,
healthy lifestyle. For more information and questions you
can visit her website.

http://www.the-invisible-gym.com/