How Your Wife Is Your Secret Weapon for Weight Loss

Discover how your better half can help you get healthier

Team up to slim down: You’re more likely to drop pounds if your wife or girlfriend is also making healthy changes with you, finds a new study from the U.K.

Researchers tracked couples for 4 years and found that when one person lost weight, the partner was three times more likely to follow suit than in pairs where the significant other stayed the same weight.

It worked for other lifestyle changes, too: People were more apt to quit smoking or exercise more if their partners did the same.

Buddying up improves your odds of success because you can inspire and encourage each other, as well as hold each other accountable, says study author Sarah Jackson, Ph.D., a researcher at University College London.

(And that’s not the only way she can help you. Discover The Fitness Secrets You Should Steal From Your Girlfriend.)

So if you want to shape up, enlist your better half and make a commitment to eat better and exercise together, Jackson suggests. Instead of binge-watching Netflix, bond over an activity like rock-climbing, cycling, or cooking nutritious meals (like this Incredible Tandoori-Spiced Salmon Recipe.

Single? Team up with friends, family, or even coworkers for the same effect, says Jackson. Ask them to join you for a healthier lunch break, go for a walk instead of smoking, or meet up at the gym after work.

Reference :  http://www.menshealth.com/

Why You Should Retake the Presidential Fitness Test from 5th Grade

Remember those days in gym class when you were forced to run a mile and do as many pushups and sit-ups as possible? It was called the Presidential Fitness Test—and the exercises that made it up may not seem that far behind: Bodyweight and functional training are among the top fitness trends of 2015, according to a recent survey from the American College of Sports Medicine. (Read more about The 10 Biggest Fitness Trends of 2015.) What that means: a return to the “basics” of fitness—the kind of exercises you did in middle school physical education.

And that’s kind of refreshing when you consider some of the out-there fitness trends we’ve seen come and—thankfully!—go. What’s more, there’s a reason people still swear by these basic moves: Lead author of the American College of Sports Medicine survey Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., recently told The Washington Post: “Those exercises that made up the Presidential Fitness Test (which I failed as a child) remain the foundation of effective workouts.” That got us thinking. What’s on that test today—and what kind of a score could we get attempting it as adults?

We found out. Give the below a go to find out if you’re fitter than a fifth grader. Download the spreadsheet to record your data and interpret what your results mean. Let us know how you do in the comments below or on Twitter @Shape_Magazine. Good luck!

Cardio:
1-Mile Run
This one’s easy: Run one-mile as fast as you can.

PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run)
Mark out a 20-meter course (or go to a track) with cones or chalk. Run to the finish—and back—as many times as you can. Here’s the catch: During the first minute, you have 9 seconds to run each 20-meter lap. Then, you get half a second less time do it each minute after that! So, the longer you go, the faster you must run. When you fail, stop.

Walk Test
Walk a mile at a steady, brisk walking pace. After, record your 60-second heart rate count.

Strength:
Pushups
Do as many as you can (lowering until elbows are bent to 90 degrees) until form breaks twice. Form breaks include resting (maintain a steady pace—doing about one pushup every 3 seconds), not lowering to 90 degrees, arching back, or fully extending arms.

Curl-Ups
Complete as many as possible, up to 75. Stop if your form breaks twice (form breaks include head not hitting the mat between reps, heels coming off the mat, or resting between reps.)

Trunk Lift
Lie facedown on the floor with arms by sides and slowly lift upper body off the floor, up to 12 inches. Have a partner use a ruler to measure the distance from floor to chin. Rest, then repeat once more and use the higher number.

*In addition to these three tests, there are two alternatives to the push up (the modified pull-up, pull-up, and flexed arm hang), and two optional tests (the back-saver sit-and-reach and the shoulder stretch).

Reference:  http://www.shape.com/

8 BODYBUILDING TIPS THAT EVERY BEGINNER SHOULD KNOW!

If you’re a beginner just getting started on a bodybuilding plan, you’re likely feeling slightly intimidated. Starting a new activity of any type can seem a bit scary at times, and since there are so many different exercises to perform in a weight training program, this only adds to the intensity that you’re feeling.

Luckily for you, if you’re equipped with some basic knowledge, you’ll be in the perfect position to get going. The great news is that as a beginner you will experience results at an accelerated level and will notice differences in how you feel and look in as little as a few weeks.

Here are the main points to know.

1. Perfect Proper Form

First things first, it’s of utmost importance that you get proper form down pat when you’re just starting. Getting off on the wrong foot with form will just lead to incorrect habits that are hard to break down the road. If you’re uncertain about any exercises or need guidance on what proper form is for any exercise you are going to attempt to do, book a session with a personal trainer to show you.

This is the number one biggest thing you must get right. Incorrect form leads to injuries and lack of results.

2. Focus On Major Lifts First

Next, you’ll want to focus on major lifts first during the workout. Any exercise that works more than one muscle group needs to come ahead of those that work on a single group. The reason for this being that those exercises are going to take much more energy to complete, therefore you want to be feeling fresh.

These include the exercises of bench press, squat, dead-lift, shoulder press, and bent over row. If you’re using machines, they will likely be called leg press, chest press, seated shoulder press,horizontal row, and lateral pull-down.

3. Use A Rep Range Between Eight To Twelve

As far as rep ranges go, beginners would be best advised to perform somewhere between eight and twelve reps. Since you likely aren’t going to be using an extremely heavy load, this will enable you to work in a slightly higher rep range while still seeing significant strength and muscular size and definition improvements.

Once you get more used to the different weight lifting exercises, then you can bring the rep range lower if you want to really focus on bringing your strength level up.

4. Take At Least One Day Off Between All Workouts

Another smart tip for all beginners is to aim to take at least one day off between each workout you do. This is going to really help control the degree of soreness you experience as well as helping to prevent you from feeling too overwhelmed with numerous sessions each week.

A full body workout is typically the best choice for those who are new to weight lifting and it will allow you to hit all the body parts three times a week for optimal results.

5. Don’t Forget To Stretch

Stretching is something that many people, whether beginner or not, leave out from their workout. This is a big mistake however as the stretching is significantly going to decrease the amount of soreness you experience while increasing your range of motion so you’re able to benefit more from the lifts you do complete.

Try to perform ten minutes of stretching after each workout you do, focusing on all the major muscle groups. You can also perform stretching activities on your day off while watching television for instance to further help reduce the amount of soreness you experience.

6. Focus On Eating Before And After The Workout

What you eat before and after your workout is going to play a big role in how well you perform during that workout and how quickly you recover afterwards.

While as a beginner it’s unlikely that you’re going to really start meticulously planning your food intake, making an effort to make sure you’re eating foods containing both protein and carbohydrates before and after your workout will go a long way towards helping you get better nutrition.

7. Combine Weight Machine Exercises With A Few Free Weight Movements

Generally speaking, free weight exercises are superior to weight machine exercises, but for the beginner using weight machines is a nice way to ease into the process of weight lifting, while also helping ensure you are using proper form. To get the best of both worlds, consider combining some free weight exercises with machine exercises.

Most people can easily learn how to do free weight exercises such as bicep curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises, and so on, but using a leg press machine before jumping into squats, a chest press machine before attempting bench press, and so on can allow you to obtain a greater comfort level while having that machine guidance.

8. Do Your Cardio Training After Your Lifting

Lastly, another common misconception beginners have is that they should be doing their cardio before they proceed to their lifting. This is actually backwards; cardio should be done after your weight lifting or in another session altogether. This is because of the fact that you want the most energy for your lifting since it’s going to primarily depend upon muscle glycogen, while moderate cardio can utilize fat as fuel.

Doing your weight lifting first also ensures that you can put the most energy into the lifts, increasing the strength gains you realize.

CONCLUSION

So, keep these quick tips in mind. It’s always a good idea to book a session with a personal trainer to get set up on your first program until you have a better understanding of all the concepts involved with weight training. After that point, you can start playing around with your own program, implementing advanced training principles to help kick your results up a notch.

Reference:  www.beautynfitness.net