In case you haven’t set foot in a gym in the past 15 years, I’m going to go ahead and explain what an elliptical machine is.  An elliptical trainer (also cross trainer or simply elliptical) is a stationary exercise machine used to simulate walking or running without causing excessive pressure to the joints, hence decreasing the risk of impact injuries.  Okay, I lied… that was copied directly from Wikipedia, but the definition is probably much better than anything I would have come up with.  Simply put, these are the machines that seem to glide back and forth (think cross country skii’ing) or up and down (stair stepper).
Elliptical workouts basically involve aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. Elliptical cross trainers can be intimidating at first glance but once you get familiar with them you will find them easy to use and a fun part of your routine.  There are many benefits and no real drawbacks of starting an elliptical workout routine.  These machines are fantastic for beginners and experts alike.

To begin your elliptical workout, stand with your feet firmly planted in the movable footpads. The advantage of your feet being stationary makes this a smooth and non-jarring motion that is unique to the elliptical cross trainers. Grab the handles to add the upper body movement for a total body workout.

Elliptical motion feels very natural and compliments normal body movements only making it feel like the workout is easier. Elliptical workouts are equal or greater than similar equipment such as the treadmill creating a safer workout. It reduces the harmful stress and impact on your muscles and joints.

With time a major concern in our daily lives, an elliptical workout can be very desirable. It provides a total body workout utilizing one machine therefore saving time in having to go from machine to machine to achieve the same effect for all the different areas of the body.

An elliptical trainer benefit is they are safe for beginners and will even challenge the pro athletes. And because most people like to use these machines, they are more likely to workout on a regular basis. Consistent elliptical workouts will help in attaining good overall cardiovascular health.

It generally takes twenty minutes of elliptical exercise to start burning calories and improve your cardio health. If you are just starting out, exercise for twenty minutes and work up from there as your fitness level improves. Try to set 3 days a week as your goal to workout and work up to 5 days when you become more fit.

Another elliptical trainer benefit is they are perfect for burning fat. To burn fat effectively, you need to exercise at a moderate pace for a long period of time. Elliptical cross trainers give you the slow, aerobic, long duration type of exercise that works best to burn fat.

If you are looking for a good overall workout in the shortest amount of time, the elliptical workout is an ideal choice.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Want rock had abs and a killer toned core? Better sit tight and read this before hitting the gym. One of the most important methods to getting those great abs doesn’t have anything at all to do with exercise. Are you beef-heads still around? Good. Check out this list of natural fat-burners. Every food on here is not only great for your body, but it also helps to speed up your metabolism and burn fat.

• Think citrus. Citrus fruits aid your body in the release of fats. It also helps your body to process the fat more efficiently and quickly. Anything from strawberries, to orange juice can actually help you to rid your body of those stubborn fat cells around the mid-section, giving you those ripped abs you’ve been looking for.
• Coconuts and coconut oil is another natural fat burner. It has actually been used for hundreds of years in India to help combat weight problems, skin conditions, and even problem hair!
• Go to the root of the problem. For a fiber-packed and nutritious food, try these popular roots - carrots, rutabagas, turnips, radishes, parsnips, and onions. Skip the potatoes with your porterhouse!
• I’ve already mentioned onions, but did you know that chives, leeks, shallots, and scallions all have fat-burning properties? Fat-burning and a tasty addition to just about any dish!
• Listen to your mother! Green vegetables are probably the greatest thing you can put into your mouth (besides Sam Adams). Think cabbage, dandelion greens, green beans, collard greens, and lettuce.

The key to losing weight and getting ripped abs isn’t in dieting. It’s about a life-style change. There is no need to diet when you should alreay be eating healthy. Remember, those hard bodies don’t come overnight… work out hard, and eat right and you might just be blessed with a perfect physique.

Popularity: 26% [?]

For a lot of people, vacations and family meetings are a time for jubilation. These festivities often contain foods that have extra fat, sugar and calories and are short on nutrients. With a little change, though, party foods can be both tasty and healthful.

Dairy Products

Most holiday meals involve dairy items. Get pleasure from these nutrients throughout your festivities, but use skimmed milk (from which cream has been skimmed) and other low or no fat dairy products in your items whenever feasible. Search the growing variety of low fat cheeses, cheese slices and cheese spreads that are now offered in your supermarket. For instance, purchase light or ultra-light cream cheese or cheddar cheese, as these are just 7 percent fat. If you use the items that are high in fat, for example butter, mayonnaise, sour cream, spread them very lightly or take just a small quantity.

Meat

Pick thinner cuts of meat for your holiday get-together. Turkey is one of the leanest kinds of meat, so it’s always a good choice. In general, white meat is leaner than red - so select the breast meat of a chicken or turkey in spite of the drumstick.

-Other Ideas -

• Get rid of skin from poultry.
• Select fish. Cold water fatty fish such as tuna and salmon have ‘heart healthy’ types of fat in them.
• Prepare meats in manners that lower the fat amount, such as grilling and boiling.
• Drain the extra fat off of meats after preparing.
• Cook meats on a stand so that extra fat can drip away.
• Cool soups, gravies, stews, and so on before offering them… and then take out the hardened fat that has gathered at the top.
• When making a roast, cover with low fat stock rather than the drippings from the pan.

Vegetables

Luckily, nearly all vegetables have little or no fat. It is what we include to the vegetables that add to their fat content.

Stay away from smothering your vegetables with solid buttery sauces or butter. Potatoes, for instance, have no fat. They also has very little salt, and are excellent origins of Vitamins B & C and Potassium. Potato peelings are a good origin of fiber (it helps in lowering cholesterol levels, and also lowers the danger of colon cancer). If you choose to mash your potatoes, instead of butter or soured cream, whip the potatoes with cream or 1 percent milk or sour cream having low fat or with a yogurt.

Also, add plenty of vegetables to your food. Extra flavor can be obtained by using flavorings like spices and herbs. Deep green vegetables (for example broccoli) and bright orange vegetables (for example carrots and potatoes) contain high antioxidant vitamins, folic acid and fiber. Antioxidants (such as Vitamins A, C, and E) are the defensive agents for the heart disease and cancer. When selecting vegetables use those, which are the deepest in color, for they offer greater health benefits.

Salads are also a great item. Select a low fat dressing.

Cooking Tip: To stop loss of taste and vitamins during cooking vegetables, steam vegetables in water or make use of a steaming stand. If you boil vegetables in water, it doesn’t waste water and you can use it for the gravy?

Stuffing

If you have stuffing with your meat dish, use dried fruits - like berries, dried grapes or apricots. This makes a tasty recipe and a colorful seasonal dish.

Cooking Tip: Instead of cooking stuffing in fowl or a roast, cook the stuffing in a casserole in the microwave oven, this will lessen the amount of fat present in the stuffing. Stuffing acts as a natural sponge, so if you don’t cook it outside the bird or roast, it naturally catches all the fat drippings.

Gravy

Preparing gravy from a low fat stock instead of the drippings from fowl or a roast is a perfect method to reduce fat. If the gravy recipe includes milk, then use skimmed milk.

Cooking Tip: If you opted to use drippings for the preparation of the gravy, remove fat from the top before preparing the gravy. Let the drippings cool and when the fat becomes hard, remove it with a spoon.

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberries are no doubt the perfect source of Vitamin C. Unfortunately most of the Vitamin C is lost during the canning process. Using home-made cranberry sauce is an easy and more nutritious way to enjoy this holiday favorite. For a really healthy alternative, use fresh cranberry sauce on your turkey instead of gravy.

Cooking Tip: While preparing the cranberry sauce, put sugar on after cooking the cranberries to sustain the gentleness of the skin.

Dessert

Dinner might be very heavy, but what is a holiday food without all of the lavish desserts? These tips can help your waistline, while leaving you to enjoy your favorites.

• Angel food cake has little or no fat. It can be a great sweet dish when offered with fruits like strawberries, raspberries or peaches.
• When preparing pumpkin pie – Always use skimmed milk and top with low fat or fat free ice-cream, frozen yogurt, or whipped topping.
• Try some holiday trail mix by mixing dried fruits, nuts, and chocolate chips. A great holiday choice for the fruits would be dried cranberries.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Getting RIPPED ABS fast is easier than you think. Instead of focusing on dated ab exercises such as sit-ups, leg lifts, and crunches, why not try these three killer ab exercises? The key for ripped abs is a high-intensity, metabolism boosting ab workout that will show you results almost immediately.

• Renegade Dumbbell Rows
• Front Squats with Barbell
• Mountain Climbers on Floor

A good repetition scheme to employ here could be 3-4 sets of 8 reps for each exercise, or more sets for less repetitions, such as 5 sets of 5 repetitions of each exercise. Mountain climbers can be done for a time interval (such as 30 seconds) instead of reps.

Exercise Descriptions:

1. Ripped Abs Mountain Climbers on Floor
Mountain climbers are done by starting in a push-up position and pulling your legs into your chest, almost like you are running in place. If you want an advanced version, you can also shuffle your hands 8-10 inches forward and backward in addition to the leg movements. Mountain Climbers should be done with a time limit rather than a rep. For example, 1-2 minutes of these should be just about enough for you to cry for your momma.

2. Ripped Abs Front Squats with Barbell

For another great exercise to really get those abs ripped and looking nice, here goes. Front squats are similar to regular squats, however with this exercise, the barbell goes in front and rests on your shoulders. You stabilize the barbell on your shoulders by crossing your arms and pushing your fists into the bar against your shoulders while keeping your elbows out in front of the body.

Front squats require extreme stabilization strength from the abs due to the barbell weight being shifted to the front of the body instead of the back. Even though this is mostly a leg exercise, you’ll feel this one in the abs big time all the time, giving that perfect ripped abs effect overtime. You might want to try this one with a buddy or a trainer, it’s pretty intense.

3. Ripped Abs Renegade Dumbbell Rows

These are done starting in a push-up position with your hands on 2 dumbbells. You then row one dumbbell up while stabilizing your body with the other arm. Bring the dumbbell back to the ground and alternate the rowing arm while stabilizing with the opposite arm. This stabilizing effect during the rows creates incredible work for your entire midsection, trunk, and core area, thereby working those muscles incredibly hard. Step 1 of 3 for ripped abs. Ready to move on?

After finishing each exercise, rest about 30 seconds before starting the next exercise. Rest about 1-2 minutes before switching to the next ripped ab exercise. It’s unwise to do these with no rest in between as you aren’t improving your results… just your chances for injury.

These three exercises should put you well on your way towards ripped abs. As with any exercise program, proper diet should also be a concern.

Popularity: 3% [?]