Sunday, October 5, 2008

Bodyweight Exercises: Number 1 BE Superhero?

I was shopping yesterday with my daughter at the bookstore. Yeah, I know.  Most dads take their little girls shopping at the clothes store, or the fake-make-up store, or the teddy bear store. I take mine shopping at the bookstore. And she loves it!

She particularly likes the “manga” section.  Now, when I was a kid, these were called “comic books.”  Today, they are called “illustrated novels” if they are for adults, and “manga” (a Japanese word) if they are for kids.  And that’s the section my daughter likes. She likes all kinds of them, too.  She likes the girl super hero ones.  But they aren’t superheroes like you and I grew up with.  They are mostly magical superheroes. I guess that is what appeals to little girls.  Me? I liked the “Zap-Zoom-Powee!” kind of superhero.

So, as I stood there with my arms crossed, saying “Ooooh, that looks interesting, honey!” as she showed me yet another girl magical book, my mind wandered.  It wanted to wander over to the coffee shop - but it didn’t.  It stayed right there, like a good father, and wandered in place.  And it wandered to thinking, “which super hero that I grew up with would be the best role model for bodyweight exercises?”

Superman wouldn’t do, because he got all his super powers from being born on another planet.
Batman is a good choice - except he has that high tech suit and all those gizmos, so maybe not.
Hulk?  Sorry.  No drugs.
Ironman? Great song, but again - high tech suit.
Spiderman? 

Spiderman.

Even though he got his strength from being bitten by a radioactive spider (I am working on my special 12-DVD series “Strength Training By Being Bitten By A Radioactive Spider,” but it’s still under development), Spiderman actually embodies everything that bodyweight exercises is all about:
-He’s strong without being bulky
-He’s flexible and has full range of motion
-He’s got a very natural, fit looking physique
-He can workout without needing weights, drugs, or machines

So, I decided that Spiderman is really the role model for everyone who does bodyweight exercises.  What do you think?  Is there a superhero that YOU think is the perfect role model for bodyweight exercisers? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.

And, remember:
To get in shape by eating right (and not just dieting): Burn The Fat!
To get rid of back and sciatica pain - drug-free and surgery-free: Treat Sciatica Now.

P.S. Halle Berry in Catwoman deserves consideration because - well, because she’s Halle Berry! I mean! Come on!

Posted by Rick at 06:04:49 | Permalink | No Comments »

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Bodyweight Exercises: Report Shows Painkillers NOT Best For Back Pain

A report just released in England shows that exercise and mental attitude work best for back pain, and not pain killers. The same report also shows that a large majority of people think pain killers are the answer for back pain.

The report, from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in England, is yet another report, showing that drug-free treatment of back pain is probably the best approach. As always, consult with your doctor concerning treating your back pain.

The article discussing the report can be found HERE. We want to you have all the latest studies and research on back pain, and especially studies addressing the effectiveness (or not) of drugs and pain killers.

If you have back pain that is actually sciatica pain, then check out Treat Sciatica Now, a drug-free and surgery -free approach to treating and eliminating sciatica pain.
If you have back pain due to being overweight or out of shape, then see Burn The Fat!, a terrific “loseweight without dieting” approach to eating correctly (FYI: Tom V. said in an interview that you could eat nothing but pizza on his progroam and lose wieght - but he didn’t recommend it. THAT’s my kind of diet!)

Posted by Rick at 17:01:07 | Permalink | No Comments »

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Bodyweight Exercises: A Simple Stretch For Sciatica Pain

A huge part of exercising and fitness is STAYING healthy.  Being fit enough to exercise and actually be healthy.  So  what do you do when pain - sepcifically, sciatica pain - interferes with your goal of staying fit and healthy?

Sciatica pain is unbelievably frustrating, debilitating, and annoying.  It interferes with almost every activity you do during the day (and it pretty much stops that night-time activity too).  Sciatica is actually a clustering of symptoms, not really one specific condition.  But it’s usually more important to you, suffering from the symptoms, to get rid of the pain rather than know about the cause.  That can come later.  Real life comes right now, and real life needs a pain free back.  Oh. Check with a doctor before beginning any fitness or pain relief program.  But question them if they recommend drugs right away.

Here’s a simple exercise you can do, that really helps with the tightness and pain.  What I like about this exercise (and a few years ago, I had sciatica pain so bad I crawled on the floor to get the phone!) is that it can easily be modified, to “hit” different areas and give you different stretches.  You don’t have to re-position your body or move to a different spot.  Once you get in the starting position, it just means a few different placements of your legs and you can get a great deal of pain relief in a very short time.

Lie on the floor on your back, arms along your side, legs flat out.  Bring a knee up to your chest, and grap the knee with both hands.  This is the BASIC position.  Gently pull your knee up.  You should feel stretching in your lower back and maybe even your butt.  It should be soothing and comforting.  If it hurts - you are pulling too much! Ease up.

Okay, now the variations.  With your knee up near your chest, move it gently toward the other shoulder, so that your leg is now laying across your body.  Sometimes using your opposite arm to pull that shoulder toward your knee will give you a stretch across a laarger portion of your back.  Again - comforting and soothing stretch. Pain == ease up.  The goal is to relieve sciatica pain, not add to it.

Another variation.  With your knee up near your chest, move it gently outward.  You should feel this in your hip and groin.  Be REAL CAREFUL, as these are small muscles and short ligaments, and you can pull or strain them really easily.  So again - gently and comforting.  A twinge of pain? Ease up immediately.  Sciatica exercises help, not hurt.

So there is an exercise with some variations, to help get rid of some sciatica pain.  And no drugs, and no surgery.  For more ideas, and comprehensive drug-free program that takes minutes per day (and will give you back HOURS of productive time), click HERE.

Posted by Rick at 18:08:00 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Bodyweight Exercises: Old People At the Olympics

I just watched the 38 year old Romanian woman win the marathon, and 41 year old Dara Torres get the silver by a fingertip loss to a 16 year old swimmer. See? If you eat right and exercise regularly and intelligently, nothing is impossible. The FITNESS Portal (http://FitnessPortal.StartYourLifeNow.com) has what you need for the ONLY fountain of youth.
Posted by Rick at 02:58:55 | Permalink | No Comments »

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Bodyweight Exercises: Different Lengths == Better Results

Pick a fitness routine or combination of fitness routines that allows for different lengths of time and reps.  Let’s take yoga, for example: you can do a shoulderstand for 1 minute or 5 minutes, and then do breathing for 5 minutes or 25 minutes. Or calisthenics: you can do 25 or 75 pushups, 200 or 500 situps, slow or fast.  By having fitness routines that can be changed in length of time, you can fit fitness more easily into your life.


This is not a problem if you have the opportunity or schedule that your workout time can be fixed in length.  But even then, you want to vary it up a little. Anything can get boring.


Actually, having a routine or routines that are flexible in time really allows you focus more on your life in general.  Your kids rarely understand that 10 more minutes of pushups and situps is more important than they are.  And, quite frankly, they are right.


So pick yourself a workout that can be made longer or shorter as you need it to be.  Along with that, the intensity level will go up and down also.  There will be time you want - or need - to do a short, intense workout, or a longer workout with the intensity spaced out throughout the routine.

Go to The FITNESS Portal for your best selection of routines.
We believe so strongly in this concept, we give a BONUS fitness book with every purchase of the featured selection.
AND our exclusive eReport,  just for asking.

Posted by Rick at 23:38:03 | Permalink | No Comments »

Monday, June 16, 2008

Bodyweight Exercises: Time Of Day Is NO Problem To Working Out

Finding time to work out is very often a problem. Even finding the time of day to work out can be a real problem.  With your work day expanding and the kids having so many scheduled activities, your daily schedule is too often at the mercy of everyone else’s schedule.  And, the consequences of telling everyone else to back off may be too great.

Americans - well, everyone in the world - is under more pressure to work longer hours.  Surveys show that fewer Americans taking vacations, and more are working weekends.

It is difficult to tell others that your fitness takes priority over their demands.  It looks selfish - others (like boss) won’t realize that it will make you a better producer longer.  Your family won’t realize that a fit Mom or Dad means more energy to spend time with the kids, or volunteer at class rooms and activities.

This problem with finding time in each day can be solved by finding a routine or routines that can be used at any time of the day.  Morning routines.  Lunch hour routines. Evening routines.

Find these routines and other important information at The FITNESS Portal.
BONUS (and it’s free) with every purchase of the Featured Product.
And ANOTHER free exclusive bonus when you sign up for the newsletter (always ad free).

Posted by Rick at 15:31:27 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Bodyweight Exercises: Fitness And Time

One solution to the endless battle between finding time for fitness and finding time for everything else is to find a routine that actually fits your schedule. Because, let’s face it - in the showdown between fitness and life - fitness loses. Getting into shape comes in second to getting into work on time.

Most people aren’t too concerned about this conflict, because it’s so easy to resolve: simply don’t work out. Or workout later. That is, until the symptoms show: weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure. Most people pretend they are fit, until they cannot pretend anymore.  For me, it was feeling really dizzy a few days aftera car accident.  I thought it was a latent concussion. Nope. It was high blood pressure. And the doctor said the numbers indicated it was inherited.

The tension between your workout and your other priorities is real and has consequences. I remember one day, when my department and the sales department went out to lunch at one of those Benihana-style restaraunts. One of the salespeople was really into fitness - so much so, that she stood up to leave when she how much salt and oil was being used! Oh heavens! We talked her into staying, but I guarantee you that even that little act had a consequence: don’t invite Ranger NoFun to any more lunches. And forget Happy Hour!  Now, she was strong enough to handle this little bit of peer pressure and still stick with her fitness routine. A lot of people would have trashed their fitness routine.  Too many people want to lose weight without dieting or exercising. 

So start making sure your fitness routine is flexible enough to handle the different pressures of real life.

Start at The FITNESS Portal.
Get your FREE Bonus with EVERY purchase.
And an EXCLUSIVE FREE eBook when you sign up for our newsletter.

Fits in schedule
P1: one solution is to find a routine that fits in your schedule
because in conflict b/t life and fitness: fitness loses
P2: never had to be concerned until symptoms show: weight loss, etc.
most people pretend they are fit
P3: tension b/t fitness and other priorities
early morning meeting bumps early morning workout
P4: can be solved by finding flexible fitness routine
Posted by Rick at 17:11:16 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, May 30, 2008

Bodyweight Exercises: How Fitness Fits In With Everything Else

You can fit fitness into your life, into your busy routine, into all your other responsibilities and priorities. How? By choosing one routine that has several components that can be moved around. Another way is to choose several routines that have different lengths, intensities, focus, etc.  The key is flexibility.  Not the “I can touch my feet to the top of my head” flexibility.  The flexibility of your fitness routine to adapt to your daily life.

This probably wasn’t a problem until recently. When you were younger, or when your career or family was just beginning, the rest of your schedule and priorities allowed fitness to be an equal priority.

But now - with responsibilities at work, family, and community - sometimes those other priorites squeeze out fitness. For example, I love to work out early in the morning. But when I have to leave 1-1/2 hours early, to get to a distant meeting or conference, there isn’t time to get a full workout in. So maybe I’ll do a short but intense one. Or maybe I’ll do a yoga routine.

That’s the solution. Having the ability to be flexible and adapt your workout, even as the demands of your life change your routine.

You can get that flexibility at The FITNESS Portal.
—-> BONUS with every main selection purchase.
—-> EXCLUSIVE eBook when you signup to our randomly sent out newsletter.

P.S. Check out GOLF FITNESS.

Posted by Rick at 16:58:54 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Bodyweight Exercises: How To Change And Make It Stick

Fitness will change you. It will change your weight, your body shape, your attitude about yourself, and how people around you treat you. It will change you inside and it will change you outside. But it’s not necessary to turn your whole life upside down just to lose 15 pounds!

If you aren’t in tune with the changes that your fitness routines are causing in you, then you don’t know that there’s a problem. Your routines need to be in synch with the changes you are causing in yourself. You want your body and your emotions to work WITH your fitness routines, not against them.

So, for many people, smaller and more incremental changes are what is needed. Losing specific amounts of weight each month. Adding a specific number of pushups or situps. Reaching a certain stretching point. Being in control of your changes.

One thing that is especially important is to not let the changes get out of control. In my humble opinion, this is one of the primary reasons for people using steroids. People see changes - they like the changes - they WANT the changes to get out of control. But health and fitness are all about discipline.

Get your routines at The FITNESS Portal.
Get your BONUS with featured product purchase.
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Posted by Rick at 04:08:05 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, May 11, 2008

BWE: Blood Pressure Should Be No Pressure At All

Managing your blood pressure is a great side effect of having a regular fitness work out. Blood pressure can be controlled or managed by weight loss, stress reduction, lower salt intake. There are many factors for managing or lowering your blood pressure.

Blood pressure should be checked regularly to see if your diet and fitness routine are working. Blood pressure is one of the easiest things to check at home. Just get a decent blood pressure cuff and check it yourself at home.

Blood pressure management requires a framework of action. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. For many people, weight reduction and regular exercise is enough. Other people may require medicines. Finally, some people may need radical weight loss and diet change.

For information on exercise and nutrition that may help your blood pressure, check out The FITNESS Portal.
Check out the FEATURED PRODUCT, which is all about - BLODD PRESSURE!
The FREE Bonus with purchase of the featured product can help.
The Free EXCLUSIVE eRport when you sign up for the newsletter helps your blood pressure a little bit.

Posted by Rick at 19:23:23 | Permalink | No Comments »