Yoga Videos Aren't All Equal at Getting Out the Kinks

Yoga used to be the kind of thing someone's eccentric aunt did - a woman with a braid wrapped around her head who entertained the children by putting her foot behind her neck.

I tried screening three different videos on a day when my neck and shoulder muscles were tighter than last year's jeans. I had knots the size of Rhode Island that had been there for weeks.

Jane Fonda's Yoga Exercise (A.Vision) relaxed them. Kathy Smith's New Yoga (BodyVision) warmed them up. Three hours later, after falling under the reassuring southern spell of actress Dixie Carter's Unworkout (MCA Universal), they melted away.

Here's how it went:

An all-natural Jane Fonda appeared on a set that looks like a craggy moonscape, wearing plain red leotards and tights, and sporting a French braid down to her hips. (It's a hair extension, but what do we care.)

She demonstrated the classical Sun Salutation, a choreographed yoga routine traditionally used to greet the day, her huge Ted Turner diamond gleaming in the spotlight.

Then she asked us to join her in a warm-up, several rounds of the Sun Salutation, and a relaxation and breath awareness segment, 60 minutes all told.

Yoga is slow, I decided, slow enough that I have time to examine the webs between my toes and the lint on the carpet while holding each pose. While nearly standing on my head, I meditated on the most profound of Jane's statements: When in doubt, breathe.

After the relaxation segment, my thoughts switched to her final message: I am relaxed, and I will carry this feeling with me.

She said this hour would help me stretch, tone and energize my body. At that moment I felt lethargic, noodled, ready for lunch. The knots are still there.

Kathy Smith also appeared in a red leotard and tights and urged me to do the workout on an empty stomach, preferably just before dinner. She worked with Rod Stryker, yoga instructor of the stars, to update the ancient disciplines and merge them into a workout for fitness fans.

Kathy stood on a raised pylon as she led a more athletic version of the Sun Salutation, a half dozen other poses and a meditation, 60 minutes total.

The great thing about yoga, I'm learning, is the great names attached to each exercise: the downward dog, the cobra, the plank.

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Yoga for Women: Exercises

WARRIOR III POSE: Start in the Mountain Pose with the heels slightly apart, big toes touching, legs straight, chest lifted, pelvis in a neutral position. Placing hands on hips, step back with your right foot so just your right toes touch the floor, all of your body weight on your left foot.

Keep your right leg extended in a straight line as you start to lean forward from your hips. Balance the length of your body, from your right heel to your fingertips, over your left leg until your torso is parallel to the floor. Keep your weight evenly distributed through inner and outer heel, with hips level. Begin with 5 breath cycles and progress to 15.

Lift your torso up and return to the Mountain Pose; repeat on the other side.

PLANK POSE, SIDE-PLANK POSE
Begin on your hands and knees, hands directly under shoulders, knees under hips. Move feet back until the legs are straight and you're balancing on your toes, feet together. Keep the shoulders pulled back and down, arms straight. This is the Plank Pose.

Squeezing the ankles together, roll onto the outer edge of the left foot, keeping feet stacked, legs straight. Lift the right hand toward ceiling then look up at it. Let your abs support your body without clamping and crunching. Then lower right hand to floor, rolling down toward the right, and return to the Plank Pose. Repeat on other side. Hold each pose for 5 breath cycles.

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Yoga for Modern City Life: Yoga is now a Lifestyle

Is it any surprise models are wrapping their wrists in mala beads, fashion designers are heading off to India for yoga retreats and there's a new line of active wear that takes its name from the Sanskrit mantra om.

To the uninitiated, yoga is pretzel-like poses and a dim memory of the Beatles visiting the Maharishi in the 1960s.

Gurmukh Kaur, the Center for Living's white-turbaned founder, travels by limo -- in a blaze of camera strobes -- with one of her students, singer Courtney Love.

What she does is kundalini yoga, Ms. Love told a reporter covering the bash for fashion-bible Women's Wear Daily. It's better for me than Prozac -- and the clothes are nice, too.

Ms. Love is hardly the only celebrity singing the praises of yoga -- or helping to catapult the 5,000-year-old practice onto the cutting edge.

Yoga Zone, a hip New York yoga studio with a half-hour show weekdays on cable's Health Network, has an entire catalog dedicated to the joy of yoga. In addition to the predictable range of videotapes, nonslip mats and meditation cushions, there are multiple pages of clothing and accessories.

Cotton-Lycra hipsters are the definitive Yoga Zone look for practice and beyond. Spaghetti-strap camisoles and halter tops with subtle embroidered logos come in black, slate, garnet, moss green and other quiet but current colors.

Even the jewelry has a fashion angle: Pendant necklaces with the Chinese symbol for clarity or the Sanskrit symbol for om are crafted by the hot fashion duo Me & Ro.

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Yoga for Modern City Life: Most Urbanites Start with a Class

The best place to start is with a class, where a teacher can show you how to adapt poses using props and help you learn proper technique for the postures.

The good news is that yoga classes have never been more widely available. You'll find them at small studios, health clubs and gyms. The hard part is finding a class that's just right for you. Studios that are dedicated to yoga also foster a more dedicated practice. The same students return to class week after week, and instructors usually follow a particular discipline of yoga. Some classes are aimed at beginners.

Whether you consider a studio or health club classes, here are some tips to find qualified instructors and classes that suit your needs:

Define your goals. Do you have chronic back pain or other physical limitations. An Iyengar-based class, with its emphasis on proper form and use of props, would be ideal. Looking to improve concentration and reduce stress. Consider a class that incorporates meditation. Seeking a challenging workout. Try an ashtanga class.

Ask about the instructor's background. There is no national certification program for yoga yet, although some disciplines have their own rigorous teaching certification programs. You want an instructor who has been practicing and teaching for a long time.

Check out the space. Look for rooms that are spacious and well ventilated. Plenty of props sticky mats, straps, foam bricks, blankets and bolsters are a good sign, too. Ideally, yoga rooms are quiet, but that may not be the case in a gym setting where students have to contend with loud music and clanking weight machines.

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Yoga for Modern City Life: Ancient Practice Fits Modern Life

When Trace Bonner launched Holy Cow in West Ashley's South Windermere Shopping Center last summer, she didn't know what to expect. Now she's teaching 16 classes a week and adding another instructor. And while she credits the center's success in part to its cute cow logo and convenient location, there's no question that there's a revived interest in yoga across America.

The ancient Indian practice of yoga first arrived in the US at the beginning of the 20th century, but didn't really catch on until 1969 with chants at Woodstock. Now, after being overshadowed by the aerobics craze in the '80s and early '90s, yoga is once again attracting followers, with many looking for relief from ailments and injuries or from the stress of daily life.

Baby boomers, worn out from years of jogging and bouncy workouts, are back on board. But interest is growing with other age groups, too, from college students to senior citizens to celebrities.

The surge in interest is being fueled partly by doctors' growing acceptance of yoga's healing potential. Mainstream medicine has adopted yoga as a gentle therapeutic method for treating a number of illnesses, so more and more doctors are referring their patients to yoga. Initial trials have shown yoga can help people with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, asthma and cardiac risk factors.

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Yoga for Computer Users: Other Postures

The Diamond Posture (Vajrasana)
Kneel on a thick carpet or blanket with your knees close together. Sit back on your heels and stretch up from your hips, balancing your head well so that a line drawn through ear, shoulder, elbow and hip would be straight. You should sit up in this posture for greatest benefits.

The Locust (Salabhasana)
Most yoga students are familiar with this posture. Lie flat, face down, chin on floor. Make your hands into fists and push them either under your thighs to help the lift, or place them alongside your body. Exhale and lift legs from your hips, tightening your buttocks and stretching your legs up and back. Hold position for as long as possible, exhale, return to starting posture and repeat.

he Dog Stretch (Adho mukha svanasana)
Lie face down, legs stretched back, buttocks tightened and knees pulled back. Place hands just below shoulders, exhale and lift head, then chest, shoulders and torso, pushing down from your pelvis and straightening your arms. From the back of your head to your tailbone, your body should be curved back. Push shoulders back and down. Push head back more. Stay like this as long as possible with normal breathing. Come down very slowly, and relax.

The Twist (Bhardwajasana)
Kneel on the floor and sit back, bringing both feet to the right of your hips. Straighten your right arm, bring it across your body and turn to the left. Place your hand, palm down under your left knee. Exhale, turn your body more to the left and clasp your right elbow with your left hand, from the back. Turn your head and gaze over your right shoulder. Fold position for a few breaths and then twist and look back over your left shoulder. Shoulders should be at right angles to the body. Come back to starting position and repeat on other side. You should do this posture once every hour if you have lower back pain.

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Yoga for Business People: Mind-Body Connection

A rising number of business people are finding the mind-body connection.

Yoga, meditation, and other Eastern-born exercises are finding a growing audience among harried business people craving inner calm. Classes are offered at health clubs, company fitness centers, corporate retreats and spas.

Ideas that once were left-of-center are finding greater acceptance with the public support. Mind-body executive fitness is a hot topic right now.

Lynn Doody, owner of Zen Fitness wellness programs in Chicago, notes that, whereas in the past most of her clients pursued traditional cardiovascular and weight-training exercise, most now incorporate mind-body applications into the regimen.

There's just a general awareness, and non-conventional health care is a little more available.

No need to convince Mark Frantz. The 40-year-old vice-president at Merrill Lynch & Co. had learned in 15 years of trading commodities to manage stress and anxiety. He ran a few times a week, worked out at the gym, and worked at reducing stress in other conventional ways.

But he still ground his teeth at night, massages were temporary Band-Aids, and even while running he'd tense his muscles. He wanted more. He sought ''a different quality of life.''

What he found was yoga and meditation. At home, on an airplane, or for 10 minutes behind closed doors at work, Mr. Frantz can shut out distractions with deep breathing, yoga poses, imagery and other relaxation techniques.

He still runs, but '(yoga and meditation) forces you to focus on what's going on in the moment and to be aware of what your body is telling you. It relaxes you, brings your heart rate and your blood pressure down.

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Yoga for Computer Users: Supported Side Stretches

Many computer users around the world face the problem of back pain. Having your back against the wall usually means you're in trouble. But for certain yoga positions, having your back firmly against a wall will aid health.

In Hatha Yoga, the practitioner forms what Swami Gitananda calls body geometry--triangles, straight lines, circles and parallel lines. When you do a posture, always stretch your body to its utmost limit and then hold it there for a slow count of 10, gradually building up the time, until each posture can be maintained for 30 seconds. Holding a posture is essential to yoga because it gives the body a chance to settle into the stretch and loosen up. Then each time you stretch it will be just that little bit farther.

Many of the sideways, or lateral, stretches in Hatha Yoga require that the body face forward, with hips level and back and spine tilting neither forward nor back. Beginners tend to lean forward to increase the stretch. But leaning forward is wrong and will actually detract from benefits and possibly cause harm. To perform these stretches properly, make sure to keep your spine firmly against a wall. The wall acts as a prop. Even those who have practiced yoga may find that they cannot bend as far as they thought they could when they do the postures properly. The extra time spent in forming careful postures will pay off: Your body will gain excellent flexibility and strength.

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Yoga for Business People: Lifetime Habit

Mr. La Forge (Yoga Trainer) suspects that because the mind-body exercises typically are easier to pursue, executives have a better chance of making a lifetime habit of them. To see if his hunch is correct, he launched a five-year study of 110 middle- and upper-level executives in companies in the US. He tracks their exercise habits and see if those incorporating mind-body techniques stick with the program longer.

Devotees say the mind-body exercise regimen has a payoff in the workplace, as well.

Barry Moltz, 36, founder and CEO of CHTech International., a mail-order distributor of computer hardware and software, started doing Yoga a year ago at the to balance the pressures of growing a business with starting a family. He still works out in a gym and commutes to work on his bicycle, but he also meditates in the half-lotus position for 15 or 20 minutes at night after his two young children have gone to sleep.

He says most of his friends, also in their mid-30s, have jumped on similar mind-body fitness tracks.

''I think the toughest part about running a company is that there are so many demands on your time. When I meditate, it really allows me to relax and focus all my energies in one place,'' he says. ''Now when I'm involved in a meeting, I can be immersed in that meeting instead of thinking about 15 other things. And people really respond when you're totally focused on just them.''

The pressures of the job say you shouldn't be satisfied where you are today. You can never feel like you've achieved anything because it's very elusive. Yoga and meditation allows you to be happier and more effective in what you're doing now.

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Yoga for Business People: Enhance your Business Acumen

There are many of us who feel we are not as bright as we would like to be; or that we lack the will power a friend or a colleague seems to have. What is not known widely - or taken with skepticism even when known - is that mental power can be enhanced by Yoga and meditation.

Don't worry if your allopathic doctors dismiss this claim, or worse, laugh at it in contempt. Allopathic doctors tend to downplay such claims because allopathy has been brainwashed into a sort of negativism.

While the neuro-surgeon himself swears by the mantra which he recites every morning, believing it is instrumental in making divine energy flow through him, he feels that the beneficial effects of yoga on all professionals, particularly businessmen, have hardly been talked about.

Yoga or meditation is very beneficial to business executives because it makes decision-making much easier and quicker. It takes away vacillation and helps the brain to grasp the pros and cons quickly.

A surgeon needs to take a decision quickly on the operating table. Similarly, a businessman may not have more than five minutes to decide. Supposing he has a dollar 1 million business deal where a decision has to be made in five minutes, he needs a brain which is stimulated and in a trim state. In this state, decision-making becomes easy and anxiety level goes down.

In such a state not only is the brain able to think clearly, but the other systems of the body which suffer due to stress or tensions, are also spared.

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Yoga for Business People: Workplace Implications

Mind-body fitness, which derives from Eastern philosophies and religions, improves physical and emotional well-being, and has implications for workplace performance.

The overall benefits of mind-body exercise are documented in an increasing number of scientific studies. They include everything from reducing cardiac risk factors to enhancing mood.

'You're under stress, but you have to be in control all day, and after so many years, what happens is that leads to eating misbehaviors, stress hormone production and cardiac risk factors,. The good news is you can reverse these risk factors non-pharmacologically and develop some habits for a lifetime' that complement conventional diet and exercise.

The kinder, gentler movements typical of yoga improve flexibility, strength and muscle tone and can be more youth-promoting than the wear-and-tear of daily aerobics, weights and running alone.

Especially with the baby boomer generation getting older, they're realizing the need for flexibility, the need for good posture, and the desire for the things that are going to help them look and feel young.

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Yoga for Computer Users: Releases Lower Back Pain

Twenty percent of all those who undergo surgery for lower back pain will get no relief. The remaining 80 percent will have problems ranging from mild to severe. All will have trouble with spinal flexion.

Yoga does not offer cures. It simply promises that if you faithfully practice these asanas every day, there will be no pain and you will build up a strong and supple spine, restructuring posture and body image. Once you have back problems you must remain conscious all through the day of how you stand, sit and lie down. Here are a few guidelines:

Always sleep on a firm (not necessarily hard) bed, with a flat pillow under your head and a thicker one under your knees. This will help the spine to reposition and adjust itself.

Do not wear high heels as this promotes lumbar lordosis and throws the spine out of balance.

Do not go in for break-dancing, strenuous aerobics, jogging, running or anything where you need to bounce or jiggle. Guarded activity is the key here.

For lower back pain, sitting is the most painful. Sit on a firm seat, not squashy cushions, and sit on your buttock bones. Do not loll back on the tailbone or lower spine. Wedge a rolled towel or small cushion behind your back to keep you upright. Sit as often as possible in The Diamond Posture (Figure 1) in order to benefit the sciatic nerve and to cure a convex or a lateral curvature of the spine.

When the pain is acute and you can neither sit nor stand in comfort, rest in bed, take whatever anti-inflammatory or analgesic medications your physician prescribes, and wait until the pain is milder before starting on these postures.

All these asanas have healing and curative properties. They will act as a form of mild traction, gently stretching the spinal muscles in safe extension postures. Strength will be gradually built up in the paraspinal muscles and buttocks, abdominal organs will be toned and strengthened, and pressure points all along the spine will be stimulated. Practice each asana to the point where mild pain is felt.

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Yoga for Computer Users: The Triangle

Stand with your back against the wall. Place your feet two or three feet apart. Keeping feet firmly on the floor, and weight balanced on heels and toes, stretch your body up, pressing shoulders back and allowing arms to hang at your sides (Fig. 1). Inhale.

Exhale and slowly bend from waist, sliding your right hand down the right side as far as it will go. Shoulders should press back and hips should remain level, pointing forward. Head should be turned to the side, so that it's at a right angle to the body. Hold posture for 10 slow counts, inhale and come up to starting position. Exhale and repeat on left. Inhale and come up to starting position.

Exhale and rest a moment. Inhale and slowly raise arms to shoulder level, palms down. At the same time, point the right foot to the right at a 90-degree angle while keeping the left foot turned in slightly. Exhale and bend to the right, sliding hand down to ankle or foot. If possible, touch the ground behind foot. Pull hip square against wall with left hand and turn head to look up.

Inhale and raise left arm straight up over head so that arms are in a straight line. Keep hips and torso against the wall as both arms stretch, one down and one up, touching the wall. Hold posture with smooth, even breathing for a slow count of 10. Inhale, come up and repeat on left.

Benefits: Trikonasana helps produce excellent spinal flexibility. It stretches the legs, back and neck and helps to loosen up the hips and make them strong and flexible. It is also, to some extent, a balance posture; in yoga, it is believed that the skill developed in physical balance has a profound effect on the mind, quieting unruly emotions and creating calm. It is one of the best postures for slimming the waist, hips, arms and legs. Remember to breathe deeply in when stretching up and breathe deeply out when bending the body downward.

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Yoga for Modern City Life: Hatha Yoga – Most Popular in the US

There are actually several branches of yoga, including bhakti, the yoga of devotion, and jnana, the yoga of knowledge. The most widely practiced branch in the US, the one typically offered at gyms and exercise studios, is hatha yoga, which is physical yoga. But there also are different styles of hatha yoga, from the exercise-intense power yoga to the gentle chair poses used in svaroopa yoga.

Many of the instructors offer integral yoga, which involves stretching and bending into various positions called asanas, as well as breathing exercises and deep relaxation. By practicing and learning asanas, students can gain flexibility, strength, stamina and improved circulation.

Integral yoga is not religious, but it does offer an introspective, spiritual component that you won't find in most exercise programs.

A typical adult class lasts 1 hour. First, the students center themselves through breathing, then come together as a group with a collective om. They do a quick series of cardiovascular movements, an hour of stretching and 20 minutes of relaxation while lying on their backs.

The relaxation period gives students a chance to turn inward. Some people are making lists in their head. Some people are asleep. Some people are just in a really great space, where they're conscious of what's going on in the room, and yet at the same time, completely and unequivocally out.

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Yoga for Modern City Life: Yoga Helps Ease Modern Stress

For Gail Stuart, who is finishing a beginner's series, yoga is an antidote to the stress of her job at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she works with psychiatric research. You just walk through the whole process, and you feel yourself slipping away. It's a different workout, she says, a welcome alternative to aerobics or exercise machines, which remind her of a torture chamber.

Yoga is the most prominent form of the burgeoning mind-body health movement, which includes tai chi, qigong and other meditative forms of exercise.

The practice of yoga should integrate every aspect of human existence. While many of modern Western practitioners focus on the physical asanas, for others, yoga is an all-encompassing way of life and a path to bliss.

Considering yoga's lofty goals, it's delightfully simple and can be done anywhere, anytime. Taken to its extreme, yoga encompasses everything from a moral code and dietary practices to deep meditation. Most commonly, though, it's a combination of asanas, pranayama (breathing exercises) and some meditation.

Yoga would be an effective and relatively cheap substitute for many anxious and stressed patients, although they would probably also need to be motivated to become physically fit.

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Yoga for Women: Before you Start

The following yoga poses can be done anytime, anywhere, or as part of another workout. Always warm up for a few minutes with some walking, marching or similar activity until your body and muscles feel loose and warm.

Breathe deeply and fully while holding the poses, breathing from your lower belly and diaphragm rather than holding your breath in your chest. In yoga a breath cycle is one inhale and one exhale.

Do the poses in a tranquil environment. Music, if used, should be tranquil and peaceful. Move to your own limits.

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Yoga for Women: Hold that Pose

So, how can yoga help reshape your waist.

In simple terms, by requiring you to move - and hold - your torso muscles as a unit. Rather than isolating your abdominal muscles as you do in crunches, yoga poses help to lengthen your overall torso, creating a feeling that is both centered and strong.

Think of your torso as a long vessel through which numerous muscles interact to keep you looking lean. Your transversus abdominis, the deepest abdominal muscle, works with the others to hold in your lower belly. Your erector spinae, the muscles that attach on your spine, straighten your posture and can make you feel (and appear) taller, while your rectus abdominis and obliques are the strong and flexible muscles that allow your limbs to move freely.

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What is it then? Quite simply, it's the one essential component that's so crucial

Your Health and Fitness Plan:

Health and fitness plans have several components. Include them all and you're in the best possible position to succeed. Forget one of them, and you may have set yourself up for failure.

One of these elements stands out as much more vital to your success than any of the others. In fact, if you want to carry out your plan successfully and reach your health and fitness goals, be sure to include this essential ingredient.

Am I talking about nutrition? An aerobic component? Perhaps stretching? Resistance training? Or even rest? No, no, no, no and no!

What is it then? Quite simply, it's the one essential component that's so crucial, that without it, you're much more likely to face frustration, even failure.

This is the emotional element. Why is this so vital? Quite simply, because your emotional state has far more to do with your success in sticking with your health and fitness plan than any other factor!

You are going to have times when you're not very motivated, or you are distracted, or some stressor knocks you off course. These circumstances are absolutely normal; everyone faces them.

What makes the difference between people who fall down, or fall off their plan, and those who get up again and keep on trucking, is that one simple thing, again, the emotional element.

So whether the occasion for your new health and fitness plan is a new year, a new season, a new job, a new relationship, make this component a central part of your health and fitness plan - right up there with the nutrition, the aerobic aspect, stretching, supplementation, resistance training and rest.

What will you do when you're facing the inevitable emotional challenges that will arise? Go back to your old habits? Or get the emotional support you need and move on toward your goals? Write that in to your plan now.

Including that emotional ingredient will no doubt name names - the people you will call on to help you get back on track.

Well, you may say, I can't afford a personal trainer. Or, my spouse doesn't really know how to support me in this. Or, it's after the gym is closed and my friends are asleep that I need support the most.

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Yoga on the Net

At one time it seemed that yoga was little more than a dated hippie fad, rather like the lava lamp. But now this ancient health system is back in vogue.

Celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, and Julia Roberts and Sting are not shy about advocating the mental and physical benefits of the discipline.

It is cool to carry around a little purple mat and tie yourself up in knots in local gyms and draughty church halls. It seems yoga is everywhere, and nowhere is it more omnipresent than on the net.

Should you wish to learn more about Sting's views on the subject, for instance, you might care to read the in-depth interview available at the White Lotus website.

You'll find a glossily professional web page which features authoritative articles on the many different forms of yoga - and the debate about which is the best.

You can also access a shop selling books and videos, or click through selection of celebrity interviews.

Share the well-illustrated interview with Sting, in which he expresses regret at not having started yoga earlier. But he adds that, if anything, the exercise seems to be reversing the ageing process.

This view is echoed by fellow megastar Madonna. Indeed, the title song, Ray Of Light, in her best-selling album incorporates a traditional yoga chant.

If you are moved to discover more details, Roots And Wings, a 'yoga, bodywork and natural healing centre' will be happy to provide you with the original Sanskrit text of that chant.

Roots And Wings is largely geared to selling yoga products, but you'll also find articles, discussion groups and a search engine for locating those all important Sanskrit lyrics (just type in Madonna).

Another site, called Evolution, describes itself as an online yoga magazine, and although it can be a little graphic-heavy and slow, it's a snazzy and informative creation.

The visitor is offered enticements such as a free email newsletter, meditation advice, chants and even recipes.

Should you find Evolution's animated yoga girl icon annoyingly limber, you might be tempted to compete with her by practising a selection of yoga postures yourself.

Evolution allows you to call up these postures on your screen.

It seems that cyberspace is not yet the proper place to learn the subtleties of this ancient discipline: for that you'll still need to take a traditional class with a teacher.
 

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Yoga for Women: How to Gain a Shapely Waist through Yoga

The size of the waist is an indication of overall fitness for many people. Most health experts agree that a smaller waist is healthier than a big one. The reasoning behind this is that increases in fat around the waist usually result in increased health risks such as diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure.

In evolutionary and biological terms, a small waist signifies youth and vitality. But doing endless workouts of crunches alone will not allow you to achieve that Venus-like waist of your dreams. You will need to supplement specific waist-orientated exercises with ones from various disciplines.

Specifically you will need to work the inner girdle of muscles - commonly known as the core muscles - with slow abdominal exercises that work very deep into these muscle groups.

While usually associated with building flexibility, some specific exercises from yoga-based workouts also target the underlying core muscles around the waist.

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How to Build Big Traps

 

When it comes to the question of how to build big traps the discussion starts and finishes with deadlifts. This incredible mass builder will pack huge slabs of beef on your traps faster than just about any other exercise there is. Just look at powerlifters and you will see that there is simply no way to avoid building huge traps when you do a lot of deadlifts.

While the deadlift is the king of trap building exercises, an argument could be made that Olympic lifts are equally as effective. I would tend to agree if not for the fact that Olympic lifts are harder to teach and learn than deadlifts are, which moves them down to second on the list. Everyone can do at least a partial range deadlift properly. Not everyone can clean or snatch properly.

Finally, you have shrugs. While it seems like a very simple and straight forward movement there is actually a great deal of confusion over how to build big traps with shrugs. Nobody seems to be able to agree on how they should be done. On one hand you have the camp that says you need to go as heavy as possible and do partial reps, just heaving the weight up. Then there's the camp that says you need to go light and get a full range of motion, trying to get your shoulders as close to touching your ears as possible and hold it there for a second.

Who is right and who is wrong?

They both are.

To understand where the answer truly lies lets again take a look at the athletes with the biggest traps: power lifters and Olympic lifters

Powerlifters have huge traps because of all the deadlifts they do. Deadlifts are heavy, period. There is no shrugging movement at all, in fact. Olympic lifters lift relatively lighter weights explosively and with a range of motion that does indeed have them bringing their traps to their ears.

Looking at these two groups, what does this tell us about shrugs and the proper way to do them?

Quite simply, what it tells us is that the best way to get huge traps is to deadlift and Olympic lift. Bottom line.

BUT… what if you can not do either of those exercises due to back or shoulder problems or just want more variety in your trap training routine? Then you have no choice but to shrug. Traps are the most important, intimidating and impressive bodypart there is and you can't walk around with none.

So then, exactly how do you do shrugs and which camp is right? They both are. Sometimes you should go heavy for low reps, cheat the weight up and don't worry about getting an extreme contraction at the top. Then on another day of the week go lighter for higher reps with a complete range of motion and exaggerated contraction and hold at the top.

Another option is to do both variations in one workout. You could start with a lighter weight, doing 10-12 reps, bringing your shoulders as high as they can go. With each set add more weight and work your way down to the point where you can only get five partial reps with a little cheat at the end. You could start with the heavier sets first and lighten them as you go.

Deadlifts and Olympic lifts should always be your first answer to the question of how to build big traps. But sometimes and in certain situations, shrugs can be very effective as well. Just make sure to go straight up and down and don't roll your shoulders forwards and backwards; that's for nitwits who don't have a full understanding of how gravity works.

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Fire Up Your Body’s Engine To Burn Fat

If you were to ask ten people what type of exercise they should be doing to burn fat, lose weight, and fire up their metabolism (the body's engine), they would all likely tell you that you need to do 30-40 minutes of moderately-paced aerobic activity on some sort of cardio exercise equipment such as a treadmill, stair climber, or a stationary cycle.

They would probably also tell you that more is better and while 3 times a week is good, 4 or more times each week would be even better. People will tell you this because it has been the mainstream recommendation for fat burning for decades. In fact, these ideas from the so called exercise 'experts' date back to the 1980s. You will also be told that it is productive to reach a certain target heart rate and stay at that heart rate for at least 30 minutes.

Well, things have changed somewhat since the 1980s. More recent research has actually proven that this type of activity is NOT the best way to burn fat, lose weight, or increase your metabolism. Sure, you will burn a few extra calories while you are running to nowhere on a treadmill, but you will not make a complete physique transformation using this type of exercise alone. No amount of cardio activity will ever build you a strong, lean, firm, and shapely body. Only strength training exercise can do this for you.

Modern research has confirmed that, in fact, the activity once considered the be-all and end-all for fat loss can actually be counterproductive to burning fat. Here are some of the reasons why this is the case.

Long duration, low intensity aerobic activity calls upon your stored body fat for energy during the sessions. While this may sound good, it can actually cause your body to create more body fat in reserve after the workout is over so that you will be ready for your next session. Yikes! You are actually training your body to store fat in readiness.

What is worse, this type of activity, when done frequently, trains your cardiovascular system to be efficient, and thereby it shrinks. This reduces the capacity of your heart and lungs for work as they are getting more efficient at doing easy work (your long duration, low intensity aerobic sessions). This in turn reduces their ability to handle stress.

They are simply not prepared for anything more than an easy workload. And anything that is easy will not yield results even close to what is challenging for the body to accomplish. This can lead to a host of other problems including heart problems. Instead, you should be challenging your heart lung system to increase its capacity, so that it is stronger and able to deal with stress more easily. How is this done?

The fastest and most efficient way to rev up your metabolism, burn fat faster, and develop lifelong health and fitness is to add lean muscle to your body through strength training – period.
If you want life-changing health and fat loss results in the quickest possible time, then get stronger and build some muscle. When you add lean muscle to your body you will be literally turning your body into a fat burning machine.

When you stimulate your body with proper strength training, the repair and growth process will call upon your stored body fat for energy. This calorie deficit combined with the repair and growth process will allow you to burn fat all day long, every day long after the exercise session is over.

And the best part is that it is easy to make this type of exercise part of your life because of its efficiency. You only need 2-3 sessions each week or around 30-40 minutes. Muscle tissue is the stuff that fat burning furnaces are made of.

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Can At Home Fitness Workouts

Sometimes you just can't make it to the gym every time you want to-meetings run late, traffic gets backed up, the car breaks down or something else happens that stops you from getting in your workout. The next time that happens you might want to consider working out at home rather than skipping your training session entirely. Have you not trained at home because you don't believe you can get a decent workout? Well, think again because you're dead wrong-you can. At-home workouts, if done with reasonable intensity, can be extremely effective. A good in-the-house workout session can be made even better if you add in a pair of dumbbells.

While depending on your fitness goals, training in the home might not be right for every person all the time, and nothing will ever replace weight lifting for building mass, for even the most dedicated gym rat, working out at home can be a nice break from the routine at the gym once in a while. Plus, it's always a good idea to keep your muscles guessing by challenging them. There are a few other advantages to working out at home too: you can listen to your favorite music, there's no waiting for machines, there's no one to hassle you, no worries about cleaning up after others and you don't have to drive. It can also be a great way to dodge the inner escape artist every once in a while when you just don't feel like going to the gym or need a change of pace. If you've got kids, at-home workouts can help get them on the right track early on.

The question is though, "Is working out at home effective and can I see results?" The answer is yes! The key though to an effective home exercise program is to include exercises that work three key areas: cardio, strength and flexibility. Even if you don't have a fully-equipped home gym, there are plenty of exercises you can do using just your bodyweight. Keeping a set of dumbbells around the house can give your in-home workout some teeth and get your muscles pumped. Plus, they don't take up a lot of space and help in stabilizing and developing muscles that are important to strength, balance, and posture. Some strength training exercises you can do at home using just your bodyweight and dumbbells include:

Adding dumbbells to your out-of-gym or at-home cardio routine can help you make the most of your time. Carry a set of dumbbells with you when you walk, alternating between curls and just carrying them at your side. If you do this though, be careful not to swing your arms around too much, you can injure yourself easily. If you've got access to a set of stairs, walk up and down carrying a couple of dumbbells at your side-you'll get your heart moving in no time.

If you don't want to skip the gym in favor of an at-home workout but do want to kick your metabolism up a notch while you're hanging around the house, set aside some times throughout the day to spend a few minutes moving around using dumbbells. A University of Missouri (Columbia) study found that when we spend too much time sitting on our rumps, the body's fat burning mechanisms slow to a near halt. No surprises there but the study also found that moving around whenever possible can jumpstart the fat burning process again. So instead of just lying around on the sofa for hours at a stretch, get up, pick up the dumbbells and get your ass moving-even if it's only ten minutes at a time. You'll burn some extra calories and you'll do your body good.

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Confessions of a Nervous Public Speaker

From as far as I can remember I always had a problem with public speaking. I remember when I was in school everybody would participate in annual functions and allocations while I used to sit in a corner of the class hoping that the teacher doesn't see me and call me to speak on the stage. I always tried to break free of this but I just couldn't. This problem came with me to college; I couldn't take part in dramas or answer questions properly in the class. When I saw all the faces that were looking at me when I was going to speak a panic attack used to hit me. I couldn't see them eye to eye.

As I talked to my friends about my problem, I got to know that fear of public speaking is not so uncommon and everyone has it in their lifetime at one time or the other. Some people are able to get over it very easily, whereas some people like me get stuck with this problem for a long time. After talking to my friends I realized that, if I had properly faced my problem in school itself I would not be having the problem here in college. Then I decided to join some of the communities who had students like me, who had a problem of public speaking and started working on my problem, slowly working my way up. There are also various books that I consulted that helped me to get over this problem, they provided good information and allowed me to be at home and still work at my problem. One of those books was an eBook called , that taught me about how to control my blushing during a panic attack. It also explained the physiology of blushing very well. I realized that I didn't just have an anxiety disorder, like my doctor once told me, but that I actually had Erythophobia, which is a fear of blushing. The very thought of having to do anything publicly wasn't just a fear of public speaking like I always thought it was, it was actually Erythophobia. You see Erythophobia is when you are nervous and anxious even before the situation you are stressed out about is happening, because you know even before it happens that you are going to blush and turn all red, you are going to be nervous, your heart will race, you are going to sweat and shake, and on and on. I was basically setting myself up for failure even before it happened! I was scared and nervous because I knew I was going to be scared and nervous! I knew I was going to look like a tool and feel so embarrassed about it, that I was panicking about it even before it happened.

Anyways, needless to say, I can now talk in front of other people now without the worries of blushing and all the other symptoms that came along with it. I simply don't blush anymore and Im not scared of blushing anymore because I know how to literally stop my blushing before it happens. The techniques that the ebook taught me were great. Some of the things discussed in the book were common sense, and sure, some stuff I already knew, but ultimately I did learn specific exercises that stops me from blushing today. I would recommend it to anyone who has this problem. Especially if they think they have a fear of public speaking! I think this ebook is perfect for people with a fear of public speaking, in fact I think it should be called how to be an expert public speaker! After I read this ebook and conquered my blushing problems, my public speaking just wasn't an issue for me anymore. And man oh man, is that ever a great feeling!

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Do You Want a Big Bench Press?

Then you're probably determined to get one. It's that same determination that will be your struggle. The more you want it, the harder you want to work and the longer you want to stay in the gym. This is going to lead to overtraining which will stunt any strength gains you've made and delay any dreams of an even bigger bench.

How do you know if you're at risk of overtraining? If you feel run down after a workout, notice that you aren't making any gains, you always do forced reps, you're not getting enough rest, your diet stinks, you have a bad attitude or you aren't motivated you're probably overtraining. Insomnia is another big sign. Put it this way, if a weight continually feels heavier than normal, chances are you haven't gotten weaker, you just haven't recovered from previous workouts.

There are three distinct stages of metabolism. The first is a state of equilibrium easily described as the fully recovered state where energy is neither being depleted and tissue is not being damaged or repaired. The second stage is catabolism. Catabolism is the stage you are in during a workout. Energy is being depleted and muscle tissue is being damaged. Your goals should be to keep catabolism in the gym, but many people that overtrain keep this stage going long after their workouts end and lose hard-earned muscle tissue to help the recovery. Finally the stage that usually doesn't get much of a chance to kick in before we're back in the gym for another session. The third stage is anabolism where energy is restored and tissue damage is being repaired. So after you lift you want to heal and reach a state of homeostasis,but instead many of us are back in the gym tearing our muscles and using energy when we haven't even let the muscle fully recover from the previous workout. Never lift a muscle group that is still sore. I know it's difficult but sometimes more isn't better.

There is always the urge to overtrain thinking that if we just work harder the gains will come. How do we resist the urge? First off lets think, quality not quantity. If you lift each muscle group only once a week and spend less than 1 hr in the gym you're on the right path. Although you don't have to spend a lot of time in the gym the time spent must be intense. Every single exercise and rep should be performed with a passion and you will accomplish more in 45 minutes than most people do in two hours. If you are truly pushing yourself you should be exhausted at the end of the workout. After tearing your body apart, do you think it's going to be ready to do it again in two to three days? I think not, try at least a week.

So all you benchers out there if you're lifting heavy, workout after workout make sure that the reason you hit a plateau is not that you are trying too often. Let your body recover, heal, and grow before you start ripping it up again. When you hit each body part several times a week you don't really try as hard because you know you'll get another shot at it in a week. When you only lift each body part once per week you develop a sense of urgency. You know you better lift hard because you won't get another chance to train it again for a week. Then as the week passes by you find yourself looking forward to your next chest day. Anyone that thinks they might be overtraining take a couple of days off and go back to the gym revived and motivated with the determination to train smarter and harder.

More Information About Muscle Building Click Here

 

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Fashion Tips For Plus Size Ladies Over 50

Women are just like fine wine. As they get older, more mature, and more beautiful, their inner woman seems to gain a sense of assured confidence, brought on by the years of experience in life. I have always admired women over 50 who carry their age with a sense of pride, style and class.

As women get older their sense of fashion seems to mature along with them. What is trendy and 'in fashion' might not necessarily be the apparel of choice any longer. Why does this happen? Probably as women get busier and have more responsibilities they seem to opt for items which are comfortable to work in not necessarily stylish.

However I think women should not give up their sense of style, just because their day got busier and a few gray hairs are showing up here and there. On the other hand as women get older they should adjust to their age, by choosing items of clothing which enhance their beauty and their figure.

Plus size women who are over 50 have every reason to dress in a stylish manner. Stores which cater for their needs might not necessarily be easily available, that is true. However that is no reason to compromise. Especially with the Internet being so widely available these days, a multitude of store are suddenly available to cater for a mature plus size woman's needs. For instance store like Ulla Popken and Junonia have a great selection of plus size clothing available which is great for the mature woman's needs. Prices are reasonable and sizes are vast.

Mature plus size ladies should be careful to choose items which make the most of their curves, and also their age. Some tips to abide by are the following –

1. Be careful to choose the right size to fit your body. Don't go for items which fit too tightly, the idea if for clothing to hug your body so that is gives it definition and enhances the curves. Choosing items which are too tight will not look too classy. At the same times items which are too baggy should also be avoided. Your dress of choice does not have to look like a tent! Just because you're plus size, does not mean you have to hide your body. Show off those beautiful curves in a classy and chic manner.

2. Avoid fussy prints. Fussy fabrics have the tendency to make plus size women look even bigger. While we are proud of our curves, the clothing we choose should make the most of our full figures, enhancing them instead of giving them wrong definition.

3. Stick to classic designs and clean cuts. Just as fussy printed fabrics make us look a little bit bigger, so do fussy designs. For example avoid too much frill and things of the sort. Such clothing does not help define a full figured body to the best of it's shape. Instead stick clean cuts and classic designs which work best for our curves.

4. Try and avoid wearing anything that is too short. If you have beautiful legs, be proud of them and by all mean show them off whenever you get a chance however, do this with taste, style and moderation. Do wear skirts and shorts. However avoid anything that is too short.

5. As we get older, some parts of our body tend to lose some of that useful gravity. This is nothing to worry about, as when choosing clothes and underwear with good support, things can be kept up to the necessary heights at all times. However I would suggest not to exposure the arms too much.

Being over 50 does not mean women have to give up on having a sense of style. Especially not plus size women! On the other hand women should make the most of this time in their life. With the right clothes any plus size lady who is over 50 can look and feel like a million dollars!

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Anxious Thoughts and Broken Records

Have you ever noticed that anxious thoughts are like a broken record?

I know with Ipods etc. it's a bit outdated to be using a record analogy here but it works well to illustrate a key point about anxious thoughts.

Remember when a record got scratched it made a very unpleasant sound and caused the needle to get stuck on the same groove.

The same one line would play over and over again ad nauseam until you picked up the needle and moved it past the scratch.

Anxious thoughts are bit like this. You might be happily going about your day and then something triggers an anxious thought.

The worry the thought creates sends an unpleasant shock wave through your nervous system. (The scratch on the record).

Then once you start reacting to the anxious thought it is hard to stop thinking about it over and over again. (The needle stuck in a groove)

The repetitive anxious thought can last minutes, hours , days depending on how upset you become by the thought.

I want to share with you a quick technique to jump out of this anxious groove. This technique is you learning how to pick up the record needle and move it past the scratch.

Here it is:

1, Observe 2, Trust 3, Move

Observe the anxious thought and label it. Say

"Oh there is fear X again, imagine that"

Try your very best to not get sucked into reacting emotionally to the thought.

Then

Trust that what you are worrying about will in all probability never come about. Almost all the anxious thoughts we have are a complete waste of our energy.

Trust that things will work out fine.

Joseph Cossman said "If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today."

If you are religious/spiritual then hand your anxious thought over to a higher power. Trust that there is nothing to fear and you will be looked after.

Trust and let it go.

"Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway. " ~Mary C. Crowley

Lastly,

Move your attention elsewhere. Focus on something positive that takes your mind out of the anxious groove.

Replace the anxious thought with a positive thought. You are not trying to suppress the anxious thought, you are simply moving your attention elsewhere. To continue the record analogy, you pick the record needle up (your attention) and move it out of the groove it was caught in.

If you are engaged in an activity then move your attention fully there. Be 100% present in the moment.

If you are walking focus on the surroundings, if you are driving observe all the sights and sounds. If you are with someone focus all your attention on them.

By moving your attention into the present moment there is no room for anxious thoughts to dominate your mind.

Play around with both moving your attention to positive thoughts or into the present moment. Different people find one or the other is easier to accomplish. The key thing is to move your mind out of the anxious groove and put you back in your natural flow.

So to sum up remember O.T.M.

Observe, Trust, Move

It takes a bit of practice but as long as you remember the above 3 steps you will be able to dramatically eliminate anxious thoughts from your day.

To learn more about how to end panic attacks and general anxiety fast then

CLICK HERE TO STOP PANIC ATTACK

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Advanced Photoshop Fun

If you've gotten a good handle on the basics of Adobe Photoshop and just want to take a few tutorials to learn some advanced speedy little tricks here are some neat online Photoshop tutorials to try.

The very newest of the Photoshop tutorials is the lesson on replacing color. This will teach you not only how to replace color throughout the image, but how to go about replacing a series of the same color in various shades with the same kind of color gradient in a different color.

You can take part in this Photoshop tutorial from the vendor's Web site or can download it as a PDF and read it at your leisure.

Should you have no Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your computer you'll need that to use the PDF but it's easily downloaded from the site at no charge in just a few quick seconds.

Another of the clever Photoshop tutorial lessons is the means to form your Photoshop text in a circle. This circular text formatting has traditionally called for a vector but the version 5 lets you create your circular text with much more ease, and no vector.

This Photoshop tutorial, as with the other advanced training programs, can be read online or with a downloadable PDF.

For those of you who like the creative effect of a curling page you can learn how to do this with a Photoshop tutorial as well. In the same lessons you can learn to use Adobe paths and to create gradients of your own.

One whimsical little Adobe Photoshop trick taught through tutorials is called flag in the wind. Created at the request of several Photoshop users who logged onto Usenets, the technique teaches photographers how to use Photoshop's displace filter to create the look of a breezy movement.

Once the above techniques have been mastered additional advanced Photoshop tutorials teaching things like custom interfaces, and the quick photo effects of masking. One of the fun uses for this tactic is to take one head and place it on the body of another person. Everyone needs that technique right?

Some of the Photoshop tutorials are specific to materials and fabric. Tutorial number nine, for example, teaches the use of Adobe Photoshop with metal, while the next lesson number ten teaches the use of wood as a Photoshop material.

Textured spheres and round buttons can be designed with Photoshop with any material once you've taken the basic materials lessons.

Wood texture tutorials teach bevel and button creations, while metal textures can be used for interfaces as well.

GIF lessons are important additions to your Photoshop basic tutorials. GIFs are not that easy to master, but their transparency is the reason they're still important.

You can tackle runny text lessons in advanced tutorials too. Just in case you have a bent for the bloody, say at Halloween time, you can learn this point and click technique with Photoshop classes.

Other advanced Photoshop tutorials teach gold and raised text creation, soft text with a beveled look and an alien skin, chrome and textured 3-D text, and layered masking.

Master The Basics Of Adobe PhotoshopWith My 2 Hour Easy To Use Photoshop Video Tutorial.

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3 Random Fitness and Nutrition Tips

I just had some random workout and nutrition tips for you on my mind today, so here they are:

1. Onions = Amazing Superfood… Eat onions daily if possible.

Not only do I love onions, but I recently read a longevity study that surveyed a large amount of people who had lived over 100 years of age. One of the common threads they noticed from the survey of these amazing people that lived to ages exceeding 100 was that they ate a lot of onions.

Kind of weird huh… but not a surprise to me. In fact, onions are definitely an important super-food as they contain unique organosulphur compounds and potent antioxidants that are rare in other foods.

I've also read dozens of studies that correlated onions (and garlic too) with pretty impressive reductions in cancer risk.

I like to add onions to almost any meals I can think of… slices on sandwiches, added to salads, in my morning eggs, in veggie mixtures with lunch or dinner, and more.

2. Mix up your workouts with "5-minute bodyweight exercise challenges"

This is a unique way to add some variety to your workouts and maybe even get a friend in a little competition with you.

You can throw one of these in at the end of a workout as a high intensity finish, or even just do at home on non-gym days.

Basically, all you do is choose 1 specific bodyweight exercise such as bodyweight squats, pushups, lunges, etc and try to do as many reps of that exercise as you can in exactly 5 minutes (timed).  I've also used 1-arm dbell swings for these 5 min drills and they work great.

This works best by trying to do 20 or 30 reps at a time and then taking short breathers of about 10 seconds before continuing on your next round of reps.

We've even made this a little competition between a couple people at my gym in the past where we all line up and get timed for 5 minutes and see who can do the most squats or pushups or whatever it may be in that 5 minute time period.

From what I've seen, if you can do 100 or more pushups in 5 minutes, or 200 or more bodyweight squats in 5 minutes, those are pretty impressive numbers. I think my record was somewhere around 225 bw squats in 5 minutes.
3. Example of the Glycemic Index (GI) being useless

In several of my newsletters in the past, I've given examples of how choosing your foods based on the glycemic index can be misleading and useless in many cases.

Case in point…

Watermelon has one of the highest measured GI's of all foods (much higher than even cake and ice cream).  However, a normal serving of cake and ice cream may give you a whopping 700 or 800 calories, whereas a typical serving of watermelon may give you 50 or 60 calories max!

Trust me… watermelon isn't making anyone fat!

The lesson… GI is almost useless when you're not considering "Glycemic Load", which also factors in the quantity of carbohydrates ingested in a typical serving.

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Adding Sunlight Through The Trees

In this Adobe Photoshop tutorial, we're going to learn how to add beams of sunlight through trees, which is not only a great way to make an image look more interesting, it's also a lot easier to do than you might think, as we'll see. We'll even finish things off by making the sunbeams appear to be shining on the ground after they pass through the trees, which adds more realism to the final effect.

Step 1: Find The Color Channel With The Highest Contrast

Free Adobe Photoshop tutorials, Photoshop tutorials and photo shop tutorials on photo effects and Photoshop effects.

With our image open in Photoshop, the first thing we need to do is find out which of our three color channels (Red, Green and Blue) contains the highest amount of contrast. To do that, switch over to your Channels palette, which by default is grouped in beside your Layers palette. You'll see the "Red", "Green" and "Blue" channels listed, which combine to create all the colors we see in our image. You'll also see what appears to be a fourth channel, the "RGB" channel at the top, but it's really just the composite of the Red, Green and Blue channels ("RGB" stands for "Red, Green and Blue") and isn't a channel itself:

We're interested in the three color channels, and what you want to do is click on each channel while keeping an eye on your image to see which one of them gives us the highest amount of contrast in the image.

Click on the Red channel first and you'll see your image turn black and white. Remember what it looks like, then click on the Green channel. You'll see a different looking black and white version of the image. Again, remember what it looks like, then click on the Blue channel for a third black and white version of the image. You want to choose the version that offers the highest amount of contrast, and chances are, if the image you're working on looks similar to mine, it will be the Blue channel with the highest contrast. Here's what my Blue channel looks like. The sky in the background is nice and bright while the trees and ground are very dark, exactly what I was looking for:

Step 2: Make A Copy Of The Channel

Now that I know my Blue channel is the one that offers the highest amount of contrast, I need to make a duplicate of it. To copy a channel, simply click on it and drag it down onto the New Channel icon at the bottom of the Channels palette (it's the second icon from the right):

Release your mouse button and you'll see the copy of the channel below all the other channels in the Channels palette. Since I copied my Blue channel, Photoshop named the duplicate "Blue copy":

Adobe Photoshop tutorial: Drag the black slider towards the right until all the dark areas in the image appear filled with solid black.

Click OK when you're done to exit out of the dialog box. Here's my image after dragging the slider. The dark areas now appear filled in with black while the sky in the background remains nice and bright:

Adobe Photoshop tutorial: The copy of the Blue channel after darkening the dark areas further with Levels.

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3 Simple, Healthy Meal Plans You Can Start Right Now

Is it possible to put together a simple and healthy meal plan?  One that is not going to be complicated and hard to follow?  Yes.  It is possible and I will show you how.   The healthy meal plans below will help you achieve your health goals while simultaneously shedding fat off your body.Here are 3 healthy meal plans you can get started on right now.

Breakfast

Protein should be included in every meal throughout the day and breakfast is no exception.  Make sure to include organic eggs, cottage cheese, raw nut butter or smoked fish as one component of your healthy breakfast.  Carbohydrates should also be included in the form of oatmeal, sprouted grain bread, fruit and/or vegetables.

3 great sample breakfasts are:

Oatmeal with almond butter, topped with fresh berries and a bit of Stevia to sweeten.

2 hard boiled eggs, 1 slice sprouted grain toast and ½ grapefruit

Smoked salmon over sliced tomato and 1 green apple

Lunch

The same rules apply as breakfast.  An easy way to ensure that you always have a healthy protein available for lunch is to pack leftovers from dinner the night before.  Leftover hamburger, chicken legs or wild fish are all great to include in a salad or over vegetables.

3 great sample lunches are:

Baked Tilapia over sautéed spinach, green salad with chick peas (oil and vinegar as dressing) followed by  ½ cup of pineapple.

Leftover chicken legs with ½ sweet potato and broccoli.

Lean hamburger over portabella mushroom and brown rice.  Cooked vegetables or a green salad.  1 orange.

Dinner

You can really be creative with dinner.  Look for recipes that are quick and easy and modify them with your own healthy ingredients as needed.  Again, always remember to include protein and carbohydrates.

3 great sample dinners are:

Mexican salad: Ground beef over shredded lettuce and tomato, guacamole and brown rice.

Grilled Salmon over asparagus, green salad (oil and vinegar as dressing) followed by a  fresh fruit salad.

Buffalo meat balls over rice pasta with sautéed broccoli.

Snacks

You never want to let your body get too hungry.  Hunger often leads to binge eating of unhealthy food and makes sticking to a healthy eating regimen much more difficult.  It's important to keep snacks handy so you never experience hunger or a blood sugar low without having a healthy option nearby.

3 great snacks are:

2 Tbsp almond butter on ½ apple

Trail mix made up of walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds and dried fruit (no sugar added)

Cottage cheese and pineapple

Incorporate just a few of these meals into your daily eating regimen and you will see an incredible difference in your weight loss results.  Following simple and healthy meal plans like these is the first step in achieving your health and fitness goals.

To get started right away on your own fat loss goals , download these Simple and Healthy Meal Plans right now.

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3D Computer Animation: The Skills and Training You Need

3d animation or graphics make use of a 3 dimensional depiction of content that is in geometric form for the reason of rendering images that are in two dimensional forms. The usage of 3d animation may be immense. It may be used in computer graphic applications, making 3d animation games and even cartoon films for the kids. 3d animation may also be used in corporate reports and in websites and consequently because of their three dimensional nature make a better impact and sound understanding.

Similarity and difference between 3d animation and 2d animation

Although there is an entire dimension addition in 3d animation when compared to 2d, yet the basic algorithm on which 3d animation rely upon is the same in both the case. This simailarity is apparent in the wire frame format mainly.

The difference between the 2d and 3d animation is not enough. They both use each other to get the desired effects. For example 2d animation uses 3d effects like lighting and at the same time, the 3d animation uses rendering techniques that are taught in 2d. although there are differences like a 3d animation is technically not a graphic till the time it is rendered in such a way that visually it attains the stature of 3d. Thus, in order to be trained in 3d animation, one needs to be skilled in 2d graphics as well.

3d animation training

Bringing characters to life is not as easy as it appears. It needs a lot of practice and hard work. Although with a proper training in visual effects and an in-depth knowledge of 2d graphics and 3d animation, one can easily create, out of the world website, design products, make games that truly belong to the next generation and much more.

The answer such high goals and aspirations is a thorough and strong knowledge of Graphics and the various packages that may help you to render a sketch into life. Some of the packages that may make you a skilled in 3d animation are flash, macromedia etc. But before you know such 3d animation packages, it's always advised to have an idea and perfection in packages like Photoshop that forms the basis of any graphic activity.

The 3d animation is taught in various schools and institutes focused in animation and communication design. Different institutes have different curriculum to offer its students in order to train them into skilled animators. Usually, computer animation courses include 2d and 3d animation, digital arts, digital animation course, editing and visual effect course etc.

The best part about 3d animation is that even professionals can excel the art by doing some online courses in the same field that enriches their art further and make them further skilled and expertise animators.

The Basic 3d animation knowledge

·Developing primary characters by using bouncing ball principle.
·Understanding the anatomy of the character and setting models with the help of knowledge in proportions.
·Colour theory knowledge.
·Bone structure and skin textures.
·Colour rendering.

The Intermediate 3d animation skills
·Modeling the character and understanding mesh tool.
·Shading skills
·Sketching and rigging skills.
·Software knowledge and making their use.

Advanced 3d animation training
·Conceptualizing an animation along with facial features and creating full fleshed characters.
·Making short animation movie.
·Shading, lighting and rendering using layers.
·Giving the final fluid effect. Practically using all the packages together along with sketching to get the perfection in 3d animation.

 

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Source 4 Foods Never To Eat

Adobe Photoshop Tutorials – The Best All Round Program For Amateur and Professional Photographers

If you are a photo enthusiast you are no longer tied to the past when it comes to how to take great photos. With the help of digital technology we can now take average photos with our digital cameras and turn them into something incredible using digital photo editing software programs such as Adobe Photoshop with some excellent online adobe photoshop tutorials.

Due to today's technology we are no longer tied to the past. Less than 20 years ago we were tied to film and photo processing, dark rooms and light meters, shutter and film speed, as well as a whole host of other technical terms. With technology all we have to do is point, shoot, upload, and print.

In the past you needed perfect lighting conditions in order to create perfect photos. Unfortunately you couldn't always rely on nature for those perfect lighting conditions, so what would you do then? Using Adobe Photoshop you no longer need to rely on nature in order to create a perfect shot; using Photoshop you can take dark photos and edit them to make it look like they were taken in the best possible conditions.

This is only one of the hundreds of amazing things you can do using Photoshop. Red eye is unavoidable, even for the most experienced photographer. Regardless if you have the most expensive camera on the market today, you still are unable to completely avoid the red eye phenomenon. Adobe comes equipped with a red eye tool that detects and eliminates red eye with a quick click of your mouse.

You no longer need to let red eye destroy your photos. Regardless of whether it is a person or a pet, Adobe will wipe out red eye forever.

Close up photos can be another tricky area when taking photos of individuals, especially when they have less than perfect skin. No one likes to see their skin up close and using Photoshop you can edit out wrinkles, pimples, scars, moles, etc. to give everyone that beautiful perfect skin they longed for. Take the fear out of zooming with Photoshop.

We have all seen magazines with impossibly perfect models. What most people don't understand is that it's not the makeup that makes them look perfect and you are definitely not looking at their natural skin. We can thank Photoshop for their perfect, glamorous look. With a bit of work Photoshop can even create a thin person out of an overweight one. Amazingly enough, you can even turn a 60 year old woman into a 20 year old. This is the incredible power of Photoshop.

The items I have mentioned are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all that you can do with this program. With some creativity and imagination the sky is the limit with this program. Regardless of whether you are an amateur or professional when it comes to your camera, everyone can create amazing results with a few clicks of the mouse and Adobe Photoshop.

You can make technology work for you. Turn your computer into a digital darkroom with Adobe Photoshop and ensure that each photo you take turns out incredible. Easily turn your average photos into incredible works of art using Adobe Photoshop Tutorials.

Discover The Adobe Photoshop Tutorials That Reveal How To Master The Basics Of Photoshop In Just 2 Hours With Learn Photoshop Now Video Tutorials

Source 4 Foods Never To Eat

5 Steps You Can Take Today To Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

 

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is not something to be taken lightly. It is a serious disease, the cause of which is unknown. One fact health care professionals do know is that left untreated, high blood pressure over time can lead to serious heart disease and other vascular troubles, even death.

Blood pressure medications come in a wide range of formulas and
dosages; each aimed at reducing the pressure going through the
blood vessels either as the heart pumps blood or relaxes. Some
medications strengthen the blood vessels while others thin the
blood in an effort to reduce the strain. Trial and error is usually
a doctor's only course of action when determining which combination of drugs and treatments will benefit a specific patient. The problem with this approach is the dangerous side effects, which often accompany these medications.

There is however some good news about hypertension! There are steps you can take today that will begin to lower your blood pressure almost immediately. Overtime, the result is a sustained healthy blood pressure reading that supports your blood vessels and heart for years to come.

Start with these 5 easy lifestyle changes. Always consult with your doctor before trying anything new with your health regime, and never go off of any medication without the advice of your doctor. Here is a list that any doctor can approve of:

1. Drink Water. Yes, water is a way to cleanse and refresh every
part of the body, even your blood vessels. Drink 8-10 glasses each day to flush out excess salt and toxins that make their way into the blood stream. You can use water to replace some drinks
containing caffeine that temporarily raise blood pressure.

2. Stop Smoking. If you are a long time smoker, you know how it
affects your breathing. What you may not realize is its impact on
your blood pressure. If you can't quit completely, then cut down.
Even a 50% reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked each week can help.

3. Exercise. A cardiovascular workout strengthens the heart. This is important because high blood pressure over time puts added strain on the heart. Just 20 minutes, 3 times per week of a
sustained increase in heart rate will aid in lowering blood
pressure.

4. Eat Right. If you are eating better and exercising, a nice
by-product will be weight loss. By reducing your weight by 10%, you can significantly lower blood pressure. A diet that includes the freshest fruits and vegetables will support healthy blood pressure. Reduce or eliminate salt intake, and especially beware of "hidden" sodium found abundantly in pre-packaged convenience foods.

5. Relax. Many people have a temporary raise in blood pressure when they are under stress. If you have high blood pressure because you are over weight or have a family history of hypertension, then stress raises it that much more. Try taking a walk, meditating or listening to relaxing music to take the edge off a stressful day. Make time for decompressing each and every day.

Discover many more safe and effective methods that will make a positive impact on your blood pressure level:

For More Information Click Here

Source 4 Foods Never To Eat

Affiliate Marketing and Pay Per Click

Do you want to make more money? Do you want to turn that computer you spent so much money on into a cash cow? Well it is possible. It won't happen overnight but with time and hard work you'll soon be working from home if you choose.

Do you currently have a website? Do you wonder why it isn't making you any money? You keep posting great content, wonderful writing samples and articles but still your balance is zero. Well perhaps you need to expand your horizons. By signing up for pay per click affiliate sites you can soon see cash going into your account simply by maintaining your site.

One of the most popular Pay per click programs is Google adsense. Google Adsense will take care of the advertising for you. When you sign up, your site will have new advertisements and banner places in the open spaces. If anyone visits your site and clicks on one of the ads, you get a referral payment. Again, Google takes care of the ad placement allowing you to concentrate on increasing the traffic to your site.

Joining a scheme such as Google adsense is a good idea. They will help to promote your site and advise you on how to increase your traffic.

If you have been maintaining your website for a while, you probably know that one of the best ways to attract traffic is through the use of keywords. The right keywords will have them flocking to your site. The wrong words will have them running in droves. Sites such as Google adsense can help with this as well. They operate Google ad words. This will help maximize the key word usage and help get the correct one for the most traffic. Google does charge for this service so you need to be sure it is worth it before you buy. You don't want all of your profits ate up by the ad words scheme.

When you sign up for Google adsense, you can be assured that page appropriate ads will be places on your webpage. If you have a pet care site then things related to that topic will be placed. Obscure and ads that have nothing to do with your page are not likely to impress your reader or increase your earnings.

Google Adsense is only one example of search engines that offer a pay per click money making service. There are hundreds of others. One of the most notable is Yahoo publisher. It functions in much the same way as Google adsense and offers a similar style of service. Which one you choose will largely depend on you. If you have several sites, you could try both schemes. See which one is better and go with that one.

If you have a or several web pages that just seem to be doing nothing, then look into a pay per click program. Sites such as Google adsense and yahoo publisher will do most of the hard work for you. They will place the ads and decide which ads will be best for your site. This will leave you time to do the most important thing; increase your site traffic and eventually your ad revenue. If you have websites, look into pay per click. The service is free so you have nothing to loose.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

Source 4 Foods Never To Eat

Coconut Oil can help you Lose Fat

Coconut Oil is a wonderful healthy food that has been shown to increase metabolism and assist in burning unwanted fat off your body.  It is a wonder food that has been around for centuries and a great addition to any fat burning meal plan.Unfortunately, some people have a really hard time believing that coconut oil is not "fattening" or "dangerous".We have all been falsely led to believe that fat, especially saturated fat, is the cause of our weight gain and health problems. This is only true half true. Some fats like hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils do contribute to heart disease and weight gain but good fats like coconut oil, butter and olive oil are actually great fats for our bodies. Think about how much healthier people were in the late 1800's and very early 1900's. Heart disease was almost unheard of back then.

Let's put some of these MYTHS about coconut oil to rest right now.

Myth #1 – Coconut Oil contains a lot of fat so it must be fattening.

Truth – Not all fat makes you fat (I want to get this tattooed on my forehead). Certain fats do cause weight gain but other good fats will actually burn unwanted fat off your body and accelerate your metabolism.

Myth #2 – Coconut Oil contains almost all saturated fat so it must be bad for you.

Truth – Saturated Fat is not the cause of heart disease, weight gain and high cholesterol. Saturated Fat has been falsely accused and it is SUGAR that is Enemy Numero Uno (It is worse than the Joker in Bat Man).

(To read more details about how fats can be healthy and the history of dietary fats, read Butter: Good Fat or Bad Fat?)

Myth #3 – Coconut Oil should be avoided by those who are at risk for heart disease

Truth – The fat in coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils you can consume (yes, even for those with heart disease). It is rich in lauric acid, which is known for its antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties and contains no trans fat. The saturated fat in coconut oil is different than many other oils in that it is of the medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) variety. The body digests MCFAs more easily and sends these fats directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy. Now isn't that great? A fat that is used to make energy instead of storing it on our bodies. We can all use some of that.

I highly recommend everyone use unrefined, organic coconut oil for all of their cooking needs. 1 – 2 tsps for most cooking is more than enough. You can even use it raw if you like as I think, it tastes OH SO DELICIOUS! I usually have about 2-3 total TBSPs per day which is a perfect amount for a fat burning eating plan. While it's really good for you, there's no need to go overboard.

If you have a hard time finding coconut oil in your local supermarket, I buy mine here:
http://nutiva.net

Now go right ahead and enjoy your coconut oil and reap the fat burning effects right away.

To learn more about Coconut Oil and get started on your own fat loss goals, download your healthy meal plans right away.

Source 4 Foods Never To Eat