Boxing rhythm and breathing

The full boxing workout, which includes warming-up with calisthenics, hitting punching bags, mitts, or just shadow boxing in 3-minute rounds, and doing sit-ups, push-ups, or rope jumps in each break, can be very intense. But just holding up those 16-ounce gloves for 3 minutes is very tiring for the shoulders! This is why getting the breathing rhythm right is very important in the boxing workout.

There are many kinds of boxing punches: jabs are straight hits, crosses are hit diagonally, hooks are landed by swinging the bent arm in a sideways circular motion, upper cuts are delivered with a bent arm swinging up.

When you throw a punch, the effort makes you blow out air and tighten your abs. With every series of jabs you'll take quick in and out shallow breaths. And whether you're shadow boxing, or sparring with a trainer's mitts, or slugging a punching bag, getting the right rhythm in your foot movement is important to put the weight of your body behind each punch.



Jennifer Love Hewitt gets even with a punching bag in Genlux magazine. Other women who have included boxing in their workouts are 40-year old Kara DioGuardi from American Idol and Twilight actress Nikki Reed. "I'm really all about making my body stronger, so I don’t like to run on a treadmill – I think that's really lame!" 21-year-old Nikki Reed told HollywoodLife. "I think it is totally pointless, I'm all about things you do in your normal life, like push-ups, squats, and boxing. I'm really into fighting. My goal is to take down a full grown man! Maybe one that's [even] 5’10!"

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Sleeping on your side

A good night's sleep is essential for the mind and body; and since we spend one-third of our lives sleeping, it is vital to do it correctly.

Different styles of sleeping reveal your personality: on your back with arms by the sides means you are quiet and reserved. If you prefer sleeping on your side you are an easy-going, social person.

Whatever the truth to these claims, sleeping on your side is good for the back, because it takes the pressure off your spine. If sleeping on your back, put a large pillow under your legs; this lets your lower-back muscles relax.



Your mattress should be supportive rather than firm, because on a hard surface the outer points of your body, like the shoulders and hips bear all the body weight. A slightly softer surface lets you sink into the mattress and supports the body weight evenly. Sleeping sideways also prevents snoring.

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Protein in beans

Beans are the richest source of protein among plant foods. Part of the pulses family, beans are relatively low in calories and high in fiber, which lowers cholesterol and removes toxins from your body. The fiber keeps your stomach full and slows down the absorption of carbohydrates. Beans also contain antioxidants, and essential minerals like magnesium, phosphorous and potassium.

Beans are one of the cheapest foods in the market, and in most places a dollar can get a whole pound (two cups) of beans, which can feed five people. Dry beans cannot be eaten raw; they are usually soaked in three times their amount of water overnight. In the morning they can be cooked to make delicious sandwiches, salads, soups and smoothies. Or they can be prepared in the recipes from so many ethnic cuisines: Mexican, Indian, Italian, Thai, Chinese. After soaking and cooking, that one cup of dry beans increases up to three times in size! And it has as much protein as a 3-ounce piece of salmon or chicken, or three eggs.

Canned beans are ready-to-eat, but they are more expensive and they come with added sugar and salt in the sauce. Green beans or string beans are plucked raw, before the beans in the pod have matured and dried, and are eaten whole with the pod. Green beans are seasonal and easier to cook than dry beans; they are classed as vegetables but are high in protein.

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Lower abs exercises and diet

Toning the lower abdominal muscles (abs) is the number one fitness concern for women of all ages. We all want a flat lower belly, and can't believe how some women like Brazilian actress Carolina Ardohain, manage to get back in shape even after motherhood! The secret to getting a flat stomach, or ripped abs, is no secret at all; all the health experts and fitness trainers know that it takes hard work. And the hardest part of that hard work is controlling diet over a period of several months.



Leg raises like these will workout the lower abs and hip flexor muscles. But you could do 100 of these leg raises and still not see a flat stomach, because the muscles are covered by a layer of fat. And the only way that fat goes away is when the body stops storing it from all the junk that you eat. Animal flesh in your diet is the worst, because is contains saturated fat that is stored in the belly and hips.

Stuff made from refined flour (pizza, white bread, pasta, noodles, burgers) or packed with refined sugar (colas, candy, desserts, ice creams) contain simple carbohydrates without any fiber, which go straight to your blood and muscles as energy. If not used immediately these sugars are stored as fat in your belly and hips. Foods with added sodium lead to water retention and bloating; so avoid salt's risky taste in your food. The best diet to get a flat stomach would have foods made from wholegrain, beans, mushrooms, pulses, vegetables, nuts, yogurt and fruits. Some of this food can be taken as snacks between meals.



Lower ab exercises won't burn the stored fat on your belly, for which you need to do cardio, but they will strengthen the core muscles and provide support for the spine and torso. Inclined leg scissors, with a pad underneath the buttocks, is another good exercise for the lower abs. For beginners 3-5 reps in 3 sets should be enough, but at advanced levels it may take 10-12 reps for you to feel the burn.

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Ginnifer Goodwin vegan

Ginnifer Goodwin turned vegan in 2008 and is helping promote the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart program. "It doesn’t take more than a sprinkling of knowledge about factory farming to drive your commitment and to make it impossible to rationalize supporting the industry. Educate yourself! Eliminating cruelty from your life is not only easy, but also very practical and reasonable. Someone else has already done the research, and the resources to make this easy for you are out there. Go online to discover accidentally-vegan foods you’ve always enjoyed and how to order vegan meals at restaurants you already frequent. Learn about new products and ask your local grocery to carry them. They will," Ginnifer adds, in a bid to convince others to give the vegan lifestyle a fighting chance as well.

The Memphis-born actress is 31, with a healthy 5'6" tall body. "My parents were so supportive," Ginnifer told Memphis Magazine. "I don't know how they did it all, getting me to skating lessons and auditions and horseback riding the way they did." Goodwin got into acting in school and later at Boston University, graduating to TV and movie roles. Ginnifer had parts in Mona Lisa Smile and Win a Date With Tad Hamilton, and then a major role as Johnny Cash's first wife in 2005's Walk the Line, followed by He's Just Not That Into You. She also stars in HBO's Big Love.



Growing up, Ginnifer loved to eat cheese and cheeseburgers, but later turned vegetarian. In this 2007 photo Jennifer Morrison and Ginnifer Goodwin dig into some Butter lettuce and avocado salad. Ginnifer, who does Yoga to stay fit, told W magazine of how she turned vegan: "I was having my morning coffee, and I was pouring milk into it, and all I can say is that I suddenly realized what it was that I was pouring into my coffee. I was so disgusted, because I had never actually stopped to think about what milk is. And dairy had always been my favorite food group! I thought, 'Surely this feeling will pass,' but at lunchtime I was still disgusted. Over the next few days, I started really thinking about what I was eating.......And I read about what actually occurs in the factory farming; I found out what it is that diary cows go through and what horrible lives these animals lead. I actually broke down."

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Running breathing and side stitches

The diaphragm muscle is the most important organ in the human body for breathing. It presses down when we breathe in and rises up when we breathe out. During respiration the air does not go only into the lungs; some of it goes down the foodpipe into the stomach. Athletes doing cardio exercises like running, breathe out through the mouth and in through the nose and mouth. While exhaling they make a conscious effort to blow out air from the mouth. The objective is to expel the maximum stale air and get oxygen-rich blood to the muscles. But it also helps to empty the air from the stomach and prevent painful side stitches.

Stitches are a spasm in the diaphragm muscle. They are caused by the jostling of the belly organs, like the stomach and liver, against the diaphragm while running; even as it is pressing down during the breathing process. Most stitches are felt in the right side of the body, where the liver is located. A stomach full of food bounces harder and can also cause a muscle spasm in the diaphragm. The more empty space created in the belly reduces the chances of such spasms in the diaphragm.

So runners are advised to not eat at least one hour before running; likewise for any sport that involves running and jumping, like football or basketball. Side stitches are more frequent when a person is running downhill, because the impact is greater on the legs and the consequent internal organ jostling is more pronounced. Apart from breathing out hard through the mouth, the proper technique of running descents can prevent such side stitches.

It takes practice to blow out strongly through the mouth while running; but once you get into that rhythm your body stays free of painful side stitches. The pain in the ribs that some athletes get, comes from sprains in the intercostal muscles, while side stitches are lower in the belly.



Laughing is good for health because it massages the internal organs but people get mild forms of side stitches from laughing too hard or too long.

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Power Yoga and MS

The ancient Indian health system of Yoga has developed many modern forms by Yoga teachers, like Iyengar and Bikram Yoga. Power Yoga is another new trend started by other teachers like Baron Baptiste. They focus more on exercises and breathing. The yogasanas are not only exercises but also a way of cleansing one's body.

There are eight kind of yogasanas:

Standing Asanas
Forward Bending Asanas
Supine Asanas
Inverted Asanas
Abdominal and Lumbar Asanas
Twisting Asanas
Back Bending Asanas



In an interview with Philly, Baptiste says that patients with the neurological disorder of MS (multiple sclerosis) have been helped by Power Yoga: "I have always had people in my classes who deal with MS. Many of them would come to me with positive stories of yoga managing their MS. MS can cause lots of stress, depression, balance [issues] and muscle stiffness. Yoga, you see, is very adaptable."

He also says that he started teaching Power Yoga in his teens and follows an organic diet: "I tend to eat more whole, organic and unprocessed foods. I avoid 'white death' - white sugar and white flour, etc."

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Soak in the warm Sun

Winter's gone and it's time to soak in the warm sun! Sunshine stimulates the human body to produce essential Vitamin D, which helps to absorb calcium and strengthens the bones. Vitamin D also strengthens the immune system by activating our white blood cells.

But too much of a good thing can be bad. Sunlight contains Ultraviolet B rays (causing sunburn) and Ultraviolet A rays (causing aging and cancer) and is best avoided at peak hours, between 10 am and 4 pm. Just 20 minutes of soaking in the early morning sun is enough for Vitamin D....at all other times use sunscreen with high SPF to protect yourself.

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Anorexia nervosa therapy

Anorexia nervosa is a dangerous illness with the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder. Doctors first documented AN, as it's called, 125 years ago, and knew that it usually struck in the early or mid-teens and that nine out of 10 anorexics were girls, but they didn't know the cause. Most of them think Anorexia nervosa is a biological illness because it runs in families; because anorexics often have relatives who are depressed, bipolar or have mood disorders.
Washington Post
A new therapy called family-based treatment (FBT), was developed to treat anorexic teenagers in London and is used at some of the best US hospitals. Studies show that anorexics in this intensive outpatient program can usually overcome AN in six to 12 months. In this three-phase program, the therapist will first assess your family and then teach your daughter how her dizziness, her cold hands and feet, her depression and irritability are actually signs of starvation, although she won't believe it at first.

At the same time she will teach you how to use sympathy and compassion -- but not criticism -- to get your daughter to eat three meals and three snacks a day, and to sit beside her until she does, even though she will object vociferously while you're firmly repeating the Maudsley mantra: "Starvation is not an option."

When your daughter begins to eat more and gain some weight, you'll move into phase 2. Here the therapist will encourage you to give your daughter more control over her eating, and when she is about 95 percent of her ideal weight -- and isn't trying to starve herself anymore -- you'll move into phase 3, where she'll help your family correct any lingering problems you might have.

In the photo above, supermodel Natalia Vodianova enjoying a healthy meal. Natalia suffered from anorexia nervosa during her early rise in modeling due to industry pressures and competition with other models. Her hair started thinning and she was always nervous and overly sensitive; until she got therapy. When Vodianova came back to modeling looking healthier: "Some fashion houses called my agency complaining that I was two centimeters over [in measurements]. I was extremely upset since I felt very healthy and good about myself. I defended myself, saying it was crazy to consider measurements like 33-27-34 to be normal and not to expect some change."

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Combine aerobics with weight training?

You see many photos of models/stars working out with dumbbells like they're dancing or jogging....but they are just posing for pics and not actually working out. Like actress Amy Acker above. But there are exercises which try to combine aerobics with weight training. They are called by many names: pump aerobics, dumbbell dancing, or HeavyHands walking.

But does this combination give you the benefits from both cardio and strength training? There is a belief that working light dumbbells or a barbell tones the upper body, while the aerobics simultaneously works out the lower body. But alas it's only a myth!

Weight training exercises improve muscle tone only when they are done slowly and carefully. Try doing them while jogging, dancing, or moving about, and you can only manage quick jerky movements that don't do your muscles any good.

Combining two completely different exercises confuses the brain and does not let you concentrate on one or the other. You also have to be careful about maintaining the body's balance and not hurting yourself.

Aerobics with dumbbells or barbells will only make the aerobics more intense; their weight is so little that your muscles won't feel "the burn". And to make aerobics more intense it's way better to use ankle-weights or wrist-weights instead of carrying dumbbells.

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