Cuckoo for Coconuts

In the 1930s, Weston Price visited the South Pacific and discovered a couple of things.  First, he found the people to be exceptionally healthy and fit with very little incidence of heart disease.  He also discovered that their diet was rich in coconut products.

Coconuts are high in saturated fats.  But as we’re starting to learn, there are good saturated fats and bad saturated fats.  The fat in coconut provides the body with an excellent source of energy.  It boosts HDL, the good cholesterol.  And it actually promotes heart health.  Unlike many other saturated fats that contribute to it.

Health Benefits of Coconuts

The water in coconuts has the highest concentration of electrolytes found in nature.  Making coconut water a powerful sports energy drink with benefits.  And it so closely resembles human blood, that during WWII it was used for emergency blood transfusions.

Coconut oil has numerous benefits, that you can read about here.  If you do nothing else, substitute it for your current cooking oil, and you’ll swap something extremely unhealthy for a saturated fat loaded with health benefits.

Here are just some of the health benefits from eating coconut.

• stabilizes blood sugar
• lowers cholesterol
• antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial
• healthier skin with fewer wrinkles
• improves digestion
• promotes cell health
• increases thyroid production
• improves metabolism
• promotes weight loss

Coconut can even protect teeth from bacteria, which is why coconut oil is the prime ingredient in homemade toothpaste.

Between coconut water, oil and the meat itself, there are numerous ways to incorporate more coconut products into your diet.  Coconut flakes make an excellent addition to trail mix, yogurt and smoothies.  And switch to coconut oil for cooking, if nothing else.

http://naturalhealthpub.com/cuckoo-for-coconuts-2013-06-27/

Benefits of Drinking Water

• Lose Weight                                       
  That is right no more fad diets all you need is water! Research shows that drinking water about 20 minutes before meals reduces the amount of calories a person eats by 75. Water is a healthy way for you to feel full without going in for a second helping, and with zero calories water is only helping your body.  Fun Fact: some studies show that COLD water actually helps speed up metabolism speed!

• Improve Skin                                
  Your skin needs water to replenish! Water is absorbed by your cells and your cells make better skin, increasing elasticity and moisture.  Not to mention water will not give you acne and other skin issues like a sugary soda would.

• Improve Brain                             
  Function Drinking more water is one of the best ways to keep your brain sharp! Brain cells require a balance of water among other things and keeping properly hydrated means keeping your brain running at optimum efficiency. Lack of water most notably affects your focus and memory ability.

• Fuel Muscles                              
  Muscles require lots of water, especially if you’re trying to gain muscle. Our bodies are made up of 70% water but our muscle tissues are made up of 75%! Insufficient water levels mean your muscles will not be able to work as well as they could and you are more likely to suffer from muscle cramping. It should also be noted that water is the most important part of keeping our body temperature stable especially during exercise.

• Assist with digestion               
  A strong digestive system is critical for our body to absorb all the nutrients we supply for it. Water helps your food go through this multistep process with ease. Without enough water you will suffer from constipation and irregularity.

• Fight Sickness                      
  Water helps to lessen congestion and not put extra strain on your body. Your cells need to be in tip top shape to fight off this seasons cold and keeping hydrated is the way to do it. If you want to learn more about this check out some of the other pages on this site for more info!

• Improve Mood                   
  Even a very minor amount of dehydration can cause serious problems for your mood, making you irritable and less comfortable. If you go all day without drinking some water your sure to feel some grouchiness. Its so easy to avoid this by staying hydrated.

• Reduce Cancer Risk            
  Now this one is related to the other points of healthy cells and digestion. The two kinds of cancer water is best known for combating is Cancer of the large bowel and Breast cancer. It helps with bowel cancer by speeding up stools in your digestion track (avoiding constipation). Breast cancer (and possibly similar cancers) are more easily avoided with healthy cells fighting the cancer, and we all know by now that water keeps cells happy and hydrated.
  
  

• Healthy Kidneys                 
  Your kidneys are so important in filtering what you put in your body. Your kidneys need lots of fresh water to do their job, but the biggest concern are the dreaded kidney stones. Water helps pass them and will help to avoid them in the future.

• DO IT!    

http://www.benefitsofdrinkingwater.org/

Benefit of drinking green tea: The proof is in -- drinking tea is healthy, says Harvard Women’s Health Watch

Although tea drinking has been associated with health benefits for centuries, only in recent years have its medicinal properties been investigated scientifically. The October issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch recognizes the healthy power of tea while helping readers get the most out of their cups.

Tea's health benefits are largely due to its high content of flavonoids — plant-derived compounds that are antioxidants. Green tea is the best food source of a group called catechins. In test tubes, catechins are more powerful than vitamins C and E in halting oxidative damage to cells and appear to have other disease-fighting properties. Studies have found an association between consuming green tea and a reduced risk for several cancers, including, skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder.

Additional benefits for regular consumers of green and black teas include a reduced risk for heart disease. The antioxidants in green, black, and oolong teas can help block the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, increase HDL (good) cholesterol and improve artery function. A Chinese study published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed a 46%-65% reduction in hypertension risk in regular consumers of oolong or green tea, compared to non-consumers of tea.

The October issue provides a few tips to get the most out of tea-drinking:

Drinking a cup of tea a few times a day to absorb antioxidants and other healthful plant compounds. In green-tea drinking cultures, the usual amount is three cups per day. Allow tea to steep for three to five minutes to bring out its catechins. The best way to get the catechins and other flavonoids in tea is to drink it freshly brewed. Decaffeinated, bottled ready-to-drink tea preparations, and instant teas have less of these compounds. Tea can impede the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables. Adding lemon or milk or drinking tea between meals will counteract this problem.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/benefit_of_drinking_green_tea

How to Talk to Your Kids About Their Eating Habits: Very Carefully

Weight is never an easy subject, but it can be especially dicey when parents broach the issue of eating habits and weight with their teens.

“No girl ever lost weight because her mother told her she was fat,” a friend advised me when I was fretting about my teen’s size.

It turns out she was right, according to a study by University of Minnesota researchers appearing in JAMA Pediatrics. Based on a large sample of teens and parents, the scientists found that kids whose parents talked to them about eating by focusing on the children’s weight or size — telling them either that they were heavy or could get fat if they continued to eat the way they did — were more likely to adopt unhealthy heating behaviors such as going on extreme diets, fasting or using laxatives, or pick up eating disorders like binge eating. But kids whose parents focused only on how to eat healthy and avoided judgmental statements about their weight were less likely to have eating problems. And overweight kids whose moms talked to them about healthy eating had far fewer problems than those whose mothers did not discuss eating in a healthy way.

MORE: The Most Popular Diets of 2012 (According to Google)

Around 60% of mothers and fathers with overweight teens talked to their children about their weight, but only 40% of the adolescents who had conversations centered around healthy eating turned to unhealthy eating behaviors compared to 64% of those whose parents focused on their weight. The effect was especially strong when fathers were involved in these discussions with their daughters, and concentrated on weight as opposed to talking about healthy eating in general. “Dads should never comment on girls’ or daughters’ bodies,” says Mary Jo Rapini, co-author of “Start Talking: A Girl’s Guide for You and Your Mom about Health, Sex, or Whatever…” Instead, she suggests, fathers should concentrate on their daughters’ skills or interests, and that can help them “feel loved by their dad and confident enough to work on their body issues,” she says.
According to the study’s lead author Jerica Berge, the results should be an eye-opener for both parents and doctors, who are often asked by worried moms and dads, “How do I talk to my kid about weight or eating behaviors?”

MORE: Why Families Who Eat Together Are Healthier

The answer, she says, is to avoid bringing attention to how your child looks or how much they weigh; instead, talk to them about being healthy and don’t compare them to others or to an ideal, reference weight. “It should never be about how they look because we all come in different shapes and sizes,” says Dr. Dyan Hes, a New York City pediatrician and obesity expert who was not involved in the study.

That’s easier said than done, however, since such approaches could lead children, especially teens, to tune out.
“Frame it in a way that gets them excited,” says Laura Williams, an exercise specialist and founder of GirlsGoneSporty.com.  “Want to climb the highest peak in the state? Then we need to start training and eat the right fuel — more fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains.”

MORE: Do Teen Weight Loss Programs Work Better Without Mom or Dad?

Giving adolescents an immediate goal, or reason to improve their eating habits, can be an important motivator, says Lisa Gatti, nutrition counselor and founder of culinarytherapyonline.com. If they care about grades, she says, “speak to how eating healthy foods will help to think more clearly and say focused.” The same strategy may work if your teen is a runner or plays sports — eating nutritious meals can help them perform better on the field.

It’s all about presenting the importance of eating well and being healthy in terms that are relevant to a teen’s own needs and interests. And, say experts, it’s helpful for them to understand that whatever they decide to eat, and the consequences of those decisions, are under their control. Lectures on what they are doing wrong, and forcing them to change how they eat “because it’s good for them” may backfire and drive them to pick up even unhealthier habits. “Nobody likes to be controlled,” says Nancy Anderson Dolan, clinical director of WiseHeart Wellness. “Everybody likes to be understood and assisted.”

MORE: Meal Replacements May Not Help Teens Keep Weight Off

Such conversations are certainly tricky, and the latest results suggest the stakes are higher than parents might have thought. Given that the study found a slightly greater effect on changing children’s eating habits when fathers were involved in the discussions, Berge says ideally both parents should share the responsibility. But that’s only if—and this is a big if— both mom and dad can really focus on healthy eating and not be judgmental about size. If that’s not possible, says Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, a clinical psychologist, physical therapist and the author of “A Happy You,” “Choose the parent whose interactions evoke the least amount of stress and who demonstrates healthy eating themselves.”

Experts also say weight conversations should not be any one child’s domain. A healthy lifestyle — that includes a nutritious diet and plenty of regular exercise for everyone — should be a family undertaking. One effective way of improving teens’ eating habits is to shop and cook with them, and organize family outings that keep them physically active.

Above all, set a good example.  If you want a child who eats right and exercises, do it yourself. Children learn most from watching what you do, not what you say. My overweight mom, for example, never let me have more than one cookie— so I wouldn’t get “fat.”  But I knew where she hid her chocolate bars, and I sneaked them from her stash. Mom is gone, but the legacy of those forbidden sweets still makes losing weight a challenge. “Parents must look in the mirror first,” says Dolan “and deal with their own issues, both about weight prejudice and health habits.” That can go a long way toward making conversations about healthy eating with their own children more productive.

http://healthland.time.com/2013/06/25/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-their-eating-habits-very-carefully/

Using Exercise to Relieve Depression

The idea that regular exercise can improve symptoms of depression and anxiety is not new. Hippocrates was the first Western physician to prescribe this treatment 2,500 years ago, and doctors have been recommending it to their patients ever since. All the evidence accumulated by modern science says it works. If you suffer from major depression, exercise probably won’t be the only treatment you’ll need, but it will help along with your treatment plan. Whereas medication and counseling can take weeks to work, you can start feeling the positive effects of exercise right away.

Anti-depressant medications that affect levels of the brain chemicals serotonin and norepinephrine appear to reduce the negative feelings and thoughts associated with depression, as well as many of the physical symptoms, such as changes in appetite and sleep, fatigue, muscle tension, and soreness. But people react differently to medications, seeing changes in some areas but not others. Some don’t respond to these medications at all. Exercise can enhance the benefits of antidepressant medications, and even produce similar results.

Research shows that exercise:

• Positively effects the same neurotransmitters that antidepressant medications target
• Produces feel-good brain chemicals called “endorphins,” which promote the sense of well-being and satisfaction
• Releases tension in muscles that contributes to depression-related soreness and insomnia
• Reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol, relieving feelings of anxiety and agitation
• Raises body temperature, which appears to have calming effects

In addition to these physiological benefits, exercise can promote the following psychological and emotional changes:

• Distraction. One of the most debilitating effects of depression is that it causes you to focus on what’s wrong and dwell on the negative. Exercise compels you to focus on something else for a little while. With the right approach, it can help you find some pleasure in a sea of apparent troubles.
• Confidence. The hopelessness, helplessness, and fatigue that come with depression often cause people to withdraw from normal activities and pursuits, leading to a loss of self-confidence. By setting and meeting a goal, like a small amount of exercise each day, you can begin to rebuild confidence and self-efficacy.
• Self-respect. As people sink deeper into withdrawal and inactivity, they begin to feel useless and worthless, and may even come to despise themselves. They may resort to substance abuse or other self-destructive behaviors to manage these feelings. Exercise can provide a positive alternative to these negative coping strategies. Taking the time to do something positive to help yourself every day can help you reconnect with the part of yourself that wants to be healthy and productive.

But if you’re already depressed, exercising may be the last thing you want to do. You may feel fatigued and pessimistic, thinking that exercise won't be able to help you. These thoughts are normal for people with depression, part of the "mental battle" you'll face when considering a fitness program. Here's how to overcome them.

Choose Sides
You can overcome the mental and physical inertia that often keeps you from doing what you can to help yourself. The first thing you have to do is to decide whose side you want to be on–your own side, or your depression’s side.

This sounds like a simple and obvious decision, but when it comes down to putting on those sneakers and actually doing something, it may require a real leap of faith—especially if you’ve tried to start exercising in the past and failed. Depression causes you to dwell on how badly you feel, how hopeless everything seems, and what an undeserving and pathetic person you are for not being able to do what you need to do. These feelings and thoughts may seem more “real” and “honest” to you than anything positive you can say to yourself.

When you’re struggling against an opponent as powerful as depression, you need to know your enemy and its weaknesses. Use this information to choose effective strategies and fight back. Because the most troubling symptoms of depression are emotional and cognitive, people often forget that how they think and feel is directly related to what’s going on chemically in their brain and body.

Find a way to distract yourself from those thoughts just long enough to get your exercise session started. To do this, remind yourself that those negative thoughts are your depression talking, not the part of you that wants to be healthy cares about what happens. When those negative thoughts creep in, stop, take a deep breath, and make the decision to be on your own side this time, even if you don’t think it will help.

Move Into Action
Now you know why exercise is so important in managing depression, and what it can do for you. But how do you get started, when simple things like taking a shower, getting dressed in the morning, or doing the dishes seem like more than you can handle?

The answer is: Just do it! Remember, you’ve already decided that you’re going to be on your own side. This is where you make that decision mean something. The issue here isn’t whether or not you can muster up the willpower to make yourself exercise—it’s about giving yourself a fair chance to see if it can actually help you.

To make this easier, here are some suggestions to help you get the most out of your fitness program:

• Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.
• Find activities you enjoy (or that you enjoy when you’re not depressed). It could be walking the dog, playing tag or basketball with the kids, going for an easy bike ride, walking to the grocery store, working in the garden—anything at all. The last thing you want to do is make exercise seem like another thing you “should” do. You want it to become one of the highlights of your day.
• Set reasonable goals. You don’t have to commit to 90 minutes of intense exercise every day. Research indicates that at least 30 minutes per day results in maximum depression-fighting benefits, but you don’t have to start there if that seems overwhelming at first. Start with any duration and intensity level that you're pretty sure you can easily manage on most days, and go from there.
• Identify potential problems and barriers in advance. Create a “Plan B” to deal with them before they happen. If your biggest problem is letting your depression talk you out of exercising, think about what’s different about the days when that doesn't happen and figure out how to make that happen more often. If you need someone to give you a little push sometimes, find an exercise buddy or someone you can call for a pep talk when you need it. If you normally like to exercise outside, but the weather is fickle, line up some alternative exercises you can do at home.
• Prepare for setbacks. Regular exercise isn’t always easy or fun. It's common to allow one missedworkout to confirm all the worst things you think about yourself—that you’re a hopeless failure, or that nothing works no matter what you do. The best defense against this kind of depressive thinking is a good offense. Give yourself full credit for the times you manage to do the exercise, and especially, the times when you manage to get right back to it after missing a session or two. Keep a written record of these times, with some brief notes about how you felt afterward, and look at it when those negative feelings arise again.

If you're like most people who struggle with depression, believing (and doing) most of the things listed here is going to feel a little unnatural and uncomfortable at first—especially if you’ve dealt with chronic depression for a long time. But if you can manage to make the leap of faith it takes to believe things can change for the better, the results will prove that your efforts are well worth the work.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=772&page=2

Sol-U-Guard Botanical 2x Disinfectant

How To Understand Why Bleach Is Bad

Bleach has been used around the house as a cleaning agent for years now. People have been putting it in their laundry, using it to disinfect, and cleaning all sorts of surfaces. In more recent times the use of bleach has become even easier with chlorine (bleach) being used as part of toilet, tub, shower, all purpose, bathroom, and kitchen cleaners. But in reality it is a dangerous product that shouldn't be used.

Step 1

Health issues. There are a number of different health issues that can be associated with bleach or household cleaners that contain bleach. These include respiratory problems, burned skin, and damage to the nervous system. In many cases, the use of bleach and cleaners with chlorine irritate problems that people have including allergies and asthma. These are caused as a direct result of the product itself and can be potentially serious.

Step 2

Potential chemical reactions. Often times the direct physical health issues aren't caused from the product itself, but rather the results of chemical reactions. With bleach there are lots of different reactions that can cause a lot of dangerous situations.

• Chlorine easily mixes with ammonia and urine which contains ammonia. This can happen when mixing cleaners (on purpose or accident) and even while cleaning the toilet. The results is a toxic gas which can and sometimes does cause the lungs to stop functioning. Usually the fumes are noticeable, but sometimes people don't even notice that they are breathing in a potentially life threatening gas.
• Mixing chlorine with dish soap produces mustard gas, the same gas used to kill many people during World War I. Many people mix chlorine with dish soap while cleaning the kitchen (both on purpose and on accident).
• Chlorine also mixes with organic matter creating chloroform. This is a toxin and a known carcinogen. This happens in the house while cleaning the kitchen, the toilet, washing the laundry, and cleaning up food, blood, or other organic messes. This is dangerous to the inhabitants of the house. However, chlorine also mixes with organics in the environment building these toxins up all over the planet. 

Step 3

Toxins. While chlorine isn't toxic to the body, the chemical reactions that often happen with chlorine produce a number of very toxic elements. Most of these are known as carcinogens, build up in the body as it is exposed to them, and get into the food chain through the water. Doing your share may not seem like it will help, but every little bit can help make it safer for your family, starting at home.

Step 4

Accidents. There are a large number of accidents that happen with household cleaners. In 1997 there were 217,989 calls to poison control for household cleaner accidents. Of those, 54,453 were directly related to bleach and 7,570 were from household cleaners that contain bleach. That means that 28% of household accidents involving cleaners were from bleach alone. Going green can help prevent accidents from household cleaner and bleach from happening in your home.

Step 5

Pets. Pets are particularly affected by the fumes of bleach and chlorine based cleaners. They take in less air and can die from a lung-full of chemical filled air. Birds in particular are susceptible to the dangers of bleach.

Step 6

The environment. If personal dangers, dangers to your family, and pets are not enough then there are the environmental dangers to consider as well. Toxins produced as a result of bleach use build up in the environment, cause dangers to the water supply, kill fish, harm animals, and get back to people through the food chain.

Bleach is dangerous. It is as simple as that. Using household cleaners without it sometimes means using a little more "elbow grease" but in the long run it is worth it. There are also safe options that will kill germs, mold, mildew, and help fight stains (hydrogen peroxide is one of them).

If that doesn't convince you, then maybe this will: stay-at-home wives have a 54% higher chance of getting cancer than women who work outside the home. It is believed that this is because they are exposed more to chemicals released by household cleaners, including dangerous items such as bleach. Now is the time to go green for safety, health, and a better future.

http://www.howtodothings.com/home-garden/how-to-understand-why-bleach-is-bad

Life Is Too Short: 10 Things to Stop Tolerating

What are you presently tolerating in your life? Are you a few pounds overweight? Maybe you're at a job you dislike? Or so disorganized you can't find anything, much less some time to sit and relax? In order to be happier, more productive, more resilient, and healthier, stop tolerating these 10 things today:

Being Unhealthy. With more than two-thirds of the country overweight or obese, building a healthier lifestyle has become a critical component to balance, reining in stress, and building resilience. If you're part of the two-thirds, then start by making small changes. Consistent, small changes over time will add up to big results.

Inaction. People often get stuck because of fear, guilt, or simply not knowing which way to go next. In order to achieve bigger goals, take smaller steps. If you are staring down a goal that seems overwhelming, keep breaking down the goal until you can say with confidence, "Of course, that's so easy I can get that done!"

Negativity. Given how hard the professional world is today and how often you are barraged with negative information, it's easy to be tuned into pessimism and negativity. Fight back with humor. Early studies of humor and health showed that humor strengthened the immune system, reduced pain, and reduced stress levels. Since humor builds positive emotion, it can also help reduce feelings of anger, depression, and anxiety (McGhee, 2010). Additional research in this area shows that positive emotions predicted increases in both resilience and life satisfaction (Cohn et. al., 2009).

Disorganization. Disorganization is a barrier to productivity. If you continually say, "I don't have time to do X," you can get more organized by creating schedules and systems that become habitual. The business book E-Myth by Michael Gerber does a wonderful job of describing the importance of systems in the business world, and the idea is transferable to non-work situations as well. Good systems are fluid, measurable, and can and should be changed as better methods are established or as missing pieces are learned.

Chronic stress. According to a Catalyst work report, 75-90 percent of all doctor visits are for stress-related complaints. In addition, 68 percent of employees are stressed to the point of feeling extremely fatigued and out of control. Forty-four percent of employees report losing one hour or more a day in productivity due to stress. In addition, 22 percent of employees say they miss more than six work days a year due to stress. The report details that most employees feel stress in four main areas: workload levels, interpersonal issues, job security, and juggling work and personal life. In addition to the pressures of working in corporate America, many people are caring for aging parents or chronically-ill children.

Keeping up with the Joneses. It is our natural tendency to want to know how we stack up to others; it's not enough to know our own performance, but we also want to know how we're doing in comparison to other people. When it comes to having material possessions, people think those possessions will bring us more happiness than they actually do. According to The How of Happiness, in 1940, Americans reported being "very happy" with an average score of 7.5 out of 10. Fast forward to today, and with all of our iPods, smartphones, computers, fast cars, and an income that has more than doubled, what do you think our average happiness score is today? It's a 7.2. Not only does materialism not bring happiness, it's a strong predictor of unhappiness (Lyubomirsky, 2007). One study examined the attitudes of 12,000 freshman when they were 18, then measured their life-satisfaction at age 37. Those who had expressed materialistic aspirations as freshmen were less satisfied with their lives two decades later (Nickerson et al., 2003).

Thinking that perfect exists. Do you have a core value that sounds something like this: "I have to be perfect and do things perfectly?" This faulty assumption can be blamed for procrastination, lack of wanting to hear feedback from others for fear of being criticized, and the tendency to judge yourself and others by very rigid standards. Instead of aiming for perfection, which is unattainable, do as well as you possibly can and call it a day. Focus on achievement rather than perfection.

Everyone's opinion of you. Oh the time and energy I have wasted caring about what other people thought of me. Was I wearing the right thing, did I say the right thing, did I handle that situation correctly? When I had to create a new path after I burned out, I decided to stop caring about the opinions of everyone other than a handful of key people in my life. I decided to be in charge of what I wanted and didn't want.

A job that you hate. Over $300 billion dollars is lost annually due to disengagement in the workplace according to Gallup, and USA Today reported that only 45 percent of Americans were satisfied with their work (2010). This is the lowest level reported since the issue was first researched in 1987. If your circumstances prevent you from changing jobs now, start putting the pieces in place to transition when the time is right.

Being financially illiterate. I know the importance of saving and planning for my financial future, but I find the world of finance about as fun as a root canal. Despite that, I've forced myself to understand the differences between a 401(k) and a 403(b), Roth IRA's, plain IRA's and SEP accounts, and what exactly a no-load mutual fund is. If the world of finance isn't your cup of tea, get some help. There are many resources out there from books to blogs to certified financial planners.

One of my favorite quotes is by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. He said, "Too many people die with their music still in them." Maybe that is due in part to our tolerance of the wrong things? What would you add to this list?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-davislaack/stress-tips_b_3416306.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

10 Min Abs Workout -- At Home Abdominal and Oblique Exercises

Workout Details

Use this 10 Minute Abs Workout to focus on strengthening and toning your midsection. This workout can be used by itself or you can use it in addition to another routine to get some extra abdominal work. Though you only go through each exercise once, the 45 seconds straight for each move is more than enough to get a good burn.

Using this routine by itself:
If you are only doing this routine, we suggest doing it two to three times a day at random times throughout the day and do this daily set up three to four days out of the week. To get more muscle definition out of this workout, you also need to incorporate a reduced calorie diet and more physical activity to get rid of any excess fat content that may be covering your midsection.

Using this routine with other workouts:
If you are using this routine in conjunction with other workouts (we suggest doing it this way) then you don’t need to do it as often. On top of a regular workout program (4 days per week strength training plus 1-2 days per week 45-60 minutes cardio; for example) then add this ab workout in on your cardio days and on two or all of your strength training days. On the cardio days you can do this ab routine before or after the cardio but on the strength training days try and do this routine at the opposite end of the day from your regular workout. This helps keep you from over stressing your core muscles, as well as increasing the number of calories burned in a day compared to doing both the strength and abs video at the same time.

Calories Burned:
A female weighing 140 pounds would burn an estimated 70 calories in the 10 minute of this routine. A male of 185 pounds would burn roughly 86.

The following is a list of the exercises you are going to be doing and the muscles they target.

Flutter Kicks: Though this motion does not cause the abs to move through a range of motion, they do cause the abs to contract to stabilize the hips. Focus on keeping your back on the ground to fully engage the stomach.

Rotation Reach Crunch: This motion not only works the abdominals but also targets the obliques because of the shoulder rotation.

Pilates Side Hip Raise: This focuses on the obliques and outside thigh for the motion but also uses the lower back and abdominals for support and balance.

Russian Twist: Using the abdominals and lower back for support, this exercise focuses on the rotational motion through the obliques. If you want to make this exercise a bit more challenging, lift your feet up off of the ground and you will also more heavily engage the hip flexors and quads, as they are called on to help you keep your balance.

Toe Touch Crunch: This is a great abdominal isolating exercise for both the upper and lower abs. To make sure you are getting the most out of this exercise, don’t let your abs relax when you are at the bottom of the crunch motion (when your shoulders are closer to the ground).

Pilates Leg Pulls (facing up): These work your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. The hip flexor is also employed to complete the leg lifting motion and your quads are relied on for balance.

Pilates Leg Pulls (facing down): This facedown variation of the Pilates move also targets multiple major muscle groups, making it an excellent option for burning calories and toning up. You will feel this in your glutes, abdominals, lower back, hamstrings, deltoids, pecs, and quadriceps.

Pilates toe Taps: This is a simple move that is very effective at toning the abdominals and the front of the thighs. The constant tension in the abs makes this just slightly harder than it looks; be sure and keep your movements slow and controlled throughout the entire range of movement to keep it as effective as possible.

Knee Tuck Crunches: These are a great bodyweight exercise for abs that effectively engage the upper and lower abdominals simultaneously.

Remember that nutrition and eating habits are a huge part of having a flat stomach and defined ab muscles. Check out Fitness Blender Recipes for ideas on healthy meals.

Talking Nutrition With Kids

Nutrition Kids Can't Resist

http://cdnus.melaleuca.com/PDF/ProductStore/Vitamins_Supplements/KP_Shakeables_PIB_enUs.pdf

The Story of Cosmetics