Be Fit Fitness Blog

Free Fat and Weight Loss DVD

The weather has warmed up and now is the time to get those rollerblades out and start rollerblading. It’s an amazing way to get in shape and also an enjoyable way to stay in shape.

Before you dust off your rollerblades for use, it’s important to do a little maintenance on them. Maintaining rollerblades can seem like a lot of work, but it really doesn’t have to be if you do it right and follow my maintenance tips.

First of all, you should rotate the wheels. How often you do this, depends on how often and where you rollerblade. I rotate my wheels after 20 times of use. If you don’t rotate them, the wheels will get worn out on 1 side and very lob-sided!

To clean the rollerblades, I recommend that each time you rotate the wheels you wipe the dirt from the bearings and wheels with a damp cloth. After doing that I apply some lubrication or oil to the bearings. I use 3-in-1 oil. It’s inexpensive and works just as well or better than the expensive lubricants.

Every three months I recommend that you pop the bearings out of the wheels and clean them, lubricate them and reassemble them in the wheels. You can also rotate the wheels at the same time. This is a much bigger job and you really don’t need to do it often, but it will help your rollerblades to last and perform better.

From time to time, you may want to lubricate the bearings without taking the wheels off. This should be done especially after rollerblading in the rain. You just apply a little lubricant and spin the wheels to spread the lubricant.

It’s also a good idea to check the tightness of the wheels. Rarely will the screws come lose, but it is better to be safe than sorry!

All of this may seem like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. Only taking apart the wheels and fully cleaning rollerblade wheels takes a long time, but that doesn’t have to be done very often if you follow my rollerblading maintenance tips.

There was a time when I lost a whole lot of weight over the course of a year, but the results left me far from satisfied. For one, I lost most of my hair, what was left of it was limp and dry, my skin developed a sallow appearance and lost all its glow, and I took on the gaunt and wan appearance of an invalid. Instead of congratulating me on the amount of weight I’d lost, people came up to me enquiring about my health. They wanted to know if I was ill because of my pale and insipid looks.

The reason I looked so bad was that I had literally starved myself to lose those pounds. I did work out too – I would walk, work out on the stationery cycle and play a game of racquet ball or two, but I think I sort of overdid the dieting bit by not focusing on giving my body the nutrients it needed. When I gained back more than ten pounds in the two years that followed, I realized I needed to lose weight again. And this time, I decided that I was going to be sensible about the process. After researching the weight loss procedure for a while, here’s what I knew I had to do:

• Mix cardio and strength training into my workout routines: One mistake I made in my first attempt to lose weight was to focus only on cardio routines. I hardly gave a thought to developing my muscle mass. This time round, I included squats, lunges, leg lifts and abdominal crunches in my routine three times a week and alternated them with strengthening exercises for my arms, biceps, triceps and back. I also worked out on the treadmill, cycle and rowing machine and still found time for a few games of racquetball each week. Within a matter of weeks, I was looking and feeling better. I was able to wear a smaller size and the compliments kept pouring in.
• Eat healthy food: I included more fruits and vegetables in my diet and did not miss any meal, most importantly breakfast. I ate when I was hungry and limited my portions. I reduced the amount of sugar in my coffee and reduced the number of calories I took in through liquids, the empty calories that we don’t often count towards our daily requirements. And I avoided fast and processed food as much as possible (I did eat them once in a while to indulge my cravings).
• Increase activity level: My job is sedentary, so I made it a point to get up and take a short walk every 90 minutes or so. I would walk to get a glass of water, to make a phone call, or just to talk to someone else. I started taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to work instead of taking the car on pleasant days, and walking around in the mall when my friend shopped instead of sitting in one place and waiting for her.
• Look after hair and skin: When you diet, you need to ensure that you keep your hair and skin healthy by giving them the nutrients that they need. Include healthy protein like nuts and lean meats in your diet for healthy hair and drink lots of water to keep your skin hydrated and supple.

Remember, weight loss alone is not important; what’s more important is how you lose that extra weight – in a healthy way.

By-line:

This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of surgical assistant schools at her blog iScrub. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com

Free Fat Loss DVD

At the gym yesterday, they had a pretty sophisticated machine that will calculate your body composition. Basically, you just stand on it and hold the handles and it will print out a detailed body composition report. I guess it uses a variety of variables, algorithms and figures out ideal results for each individual.

The personal trainers were doing this free for the members of the gym. Since I was working out on machine right there, I was asked if I wanted mine done. I said sure, since I was curious to know my results and confirm the machine’s accuracy.

Here are my results:

Age: 44
Height: 5’9” (175cm)

Body Weight: 154.6 pounds (70.1kg)
My target weight range should be between 153.4 to 161.6 pounds. So I am well within the target range. Personally I feel the healthiest anywhere from 150 to 160 pounds.

Total Body Fat: 8.7%
This is an excellent result. For the athletic category I should be within the 6 to 13% range.

Fat-free Mass 91.3%

Total Body Water: 73%. Again an excellent number since I should be within the 72-68% range.

BMI 22 which is normal.

If you ever get a chance, get yourself tested on such a machine. From the numbers generated, I think it is very accurate.

For your information, here are the complete category ranges. So if you know your percentage body fat, you can get an idea where you fit in!

Body fat: 5-12%
Total body water norms: 72-68%

Body fat: 13-19%
Total body water norms: 67-60%

Body fat: 20-29%
Total body water norms: 59-54%

Body fat: 30-45%
Total body water norms: 53-45%

Body fat ranges:
Athletic 6-13%
Normal 14-19%
Sedentary 20% or more

There are so many abdominal gimmicks and many types of ab equipment out on the market these days. Some work and many do not. But, do you really need to purchase any of them to get your abs toned and in shape?

Personally, I don’t think so. So save your money and follow my advice.

Here are my 4 keys to getting your abs in tip-top shape.

1. Eat Healthy Foods
2. Eat Smaller Portion Sizes
3. Avoid Excessive Alcohol
4. Exercise - Abdominal and Cardiovascular

The first two keys go hand-in-hand. Try to avoid fatty foods and junk food. They are only going to accumulate around your mid-section. Definitely not where you want to store the fat!

When it comes to eating, many people over-eat. You end up feeling more tired and the extra food gets stored, you know where! My advice, try to eat more healthy portion sizes and not to over-indulge, especially on your dinner or evening snacks.

And yes, alcohol does contain calories. Some types of alcohol more than you would think. So limit your alcoholic intake.

Getting nice abs also requires exercise. There are many abdominal exercises that can be done without the use of equipment, almost anywhere, which will enable you to achieve incredible abs. One ab exercise that is very simple to do and that I feel is extremely effective is the Ab Crunch. Watch my Ab Crunch video on YouTube. If you do your repetitions slowly, properly and in combination with other ab exercises, then you will be able to achieve amazing results.

Let’s not forget there are many other cardiovascular and weight training exercises that indirectly will help you shed those unwanted pounds on your belly.

Looking for more weight loss ideas, check out this limited-time-only free fat loss DVD.

Doing your exercise workouts at the gym with a partner can have many benefits for you. I suggest that you exercise with 1 partner and not 2. Three people can be a crowd and it will take awhile for you to complete your workout effectively!

The first benefit of working out with a partner is that he or she can motivate you to exercise. This extra motivation will push you to complete your workout and at times, can help you to workout harder, achieve higher plateaus.

Another benefit is that your partner can be an effective spotter for you so you can lift weights which are little heavier than you normally do or complete those hard-to-do last reps of a set!

Sometimes a partner can help suggest tips for working out. This is especially true if one person is more knowledgeable or serious than the other.

It can also be a lot of fun to work out with someone else. You get to talk about things but if chit-chat takes over your workout, you may lose your concentration, focus and not work out as effectively as you should.

If you decide to exercise with a partner, be prepared to spend a little more time at the gym.

The final benefit that I can think of is that it can save you money. If you join a gym or go to the gym with your girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse, many gyms offer spousal or family discounts which can save you a lot of money.