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Ray Wilkinson ⁽⁴⁷⁸⁾ United States

Ray Wilkinson

Kids Water Shoes

Six Pack Abs

Posted Wednesday, September 30, 2009 (53 days 23 hours ago.) Viewed 49 times.

Do you want to know the most effective ab exercise and factors for producing six pack abs?

The following ab exercise is one that the (ACE) American Council on Exercise has determined to be one of the most effective ab exercises. While ab exercises won't spot reduce fat from the belly, strong abs are imperative for keeping your body healthy and protecting your spine.

The Bicycle exercise is the best to target the rectus abdominis or as we all have come to know as the "six pack" and the obliques, the waiste or spare tire according to a study done by the ACE. To do this exercise correctly:

1. Lie face up on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.

2. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground without pulling on the neck.

3. Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.

4. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.

5. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 12-16 reps.

One of the most frequently declared goals of men in the gym is to get ripped abs. The ab muscles are what really categorize someone who is serious about their health, because without fortitude and a fair amount of exertion, getting ripped abs is a ambition that will never be reached.

While everyone has developed ab muscles to some extent, it's getting them to show that becomes the major concern for most. This is due to the fact that most of us tend to store our body fat in the abdominal area. This is also one of the most intractable places to drop fat from.With that said, if you know the philosophy for how to get ripped abs, you can make this goal a certainty.

Genetic factor:

The foremost thing you must become conscious of, is that every person has his and her own uniquely shaped abs. Arbitrarily selecting a picture out of some men's magazine or billboard and saying that's what you want your abs to look like could be a goal just not achievable, because even if you did get good enough shape for your abs to show, they may not be genetically shaped in a comparable way, therefore, the look of your abs will still be dissimilar.

Recognizing that this facet is out of your control and not getting hung up on it is one step further on your pursuit to get ripped abs. If you are unable to do this, you'll only become more discouraged as time progresses, which is a grave motivational killer.

Rest assured, though, that if you can get your body fat low enough and perform proper, targeted exercises for this muscle group, your midsection will acquire second glances.

Food factor

Next comes the diet phase of the equation. Everyone has ab muscles, but most have a layer of body fat blanketing them. Removing this layer is going to be about 90% dietary endeavor and 10% exercise exertion when it comes right down to it. If you aren't ready to take control over the foods you are putting in your mouth, ripped abs should not be a goal for you.

While the old concept used to be that you should eat a diet as low in fat as possible in order to get rid of body fat, this has changed in recent times. Now, diets that are higher in protein, fair in fat and low or moderate in carbs are making an advance, as this helps to manage insulin levels.

At the end of the day, it's really going to come down to your total calorie ingestion, with less weight placed on how you get there, assuming adequate protein is present.

Read up on some other interesting articles Ray has written about like Kids Water Shoes

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Jump Rope...The forgotten exercise

Posted Thursday, September 10, 2009 (74 days 7 hours ago.) Viewed 83 times.

Many experts including coaches, trainers, strength and conditioning experts, competitive athletes and fitness professionals believe that minute for minute, jumping rope is one of the most beneficial exercises a person can participate in. It is an unparalleled cardiovascular workout that will tone and strengthen your entire body.

Because you're utilizing all the major muscle groups of your entire body, both upper and lower, you will burn an incredible amount of fat during a jump rope workoutup to 1000 calories an hour! That's more calories than virtually any other exercise in existence and something that makes jumping rope truly unique. Even a 15 20 minute workout will burn lots of fat and help improve your overall fitness level.

Professional boxers, could well be the most well conditioned athletes in the world, have used jump ropes as a core part of their training for many years. Athletes from a variety of sports including tennis, basketball, golf, volleyball, skiing, football, etc credit at least part of their success to jumping rope on a regular basis. The primary reason for this is that jumping rope will lead to improvements in agility, hand/eye/foot coordination, vertical jumping ability, hand and foot speed, fluidity of movement and timing. These skills are essential to maximize performance in almost any sport you can think of.

Wear supportive cross-trainers, tennis or basketball shoes while skipping rope. Running shoes won't give you enough forefoot support and are not intended for bouncing on the balls of your feet. Avoid jumping on concrete, floors laid over concrete, and other hard surfaces like tile. If you don't have a springy wooden or carpeted floor, place a thin exercise mat on whatever surface you do have and jump on that.

There are many places to jump rope

Home

If you're someone that prefers to work out in the convenience of your own home, or you've only got 30 minutes to get in a workout, or you're a single parent without a babysitter, etcyou can always jump rope at home. Your living room, a basement or backyard are all ideal for your workout.

Gyms

The gym is another great place to jump. It would be ideal if your gym has an aerobic floor with additional cushion and support. Combining jumping rope with weight training makes for an extremely effective workout that gives you the best of both worlds, cardio and strength training.

Office

If like many people these days, the only time you have to workout is during your lunch break at work, your office is another place you can jump.

Parks

If you like to the workout outdoors, consider jumping at a local park. Another benefit of jumping at a park is there are other things for the kids to do that is, if they're not already jumping rope with you!

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Burning Fat: Tread Mill or Stair Master

Posted Wednesday, September 09, 2009 (75 days 4 hours ago.) Viewed 234 times.

A treadmill is one of the most common pieces of cardio equipment found in gyms today. Treadmills consist of a rubber mat that moves on mechanized rollers. You can walk, jog or sprint on a treadmill. Modern variations of the treadmill come with variable speed and incline adjustments and customizable programs for effective weight loss. Many models also come with heart rate, and pulse sensors that give you a real time overview of the efficacy of the exercise on your body.

Stair masters were developed in the mid 1980's and have become increasingly popular since. A Stair master, as the name suggests, simulates the action of walking up stairs. There are two basic versions to the design. One of these has a mechanically revolving staircase (similar to that on escalators). The other kind is not mechanized and utilizes pedals in lieu of actual steps to mimic a climbing activity. Stair masters come with variable speeds and resistances and may also include sensors to monitor your heart rate and pulse.

The difference between a treadmill and a Stair master is that while a treadmill allows you to run, a Stair master allows you to mimic the action of climbing up a flight of stairs. So which is better from a cardio point of view? Well, strictly speaking, if you were to use the treadmill and the Stairmaster, for 15 minutes each, at the same intensity continuously, you would end up burning slightly more calories on the Stairmaster. This, however, should not be the only criteria when selecting one of the two for your cardio exercise.

The most important criteria when choosing one of these two equipments for your daily workout is your comfort level with each of these equipments. Some people prefer the more natural option of running and jogging that is available on the treadmill; yet others find it tedious and prefer to go with the slightly more demanding workout that the Stairmaster gives. Some people even opt for the best of both worlds by alternating between these two machines. Those with heel injuries might prefer the Stairmaster, while those with bad knees will usually opt for the treadmill. At the end of the day, be it the Stairmaster, or the treadmill, the choice is yours: you will only be able to give your cardio exercise your all if you actually like the activity that you are performing.

Some people even opt for the best of both worlds by alternating between these two machines. Those with heel injuries might prefer the Stairmaster, while those with bad knees will usually opt for the treadmill. At the end of the day, be it the Stairmaster, or the treadmill, the choice is yours: you will only be able to give your cardio exercise your all if you actually like the activity that you are performing.

Although it is premature to state that ellipticals will dethrone the treadmill as the exercise equipment of choice, you can bet that they will give them a good run for their money. If you look at all the health clubs and rehabilitation clinics, you will soon realize that elliptical trainers are more than just a fad and are here to stay.

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Never Judge a Book By Its Cover

Posted Tuesday, May 19, 2009 (188 days ago.) Viewed 24 times.

David Souter has announced that this will be his last session on the Supreme Court and that he will be retiring this summer. Souter was nominated for his conservative views and Republicans had hoped that he would be a champion for the Right on the bench. During his term as a Justice, however, he surprised all observers by not going along with political trends and by remaining faithful to the law. This lead Souter to side with Liberals on many key cases and to become a truly independent vote on the Court.

Souter is a true jurist, in that he judges a case on its merits, not by his prejudices. Most Presidents, when nominating a justice, hope that their candidate will push or support their agenda through the Court in their decisions. That is not the purpose of the Supreme Court. The Court is meant to be a check on both the Congress and the White House by being the one branch of the government who is to be objective and not subject to the whims of the public, to be the impartial arbiter of law and the Constitution. While no individual is capable of being totally unbiased and predisposed, a judge, especially a Supreme Court Justice, is supposed to be as close to that as can be. In that regard, David Souter was an excellent Justice of the Supreme Court.

While I have definitive Liberal leanings on most of the matters that would see their way before the Supreme Court, I hope that Obama finds and nominates a man or woman who is just like him. No matter which side of the fence you are on, there needs to be a fair chance for any case that goes before the Court. I would rather see a case that I support go before an independent and impartial group of jurists than one who is biased in either direction. If the outcome of a case has been decided before it is even heard, then there is no point to the case being heard. If the Court Justices are so firm in their leanings that they allow their bias to restrict their impartiality, then there is no point to there being a Supreme Court.

It is the charge of every President to nominate the best candidate for the job, period. That is not a political lackey or patsy. I will be watching the nomination to see if Obama respects the law and the Constitution more than his own political and ideological views; if he takes his duty to uphold the Constitution seriously. A truly great President will; so let's see if this is one of the markers that show Obama to be a truly great President or become yesterday's news.

Laura Bramble

The Political Simpleton

www.politicalsimpleton.com

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