Alternate Sleep Cycles Most people only think that there is one way to sleep: Go to sleep at night for 6-8 hours, wake up in the morning, stay awake for 16-18 hours and then repeat. Actually, that is called a monophasic sleep cycle, which is only 1 of 5 major sleep cycles that have been used successfully throughout history. The other 4 are considered polyphasic sleep cycles due to the multiple number of naps they require each day. Well the most important of every sleep cycle is the Stage 4 REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which has been shown to provide the benefits of sleep to the brain above all other stages of sleep. This way, you still get the benefits of 8 hours of sleep without wasting all of the time it takes to get to REM cycles, resulting in a much more efficient sleep cycle. Uberman Cycle: 20 to 30 minute naps every 4 hours, resulting in 6 naps each day. Everyman Cycle: One longer “core” nap that is supplemented with several 20-30 minute naps. Dymaxion Cycle: Biphasic/Siesta Cycle: – Hang in there.
The Top 100 Items to Disappear First by Mr. Smashy Survival Cache You could also call this “The Top 100 Things You should start stocking up on.” I’ve linked to a couple of the items you are less likely to find at Wal-Mart and other local stores. Generators Water Filters/Purifiers Portable Toilets Seasoned Firewood Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps Coleman Fuel. What’s Missing? What do you think will disappear before these things that’s not on the list? Reprinted with permission from Survival Cache.
Workout Program for People that Hate Working Out The idea for this workout program dawned on me the other day as a way to slowly (very slowly) get into a fitness routine that you are meant to keep going the rest of your life. We are discussing our progress, challenges and successes in the comments below if you would like to join us! I was sick of training schedules and programs that were so extreme I could only keep them up for a few weeks or days before collapsing under the time or mental pressure. I mulled the problem over for a while and thought: “If I had to come up with a workout program that I kept doing for the next 5 years… what would it look like?” and this is the result. The gist of the workout is 3 parts: Start with a painfully easy workout, like “1 pushup” or “2 squats”, that’s it. The purpose of the workout is to be very long term, something you might do for years. For example, hold off on adding things like “run 1 mile” to your workout until you are months into it. Life is meant to be enjoyed you know Smile and relax.
89 Simple Swaps That Could Change Your Life Whole grains for white, quality for quantity, Wii Fit for Mario Kart—just one smart swap can pave the way to a healthier and happier life. We decided to go all out and provide 89 “this for that’s,” so there are no excuses when it comes to making healthier choices! Fitness 1. Planks for Crunches OK have we said this enough? 2. Congrats on that 26.2-mile marathon. 3. In a perfect, outdoor world, flat roads rarely exist. 4. Trash that Cosmo-reading elliptical routine and surprise the body with a fun, calorie-burning cardio session. 5. Stretching out cold muscles could lead to injury. 6. We know that barbell looks tempting. 7. How often does someone complain about having to sit in a cubicle all day? 8. Okay, we get it. 9. Falling asleep at the wheel? 10. Skip the big machines (they’re sweaty anyway) and go for the little guys—free weights are more versatile and allow for a full range of motion in the joints. 11. Isolating muscles is so 2012. 12. Forget staying seated to work out the legs. 13.
Stomach Exercise: Rub Your Stomach Away In Just 2 Minutes a Day? Did You Know…there’s a stomach exercise where you can rub your stomach away effortlessly using nothing but your hand — for only 2 minutes a day? This may sound hard to believe, but Dr. Stephen Chang, an M.D. and Ph.D. who’s trained in both Western and Chinese medicine, states that this simple 2-minute internal exercise, which does not come from Western medicine, but rather from the wisdom of ancient Chinese sages — has been used successfully as a self-healing stomach remedy for over 6,000 years. Whatever you do, don’t confuse this internal exercise with the external exercises of the Western world, such as sit-ups, crunches and other movements that only firm up the underlying stomach muscles … but do nothing to melt the fat surrounding those muscles. According to Dr. Here’s how to do the stomach-rubbing exercise: 1) Lie flat on your back on your bed or on the floor. 2) Rub your hands together vigorously for about 15 seconds, or until they feel hot. The stomach exercise also can help:
The Wolverine Workout | Movie Workouts How does Hugh Jackman continue to pack on muscle mass and play one of the most physical of all movie superheroes at 44 years old? The latest installment of the popular series, “The Wolverine”, hits theaters this summer. Read on to learn what can you learn from his wolverine workout routine and apply it to your own summer blockbuster. How to get in Wolverine shape Jackman continues to work with Mike Ryan, an Australian personal trainer and longtime friend of Hugh Jackman. “In Wolverine, Hugh looks big onscreen, but really he’s just ripped. After watching Jackman on the set of Wolverine, fellow actor Will Yun Lee had this to say: “I’ve seen playbacks of Hugh fighting different characters in the movie he’s no joke! “For Wolverine, I ramp it up,” Jackman says. The workout itself is not groundbreaking. The 12-Week Hugh Jackman Wolverine Workout Jackman incorporates supersets into his Wolverine workout. Weeks 1 & 2: Hypertrophy Monday: Warmup: 10 minutes of cardio (at 50% effort) -Rob
Master the 7-Minute Workout With This Video News about the so-called “Scientific 7-Minute Workout” has been buzzing around the web like crazy for the last month. In fact, the story even made its way into The New York Times, The New York Daily News, The Huffington Post and many other top news sites. The workout was developed by The Human Performance Institute and requires only resistance from body weight, so you don’t have to purchase any fancy exercise equipment or visit a gym to get in shape. The downside is that the 7-minute workout explanations from Institute and The Times only featured descriptions of the exercises paired with pictures or illustrations -something hard to base an exercise routine on if you’ve never actually done these workouts before. Fortunately, we are here to help and have created a video of the 7-minute workout so you can see exactly what goes into the routine before you try the famous 7-minute workout for yourself and, when you do try it, this video can help you keep track of the exercises and your time.
How Fit Are You? By Dana Sullivan Try these four simple moves to find out where you stand (and how you can improve). Challenge Yourself Remember back in school when the Presidential Physical Fitness Test rolled around? There was no avoiding the gauntlet of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and more. Though your PE instructor may now be a distant memory, it's still smart to measure your strength, flexibility, and endurance, just as you measure your blood pressure and weight, says Steven Farrell, Ph.D., the director of professional education for the Cooper Institute, a nonprofit health-education and research center in Dallas. To see how you rate, take this four-part challenge, designed to mimic the presidential test, by Farrell and Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, in San Diego. Put Yourself to the Test Note your rank (for example, average or above average) under Your Score.
The one arm chin up one of the best and most hard core bodyweight exercises. The one arm chin up. Unique bodyweight exercises difficulty rating – 10 out of 10 Average time taken to master 6 months to several years. Description The one armed chin-up is one of only a handful of bodyweight exercises that get a 10 for difficulty rating by unique bodyweight exercises. Method of progression The first stage of progression for the one arm chin up is to build up your regular two arm chin ups until you can do at least 20 solid ones. Once you can do the 20 reps with two hands it is time to start the long road to progressing to the one arm chin up and the next stage is to tie a towel, thick rope or belt over the bar which you grip with one hand whilst the other arm grabs the bar in the normal way. The purpose of this technique is that it begins to give you the feel of doing a one arm chin as the arm that is pulling up using the bar in the normal way now has to work a lot harder. Note, a thick strong belt simply looped over the bar and through the buckle is what I used. Advice
Body weight beast workout image Posted by Cags R under Fitness & Training on 28 November 2012 at 1:00 AM This week's workout image is pitting you against the clock; you must complete 3 rounds of this bodyweight workout and post your time to complete the Challenge! It's not just about what time you post, you also have to make sure each rep is as good as your first throughout the entire workout! It is important to maintain good form for three reasons: You will be consistent on which muscle groups you are targeting with that exerciseYou will avoid injury by maintaining good formYou will be able to measure progress more accurately With this Challenge, the order of exercises is pretty tough; going from push ups into pull ups and sprints into squats means your different muscle groups will be working for longer periods than our average bodyweight circuits. Here's a guide on How to maintain good form throughout the Body weight beast
The Best Bodyweight Workout and Exercises The best bodyweight workout routine is one that helps you develop more functional strength. Doing bodyweight exercises requires a different set of body mechanics from conventional weight lifting, the angles and range of motions are very different. When it comes to building functional strength, bodyweight workouts are superior. This brings up the following question: What is the difference between bodybuilding and building functional strength? Bodybuilding is focussed on building muscles and losing fat to create the ‘look’ you want, it is about the appearance. Functional strength training is about increasing performance. Here below are 4 factors that bodyweight exercises can help you improve to increase your performance. Four Factors of Functional Strength Training for increased ‘Stored Elastic Energy’ will help you become more agile and tolerate more force from collisions or impact. Increased Sequential Summation Of Forces gives you more explosive power. Bodyweight Exercises
The 29 Hardest Abs Exercises Slideshow Travis McCoy/travismccoy.com Overview Think you’re hardcore -- or that you have a hard core? Prove it! These 41 midsection-mangling moves are some of the most advanced on the planet. 1. Don’t let this one fool you: It may look and sound a little silly, but it’s hard work. The Science of Amazing Abs 2. While this exercise doesn't target your abs, per se, it does target other core muscles like the glutes and hips. 20 Best Muscle-Building Foods 3. No list of advanced core moves would be complete without an example from the “300” workout. The 15 Toughest Do-Anywhere Workout Moves 4. Holding a plank -- especially on your forearms -- is probably a piece of cake by now. Sign Up to Receive the FREE Livestrong.com Weekly Newsletter! 5. To get the form right on this move, imagine you’re the Karate Kid: When he punches his right arm, he rows his left toward his waist. The Cardio Abs Workout 6. Keeping your hips stable and body aligned gets a whole lot tougher when the ground can roll. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.