Weight-Loss Success Stories: From Fat to Fabulous

Weight-Loss Success Stories: From Fat to FabulousMuneer A.: Before Muneer started gaining weight steadily after his family moved to the U.S. The last straw was when he was constantly feeling sluggish, and was severely winded after climbing a flight of stairs. At that point, weight loss was a "life or death situation." Weight-Loss Success Stories: From Fat to FabulousMuneer A.: After A drastic change in diet and lifestyle helped Muneer shave 82 pounds off his frame. Read Muneer's full story. Weight-Loss Success Stories: From Fat to FabulousBart T.: Before Bart always enjoyed food, and eating felt natural to him. So when his weight started to climb, his standards for how he wanted to look went down--until every chest pain had him worrying about...

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Posted in: Weight loss

Fitness Quote

Remember to do Squats! They strengthen all of the major muscles of the lower bo...

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9 Simple Ways to Boost Your Health

9 Simple Ways to Boost Your Health Tea off in the morningHot tea can slash your risk of kidney cancer by 15 percent, according to a review in the International Journal of Cancer. Try pu-erh tea, which is better than green or black tea at preventing DNA damage. 9 Simple Ways to Boost Your Health Sleep smarterToo much sleep, or not enough of it, can kill you. A British study found that getting more than 9 hours of sack time a night, or less than 6, doubles your risk of an early death from any cause. Aim for 7 to 8 hours a night. 9 Simple Ways to Boost Your Health Pop in your lenses post showerSoaping up while wearing your contacts can expose your eyes to infection-causing waterborne microbes, say University of Illinois at Chicago researchers....

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Posted in: Fitness,Weight loss

Celebs' Slim-Down Secrets

From Forbes.comForbesCelebrities are used to getting expedited entry into the best clubs, complimentary designer clothing and invites to all-expense-paid beachfront bashes. But when it comes to slimming down and toning up, whether it's for a movie role, the playoffs or just looking good for the paparazzi, they have to pay to play.Celebrity trainers charge from $120 to $300 and up for an average hour-long session, which usually comes in packages of 10 or 12. But their rates may balloon to $1,000 a day when a star is preparing for the big screen, which may involve creating an off-set gym and several hours worth of daily sessions.In Pictures: Top Celebrity Fitness MovesBut money doesn’t buy time, and often the trick can be trying to fit a great...

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Posted in: Fitness,Women's Issues

Tone Your Arms—in 10 Minutes!

Bare them with confidence in 4 weeks with this targeted routineBy the Editors of PreventionShapely, sculpted arms are possible—at any age. All it takes is this 10 minute routine you can tailor to your fitness level. These four firming moves work the chest, shoulders, and arms from every angle to tighten and tone the droopiness that can start when you lose lean tissue in your 40s. After a month, you'll be on your way to show-off arms that will look great in sleeveless tops and dresses all summer long.Workout at a GlanceWHAT YOU NEED3- to 5-pound and 8- to 10-pound dumbbells and a mat or carpeted space.HOW TO DO ITPerform the routine 2 or 3 times a week on nonconsecutive days. Begin with a 5-minute dynamic warm-up: March in place while scissoring...

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Posted in: Fitness,Women's Issues

Demystifying Yoga

Yoga can be intimidating to newcomers. Here's how to overcome your apprehensions and get out your yoga mat.By Diane Vadino for MSN Health & FitnessYoga: So healthy! But also, so intimidating. The word is out about its myriad benefits—improved strength and flexibility, reduced stress, greater peace of mind—but something about yoga strikes fear into the limbs of newcomers in a way that aerobics and spinning simply don't. Could it be the size-zero cuties in hot pants sauntering across the studio? The former gymnasts happily twisting themselves into pretzels? Maybe it’s the thousand-yard stare of the longtime practitioner who instinctively knows what to do with his socks, precisely how to place his sticky mat, and exactly the pose that’s coming...

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Posted in: Fitness,Women's Issues

Warm Up to a Better Workout

Trading stationary stretches for more active moves is a better way to lubricate joints, reduce risk injury, and get blood flowing to your walking muscles, studies find. Try these four moves...By Marianne McGinnis, PreventionTrading stationary stretches for more active moves is a better way to lubricate joints, reduce risk of injury, and get blood flowing to your walking muscles, studies find. Try these four moves, courtesy of Tom Dooley, national walking coach for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, before your next workout for a smoother, easier stride.1. Hurdles(loosens tight hips)Balance on right leg (hold a chair or wall for support) with left leg bent so heel is behind you. Rotate left leg out to left side and forward...

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Posted in: Fitness,Women's Issues

Drop Pounds at the Pool

In this heat, our easy swimming plan is the workout from heaven. What are you waiting for?By Bill Stieg, Men's HealthA swimming pool—the kind with lanes, not a swim-up bar—triggers a negative twinge in many men. Too cold, too inconvenient, too... wet. And that's too bad. Swimming gives you a great cardiovascular workout with none of the joint-jarring of running. You'll burn roughly the same number of calories per minute as you would biking, without the traffic risks. You'll get a restorative workout that helps you come back strong in your other sports. And you'll develop that lean-and-powerful look that draws so many women to the TV when the Olympics are on. Swimming builds functional strength, starting with your core muscles—back, chest, abdominals....

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5 Rules of Gym Etiquette

Learn how not to wear out your welcome.by Kristopher Kaiyala for MSN Health & FitnessEveryone's been the victim of Bad Gym Guy. You know the one: the smelly, sweaty, chatty health club member who spreads his body filth all over the locker room and exercise equipment, with nary a care for those around him. Bad Gym Guy cuts in line, slams the weights, talks loudly on his cell phone and seems generally oblivious to the world around him. Here's our advice if you want to avoid him: don't be him.Gyms are social gathering places just like malls, coffee shops and work places. Basic rules of group politeness apply even if the club lured you into thinking it was there to cater to your every need.So, what are the basic rules of gym etiquette? We enlisted the help of Chicago's posh Lakeshore Athletic...

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101 Kicks in the Butt

var s_account='msnportalhealth';By Calvin Hennick, Runner's WorldRunner's World1. Create a Blogwhere you post your daily mileage, then give out the Web address to your friends and family. Do you really want Aunt Ellen to ask why you skipped your four-miler on Wednesday?2. Mama, Get a New Pair of Shoes.Two-time Olympian Shayne Culpepper puts new gear she receives as an elite athlete to good use. "It's fun to break in a new pair of shoes," she says. "Sometimes that's enough to get me excited."3. Running Commentary"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp, or are you going to be strong today?'"—Peter Maher, two-time Olympic marathoner from Canada4. Go Soft.It's hard to stay motivated...

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Fortify Your Weak Spots

Sculpt and injury-proof your body from head to toe with these 4 muscle buildersBy the Editors of Men's Health "Most men spend time training what they see in the mirror and neglect their back, rear shoulders, hamstrings, and glutes," says the Men's Health Muscle Guy, Mike Mejia, M.S., C.S.C.S. But just because you aren't looking doesn't mean she isn't. Rebalance your body with highly effective exercises to strengthen those weak spots. Perform all four moves without rest. Break for 90 seconds and repeat the circuit two more times. 1. Swiss-ball leg curlLie on the floor with your calves on a Swiss ball. Raise your hips so that your body forms a straight line. Pull the ball toward your butt with your legs, pause, and roll the ball out. Do 10 reps....

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Inside or Outside Workouts?

Treadmill training vs. the great outdoors: Which is better?by Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & FitnessMarticaQ: Is there a difference in walking and running on a treadmill versus doing it outdoors? Is one better than the other?A: Walking fast or running on a treadmill feels tougher. Outdoors, the time can fly because you get distracted by playing kids, barking dogs, birds, cars and passing scenery. And you may even get the benefits of a cool breeze. But on the treadmill you tend to feel every drop of sweat. And it’s like waiting for a pot to boil as you watch mere seconds pass while you try to meet your time or mileage goal for the session.A recent study found that treadmill workouts are, in fact, as hard as they feel. Researchers at Missouri State University put eight trained...

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Build an All-Sport Body

Build power fast with these four movesWorkout by Mike Mejia, C.S.C.S, Men's HealthLay the foundation for a year of muscle growth with a versatile training tool: the power cage. Most men shy away from the power cage, so you won't have to wait in line to use it, says Men's Health Muscle Guy Mike Mejia, C.S.C.S. You'll improve your strength, mobility, and endurance with this simple routine. Do the workout three times a week, resting at least a day between sessions.Perform the exercises in succession, and then rest for 60 seconds before repeating the circuit once or twice.1. Barbell Duck-UnderSet a barbell at waist level on the supports of a power cage, and stand with one hip next to it. Take a long stride beneath the bar, then duck underneath....

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Posted in: Men's Issue,Muscle Building