Why 6-Pack Abs Aren't A Realistic Goal For Most People

6-Pack Abs, Ripped, Shredded, Washboard Abs - The fitness media is full of terms like these to describe abdominal muscles that stand out in stark relief. Yet sporting 6-packs is seldom what people think - and definitely not a realistic goal for most people outside of fitness models or bodybuilders preparing for a competition.
First, let's look at the truth about the people you see with shredded abs year-round. In most cases, it didn't take a lot of work to get those amazing-looking abs - they're most-commonly seen on people whose genetics blessed them with few, if any, fat cells on their midsection.
You see, everyone has ab muscles, and fairly well developed ones at that. You use your abdominal muscles in almost everything you do each day. They just aren't as obvious on some people because of the thin, or not so thin, layer of bodyfat that covers them. If you're one of the lucky ones that carries your bodyfat elsewhere, you'll sport that washboard any time you're not overeating.
For most people, though, eating little enough to show off a great midsection will run the risk of health complications if you try to maintain an extremely low bodyfat level year-round. Even those shredded bodybuilders you see in the mags and on stage don't stay that way year-round - they follow a strict and somewhat severe diet for 6 - 12 weeks prior to competing to get rid of bodyfat and use diuretics to drain their body of any surplus water as the big day approaches.
The same is true for the cover shoots for fitness and bodybuilding magazines - either a shot is used from the last time that athlete was prepared to compete, or they spend as much as a month preparing for that shot using training and diet to give them that look - and again, just for that shoot.
Staying ripped year-round would leave you feeling lethargic and tired at all times, inhibit your muscle- & strength-building progress, and could lead to more serious health issues. Remember that every organ in the body has some fat content, and that your body uses some of its fat stores to protect your inner organs. Depriving it of the nutrients it needs will also affect everything from your skin tone to your hair - to say nothing of the hormonal imbalances and their effects on your state of wellness.
A better solution for most people is to keep your stomach area strong by working your abdominals regularly and aiming to maintain a healthy overall bodyfat level. For most fit people, that will give you a fairly flat stomach that leads up to the swell of your chest - a highly desirable body image in its own right.
It's important to keep your abs strong at all times anyway, both because of all the daily activity and to help counterbalance your lower back muscles and their pull on your spine and hips. One of the keys to avoiding, or minimizing, lower back pain as you get older is being sure to keep your abs and hamstrings as strong as your quadriceps (thigh muscles) and lower back muscles to keep the forces on your hips and spine in balance.
By now you probably already know that you can't 'spot reduce' your bodyfat - that is, it will come off fairly evenly over your entire body. So trying to burn off just stomach fat or diet off just belly fat simply can't be done. It's necessary to reduce your overall bodyfat to start seeing any ab development, and that takes both a low-carb diet and a full exercise regimen.
There is good news, though... You CAN build an impressive mid-section even if you don't go to the extent of being totally ripped & shredded. A healthy, portion-controlled diet coupled with a workout routine designed to build bigger ab muscles can let you sport a belly to be proud of during the summer bikini season if you have the discipline to stay with it for a few months or more each year. For best results, consult a certified personal trainer for your workout plans and a certified nutritionist for an effective but safe diet regimen to follow.

The Fitness Benefits Of Jogging

Jogging is considered to be the sixth most prominent and popular sport in America. Jogging around your neighborhood is the perfect way to ditch a sedentary life and start an active one. It is a perfect form of workout for beginners because it requires no equipment. Many individuals are worried about the long-term health hazards on the joints, knees and hips as the consequence of running. These risks can be minimized by wearing good running shoes, therefore the benefits outweighing any risks associated with health.
Physical benefits of jogging:
· Jogging is excellent for your health. It is a great cardiovascular exercise in which all the muscles of the body are employed which results in the toning of all the muscles. It increases the bone density of legs, hips and back.
· It is a vigorous workout and it yields many health benefits which include a decrease in high blood pressure and coronary exercise, lowering of cholesterol levels and burning of body fat especially around the abdomen and thighs.
· Jogging strengthens the heart and the lungs and enhances the circulation of the blood which is vital for overall fitness.
· Jogging alleviates the problems linked with the digestive system by speeding up the rate of metabolism. The calorie burning process is accelerated making it easier to lose weight. Many people are now becoming aware of jogging being the ultimate exercise to lose the stubborn belly fat.
· Jogging also aids combat with insomnia. When you exercise, your sleep is more peaceful and restful because jogging involves physical fatigue.
· Jogging dissipates lethargy and you don't have to be worried about or feel guilty when your meal portions are large or when you want to snack on your favorite treats.
· Jogging makes you look and feel younger by preventing the decline of bones and muscles related to the age factor.
· Jogging enhances the immune system thereby reducing the risks of diseases like cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis.
The psychological advantages of jogging:
The benefits of jogging are not limited to physical level but extend to psychological level too. These are:
· Jogging gives you a boost of vigor and increases your vitality. You are filled up with boundless energy and vivacity. Jogging raises your confidence and you start loving your body and yourself. Moreover weight loss achieved from jogging is a great motivator.
· When you are jogging you feel free and happy. Your mind gets time to unclutter and solve life's riddles and problems. Your anger and aggression fades away and your mind ditches the depression ad stress because jogging releases the happy hormones called endorphins which are responsible for uplifting you mind, packing way the stress and providing you with the sensations of exhilaration and gladness.

Advice for Recovering From Surgery

Few things can alter and disrupt your daily routine quite like surgery. From pre-surgery preparations to the surgical procedure itself, the entire ordeal can be a challenging test of your physical and emotional wellbeing. Unfortunately, the battle doesn't end when the anesthesia wears off, as many patients face weeks, if not months of recovery time from their surgeries. With this fact in mind, we've assembled a list of suggestions that may help you as your body heals and begins to return to normal.
Allow Your Body to Repair Itself - As much as you may want to resume a normal life as quickly as possible, you would be much bettered served by resting the part of your body that has been operated upon. This means that what your doctor says goes; if your doctor advises you not to lift heavy objects or to avoid contact sports, for example, you should strictly adhere to his or her medical opinion.
Sleep - A Lot - Sleeping not only is a good way of knocking out a lot of boring hours from your day, but it also enables your body to heal itself as you rest peacefully.
Water is Your Friend - Now more than ever, try to get your eight glasses of water. Staying hydrated allows your body to function at full capacity.
Chow Down on Protein - Your body needs protein to rebuild and repair damaged tissue. Eating foods high in protein, such as poultry, dairy products and nuts, will help you to build back muscles damaged from injury.
Pace Yourself - As you begin to recover motion and strength in damaged parts of your body, remember to take things slow. Pushing yourself too far puts you at risk of aggravating the recovering area, and could set your recovery back a significant period of time. When walking around, try to nurse the healing body part, and make sure not to move it too fast or place too much pressure on it.
Build Up an Exercise Routine - When your body is ready, begin a modest exercise routine to rebuild the injured area. Exercises such as walking, stair climbing and light weight lifting could fit the bill perfectly - just make sure not to overexert yourself.
Be Careful When Moving Around - While recovering from injury, the last thing you want to do is to fall and hurt yourself again. Try and always be aware of any obstacles in your vicinity that you might accidentally trip over, slip on or bang into while moving around.

Cell Injection Treatments

In recent years, doctors have made noteworthy and exciting progress in treating various ailments with an innovative procedure - cell injection. The most well-known of these treatments involves the use of stem cells, which have long been known to help repair damaged parts of the body. However, medical practitioners have begun to use this concept to treat other prominent illnesses, and have reaped encouraging results.
The most publicized benefit of stem cells is their ability to regenerate tissues and organs. Researchers have now discovered that this procedure may also be used to effectively treat arthritis. The Centeno-Schultz Clinic in Broomfield, Colorado has established an effective procedure for treating arthritis patients using stem cells.
Doctors at the clinic begin this process by removing adult stem cells from the patient's bone marrow. The cells are then brought to a laboratory, where they are inserted into pieces of tissue in a controlled environment. Once inside the tissue, the cells begin to multiply. Finally, the stem cells are extracted from the tissue and injected into the areas of the patient's body afflicted by arthritis. After they have been injected into the patient, the cells begin to restore and regenerate cartilage. They can also repair torn ligaments by morphing into pieces of ligaments, tendons or bones.
As an added benefit, patients who receive this treatment face no threat of infection, as the stem cells are taken from the patients themselves. This also means that the patient's body will not reject the cells that have been multiplied from the original sample. Research has even suggested that this same procedure can also be used to treat heart failure, diabetes, lupus, MS and macular degeneration.
A New Treatment for Cancer?
Cell injection has recently been used to help a patient fight cancer. In 2006, a 50-year old man from the United Kingdom was injected with billions of his own immune cells. The man had been diagnosed with advanced skin cancer, which had spread to his lymph nodes and one of his lungs. Within eight weeks, the patient's tumors had disappeared; two years later, the man was cancer-free.
The man's doctors achieved this result by identifying the cells which were most successful in fighting the cancer. These cells were then collected from the patient, cloned, and injected back into the man's body. A similar type of treatment had also been used on two US men in 2006, and was successful in eradicating cancer in both patients. Though cancer experts caution that this method, called immunotherapy, required additional testing among larger clinical groups, they are encouraged by the treatment's positive results.
Additional Benefits
Research has also shown that cell injections can heal factures in long, hollow bones in the body, known as "long bones." In a study published in the open access journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, doctors found that fractures in long bones were healed completely after the patients were injected with osteoblast cells. As with other cell injections, these cells were originally extracted from the patients, multiplied in sterile laboratories, and injected back into the test subjects. Researchers conclusively determined that patients who had undergone this procedure healed significantly faster than those who were treated using traditional methods.
Cell injections have even been shown to greatly improve eyesight. A 14-month old Billings, Montana girl received a total of seven stem cell injections over a month-long period to strengthen her vision, which was limited to a mere 1 foot in range. The girl's family was forced to travel to China for the procedure, as US doctors considered it to be too experimental to perform. Miraculously, the girl's vision showed tremendous improvement following the injections; she is now able to see up to 25 feet away.
Cell injections could hold the key to treating a variety of medical conditions. Patients suffering from serious diseases and health problems may find that they represent their best possible option for treatment.