Don't Know What to Wear for Your Zumba Workout?

Zumba is like any other form of exercise. Okay, it is way more fun and happening, but an exercise nonetheless. As for any other workout sessions, clothing is just as important as carrying a bottle of water. Getting the clothing for a Zumba session is half the battle won. Having said that let us now do a beto shuffle through the Zumba must have's for a comfortable, sweat-extracting workout, shall we?

As is the norm, one must begin from the bottom and then make their way to the top. Investing on the right shoe can make your Zumba session smooth and safe. Take the classic case of the Zumba-Kickz Original Shoes for example. These imported shoes come in synthetic patent leather that adds that extra groove to your move. What's more is, at 6.3 ounces you can actually forget that they are actually there as an addition to your feet.

Hey there! Not that you have got your feet on the floor, get ready to move it like a maniac. What, oh wait! What happened? Is your T-shirt too judgmental to accommodate your Zumba moves? Don't you get worried, girl? Just wake up from your nightmares and get ready with the Zumba Suave Sweatshirt. And whoever said that you can't look absolutely stunning during a workout, oh boy! Could he be more wrong? Club it with the Zumba Bra Tank for a layer of additional flair and relieve.

OK so now that you are almost Zumba ready, let's do the last-minute cross-check, what do you say? Water Bottle? Check. Towel and Headband? Check. Shoes? In the bag already. Tee? Could I be hotter? And last but not the least the track pants. Wait, what? No silly, not the ones you wear every morning on your jogging escapade, the Zumba Germany Track Pants were specially designed with one mission in vision; to put extra ease on a lease.

The key to a great workout session is to look good, feel good and sweat without having to sweat it out. So, off you go girl. Do have a great session with additional ease, access, style and comfort, and yes no need to thank us, you know.

This Zumba session, look your sprightliest what with all the Zumba must have's that we have listed down exclusively for you. Take the boredom out of workout schedule and stash it down the highest window of a multi-storey building, even as you sweat out excruciatingly. The idea is to shake a leg and make heads turn while you are at it.

Source: Divya Shetty

Home Gym Vs Health Club - What Is Your Pick?

Are you in confusion whether to join a Health Club or buy a Home Gym? Both these options come with their own shares of advantages and disadvantages. A Health Club provides its members get access to a wide selection of exercise equipment that makes it easier to get a full-body workout using all the latest equipment. Moreover, you do your exercises without getting bored because you will be working out with other physical fitness enthusiasts.

There are personal trainers at these gyms who can guide you on the right way to use the equipment, which is quite helpful, especially for the newly joined enthusiasts. However, the cost of memberships at these Health Clubs could be a deterring factor, given the continued rise in membership fees. Many gyms require its members to get their membership for a minimum of one year that becomes a financial burden in itself. For some people, paying the high cost of membership is simply an impossibility to afford.

Another reason for people not joining a Health Club is the fact that is spite of the high motivation existing in the beginning, the interest may keep on going down and going to the gym itself becomes a difficult proposition. People start coming up with excuses for not going to the gym like the faraway location of the Health Club or time constraint that is stopping them from attending the gym regularly. These Health Clubs also tend to be frequented by people at around the same time daily, mostly in the morning or evening hours. This could lead to crowding of the gym with difficulty in getting access to equipment or finding parking space for your car.

Advantages of Home Gyms

One of the best reasons for having a home gym is the possibility of exercising whenever you feel like doing it and not according to the working time of Health Clubs. You can also play your choice of songs and music and listen to it as loudly as you prefer. However, the downside of exercising at your own place is loneliness that you feel at times because the camaraderie that a health club offers is missing at your own gym. But for some, the mere thought of showing their bodies while exercising is simply a no-no and instead, they would love the privacy of the home gym. Moreover, many people find it a squeamish experience of getting a whiff of a stranger's body odor.

Although the initial cost of investment for having a home gym is quite a huge sum, it will be far less when compared to the total money that is spent in gym membership over time. Another benefit of having your home gym is that they exist at your home and that makes it easier to fit your workouts into your daily schedule. In addition, when the weather is bad, you can keep doing your exercise at your home gym. For people in rural areas, home gyms are the best choice because of the non-availability of health clubs nearby.

Disadvantages of Home Gyms

There are certain disadvantages to having your home gym. Many people, while exercising at their own gym find their everyday life coming in the way while working out. This distraction is not there when exercising at a health club as you do your physical exercises along with others. Working out at a health club is quite motivating as well, as the area is filled with people who are also there to get good body workouts.

Another reason that makes the home gym a prohibitive idea is that a lot of space is taken up by the equipment. For those having tight living space would find it difficult to have all the required equipment in place.

Choosing Between a Home Gym and a Health Club

It is seen that those having home gyms sticks to their fitness regime longer and are likely to achieve their fitness goals earlier than those having gym memberships. However, there are people who prefer to own a gym and also keep a gym membership, so that they can get the best experience of both the worlds by mixing things.

Source: Ronald Smith

10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will Make You Happier, Backed By Science

Happiness is all we want in our life and the interesting thing is we all have the different perspective to how to make ourselves or others happy. It is very difficult to explain happiness because happiness can't be explain it's basically a state of mind and virtually everyone strives for it but not everyone will reach it. Everyone loves to be happier and we will describe you 10 simple things which you can do today that will make you happier.

1. Sleep more: The very first thing you should do is to sleep well, the more you will sleep or the more you have sound sleep the more it will make you happy. According to a study, it is proven that how well you sleep will probably affect how you feel when you wake up.

2. Spend time with your family and friends: Time spent with family and friends makes you much happier than anything else in the world. Yes, it is true social time is highly valuable when it comes to improving your happiness several studies have researched in it.

3. Just 7 minutes exercise: You wouldn't believe how 7 minutes of exercise can change your mind state of mind. Exercise has such a good effect on our happiness and it's actually been proven to be an effective strategy for overcoming depression.

4. Feel the fresh air: Go outside, happiness is maximized when you are in fresh air. Making time to go outside on a nice day also delivers a huge advantage and according to a study spending time, 20 minutes outside in good weather boost your positive energy.

5. Assist others: Helping others and providing a piece of advice to others will make you feel happy more than anything else and according to a study it has been proven that helping others can also make you feel happy and enriches your life.

6. Smile always: Try to smile always as smiling makes us feel good which increases our attentional flexibility and our ability to think positively. A smile is the best thing you can do to improve your circumstances and gives you the energy to overcome from this situation.

7. Schedule a trip: Taking a holiday make you feel happier and boost your energy up to a certain level. Highest spike in happiness came during the planning stage of a vacation as people enjoy the sense of anticipation.

8. Meditation: Yes meditation has a very big hand in the happiness of a person; meditation clears your mind and calms your mind so to take decision easily which will make you happy. Studies show that in the minutes right after meditating we experience the feelings of calmness and contentment.

9. Believe in yourself: True happiness comes from within that is when you try to believe in yourself and when you start to thank everything you get in your life.

10. Give yourself a boost: Stay healthy with fruits, veggies, and protein as when your body start feeling good automatically your brain will also feel good and this, in turn, makes you feel happy.

Source: Shruti Sharma

Sneak in a workout

Top 10 tips for a healthier Christmas

Have a healthy, happy Christmas!

Christmas is notoriously a time to indulge, but don’t let this be the green light to overindulge! You can still enjoy all the festivities of the season and get through the Christmas period without too much impact on your health and waistline. Try our top 10 tips for a healthier Christmas.

  

Don’t sit down all day

We know every Christmas special under the sun will be showing on the TV, but you don’t need to plonk yourself on the sofa allday! Encourage the whole family to get out for a walk at some point – ideally, after dinner to aid digestion. The more activity, the better, so take along any new outdoor gifts, like bikes, in-line skates, footballs or Frisbees, climb trees or play old-fashioned games.

Go easy on the booze

If you are firmly ensconced at home over the festive period, those alcohol units can really mount up. Mulled wine on Christmas eve, Bucks Fizz with breakfast, wine with dinner, Baileys, brandy… the list goes on! So, do try to keep tabs on how much you are drinking, and intersperse alcoholic drinks with soft ones.

Don’t give yourself a Christmas stuffing!

Recent research suggests that we consume around 3,000 calories in our Christmas dinner – more than the entire recommended daily intake for a grown man! This huge feast not only contributes to weight gain but also to indigestion and heartburn – not to mention lethargy for the rest of the day, reducing the chances of you burning much of it off. Instead of gorging yourself on Christmas dinner, eat a normal-sized meal and then take a 20-minute break to see if you are still hungry (it takes this long for the brain to register that the stomach is full). The chances are, you’ll realize you’ve had enough.

Keep colds at bay

Colds are rife at Christmas, partly because many of us travel around the country, exposing ourselves – and others – to different cold viruses. Minimize your risks by maintaining a healthy immune system (eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and not smoking will help), so you are more able to fight off any viruses.

Don’t stress

‘Tis the season to be jolly’ but jolly is the last thing many of us feel with overspending, cooking, cleaning, endless ‘to do’ lists and visitors we could do without. Try to keep a sense of humor and proportion. Is it really the end of the world if the carrots are overcooked or if the mantelpiece is a bit dusty? Do you really care about Auntie Mary’s disapproval of the fact that you and your partner are living together and aren’t married? Remember, Christmas is just one day out of 365 and it isn’t worth stressing over.

Eat fruit

Let’s be honest, most of us get through the entire Christmas period eating no more fruit than the satsuma in the Christmas stocking. It just doesn’t really feature on the Christmas menu. But at this time of late nights, overindulging and partying, it’s more important than ever to get your vitamins and minerals, to help you stay in good health. Ensure that your Christmas shopping list enables you to fill up the fruit bowl and get your five a day. (And no, mulled wine doesn’t count as one portion!)

Do something for others

It’s hard to avoid the consumerism that has overtaken Christmas in the western world, but it doesn’t all have to be about giving or receiving gifts. Try to do something for others this festive season, whether it’s baking some extra mince pies for an elderly neighbor, inviting an acquaintance who doesn’t have family around them to your home or helping out with a local Christmas fete or carol service.

Think before you eat

Christmas is a time of plenty, and with nuts, chocolates, mince pies and cheese straws where ever you look, it would be rather Scrooge-like to suggest that you don’t eat any treats over the festive period! But rather than mindlessly popping whatever is in front of you in your mouth, spend a moment thinking about whether you really want it, or are just eating it because it’s there.

Engage your brain

Instead of switching off in front of the TV, keep your mind active by playing games like Trivial Pursuit or Charades. This is also a great way of getting everyone together. If you aren’t a ‘game’ person, engage your mind by setting up any new gadgets, such as playstations, iPods, mobile phones or computers.

Be a careful cook

If your Christmas duties include cooking the dinner, you won’t be delighted to hear that according to the Food Standards Agency, December is one of the most common months for people to get food poisoning. To minimize the risks, don’t leave food out all day. Put out small amounts at a time, so that what is on the table has just been cooked or just come out of the fridge. Ideally, try to use any leftovers within 48 hours or freeze them. As for the turkey, always defrost it in the fridge, allowing 10 to 12 hours per kilo and do not wash the bird, as this can spread bacteria around, which will be destroyed by cooking anyway.

Have a happy, healthy festive season!

Source:  www.realbuzz.com

Why Do I Gain Weight When I Exercise?

Why do I tend to gain weight when I exercise and lose weight when I barely move?

Source: Gretchen Reynolds

 The short and unsatisfactory answer is that you are human. A surprisingly large number of people who begin an exercise program subsequently pack on extra pounds. In a 2013 review of scientific studies related to exercise and weight loss, the researchers concluded that most sedentary people who start exercising lose far less weight than would be expected, given how many calories they burn while working out.

As Eric Ravussin, a professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., told me some time back, “In general, exercise by itself is pretty useless for weight loss.” 

The problem, most scientists agree, is that exercise makes us want to eat. Many studies have shown that if people start a new exercise program, their bodies begin to pump out much higher levels of various hormones that increase appetite. This reaction seems to be most pronounced if someone starts a new, moderate, aerobic exercise routine. (There are hints in some studies that intense exercise, such as interval training, may dampen appetite. But the relevant studies have been few and small.) 

So if we take up jogging, swimming, walking or bike riding, for example, we feel unusually hungry afterward, and often wind up consuming as many or more calories than we just expended. A moderate 30-minute walk burns only about 100 calories. A smoothie afterward may contain two or three times that amount.

Simultaneously, many of us move less on days when we exercise, studies show. Scientists refer to this reaction as “compensatory inactivity.” Without consciously planning to, we spend more hours sitting during those days when we have worked out than when we have not, and ultimately burn fewer total calories. 

In essence, starting to exercise often means we eat more and move less than we did before, consume more calories and gain weight. 

But there is a solution, according to a comprehensive new review of decades’ worth of studies about exercise and body weight. Work out, the findings suggest, but also scrupulously watch what you eat. Pooling data from multiple past studies, it finds that if people exercise and restrict their calorie intake, they drop pounds — and in fact often lose more weight than by dieting alone.

Exercise to be happy and healthy

Source: Pinterest

How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science

Source: Kris Gunnars, BSc

There are many ways to lose a lot of weight fast.

However, most of them will make you hungry and unsatisfied.

If you don’t have iron willpower, then hunger will cause you to give up on these plans quickly.

The plan outlined here will:

• Reduce your appetite significantly.
• Make you lose weight quickly, without hunger.
• Improve your metabolic health at the same time.

Here is a simple 3-step plan to lose weight fast.

1. Cut Back on Sugars and Starches

The most important part is to cut back on sugars and starches (carbs).

These are the foods that stimulate secretion of insulin the most. If you didn’t know already, insulin is the main fat storage hormone in the body.

When insulin goes down, fat has an easier time getting out of the fat stores and the body starts burning fats instead of carbs.

Another benefit of lowering insulin is that your kidneys shed excess sodium and water out of your body, which reduces bloat and unnecessary water weight (1, 2).

It is not uncommon to lose up to 10 pounds (sometimes more) in the first week of eating this way, both body fat and water weight.

This is a graph from a study comparing low-carb and low-fat diets in overweight/obese women (3).

The low-carb group is eating until fullness, while the low-fat group is calorie restricted and hungry.

Cut the carbs, lower your insulin and you will start to eat less calories automatically and without hunger (4).

Put simply, lowering your insulin puts fat loss on “autopilot.”

Bottom Line: Removing sugars and starches (carbs) from your diet will lower your insulin levels, kill your appetite and make you lose weight without hunger.2. Eat Protein, Fat and Vegetables

Each one of your meals should include a protein source, a fat source and low-carb vegetables. Constructing your meals in this way will automatically bring your carb intake into the recommended range of 20-50 grams per day.

Protein Sources:

• Meat – Beef, chicken, pork, lamb, bacon, etc.
• Fish and Seafood – Salmon, trout, shrimps, lobsters, etc.
• Eggs – Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.

The importance of eating plenty of protein can not be overstated.

This has been shown to boost metabolism by 80 to 100 calories per day (5, 6, 7).

High protein diets can also reduce obsessive thoughts about food by 60%, reduce desire for late-night snacking by half, and make you so full that you automatically eat 441 fewer calories per day… just by adding protein to your diet (8, 9).

When it comes to losing weight, protein is the king of nutrients. Period.

Low-Carb Vegetables:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Spinach
• Kale
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Swiss Chard
• Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Full list here.

Don’t be afraid to load your plate with these low-carb vegetables. You can eat massive amounts of them without going over 20-50 net carbs per day.

A diet based on meat and vegetables contains all the fiber, vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy. There is no physiological need for grains in the diet.

Fat Sources:

• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Avocado oil
• Butter
• Tallow

Eat 2-3 meals per day. If you find yourself hungry in the afternoon, add a 4th meal.

Don’t be afraid of eating fat, trying to do both low-carb AND low-fat at the same time is a recipe for failure. It will make you feel miserable and abandon the plan.

The best cooking fat to use is coconut oil. It is rich in fats called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs). These fats are more fulfilling than others and can boost metabolism slightly (10, 11).

There is no reason to fear these natural fats, new studies show that saturated fatdoesn’t raise your heart disease risk at all (12, 13).

To see how you can assemble your meals, check out this low carb meal plan and this list of low carb recipes.

Bottom Line: Assemble each meal out of a protein source, a fat source and a low-carb vegetable. This will put you into the 20-50 gram carb range and drastically lower your insulin levels.

3. Lift Weights 3 Times Per Week

You don’t need to exercise to lose weight on this plan, but it is recommended.

The best option is to go to the gym 3-4 times a week. Do a warm up, lift weights, then stretch.

If you’re new to the gym, ask a trainer for some advice.

By lifting weights, you will burn a few calories and prevent your metabolism from slowing down, which is a common side effect of losing weight (14, 15).

Studies on low-carb diets show that you can even gain a bit of muscle while losing significant amounts of body fat (16).

If lifting weights is not an option for you, then doing some easier cardio workouts like running, jogging, swimming or walking will suffice.

Bottom Line: It is best to do some sort of resistance training like weight lifting. If that is not an option, cardio workouts work too.

Optional – Do a “Carb Re-feed” Once Per Week

You can take one day “off” per week where you eat more carbs. Many people prefer Saturday.

It is important to try to stick to healthier carb sources like oats, rice, quinoa, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruits, etc.

But only this one higher carb day, if you start doing it more often than once per week then you’re not going to see much success on this plan.

If you must have a cheat meal and eat something unhealthy, then do it on this day.

Be aware that cheat meals or carb refeeds are NOT necessary, but they can up-regulate some fat burning hormones like leptin and thyroid hormones (17, 18).

You will gain some weight during your re-feed day, but most of it will be water weightand you will lose it again in the next 1-2 days.

Bottom Line: Having one day of the week where you eat more carbs is perfectly acceptable, although not necessary.

What About Calories and Portion Control?

It is NOT necessary to count calories as long as you keep the carbs very low and stick to protein, fat and low-carb vegetables.

However, if you really want to, then use this calculator.

Enter your details, then pick the number from either the “Lose Weight” or the “Lose Weight Fast” section – depending on how fast you want to lose.

There are many great tools you can use to track the amount of calories you are eating. Here is a list of 5 calorie counters that are free and easy to use.

The main goal is to keep carbs under 20-50 grams per day and get the rest of your calories from protein and fat.

Bottom Line: It is not necessary to count calories to lose weight on this plan. It is most important to strictly keep your carbs in the 20-50 gram range.

10 Weight Loss Tips to Make Things Easier (and Faster)

Here are 10 more tips to lose weight even faster:

1. Eat a high-protein breakfast. Eating a high-protein breakfast has been shown to reduce cravings and calorie intake throughout the day (19, 20, 21).
2. Avoid sugary drinks and fruit juice. These are the most fattening things you can put into your body, and avoiding them can help you lose weight (22, 23).
3. Drink water a half hour before meals. One study showed that drinking water a half hour before meals increased weight loss by 44% over 3 months (24).
4. Choose weight loss-friendly foods (see list). Certain foods are very useful for losing fat. Here is a list of the 20 most weight loss-friendly foods on earth.
5. Eat soluble fiber. Studies show that soluble fibers may reduce fat, especially in the belly area. Fiber supplements like glucomannan can also help (25, 26, 27).
6. Drink coffee or tea. If you’re a coffee or a tea drinker, then drink as much as you want as the caffeine in them can boost your metabolism by 3-11% (28, 29, 30).
7. Eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods. Base most of your diet on whole foods. They are healthier, more filling and much less likely to cause overeating.
8. Eat your food slowly. Fast eaters gain more weight over time. Eating slowlymakes you feel more full and boosts weight-reducing hormones (31, 32, 33).
9. Use smaller plates. Studies show that people automatically eat less when they use smaller plates. Strange, but it works (34).
10. Get a good night’s sleep, every night. Poor sleep is one of the strongest risk factors for weight gain, so taking care of your sleep is important (35, 36).

Even more tips here: 30 Easy Ways to Lose Weight Naturally (Backed by Science).

Bottom Line: It is most important to stick to the three rules, but there are a few other things you can do to speed things up.

How Fast You Will Lose (and Other Benefits)

You can expect to lose 5-10 pounds of weight (sometimes more) in the first week, then consistent weight loss after that.

I can personally lose 3-4 lbs per week for a few weeks when I do this strictly.

If you’re new to dieting, then things will probably happen quickly. The more weight you have to lose, the faster you will lose it.

For the first few days, you might feel a bit strange. Your body has been burning carbs for all these years, it can take time for it to get used to burning fat instead.

It is called the “low carb flu” and is usually over within a few days. For me it takes 3. Adding some sodium to your diet can help with this, such as dissolving a bouillon cube in a cup of hot water and drinking it.

After that, most people report feeling very good, positive and energetic. At this point you will officially have become a “fat burning beast.”

Despite the decades of anti-fat hysteria, the low-carb diet also improves your health in many other ways:

• Blood Sugar tends to go way down on low-carb diets (37, 38).
• Triglycerides tend to go down (39, 40).
• Small, dense LDL (the bad) Cholesterol goes down (41, 42).
• HDL (the good) cholesterol goes up (43).
• Blood pressure improves significantly (44, 45).
• To top it all off, low-carb diets appear to be easier to follow than low-fat diets.

Bottom Line: You can expect to lose a lot of weight, but it depends on the person how quickly it will happen. Low-carb diets also improve your health in many other ways.

You Don’t Need to Starve Yourself to Lose Weight

If you have a medical condition then talk to your doctor before making changes because this plan can reduce your need for medication.

By reducing carbs and lowering insulin levels, you change the hormonal environment and make your body and brain “want” to lose weight.

This leads to drastically reduced appetite and hunger, eliminating the main reason that most people fail with conventional weight loss methods.

This is proven to make you lose about 2-3 times as much weight as a typical low-fat, calorie restricted diet (46, 47, 48).

Another great benefit for the impatient folks is that the initial drop in water weight can lead to a big difference on the scale as early as the next morning.

Here are a few examples of low-carb meals that are simple, delicious and can be prepared in under 10 minutes: 7 Healthy Low-Carb Meals in 10 Minutes or Less.

On this plan, you can eat good food until fullness and still lose a ton of fat. Welcome to paradise.