Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Indoor Cycling - How To Build An Aerobic Base

As a guy in his mid-40's, I've come to appreciate the benefits of lower impact aerobic exercise. Twenty years ago, my joints bounced right back after 4 mile runs or a vigorous step aerobics class. Those days are long gone now, and the results from consistent indoor cycling and spinning classes have been encouraging.

One major benefit I've noticed after adding indoor cycling to my workout regimen has been an increased energy level. If you've ever gotten drowsy at your desk mid afternoon, you know exactly what I mean. Another significant benefit has been decreased tension and much more restful sleep. And yet, it wasn't easy to consistently commit to these classes. In fact, I almost quit just after I started.

If you're just getting back into working out aerobically after a long layoff, you'll need to reacclimate. A key element is a concept called aerobic base building, which basically means establishing a base level of aerobic fitness. Just as it's important to build a solid foundation for your house, it's equally important for your fitness level.

Three Steps To Build Your Base

There are three factors you'll need to consider, and accept, when building your aerobic base. With indoor cycling, you'll typically have display monitors telling you how hard and how long you're working, which is quite helpful. The same is true with spinning classes, as most instructors have built in "check points" during the class to monitor exertion level. Let's look at each of the three factors.

Step One: Your Target Heart Rate

First, you'll need to know your target heart rate. Your target heart rate is a range that's 65% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. Determining your maximum heart rate is easy -- just subtract your age from 220. Then, multiply that rate by 65% to get the lower end of your target rate, and by 80% to get the upper end. As an example, I'm 46, so my maximum heart rate is 174. 65% of 174 is 113, and 80% of 174 is 139. That means I should strive to pedal at an exertion level that makes my heart beat between 113 and 139 times per minute.

Step Two: Commit To A Time Frame

Expect to build your aerobic base over a 6 to 8 week time frame, possibly longer if you've been inactive for a while. Plan to gradually challenge yourself so you can maintain your target heart rate for a longer period of time. Remember, the longer you work out at your target zone, the more fat you'll burn.

Step Three: Endurance And Intensity

Once you've built your aerobic base and know your target heart rate, it's time to challenge yourself a bit. Try to add to the length of time you work out, or push yourself a bit harder. You'll find as you become more fit, you'll need to challenge yourself to reach your target heart rate. That's a good thing! It means your heart is healthier, you've attained increased cardiac output, and you're more fit overall.

The benefits you'll realize from any aerobic activity are numerous, and they'll impact your life in a very positive way. If you're concerned about high impact activities like jogging or stair climbing, add a spinning class to your workout. It's low impact, effective, and enjoyable!

Jim Hofman recently added spinning classes to his workout regiment, and the results have been extremely positive, including weight loss and increased energy levels. To make sure you're getting the maximum benefit from your aerobic workouts, be sure to visit Jim's recommended resource site devoted to indoor cycling .

Monday, February 04, 2008

Here's The One Thing You Can Start Doing Today That Can Help Prevent Acne

You probably don’t know this yet but product wastes and toxic build up in your system is one of the main reasons why you have acne or why your skin breaks out.

You see, your body has 4 channels of elimination...your bowels, kidneys, lungs, and your skin. Your bowels and kidneys are the primary channels that your body expels product wastes and toxics through.

The only time that your body expels product wastes through your lungs and skin is when your bowels and kidneys are overloaded with product wastes and toxics or when your bowels becomes sluggish.

When this happens, your body will take some of the product waste and expel it through your lungs and skin (your secondary channels of elimination). Resulting in acne breakout.

However, you can prevent this from happening by increasing “fiber” intake. Fiber will absorb these toxins and product waste, and help your bowels sweep them out of your system fast.

So by taking enough fiber, you’ll be able to speed up your bowels transit time thus, preventing your body from expelling toxics through your skin and preventing acne.

So your next step is to start eating the type of foods that contains the highest amount of fiber.

What types of food contains the highest amount of fiber? Fruits and non-starchy vegetables.

Fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges, raspberries, and strawberries. And vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, parsnips, and potatoes. These contains the highest amount of fiber.

But this does not mean that you go out and eat as much of these high fiber foods as you can.

You should only consume enough so that your bowel transit time is between 12 to 18 hours. In other words, try not to consume too much fiber in day or else your transit time may be too fast causing nutrients to pass through your system without being absorbed. So if your transit time is under 12 hours, you may want to reduce the amount of fibers consume each day.

However, if your transit time is more than 24 hours then you really need to consume more fiber intake or else your body will start expelling these product wastes and toxins through your skin (resulting in acne breakout).

For me it’s about 32 grams of fiber a day but it may be different for you, so you should really test it out for yourself and see how much grams of fiber you should be consuming each day. It’s probably best to start out with 30 grams of fiber a day and go on from there.

How much grams of fiber does each fruit and vegetable contain? For the fruits I’ve listed above it’s about 3 grams each and the vegetables are about 2 grams each. However, I do recommend you consume more vegetables than fruits because fruits are high in natural sugar.

While consuming more fiber alone will not stop acne it can help in preventing acne. And that’s one portion of the pie in fighting acne.

Houa Yang is giving away free subscriptions to his "Clear Skin" Newsletter. To get your free subscription, visit http://www.howtogetridofacne.com and grab your subscription today, while it's still free.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Can Dermabrasion Help Get Rid Of Acne Scarring?

Although many people think acne is a condition that affects people whilst they're young then disappears after the mid twenties, for some, acne can be a lifelong problem. Although the lesions may disappear over time, a number of acne suffers are then left with scarring and dis-figuration to the skin resulting from unwanted build ups of collagen and irreversible damage to the skin cells. Acne scarring can be treated however, and one way of doing so is by the use of dermabrasion.

Dermabrasion is the removal of part of the top layer of skin including dead skin cells, excess oils and other buildups. Because it removes all these impurities and reveals the newer skin beneath, with regular dermabrasion it is possible to give yourself a healthier looking complexion. Acne scarring caused due to the buildup of collagen fibers can also be reduced by proper dermabrasion. A good way to think of the process is that dermabrasion is similar to the way in which a bulldozer is able to level off dirt by removing the top layer.

To make an effective dermabrasion solution at home take a mild, creamy cleanser and decant a small amount (around a 3/4 of a handful) into a bowl. Add around 1 1/2 dessert spoonfuls of sugar crystals into the cleanser and then mix. Wet the face with lukewarm water and then apply a liberal amount of the solution onto the skin. Gently massage it into the skin in a circular motion being careful not to scrub to hard. Once this is complete, wash the solution off with lukewarm water.

Dermabrasion should be performed twice a week unless irritation occurs (in which case it should only be performed once a week) Please note that it may take a number of months before clear reductions in acne scarring become visible. However, an improvement in overall complexion should be noticed fairly quickly. Dermabrasion should never be performed if there are active acne lesions visible on the skin as it will serve only to worsen the problem.

By using the power of dermabrasion it is possible to improve the skin's complexion and reduce the visibility of acne scarring. Although care needs to be taken, if performed correctly it can be extremely effective. By making your own dermabrasion solution from sugar crystals and cleanser it is also possible to save a reasonable sum of money due to the fact that other treatments can be quite expensive.

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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Adult Acne

When acne is contracted during adulthood, specifically in people over eighteen years of age, it is considered adult acne or post-adolescent acne. It commonly appears during the early twenties to even late forties and fifties. Women are usually more prone to this type of acne.

The several causes of adult acne include,hormones,birth control pills,stress and cosmetics.Hormones cause the sebacuous glands to overact and birth control pills with androgen in them can cause breakouts.Stress causes oil glands to overcompensate. Bad cosmetics lead to bacteria-laden pores.

There is no definite pattern to the occurence of adult acne as compared to the teenage variety of acne. Adolescent girls are often conscious of the growth of this skin condition, especially during their menstrual cycle, although the acne that forms during adulthood comes and goes more easily than the ones contracted during the teenage years.

The appearance of post-adolescent acne differs from that of teenage acne in that comedones (blackheads and whiteheads are less commonly seen, breakouts are mostly mild and scarring is unusual. Lesions more often appear on the lower cheek, the chin, and along and below the jaw line. Although some women may have breakouts on the chest and back, most have blemishes exclusively on the face.

Papules, also known as pimples, zits, bumps, pustules, and small nodules are the most common composition of breakouts. Papules are skin inflammatory elevations that are not suppurative while the pustules are also inflammatory elevations, but are filled with pus. The pustules and papules can be classified as deep or superficial. Superficial papules are those located on the skin surface. The deep papules are described to be palpable, and come from under the skin, since these are probably inflammations that are trapped underneath the skin's surface.

Nodules are described as large papules or cysts. They are firm tender lumps that stay on for several weeks or even months. The largest growth that they can be is about an inch and when healed can leave a noticeable scar. Luckily, nodules are rarely develop in women with adult acne.

There is no exact diagnosis for adult-onset acne since it can be easily confused by a health care provider with other acne-like disorders like rosacea, pseudofolliculitis barbae, keratosis pilaris, and endocrinopathy:

Rosacea: Symptoms of rosacea include facial lesions that consist of acnelike red papules and pustules. Moreover, both rosacea and acne can appear together.

Pseudofolliculitis barbae and keratosis pilaris: These conditions involve hair follicles, and can sometimes be acne look alikes.

Endocrinopathy: Sometimes what appears to be a simple case of acne vulgaris or adult-onset acne can be due to an underlying hormonal abnormality, called endocrinopathy. At times like this, acne may be difficult to get under control, and other measures such as blood tests to look for higher or lower than normal hormone levels should be evaluated by your doctor.

Women with adult acne do not have levels of androgen that are elevated but may have a amplified response to androgen in its normal levels and to progesterone, a female hormone, although to a much lower degree. On the other hand, estrogen, another main hormone of females, produces an opposite effect on acne production by depressing its release.

Other than the major hormones of women, adult acne may be caused and enhanced by the intake of pills containing hormones and drugs that have hormonal effects like those seen in oral contraceptive medications, food products, steroids and allergy medications.

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Saturday, January 26, 2008

How To Effectively Deal With Acne

When it comes to acne there are many variables. While your motivation at this point may to get rid of it as quickly as you can it is worthwhile understanding that if you do not take care of your overall health you may continue to have outbreaks. Acne can affect us all both young and old.

So rather than just deal with acne on the surface it is time to look at the big picture. What are you eating? What are you drinking? How are you cleaning your skin? Now I know when I was younger I thought I was invincible. I thought I could eat and drink what I want. However let me tell you this, you cannot turn back the clock.

Your health is extremely important. To deal with acne you need to start drinking more water, preferably eight glasses a day. It is wise to cut down on dairy and eat less processed foods. If your body becomes a toxic waste dump then eventually your skin will reflect that.

When you have an outbreak of acne do not pick at them. Instead use hot water and steam your face to open your pores. Then you can cleanse your skin. Be careful what you choose based upon your skin type. You can also exfoliate your skin using a chemical or natural product. A natural example would be walnut shells over the counter you can get salicylic and glycolic acid.

The purpose of exfoliating is to remove dead skin cells. Once you are done do not rub your face with a towel instead pat it dry. Remember to change your towels each day and bed clothing every other day. Once you are done cleansing your skin you can use a toner to remove any excess cleanser. You can apply this with a cotton ball, and then just clean your face.

For those of you who want to get rid of acne quickly there is a method that has worked for a lot of people and has been featured on shows like Oprah and CNN. I was skeptical initially but I liked the fact that it was an holistic approach to the problem.

However that did not quell my skepticism until I saw that it worked and furthermore that they guarantee it. If it does not work you get refunded. I am all for trying techniques and methods as long as the promoter stands behind it - and as long as it does not affect you adversely in any way or form.

Discover the only proven, holistic way to heal, restore, and have beautiful, clear skin. Learn more about an easy to use program that you can use in the privacy of your own home.

Get rid of acne

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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Effective Home Remedies For Acne

Ok, so the sky is falling. Here you are in the prime of your life faced with acne. Looking in the mirror can be traumatic. Before you cry bloody murder sit back relax and drink a glass of water. It's time to take action.

Acne is the general term that describes blackheads, whiteheads, and blemishes. This condition does not only affect young people going through puberty it can also affect adults. Both women and men of any race or creed can suffer from this affliction.

The worst thing you can do when you get an outbreak is to start picking at your pimples. This will irritate your skin further. So keep your pesky little fingers off your face. With that said I know you will want to get rid of them quickly but the last thing you want to do is make things worse.

Firstly go and boil a kettle of water then pour it in the sink. Put your face close to the water. Then cover your head with a towel and stay there as long as is comfortable. The steam will help to open your pores. When you are done rinse your face with cold water as this will close the pores. Your next step is to cleanse your skin. Once you are done pat your face dry. Do not rub a towel all over it as this can irritate the skin.

Change your towels daily. Towels can become luxury homes for bacteria and dirt in general. So get a clean one everyday. Change your bed clothing every other day. As human beings we can shed a lot of interesting stuff. I do not want to go into it here as it can be rather off putting.

Drink lots of water. Get of the sugary sodas. Water helps to flush your body from the inside out. It is a lot healthier to drink water rather than sodas. Plus your skin will thank you for it.

Improve your diet as Mom used to say, "Eat your vegetables or you will not get desert". Eat fresh food that means fruit and vegetables. In the morning eat fruit and drink water. Cut down on dairy. If you are a member of a gym use their sauna and steam room facilities. These are great for cleaning the skin

Follow these tips and not only will you improve your skin but your complexion as well.

Discover the only proven, holistic way to heal, restore, and have beautiful, clear skin. Learn more about an easy to use program that you can use in the privacy of your own home.

Get rid of acne

Learn Home remedies for acne.

Learn how to prevent acne.

Monday, January 21, 2008

How to Clear Your Acne

I used to suffer from acne for many years and tried lots of different ways to clear my skin. I want to show you what I did to finally stop breaking out and have a clear complexion...

What I eventually discovered was the role of food in my acne. I saw that what I ate DIRECTLY affected my skin. Some food causes hormonal imbalance and results in breakouts, and some food helps balance hormones and prevent breakouts.

Here I want to give you the best food to eat and the worst food to eat so that you too can clear your skin...

The best food to eat is green vegetables. These contain lots of nutrients and enzymes needed to prevent acne. They control and balance your hormones. Considering that it is imbalanced hormones that cause acne, keeping them balanced is very important- and green vegetables (like broccoli, salads and sprouts) are by far the best way to do that and stay clear.

There are many green vegetables available to eat - just check your supermarkets vegetables section. If you eat green vegetables everyday your skin will be significantly clearer.

The worst food to eat is vegetable oil. It causes massive hormonal imbalance and results in the worst breakouts you suffer from. The vegetable oil in your diet is most likely to be from cooking oils like sunflower oil. You need to avoid those. Avoiding vegetable oil was one of the most important things I ever did to stay acne-free.

Making simple changes to your diet is by far the best and easiest way to clear your acne. For more information on how to clear your acne visit my website now

Jack Venta has set up a free website for you that reviews the best acne cures available and reveals how he cured his acne 100% within 1 week. Check out his website at Acne Solved right now.