Green tea, which has greatly increased in popularity, is a genuine tea. Although it has always been popular in China, Japan and Taiwan, green tea has recently undergone a surge in popularity throughout the rest of the world.
Historically, green tea has always been thought to have special healing properties. Modern studies and research have concluded that, to this day, green tea possesses undeniable health benefits. Physicians do not have to prescribe it and patients are eager to learn about it’s historic healing properties.
Alzheimers Disease, which is a neurological illness commonly affecting the elderly, gradually causes one’s memory to be reduced until there is sometimes nothing familiar about their environment. Green tea is believed to stop certain neurodegenerative illnesses, including Alzheimers.
Cancer is one of the most devastating illnesses in the United States. For years, researchers have sought a way to prevent or cure the disease. Current treatments include radiation, chemotherapy and various forms of medication. Green tea is also believed to aid in the prevention and/or treatment of cancer.
Arthritis is a painful ailment that affects the body’s joints. It can be painful to walk, stand up or make even the slightest movements that would otherwise go unnoticed. While there is no known cure for arthritis, green tea is believed to aid in it’s treatment.
MS, which is the abbreviated usage to describe Multiple Sclerosis, is also a very painful illness that gradually takes away usage of movement. Green tea is thought to possibly aid in the treatment of MS.
As mentioned earlier, green tea has been long since linked to the treatment or healing of certain illnesses. It requires no prescription, is readily available at most retail and online stores and is very affordable. Green tea is also found online at many specialty and health stores, which may offer special discounted pricing or bulk availability. With a taste that is unique and unmistakable, green tea was used in ancient medicine and is believed to help in traditional treatments as well.
This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or a doctor’s recommendation. Prior to beginning any green tea treatment regimen, individuals should consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment. The use of green tea may cause some individuals to experience an upset stomach, so moderation is the key here. If you have any stomach problems or become extremely sick after using green tea, consult a physician.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
How to Eat Healthy When Eating Out at Your Favorite Restaurant
This article was written to answer a frequently asked question, "how to eat healthy at a restaurant".
When you are eating out, you probably watch your calories very closely. So to assist you with your calorie counting when dining out, these tips will help you make the most of it. I hope you find this information about how to eat healthy at a restaurant helpful ...
Restaurant Eating Out Tips:
- Anytime you order pasta dishes, be on the lookout for tomato based sauces instead of the cream based sauces. Tomato based sauces are much lower in fat and calories, and tomato sauce can even be counted as a vegetable!
- Always order salad dressings or sauces on the side, as this way you have control over how much you add to your meal.
- When you order grilled fish or vegetables, you should ask that the food be grilled without butter or oil, or prepared with very little or either or.
- You should always try to drink water, diet soda, or tea instead of soda or beverages that contain alcohol.
- When you choose a soup, remember that cream based soups are higher in fat and calories than other soups. A soup can be a great appetizer, as most are low in calories and you fill you up pretty fast.
- Choosing foods made with whole grains, such as whole wheat bread and dishes made with brown rice is a great way to eat healthy while eating out at a restaurant.
- When ordering a baked potato, ask for salsa instead of sour cream, butter, cheese, or even bacon. Salsa is very low in calories and provides a healthy alternative with plenty of flavor and spice.
- If you order dessert, share with a friend. Half of the dessert will equal half of the calories.
- A simple eating healthy tip is when you are full, stop eating. Listen to your body and what it tells you.
- If you get full, take half of your meal home. The second portion of your meal can serve as a second meal later. This way, you get two meals for the price of one.
- If you're looking to eat less, order two appetizers or an appetizer and a salad as your meal.
- If you get a choice of side dishes, get a baked potato or steamed vegetables instead of french fries.
- Always look for food on the menu that's baked, grilled, broiled, poached, or steamed. These types of cooking use less fat in the cooking process and are usually much lower in calories.
- Another way to eat healthy at a restaurant is to eat plain bread or rolls which are low in both fat and calories. When you add the butter and oil, you increase the fat and calorie intake.
- As key ingredients to your meal, choose dishes with fruits and vegetables. Both fruits and vegetables are great sources of dietary fiber as well as many vitamins and minerals.
- If you crave dessert, look for something with low fat, such as berries or fruit.
I hope you found these tips on how to eat healthy at a restaurant helpful and you were able to get something out of it.
And always remember, do not deprive yourself of the foods you truly love. All types of foods can fit into a well balanced diet.
When you are eating out, you probably watch your calories very closely. So to assist you with your calorie counting when dining out, these tips will help you make the most of it. I hope you find this information about how to eat healthy at a restaurant helpful ...
Restaurant Eating Out Tips:
- Anytime you order pasta dishes, be on the lookout for tomato based sauces instead of the cream based sauces. Tomato based sauces are much lower in fat and calories, and tomato sauce can even be counted as a vegetable!
- Always order salad dressings or sauces on the side, as this way you have control over how much you add to your meal.
- When you order grilled fish or vegetables, you should ask that the food be grilled without butter or oil, or prepared with very little or either or.
- You should always try to drink water, diet soda, or tea instead of soda or beverages that contain alcohol.
- When you choose a soup, remember that cream based soups are higher in fat and calories than other soups. A soup can be a great appetizer, as most are low in calories and you fill you up pretty fast.
- Choosing foods made with whole grains, such as whole wheat bread and dishes made with brown rice is a great way to eat healthy while eating out at a restaurant.
- When ordering a baked potato, ask for salsa instead of sour cream, butter, cheese, or even bacon. Salsa is very low in calories and provides a healthy alternative with plenty of flavor and spice.
- If you order dessert, share with a friend. Half of the dessert will equal half of the calories.
- A simple eating healthy tip is when you are full, stop eating. Listen to your body and what it tells you.
- If you get full, take half of your meal home. The second portion of your meal can serve as a second meal later. This way, you get two meals for the price of one.
- If you're looking to eat less, order two appetizers or an appetizer and a salad as your meal.
- If you get a choice of side dishes, get a baked potato or steamed vegetables instead of french fries.
- Always look for food on the menu that's baked, grilled, broiled, poached, or steamed. These types of cooking use less fat in the cooking process and are usually much lower in calories.
- Another way to eat healthy at a restaurant is to eat plain bread or rolls which are low in both fat and calories. When you add the butter and oil, you increase the fat and calorie intake.
- As key ingredients to your meal, choose dishes with fruits and vegetables. Both fruits and vegetables are great sources of dietary fiber as well as many vitamins and minerals.
- If you crave dessert, look for something with low fat, such as berries or fruit.
I hope you found these tips on how to eat healthy at a restaurant helpful and you were able to get something out of it.
And always remember, do not deprive yourself of the foods you truly love. All types of foods can fit into a well balanced diet.
Growing Your Own Salad
It’s not exactly fast food. It could take most of the summer to get your salad (which seems to be roughly the speed of most pizza places) but it is well worth the wait. With only the most rudimentary of tools, a little space in the back yards, and some elbow grease, anybody can have a truly fresh salad.
Gardening is a rewarding hobby. Flower growers can see the beauty of their labors all summer long. The vegetable growers also get a great reward. They can hear the fresh crunch of home-grown lettuce and taste the mouth-watering tomato that just came off the vine minutes before you tasted it.
A gardener can grow his own salad, making it as simple or complicated as he would like. As with any salad the first thing he starts with is the lettuce. Any true vegetable aficionado will tell you that there is no such thing as lettuce. The leafy salad staple comes in a variety of tastes, shapes, sizes, and colors. Gardeners can grow iceberg lettuce (the normal kind you find in the grocery store), butterhead, romaine, or countless other lettuces. The produce section of the supermarket generally doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the types of lettuces out there. It’s best just to check what grows in your area and plant whatever looks good.
Next on the salad is the tomato – the ripe, red wedges add visual appeal as well as deep flavor. Tomatoes tend to be robust plants and can grow in a variety of climates. Its best to stake them to make sure that the tomatoes do not touch the ground. This can be anything from a simple wooden stake to an elaborate metal cage. Keep an eye on them, though. They’ll sprout up and ripen seemingly overnight. Pick them when they are plump and red, slice them into sections, and enjoy!
To add some extra color to the salad, not to mention some Vitamin A for good eyesight, shave some fresh carrots over the salad, or chop them into round pieces. The carrot is another hearty vegetable. Unlike the tomato, the carrot grows into the ground, thus it grows better in loose soil. When you are ready to make your fresh salad, simply go to the ground and pull out any carrot bigger than your finger. Slice it up and you are ready to eat!
One of the last things to add to a fresh grown salad is a few cucumber slices. Cucumbers are fast-growing plants – most varieties are ready to pick in 2 months. When you are ready for your salad, go to the garden and pull one of these off the vine, clean it, slice it and eat it.
A simple hobby is turned into a delicious salad – with its crisp greens, ripe tomatoes, crunchy carrots, and brisk cucumbers. And they eat their fresh home-grown salads, gardeners can definitely enjoy the fruits … er … vegetables of their labors.
Gardening is a rewarding hobby. Flower growers can see the beauty of their labors all summer long. The vegetable growers also get a great reward. They can hear the fresh crunch of home-grown lettuce and taste the mouth-watering tomato that just came off the vine minutes before you tasted it.
A gardener can grow his own salad, making it as simple or complicated as he would like. As with any salad the first thing he starts with is the lettuce. Any true vegetable aficionado will tell you that there is no such thing as lettuce. The leafy salad staple comes in a variety of tastes, shapes, sizes, and colors. Gardeners can grow iceberg lettuce (the normal kind you find in the grocery store), butterhead, romaine, or countless other lettuces. The produce section of the supermarket generally doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the types of lettuces out there. It’s best just to check what grows in your area and plant whatever looks good.
Next on the salad is the tomato – the ripe, red wedges add visual appeal as well as deep flavor. Tomatoes tend to be robust plants and can grow in a variety of climates. Its best to stake them to make sure that the tomatoes do not touch the ground. This can be anything from a simple wooden stake to an elaborate metal cage. Keep an eye on them, though. They’ll sprout up and ripen seemingly overnight. Pick them when they are plump and red, slice them into sections, and enjoy!
To add some extra color to the salad, not to mention some Vitamin A for good eyesight, shave some fresh carrots over the salad, or chop them into round pieces. The carrot is another hearty vegetable. Unlike the tomato, the carrot grows into the ground, thus it grows better in loose soil. When you are ready to make your fresh salad, simply go to the ground and pull out any carrot bigger than your finger. Slice it up and you are ready to eat!
One of the last things to add to a fresh grown salad is a few cucumber slices. Cucumbers are fast-growing plants – most varieties are ready to pick in 2 months. When you are ready for your salad, go to the garden and pull one of these off the vine, clean it, slice it and eat it.
A simple hobby is turned into a delicious salad – with its crisp greens, ripe tomatoes, crunchy carrots, and brisk cucumbers. And they eat their fresh home-grown salads, gardeners can definitely enjoy the fruits … er … vegetables of their labors.
All Types Of Chinese Teas Explained
Probably you are familiar with the Chinese saying, “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day.” Though tea is last on the list, we can still see how important the tea is for the Chinese.
There are actually thousand of Chinese tea varieties. These are usually classified by procedure, quality, and preparation methods and so on. However, if we will consider tea in terms of quality, there are actually eight classes of Chinese tea. These include green tea, oolong, black, red, white, yellow, flower, and compressed tea.
Now, let’s take a look at these classes one by one.
Green Tea
Green tea is said to be the most natural type of Chinese tea. It is usually picked, naturally dried and fried briefly to get rid of its grassy smell. Unlike the other types, green tea skipped fermentation process.
According to some experts, green tea has the most medicinal value and the least caffeine content of all Chinese tea classes. The aroma of this type of Chinese type range from medium to high, while the flavor is usually light to medium. Today, about 50% of China’s tea is green tea.
Oolong Tea
This type of Chinese tea is halfway between green tea and black tea in a sense that it is half fermented. Chinese also call it “Qing Cha” and its typical leaves are green in the middle and red on the edges as a result of the process to soften tea leaves.
Oolong tea leaves are basically withered and spread before undergoing a brief fermentation process. Then, it is fried, rolled and roasted.
Black Tea
The Chinese black tea produces full-bodied amber when brewed. Also, this type of Chinese tea undergoes withering, then left to ferment for a long while, and then roasted. The leaves of this variety become completely oxidized after processing.
Red Tea
As the name implies, this type of Chinese tea has red leaves and red tea color. This color is strongly highlighted during the fermentation process. It is also considered that red tea has low aroma and medium flavor and it is now divided into three subclasses: Kung Fu Red Tea, Ted Tea Bits, and Small Species Red Tea.
White Tea
This type of Chinese tea is sometimes considered as subclass of green tea. Perhaps it is for the fact that it is only withered and then roasted. Just like green tea, white tea escaped fermentation process. And, it has low caffeine content.
Yellow Tea
Apparently, yellow tea has yellow leaves and yellow tea color. According to some experts, this type of Chinese tea is an uncommon class of Chinese tea. The flavor of yellow tea is usually mild and refreshing.
Flower Tea
Here is a unique type of Chinese tea – the Flower tea. It actually subdivides into Flower Tea and Scented Tea. Well, the Flower Tea is just based on a simple concept that dried flowers are used, without much processing, to make tea. The Scented Tea, on the other hand, uses green tea and red tea as base and mix with scent of flowers. Generally, this class has light to medium flavor and medium to strong aroma.
Compressed Tea
The final type of Chinese tea is the compressed tea. This class uses black tea as base tea. It is steamed and compressed into bricks, cakes, columns, and other shapes. Also, compressed tea has all the characteristics of black tea. It can be stored for years and decades.
There are actually thousand of Chinese tea varieties. These are usually classified by procedure, quality, and preparation methods and so on. However, if we will consider tea in terms of quality, there are actually eight classes of Chinese tea. These include green tea, oolong, black, red, white, yellow, flower, and compressed tea.
Now, let’s take a look at these classes one by one.
Green Tea
Green tea is said to be the most natural type of Chinese tea. It is usually picked, naturally dried and fried briefly to get rid of its grassy smell. Unlike the other types, green tea skipped fermentation process.
According to some experts, green tea has the most medicinal value and the least caffeine content of all Chinese tea classes. The aroma of this type of Chinese type range from medium to high, while the flavor is usually light to medium. Today, about 50% of China’s tea is green tea.
Oolong Tea
This type of Chinese tea is halfway between green tea and black tea in a sense that it is half fermented. Chinese also call it “Qing Cha” and its typical leaves are green in the middle and red on the edges as a result of the process to soften tea leaves.
Oolong tea leaves are basically withered and spread before undergoing a brief fermentation process. Then, it is fried, rolled and roasted.
Black Tea
The Chinese black tea produces full-bodied amber when brewed. Also, this type of Chinese tea undergoes withering, then left to ferment for a long while, and then roasted. The leaves of this variety become completely oxidized after processing.
Red Tea
As the name implies, this type of Chinese tea has red leaves and red tea color. This color is strongly highlighted during the fermentation process. It is also considered that red tea has low aroma and medium flavor and it is now divided into three subclasses: Kung Fu Red Tea, Ted Tea Bits, and Small Species Red Tea.
White Tea
This type of Chinese tea is sometimes considered as subclass of green tea. Perhaps it is for the fact that it is only withered and then roasted. Just like green tea, white tea escaped fermentation process. And, it has low caffeine content.
Yellow Tea
Apparently, yellow tea has yellow leaves and yellow tea color. According to some experts, this type of Chinese tea is an uncommon class of Chinese tea. The flavor of yellow tea is usually mild and refreshing.
Flower Tea
Here is a unique type of Chinese tea – the Flower tea. It actually subdivides into Flower Tea and Scented Tea. Well, the Flower Tea is just based on a simple concept that dried flowers are used, without much processing, to make tea. The Scented Tea, on the other hand, uses green tea and red tea as base and mix with scent of flowers. Generally, this class has light to medium flavor and medium to strong aroma.
Compressed Tea
The final type of Chinese tea is the compressed tea. This class uses black tea as base tea. It is steamed and compressed into bricks, cakes, columns, and other shapes. Also, compressed tea has all the characteristics of black tea. It can be stored for years and decades.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The Most Powerful Muscle-Building Tool Available
The bodybuilding debates will never end. The endless arguments over how an effective muscle-building program should be structured will most likely continue until the end of time. Just scour the Internet message boards, flip through any muscle magazine or talk to the sales rep at your local supplement store. No matter who you talk to or what you read, it seems that everyone is an expert these days.
If everyone is an expert, confident in their own ideas and beliefs, how can the average beginner possibly know who to listen to? He or she is instantly confronted with endless questions that seem to have no clear-cut answer.
How many days should I train per week? How many sets should I perform for each muscle group? What type of rep range should I be using? What are the most effective exercises for stimulating muscle growth? How long should my workouts last?
These questions go on and on until he or she is eventually led to believe that building muscle is an infinitely complex process involving rocket-science precision and an intimate understanding of human physiology. I mean, that’s what takes to build muscle, right? Wrong! Believe me, there are answers to these important questions, and if you are willing to put in the time and effort you will most definitely find them. But that’s not what this article is about.
You see, amidst all of the confusion and endless debating, the majority of lifters end up losing sight of the big picture. Beyond all of the specific workout principles, such as rep range and exercise selection, remains one crucial principle, a principle that lies at the very heart of the muscle growth process. If this principle is not given full attention, or even worse, completely ignored, building muscle becomes next to impossible.
The bottom line is that muscles grow as they adapt to stress. When you go to the gym and lift weights, you create “micro-tears” within the muscle tissue. Your body perceives this as a potential threat to its survival and reacts accordingly by increasing the size and strength of the muscle fibers in order to protect against a possible future “attack”. Therefore, in order to continually increase the size and strength of the muscles, you must focus on progressing each week by either lifting slightly more weight or performing an extra rep or two. In doing this, your body will continue to adapt and grow to the ever-increasing stress.
Building muscle is all about building strength!
So what is the most powerful muscle-building tool available? Quite simply, it is a pen and a piece of paper!
Every time you go to the gym you must write down exactly what you accomplished and then strive to improve upon it the following week. If you aren’t always getting better, then you’re either staying the same or getting worse. Every week you should have an exact plan of attack ready to be executed. You absolutely cannot afford to start throwing weights around aimlessly without a clear-cut goal in mind.
The specifics of building muscle are important to understand and implement, but regardless of what style of training you’re currently using the ultimate deciding factor between success and failure is progression. You can sit around all day obsessing over specific principles, but the bottom line is that if you aren’t getting stronger every week, you absolutely will not be getting any bigger. Examine your training approach closely. If you haven’t been paying laser-like attention to the amount of weight you’ve been using, the number of reps you’ve been performing, and then striving with every ounce of your energy to improve upon those numbers each week, you are completely ignoring the very foundation of the muscle growth process. If you want to see the best gains in muscle mass and strength that you possibly can, a pen and a piece of paper is the most important tool you could possibly have in your arsenal.
If everyone is an expert, confident in their own ideas and beliefs, how can the average beginner possibly know who to listen to? He or she is instantly confronted with endless questions that seem to have no clear-cut answer.
How many days should I train per week? How many sets should I perform for each muscle group? What type of rep range should I be using? What are the most effective exercises for stimulating muscle growth? How long should my workouts last?
These questions go on and on until he or she is eventually led to believe that building muscle is an infinitely complex process involving rocket-science precision and an intimate understanding of human physiology. I mean, that’s what takes to build muscle, right? Wrong! Believe me, there are answers to these important questions, and if you are willing to put in the time and effort you will most definitely find them. But that’s not what this article is about.
You see, amidst all of the confusion and endless debating, the majority of lifters end up losing sight of the big picture. Beyond all of the specific workout principles, such as rep range and exercise selection, remains one crucial principle, a principle that lies at the very heart of the muscle growth process. If this principle is not given full attention, or even worse, completely ignored, building muscle becomes next to impossible.
The bottom line is that muscles grow as they adapt to stress. When you go to the gym and lift weights, you create “micro-tears” within the muscle tissue. Your body perceives this as a potential threat to its survival and reacts accordingly by increasing the size and strength of the muscle fibers in order to protect against a possible future “attack”. Therefore, in order to continually increase the size and strength of the muscles, you must focus on progressing each week by either lifting slightly more weight or performing an extra rep or two. In doing this, your body will continue to adapt and grow to the ever-increasing stress.
Building muscle is all about building strength!
So what is the most powerful muscle-building tool available? Quite simply, it is a pen and a piece of paper!
Every time you go to the gym you must write down exactly what you accomplished and then strive to improve upon it the following week. If you aren’t always getting better, then you’re either staying the same or getting worse. Every week you should have an exact plan of attack ready to be executed. You absolutely cannot afford to start throwing weights around aimlessly without a clear-cut goal in mind.
The specifics of building muscle are important to understand and implement, but regardless of what style of training you’re currently using the ultimate deciding factor between success and failure is progression. You can sit around all day obsessing over specific principles, but the bottom line is that if you aren’t getting stronger every week, you absolutely will not be getting any bigger. Examine your training approach closely. If you haven’t been paying laser-like attention to the amount of weight you’ve been using, the number of reps you’ve been performing, and then striving with every ounce of your energy to improve upon those numbers each week, you are completely ignoring the very foundation of the muscle growth process. If you want to see the best gains in muscle mass and strength that you possibly can, a pen and a piece of paper is the most important tool you could possibly have in your arsenal.
What To Eat To Gain Weight And Build Muscle
Are you underweight and don't know what to eat to gain weight? Millions of dollars are spent each year on magazines, books, and weight gain supplements. Gaining weight does not happen overnight and requires a commitment from you, but does not have to be hard if you work out and eat the proper foods in large enough amounts.
Numerous people are continually searching for the fastest ways to gain weight and don't know what to eat. If you truly want to learn what to eat to gain weight and maintain it, a diet rich in calories and protein combined with a regular weight-training regimen will help you accomplish your goals.
If you are looking for the best weight gain supplement for you, take into account your diet and exercise routine before making a decision. Weight gain supplements can be very beneficial when used in conjunction with the proper diet and weight training routine.
The major part of your calorie and protein consumption should come from the foods you eat. Substituting a weight gain supplement for a meal is never a good idea. Your body needs the natural nutrients found in lean meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, and carbohydrates. Weight gain supplements can be used effectively as a weight gain aid when they are used to supplement your diet, not replace part of it.
A diet consisting of large amounts of protein, fats, carbs, and high in calories is essential to any weight gaining effort aided by weight gain supplements. Training with weights is necessary if you want to build new muscle tissue, and a weight gain supplement can be used after a workout, in between meals, or as a snack but should never replace a meal.
Protein is a major component of any diet designed to add body weight. Lean red meats, fish, poultry, and eggs are excellent sources of protein. Several small meals per day containing large amounts of protein are crucial to your weight gaining effort. The question of what to eat to gain weight is not as complicated as some believe.
Along with plenty of protein, fats and carbohydrates are a big part of any weight gaining diet. By avoiding sweets and empty calories, you will give your body the fuel it needs to add body mass and build new muscle tissue through the nutritious foods you eat at regular intervals during the day.
If you are finding it difficult to stick to a weight gain diet, try eating five or six smaller meals per day instead of three large ones. Keep in mind that a piece of chicken and a baked potato is always better than a shake, bar, or pill.
If you should decide to use a weight gain supplement, make certain you consume adequate amounts of food each day in addition to the supplement. Weight gain supplements can give you added protein and calories and may be especially helpful if used immediately following weight training. Always be certain your diet contains all the required elements and use weight gain supplements wisely.
Learning what to eat to gain weight is a relatively simple task. Increase your calorie intake and make certain you are eating healthy, protein rich foods. This combined with weight training and plenty of rest should allow your body to bulk up effectively and help you maintain your new body shape.
Numerous people are continually searching for the fastest ways to gain weight and don't know what to eat. If you truly want to learn what to eat to gain weight and maintain it, a diet rich in calories and protein combined with a regular weight-training regimen will help you accomplish your goals.
If you are looking for the best weight gain supplement for you, take into account your diet and exercise routine before making a decision. Weight gain supplements can be very beneficial when used in conjunction with the proper diet and weight training routine.
The major part of your calorie and protein consumption should come from the foods you eat. Substituting a weight gain supplement for a meal is never a good idea. Your body needs the natural nutrients found in lean meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, and carbohydrates. Weight gain supplements can be used effectively as a weight gain aid when they are used to supplement your diet, not replace part of it.
A diet consisting of large amounts of protein, fats, carbs, and high in calories is essential to any weight gaining effort aided by weight gain supplements. Training with weights is necessary if you want to build new muscle tissue, and a weight gain supplement can be used after a workout, in between meals, or as a snack but should never replace a meal.
Protein is a major component of any diet designed to add body weight. Lean red meats, fish, poultry, and eggs are excellent sources of protein. Several small meals per day containing large amounts of protein are crucial to your weight gaining effort. The question of what to eat to gain weight is not as complicated as some believe.
Along with plenty of protein, fats and carbohydrates are a big part of any weight gaining diet. By avoiding sweets and empty calories, you will give your body the fuel it needs to add body mass and build new muscle tissue through the nutritious foods you eat at regular intervals during the day.
If you are finding it difficult to stick to a weight gain diet, try eating five or six smaller meals per day instead of three large ones. Keep in mind that a piece of chicken and a baked potato is always better than a shake, bar, or pill.
If you should decide to use a weight gain supplement, make certain you consume adequate amounts of food each day in addition to the supplement. Weight gain supplements can give you added protein and calories and may be especially helpful if used immediately following weight training. Always be certain your diet contains all the required elements and use weight gain supplements wisely.
Learning what to eat to gain weight is a relatively simple task. Increase your calorie intake and make certain you are eating healthy, protein rich foods. This combined with weight training and plenty of rest should allow your body to bulk up effectively and help you maintain your new body shape.
Know Your Muscle Building Exercises - The Chest
Every bodybuilder and weight trainer will have his or her favorite exercises for each body part. That's how it should be - as you progress through the various stages of learning you'll understand what works best for you. It is useful, however, to take stock of your progress every so often and carry out an analysis of where you are and what changes, if any, are needed to move onwards and upwards.
Part of this analysis should include an assessment of the core exercises that make up your bodybuilding training program. In this article we'll look at the chest exercises that have proven their worth to serious bodybuilders for many years. Where appropriate a series of exercises suitable for achieving pre-exhaustion will be presented. All exercises should be performed to failure with one set of six to eight reps.
1. Dumbbell flyes - this exercise provides a useful means of isolating the pectorals and preserving the triceps for the subsequent exercise. The exercise should be performed as follows:
- Hold dumbbells directly overhead.
- Lower them to sides with elbows slightly bent, pulled back and to the side. Lower no further than level with the torso.
- Use the pectorals to pull the weights back up to the starting position.
2. Incline bench press - you can move straight on to this exercise if you have reached an appropriate level of experience. If you perform this exercise as the second part of a pre-exhaust routine you may have to use lighter weights than normally.
- Take a shoulder width grip.
- Lower the bar to the chest with the elbows pointed to the side.
- Return to the starting position.
Part of this analysis should include an assessment of the core exercises that make up your bodybuilding training program. In this article we'll look at the chest exercises that have proven their worth to serious bodybuilders for many years. Where appropriate a series of exercises suitable for achieving pre-exhaustion will be presented. All exercises should be performed to failure with one set of six to eight reps.
1. Dumbbell flyes - this exercise provides a useful means of isolating the pectorals and preserving the triceps for the subsequent exercise. The exercise should be performed as follows:
- Hold dumbbells directly overhead.
- Lower them to sides with elbows slightly bent, pulled back and to the side. Lower no further than level with the torso.
- Use the pectorals to pull the weights back up to the starting position.
2. Incline bench press - you can move straight on to this exercise if you have reached an appropriate level of experience. If you perform this exercise as the second part of a pre-exhaust routine you may have to use lighter weights than normally.
- Take a shoulder width grip.
- Lower the bar to the chest with the elbows pointed to the side.
- Return to the starting position.
Be One With Your Bass Guitar Chords
So you think you have it in you to join the ranks of Flea, D’arcy, and George Harrison and play bass? Well, you have a long way to go, so you better start now.
Learning the basics
If you want to go into bass guitar playing, decide which bass you will play. You have a choice - the 4-stringed bass guitar, or five, six, seven, and even more strings. Beginners usually go for the 4-stringed bass guitar. The next step would be choosing the right bass guitar and learning the bass guitar chords.
A bass player who knows his bass guitar chords has an edge. His understanding of chord music theory will enable him to make his bass line definitive and very interesting. He knows the note to play and when to play it. Knowing bass guitar chords entails the mastery of all basic chords with emphasis on the 6th and 7th chords for bass guitar. A bass guitar chords lesson includes the entire basic chords, important 6th and 7th chords, the 12 keys, chord map, charts, and neck patterns. The bass guitar chords are composed of three or more notes played together, and each type of chord has a formula.
He also has to master the 12 different notes – A, B flat, C, D flat up to A flat. Not all songs, however, use these notes because the notes of a song are dictated by the song’s key. Mastery of the musical patterns equips the bass guitarist with the skill to learn songs off record. He will then be able to pinpoint accurately what scales were used and the chord patterns and changes that went with it.
An initiation to bass guitar chords diagrams and notations
There are hundreds of bass guitar chords. There are even more ways to play them. You can play the “happy” notes or the major chords, or sound the minor notes for the “sad” tones. You can jazz up the tones by moving up a half step (augment) or go down a half step (diminish). Playing the bass guitar chords offer endless possibilities of combinations of note chords.
Any beginner will benefit from learning to read bass guitar chords tablature or tab. This is a method of music notation. The illustrations show where to put your fingers, the frets and the strings. They also show horizontal lines, and each string is noted according to its placement. You will also see notations like O and X or a number. An O denotes that you play the string on the chord without depressing it. An X means you don’t play the string at all. A number on a string denotes that the string should be played in the fret specified.
A beginner should be able to memorize the chords and practice playing until he is comfortable with his guitar. Eventually his hand movement will take on the dexterity that marks a great bassist. He will also learn the slaps, riffs, and slides, as well as the use of the pick.
Buying and playing your bass guitar
An electric or acoustic bass guitar should be comfortable to play. You must able to manage its weight, and the neck of the bass guitar should be navigable by your hands. Get the guitar from reputable dealers who can give you a warranty. If you are opting for a used bass guitar, you can be sure it is reliable if it was played for years. However, bear in mind that used guitars do not come with a warranty and these may have unsuitable modifications.
Playing the bass guitar is a physical thing. It is therefore practical to do warm-up exercises before striking the first bass guitar chords. Find a comfortable position that will not strain your hands. Relax, and your bass guitar music will be just as smooth as it is fluid. In time, you’ll be giving Flea a run for his money.
Learning the basics
If you want to go into bass guitar playing, decide which bass you will play. You have a choice - the 4-stringed bass guitar, or five, six, seven, and even more strings. Beginners usually go for the 4-stringed bass guitar. The next step would be choosing the right bass guitar and learning the bass guitar chords.
A bass player who knows his bass guitar chords has an edge. His understanding of chord music theory will enable him to make his bass line definitive and very interesting. He knows the note to play and when to play it. Knowing bass guitar chords entails the mastery of all basic chords with emphasis on the 6th and 7th chords for bass guitar. A bass guitar chords lesson includes the entire basic chords, important 6th and 7th chords, the 12 keys, chord map, charts, and neck patterns. The bass guitar chords are composed of three or more notes played together, and each type of chord has a formula.
He also has to master the 12 different notes – A, B flat, C, D flat up to A flat. Not all songs, however, use these notes because the notes of a song are dictated by the song’s key. Mastery of the musical patterns equips the bass guitarist with the skill to learn songs off record. He will then be able to pinpoint accurately what scales were used and the chord patterns and changes that went with it.
An initiation to bass guitar chords diagrams and notations
There are hundreds of bass guitar chords. There are even more ways to play them. You can play the “happy” notes or the major chords, or sound the minor notes for the “sad” tones. You can jazz up the tones by moving up a half step (augment) or go down a half step (diminish). Playing the bass guitar chords offer endless possibilities of combinations of note chords.
Any beginner will benefit from learning to read bass guitar chords tablature or tab. This is a method of music notation. The illustrations show where to put your fingers, the frets and the strings. They also show horizontal lines, and each string is noted according to its placement. You will also see notations like O and X or a number. An O denotes that you play the string on the chord without depressing it. An X means you don’t play the string at all. A number on a string denotes that the string should be played in the fret specified.
A beginner should be able to memorize the chords and practice playing until he is comfortable with his guitar. Eventually his hand movement will take on the dexterity that marks a great bassist. He will also learn the slaps, riffs, and slides, as well as the use of the pick.
Buying and playing your bass guitar
An electric or acoustic bass guitar should be comfortable to play. You must able to manage its weight, and the neck of the bass guitar should be navigable by your hands. Get the guitar from reputable dealers who can give you a warranty. If you are opting for a used bass guitar, you can be sure it is reliable if it was played for years. However, bear in mind that used guitars do not come with a warranty and these may have unsuitable modifications.
Playing the bass guitar is a physical thing. It is therefore practical to do warm-up exercises before striking the first bass guitar chords. Find a comfortable position that will not strain your hands. Relax, and your bass guitar music will be just as smooth as it is fluid. In time, you’ll be giving Flea a run for his money.
Bass Fishing Techniques For Winter
People like bass fishing when the water is warm during the spring. But I like bass fishing during winter. Although you might not get a lot of bass during that season you will get real beautiful bass if you adopt the right bass fishing techniques. With less than half the effort you put in other season you can get bass during winter.
Smallmouth Bass – Catching them in winter waters
It is usually a challenge to catch smallmouth bass. And that too in the winter the odds are double. I get a lot of thrill and joy while catching smallmouth bass in winter than in any other time. If you want to catch elusive smallmouth bass during winter you can apply some bass fishing techniques. Patience is the most important technique that you should know. You should understand the structures beneath the water, the depth of the water and the have proper insulated clothing.
Some of the Bass Fishing Techniques for Outstanding Results
Apart from having the right equipments and baits you should know the right techniques to get outstanding results of bass fishing. Everybody knows that bass have a voracious appetite. Only a few people know that they are attracted to jigs. The bait and the type used are not important to catch smallmouth bass. You should know how to use jigs to have a good catch of smallmouth bass.
The importance of right location
Do you know that smallmouth loves depth? Yes, it is true. Although they love depth, during winter they do not go below 30 feet. You should find the structures that are 20 to 40 feet deep in the waters. These could be the places for the smallmouth bass. Anchor your boat at a place that is at some distance from such an area so that you can cast a line easily and freely. Now you can cast your jig here. You should also know the strike by a weed and a rock and also that of a fish. If you know this you can become an expert in catching smallmouth bass.
Lot of Practice is what counts
It is an art to cast your jig and retrieve it. You need a lot of practice and patience to learn this technique thoroughly. Once you learn it you will come to know that whether your line strikes a fish or a rock. Your practice should be in such a way that you should recognize it instantly. Otherwise you will be losing the fish.
Smallmouth Bass – Catching them in winter waters
It is usually a challenge to catch smallmouth bass. And that too in the winter the odds are double. I get a lot of thrill and joy while catching smallmouth bass in winter than in any other time. If you want to catch elusive smallmouth bass during winter you can apply some bass fishing techniques. Patience is the most important technique that you should know. You should understand the structures beneath the water, the depth of the water and the have proper insulated clothing.
Some of the Bass Fishing Techniques for Outstanding Results
Apart from having the right equipments and baits you should know the right techniques to get outstanding results of bass fishing. Everybody knows that bass have a voracious appetite. Only a few people know that they are attracted to jigs. The bait and the type used are not important to catch smallmouth bass. You should know how to use jigs to have a good catch of smallmouth bass.
The importance of right location
Do you know that smallmouth loves depth? Yes, it is true. Although they love depth, during winter they do not go below 30 feet. You should find the structures that are 20 to 40 feet deep in the waters. These could be the places for the smallmouth bass. Anchor your boat at a place that is at some distance from such an area so that you can cast a line easily and freely. Now you can cast your jig here. You should also know the strike by a weed and a rock and also that of a fish. If you know this you can become an expert in catching smallmouth bass.
Lot of Practice is what counts
It is an art to cast your jig and retrieve it. You need a lot of practice and patience to learn this technique thoroughly. Once you learn it you will come to know that whether your line strikes a fish or a rock. Your practice should be in such a way that you should recognize it instantly. Otherwise you will be losing the fish.
All About Ladies Golf
Beginners Golf is such a special time to really soak up the nuances of the game and is a safety net for us starting out in the game of golf.
Beginning Golf is an easy time to throw in the towel since golf is a little hard to pick up and believe it or not, there will be more than one time that it feels a little strange.
It is so exciting to take that first golf lesson in this glorious game of sport. Golf for beginners is definitely a test but yet it sure does fill my heart with uncontrolled bliss when I am walking from my car carrying my little bag of golf clubs even though I am simply a beginning golfer. Regardless of my beginners’ status, being able to play golf just makes me me incredibly happy.
Oh well, let’s just admit it.
I am just getting started in the game of golf and not only that I am a beginning women’s golfer with a partner who has been shooting the links and showing other beginners to play well for several years.
Still as you might guess I was never really interested in learning to swing a golf club until one week I had finally had just enough of being left home alone while he enjoyed a Saturday on the golf course. I was definitely sick and tired of it. So when he was out enjoying the sunshine and beautiful golf course holes I went to the store and while I was there I purchased a copy of Golf for Women and when I got home I devoured it.
Well by the time he played another round of 18 holes and made it back home I was totally hooked and sucked it up and pleaded with him to teach me to play golf.
Although, I admit that it was really hard to just deal with my humiliation and ask him to coach me in how to play golf particulary after he had been begging me for years to learn to play golf. But being a great sport and a really good husband he agreed, without hesitation, to teach me to play golf.
This game of kings can be quite an impending pastime and it can be a bit cash-draining to take it up, but I was not going to be discouraged.
I longed to spend time with my husband and who really cared what we were doing I simply longed to somehow, some way just be good enough swinging the clubs that I didn’t mortify myself or my husband. So he got me started with a set of his old clubs that we took to a shop and had cut down to fit my height.
It was a bit of surprise to find that getting his old set of clubs cut down to my size really wasn’t all that expensive! I didn’t want to pay out a small handful of money particularly since I was a beginning golfer and then decide that I detested the game or worse yet be a complete pathetic student trying to tackle the game of golf.
Ok I was ready to get started and had a few clubs, which I didn’t spend a lot of money on, which is really a good idea, sisters!
No putting out hundreds of dollars on impressive clubs and other golf equipment when you haven’t even shot your first round of golf yet! So then I was off to to the course for my first golf lesson and then off to the practice range for some quiet time to review what I had just learned. There is just not one single alternate for practice and it is not just practice as in repeating it time and time again, it is accurate and solid practice that will give you the lower golf scores you are after.
Stop by the price mark down stores, second-hand sports stores, or even garage sales and buy a set of starter golf clubs. Many have sets that even come with a golf bag so you are really set to go.
Do some research and find a place to take some lessons. You can do this through the local community college, most community golf courses offer golf lessons through their club pro, or you might even look into local golf academies, where their mission is to teach beginners and experienced golfers alike the game of golf. All of these options should be quite familiar with teaching golf for beginners. And then, practice what you learn.
Practice at the driving range and practice greens, where everyone else is practicing too. It took a ton of convincing for me to have the guts to stand on the practice greens with everybody else, but it without a doubt is the practice that makes all the difference in your golf game.
Ladies’ Beginning Golf can be frightening, there is no doubt, but don’t throw in the towel!
Stick with your golf lessons, you will be glad that you put forth and effort to learn to swing a club.
I am a beginning golfer and I love the game of golf!
Beginning Golf is an easy time to throw in the towel since golf is a little hard to pick up and believe it or not, there will be more than one time that it feels a little strange.
It is so exciting to take that first golf lesson in this glorious game of sport. Golf for beginners is definitely a test but yet it sure does fill my heart with uncontrolled bliss when I am walking from my car carrying my little bag of golf clubs even though I am simply a beginning golfer. Regardless of my beginners’ status, being able to play golf just makes me me incredibly happy.
Oh well, let’s just admit it.
I am just getting started in the game of golf and not only that I am a beginning women’s golfer with a partner who has been shooting the links and showing other beginners to play well for several years.
Still as you might guess I was never really interested in learning to swing a golf club until one week I had finally had just enough of being left home alone while he enjoyed a Saturday on the golf course. I was definitely sick and tired of it. So when he was out enjoying the sunshine and beautiful golf course holes I went to the store and while I was there I purchased a copy of Golf for Women and when I got home I devoured it.
Well by the time he played another round of 18 holes and made it back home I was totally hooked and sucked it up and pleaded with him to teach me to play golf.
Although, I admit that it was really hard to just deal with my humiliation and ask him to coach me in how to play golf particulary after he had been begging me for years to learn to play golf. But being a great sport and a really good husband he agreed, without hesitation, to teach me to play golf.
This game of kings can be quite an impending pastime and it can be a bit cash-draining to take it up, but I was not going to be discouraged.
I longed to spend time with my husband and who really cared what we were doing I simply longed to somehow, some way just be good enough swinging the clubs that I didn’t mortify myself or my husband. So he got me started with a set of his old clubs that we took to a shop and had cut down to fit my height.
It was a bit of surprise to find that getting his old set of clubs cut down to my size really wasn’t all that expensive! I didn’t want to pay out a small handful of money particularly since I was a beginning golfer and then decide that I detested the game or worse yet be a complete pathetic student trying to tackle the game of golf.
Ok I was ready to get started and had a few clubs, which I didn’t spend a lot of money on, which is really a good idea, sisters!
No putting out hundreds of dollars on impressive clubs and other golf equipment when you haven’t even shot your first round of golf yet! So then I was off to to the course for my first golf lesson and then off to the practice range for some quiet time to review what I had just learned. There is just not one single alternate for practice and it is not just practice as in repeating it time and time again, it is accurate and solid practice that will give you the lower golf scores you are after.
Stop by the price mark down stores, second-hand sports stores, or even garage sales and buy a set of starter golf clubs. Many have sets that even come with a golf bag so you are really set to go.
Do some research and find a place to take some lessons. You can do this through the local community college, most community golf courses offer golf lessons through their club pro, or you might even look into local golf academies, where their mission is to teach beginners and experienced golfers alike the game of golf. All of these options should be quite familiar with teaching golf for beginners. And then, practice what you learn.
Practice at the driving range and practice greens, where everyone else is practicing too. It took a ton of convincing for me to have the guts to stand on the practice greens with everybody else, but it without a doubt is the practice that makes all the difference in your golf game.
Ladies’ Beginning Golf can be frightening, there is no doubt, but don’t throw in the towel!
Stick with your golf lessons, you will be glad that you put forth and effort to learn to swing a club.
I am a beginning golfer and I love the game of golf!
A Quick Course For The Golf Course: Does & Don’ts
Many people feel that all it takes is a few golf lessons and then suddenly upon completion they are experts. They are Tiger Woods in the making…so they feel. Before you begin, see if you can shadow someone at a golf club for free. Shadowing someone with more experience in the game will help your game. Just like in any sport, for example, foot ball, it would be ridiculous for a foot ball fan to where a tuxedo or his/her pajamas to a game.
-Wearing improper or uncomfortable gear on the golf course. Improper gear such as, tee shirts with word phrases or sayings that have nothing to do with golf such as: ‘I’ve been married to my ball and chain for 20 years….HELP!’ should not be worn on the course. When in doubt…stick to plain golf shirts with neutral shades such as white, beige, red, black purple and grey.
Another big no-no is wearing a shirt and tie with slacks and your everyday office shoes is in appropriate gear and should be saved for your next corporate meeting, not a golf game.
-Good manners are not just for the dinning room table or your favorite restaurant.’ Before your first day on the course, make sure that you eat healthy. Save the chili hotdogs for the Super Bowl. Stay away from foods that cause gas and other ailments.
Make sure that you do not skip your meals. It would be tragic if you fainted and had to be carried to the hospital in a stretcher.
Golf is a very quite yet intense game. Leave the following things at home: Your 1980’s radio box. Many people feel that every sport should include music, including their golf game. Save the music boxes for your next family reunion but
-If you are a pet lover leave your pets at home. Pets are not permitted on the golf course…it is not cute.
-Yelling and obnoxious talking is not permitted. Leave the talking for after the game. Whistling and singing are very poor etiquette.
-The ultimate don’t is forgetting to place your cell phone on vibrate. The major don’t is answering and making unnecessary phone calls while your opponent is putting.
-Practice truly does make perfection, especially during a golf game. Don’t act as if you know everything there is to know about golf. If you do, you must have something to back it up like playing a good game.
-Wearing improper or uncomfortable gear on the golf course. Improper gear such as, tee shirts with word phrases or sayings that have nothing to do with golf such as: ‘I’ve been married to my ball and chain for 20 years….HELP!’ should not be worn on the course. When in doubt…stick to plain golf shirts with neutral shades such as white, beige, red, black purple and grey.
Another big no-no is wearing a shirt and tie with slacks and your everyday office shoes is in appropriate gear and should be saved for your next corporate meeting, not a golf game.
-Good manners are not just for the dinning room table or your favorite restaurant.’ Before your first day on the course, make sure that you eat healthy. Save the chili hotdogs for the Super Bowl. Stay away from foods that cause gas and other ailments.
Make sure that you do not skip your meals. It would be tragic if you fainted and had to be carried to the hospital in a stretcher.
Golf is a very quite yet intense game. Leave the following things at home: Your 1980’s radio box. Many people feel that every sport should include music, including their golf game. Save the music boxes for your next family reunion but
-If you are a pet lover leave your pets at home. Pets are not permitted on the golf course…it is not cute.
-Yelling and obnoxious talking is not permitted. Leave the talking for after the game. Whistling and singing are very poor etiquette.
-The ultimate don’t is forgetting to place your cell phone on vibrate. The major don’t is answering and making unnecessary phone calls while your opponent is putting.
-Practice truly does make perfection, especially during a golf game. Don’t act as if you know everything there is to know about golf. If you do, you must have something to back it up like playing a good game.
How To Choose The Proper Running Shoe
Choosing the right running shoe can make a all the difference in whether you stay healthy or become injured running and also determine if you will be comfortable or be in pain while running.
Bargain shopping is the numero uno bigtime mistake made by most novice runners. You run out and by the cheapest pair of running shoes you can find. Trust me, you are not going to find a proper running shoe at Walmart!
Thinking cheap will end up making you quit running due to the sheer misery of having bad shoes. Some of those who are more tenacious may wait until they blow out their knee or have major shin splints before they throw in the towel.
With all the choices and high tech shoes available today, choosing the right pair of running shoes for you can be an arduous task at best. But here are some guidelines to help you.
First you need to understand pronation, which is rolling of the foot from heel to toe through the foot strike. A proper or neutral pronation is hitting the outside of the heel and up to ball of your foot evenly across the front. This is how your foot reduces the stress of impact.
Underpronation is not enough evening out so the outside of your foot takes most of the shock instead of finishing in the neutral position.
Overpronation is too much roll across from the outside to the inside of your foot.
To determine your level of pronation, look at your shoes you walk or run in. Most everyone will begin on the outside of the heel, the real indicator would be the wear on the forefoot.
If most of the shoe wear is:
• On the medial (inside) side then you Overpronate
• On the lateral (outside) side then you Underpronate
• Uniform across the forefoot then you have a Neutral Stride
This knowledge will give you the information you know to select the appropriate running shoe for your foot.
Bargain shopping is the numero uno bigtime mistake made by most novice runners. You run out and by the cheapest pair of running shoes you can find. Trust me, you are not going to find a proper running shoe at Walmart!
Thinking cheap will end up making you quit running due to the sheer misery of having bad shoes. Some of those who are more tenacious may wait until they blow out their knee or have major shin splints before they throw in the towel.
With all the choices and high tech shoes available today, choosing the right pair of running shoes for you can be an arduous task at best. But here are some guidelines to help you.
First you need to understand pronation, which is rolling of the foot from heel to toe through the foot strike. A proper or neutral pronation is hitting the outside of the heel and up to ball of your foot evenly across the front. This is how your foot reduces the stress of impact.
Underpronation is not enough evening out so the outside of your foot takes most of the shock instead of finishing in the neutral position.
Overpronation is too much roll across from the outside to the inside of your foot.
To determine your level of pronation, look at your shoes you walk or run in. Most everyone will begin on the outside of the heel, the real indicator would be the wear on the forefoot.
If most of the shoe wear is:
• On the medial (inside) side then you Overpronate
• On the lateral (outside) side then you Underpronate
• Uniform across the forefoot then you have a Neutral Stride
This knowledge will give you the information you know to select the appropriate running shoe for your foot.
Basic Turkey Hunting Tips
Turkey hunting is challenging, exciting and in some cases becomes addictive. Turkey’s senses are extremely keen - even your heart pounding can make the turkey vanish like a puff of smoke.
Basic help in turkey hunting
Before you can hunt a wild turkey, you have got to find them. The easiest way to do this is by locating the general areas of the turkey’s habitat.
• Get a good map of the area you plan to hunt.
• Wave or use a locator call like an owl hooter or crow call or even a turkey call to try to get a response. When you hear a gobbler, mark the locator map.
• Scout for the best location on foot. Check for signs of the bird’s scratches, droppings of feathers. This information can help you locate some areas. Check along mud holes, creek banks, pastures, log roads, fencerows etc. as many trips as possible.
• Never try to get too close to the turkey. A turkey’s eyes, ears and awareness are many times better than yours.
• Choose a tree that is wider than your shoulders. This will protect you from other hunters that might come behind you and mistakenly assume that you are a real turkey.
• Camouflage is almost a must to avoid being seen. Wild turkeys have such keen vision. Many turkey hunters usually wear camo suit, cap, facemask, gloves, vest with many pockets to carry calls and maybe a snack. Also do not forget to wear dark colored socks so that when you sit down, they would not show you. But the main thing to remember: your movement is more important; regardless of how well you are camouflage. It doesn’t make you completely visible. Even though you are camouflage, you are still an unnatural form in the woods. Movement is the greatest enemy of the turkey hunter. A turkey can detect you 10 times faster than you sense the turkey.
• The best shotgun and ammunition for turkey hunting is the combination that delivers a dense, hard-hitting pattern at 40-45 yards. Practice with a target that portrays a turkey’s vital head and neck area. These parts are the ones that you should be shooting. You should have at least 8-10 pellets in the vital area at 40 yards.
• Do not hide so well that you cannot see what is happening. Blinds are useful for the turkey hunter, but when constructed so well that vision is obstructed, it is no longer a blind, and it is a hiding place, as beneficial to the turkey as it is to you.
• Cease from using gobbler calls. Although this call can sometimes be productive, it is also very dangerous. In areas where many hunters are located, you can attract hunters to you rather than turkeys.
• Never wear any red, white or blue clothes. These are the colors of the gobbler’s head - the main target of a turkey hunter.
• If another hunter is working a bird, do not mess everything up by trying to call the bird to you or spooking the bird. This is very unsportsmanlike. The true and experienced hunters do not do that kind of thing.
Basic help in turkey hunting
Before you can hunt a wild turkey, you have got to find them. The easiest way to do this is by locating the general areas of the turkey’s habitat.
• Get a good map of the area you plan to hunt.
• Wave or use a locator call like an owl hooter or crow call or even a turkey call to try to get a response. When you hear a gobbler, mark the locator map.
• Scout for the best location on foot. Check for signs of the bird’s scratches, droppings of feathers. This information can help you locate some areas. Check along mud holes, creek banks, pastures, log roads, fencerows etc. as many trips as possible.
• Never try to get too close to the turkey. A turkey’s eyes, ears and awareness are many times better than yours.
• Choose a tree that is wider than your shoulders. This will protect you from other hunters that might come behind you and mistakenly assume that you are a real turkey.
• Camouflage is almost a must to avoid being seen. Wild turkeys have such keen vision. Many turkey hunters usually wear camo suit, cap, facemask, gloves, vest with many pockets to carry calls and maybe a snack. Also do not forget to wear dark colored socks so that when you sit down, they would not show you. But the main thing to remember: your movement is more important; regardless of how well you are camouflage. It doesn’t make you completely visible. Even though you are camouflage, you are still an unnatural form in the woods. Movement is the greatest enemy of the turkey hunter. A turkey can detect you 10 times faster than you sense the turkey.
• The best shotgun and ammunition for turkey hunting is the combination that delivers a dense, hard-hitting pattern at 40-45 yards. Practice with a target that portrays a turkey’s vital head and neck area. These parts are the ones that you should be shooting. You should have at least 8-10 pellets in the vital area at 40 yards.
• Do not hide so well that you cannot see what is happening. Blinds are useful for the turkey hunter, but when constructed so well that vision is obstructed, it is no longer a blind, and it is a hiding place, as beneficial to the turkey as it is to you.
• Cease from using gobbler calls. Although this call can sometimes be productive, it is also very dangerous. In areas where many hunters are located, you can attract hunters to you rather than turkeys.
• Never wear any red, white or blue clothes. These are the colors of the gobbler’s head - the main target of a turkey hunter.
• If another hunter is working a bird, do not mess everything up by trying to call the bird to you or spooking the bird. This is very unsportsmanlike. The true and experienced hunters do not do that kind of thing.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
6 Great Tips For Getting Your Dog Toilet Trained
One of the toughest jobs that a family faces when a new puppy comes home is getting the dog housebroken. This means that the dog will eliminate outdoors and not use your home and furnishings as a toilet. Lots of people think that getting doggy toilet trained is a tough task, but it doesn’t need to be. If you arm yourself with plenty of information for the best ways to get your dog house trained, you are on the right path to having a dog that goes to the bathroom where you want him to go.
When to House Train
A dog can be toilet trained at any age, but the best age to begin is between eight and twelve weeks old. If you set up a housebreaking routine as soon as you bring your puppy home, before long he will get the right idea of where to do his business. A crate is a great tool for toilet training a puppy. It keeps him confined when there is no supervision and most dogs learn quickly that if they make in their crate they will have to sit in it. Most dogs are fairly hygienic and won’t enjoy having to sit in dog doody or urine.
The Advantages of Using a Crate
Be sure there is enough room in the crate for your pup to turn around, but don't leave so much room that he will be able to eliminate and lie down far away from it. Many dog owners view a crate as a jail cell or to use as punishment, but your dog will love having his own space where he can escape from the hustle and bustle of the household for some quiet time. Make your dogs crate a happy place and don’t use it for punishment. You can feed your dog in the crate, or while he is in there, offer him some treats. Place a favorite chewy or toy in there with him, add blankets and he will have a cozy den to escape to whenever he feels the need. Utilizing a crate for your dog can keep him out of trouble and not only in housebreaking.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
Keeping a close eye on your puppy is a key factor in getting him properly housetrained. Whenever you see that he is sniffing, circling or beginning to squat, immediately take him outside to the place where you want him to go and see if he eliminates. If he does, praise him lavishly. A good idea is to have a cue, such as “hurry up” so that your puppy knows what you want him to do. When he is going to the bathroom repeat the cue and then give your dog lots of praise for a job well done. It is better to take the dog out and nothing happens then take a chance of an accident happening.
Have a Schedule
Feeding, watering and walking your dog on a regular schedule will make housebreaking that much easier. Puppies are like children and they thrive on a routine. Try and take the dog out around the same time everyday so they will be able to adjust their bodily functions. The first thing you should do in the morning is take the puppy from the crate and don’t let his feet touch the ground. Bring him to the place where you want him to go, give the cue, and praise upon a successful completion. Take your puppy out at least every two hours, after eating or drinking and especially after play. Before you know it, your puppy will be letting you know it is time to go out and do his business.
Don't Let the Puppy Roam
Letting your puppy roam around the house is a sure fire way to have accidents. If you have decided you don't want to use a crate, and even if you do use one, confining the dog to certain areas of the house can make housetraining easier for everyone. It is difficult to keep track of a puppy when he has the run of the house, but if you gate him in the kitchen, he will still be able to be part of the action and can be better supervised in case of an accident.
Don’t Get Discouraged
There will be times when you first begin housetraining that you feel your pup is just not getting it. He may have accidents in the house as well on occasion. There is no need to be discouraged. If you stick to your routine, keep a good eye on the dog and make frequent outings to his outdoor bathroom, in no time your puppy will be housebroken. Another good idea is to use the same door all the time when you are taking him out so that when he has to go, he will scratch on the door to be let out. Once this happens, you can say hurray and know that your puppy truly is beginning to understand that going to the bathroom in the house is a no-no.
When to House Train
A dog can be toilet trained at any age, but the best age to begin is between eight and twelve weeks old. If you set up a housebreaking routine as soon as you bring your puppy home, before long he will get the right idea of where to do his business. A crate is a great tool for toilet training a puppy. It keeps him confined when there is no supervision and most dogs learn quickly that if they make in their crate they will have to sit in it. Most dogs are fairly hygienic and won’t enjoy having to sit in dog doody or urine.
The Advantages of Using a Crate
Be sure there is enough room in the crate for your pup to turn around, but don't leave so much room that he will be able to eliminate and lie down far away from it. Many dog owners view a crate as a jail cell or to use as punishment, but your dog will love having his own space where he can escape from the hustle and bustle of the household for some quiet time. Make your dogs crate a happy place and don’t use it for punishment. You can feed your dog in the crate, or while he is in there, offer him some treats. Place a favorite chewy or toy in there with him, add blankets and he will have a cozy den to escape to whenever he feels the need. Utilizing a crate for your dog can keep him out of trouble and not only in housebreaking.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
Keeping a close eye on your puppy is a key factor in getting him properly housetrained. Whenever you see that he is sniffing, circling or beginning to squat, immediately take him outside to the place where you want him to go and see if he eliminates. If he does, praise him lavishly. A good idea is to have a cue, such as “hurry up” so that your puppy knows what you want him to do. When he is going to the bathroom repeat the cue and then give your dog lots of praise for a job well done. It is better to take the dog out and nothing happens then take a chance of an accident happening.
Have a Schedule
Feeding, watering and walking your dog on a regular schedule will make housebreaking that much easier. Puppies are like children and they thrive on a routine. Try and take the dog out around the same time everyday so they will be able to adjust their bodily functions. The first thing you should do in the morning is take the puppy from the crate and don’t let his feet touch the ground. Bring him to the place where you want him to go, give the cue, and praise upon a successful completion. Take your puppy out at least every two hours, after eating or drinking and especially after play. Before you know it, your puppy will be letting you know it is time to go out and do his business.
Don't Let the Puppy Roam
Letting your puppy roam around the house is a sure fire way to have accidents. If you have decided you don't want to use a crate, and even if you do use one, confining the dog to certain areas of the house can make housetraining easier for everyone. It is difficult to keep track of a puppy when he has the run of the house, but if you gate him in the kitchen, he will still be able to be part of the action and can be better supervised in case of an accident.
Don’t Get Discouraged
There will be times when you first begin housetraining that you feel your pup is just not getting it. He may have accidents in the house as well on occasion. There is no need to be discouraged. If you stick to your routine, keep a good eye on the dog and make frequent outings to his outdoor bathroom, in no time your puppy will be housebroken. Another good idea is to use the same door all the time when you are taking him out so that when he has to go, he will scratch on the door to be let out. Once this happens, you can say hurray and know that your puppy truly is beginning to understand that going to the bathroom in the house is a no-no.
5 Tips For Training Dogs Successfully
Training dogs is not a hard. You just need patience, dedication and some simple tactics and you will teach them successfully.
Here are five top tips on how to train your dogs successfully:
1. To avoid your dog getting confused and so that they can learn to recognize commands easily only one person should be responsible for training the dog initially. If too many people are trying to train the dog at the same time this can stop progress in its tracks.
2. You should use positive reinforcements. If the dog does something good, you should reward this behavior so that he will know that what he did was right. If the dog cannot understand or follow your commands, never push him. Dogs are not as intelligent as humans, they make mistakes. What you should understand is that they won’t easily understand your commands in just one teaching, it takes repetition to train a dog successfully. Do not scold your dog as he might develop fear which will hinder his learning and willingness to be trained. You can use treats in order to encourage your dogs, although don’t overdue it.
3. Teach commands one at a time. Try to teach him one command after the other. If he cannot absorb it, try to stay on that command only because adding additional commands will just confuse the dog. Start with the basics.
4. In executing commands, you should keep your voice cheerful so that the dog will happily follow your commands. Dogs will respond to a low and coaxing voice. If you shout out loud, he may become startled and unresponsive.
5. Train your dog in various places. If you keep your dogs in a certain place like your home, he will not be able to adjust with the environment new people. Take him to the park or through the neighborhood. This will help your dog associate with other dogs and people.
Training your dog can sometime be tough, but it will be worth it. In the end, you will be the one to benefit when your dog is trained. You don’t know he might even save your life one day and pay back everything you taught him.
Here are five top tips on how to train your dogs successfully:
1. To avoid your dog getting confused and so that they can learn to recognize commands easily only one person should be responsible for training the dog initially. If too many people are trying to train the dog at the same time this can stop progress in its tracks.
2. You should use positive reinforcements. If the dog does something good, you should reward this behavior so that he will know that what he did was right. If the dog cannot understand or follow your commands, never push him. Dogs are not as intelligent as humans, they make mistakes. What you should understand is that they won’t easily understand your commands in just one teaching, it takes repetition to train a dog successfully. Do not scold your dog as he might develop fear which will hinder his learning and willingness to be trained. You can use treats in order to encourage your dogs, although don’t overdue it.
3. Teach commands one at a time. Try to teach him one command after the other. If he cannot absorb it, try to stay on that command only because adding additional commands will just confuse the dog. Start with the basics.
4. In executing commands, you should keep your voice cheerful so that the dog will happily follow your commands. Dogs will respond to a low and coaxing voice. If you shout out loud, he may become startled and unresponsive.
5. Train your dog in various places. If you keep your dogs in a certain place like your home, he will not be able to adjust with the environment new people. Take him to the park or through the neighborhood. This will help your dog associate with other dogs and people.
Training your dog can sometime be tough, but it will be worth it. In the end, you will be the one to benefit when your dog is trained. You don’t know he might even save your life one day and pay back everything you taught him.
5 Great Tips On Building A Dog House
Over 50% of the population allows their dog to stay indoors and sleep on the couch or in their owner’s bed. For those of you who are interested in building a dog house for you beloved pet here are some simple rules to follow when considering what type of shelter you want to provide.
1. You should begin your dog house building process by making sure the house is big enough to accommodate your animal’s potential adult size. Humans enjoy having about 2 feet of air above us in a room in order to live without feeling claustrophobic. Your dog will probably also enjoy having that much room. The comfort zone for both humans and dogs is about 1/3 of their standing height. To figure out how much room the dog will need get out a tape measure and measure your dog. Measure him standing straight up, sitting on his haunches and above all measure the full dimension of the dog when he is the most comfortable, relaxed and stretched out position he can get into. Your dog should be able to look out the front entrance while both standing up and sitting. So the dog will not have to significantly lover his front shoulders or scrape his belly make sure that entrance is high enough. Stand over the dog and measure the width of the widest point of the animal’s shoulders.
2. Remember to raise the dog house several inches from the ground to allow air and water to flow underneath. To dissuade pests from invading the dog house and taking your dogs health into consideration remember how important ventilation is. Put in a few nickel-sized holes in the walls under the eaves. Install a wind block inside the house so the dog can use the heat of its own body to warm up the area if it is really cold or windy outside. Consider adding a partial wall which will allow your dog to escape the bad weather. Your animal can choose to just sleep in the entry room or go around the inner archway maze wall into the inner sanctum. Your beloved pet would probably love having a pillow or some sort of bedding to sleep on.
3. To avoid rain coming into the dog house make the floor just a bit slanted toward the doorway and build the roof a little bit slanted, as well. Make sure the house is well insulated but you should not paint the inside.
4. In the United States most storms come from the south and west so make sure the dog house faces a different direction. Most dog house plans suggest that the dog house door faces east. The cold air will not be able to whip through the entryway then.
5. It is suggested that you put hinges on the roof of the dog house. This makes it easier for you to clean out your dog’s home. You should clean the dog’s house as often as you give your dog a bath.
If your dog lives outside then he deserves to have a comfortable place to sleep and get out of harsh weather. Hopefully these easy tips on building a dog house will help you get started.
1. You should begin your dog house building process by making sure the house is big enough to accommodate your animal’s potential adult size. Humans enjoy having about 2 feet of air above us in a room in order to live without feeling claustrophobic. Your dog will probably also enjoy having that much room. The comfort zone for both humans and dogs is about 1/3 of their standing height. To figure out how much room the dog will need get out a tape measure and measure your dog. Measure him standing straight up, sitting on his haunches and above all measure the full dimension of the dog when he is the most comfortable, relaxed and stretched out position he can get into. Your dog should be able to look out the front entrance while both standing up and sitting. So the dog will not have to significantly lover his front shoulders or scrape his belly make sure that entrance is high enough. Stand over the dog and measure the width of the widest point of the animal’s shoulders.
2. Remember to raise the dog house several inches from the ground to allow air and water to flow underneath. To dissuade pests from invading the dog house and taking your dogs health into consideration remember how important ventilation is. Put in a few nickel-sized holes in the walls under the eaves. Install a wind block inside the house so the dog can use the heat of its own body to warm up the area if it is really cold or windy outside. Consider adding a partial wall which will allow your dog to escape the bad weather. Your animal can choose to just sleep in the entry room or go around the inner archway maze wall into the inner sanctum. Your beloved pet would probably love having a pillow or some sort of bedding to sleep on.
3. To avoid rain coming into the dog house make the floor just a bit slanted toward the doorway and build the roof a little bit slanted, as well. Make sure the house is well insulated but you should not paint the inside.
4. In the United States most storms come from the south and west so make sure the dog house faces a different direction. Most dog house plans suggest that the dog house door faces east. The cold air will not be able to whip through the entryway then.
5. It is suggested that you put hinges on the roof of the dog house. This makes it easier for you to clean out your dog’s home. You should clean the dog’s house as often as you give your dog a bath.
If your dog lives outside then he deserves to have a comfortable place to sleep and get out of harsh weather. Hopefully these easy tips on building a dog house will help you get started.
4 to 8 Dog Agility Jumps Makes Ideal Training
We are often asked, "How many jumps should I start with?" You can never have too many single jumps to practice agility. A good starting place is four jumps. This is the absolute minimum number of jumps that we recommend.
You can teach a variety of skills, drills, and exercises with four jumps. Four jumps will allow you to work on a short jump chute or jump grid. You can setup a "box" with your jumps and practice handling, collection, and 270 degree jumps. You can teach your dog jumping left and right. You can be outside the box and send your dog or you can handle from the inside of the box. Your jumps can be setup in a horizontal line, so that you can practice serpentines and threadles.
Go the next step and get eight jumps. Now you can setup two boxes with one introductory jump. You've now multiplied your drills that you can practice with your dog. Your jump grids can be of recommended size and quantity of jumps. You can also setup your jumps in a circle with the jump bars perpendicular to the circle or on the circumference of the circle. This pattern also enables you to train a variety of skills.
Your next consideration is a double jump and a triple jump. You could set two or three single jumps together to make your expanded jump, but having double and triple jump in your course work is really valuable to practice. We've seen many dogs run a clean course and the last obstacle is a triple and the dog is not prepared for it, and bang, down comes the bar.
You can really be ahead of the pack and have two sets of eight jumps. This is the ultimate in training because you can keep a jump grip up at all times that is separate from your course work, and have eight single jumps to have for course work. And when you include your double and triple, you can really practice all the jumping skills and drills necessary to get you those "Qs".
You can teach a variety of skills, drills, and exercises with four jumps. Four jumps will allow you to work on a short jump chute or jump grid. You can setup a "box" with your jumps and practice handling, collection, and 270 degree jumps. You can teach your dog jumping left and right. You can be outside the box and send your dog or you can handle from the inside of the box. Your jumps can be setup in a horizontal line, so that you can practice serpentines and threadles.
Go the next step and get eight jumps. Now you can setup two boxes with one introductory jump. You've now multiplied your drills that you can practice with your dog. Your jump grids can be of recommended size and quantity of jumps. You can also setup your jumps in a circle with the jump bars perpendicular to the circle or on the circumference of the circle. This pattern also enables you to train a variety of skills.
Your next consideration is a double jump and a triple jump. You could set two or three single jumps together to make your expanded jump, but having double and triple jump in your course work is really valuable to practice. We've seen many dogs run a clean course and the last obstacle is a triple and the dog is not prepared for it, and bang, down comes the bar.
You can really be ahead of the pack and have two sets of eight jumps. This is the ultimate in training because you can keep a jump grip up at all times that is separate from your course work, and have eight single jumps to have for course work. And when you include your double and triple, you can really practice all the jumping skills and drills necessary to get you those "Qs".
3 Important Things To Remember When Training Your Puppy
There are as many ways to raise a puppy as there are to raising a child. In fact, one way per family in general! But most of us agree that when it comes to children, certain things are universal and undisputed. Here are three things that a lot of people just do not think of when it comes to raising their dogs, however. How many times have we heard, "My dog just won't listen to me", or "He just won't behave!"
1. Dogs do not understand English until we teach them.
The thing we all love about puppies the most is the way they live for us, the way they focus all they have on us, the way our lives become theirs. in the beginning, they study us to learn our body language, our facial expressions and our language. Until we teach them the English language, it's all they have. If we say, "Wanna go out?" one day, "Have to go potty?" the next day, and, "Hafta pee?" the third day, if they DO figure out what we want, it is because we have picked up the leash and moved toward the door with a happy face! If you want to speed up his training by three-fold, teach him YOUR language. Pick a command for EACH behavior and stick with it. Tell all in your family to use the same words and commands, and your puppy will amaze you at how much faster he learns.
2. A young puppy's metabolism is racing along faster than we think.
The younger your puppy is, the faster he is growing, the more food and water he needs to fuel his metabolism, and the more often he has to go potty. Do not punish your puppy when he makes a house-breaking mistake. These are YOUR fault. Your puppy's age in weeks and his breed size determine how often he must go out. Once an hour is not too often for a large 6-week old puppy, especially if it is summertime. Dogs love the exciting smells outdoors, so there is no excuse to not have him housebroken by 7-8 weeks of age. Right after a nap, after he eats and after grooming are the key times, and he will signal you. If he is happily chewing a toy and gets up suddenly with his nose to the floor, move quickly! And every time he goes potty outside, praise him to high heaven! "What a good BOYY!", "GOOD go potty!" and the like. Dogs love our happy faces, and they will do anything to get it.
3. Dogs live for our facial expressions and body language.
Because of this, the worst punishment you ever need to give your dog is a scowl and to turn away from him. You can see his tail fall down and his face get so sad. He will learn the lesson, I guarantee it. But his attention span is only 3-5 minutes, so do not scorn him any longer. Love him up and give him your happy face again. Physical punishment is never necessary. Use consistent commands and loving praise and he will know what you want of him before you know. He will become a master of your body language and facial expressions in no time at all.
Naturally there are many aspects of training your puppy well. Loving kindness works just as well for puppies as it does with children, creating a happy, well-adjusted and obedient dog for life. These three important tips, used consistently with confidence, will start him well on his way.
1. Dogs do not understand English until we teach them.
The thing we all love about puppies the most is the way they live for us, the way they focus all they have on us, the way our lives become theirs. in the beginning, they study us to learn our body language, our facial expressions and our language. Until we teach them the English language, it's all they have. If we say, "Wanna go out?" one day, "Have to go potty?" the next day, and, "Hafta pee?" the third day, if they DO figure out what we want, it is because we have picked up the leash and moved toward the door with a happy face! If you want to speed up his training by three-fold, teach him YOUR language. Pick a command for EACH behavior and stick with it. Tell all in your family to use the same words and commands, and your puppy will amaze you at how much faster he learns.
2. A young puppy's metabolism is racing along faster than we think.
The younger your puppy is, the faster he is growing, the more food and water he needs to fuel his metabolism, and the more often he has to go potty. Do not punish your puppy when he makes a house-breaking mistake. These are YOUR fault. Your puppy's age in weeks and his breed size determine how often he must go out. Once an hour is not too often for a large 6-week old puppy, especially if it is summertime. Dogs love the exciting smells outdoors, so there is no excuse to not have him housebroken by 7-8 weeks of age. Right after a nap, after he eats and after grooming are the key times, and he will signal you. If he is happily chewing a toy and gets up suddenly with his nose to the floor, move quickly! And every time he goes potty outside, praise him to high heaven! "What a good BOYY!", "GOOD go potty!" and the like. Dogs love our happy faces, and they will do anything to get it.
3. Dogs live for our facial expressions and body language.
Because of this, the worst punishment you ever need to give your dog is a scowl and to turn away from him. You can see his tail fall down and his face get so sad. He will learn the lesson, I guarantee it. But his attention span is only 3-5 minutes, so do not scorn him any longer. Love him up and give him your happy face again. Physical punishment is never necessary. Use consistent commands and loving praise and he will know what you want of him before you know. He will become a master of your body language and facial expressions in no time at all.
Naturally there are many aspects of training your puppy well. Loving kindness works just as well for puppies as it does with children, creating a happy, well-adjusted and obedient dog for life. These three important tips, used consistently with confidence, will start him well on his way.
3 Ways To Maximize On The Effectiveness Of A Golf Instruction Video
Golf instruction videos featuring techniques and tips from leading world class players are very common these days.
Still there are very few people who can claim to have had their games improved by a golf instruction video. So here are three tips to help you ensure that you reap maximum fruits from every golf instruction video that you ever get to watch.
1) Watch the golf instruction video several times
Some people watch golf instruction videos to try and get a single Magic formula that will revolutionize their game. They do not realize that the valuable nuggets in these videos are hidden in the many small things you need to do which add up to a great improvement in your game.
This is why it is very important to watch the video several times. At least twice.
2) Get webcam shots of yourself playing and compare your posture and positioning to what you see in the golf instruction video
It may not be very easy to tell what is wrong with your golf swing for example or how to correct it without taking a very close look at your game.
The best way to do this is to get somebody else to take webcam shots of you on the course as you play. When you watch these alongside the golf instruction videos, it will be very easy for you to tell where your problem areas are and what you need to do to correct them.
3) Do golf-specific exercises to condition your body and muscles
Thirdly you will need your body and the relevant muscles to co-operate with our mind as you try to implement what you have seen on the golf instruction video.
One of the most effective ways of doing this is by getting involved in a golf-specific exercise program to tone and strengthen all the ‘golf muscles’ in your body. This way, they’ll be nothing to stop you from reaping maximum benefits from every golf instruction video you watch.
Still there are very few people who can claim to have had their games improved by a golf instruction video. So here are three tips to help you ensure that you reap maximum fruits from every golf instruction video that you ever get to watch.
1) Watch the golf instruction video several times
Some people watch golf instruction videos to try and get a single Magic formula that will revolutionize their game. They do not realize that the valuable nuggets in these videos are hidden in the many small things you need to do which add up to a great improvement in your game.
This is why it is very important to watch the video several times. At least twice.
2) Get webcam shots of yourself playing and compare your posture and positioning to what you see in the golf instruction video
It may not be very easy to tell what is wrong with your golf swing for example or how to correct it without taking a very close look at your game.
The best way to do this is to get somebody else to take webcam shots of you on the course as you play. When you watch these alongside the golf instruction videos, it will be very easy for you to tell where your problem areas are and what you need to do to correct them.
3) Do golf-specific exercises to condition your body and muscles
Thirdly you will need your body and the relevant muscles to co-operate with our mind as you try to implement what you have seen on the golf instruction video.
One of the most effective ways of doing this is by getting involved in a golf-specific exercise program to tone and strengthen all the ‘golf muscles’ in your body. This way, they’ll be nothing to stop you from reaping maximum benefits from every golf instruction video you watch.
Monday, December 28, 2009
3 Sure Fire Ways to Generate More Power off the Tee
Power can be elusive to golfers. Is true power generated through technique, strength or something more? Every golfer wants more power, more distance, more consistency. Here are 3 ways to generate the kind of power you have only dreamed of…until now.
1. Spinal Rotation. Every time you swing the golf club, you rotate around your spine. So, what does this have to do with power? Power is generated every time you stabilize your hips to make a full backswing with spinal rotation. Most golfers have heard of the X factor. This, of course, refers to the differential between the movement in your hips and your spine. Increase your spinal rotation and a new sense of power will be released.
2. Core Based Exercises. Your body's "core", the area around your trunk and pelvis, is where your center of gravity is located. When you have good core stability, the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen work in harmony. They provide support to your spine. The core is the power zone. It is where all movement begins. A well-developed core allows for improved force output, increased neuromuscular efficiency, and decreased incidence of overuse injuries. A weak core can make you susceptible to poor posture and injury.
3. Plyometrics. Plyometrics are any exercise where the muscle is contracted eccentricly then immediately, concentricly. Put simply, the muscle is stretched (i.e. loaded) before it is contracted. A good example is medicine ball horizontal twists and standing golf swings. According to a recent study published in the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s (NSCA) journal, amateur golfers significantly increased their driving distances after just eight weeks of strength training while incorporating plyometrics. Mean driving distance increased 4.3% for the combined training group, with mean club head speed increasing 1.5%.
Once you incorporate these 3 techniques into your exercise program, you’ll never be disgruntled about driving distance or power generation again.
1. Spinal Rotation. Every time you swing the golf club, you rotate around your spine. So, what does this have to do with power? Power is generated every time you stabilize your hips to make a full backswing with spinal rotation. Most golfers have heard of the X factor. This, of course, refers to the differential between the movement in your hips and your spine. Increase your spinal rotation and a new sense of power will be released.
2. Core Based Exercises. Your body's "core", the area around your trunk and pelvis, is where your center of gravity is located. When you have good core stability, the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen work in harmony. They provide support to your spine. The core is the power zone. It is where all movement begins. A well-developed core allows for improved force output, increased neuromuscular efficiency, and decreased incidence of overuse injuries. A weak core can make you susceptible to poor posture and injury.
3. Plyometrics. Plyometrics are any exercise where the muscle is contracted eccentricly then immediately, concentricly. Put simply, the muscle is stretched (i.e. loaded) before it is contracted. A good example is medicine ball horizontal twists and standing golf swings. According to a recent study published in the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s (NSCA) journal, amateur golfers significantly increased their driving distances after just eight weeks of strength training while incorporating plyometrics. Mean driving distance increased 4.3% for the combined training group, with mean club head speed increasing 1.5%.
Once you incorporate these 3 techniques into your exercise program, you’ll never be disgruntled about driving distance or power generation again.
Exercise & Play - Can We Learn from it?
Quite often, when our children return from afternoon play, they look exhausted, and ready for a nap. That is the most accurate description, and quite the truth. Play is hard work. It is exhausting to the mind and body of the young person, and plays an extremely important role in helping them to become productive, healthy citizens.
The role of exercise and play in a young child’s life provides them with many benefits. Exercise of the body is an important part of keeping the young body fit as it grows into an adult body. When we reach adulthood, if we have had the benefit of exercise and play, we tend to continue that habit into our adult years.
What else is to be gained from the opportunities that play affords? We often participate in organized sports, coordinated play times, and are a member of a large group during all of these activities. Play on this level teaches us how to interact with our peers, develop camaraderie and perform as a team with other players. These skills are absolute necessities in today’s business world. But what else is happening here, during this time of play and exercise?
What we learn in body language, coping skills, and the interaction of the mind and body during our interaction with others, is invaluable. When we learn these skills well, we not only learn how to interact with others, we learn how to interact with our self. Interact with our self? That seems like a pointless exercise, but it is an all important part of maintaining our health and wellness. There are times that our bodies try to tell us things about our physical or mental condition, and we simply refuse to listen. If we have learned how to listen to others around us when they attempt to point out a need or desire, we have a useful tool in listening to ourselves. This often can mean the difference between optimal health, and creating an unhealthy situation.
What else do we learn? We learn what our physical and mental limitations are. During play, you see children and young adolescents push themselves to the very limit. But as children, we are better able to distinguish between a real limit versus what society deems our limits. As a child, or young adult, the pressures of the world do not weigh on us as they do when we are adults. We are better keepers of the temple at ten, than we are at twenty. We are still very in tune to what our body tells us, because it is our true master as a child. As an adult, we have let outside influences master our body and mind, and dominate our time.
As you can see, the benefits to be gained during our exercise and play time as children, is a benefit to us for the remainder of our lives. Too often, we adults forget the importance of exercise and play and the principles that are to be learned from time spent in these activities. We want to rush our children into their daily responsibilities, forgetting that their chief responsibility during the younger years is the play and interaction of young minds.
The role of exercise and play in a young child’s life provides them with many benefits. Exercise of the body is an important part of keeping the young body fit as it grows into an adult body. When we reach adulthood, if we have had the benefit of exercise and play, we tend to continue that habit into our adult years.
What else is to be gained from the opportunities that play affords? We often participate in organized sports, coordinated play times, and are a member of a large group during all of these activities. Play on this level teaches us how to interact with our peers, develop camaraderie and perform as a team with other players. These skills are absolute necessities in today’s business world. But what else is happening here, during this time of play and exercise?
What we learn in body language, coping skills, and the interaction of the mind and body during our interaction with others, is invaluable. When we learn these skills well, we not only learn how to interact with others, we learn how to interact with our self. Interact with our self? That seems like a pointless exercise, but it is an all important part of maintaining our health and wellness. There are times that our bodies try to tell us things about our physical or mental condition, and we simply refuse to listen. If we have learned how to listen to others around us when they attempt to point out a need or desire, we have a useful tool in listening to ourselves. This often can mean the difference between optimal health, and creating an unhealthy situation.
What else do we learn? We learn what our physical and mental limitations are. During play, you see children and young adolescents push themselves to the very limit. But as children, we are better able to distinguish between a real limit versus what society deems our limits. As a child, or young adult, the pressures of the world do not weigh on us as they do when we are adults. We are better keepers of the temple at ten, than we are at twenty. We are still very in tune to what our body tells us, because it is our true master as a child. As an adult, we have let outside influences master our body and mind, and dominate our time.
As you can see, the benefits to be gained during our exercise and play time as children, is a benefit to us for the remainder of our lives. Too often, we adults forget the importance of exercise and play and the principles that are to be learned from time spent in these activities. We want to rush our children into their daily responsibilities, forgetting that their chief responsibility during the younger years is the play and interaction of young minds.
Enhance Your Flexibility
When it comes to the Big Three of exercise - cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training - it's pretty clear which one can get overlooked. After all, while we prize cardiovascular and strength training for their role in helping us lose weight, build muscle and get fit, the benefits of flexibility training are less immediately alluring.
However, as the population ages, more of us are learning to appreciate the rewards of stretching. Staying limber can offset age-related stiffness, improve athletic performance, and optimize functional movement in daily life. Research shows that flexibility training can develop and maintain range of motion and may help prevent and treat injury. In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine has added flexibility training to its general exercise recommendations, advising that stretching exercises for the major muscle groups be performed two to three days per week.
How can you include an effective flexibility workout in your fitness program? Here are some guidelines:
Think in Terms of Serious Flexibility Training, Not Just Brief Stretching. Squeezing in one or two quick stretches before or after a workout is better that nothing, but this approach will yield limited results. What's more, generic stretches may not be effective for your particular body. The more time and attention you give to your flexibility training, the more benefits you'll experience. A qualified personal trainer, physical therapist or health professional can design a functional flexibility program specifically for you.
Consider Your Activities. Are you a golfer? Do you ski, run or play tennis? Do your daily home or work routines include bending, lifting or sitting for long periods? Functional flexibility improves the stability and mobility of the whole person in his or her specific environment. An individualized stretching program is best to improve both stability (the ability to maintain ideal body alignment during all activities) and mobility (the ability to use full, normal range of motion).
Pay Special Attention to Tight Areas. Often the shoulder, chest, hamstrings and hips are particularly tight, but you may hold tension in other areas, depending on your history of injuries and the existing imbalances in your muscle groups. Unless you tailor your flexibility training to your strengths and weaknesses, you may stretch already overstretched muscles and miss areas that need training.
Listen to Your Body. Stretching is an individual thing. Pay attention to your body's signals and don't push too far. Avoid bouncing or jerking movements to gain momentum; this approach can be dangerous.
Instead, slowly stretch your muscles to the end point of movement and hold the stretch for about 10 to 30 seconds. Older adults, pregnant women and people with injuries will need to take special precautions.
Get Creative. Varying your flexibility training can help you stick with it. You can use towels, resistance balls and other accessories to add diversity and effectiveness to your stretching.
Warm Up First. Don't forget to warm up your muscles before you begin. Walking briskly for 10 to15 minutes is a simple way to do this.
Find a Flexibility Class That Works for You. Classes that include stretching are becoming more popular and more diverse. Some combine cardiovascular and strength components with the flexibility training; others focus exclusively on stretching.
Stretch Your Mind and Body. Did you know that your emotional state may affect your flexibility? If your body is relaxed, it will be more responsive to flexibility training. Listening to music and focusing on your breath can help you relax as you stretch. You may also want to explore yoga or Pilates. In addition to stretching, classes in these disciplines may include relaxation, visualization and other mind-body techniques designed to reduce stress and increase mindfulness.
It's Not Just for Wimps. Forget the idea that stretching is just for elderly, injured or unconditioned people. Many Olympic and professional athletes rely on flexibility training for peak performance.
Do It Consistently. It doesn't help to stretch for a few weeks and then forget about it. Integrate regular stretching into your permanent fitness program. For inspiration, look to cats and dogs - they're dedicated practitioners of regular stretching and you rarely see them getting the kind of joint or muscular injuries that humans get!
Shoulder and Trapezius Stretch
** Stand upright with shoulders back, chest out, and feet hip-width apart.
** Clasp your hands behind your buttocks.
** Slowly lift your hands up and away from your body until they have reached the furthest comfortable position.
** Keep your chest out and your chin in without hunching over.
** Once you feel a comfortable stretch in your chest and anterior shoulders, hold this position for at least 15-30 seconds.
Lying Quadriceps Stretch
** Lie face down on a mat.
** Lift your right leg up towards your buttocks.
** Reach around with your right hand and grasp your foot. Slowly pull downwards, stretching your quadriceps to the furthest comfortable position.
** Hold this position for at least 15-30 seconds.
Shin Stretch
** Using a wall or chair as support, place your left foot behind your right foot, with the top of your left foot on the ground.
** Extend the bottom of your left shin as far forward as possible. Slowly lower yourself by bending both legs.
** Once you have stretched your anterior tibialis to the furthest comfortable position, hold for at least 15-30 seconds.
** Switch legs and repeat.
Hip, Gluteus and Back Stretch
** Sit on the floor with both of your legs extended in front of you.
** Bend your right leg over your left leg, keeping your right foot flat on the floor outside the left knee.
** Place your left elbow on the outside of your right knee, and extend your right arm behind you with your palm flat on the floor for support.
** Slowly twist your upper body to the right while looking over your right shoulder.
** Lightly apply pressure with your left elbow on the outside of your right knee as you twist. Be sure to keep your upper body straight.
** Once you feel a comfortable stretch in your hips, buttocks, and lower back, hold this position for at least 15-30 seconds.
** Switch sides and repeat.
Calf Stretch
** Put the sole of the top half of your right foot against the wall. Slide your right heel as close towards the wall as possible.
** Slowly lean forward towards the wall stretching your calves. Once you have stretched your calf to the furthest comfortable position, hold for at least 15-30 seconds.
** Switch legs and repeat.
However, as the population ages, more of us are learning to appreciate the rewards of stretching. Staying limber can offset age-related stiffness, improve athletic performance, and optimize functional movement in daily life. Research shows that flexibility training can develop and maintain range of motion and may help prevent and treat injury. In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine has added flexibility training to its general exercise recommendations, advising that stretching exercises for the major muscle groups be performed two to three days per week.
How can you include an effective flexibility workout in your fitness program? Here are some guidelines:
Think in Terms of Serious Flexibility Training, Not Just Brief Stretching. Squeezing in one or two quick stretches before or after a workout is better that nothing, but this approach will yield limited results. What's more, generic stretches may not be effective for your particular body. The more time and attention you give to your flexibility training, the more benefits you'll experience. A qualified personal trainer, physical therapist or health professional can design a functional flexibility program specifically for you.
Consider Your Activities. Are you a golfer? Do you ski, run or play tennis? Do your daily home or work routines include bending, lifting or sitting for long periods? Functional flexibility improves the stability and mobility of the whole person in his or her specific environment. An individualized stretching program is best to improve both stability (the ability to maintain ideal body alignment during all activities) and mobility (the ability to use full, normal range of motion).
Pay Special Attention to Tight Areas. Often the shoulder, chest, hamstrings and hips are particularly tight, but you may hold tension in other areas, depending on your history of injuries and the existing imbalances in your muscle groups. Unless you tailor your flexibility training to your strengths and weaknesses, you may stretch already overstretched muscles and miss areas that need training.
Listen to Your Body. Stretching is an individual thing. Pay attention to your body's signals and don't push too far. Avoid bouncing or jerking movements to gain momentum; this approach can be dangerous.
Instead, slowly stretch your muscles to the end point of movement and hold the stretch for about 10 to 30 seconds. Older adults, pregnant women and people with injuries will need to take special precautions.
Get Creative. Varying your flexibility training can help you stick with it. You can use towels, resistance balls and other accessories to add diversity and effectiveness to your stretching.
Warm Up First. Don't forget to warm up your muscles before you begin. Walking briskly for 10 to15 minutes is a simple way to do this.
Find a Flexibility Class That Works for You. Classes that include stretching are becoming more popular and more diverse. Some combine cardiovascular and strength components with the flexibility training; others focus exclusively on stretching.
Stretch Your Mind and Body. Did you know that your emotional state may affect your flexibility? If your body is relaxed, it will be more responsive to flexibility training. Listening to music and focusing on your breath can help you relax as you stretch. You may also want to explore yoga or Pilates. In addition to stretching, classes in these disciplines may include relaxation, visualization and other mind-body techniques designed to reduce stress and increase mindfulness.
It's Not Just for Wimps. Forget the idea that stretching is just for elderly, injured or unconditioned people. Many Olympic and professional athletes rely on flexibility training for peak performance.
Do It Consistently. It doesn't help to stretch for a few weeks and then forget about it. Integrate regular stretching into your permanent fitness program. For inspiration, look to cats and dogs - they're dedicated practitioners of regular stretching and you rarely see them getting the kind of joint or muscular injuries that humans get!
Shoulder and Trapezius Stretch
** Stand upright with shoulders back, chest out, and feet hip-width apart.
** Clasp your hands behind your buttocks.
** Slowly lift your hands up and away from your body until they have reached the furthest comfortable position.
** Keep your chest out and your chin in without hunching over.
** Once you feel a comfortable stretch in your chest and anterior shoulders, hold this position for at least 15-30 seconds.
Lying Quadriceps Stretch
** Lie face down on a mat.
** Lift your right leg up towards your buttocks.
** Reach around with your right hand and grasp your foot. Slowly pull downwards, stretching your quadriceps to the furthest comfortable position.
** Hold this position for at least 15-30 seconds.
Shin Stretch
** Using a wall or chair as support, place your left foot behind your right foot, with the top of your left foot on the ground.
** Extend the bottom of your left shin as far forward as possible. Slowly lower yourself by bending both legs.
** Once you have stretched your anterior tibialis to the furthest comfortable position, hold for at least 15-30 seconds.
** Switch legs and repeat.
Hip, Gluteus and Back Stretch
** Sit on the floor with both of your legs extended in front of you.
** Bend your right leg over your left leg, keeping your right foot flat on the floor outside the left knee.
** Place your left elbow on the outside of your right knee, and extend your right arm behind you with your palm flat on the floor for support.
** Slowly twist your upper body to the right while looking over your right shoulder.
** Lightly apply pressure with your left elbow on the outside of your right knee as you twist. Be sure to keep your upper body straight.
** Once you feel a comfortable stretch in your hips, buttocks, and lower back, hold this position for at least 15-30 seconds.
** Switch sides and repeat.
Calf Stretch
** Put the sole of the top half of your right foot against the wall. Slide your right heel as close towards the wall as possible.
** Slowly lean forward towards the wall stretching your calves. Once you have stretched your calf to the furthest comfortable position, hold for at least 15-30 seconds.
** Switch legs and repeat.
Eating Before and After Exercise
When you exercise, you do it in order to try to maintain good health. You know that you have to eat so that your body has the energy to perform the workouts that you do as well as for everyday tasks. But, just what you should eat before and after you workouts is important for making the best of your workouts. Also, how long you eat before and after each workout is equally important.
Whether you are going to be doing a cardio workout or a resistance workout, you should try to make it a point to eat a mix of carbohydrates and protein. What determines the percentage of carbohydrates and protein you should consume is whether you are doing cardio or resistance and the intensity level you will be working at.
The ideal time to eat your pre workout meal is 1 hour before you start. If you are working at a lower intensity level, keep this meal down to around 200 calories or so. If you are working at a higher intensity level, you may need this meal to be as high as 400 to 500 calories.
If you are doing a cardio session, you will need to eat a mix of around 2/3 carbohydrates and 1/3 protein. This will give you longer sustained energy from the extra carbs with enough protein to keep muscle from breaking down during your workout.
If you are doing a resistance session, you should eat a mix of around 1/3 carbohydrates and 2/3 protein. This will give you enough energy from the carbs to perform each set you do and the extra protein will help keep muscle breakdown to a minimum during your workout. It has been shown that your body most effectively uses protein during exertion meaning that taking in more protein before resistance workouts aids in faster recovery as well.
Now, eating after a workout is just as important as the pre workout meal. Remember that when you exercise whether it is a cardio or a resistance session, you deplete energy in the form of glycogen. Our brain and central nervous system relies on glycogen as their main source of fuel so if we don’t replace it after exercise, our bodies will begin to break down muscle tissue into amino acids, then convert them into usable fuel for the brain and central nervous system.
Also, mostly during resistance workouts, you break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears. This means that right after a workout; your muscles go into a repair mode. Proteins are the key macronutrient for muscle repair and so you don’t want muscle breaking down further to create fuel in place of lost glycogen.
If you have just finished a cardio session, you will need to consume mostly carbohydrates, preferably ones with high fiber. Oatmeal, rice, whole wheat pasta, and most northern fruits are good sources. Try to consume around 30 to 50 grams of these carbohydrates after a cardio session. After cardio, it is ok to eat within 5 to 10 minutes of completion.
If you have just finished a resistance session, you will need a combination of carbohydrates and protein. Because unlike cardio workouts, with resistance workouts you are breaking down muscle tissue by creating micro tears. The protein is needed to build up and repair these tears so the muscle can increase in size and strength. The carbs not only replace the lost muscle glycogen, but also help the protein get into our muscle cells so it can synthesize into structural protein, or muscle itself.
Chicken or fish with a potato, egg whites with a piece of fruit, or a protein shake with fruit mixed in are good meals after resistance workouts but remember to keep the fiber low here. High fiber slows down digestion, meaning the protein will take longer to reach the muscle cells.
After resistance, it is recommended to wait 30 minutes before eating so as not to take blood away from your muscles too soon. The blood in your muscles helps with the repair process by removing metabolic waste products from them.
Any fats should be consumed well before and well after exercise.
Whether you are going to be doing a cardio workout or a resistance workout, you should try to make it a point to eat a mix of carbohydrates and protein. What determines the percentage of carbohydrates and protein you should consume is whether you are doing cardio or resistance and the intensity level you will be working at.
The ideal time to eat your pre workout meal is 1 hour before you start. If you are working at a lower intensity level, keep this meal down to around 200 calories or so. If you are working at a higher intensity level, you may need this meal to be as high as 400 to 500 calories.
If you are doing a cardio session, you will need to eat a mix of around 2/3 carbohydrates and 1/3 protein. This will give you longer sustained energy from the extra carbs with enough protein to keep muscle from breaking down during your workout.
If you are doing a resistance session, you should eat a mix of around 1/3 carbohydrates and 2/3 protein. This will give you enough energy from the carbs to perform each set you do and the extra protein will help keep muscle breakdown to a minimum during your workout. It has been shown that your body most effectively uses protein during exertion meaning that taking in more protein before resistance workouts aids in faster recovery as well.
Now, eating after a workout is just as important as the pre workout meal. Remember that when you exercise whether it is a cardio or a resistance session, you deplete energy in the form of glycogen. Our brain and central nervous system relies on glycogen as their main source of fuel so if we don’t replace it after exercise, our bodies will begin to break down muscle tissue into amino acids, then convert them into usable fuel for the brain and central nervous system.
Also, mostly during resistance workouts, you break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears. This means that right after a workout; your muscles go into a repair mode. Proteins are the key macronutrient for muscle repair and so you don’t want muscle breaking down further to create fuel in place of lost glycogen.
If you have just finished a cardio session, you will need to consume mostly carbohydrates, preferably ones with high fiber. Oatmeal, rice, whole wheat pasta, and most northern fruits are good sources. Try to consume around 30 to 50 grams of these carbohydrates after a cardio session. After cardio, it is ok to eat within 5 to 10 minutes of completion.
If you have just finished a resistance session, you will need a combination of carbohydrates and protein. Because unlike cardio workouts, with resistance workouts you are breaking down muscle tissue by creating micro tears. The protein is needed to build up and repair these tears so the muscle can increase in size and strength. The carbs not only replace the lost muscle glycogen, but also help the protein get into our muscle cells so it can synthesize into structural protein, or muscle itself.
Chicken or fish with a potato, egg whites with a piece of fruit, or a protein shake with fruit mixed in are good meals after resistance workouts but remember to keep the fiber low here. High fiber slows down digestion, meaning the protein will take longer to reach the muscle cells.
After resistance, it is recommended to wait 30 minutes before eating so as not to take blood away from your muscles too soon. The blood in your muscles helps with the repair process by removing metabolic waste products from them.
Any fats should be consumed well before and well after exercise.
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