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The 10 Best Foods for Flat Abs

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Eat up for flatter abs — these waist-whittling foods give you a dose of ab-ulous nutrients in every bite. From the editors of Fitness The sad truth: You can crunch yourself into a coma and still have ab flab. If you really want a sleek, sexy midriff, you've got to tweak your diet. All of the best waist-whittling foods contain fiber to banish bloat, antioxidants to boost your abs routine's effectiveness, and protein to help maintain a healthy metabolism. Here, the top 10 choices for flatter abs. 1. Almonds These delicious and versatile nuts contain filling protein and fiber, not to mention vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. They're also a good source of magnesium, a mineral your body must have in order to produce energy, build and maintain muscle tissue, and regulate blood sugar. "A stable blood-sugar level helps prevent cravings that can lead to overeating and weight gain," says David Katz, MD, a professor at the Yale University School of ...

Powerful Music for Fitness Environments

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What is the best music for different types of exercises? •  Endurance training  – According to researchers at Brunel University, working out to the right music genre can result in a 15% increase in endurance. Since endurance training involves high intensity exercises, your gym members will benefit the most from music with 135 or more beats per minute. Choose fast tempo music genres such as techno, upbeat pop music, or hard rock. “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons, “Applause” by Lady Gaga, “Lonely Boys” by The Black Keys, “The Fixer” by Pearl Jam, and “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees are some of the popular options for endurance exercises. •  Strength training  – For strength training exercises such as weight lifting, look for songs with repetitive rhythm and about 115 to 135 beats per minute. Try playing songs from artists like the Black Eyed Peas or AC/DC, as their music usually comes with repetitive tempo that is ideal for weightlifting and other strength ...

Ways to make workouts fun

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By Jessica Thiefels  “Ugh, I have to go to the gym after work.” “I really don’t want to go on a run today.” “I should take a day off, but I’ll go anyway.” If you work out regularly, you’ve likely said at least one of these in the last month. There are many reasons we feel this way, and one of the most popular is that working out just isn’t fun for many people. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. We tend to do the same thing every time we go to the gym, while listening to the same music, and maybe even continually pushing through pain that’s cause for attention. By simply listening to your body and yourself, you can make working out more fun. Use these tips to ensure every workout is one that you love. 1. Track Your Workout If you’re driven by competition, even with yourself, tracking your workout is a great way to make it more fun. The best way to do that is with a fitness tracker, which can provide stats on heart rate, calories burned, fat b...

Gym Etiquette

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Uphold rules of club and exercise room Read rules and posted signs Observe posted equipment instructions and warnings If you would like to use a piece of equipment someone is using Ask if you can "work in between their sets" if they say no, be patient and have compassion for the feeble minded acceptable reasons for denying "working in" include two or more individuals already exercising on equipment a large number of free weights are loaded on equipment and user is nearly finished after each set, allow the other person to use the equipment try to set the apparatus adjustments back where the other person had set them assist with reloading or unloading weight If someone begins exercising on a weight apparatus while you were resting between your sets you should say "I only have X number of sets left on this machine, you may work in with me if you would like" if you were working in between someone else's sets, make the other pe...

When’s the best time to work out?

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Morning, midday or midnight — when’s the best time to work out? By American heart association Well, that depends on when’s the  best time for you . “The best time of the day is when you will do it most consistently, because the benefits of physical activity are tightly linked to the amount you do on a consistent basis,” said Russell Pate, Ph.D., professor of exercise science in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Your best time is based on a “constellation” of factors: location, time of day, type of physical activity and social setting, among others. “It’s not just what time, but what activity, with whom and where,” said Pate, who is also an American Heart Association volunteer. “This mix of factors for people come together to result in being consistent.” Everybody’s Different “Different people will have different preferences and predispositions with regard to how they respond to exercise at differen...

Clever Health And Fitness Gifts That Are Actually Useful

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What to get for the exerciser who has everything. By  Sally Tamarkin   1.   Basketball That Coaches You This smart basketball works with an app to analyze ball-handling and shooting skills and provide  skill-based basketball workouts. 2.   Ropeless Jump Rope A great "rope" for experienced jumpers who travel and/or need something on hand for practicing in tight  spaces. 3.   All Of The Dumbbells You want your bod to get swole, not your household clutter. That's where this fully adjustable dumbbell  system comes in, offering a ton of variety (from three to 24 pounds in three-pound increments) without  taking up a ton of room.  4.   Lock That Uses Words Instead of Numbers If language were made of numerals we'd probably never forget combinations. But we speak letters and words, just like this lock. ...