3 Steps to Getting Rid of Your Dad Bod

Many men today are unfortunately affected by the dreaded Dad Bod. As with all aspects of fitness, there is a very easy way to go about toning your body to look more like a Greek God and less like an average Joe.

The most important thing is a diet. You don’t have to adhere to a fad diet that people like to do such as paleo, liquid only, raw only, and others. You can choose a good diet like one that consists of healthy meals that are balanced, and that’s it.

If you’re trying to burn fat and lose your Dad Bod, you should eat more protein than carbs. Excess carbs give you that body type, and can be found in pasta, bread, chips, pizza, and beer.

This doesn’t mean you should go on a no-carb diet, because carbs are what you need to give you energy. Just make sure you’re not eating more carbs than anything else. You should also eat no more than about three meals per day (or six smaller ones), with a fruit or other healthy snack between each meal.

Men plagued with a dad bod frame need to ramp up their exercise. You have to put those carbs to work in order to burn fat. There are plenty of ways to go about this, including running, walking, biking, lifting weights, and any other form of cardio.

You can clock a fair amount of miles each day by finding some time to put on some music and go on a long walk around your neighborhood. Running is also applicable, and both of these can be done on a treadmill if you don’t want to go out and about at various times of the day.

Biking is a very fun way of getting in shape, and you can use it as transportation if your destination is somewhere within about 10 miles of you. Weightlifting should be done in combination with your other cardio exercises, so that while you burn fat you also put on more muscle, allowing your muscles to show through your fat quicker.

A gym membership is a great investment, and if you go to a smaller one, you can get 3 months for about $90. This will allow you to have access to all kinds of weights and machines, as well as treadmills and stair climber machines.

Don’t forget – you should drink more water than anything else. This important for you as a human regardless of whether or not you’re trying to lose weight, but it will certainly help you drop the weight quicker, because it flushes out all of the toxins.

A good tip for those who drink beer is that vodka is a great replacement for your alcohol choice because it’s a very low carb and low calorie option for those who still want to go out to bars and socialize with their friends.

Nutrition Hacks and Tips for Runners

Whether you are a brand new runner or training for your next marathon, the food you eat can contribute to your success and overall fitness.

We are what we eat, and our food is not just fun, it is fuel to keep us going throughout our busy day and during each workout. Therefore, choosing the right fuel can make all the difference between a full tank and running on empty, and between high performance and a clogged engine.

Here are a few nutrition hack and tips for runners to keep you well-fed and fueled for optimal performance.

Cut the sugar

It may give you sugar highs but can’t sustain you during a race and has little nutritional value.

Choose ‘slow carb’

Some argue that carbohydrates or carbs keep you fueled with the energy you need, but as with sugary food, not all carbs are created equal. Choose slow carbs that take a while for the body to digest, such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and whole-grain bread and breakfast cereal in small amounts. Add oats to your diet and try quinoa as well, actually a little seed which is packed full of nutrition.

Go for fiber

Fiber help you feel full longer. The carbs discussed above are all good choices.  So are fruits and vegetables, also good sources of hydration.

Watch your protein

Protein is essential for healing and repairing the body after a strenuous workout. Lean sources of protein include salmon, beans like kidney beans, and legumes like brown lentils. You can also get it in tofu, soy protein, which can be eaten in solid form or drunk as soy milk.

Add nuts to your diet

A lot of people steer clear of nuts because they are high in fat. However, they are also high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy fats that can reduce cholesterol. They also have protein and are quite filling.  Almonds are one of the best nuts for lowering cholesterol and can be eaten as is or ground up for almond flour, low in carbs, and almond milk, a refreshing alternative to soy milk or cow milk.

Peanut butter is a cheap and easy snack you can take anywhere with crackers, veggie sticks or apple slices.

Nuts and dried fruits like raisins, cherries and diced prunes, are perfect for your own homemade trail mix. Add a sprinkle of high-quality dark chocolate chips for the perfect post-workout snack.

Pay attention to your diet and see how much better you start to run.

Running On a Treadmill: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Running on a treadmill can be a great way to keep running no matter what the weather, or working out from the comfort of your own home. However, there are a number of common mistakes even experienced runners make when they are running on a treadmill.  Here are a few of the main ones to watch out for.

Skipping warm ups and cool down

If you are going to work your muscles, you need to do these if you wish to avoid injury. Stopping suddenly on the treadmill can also lead to dizziness and injury from falling off.

Poor running form

People nervous about falling off treadmills tend to change their form. You need to run the same way both indoors and outdoors in order to avoid injury.  Your legs should swing back easily and not go ahead of you.  Also watch out for heel strikes and overstriding, which can cause injury because the treadmill belt is moving. Your foot landing in front on the moving belt is like slamming on the brakes as you run, leading to wear and tear on knees and hips.

Holding onto the rails

This causes tension in the arms and upper body, and the arms being in this fixed position means they are not swinging forward to help you with your momentum as you run. It also makes you bend or hunch forward, which can cause problems with knee, lower back and shoulder pain. Use the same form as you would running outdoors. If you are worried about falling, reduce your pace or incline.

Not working out fully

Holding onto the handrails actually makes your workout easier. If you also read a book or magazine while you are on a treadmill, you’re not working hard enough to get the full benefit of the exercise. Not every run has to be a long or hard one, but they don’t all have to be easy ones either.

Stepping Off While Moving

This is one of the main causes of injury. Be sure you have everything you need, water, towel and so on, before getting on.

Running at the Same Pace and Incline for Your Entire Run

Change speed and incline every so often to keep you on your toes and give you a more realistic workout such as you would do outside. Too steep an incline for too long can also cause injuries.  Aim for 5 minutes maximum and keep it from 4 to 6% to protect your joints.

The Importance of Good Running Shoes for Your Workouts

One of the best ways to stay safe when working out is to wear the right kind of shoe for the activity you are engaging in. Running is a cheap way to get fit, that burns a lot of calories, but it is high-impact, which means the right running shoes are a must.

Investing in a supportive running shoe suited to your feet can help you to prevent foot and ankle damage and other injuries, and make your workout an enjoyable one instead of a torture session.

The essentials in a running shoe

Not all sports shoes are created equal. There are ones for almost every purpose you can think of, such as walking, cross-training and running. Proper running shoes need to have good cushioned and shock-absorption where the foot strikes the ground. If you’ve ever tried to run in dress shoes, you know how painful it can be, and how quickly.

There are many different brands of running shoes, at a range of price points. Most expensive doesn’t mean best.

First, put on clean socks of the type you usually wear for working out. Avoid thick tube socks, however, as the cotton does not wick away moisture, gets soggy, and can cause blisters.

Shop for your shoes at the end of the day when your feet will be most swollen. Go into a store that specializes in running shoes if you have one near you, and get both feet measured. Also look at the arch in your foot. Some people have non arch, that is, flat feet, and others have high arches that need to be supported.

The salesperson should be able to make recommendations based on what they see. Try on both shoes. Don’t be afraid to walk around in them, and test them for flexibility. You should be able to bend them, otherwise they are too stiff and could cause injury, but they should not be too flexible, or else they will not be supportive enough.

Check the fit in the toe area. You should have at least half an inch at the front to wiggle your big toe, or else you could get black toenails from bruising as your toes slide up and down in the shoe.

Choosing a proper shoe can help to protect you against common injuries associated with running, so be sure to try them on in person, or shop at an online store with free shipping in both directions.

Running and Breathing Correctly

Running is an aerobic exercise that keeps your heart muscle healthy. It also improves circulation and respiration IF you breathe correctly when working out.

Go to any running website and you will probably see all sorts of information on how to breathe correctly, much of it contradictory or just plain weird.

Here are the essentials on breathing the right way while running.

Always breathe in and out primarily through your mouth

This helps convey the oxygen your muscles need to perform well while you are running.

Avoid throat breathing

Throat breathing is letting the air in and out in short gasps. It is not a good way to breathe for a number of reasons. The first is, it isn’t oxygen-efficient. The second is that it does not fully clear your lungs. Short gasps can also lead to hyperventilation and fainting.

Do deep belly breathing

As the name suggests, deep belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, is a stronger form of breathing, in which the entire belly and ribcage expand with each breath and the muscles of the entire chest and abs exhale fully, clearing the lungs completely.  Deep belly breathing is often encountered in yoga as a way to take in oxygen-rich air and exhale stale air and other impurities from the body.

Sit on a yoga mat or in a chair and practice long deep breathing a couple of times a day. Do it through the mouth and feel your abdominal area expand like a balloon, then contract. Use your muscles deliberately to expel the stale air from the bottom of your lungs.

Practicing in this way will make this style of breathing come more naturally to you so that you won’t need to think about it so much when you go out running.

Train your torso

Deep breathing exercises will help make the breathing more natural, but you can also train your muscles. Take in as deep a breath as possible, hold, then sip in 3 to 5 more little sniffs of breath until you can feel your chest expand from your waist all the way up to your collar bones. Sip in a few more times if you can manage, and then let it out in a controlled manner until it is time to take another breath.

You can also keep breathing out until your lungs feel like there is no air in them. Hold for 5 seconds, and then start to breathe again. This kind of muscle control improves breathing, which in turn boosts endurance.

Running When You Are Overweight

Running is one of the fastest ways to burn calories and requires little special equipment other than a good pair of running shoes.  Those who are overweight might be tempted to start running in order to slim down.

However, there are a few smart steps they should take in order to avoid becoming injured and putting themselves on the bench before they ever really get started with their running program.

Check with your doctor to be sure you are well enough to run

Weigh yourself, check your Body Mass Index, and make sure your knees and joints are healthy enough to run.

Set goals

How much weight do you want to lose? What is your ideal BMI? Note down your results and start to track your progress in a keep fit diary.

Buy the right shoes

If you haven’t been off the couch for a while, invest in a comfortable pair of supportive sneakers designed for running.

Start slowly with a walking program

Invest in a pedometer and wear it for a week to find out just how active you are. Then start adding steps to your routine, to reach the 10,000 steps per day recommended by the US Surgeon General as being the best way to work out for all healthy adults who want to keep fit.

Add running intervals

As you work your way up to your 10,000 steps, add a couple of short runs to your routine. Run for 30 seconds, or for half a block, then resume normal pace.

Take the breath test

As you walk or run, if you can talk easily, you are not going fast enough. If you can’t catch your breath, you are going too fast. The breath test will determine if you can talk, but not easily enough to carry on a full conversation.

Watch your joints

Walking is a weight-bearing exercise that can build muscle and bone. Running is a high-impact exercise that can jolt your joints if you are not careful. Some researchers estimate that for every 1 pound you are overweight, you are putting an extra 4 to 8 pounds of pressure on your knees when walking/stepping down and when running. Don’t forget to stretch before and after each session to warm up and cool down the muscles.

Watch your form

Your running form should be head up, chest out, nothing slouching over your hips. Your knees should be low, not pumping up towards your chest.  Your arms should swing naturally to propel you forward.

Use these steps to keep you safe if you are overweight and wish to run to keep fit.

Running to Lose Weight

Running burns the most calories of any mainstream exercise, so it is no wonder that many people who wish to lose weight decide that they want to start a running program.

However, as with all new exercise routines, there are a number of considerations to keep you safe and help you get the most out of your workout. If you work in a sedentary job at a computer all day and sit on the couch watching TV most of the night, you’ll need to take special care of yourself in order to avoid injury and achieve your goals.

Here are a few starter steps for beginner runners who want to lose weight.

Weigh yourself and calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI).

Determine what is a healthy BMI for your height and frame. Choose a target weight from within that BMI number.

Start a running diary. Note down your weight and BMI, and your goals. Track your goals by weighing yourself once a week.

Start a walking program. Get off the couch and get moving. Aim for 10,000 steps a day.

Master a few warm up and cool down stretches to take care of your muscles and avoid injury.

Don’t try to do too much too soon. Walking longer and longer distances at faster and faster speeds will be plenty to start with to get your body ready for the more demanding pace and impact of running.

Count your calories. There’s no point trying to run off the weight if you’re eating excess calories every day.

Be consistent. Work out every day, even if it is for a short time only.

Add running to your walks. Once you are at 10,000 steps a day (3.5 to 5 miles depending on your stride), start to add short runs of a block or so to the routine, until you are able to run more and more of the route.

Keep track of your progress in your diary. Adjust your routine as needed. You may find your weight creeping up a little, but this could be due to your developing more muscles. Sooner or later, they will become lean, mean, fat-burning machines, because lean muscle boosts your metabolism compared with fat.

Add strength training twice a week

This can be yoga, light weights, or resistance bands. This will build muscle and add to your endurance and stamina.

Follow these steps and you will be certain to lose weight and look great thanks to your new running program.

Overcoming fear: How to Challenge Yourself Everyday

Fear serves a useful function. It keeps us safe by placing us in a high state of alert when we sense danger. But irrational or illogical fear can also limit our lives and keep us from rising to new challenges. In those with anxiety disorder, the normal nervous system response to a threat is easily aroused and difficult to subdue. Fear can cause physical and psychological symptoms that sabotage our goals.

Fortunately there are a few simple ways to challenge yourself and lean into fear.Recognize that fear is a universal emotion, one you are vulnerable to. In her book “The Gifts of Imperfection, researcher Dr. Brene Brown said that, “Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

The first step is to be honest and admit you are afraid. The second step is to choose to be brave. Realize that fear is mostly a learned response and it’s possible to recondition a fear response. Fear is controlled by the amygdala, a set of neurons located in the brain’s medial temporal lobe.

When the amygdala receives a danger warning, logical or not, stress hormones begin to flood the body. We learn to fear based on our experiences, but we can de-program fear by confronting the things we are most afraid of.Talk about fear to defuse it.

People who are afraid of public speaking, for example, attend Toastmasters International meetings where they share and confront their fears with like-minded individuals.Trick your mind by imagining a best case/worst case scenario. You dread asking for a raise and your mind races with awful possibilities.

One way to calm such fears is to imagine the best case/worst case scenarios. First imagine that all will go as well as it possibly could. You ask for a raise and the boss realizes you deserve twice your current salary. Great. Then imagine the worst possible scenario. He’s so insulted you asked that he fires you on the spot.

The reality will probably fall somewhere in between. And that’s generally the case.Remember the “10” rule. You can do most things for 10 minutes even if you fear that you will be able to finish the entire project. Tell yourself you can make it through 10 minutes, and then tell yourself that again until the job is done.

If fear overwhelms your life and prevents you from challenging yourself, don’t be afraid to seek professional help.

How Meditation Can Help You Overcome Your Fears

Fear and anxiety can be overpowering and keep you from accomplishing tasks. Fortunately, there is a better way to overcome your fears through the ancient art of meditation. Anyone can achieve this through guided practice and time. I’ll explain to you how meditation can help you overcome your fears in this article so you can conquer it.

One of the main aspects of fear is brought on by intimidation of the event or thought that does not subside until after the fact. Through mediation, the mind becomes quieted from the over-activity that feeds into fear. It allows a person to detach one’s self from the negative emotion that is being triggered. In order to learn how meditation can help you overcome your fears you must first master the skill required to become centered.

Meditation has been scientifically proven to effectively treat stress and anxiety, two factors that are commonly associated with fear. By learning the art of meditation you will be able to take control of your mental state and reach the calming response that will allow you to conquer your fears. Meditating trains your brain to respond differently to the negative thoughts and emotions that automatically occur when fear is brought on.

This ancient practice requires one to clear the mind of all thoughts. This may take time to achieve, but even practicing for short moments at a time will help you to practice regular meditation. The main principal to meditating is to focus on one thing, usually a calming and relaxing technique. The easiest way to achieve this is by concentrating on taking breaths.

To begin, find a comfortable space that is quiet to sit or lay down. Close your eyes and try to erase all negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Take in a deep breath and slowly exhale. Focus on your breaths as you slowly inhale then slowly exhale. Release the negative energy that is contributing to your fears as you exhale. Continue taking slow, deep breaths, concentrating on making the next breath even slower than the one before.

As you remain calm and concentrate on breathing, you are taking control to quiet the mind. Occasionally, a disruptive thought may occur. Rather than focus on that thought and letting it overcome your mental focus, let it go. Strive to maintain a passive attitude to dismiss any thoughts that may distract you from your goal of meditation.

Learning how meditation can help you overcome your fears will allow you to desensitize yourself from the internal or external stimuli that brings on the feelings of fear. You become aware of the impending thought or concern and are able to control your mental focus in order to detach yourself from it.

5 Ways Which Fears Can Negatively Impact Your Life

Fear is one of the usual human emotions, triggered by a real or perceived threat. It is a biological response mechanism that prepares the body for fight or flight in the presence of danger. In its concrete form, fear is more than a mere mental state and instead, a powerful emotion that affects the body’s physiology as well as the body’s chemical balance. While fear has some positive effects, it can have serious negative impacts in one’s life. Here is the insight:

Fear elicits stress

Stress is one of the consequences of fear. There is a lot that will change in your life the moment you accumulate stress to extreme levels. For instance, the immune system will be weakened and as a result, one is likely to suffer psychosomatic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular infections. Extreme stress will also impair judgment and accurate perception of reality.

Besides stress, fear itself is capable of weakening the immune system, a result of which is a series of infections such as ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome and decreased fertility.

Strained relationships

Fear causes a lot of paranoia and is likely to strain all personal relationships. In a state of fear, it is barely possible to trust the people around us despite their good intentions. Relations at the workplace will also be affected negatively. This will lead to reduced productivity at the workplace and a very small social circle. A person living in fear is less likely to start and sustain meaningful relationships.

Low achievement levels

Almost all opportunities in life involve riks. Choosing to join college will see you passing or failing in exams. Investing in a certain business will either earn you profits or losses. In a state of fear, a person is never willing to take these risks and without risking, it is barely possible to achieve full actualization potentials.

Stifled thinking

Fear has always been associated with a state of indecisiveness and distorted thinking patterns. A mind marred by fear will not think clearly and form accurate perceptions of reality but will rather base all thoughts and actions around the perceived or real threat and events that are likely to come along. Fear is a leeway to erosion of confidence, without which you cannot even believe in your ability to think in abstract terms.

Destructive habits

Fear is one of the reasons why people do not lead a healthy lifestyle. To numb the pain that is associated with fear, individuals will resolve to destructive habits such as careless driving, drinking excessively and abusing various drugs. These are all destructive habits that will derail one’s health and put a person at risk.

Conclusively, some amount of fear is constructive in the manner that it protects people from real and perceived dangers but when it becomes a default mode, fear has more consequences than positive influences.