Different ways to workout : Pack of cards

Do you ever get tired of doing the same kind of workout over and over again? Like, you change some things because you don't want to reach a plateau but this just bore you again? Let me give you a new workout idea: The pack of cards. Yes, you read well. I mean, I'm not asking you to do weightlifting with it, but to do something more creative and something that you do the way you want it.

This is really simple : In a pack of cards, there are 4 suits. Each suit represents one type of exercise. And then it's simple, you pick a card upside down from the deck and it tells you what to do and how many times. Example : You pick a heart card, which could mean like, eagle abs, and it's an 8 so you do 8 eagle abs. And you go on for all the pack of cards. It's really fun to do because you can never guess which card is the next so it makes the workout different each time.

If you need ideas of exercises for the 4 suits, I'll give you some :
- Push-ups                                                         - Roll over
- Plank ( in seconds )                                        - Grasshopper
- Sit-ups                                                            - Heel kicks
- Bridges, single-leg bridge ( switching sides )  - Half cobra push-ups

If you feel like a beast on that day, here are some cardio ideas :
- Burpees ( You could even do it with 4 different kind of burpees )
- Mountain Climbers                                            - Butt kicks
- Squat jumps                                                     - Lunge kicks
- High plank jacks                                               - Star jumps

So that's it! I really hope you give it a try! When I do it with standard exercises, I do them with 2 packs of cards, it makes it even funnier because you can have the same card twice! Have fun and tell me if you liked it :) 

xx

Chryseis

Prevent injuries : Know how to curve your back

Ever got confused about how to curve your back in a certain type of exercise so you won't injure yourself? I've been there too, and I guess you're not alone in this situation. Let me get you out of this confusion right away. First, for the ones who don't have any back pathology, arching your back in some exercises doesn't involve any risk. On the contrary, if you do squats or deadlifts, where the spine tends to curve, arching your back may prevent new injuries. BUT, for some people, arching their back can turn out pretty unsafe.

                - For people suffering from spondylolysis ( non-union of the vertebral arch ), the extension of the lumbar spine may cause a sliding of the vertebrae ( spondylolisthesis ), which may badly compress elements of the nervous system ( which cause a sciatica ).

                - For people who have not yet completed their growth, or for people affected by osteoporosis, lumbar spinal extension  may cause a spondylolysis and a fracture of the vertebral arch. The vertebrae will be able to slide and badly compress the elements of the nervous system ( which cause a sciatica ).

Unlike the others muscle-development exercises, exercises for abs absolutely have to be done in vertebral winding. If you omit winding your back by contracting your abs and obliques, your hip flexors will accentuate the arch of your back by driving inter vertebral discs forward. This overpressure may lead to lumbago or worst, joint damage by shearing and compression.

I hope this will help to prevent you from having back injuries :)
If you have any questions feel free to ask them below! 


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xx
Chryseis

Review : FitnessBlender

Hello beloved readers! Today's post will be my first review. Not a review on fitness clothes or fitness equipment, a review about two people who are doing the best they can so people like you and me can train for free with high quality workouts. The main goal of my fitness blog is to give you guys real information about real things and so is theirs. That's what I like about them, they keep it real!

Let's start with the quality of their workouts. You can find them on their website here or on here. I am normally really, like reallllyyy selective with workouts videos, but there are not a lot of FitnessBlender's that I don't like. See, they don't pretend they know everything even if they do know a lot more than a lot of fitness gurus. One thing that I enjoy the most is that in their new videos, there is a '' thermometer '' that goes up as you burn calories, showing you below the amount of calories in number. It is just amazing. Well, of course it's not the same amount for everyone, they know that, so they put an interval of burned calories. What's great too is that the instructions are very clear, you always understand the exercise they are doing before going for it. An other good point for them is that there is no music integrated to their videos. So you can put your own and not worrying about hating songs they choose for you or listening to a song that you just can't stand anymore because you heard it too much.

Then, the quality of their website. I almost never seen something perfect as it is. The '' search workout tool '' is like the best. You want a workout that burns X calories? You want to focus on your abs? Want to search by equipment needed? No problem, they made it possible for you to find exactly what you're looking for each time.

Next, the quality of the information they provide. You just can't go wrong with them. As someone who've been through many biology books, I can guaranty you that they make you learn real things. They have many videos where they answer to frequently asked questions. Those videos are available on their YouTube channel also. You won't be fooled by the information they provide for sure.

Finally, I wish that I could make a review about their meal plans and exercise programs. But.. they cost money. I perfectly understand that they need money to live, I mean, that's what they do for a living. Since I'm still going to school I can't afford them but I'm pretty sure they are as nice and effective as the rest of FitnessBlender's content!

Hope you enjoyed this review, let me know in the comments below if you knew about them and if you tried their meal/exercises programs, I'd love to hear about it!

xx

Chryseis

Top 5 BEST Fat-Burning Foods

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed your week-end and that you trained like a beast! Or had a rest day like me on Sundays! Today's topic is about fat-burning foods. I know you probably heard/read a lot about it but in this post, I'll talk about the best and most effective ones. How do I know it? Science says it all. Don't let anybody fool you when they don't have scientific proof!

Cinnamon : Oh I love me some cinnamon! It's an amazing spice that does a lot for you. As you might know, when glucose is not used for immediate energy, it is stored as fat. But cinnamon comes over, moves the glucose into our cells and keeps insulin ( fat storage hormone ) from having too much fun around there. I always sprinkle some in my oatmeal on the morning! And you have endless possibilities to incorporate it in your meals!

Grapefruit : Not a surprise huh? It is indeed a magic fruit! It helps keeping your insulin level lower. It means less sugar stored as fat once again! And insulin is the hormone who tells to the brain that you're hungry. so having a lower level of insulin keeps you from binge eating between meals. And well, like most of the fruits, it has a good amount of fibers in it. ( Fibers are mainly known for helping us to go to the bathroom.. you understand? hahaha )

Green Tea : If you needed other excuses to stop drinking coffee and other too sweet hot beverages, here are some. Green tea can help to improve your metabolism by 4% in a day. It contains a lot less caffeine than regular coffee, just enough to get your heart rate up just a bit so your heart works just a little harder. ( read calorie burn here ) Some say that it helps lower your appetite but it's not proven yet. So let's rely on the real info that I just gave you!

Hot peppers: Give me some hot stuff! They contain a compound names capsaicin who give a little boost to your metabolism. You can find this compound in most hot peppers like jalapenos or in cayenne pepper. Personally, I add cayenne pepper to my dinner everyday, it gives a lot of taste almost without calories! Well, it does boost your metabolism but for a short time, so don't expect it to keep you from sleeping that night so you can study all night! ( Or party if you want to! )

Oatmeal : 3 things are to remember about oatmeal. Hot, fibers, water. Indeed, you take more time to eat something hot which is really good for your digestion. Then, fibers and water will keep you satisfied a lot longer. What's great about it is that you can play with it in so many different ways! Add your favorite protein powder, fruits, cinnamon, etc...! You can buy it instant, do it overnight or regular. Isn't it wonderful? It's a realllly good thing to eat for breakfast since your metabolism is slowly getting at its normal rate.

xx

Chryseis

Fat localisation in women's bodies : Truth revealed

One the biggest morphological difference between men and women is certainly how fat is stored in both genders' bodies. For the average woman, her fat percentage is from 18 to 25% of her weight. For men, this average is from 10 to 15%. There's such a big difference because the woman will, at a moment of her live, feed a fetus and then an infant with her own reserves. So she has to stock some energy ( which here is fat ), for her future pregnancy. 

                                          Here are the main fat localisations in women's bodies

Did you know that the different places where the body stores fat is linked with where the woman comes from. For example, in hot countries, fat is mostly stocked in the butt, the hips ( for Mediterraneans ) and around the navel ( for some Asiatics ). This particular way to store fat is to keep women to be covered with a too hot fat '' jacket ''. While in colder countries, the fat is stored more evenly to ensure a better protection in harsh winters. Doesn't matter the way fat is stored in your body, you have to know that it's there for a reason. It's there to allow survival of the women and her baby in case of possible starvation.

It's really important to know that losing almost all your fat can lead to serious hormonal problems which could lead to amenorrhea ( no more periods ) and so to a brief infertility. This brief infertility exists for a good reason though, it prevents the woman to give birth to a baby that she wouldn't be able to feed with her own reserves and which could be harmful for the baby's life.

I really hope it helps you understand better your body so that you can cherish it even more ! :)

xx

Chryseis

Bulky muscles V.S. Faculty to adapt to physical activity

Hi everyone! Hope you're all doing well in your fitness journey. Today's post is all about the muscle's adaptation to your physical activities. Let's get started!

So first, there are aerobics/endurance exercises like running on long distances, walking at fast pace, swimming or cycling. They all cause several modifications to skeletal muscles. Did you know that there can be a 10% increase of the amount of capillaries around muscle fibers? That the amount and size of mitochondria ( which produces energy ) increases in them too, and that those fibers synthesize up to 80% more myoglobin ( which transports oxygen in blood ). Wow, that's a lot of good stuff. These transformations allow us to have a better muscular metabolism, an increased endurance, better strength and a better resistance to fatigue.

Aerobics exercises who require moderate muscular effort for a long time DON'T cause muscle hypertrophy ( AKA bulky muscles ) even if the exercises lasts for hours. Bulky muscles are the consequence of intensive against-resistance exercises ( mostly done in anaerobic conditions ) like weight lifting. Because in this kind of activity, you only need strength, not endurance. A few minutes of against-resistance exercises every other day are enough to increase your bulkiness. They can even allow a skinny man to gain 50% of muscle mass in a year.

The increase of muscular volume is mostly about muscle fibers expansion and NOT a multiplication of them. This volume growth is caused by little tears in muscle fibers that heal after your workout. The amount of connective tissue between the cells increases too, which helps with getting bigger muscles. Nevertheless, if you completely stop your exercise program, the fibers that just transformed take back their initial properties.

Doesn't matter of the physical activity you choose to do, you will see results only if you follow the Overload Principle and the Progressive Principle. In other words, when you force a muscle to work hard, its strength and endurance increase. When they get used to give their maximum, you NEED to get overload  so they can work harder. Then, you won't hit a plateau.

Finally, if you start too quickly in an exercise program or that you don't listen to your body when it tells you it hurts, you might inflict yourself some serious overuse injuries. You could have to stop exercise for a while or you could have to stop permanently. Get into your exercise program gradually. And remember, to get the best shape and body you want, you should always combine strength and endurance training.

Hope this helps answering to your questions. If you still have any, feel free to comment below!

xx

Chryseis

The truth about FATS

Okay everybody, it's about time that you read about REAL, PROVEN facts. Indeed, I'll give you some of my own knowledge plus serious infos from real sources. And all that, simplified just for you, so my beloved readers can finally understand what's hiding behind the world of FATS ( lipids ).

As you probably have heard previously, there are good fats and bad fats. But it goes further than this. Here's the list of the main lipids in our body and of the functions they have :

Triglycerides : Stocks energy, insulation, protection

Glycerophospholipids : Main component of our cell membranes

Steroids :

      - Vitamin D : Controls calcium in body, required for growth and bone repair

      - Adrenal cortex hormones : Metabolism control, stress resistance, water/electrolytes control

      - Sexual hormones : Maintains sexual features

      - Cholesterol : Other component of cell membranes, useful for Vitamin D and steroid hormones

      - Bile salts : Useful for good absorption of fats and overall digestion

Ecosanoids : Act on the reaction to hormones, coagulation, inflammation, immunity, etc...

Other fats :

      - Carotenes : Useful for producing vitamin A ( for your eyes ), antioxidant

      - Vitamin E : Repairs muscle tissue, prevents scars, antioxidant

      - Fatty acids : Used to produce ATP ( energy in our body )

      - Lipoprotein : Carry lipids in blood, get rid of cholesterol excess of blood

See? Fats are not ALL bads but of course, they're not all good too. For example, fatty acids comes in 3 forms. Saturated fatty acids are easily stored in our body because it only has single covalents bonds. You find them in red meats and whole dairy products mostly. Monounsaturated are less prone to store in our body because it has one double covalent bond. You can find them in olive oil, canola oil, nuts and avocados. And as you can guess, polyunsaturated have more than one covalent bond so they don't really get stored as fats. You find them in sunflower oil, salmon or tuna. There are the essentials fatty acids too ( Omega-3 and Omega-6). These are the ones that your body can't produce itself so they have to be taken from foods or from supplements.

You certainly don't have to take off all of the fats in your diet, you need them. Your cell membranes are made of them so basically, you're made of them! Just make sure that you eat the right ones.

I'll talk to you guys in an other post about the actual lipid metabolism! 

xx

Chryseis