How to Use Daily Detox Tea for Weight Loss

Most detox tea is suitable for anyone looking to cleanse his body, but detox tea can be especially helpful for someone who is trying to lose weight. As you lose weight, you lower your risk for certain diseases that are more common in overweight people. Adding detox tea to your health plan can increase your chances of feeling (and looking) great. Traditional Medicinals, Yogi Tea and other companies offer detox teas for weight loss.

Things You'll Need

• Detox tea
• Water

Follow a plan where you take in less calories than you burn. That's the indisputable formula for weight loss. No matter how many hundreds or thousands of dollars you may have spent on weight loss, it boils down to that simple fact. So eating less and exercising more will result in weight loss, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

Enjoy a detox tea in the morning. This can be taken as a little "dessert" after a light breakfast to make you feel full. Some teas also include aids for digestion.

Make yourself a cup of detox tea when you are about to sabotage your diet during the day. While it's not a good idea to be on a meal plan that lets you feel hungry and unsatisfied, a cup of tea can help you stay on track, while also helping the body get rid of impurities accumulated that day --- or during the days when you gained the weight in the first place.

Switch it up. Vary the types of detox tea that you use. Some are made to cleanse the liver. Others are made to clear the overall body during weight loss. Others are meant to cleanse the colon. Switching it up can help you take care of your overall body.

Carry detox tea in your thermos at work. Sipping on it throughout the afternoon can be more beneficial to your system than drinking water --- and it's definitely healthier than sipping a diet or a regular soda.

Listen to your body. It will usually let you know if the detox tea is good for you.

Diet for a Flat Stomach

Achieving a flat belly requires a healthy diet and workout plan. If you stick to your plan, your body will respond favorably.

Portion Control
Don't try a fad diet plan that only works in the short term. When you properly portion your food intake on a regular basis, you will consume fewer calories. Your stomach is the size of your fist, and consuming more food than that in a single setting causes the stomach to stretch. The full feeling that registers in your brain occurs when your stomach begins stretching after food consumption. For over-eaters the stomach can stretch four or five times greater than its initial fist-size. A healthy serving for a portion of meat is about the size of the palm of your hand, and a serving of pasta should be no larger than your fist.

Meal Schedule
To boost your metabolism, start eating five or six small meals per day as opposed to three large meals. Always start with breakfast as this is provides your body with a healthy metabolism boost to begin the day. Eat a snack about two or three hours later followed by lunch a couple hours after that. Eat another snack two hours after lunch, followed by dinner. Finish the day with your final snack a couple of hours after dinner

Cardio Exercise
A cardio workout is necessary because it burns large quantities of calories. A good cardio program consists of increasing your heart rate for thirty consecutive minutes two or three days per week on non-consecutive days. You can walk, run, job, cycle, hike or perform any other activity that you can enjoy for this time period.

Abdominal Focus
An abdominal focus is necessary because it works the exact area that you desire to tone. Exercises for the abs work the muscle group located directly in the stomach area. Select a program that works every aspect of the abdominals. Focusing on one exercise will not be productive. When you design your program, be sure to perform the movements correctly and slowly. This is what works the abs most effectively. Do your abs program two or three days a week--on opposite days from your cardio program.

Patience
The key to a flat stomach and maintaining it is patience. There is not an overnight or quick-fix solution. With a good diet and exercise regimen you will see results. Stay consistent with your approach. Tweaking and changing eating habits because you don't see a quick result will not help. Allow your body the time it needs to get accustomed to the new routine, and it will start to work for you.

Does Hot Lemon Tea Help With Weight Loss?

Lemon tea is essentially hot water with lemon juice or peel. It is a soothing drink that helps hydration and boost immunity. Lemons are a magical fruit because they are composed of many nutrients that are essential to help the human body fight disease and aid in weight loss and maintenance. Lemons are readily available; therefore, everyone can reap the benefits they have to offer. Drinking lemon tea is an easy way to ingest those medicinal properties, and, when combined with other natural foods, can enhance weight loss capabilities.

Stress
Vitamin C in lemon inhibits cortisol, the "fight or flight" hormone. Cortisol is responsible for belly bulge in men and women because as people are become increasingly busy and stressed out, various hormones are released and trigger a person to eat. A Yale study found that stress caused otherwise slender women to have more abdominal fat than women who weren't stressed. The study also found that greater stress enhances cortisol production. Vitamin C fights this hormone and keeps the urge to munch at bay.

Bloat
Water itself is a key player in weight loss. It hydrates the body and flushed out excess sodium that the body is holding on to. The American Dietetic Association recommends that adults drink between nine and 13 cups of water per day. When the body is given an adequate amount of water, it will maintain the proper sodium balance and not show up as extra pounds on the scale. Drink as many cups of lemon tea as you wish.

Fat
Lemons enhance the absorption of cachetins in green tea. Cachetins are a polyphenol antioxidant found in green tea. Purdue University found that when ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is present, the body absorbs the cachetins three times faster into the blood stream. Cachetins are shown to enhance abdominal fat loss, particularly when used in conjunction with an exercise program. Throw in a green tea bag with your lemon tea and let the cachetins battle your bulge.

Detox
The citric acid in lemon aids in proper digestion and detoxification of the kidneys and liver. Citric acid neutralizes acidity in the gastrointestinal tract. This is essential to keep the body functioning properly and not bogged down with excessive bloat and constipation, which can cause the scale to go up. Though this is not an instant cure to loss weight, it is a something that should be consumed regularly to see benefits over the long-term.

Calories
Cutting calories is the first step to losing weight. The beauty of drinking lemon tea is that there are very few calories in it, pending there was nothing added to the drink. You can drink as much as you want and still not ingest many calories, which, at the end of the day, helps with calorie deficit and weight loss.

Basic Yoga for Belly Fat Loss (Easy Steps)

Yoga can help your body become stronger, more flexible and better balanced. Through poses known as asanas, yoga often strengthens and tones muscles in the arms, legs, core and back. There’s no magic formula for losing belly fat, but yoga along with a calorie-restricted diet can help you burn the additional calories needed to shed excess weight and highlight toned muscles created through strength-building poses. Additionally, yoga’s basic message of mindfulness and calm might help reduce stress, making you more aware of your moods and less likely to indulge in binge eating.

Poses for Stronger Abs
To achieve a flatter belly, focus on core postures in your yoga practice. In Boat pose, you sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet pressing into the mat. Sit up straight, engage your core and then gently lift your feet from the ground to work on abdominal strength. If you’re able, extend your legs to 45 degrees while maintaining a straight spine for a more challenging pose.

In Bridge pose, lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet pressing into the ground. Keep your arms alongside your body with your palms pressing into the floor. On an inhale, lift your hips high while keeping your knees bent.

Burning Calories for Fat Loss
Yoga poses help with strength building, which improves your body’s ability to burn calories more effectively during resting states. But connecting transitions between poses can also burn calories, contributing to lower fat reserves. In between poses, complete a vinyasa by assuming pushup or plank position, slowly lowering your body to within several inches from the floor. On an inhale, straighten your elbows and lift your torso, keeping your shoulders relaxed. Exhale, and then press back into Downward-Facing Dog with your tailbone stretched toward the ceiling and your feet and hands pressing into the mat. Completing vinyasas in between poses will increase the cardiovascular benefits of your workout.

Fire Up Your Breath
Yoga teaches that breath work can contribute to overall physical and emotional health. In deep belly breathing, sit cross-legged with one hand on your heart and the other resting on your belly. Breathe in for five counts, allowing air to fill your belly. Exhale slowly, allowing the breath to slowly leave your core. In Breath of Fire, rapidly breathe in and out through the nostrils, keeping your core muscles engaged so that the abdomen pumps in and out quickly with your breath. Although there’s no scientific proof that yogic breathing will flatten your belly, you might notice improved mindfulness and decreased stress that will prevent you from overeating.

Yoga’s Perspective on Fat
Yogic philosophy teaches a healthy lifestyle that embraces physical activity and mindful eating, but self-acceptance is a key component of this outlook, according to the "Yoga Journal." Having a rock-hard six-pack might be unrealistic or unhealthy for your body; in addition, overly tight abdominals can create back problems because a too-taut belly creates strain on the lumbar spine. Although it’s fine to work toward your goal of a flatter belly, practice compassion by accepting your body and resisting the urge to meet impossible standards set forth in advertising campaigns.

How to Make Spiced Weight Loss Tea

The Flat Belly Diet is touted as a plan that will help people shed extra pounds and inches that collect around the midsection and belly. Using proper nutrition, the diet helps to eliminate a build up of contaminants, fat, and excess water weight. Sassy water is one of the main staples of the Flat Belly Diet, and should be drunk every day.

Things You'll Need

• 8. 5 cups water
• 1 tsp/ grated ginger
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 medium lemon
• 12 spearmint leaves
• Wide-mouthed Bottle or jug

Pour the water in the bottle or jug. Ideally, this water should be filtered, so that it is as pure as possible. If you don't want to buy several gallon jugs of water each week, you can invest in an water filter, such as Pur or Brita, in order to ensure that your water is filtered.

Wash the cucumber and spearmint as thoroughly as possible. If your cucumber isn't organic, it will have a waxy coating on it. This waxy outer coating can be removed by soaking the cucumber in apple cider vinegar and rinsing in warm water, while scrubbing with a rough towel.

Peel the brown outer coating of the ginger off with a vegetable peeler.

Slice the cucumber and ginger as thinly as possible. Cucumber is an important ingredient in the Flat Belly Diet sassy water because it is a natural diuretic, and helps the body release stored excess water.

Tear the spearmint leaves.

Add the ginger, cucumber, and spearmint to the filtered water. Shake the container well, mixing the filtered water and ingredients together. Ginger is an ingredient of the flat belly diet sassy water recipe because it's reported to boost metabolism.

Put the container in the refrigerator and drink it the following day. In order to have a successful diet, the water should be drunk instead of juices, sodas, and other drinks. If you live in a hot climate, consider making a double batch of Flat Belly diet sassy water, because your local weather could cause dehydration.

How to Improve Sagging Skin on the Face

Sagging skin is an inevitable part of the aging process. As we age, skin gradually loses its elasticity, resulting in wrinkles and sagging. There are various things we can do to prevent skin's loss of elasticity, such as protecting skin against sun damage. If you already have sagging skin, you can improve it in a variety of ways. Some treatment methods are simple and non-invasive; others involve major surgery.

Use Retin A cream on your face. Retin A encourages skin cell regeneration so new skin cells are more quickly produced to replace older, sagging cells. With regular use, Retin A can tighten up wrinkled skin, helping it to look younger and firmer. You need a doctor's prescription to obtain Retin A.

Massage the sagging areas twice daily for at least 2 minutes. Massage increases circulation, allowing blood and nutrients to more readily reach the area. As a result, the skin will be better nourished and firmer.

Wear sunscreen daily. The sun's rays are major causes of wrinkling and aged skin. Prevent further skin damage by protecting your face from the sun. Choose a sunscreen with a high SPF rating that protects against both UVA and UVB rays. If you'll be outside for extended periods of time, wear a broad-rimmed hat for more complete protection.

Improve muscle tone in the face by chewing gum. The repetitive motion of gum-chewing helps exercise facial muscles. If your muscles are toned, sagging skin will be less noticeable.

Get dermatological injections. Various fillers such as Restalyne and collagen can be used to plump up sagging skin, making it looking firmer and younger. Since the results are temporary, you'll have to get injections every three to six months to maintain the results.

Try laser treatments. Laser light is used to burn away the top layers of skin, revealing younger, firmer skin below. Lasers also increase collagen production, helping your sagging skin look firmer and plumper.

Consider cosmetic surgery. Face lifts, partial face lifts, eye lifts and brow lifts can all eliminate sagging skin on your face. A plastic surgeon will make an incision and then pull the skin taut over the area, thereby removing sagging skin. As with any major surgery, there are risks involved.

How to Do Splits in a Week

Learning how to do splits can be difficult and physically demanding, especially if you have a specific goal. Depending on your starting point, doing splits in a week can be achieved if you concentrate and have the time to dedicate to stretching on a daily basis. Although learning how to do splits can be challenging, there are benefits to the flexibility offered. Stretching has many positive benefits for your overall physical health and, paired with deep breathing, can work to calm anxieties.

Stretch out your legs for at least 15 minutes. You can do sitting and standing leg stretches such as butterfly, forward leg stretches and toe touches.

Kneel upright on the floor. Place your right foot in front of your left knee and lean forward, letting your fingertips touch the floor on both sides of your right foot.

Stretch your right leg out forward while your left leg begins to straighten out behind you. Keep your chin pointing toward your right foot and your right kneecap pointing up.

Hold this pose for one minute trying to sink your hips as close to the floor as possible.

Repeat this pose at least five times for the first two days, allowing your hips to get closer to the floor while straightening your legs.

Increase your practice splits to five times in the morning and five times in afternoon or evening for the next four days. Continue to do other leg stretches for 15 minutes prior to practicing your splits.

Continue to practice your splits daily. Practicing splits several times a day should help you achieve a full split within a week. If the progress is slow, add more stretches and splits to your routine.

How to Design a Dumbbell Exercise Workout

If you're too busy to make the trek to the gym everyday, a dumbbell routine will provide a practical way to exercise at home, at work or on-the-go. Free weights are portable and relatively inexpensive, making them the perfect fitness equipment for those with hectic schedules. Construct a simple routine and monitor your progress with a chart. The health rewards for regular strength training, such as a dumbbell workout, are substantial and include increased bone density, improved joint flexibility and weight management, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Look for open windows in your schedule. You'll need a 20- to 30-minute block of time for each workout.

Decide whether you'll do split or full-body workouts. Split workouts focus on muscle groups that work together, such as the upper arms and chest. Full body workouts utilize all the major muscle groups in one session. If you choose a full-body workout, you'll only strength train on two or three non-consecutive days to give your body 48 hours for recovery between sessions. Split workouts are a little more flexible. You can work your glutes and thighs one day, and the arms and back the next day while your legs recover.

Choose your exercises. If you've opted for a split workout, design a routine that will combine compound and isolation exercises that target only a few muscles. For instance, a bench press is a compound exercise that works the chest, deltoids and triceps. Add a military press, shoulder raise and dumbbell flyes to target the same areas of the musculature. If you are doing full-body workouts, begin with the five major compound exercises: bench press, military press, deadlift, bent over row and squats. Isolation exercises, such as bicep curls and tricep extensions, will fill out the routine.

Select appropriate weights. You should be able to do at least eight repetitions of each dumbbell exercise. If you can do more than 15 repetitions at a time, the weight you've selected is too light. It may take some experimentation to choose the proper dumbbell size for each exercise.

Write down your routine. Make a chart that includes the days of the week, sets, repetitions and the weight you will use for each exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends two to four sets of 12 to 15 repetitions for strength and power. One way to keep your workout fresh is to do one set of every exercise and then repeat the cycle one or two more times. Ideally you should include eight to 10 exercises in each routine.

Add variety to your workout. You'll notice after a few weeks that the exercises feel easier. Increase the dumbbell weight to add resistance or swap some new exercises into your routine.

How to Lighten Acne Scars with Home Remedies

Your acne treatment may have stopped breakouts and inflammation, but you may still be left with unsightly acne scarring that affects the look of your skin. Restore the condition and health of your complexion with natural home remedies that can lighten acne scars. Although natural acne scar treatment may not remove acne scars completely, they can lessen the redness and help heal your skin. Try these natural ways to lighten acne scars with home remedies.

Tips

1. Use the juice of certain fruits and vegetables to help lighten acne scars. After cleansing your face, dab fresh lemon juice (effective because of its bleaching effect) onto acne scars with a cotton ball and let it sit for fifteen minutes. You can also try holding a slice of fresh potato or cucumber (said to soothe inflamed skin) over the area. After treating acne scars, rinse your skin well with warm water and pat try gently.

2. Try camellia oil, said to repair skin by stimulating cell growth, by lightly rubbing a few drops into areas affected with acne scars twice a day until completely absorbed. Although Vitamin E oil has also been known to lighten acne scars, it's also blamed for the increase of blackheads on sensitive skin.

3. Apply a mask several times a week created with plain yogurt and a few drops of fresh lemon juice. If you only need limited pimple scar removal, simply dab the yogurt mask onto affected areas. Let the natural acne scar treatment sit for fifteen minutes, then rinse it off with warm water and a soft cloth.

4. Increase your intake of antioxidant or vitamin-E rich foods like leafy green vegetables, almonds and pecans, fresh berries, apples, cooked artichokes and pinto and kidney beans that help protect your skin and promote a more even skin tone. Try to avoid foods with refined sugar that can increase skin inflammation.

How to Follow the Flat Belly Diet

The Flat Belly Diet is an extremely popular diet plan based on calorie counting and the strategic addition of monounsaturated fats to meals. Devised by experts at Prevention, the Flat Belly Diet was inspired by findings that the consumption of monounsaturated fats, commonly called MUFAs, causes the liver to more efficiently excrete fats, LDL cholesterol and other toxins from the body so that they do not form fat clusters around the mid section, which is what happens when there is no MUFA present at meal time. Read on to learn the sources of these "good fats" and how to put them to work to reduce the fat around your belly.

Drink 2 liters of "sassy water" per day for 4 days. This is the jump start phase of the Flat Belly Diet. To make "sassy water," add 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger, 1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced, 1 medium sliced lemon and 12 small spearmint leaves to 2 liters of water. Serve cold. While enjoying the "sassy water" and eliminating excess water from your body, familiarize yourself with the monounsaturated fatty acid sources and plan some menus.

Identify the monounsaturated fat (MUFA) sources. They are avocados, olives, dark or semi sweet chocolate and specific kinds of nuts (almonds, almond butter, Brazil nuts, cashew butter, chunky natural peanut butter, dry roasted cashews, dry roasted peanuts, dry roasted sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, roasted pumpkin seeds, smooth natural peanut butter, sunflower seeds, sunflower seed butter, tahini and walnuts) and oils (sesame oil, peanut oil, canola oil, olive oil, walnut oil, pesto sauce, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil and flaxseed oil).

Know the proper serving size for each MUFA. Avocado = 1/4 cupOlives = 10Chocolate = 1/4 cupNuts = 2 tbsp.Oil = 1 tbsp.

Learn how to use each MUFA. Avocados can be sliced and easily added to salads and sandwiches, or smashed with lime and served with chips. Olives can be eaten right out of the jar for an easy MUFA fix. Chocolate may be enjoyed in chips, chunks or shavings. Toss some chips in your oatmeal or put some shavings over your fruit. Nuts can be tossed in salads, baked in bread or snacked on out of the bag. Oils are used in cooking, stir frying and pesto sauce. If you make fruit or protein shakes, add olive oil to it for a simple addition.

Eat 4 meals per day of 400 calories each and add a serving of your choice of MUFA to each meal.

Flat Belly Diet Menu Plan

The Flat Belly Diet promotes weight loss of up to 15 pounds within 32 days revealing a flat belly, with zero sit-ups required, using a Mediterranean-style diet focused on unrefined, whole foods. The key ingredient of the Flat Belly Diet is the inclusion of monounsaturated fats, or MUFAs, with each meal, which purportedly targets fat around the belly.

The Basics
The diet's creators claim that, by limiting the caloric intake to roughly 1,600 calories a day, split between four meals spaced four hours apart and the inclusion of a MUFA at every meal, belly fat will melt away. Each meal is limited to 400 calories maximum, but the macronutrient breakdown does not have to conform to a strict ratio and can fluctuate with each meal. The allowed foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, lean protein and red meat is allowed once a month. The Flat Belly Diet was developed by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass, editor-in-chief and nutrition director, respectively, of Prevention Magazine. Prevention Magazine is a healthy lifestyle magazine covering health, nutrition, style and cooking. According to the authors of the plan, research has shown that monounsaturated fats directly target the fat around your midsection as well as control your satiety, making it easier to stick to the plan without being left with a feeling of hunger.

MUFAs
There are five different categories of MUFAs: oils, nuts and seeds, avocado, olives and chocolate. Oils include canola oil, flaxseed, peanut, sesame and soybean and can be used to cook with, as a dressing, marinade or even pasta sauce. Nuts and seeds include almonds, natural peanut butter, dry-roasted cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and sunflowers seeds. These nuts and seeds are perfect for a snack. Avocados can be sliced and served with any meal or added to salsa. Olives are also perfect for snacking but can top salads and pastas. Chocolate can be dark or semisweet chocolate and is the perfect way to treat yourself at the end of the day. The MUFAs per meal are limited to one serving size, according to their respective nutrition labels.

Sample Meal Plan
The following is a daily sample of the Flat Belly Diet menu plan with approved recipes provided by the authors of the plan:

Breakfast Vanilla Fruit-and-Nut Parfait Mix 1 1/2 c whole grain puffed cereal with 6 oz fat-free vanilla yogurt, 1 c blueberries, and 2 Tbsp almonds.

Lunch Mediterranean Sandwich Spread 2 slices sesame-sprouted whole wheat bread with 2 tbsp black olive tapenade; fill with 2 oz deli turkey, 1/4 cup sliced red onion, 1/2 sliced fresh plum tomato, and 3 large romaine lettuce leaves. Serve with 1/2 cup sliced banana

Dinner Salmon Steak Amandine Serve 4 oz grilled wild Alaskan salmon with 1 1/2 cup steamed green beans dressed with freshly ground black pepper and 2 tbsp. sliced almonds.

Snack Chocolate-Strawberry Smoothie Blend 1/2 c fat-free or soy milk, 6 oz fat-free vanilla yogurt, and 1 cup frozen strawberries for 1 minute. Transfer to glass, stir in 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, and eat with a spoon.

The Flat Belly Diet allows you to be flexible with the foods you eat on a daily basis so that you don’t become burnt out on eating the same bland foods day-in and day-out. They is to maintain the 400 calorie limit per meal and include one MUFA.

Warnings
According to an ABC News report profiling the actual effectiveness of trendy diets, the Flat Belly Diet is overall a fairly healthy diet plan and the strict limit on calories will certainly prevent weight loss. As far as the weight coming strictly off the midsection due to the inclusion of monounsaturated fats, ABC News reports that there is nothing in scientific literature that substantiates these claims, but initial weight loss in general tends to start at the midsection.

As always, before you start a new diet and exercise routine, it is important to consult with your physician to ensure your body this change. Fad diets such as this tend to take a toll on the body, especially within the first couple of weeks.

Supplements for Muscle Growth

Many people regularly do strength-resistance exercise such as a weight lifting or a home-gym machine program, or simple push-ups and pull-ups. If the results of these workouts are unsatisfactory, attention turns to supplements for muscle growth. There is a vast array of muscle-supplement products that are used to promote muscle growth on the market; they're sold in stores and sometimes on the black market. Here, we'll examine several of the most popular of these and explore how they work, what to expect and potential concerns when using each.

Protein Supplements
Proteins are the building blocks of muscles, and it's no surprise that even large chain retailers are now carrying various forms of protein supplements. According to a scientific study in Sports Medicine, protein is very beneficial to muscle growth, but timing is a major factor influencing protein's effectiveness.

According to the Sports Medicine study results, ingesting protein--usually in the form of a shake or beverage--should be done both before and after exercise for maximum muscle growth. Carbohydrates should be included as well, so the body has something to burn while using protein to enhance muscle gains.

Creatine
Creatine monohydrate (usually referred to as creatine) is the most popular supplement used for muscle growth among athletes, says the Mayo Clinic. This supplement is also widely available, although a bit on the pricey side.

Creatine works by increasing the release of a compound in the body called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This chemical stores and transports energy to the muscles, and is mainly useful in resistance strength training such as weight lifting where quick bursts of activity are needed, helping to maximize workout muscle gains, while at the same time delaying muscle fatigue.

Stimulants
Commonly used to boost endurance and energy for muscle gains, stimulants are widely available over-the-counter. Nearly every supplement mixture available without prescription that claims to burn fat and promote muscle growth in a pill form contains a very common stimulant on the ingredient list--caffeine--and usually in large amounts.

While caffeine, as a stimulant, may promote increased mental alertness and hence promote physical activity resulting in muscle growth, it is also a diuretic. Diuretics are substances that drain the body of water, and using one for muscle growth poses risks such as fatigue and dehydration.

Hormone Supplements
Hormone supplements boost testosterone levels to enhance protein synthesis--the ability of muscles to use protein to grow. Two of these supplements have garnered substantial media attention.

Androstenedione, or "andro," is one of these. It is a hormone produced naturally from the adrenal gland, and often used as a supplement to help promote muscle growth. Human growth hormone, or HGH, is another type of hormone supplement, listed by the Mayo Clinic as having the ability to promote muscle growth, as well as possessing potential antiaging capabilities.

These supplements are banned for use in professional sports in the United States--most notably in baseball, where their use has been heavily reported on. Although they do work, hormone supplements are illegal to possess in the U.S. without a prescription, and can have dangerous side effects.

Considerations
The four types of supplements for muscle growth discussed here are only a sampling of what's available. Some have proved to be healthy and effective in growing muscle, others risky and potentially detrimental to health.

If you're looking to find the right supplement for muscle gain, your best bet is to discuss the matter with your doctor. Your doctor will know your medical history, what medications you're currently taking (if any), and can make an educated determination on what the best supplement in terms of muscle growth is for you.

The Best Natural Acne Treatment

Even though acne can be difficult to treat, there is a simpler way than browsing aisles and aisles of creams and cleansers at the supermarket. In fact, many of the best acne treatments can be found in your home, tucked away in the kitchen cabinets. Some treatments have been known to be effective for decades.

Oatmeal Mask
Making an oatmeal mask is one natural way to address acne outbreaks. All you need to do is cook one serving of oatmeal and let it cool until tepid. Then apply it to your face. The oatmeal should dry somewhat and feel tight on the skin. Rinse off after 30 minutes. With mild exfoliating action and oil-absorption properties, oatmeal is a logical choice for acne treatment.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is another natural home remedy for acne that just plain works. It targets and kills acne bacteria and helps to reduce redness and inflammation. It's important to dilute it, however, as full-strength vinegar may cause irritation. Mix together 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 4 tablespoons of water and dab on your face with a cotton ball. Rinse with cold water after 10 minutes.

Egg Mask
It's not the most pleasant sensation to put egg whites on your skin, but it's extremely effective in killing acne bacteria because it absorbs oil and cleans the pores. To make the mask, just separate the egg white from the yolk and apply the whites to your face. Leave the mixture on until it dries, and then rinse with warm water. You may want to do this up to three nights in a row.

Essential Oils
Essential oils are all natural and work wonders in killing acne bacteria. If you don't have any on hand, pick up either lavender oil or tea tree oil, both of which are effective in absorbing excess oil and tightening the pores.

Almond Oil
You'll likely have almond oil in your kitchen cabinet if you do any baking. Just dab a bit of the oil onto your blemishes and then rinse after 10 minutes. These essential oils absorb excess oil and help dead skin cells slough off faster, leading to clearer, smoother skin.

Alcohol Eats Away at Muscle Mass

If increasing muscle mass is one of your goals, then think twice before you go out for a night of heavy drinking. Consuming alcohol in large quantities has a direct effect on your metabolism, causing fat to be stored instead of being utilized as an energy source. Alcohol contains seven “empty” calories per gram, meaning that these calories don’t provide you with any of the essential nutrients you need to build that muscle mass you desire.

Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Your Body
Muscles—Reduces blood flow to the muscles, causing weakness and deterioration
Hormones—Reduces testosterone in your blood and increases conversion of testosterone to estrogen, causing increased fat depositing and fluid retention
Liver—Creates imbalances that can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), fatty liver and hyperlipidemia (build-up of fats in the bloodstream)
Brain—Cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain, resulting in a “blackout” caused by a lack of oxygen supply to the brain that can kill tens of thousands of brain cells

Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Physical Performance
Alcohol is a known depressant that suppresses the brain’s ability to function. Even though you may feel a “high” after several cocktails, the truth is that your reaction time, accuracy, balance, hand-eye coordination and endurance all decrease dramatically. Furthermore, the after-effects of a night of excessive drinking can be detrimental to your fitness goals. Alcohol is a diuretic that may result in dehydration. This dehydration is known to decrease physical performance, so that previous night of drinking will continue to affect you the following day.

Alcohol and Sleep
Alcohol consumption can cause sleep disorders by disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep states and by altering total sleep time and the time required to fall asleep. It is popularly believed that a drink before bedtime can help a person fall asleep. However, alcohol’s affect on sleep patterns results in increased fatigue and physical stress to the body. Therefore, alcohol consumption indirectly affects a person’s strength-training ability due to increased fatigue and a lack of healthy reparative sleep.

Alcohol and Nutrition
Alcohol inhibits the breakdown of nutrients into usable substances by decreasing the secretion of digestive enzymes from the pancreas. Regular alcohol consumption also impairs nutrient absorption by damaging the cells lining the stomach and intestines and disabling transport of some nutrients into the blood. In addition, nutritional deficiencies themselves may lead to further absorption problems. For example, folate deficiency alters the cells lining the small intestine, which in turn impairs the absorption of water and nutrients, including glucose, sodium and additional folate. Such interference of nutrient breakdown and absorption may impair the physical performance and recovery required to build and maintain muscle mass.

Putting on the Pounds
Many people under the influence experience “drunk munchies” that can result in the consumption of several hundred extra calories for the day. A study examining how alcohol affects caloric intake found that subjects who drank wine with their lunch consumed an additional 200 calories and did not compensate for those calories by cutting back at dinner.

Safe in Moderation
Now that you know some of the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption, you might be scared to have that glass of wine with dinner. Don’t be. When alcohol is consumed in moderation (no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men), it has been shown to have some positive effects:

• Increased HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) within one to two weeks
• Reduced stress levels
• Reduced insulin resistance

The Take-home Message
In conclusion, if you want to increase muscle mass, decrease fat or improve general health, make sure alcohol is only consumed in moderation. Next time you are asked to go out socially, be the designated driver. Not only will your friends appreciate it and be much safer, but you will be one step closer to your fitness goals.

Calories Add Up Fast

• 12 ounces of beer = ~150 calories
• 5 ounces of wine = ~100 calories
• 1.5-ounces of distilled spirits = ~100 calories

The Worst Foods To Eat After A Workout

Nutrition is powerful. Depending on timing, amounts of food and combinations of macronutrients, nutrition can either amplify your efforts in the gym or detract from them. Who wouldn’t want to make the most of their food choices to achieve health and fitness goals?

While there’s no doubt that your client’s overall healthy eating plan is essential to the exciting results they expect to see, pre- and post- workout nutrition can further boost those efforts. Adequate hydration, a meal of carbohydrates with some protein and fat in the hours before and immediately after a workout are all common recommendations for sustained energy and increased efforts. These exact recommendations may vary to some extent and should be personalized for each client with the help of a registered dietitian. However, that’s not all clients need to know to properly fuel and refuel for training sessions.

For clients just learning about nutrition’s role in an effective training program, it’s important to outline both the foods to eat and the foods to skip. This total picture helps clients now and sets them up for long-term success. Deliver the results your clients demand. While still staying within your scope of practice, you can help clients avoid choices like these after a workout:

LOW-CARBOHYDRATE MEALS
Post-workout, one of your client’s biggest goals should be fueling for the next workout. This means replacing stores of glycogen that can be used for energy in training sessions to come. This is where high-quality carbohydrates are a must. Whole-grain breads, crackers and pasta as well as fruits are rich in carbohydrates that are converted by the body into glycogen and stored in the muscles for future energy. Urge clients to avoid simple carbohydrates such as high-sugar foods, such as high-sugar protein bars, refined bread products and candy, which can cause blood sugar to spike and crash with few to no nutritional benefits.

CALORIE BOMBS
After a strenuous workout, your clients may be tempted to indulge in a higher-calorie meal. This may especially be the case if they’ve heard of the “afterburn effect” or post-exercise oxygen consumption, in which the body may continue to burn calories after exercise depending on duration, intensity and a variety of other factors. Not only can excess calorie consumption after a workout erase these possible gains in the short term, it can also set up your clients for unhealthy diet and exercise habits in the future.

HIGH-FAT FOLLY
As with high-calorie meals, many clients often see post-workout as an optimal time to splurge on a higher-fat meal. What they may not realize is the effect that fat has on carbohydrate digestion and, therefore, the replenishment of the all-important glycogen stores. Research indicates that higher amounts of fat actually slow digestion and the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose and glycogen. Less glycogen being replaced post-workout means there will be less available for the next training session.

LONE VEGGIES
This is the only time you may hear health professionals and dietitians suggest skipping vegetables. It’s not because they aren’t low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods that have been shown to help with everything from cancer prevention to a healthy heart and toned body. It is because they lack the basic macro nutritional necessities of a post-workout meal: moderate-to-high carbs with some fat and protein. Urge clients to wait a few hours after a workout to go crazy with the vegetables to load up on hunger-curbing fiber and nutrients. Immediately post-workout, clients should stick to something that will effectively fuel energy stores.

Help clients harness the power of nutrition before workouts, after workouts and throughout their day with an effective meal plan. Leave foods like the ones just mentioned for other times of the day or the occasional splurge.

5 Benefits Of Dumbbell Training

Most health clubs and gyms offer rows of cardio equipment, aisles of weight-training machines, stacks of free weights and specific stretch areas to help members pursue their individual goals. When it comes to fitness equipment, there is no one “best” piece of equipment. Different types of equipment are purposefully designed to achieve specific fitness outcomes.

For those with goals related to strength training, there are countless options for increasing lean muscle or adding strength. Choices include the traditional weight machines, barbells or dumbbells, as well as a wide variety of specialized equipment such as kettlebells, medicine balls, sandbags and even oversized tires. Some forms of resistance training equipment, such as barbells, are more effective for developing max strength, while weight-training machines can help increase muscle definition and lighter forms of resistance such as medicine balls and kettlebells can be useful for improving movement-specific power output. Dumbbells are often used for joint-isolation exercises such as biceps curls, chest flyes or shoulder raises. Using dumbbells for full-body, multiplanar movements, however, can provide a variety of different strength outcomes. It also offers many benefits for cardiorespiratory fitness and flexibility. To help you select the best equipment for your needs, here are five benefits of using dumbbells:

1. Dumbbells can provide the two types of overload that lead to muscle growth: mechanic and metabolic. Mechanic overload is the result of damaged caused by muscle contractions, which stimulates the repair process and leads to an increase in muscle size. Metabolic overload occurs when a muscle is worked to fatigue, which leads to the adaptation of muscle cells being able to store more glycogen which can cause muscles to increase in size. Heavy dumbbells can generate mechanical overload, while moderate-weight dumbbells combined with high reps (to fatigue) can produce metabolic overload.

2. Dumbbell exercises can create both inter- and intramuscular coordination, leading to greater levels of muscle activation. Intermuscular coordination is the ability of a number of different muscles to work together to produce and stabilize joint motion. Intramuscular coordination is the amount of muscle motor units and their attached muscle fibers that are activated within a specific muscle. Using lighter dumbbells for compound, multijoint or multiplanar movement patterns improves coordination between different body segments. Using heavier dumbbells can increase the number of muscle fibers activated within a specific muscle.

3. Dumbbells can benefit both the contractile element and elastic component of muscle tissue. The contractile element is the specific actin-myosin muscle proteins responsible for sliding across one another to create concentric shortening actions or control eccentric lengthening. The elastic component is the fascia and connective tissue that attaches each individual muscle fiber and groups of fibers to one another. The elastic component stores mechanic energy as it is lengthened, which is then released during a rapid muscle-shortening action. Traditional exercises with heavy dumbbells can increase the force production capacity of the contractile element, while multiplanar movement patterns with light dumbbells can enhance the resiliency and strength of the elastic component.

4. Dumbbells can be used for a variety of exercises. Machines allow one motion in one specific movement pattern to place load on one muscle or muscle group. Due to their length, standard barbells are best used for compound movements in one specific plane of motion. Due to their size and the fact they can be held in each hand, dumbbells can be used to create a variety of different movement patterns to develop task- or movement-specific strength.

5. Dumbbells allow the user to focus on one arm or leg at a time, which is one way to initiate strength gains by using a heavy overload. A single dumbbell can be used for exercises such as a one-arm overhead press or a split-leg goblet squat to create overload in one limb at a time.

If these benefits sound like what you’re looking for in your fitness program, but you’re not sure what exercises to do, here is a dumbbell workout to help you get started:

Dumbbell Goblet Reverse Crossover Lunge

• Hold dumbbell vertically in front of your chest.
• Sink back into the hips and step the left leg behind your right leg and sink into your right hip while keeping the spine tall. 
• To return to standing, press your right foot into the ground as you swing your left leg to the left.
• Alternate sides for 8 to 10 reps; complete 3 sets, resting rest 45 seconds between each set. 

Dumbbell Rotational Press

• Stand and hold a dumbbell at each should wither palms facing each other.
• Rotate to the right and fully extend your left arm. Pull your arm back down, rotate to the left and extend your right arm.
• Alternate sides for 8 to 10 reps; complete 3 sets, resting rest 45 seconds between each set. 

Dumbbell Alternating Bent-over Rows With Rotation

• Hinge forward at the hips with knees slightly bent and the spine straight.
• Hold dumbbells in your hands with the palms facing each other.
• Pull your right hand toward your rib cage as you rotate to the right. Lower your hand and rotate to the other side.
• Alternate sides for 8 to 10 reps; complete 3 sets, resting rest 45 seconds between each set. 

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge With Forward Bend to Overhead Press

• Step back with your right foot as you sink into your left hip.
• Bend forward and reach for your left foot with both hands (if you sink into your hip first it is okay to allow your spine to round).
• Press your left foot into the floor and swing your right leg forward to return to standing. As you reach standing, push both arms overhead into a press.
• Alternate sides for 8 to 10 reps (4 to 5 each leg); complete 3 sets, resting rest 45 seconds between each set. 

Pullover to Trunk Curl

• Lie supine on ground with feet on the floor and knees bent and pointed toward the ceiling.
• Hold both arms straight up with palms facing each other. Lower both arms overhead to the floor.
• Pull your arms back over your chest. As your hands reach over your chest with extended arms, curl up your trunk.
• Lower your torso to the floor and repeat.
• Perform 10 to 12 reps; complete 2 to 3 sets, resting rest 45 seconds between each set. 

Dumbell Hip Thrusters

• Lie supine on the floor with feet flat on and the knees pointed up.
• Rest two dumbbells on your hips with palms facing each other.
• Push your feet into the floor and lift your hips up to the ceiling.
• Pause at the top and then lower slowly. Aim for 1 to 2 seconds for the lift, 2 seconds for the hold, and 4 seconds to lower back down.
• Perform 10 to 12 reps; complete 2 to 3 sets, resting rest 45 seconds between each set.

How to Remove Very Deep Blackheads

Blackheads are oil, dirt and sebum that get trapped in pores and then harden. They most often occur on the nose, chin and forehead.

Washing your face daily in the morning and evening before bed can help prevent blackheads from forming. And dermatologists can perform chemical peels to help treat blackheads as well as other similar acne problems.

However, since most health insurance plans will not cover professional treatment of blackheads, try this simple home remedy.

Things You'll Need

• Exfoliating facial cleanser
• Large pot or teapot
• Water
• Stove
• Small bowl
• Towel
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon mineral water

Using a large pot or teapot, boil water until the water reaches a rolling boil.

While the water is boiling, wash your face with an exfoliating facial cleanser.

Scrub in circular motions, paying particular attention to the area where you see blackheads to remove the dead skin that keeps the blackheads trapped in your pores.

Remove the pot from the burner, and put your face close to the steam. If you used a teapot, carefully pour the hot water into a deep pot or bowl.

Taking care not to burn yourself, place the towel over your head from the back to keep the steam on your face.

The steam will help to loosen the blackheads and make them easier to remove. Stay in the steam for 10 minutes.

Mix 4 teaspoons baking soda with 1 tablespoon mineral water together in a small bowl to form a paste.

Apply the paste to your entire face and let sit for 10 minutes.

The baking soda will help draw impurities out of the skin, including the dirt and debris from blackheads. Rinse well with warm water to remove the paste.

How to Burn Fat in the Midsection

It's a common misconception that belly fat is the hardest to get rid of, especially in menopausal women. Many women believe that in order to burn belly fat, they have to lose weight with diet pills. But it's very easy to get rid of belly fat whether you've gained weight due to pregnancy, menopause or overindulgence. The key is to incorporate a total body workout along with a fat-burning diet. Your diet plays a key role in whether you burn belly fat. If you eat the wrong foods, you will continue to have stubborn belly fat.

Things You'll Need
Grocery list

Go grocery shopping once a week (on a weekend when you're not hungry, because you're more likely to make poor food choices if you shop during hunger). Have a grocery list when you go. Your list should contain the following items: honey flavored, fat-free Greek yogurt; fresh organic baby spinach; lettuce; tomatoes; onions; low-fat dressing (your favorite kind); canned salmon; Egg Beaters; Pam cooking spray; 1percent milk; low-fat cheese; fresh-cut pineapple; raspberries; blueberries; apples; oranges; strawberries; legumes; low-fat, sodium-free soups; a case of spring water; and lean ground turkey.

Curb your carbohydrate intake and drink water. If you notice, carbs--the bad carbs--are not on your shopping list. The quickest way to burn fat in the midsection is to remove simple carbs like bread and sugar from the diet and replace those with complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates keep you full longer. By being full longer, you won't crash and burn and start the binge cycle as you would if you were eating simple carbs. You'll also need to increase your water intake. Drink 8 to 12 glasses of water a day. Drink 2 glasses of water before you sit down and eat each meal. This will fill you up and make you less prone to overeat.

Use the StairMaster or treadmill. Any sustained aerobic exercise (20 minutes or longer) will burn fat. So it doesn't matter if you use a treadmill or a StairMaster; you're still going to burn fat. In order to burn fat in the midsection, you have to burn fat overall. It's anatomically impossible to lose weight only in one area of the body. However, once you begin losing weight all around through low-fat diet and aerobics, you can then specifically target the areas you want to tone. In this instance, we'll focus on the midsection.

Do core exercises. The core of the body is considered to be the mid section, back, chest and pelvis. Focusing on the entire core section will help to tone and define your midsection as you keep your body strong and in alignment. Consult a personal trainer or join an core class at your local gym.

How to Speed Up Your Weight Loss Naturally with 7 Simple Tips

Do you want to speed up your weight loss naturally? Do you want to speed up your weight loss without a fad diet or nutritional supplement? Do you want to speed up your weight loss Now? Follow these 7 simple tips and you will speed up and increase your weight loss.

Drink Plenty of Water.
The top weight loss tip is to drink more water. Drink at least 8 to 10 8 oz glasses of water daily. If you are physically active you may need more. Water speed up your metabolism which burns calories. Water also helps flush waste out of our system and helps us to digest our food to get the most nutrition out of the food we eat. If we drink water between meals it also makes us full so it helps avoid temptation. Drink Plenty of Water.

Eliminate Soda.
Soda is full of sugar or artificial sweeteners that have no nutritional value. Soda, diet soda and all commercially processed drinks are full of sweeteners or preservatives that help us gain weight. The suitable alternatives are water and natural tea. Choose Green Tea, Oolong Tea, Pu-er Tea or any tea. Tea has no calories or preservatives. Limit the amount of sugar you add.

Eat More Vegetables.
Fresh Vegetables add many vitamins, minerals and nutrients without adding many calories. Try the half plate method. Fill at least half of your plate with vegetables. The balance of the plate should be low fat protein and a carbohydrate like rice, pasta or potato. Ideally you want to eat 60 to 70% of your diet as fruit and vegetables. So if at least half of your lunch and dinner plate is vegetables we are getting there. Additionally, you can choose beans over meat sometimes. If you choose meat, choose lean meat. For your carbohydrates choose whole grains for rice, pasta, or breads.

Watch Your Condiments.
Sugar of course is the number one thing we consume to gain weight. Limit it or eliminate it. Choose Truvia or other calorie free sweeteners. Choose mustard over mayonnaise. Choose oil or vinegar based dressings verses the creamy salad dressings. Limit the amount of dressings you add to you salads.

Eat Healthy Snacks.
Instead of eating bakery snacks or chocolate and candy snacks choose fruit, vegetables and nuts. Not only are they healthier for you but they will help you to lose weight. To do this you must be prepared. Have the snacks available at home and at work. When you shop avoid the cookies, cakes and candy sections and purchase healthy fruit and vegetables and nuts.

Be Accountable.
Two are always better than one. When one is week the other is strong. Choose a weight loss buddy to encourage you and some one you can be accountable to. It is good if they are also living a healthy lifestyle so you are on your weight loss journey together.

Move.
We live sedentary lifestyles. most people only get exercise when they establish an exercise program. To speed up your weight loss we need to consciously move. Walk when we can. instead of calling someone in the office walk to their desk. Instead of shouting to your spouse or kids walk to them. Be aware of your movements and increase your daily activity as much as possible.

One pound equals 3500 calories. If we are diligent in following these 7 tips and can reduce our calories by an additional one pound a week we will speed up our weight loss. These tips are not the weight loss program they are additional tips to help speed up our weight loss.

The Best Weight Loss Secrets

Obesity is a growing problem in America. It has become the number one health concern, prompting even the government to get involved with trying to help Americans lose weight. Losing weight is not easy and most only discover this after they have gained a significant amount of weight. Fad diets are not the answer, but there are some tried and true weight loss secrets that work.

More Fiber and More Water
Fiber can be a dieter's best friend. You can find fiber in many foods, including in raw vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower. Eat a salad before or with each meal for a boost of fiber that will help you feel fuller before you begin your meal. Another option is a fiber supplement with a big glass of water about 20 minutes before your meals. This is a double-whammy for good health, as you need the extra water intake to lose weight. Fiber expands in your stomach and makes you feel fuller faster, which helps you to eat less, and be satisfied with the smaller amounts you will be eating.

You will also go to the bathroom more, which is good for intestinal health. The rule of six to eight glasses of water a day is helpful for people trying to lose weight. The water will help you feel more satisfied despite the smaller size of the meals you will be eating. You may be surprised to learn that sometimes a glass of water is what you needed, rather than a snack. Dehydration can sometimes be misinterpreted as hunger.

Eat Less and More Often
Eating three meals a day will not work for weight loss. You need to eat more often and keep portion control in mind. Ideally, you should try to eat every two hours. Keep nutrition and energy in mind with these mini-meals. A handful of almonds mixed with cranberries is an excellent snack, as is a cheese stick with four whole-wheat crackers. Eating these kinds of foods often ramps up your metabolism as your body always has food to burn in the digestive tract and if you eat a healthy mix of carbs and protein, you'll have energy, too. A good guide is to eat no meal larger than the size of the palm of your hand. Don't forget to always precede your meals with a big glass of water.

Burn the Calories
The simplest math of weight loss is you must burn more than you take in. If you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. If you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight. The average human body burns around 1,500 calories a day just existing, so it is good sense to aim for less than this total on a daily basis. One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, so that should give you an idea of just how hard it will be to take those pounds off.

This is why exercise is so important to weight loss. It is essential to find exercise you enjoy and move your body. Whether this means making housework a busy practice that makes you sweat or attending an aerobics class several times a week, find a way to get your body moving and burning those calories. Cardio exercise (exercise that gets your pulse rate up) is the best exercise for weight loss, so aim for activities that raise your heart rate and make you sweat. You need to exercise at least three to five times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes. Biking, swimming, jogging, power-walking, stair climbing and a host of other exercises are great cardio workouts.

Always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program--you want to make sure you stay safe.

Exercise Routines for Boys

Exercise is a key ingredient to help children maintain a healthy body. An active lifestyle for boys promotes a faster metabolism, improves sleeping habits, and ensures proper growth and muscle mass. One of the key elements to include in exercise routines for boys is to make the exercises fun. Here are some exercise routines for boys.

Stretching and Warming Up
Make sure to stretch for 5 to 10 minutes prior to starting a workout. Stretching helps with flexibility and helps loosen young muscles before beginning an exercise routine. Start with simple toe touches and hold the stretch for 15 seconds. Sit on the floor, spread your legs and extend the left arm to the left toe. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds. Alternate to the right side. Tuck the right leg inside, and with the left leg still extended, stretch your arm to your left toe. Hold for 15 seconds. Tuck your left leg and extend with your right arm out to your right toe. Hold the stretch 15 seconds. Put your feet together, and reach out to touch your toes with both arms. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds. It's important to remember not to bounce when stretching. Now that you've stretched your muscles really well, you can begin a short cardiovascular routine.

Cardiovascular Routines
Boys ages 7 to 14 can complete an exercise routine anywhere from 2 to 4 days a week. The younger the boy, the shorter the exercise routine should be. The exercise routine can increase in duration and frequency with increased exercise tolerance and age. Start with 25 jumping jacks. Again, you can have your child do more or less based on age and fitness level. Jumping jacks get the blood flowing and work lower and upper muscles. Arm circles are great for building natural muscle in the arms. If possible include jogging and short sprints. Sprinting in particular helps boys build up fast twitch muscle in the legs. Swimming is another good cardiovascular exercise for boys. Swimming works leg, arm and abdomen muscles.

Resistance Training for Boys
Avoid weight training routines for boys until age 14 or older. There are plenty of strength-building exercises for boys that can be included in the routine that build muscle without using free weights. Remember boys are still growing. You don't want to put the stress of heavy weight training on a growing frame. With that in mind, push-ups and chin-ups are a great way to increase muscle in boys. As tolerance increases, you can increase the repetitions and number of sets. With push-ups, you can challenge boys by having them do diamond push-ups, wide-arm push-ups and standard push-ups. Start with standard push-ups, but as boys progress in age and strength, challenge them with the above variations. Sit-ups are great for building stomach muscles. Leg lifts, squats and leg extensions can be added to exercise routines for boys. Remember that boys should take a day or two off in between exercise routines to allow growing muscles to recover.

Acne Scarring Remedy

Acne can cause unsightly scarring, which can lead to a lowered self-esteem and negative self-image. This can effect one's outlook on life, ability to find a quality job, and ability to attract a mate. Luckily, there is a simple, natural remedy that can help. Using baking soda on the skin can lighten acne scarring, and it can reduce the chances of being afflicted with long-term scars.

Exfoliant Scrub
Mix 2 tablespoons with a drizzle of water until you create a consistency similar to toothpaste. Massage the baking soda paste into your freshly washed skin, and rinse with clear water.

Alkalizing Toner
Fill a bowl with warm water and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. After washing the face, splash the skin with the baking soda water. Dry the face with a soft towel.

Mask Treatment
Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of dry French clay mask. Add a drizzle of water until the mask is a muddy consistency. Apply to freshly washed skin, and let it dry completely. Rinse with water.

Baking Soda Compresses
Fill a bowl with water and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Soak cotton pads with the baking soda water, and apply to the face. Leave the pads on the face for at least 5 minutes.

Spot Treatment
Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with enough Calamine lotion to form a loose paste. Soak a cotton swab in the paste, and apply the mixture directly to the acne scars. Leave on overnight.

10 Tips to Losing Weight Fast

Losing weight is a goal for many people in the United States. New Year's resolutions often consist of weight-loss goals, and losing weight is often a topic of conversation, typically among women. Losing weight should be done safely, but there are a few ways to lose a reasonable amount of weight fast.

Drinking Water
According to the Mayo Clinic, drink at least 8 glasses of water or other fluids a day. However, many fluids are high in calories, such as milk, juice and soda; these will hinder weight loss when consumed in large amounts. Drinking enough water will help reduce water retention, because the body will retain fluids when it doesn't get the fluids it needs.

Calories & Fats
Burning more calories than consumed is a method of losing weight that works for many people. Also, foods that are high in fat are usually high in calories, according to an article on familydoctor.org, so it is a good idea to stay away from high-fat foods when trying to lose weight.

Don't Skip Meals
While it is important to cut calories when trying to lose weight, it is also essential to not starve your body. Eating frequent small meals throughout the day will help keep your body out of starvation mode. When the body goes into starvation mode, it has a tendency to experience weight regain. On netwellness.org, Dr. Shirley Kindrick points out that the goal should be to eat between 4 and 6 small meals a day to avoid starvation.

Reduce Sodium
Reducing sodium intake to lose weight is similar to drinking more water. Sodium causes water retention, which will cause pounds to stay on the body. To stay away from high sodium foods, stay away from many of the convenience foods, since they are often full of sodium.

Increase Fiber
Many high-fiber foods such as oatmeal, fruits and vegetables are not only full of fiber and other nutrients, but they also are filling. Filling up on these foods will decrease the chance of snacking on less healthy foods. Fiber is also known to aid in digestion.

Eat Breakfast
Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day. Eat a well-balanced breakfast shortly after waking up. According to the Mayo Clinic, eating breakfast reduces hunger later in the day. Also, skipping breakfast can increase the body's insulin response, which increases fat storage and weight gain.

Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour a few days a week is helpful. Burning more calories than you consume will most likely be one of the most effective ways to lose weight. Also, exercising regularly will increase your metabolism, which can aid in burning more calories even after you have finished exercising.

Get Plenty of Sleep
The amount of sleep you get at night can affect weight loss or gain. Not getting enough sleep can lead to overeating, because the body is looking for energy. According to the Mayo Clinic, people need an average of seven to eight hours of sleep at night.

Moderate Weightlifting
Even when the goal isn't to bulk up and gain more muscle mass, lifting moderate weights a few times a week is helpful in losing weight. According to thedietchannel.com, the more muscle the body has, the more fat is burned, because muscle is an active tissue, while fat is not.

Reasonable Goal
Weight-loss goals should be reasonable. When made reasonably, goals are often met. Short-term weight-loss goals should not be set too high, because that could lead to unhealthy results. Focus on better diet and exercise goals, and the weight will come off at a healthy pace.

Strength Training for Pear-Shaped Body Types

According to MayoClinic.com, pears -- those who carry extra weight around the hips and thighs -- are less likely to develop diabetes, heart disease or other metabolic disorders than apples, who carry extra weight around the waist. While that's good news, it won't change your jean size or how you look at the beach. To some extent, your body type is your body type, and it's better to just learn to love it. However, tightening muscles in your lower body while building your upper body can make you appear more balanced.

Upper-Body Workout
Pears aren't just big on the bottom; they're narrow on top. Exercises such as flyes, pushups and bench presses build the pectoralis major muscles in your chest and the anterior, or front, deltoids in your shoulders. To make your shoulders appear broader, also work your lateral deltoids with overhead presses or lateral raises. Keep in mind that working these muscles without equally working your posterior, or back, deltoids will cause your shoulders to round, which defeats the purpose. Counter this with reverse flyes or bent-over rows with your elbows out and make sure to stretch your pecs tight by lifting your straight arms out to the side and pressing them back.

Hip Abduction
Sometimes called "outer -thigh" exercises, hip abductions actually work higher gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles that can give your hips a tighter appearance. These exercises will place resistance on your outer-leg area by pressing or lifting your leg away from your body. You can do this with abduction machines at your gym, a cable machine with the pulley set low. You can also lie on your side, using only your body weight or adding resistance with a band or dumbbell placed against your outer thigh. To counterbalance abductions, you must also do adductions, which means squeezing your legs together against resistance.

Buttocks and Thighs
You can save time by working your thighs and the rear end of your pear body -- the gluteus maximus -- at the same time. Leg presses, squats and lunges all work the quadriceps at the front of your thighs, the hamstrings at the back and your gluteus maximus. You can also work these muscles separately with leg extensions for your quads, leg curls for your hamstrings and simple butt squeezes. For an added challenge, try a back-lying hip extension. This is a combination of lifting into a bridge position while simultaneously lifting one straight leg until it is approximately parallel to the opposite thigh. This exercise provides the added benefit of working your core.

Abs
Some people associate their pear shape with weak "lower abs" and concentrate on exercises like leg raises. In reality, there is no such thing as lower abs. Your rectus abdominis runs down the middle of your torso, starting just under your ribs, and it's all one muscle. Leg raises and similar exercises actually work primarily on your hip flexors. That doesn't mean you can't tighten your tummy, you just have to work on the entire muscle at one time with exercises like situps, crunches and planks -- front and back. Gradually increase the challenge for your situps and crunches by moving from a flat surface to a stability ball and then to a declined bench. Also try reverse crunches that involve curling your pelvis up. You can do these on a mat, a decline bench with your legs facing down or in a captain's chair. The captain's chair is best if you have any lower-back issues.