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How to Avoid Butt Amnesia and Get Buns of Steel
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, July 15, 2010 • 10 Comments
Gluteus Maximus…it’s got a powerful ring to it, doesn’t it? Sounds like it could even be a name of a Spartan warrior. Well it’s not a name of a warrior…it’s actually the scientific name for your butt. But it’s actually quite fitting when you figure the important role your butt plays in your body, as well as for athletic performance. Speed, quickness, and power all hinge on your ability to utilize and maximize your glutes. The more you’re able to use it the better you’ll be…for just about every sport. The fastest, quickest and most powerful athletes are all able to harness the power of their glutes. Learning to use your butt can really help boost your athletic performance.
(Note: If you’re having trouble viewing this video, please try watching it directly on my YouTube channel and see if that helps)
The Best Diet To Lose Weight
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, July 08, 2010 • 27 Comments
So what’s the best way to lose weight?
Intermittent fasting? Counting calories? High protein diet? High fiber diet?
The answer depends on who you ask, and the truthfully, if it’s a legitimate diet - and when I mean legitimate, I mean none of these ridiculous diets, like the banana diet which apparently was huge in Japan for a while (go figure!) - most diets work…to a certain degree.
The difficult thing about diets is that everyone is different and we all respond differently to foods…so there really is no one size fits all. However, one thing is certain, you are what you eat and eating the right foods can make your weight loss efforts much easier. Here are a few tips that can make your diet a success.
How To Get Ripped Abs Without Crunches - Part 3 (Video)
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, July 01, 2010 • 9 Comments
Here’s the last part of the 3 part ab series. This particular movement may be the most simple, but it’s probably also the most challenging…if you perform it correctly. The problem with this exercise is that most people don’t do it properly and hence aren’t maximizing the potential this exercise can offer your body. If you think you have strong abs…well then, this is a great litmus test to challenge your abs. I’ll show you how you can progressively increase the difficulty using this anti-movement abdominal exercise to challenge even the strongest core. Try this one out and see if you can stimulate your abs better than your traditional ab crunches and twists.
Please excuse the poor sound quality of this video…the A/C kicked in while filming the video and I wasn’t aware how loud it was!
(Note: If you’re having trouble viewing this video, please try watching it directly on my youtube channel)
Exercises & Workouts •
How To Get Ripped Abs Without Crunches Part 2 (Video)
by Shin Ohtake on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 • 16 Comments
Here’s part 2 of a 3 part ab series. Following the same philosophy (from last week) that anti-movements patterns stimulate your abs better than flexing, twisting and crunching your abs, this particular exercise really hits your lower abs—especially that stubborn stomach pooch, right below your belly button!
Now doing this ab exercise alone won’t do the trick, but when you combine it with a clean diet (no refined carbs, no processed foods, no refined sweets) and an effective fat burning workout program, you’ll finally be saying “so long” to your lower belly pooch.
(Note: If you’re having trouble viewing this video, please try watching it directly on my YouTube channel and see if that helps)
Exercises & Workouts •
How To Get Ripped Abs Without Crunches (Video)
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, June 17, 2010 • 34 Comments
Traditional ab exercises like sit ups and crunches are not the best way to get you ripped abs. In fact, if you’ve read any of my past articles regarding ab/core exercises, you know that I don’t like anything that involves excessive movement of the spine.
Your spine is strongest at it’s neutral position, which is a natural “s” curve. And since your spine houses your spinal cord, it would make sense to have it in a position that can provide maximum support at all times. This is why excessive flexion, extension and rotation is not recommended, since it compromises your spine’s ability to protect your spinal nervous system.
So, how do you work your abs?
(Note: If you’re having trouble viewing this video, please try watching it directly on my YouTube channel and see if that helps)
The Truth About Cholesterol and Heart Disease
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, June 10, 2010 • 33 Comments
What do you think of first when you see the word cholesterol? Heart disease…? We’ll you’re definitely not alone. Cholesterol and heart disease have been synonymous since the 70’s when a scientist named Ancel Keys (1) published a major study, spanning seven countries on how diet affects the heart.
Key’s conclusion: Cholesterol causes heart disease and saturated fat increases cholesterol and hence saturated fat causes heart disease. This began the fat free craze that literally swept the nation…fat became nationally demonized as the cause of heart disease (along with weight gain). And the high carb, low fat diet became the face of the “healthy heart” American diet.
The study became so engrained that an entire new national program was developed, the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). NCEP’s objective is to help educate people of the dangers of high cholesterol and how to best prevent heart disease. Now, that seems like a great program…right? I mean our tax money is actually going toward something that helps the general public and as supposed to some major private conglomerate that uses our money to increase their pay checks. Well, there’s only one problem. The “landmark” study, which all dietary recommendation for a health heart was based on, was found to be flawed.
Diet & Nutrition •
How Protein Can Help You Get Leaner And Lose Weight
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, June 03, 2010 • 28 Comments
As the saying goes…you are what you eat.
There are 3 major categories that all foods can be divided into. These are also known as macronutrients. Macronutrients are your proteins, carbohydrates and fats. We eat a combination of all three on a daily basis, but did you know that only 2 are needed for you to survive and they also happen to be the most effective in helping you lose weight? And one in particular is absolutely necessary if you want to burn off your stubborn fat and transform your body. Unfortunately, most of us have been gravely misinformed about how each macronutrient affects our body, which is why weight gain has become such a perpetual problem.
How a Good Night’s Sleep Can Help You Lose More Weight
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, May 27, 2010 • 12 Comments
There really is nothing better than a good nights sleep! After you wake up from a deep restful sleep, your mind seems clearer, your body feels better and even your day seems to go better. Well, your not just imagining it…it’s true. Your body’s chemistry is greatly affected by sleep. In fact sleep plays a vital part in managing your body’s hormones…the same hormones that also control your metabolic processes responsible for weight loss. Believe it or not, sleep plays a huge part in weight loss. Numerous studies have found a direct correlation between weight gain and lack of sleep. Depriving yourself of adequate sleep can alter your hormones and make losing weight much more difficult than it should be.
Why Longer Workouts Can Keep You Fat
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, May 20, 2010 • 31 Comments
Time may be the most important aspect in our lives. It keeps ticking away no matter what we do. It’s what we live by, it’s our guideline. It keeps us organized and on schedule. There’s 24 hours in a day, most of us work 40 hours (or more) a week, we divide our day up into hourly increments and so it’s no surprise that we judge things based on time.
If someone worked 8 hours, you automatically assume that person did more work than someone that worked 4 hours…right? The problem is, that assumption neglects a very important component…quality. Quality can’t be defined by time…in fact, more often than not quality has an inverse relation to time. You’re more likely to perform higher quality of work in a shorter amount of time. And the longer you work, the more likely your quality declines. And this holds true for fitness as well.
It may come as a surprise, but working out longer isn’t always good for you, and it doesn’t mean you’re going to lose more weight either. In fact, it can stop you from losing weight all together. There’s reason to believe that your body wasn’t designed to exercise more than a certain amount a day and doing more can actually be more harmful.
So if you’re still stuck in the mind set, that you need to workout out longer so you can burn more calories…you’ve been going down the wrong path and it’ll only lead you to more frustrations.
Quality over quantity. Save precious time by learning to work with your body, so you can lose weight easier and more efficiently and achieve optimum health and fitness at the same time. Believe it or not, it’s much easier than your think.
The One Thing You Must Avoid if You Want to Lose Weight…And No it’s Not Sugar
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, May 13, 2010 • 42 Comments
There are many little things you can do to help improve your health and fitness. And I’m not talking about just exercising and eating well…that’s a given. I’m talking about small simple things, like taking the stairs instead of the escalator, or getting off the bus one stop earlier and walking the rest of the way to work.
Just simple things that take a little extra effort on your part, but it adds up to a lot, especially if you keep doing them on a regular basis.
Well, just as important, there are little things that you need to avoid, that can add up to a whole lot of bad. I’m not talking about things like avoiding sugars or fried foods. I’m talking about even simpler things that can amount to a profound difference.
Well, there’s one thing in particular that you need to avoid and it’s quite easy to do. The remarkable thing about it, is that studies have indicated that avoiding this one simple thing can help protect you from heart disease, help you burn more fat and increase your health and promote longevity. As they say it’s the little things that count!
Fat Loss •
Believe It or Not a Compound That Targets Your Belly Fat
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, May 06, 2010 • 32 Comments
The most common area in the body that almost everyone wants to improve is their stomach. This is why the cover of most fitness magazines have headlines in bold that read something like, “Lose Belly Fat in 10 Days” or “How to Get Sexy Abs like so and so”.
Yes, we’re a culture obsessed with abs. Ironically, abs are the first feature on your body to accumulate fat and usually one of the last places to burn off. Which is why we’re always on the lookout for the latest information that can make our lives just a little easier, when it comes to achieving those flat sexy abs garnered by the “heavily air brushed” celebrities on the front cover of magazines. Well then, you’re in for a nice surprise!
A recent study done on this popular compound found that people that took it lost belly fat, compared to people that didn’t take it….and it was specifically belly fat that was affected. Imagine that, it’s usually the other way around…you lose everything but the belly! It’s nice to know that there’s a compound out there that’s feelin‘ your frustrations! Find out what compound I’m talking about and how you can use it to help you burn off your stubborn belly flab!
The superfood that reduces fat absorption by 75%
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, April 29, 2010 • 28 Comments
The weight loss supplement industry is always looking for that magic pill that’ll do it all. And truth be told, the lure of easy weight loss is often times too attractive…even for the well informed. Which explains why the weight loss supplement business is a multi billion dollar industry.
We live in a culture of instant gratification, where going under the knife for a little nip and tuck have become as common as visiting your family doctor and taking an OTC diet pill is as normal as taking a multi-vitamin
Even though majority of the products out in the market today are just as effective as taking a sugar pill…these companies are smart, savvy and know exactly how to take advantage of people’s weaknesses and desires.
The weight loss supplement companies are used to taking the benefits of one or two active ingredient(s) from naturally occurring plants and vegetation and packaging it into pills and powders.
The problem is there is no standard level of quality when it comes to supplements in the US. There is no third party quality control agencies that exists to make sure that you’re getting what’s stated in the label. So you never really know what you’re consuming and more often than not the pill being marketed is probably 99% filler.
This is why the recently published study from Newcastle University, is quite significant.
How Lack of Oxygen Stops You From Burning Fat
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, April 22, 2010 • 26 Comments
Oxygen is something we all take for granted since we really don’t ever think about it. But it’s the most important element that’s responsible for the existence of life. Without oxygen there wouldn’t be any living thing on this earth!
It’s amazing how the most important element in our life is taken for granted. It’s estimated that in the last 10,000 years the level of oxygen in the atmosphere has dropped by 50 %! Now 10,000 years may seem a long time, but in earth time, it’s just a blink of an eye.
Scary thought considering the explosion of global population and industrialization is crippling our oxygen producing environment faster than ever before.
And in addition to less available oxygen, we’ve also become less efficient at consuming oxygen. This means that you’re functioning with lower levels of oxygen in your body. Since oxygen is needed in essentially all of your metabolic processes including burning fat - without proper levels of oxygen, these metabolic processes slow down or get halted altogether, seriously compromising your health and stopping your weight loss and fitness progress dead in it’s tracks.
Needless to say having enough oxygen in your body is critical for a healthy body.
I’ll show you how to effectively increase oxygen levels in your body, so it can function at an optimal level, ensuring that your fat burning and weight loss efforts are realized to it’s maximum potential and protect you from any serious health problems.
Sunshine Can Help You Burn Fat
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, April 15, 2010 • 27 Comments
Remember when tanning was in. I’m probably aging myself here, but I remember back when I was a kid growing up in NYC and swimming at the local outdoor swimming pool. While all the kids were busy playing Marco Polo in the pool, the adults were busy trying to find just the right position to place their recliners to get maximum sun exposure and literally bake themselves in the sun…extra crispy! Colonel Sanders would have been proud!
But then came the realization that looking golden bronze may not be so good for your skin or health! Smart thing, since skin cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer around. And all of a sudden sun tanning lotion was replaced with sunscreens and baking in the sun became a thing of the past.
However, it seems that we may have gone a little overboard about avoiding the sun.
A recent study found that vitamin D deficiency is not only prevalent, but it’s present in epidemic proportions in North America! Vitamin D deficiency causes serious diseases like cancer, rickets, osteoporosis and diabetes, and most recently linked to weight gain from increased fat storage.
I’ll show you some surprisingly alarming facts about vitamin D deficiency. You’ll learn why your dermatologist may be causing you to become vitamin D deficient and find out how much vitamin D you really need and the simplest way to get it. I’ll also show you the best vitamin D supplementation, as well as which foods to eat, so you can get sufficient vitamin D to optimize your health and help maximize your weight loss efforts.
How To Prevent Your Beer Belly
by Shin Ohtake on Thursday, April 08, 2010 • 32 Comments
The thing I love about spring is the energy in the air. It’s almost palpable! People come out of hibernation and get outside for some much needed sun and fresh air.
And as we come out from hiding, the other thing that almost inevitably seems to happen as the climate gets warmer, is our increased thirst for cold alcohol beverages. It’s as if we’ve been deprived of drinking all winter! Maybe it’s the heat, maybe it’s the patio or maybe it’s just part of spring fever. Whatever the reason…there always seems to be an occasion where drinking a cold alcoholic beverage is appropriate. A beer after a nice day out in the sun, a cosmopolitan for those swanky nights out or a fresh mimosa at your Sunday brunch with your family and friends. Whatever the occasion, there’s always an alcoholic beverage that perfectly fits that event.
Now, my motto for almost everything, including alcohol, is moderation. But let’s be honest, when it comes to alcohol, the word “moderation” gets used quite liberally. Now I’m not suggesting that you stop drinking, but if you’re worried about your waistline and appearance as the warmer weather approaches and the amount of clothing covering your body starts to lessen, than you’d better reconsider how much you drink.
But, if drinking is going to be a significant part of your summer plans, I’ll give you some effective tips to help negate some of the unwanted effects of alcohol consumption including weight gain.
