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	<title>The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</title>
	
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		<title>The New Edition Of Lose Weight Without Dieting</title>
		<link>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=674</link>
		<comments>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=674#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:21:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=674</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
(Note: If you had already downloaded the old version of the book you are not going to be able to get the new version at this time. I have contacted Amazon and they should be sending e-mails to previous owners of the book when they review the new edition. This should be done sometime in [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=674">The New Edition Of Lose Weight Without Dieting</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045JLPRY"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-681" title="Lose Weight Without Dieting" src="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/loseweightwithoutdieting3-682x1024.jpg" alt="loseweightwithoutdieting3 682x1024 The New Edition Of Lose Weight Without Dieting" width="546" height="819" /></a></p>
<p><em><strong>(Note: If you had already downloaded the old version of the book you are not going to be able to get the new version at this time. I have contacted Amazon and they should be sending e-mails to previous owners of the book when they review the new edition. This should be done sometime in late March. I&#8217;m sorry for the inconvenience. I had no idea that you couldn&#8217;t instantly download new editions of a kindle book)</strong></em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045JLPRY">Lose Weight Without Dieting </a>was the first book I&#8217;ve ever published. The main idea behind this book was that diets don&#8217;t work, but changing your eating habits does. The reason why diets fail is that they force you to adopt temporary changes to your eating habits for a short period of time. Although it is possible to lose weight on the cabbage soup diet (or any other whacky diet you can think off), what happens when you come off it? Typically you go back to your old eating habits, which is how you put on weight in the first place. When that happens the weight you lost comes back with a vengeance. It&#8217;s the old diet roller coaster and most people are sick of the ride.</p>
<p>Lose Weight Without Dieting was all about making small changes to your everyday eating habits in order to lose weight for real. In the same that diverting a plane&#8217;s fight path a few degrees can change it&#8217;s destination from Antarctica to Hawaii, so too can making small changes to your eating habits result in dramatic weight changes further down the line. Wouldn&#8217;t you rather slowly lose weight overtime instead of gaining it?</p>
<p>At any rate that was the book. However, I was re-reading it awhile ago and I just wasn&#8217;t happy with it. At the time it was the best I could do, but that was two years ago. Not only did I simply not like the way the book was written or formatted, I&#8217;ve also learned a thing or two in the meantime. The main thing I&#8217;ve learned is just how powerful the human mind can be when properly trained. In the original version I derided our big human brain as when it&#8217;s untrained people use it to come up with every reason and excuse to eat under the sun other than hunger. This is the exact opposite of what animals do. However, if you learn to properly focus your mind you can change your eating habits almost effortlessly which results in real weight loss. This is what the new edition of my book does. As you read it will help you build what I call your own personal &#8220;burn the fat&#8221; blueprint. You will then use this blueprint everyday to help keep you on track as you turn your negative eating habits into positive ones. It&#8217;s kind of amazing when you think about it. Most people wouldn&#8217;t think to start remodelling their home without a blueprint and yet this is exactly what most people do when they want to re-model their bodies. Don&#8217;t be one of them. Get started creating your own &#8220;burn the fat&#8221; blueprint and start losing weight for real TODAY.</p>
<p>For a limited time Kindle is offering the new edition of my book for free. I&#8217;m hoping you download it and use it. If you like it, I&#8217;d really appreciate some Amazon reviews. It would help me out a lot. Here are the links for the new edition of the book:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045JLPRY">Click here to get Lose Weight Without Dieting from AMAZON US</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0045JLPRY">Click here to get Lose Weight Without Dieting from AMAZON UK</a></p>
<script type="text/javascript" class="owbutton" src="http://www.onlywire.com/button" title="The New Edition Of Lose Weight Without Dieting" url="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=674"></script><p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=674">The New Edition Of Lose Weight Without Dieting</a></p>
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		<title>Back Stretching – New Kindle Book</title>
		<link>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=667</link>
		<comments>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=667#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 15 Dec 2012 18:32:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=667</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Just a quick update. My latest Kindle Book, &#8220;Back Stretching &#8211; Back Strengthening And Stretching Exercises For Everyone&#8221; is now available as a free download on Kindle from Dec 15 to Dec 19. If you download and like the book I&#8217;d appreciate it if you could do the following:

Write a little review (even a few [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=667">Back Stretching &#8211; New Kindle Book</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGBHAEC"><img class="wp-image-669 aligncenter" title="Back Stretching" src="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/backversion21-640x1024.jpg" alt="backversion21 640x1024 Back Stretching   New Kindle Book" width="384" height="614" /></a></p>
<p>Just a quick update. My latest Kindle Book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGBHAEC">&#8220;Back Stretching &#8211; Back Strengthening And Stretching Exercises For Everyone&#8221;</a> is now available as a free download on Kindle from Dec 15 to Dec 19. If you download and like the book I&#8217;d appreciate it if you could do the following:</p>
<ol>
<li>Write a little review (even a few sentences would be helpful)</li>
<li>Click the &#8220;Like&#8221; button on the top of the page</li>
<li>Select some of the &#8220;Tags&#8221; that are associated with this book at the bottom of the page</li>
</ol>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGBHAEC">Click here now to download the book for free!</a></p>
<script type="text/javascript" class="owbutton" src="http://www.onlywire.com/button" title="Back Stretching - New Kindle Book" url="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=667"></script><p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=667">Back Stretching &#8211; New Kindle Book</a></p>
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		<title>How Being Thankful Can Help You With Fitness</title>
		<link>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=660</link>
		<comments>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=660#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Nov 2012 14:17:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[insights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exercise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gratitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[healthy living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[healthy mind]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[negativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[perception]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[thanksgiving]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weight loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wisdom]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
// 
// 
// ]]&#62;



Get My FREE ebook on Natural Exercise and Weight Loss Here &#8211; http://www.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/free-fitness-ebook.html

As it was recently Thanksgiving in the United States I’ve been reading various posts on the internet from people expressing what they’re thankful for. Friends, family and food all make the list, among many other things. To this list I [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=660">How Being Thankful Can Help You With Fitness</a></p>
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<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X6cPdp-VNC0" frameborder="0" width="450" height="253"></iframe></p>
<hr />
<p>Get My FREE ebook on Natural Exercise and Weight Loss Here &#8211; <a href="http://www.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/free-fitness-ebook.html">http://www.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/free-fitness-ebook.html</a></p>
<hr />
<p>As it was recently Thanksgiving in the United States I’ve been reading various posts on the internet from people expressing what they’re thankful for. Friends, family and food all make the list, among many other things. To this list I think one thing needs to be added. How about giving thanks for your body?</p>
<p>Here’s what I mean. Most people, when they think of their bodies, focus on what they don’t like. I’m too tall, too short, I don’t weigh enough, I weigh too much. I wish I had more muscle. I wish my nose was different. The list of self criticism is literally endless.</p>
<p>Instead of focusing on what you perceive the negatives to be, have you thought about looking at the positives? Do you have eyes that work? A lot of people don’t, you know. How about your ears? Do you know how many people can’t hear birds sing or enjoy a Beethoven symphony? Do you have legs that can take you place to place?  How about the joy of having arms that can give people hugs? See what I mean?</p>
<p>Beyond the obvious that you have a great deal to be thankful for when you have a body that works, I believe that being thankful for what you already have is vitally important if you want to reach your health and fitness goals. Here’s what I mean.</p>
<p>Imagine you’re walking down the street and you run into an old friend. However, rather than greeting you warmly, this friend begins to berate you, criticizing you for everything under the sun. They criticize what you’re wearing, what you do for a living, how you talk, your general personal hygiene. They go on and on, ripping you up one side and then down the other. You’re flabbergasted. At this point you just want to get away. However, before you are able to make your escape from this thoroughly unpleasant person, they turn to you and say:</p>
<p>“Oh, and by the way, I’m moving on Sunday. Would you be able to come by on the weekend and help me pack?”</p>
<p>What would your reaction be?</p>
<p>Now consider this. When you criticize your body for all of its perceived flaws, are you doing anything different?</p>
<p>You throw out all of this negative energy directed at yourself and a perfectly fine body. But then you turn around and ask a favor of it. I wish my stomach were flatter. I wish my arms were more defined. I want to weigh less, etc, etc.</p>
<p>Can you understand how your body may not be ideally primed to work with you towards your goals?</p>
<p>None of us are perfect. Perfection, even taking into account that it is in the eye of the beholder, is not possible. However, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be better than we presently are, and regular exercise can definitely help with that. However, I think you’ll find that you’ll make much more rapid progress if you begin from a place of gratitude for what you already have, as opposed to negatively criticizing what you perceive as flaws. Although you can always improve, never forget that you’re already great.  Appreciate what you already have and your gains will come that much faster. Just something to consider ;)</p>
<hr />
<p>If you’re interested starting down the path to a new you in as little as 15 minutes a day. I suggest you start with Natural Fitness. Exercising the lower body, the upper body, and the neck are the foundation for everything. You can either order directly from my site as a physical book or as part of a Green Value Pack (best value!). <a href="http://www.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/natural-weight-loss-products.html">Click HERE NOW to check it out</a>. Also available from Amazon.com in both book and Kindle Format.</p>
<script type="text/javascript" class="owbutton" src="http://www.onlywire.com/button" title="How Being Thankful Can Help You With Fitness" url="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=660"></script><p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=660">How Being Thankful Can Help You With Fitness</a></p>
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		<title>Stretching For Golfers</title>
		<link>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=648</link>
		<comments>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=648#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Nov 2012 19:02:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Stretching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amazon Kindle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amazon.com]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exercise for golfers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Golf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[golf fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[golf instruction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[golf swing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[golf tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[golf warm up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[golf workout]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to improve golf swing]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=648</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
This is just a quick update. Litterally within the past 24 hours I have just published my little ebook &#8220;Stretching For Golfers &#8211; the complete 15 minute stretching and warm up routine that will help you improve your golf swing, score, and game&#8221;. It contains a great stretching routine, as well as many additional stretches, [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=648">Stretching For Golfers</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A9AMXRO"><img class=" wp-image-652 aligncenter" title="Stretching For Golfers" src="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/coverGolf1-640x1024.jpg" alt="coverGolf1 640x1024 Stretching For Golfers" width="512" height="819" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">This is just a quick update. Litterally within the past 24 hours I have just published my little ebook <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A9AMXRO" target="_blank">&#8220;Stretching For Golfers &#8211; the complete 15 minute stretching and warm up routine that will help you improve your golf swing, score, and game&#8221;</a>. It contains a great stretching routine, as well as many additional stretches, so that you can play the best game of golf in your life. For a limited time, if you have a Kindle, you can download this book for 99 cents (eventually the price will go up to $2.99. Still cheap, but hey, you save a few bucks). The deal is though is that if you&#8217;re a golfer and you try my book and like it, I&#8217;m hoping you can write a good little review for me on Amazon. It doesn&#8217;t have to be anything big. Even a few sentences would help. If you&#8217;re not a golfer no worries, this book is not for you, lol. Here&#8217;s the link to get the book if you&#8217;re interested:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A9AMXRO" target="_blank">Click Here To Download &#8220;Stretching For Golfers&#8221;</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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<script type="text/javascript" class="owbutton" src="http://www.onlywire.com/button" title="Stretching For Golfers" url="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=648"></script><p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=648">Stretching For Golfers</a></p>
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		<title>Back Pain Relief – the evolutionary causes of lower back pin</title>
		<link>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=640</link>
		<comments>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=640#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 28 Oct 2012 16:43:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[back pain relief]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[back pain causes]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[cervical spine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exercises for lower back pain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human back]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lower back pain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lower back pain exercises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lumber spine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pain in the spine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Physical exercise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spine health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spine injuries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spine pain]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[thoracic spine]]></category>
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// 
// 
// ]]&#62;

A Healthy Spine Equals A Healthy Life &#8211; an old yoga saying
In my last post I outlined why I think the “Holy Trilogy” of exercises that everyone should perform involves some form of a bodyweight squat, pushup, and back bend. In this post I want to go into greater detail as to [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=640">Back Pain Relief &#8211; the evolutionary causes of lower back pin</a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><em>A Healthy Spine Equals A Healthy Life &#8211; an old yoga saying</em></p>
<p>In my last post I outlined why I think the “Holy Trilogy” of exercises that everyone should perform involves some form of a bodyweight squat, pushup, and back bend. In this post I want to go into greater detail as to why so many people suffer from back pain to begin with and what can be done about it.</p>
<p>First of all, almost everyone at some point is going to suffer from back pain. Thanks to evolution (and yes, I do believe in evolution), our backs are almost designed that way. Here’s the thing about evolution. Evolution is clunky. It’s all about adapting existing systems in order to take advantage of new situations and environments. The spine originally evolved when we were walking on all four limbs. This meant it was designed to carry an even weighted load along its entire length.<br />
This all changed, however, when our ape ancestors began to walk upright. This meant that our spine, a system developed to carry even loads horizontally, now had to operate vertically. The advantages of standing, freeing our hands to use simple tools etc, are obvious. These advantages, however, come at the cost of having a spine that is now somewhat structurally unsound in its new role.</p>
<p>Think about it. Our spine is now not dissimilar to a tall flag pole with a large weight (our head) on top. If you put a large weight at a top of a flag pole, what happens? The flag pole will bend and experience stress, particularly at its base. Our spines are no different, which is why almost everyone experiences back pain at some point in their lives.</p>
<p>If this weren’t bad enough, most people in the developed world simply do not get enough exercise. This leads to weak back muscles that cannot support our spine. We also spend most of our days, either sitting in a chair or driving, bending forward. This creates stress in our muscles which can also cause back pain.</p>
<p>So, what can you do? If you’re like most people I’m sure you find the advantages of walking upright to beat its downsides, so we just have to make the best of it. This means we need to strengthen our back muscles and relieve the tension in them that can be built up by bending forward. The best exercises for this involve some form of back bending. From my experience, the best exercise for this is the wrestler’s bridge. However, this is an advanced exercise and many people don’t like doing it. I totally understand. In lieu of this there are several yoga inspired exercises you can try, like the cobra pose or ying yang bends. These are the kinds of exercises that are in my books Natural Fitness and Animal Stretching. If you want start down the path to having a healthy spine and a healthy life, these books can help you get there.</p>
<hr />
<p>If you’re interested starting down the path to a new you in as little as 15 minutes a day. I suggest you start with Natural Fitness. Exercising the lower body, the upper body, and the neck are the foundation for everything. You can either order directly from my site as a physical book or as part of a Green Value Pack (best value!). <a href="http://www.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/natural-weight-loss-products.html">Click HERE NOW to check it out</a>. Also available from Amazon.com in both book and Kindle Format.</p>
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		<title>The Three Exercises You Must Do To Be Fit And Healthy</title>
		<link>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=635</link>
		<comments>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=635#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Oct 2012 03:50:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bodyweight exercises]]></category>
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People are rushed for time. Between work and family commitments, finding time to exercise can be difficult. This is why I’m often asked what is the bare minimum that a person needs to do to get and stay in shape. My answer is always the same. You need to exercise in such [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=635">The Three Exercises You Must Do To Be Fit And Healthy</a></p>
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<p>People are rushed for time. Between work and family commitments, finding time to exercise can be difficult. This is why I’m often asked what is the bare minimum that a person needs to do to get and stay in shape. My answer is always the same. You need to exercise in such a way that your lower body, upper body, and spine get a good workout. Here’s why.</p>
<p>By lower body I mean your legs. Having strong, healthy legs is a key to staying young and vibrant. Think about this. When a professional athlete starts to lose his edge, which body part typically goes first? That’s right. The legs. Think of a young Muhammed Ali. The young Ali was able to dance around the ring always light on his feet. He floated like a butterfly and stung like bee. Older Ali, in contrast, plodded along and was a mere shadow of his former shelf. He had no spring in his step. The same story is true for basketball players, football players, you name it. If you want to say young, you want to keep a youthful spring in your step.</p>
<p>(As a side note take another look at the video of 86 year old gymnast Johanna Quass from my previous post. Watch how she leaves the mat when she’s done her routine. She’s light on her feet. Those are young legs, and an example to all of us).</p>
<p>As we age, many issues related to poor circulation can develop if your legs are not strong. There is an old fitness proverb that states that your legs are the heart of your lower body. Strong and healthy legs help with blood flow, whereas weak legs can hinder it. People with poor circulation typically see issues occur in the legs first. This leads to much more serious complications later.</p>
<p>That being the case, what is the best exercise to keep your legs healthy? I recommend some form of the bodyweight squat. Not only does this form of exercise work every muscle in your legs, they also promote circulation and build great lung power. For myself I do 100 Hindu squats everyday, although there are a wide variety of squats you can perform of varying difficulty.</p>
<p>You don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out that if you are performing an exercise to keep you lower body strong and healthy, the next logical step is to perform an exercise for your upper body. For me, this means some form of pushup. Pushups are an excellent exercise as they, like all bodyweight exercises, work out the body as a unit. Here’s what I mean by this.</p>
<p>Let’s say you perform a pushup, and your chest muscles are relatively weaker than your arms. Which muscles are going to tire first? Which are going to get the most work? That’s right. Your chest muscles. If you keep performing pushups your chest muscles will get stronger relative to your arms until they reach a parity or balance. This is what you want. This is natural training.</p>
<p>Like bodyweight squats, there are a wide variety of pushups you can perform. In fact, I believe in pushups so much as an exercise that I even wrote an entire book dedicated to them (The Ultimate Guide To Pushups), as well as featuring them prominently in my main fitness book, Natural Fitness.</p>
<p>(As I side note, I’m a big fan of the NBC show “Community”. It’s star, Joel McHale, in in fantastic shape. What is the main exercise he does? You guessed it. Pushups.)</p>
<p>Finally, there is your spine. In yoga, there is a saying &#8211; “A healthy spine equals a healthy life”. (I’m not sure if that’s quite it, but it’s close enough). If you’ve ever hurt your back before you know what I mean. If you injure your arm or leg, you may have to hobble around a bit, but you can still function. If you hurt your back, you can’t do anything. You immediately turn into an old man or woman. If you want to stay strong and healthy, you need to keep you back strong.</p>
<p>The way to maintain a healthy back is to perform an exercise which involves some form of back bending. The reason for this is that modern man (and woman) spends almost all day bending forward in one way or another, typically sitting. However, are backs are designed to move in all directions. When we don’t relieve the tension in our backs with a backbend, stress builds up and back pain will not be far behind. There are a variety of backbends you can perform. For me, the ultimate back bend is the wrester’s bridge, which is also great for the neck. However, this is an advanced exercise and I know it can be a little intimating for beginners. For them I recommend more basic poses such as the cobra, which is a basic yoga exercise.</p>
<p>So, there you have it. If you perform some form of a bodyweight squat, pushup and backend everyday, you’re going to be in great shape. Even if you’re in a rush you can perform these exercises from the comfort of your own home in as little as 15 minutes. And let’s face it, if you can’t find 15 minutes to exercise, you’re not really serious about getting into shape.</p>
<p>These 3 exercises are what I call the Holy Trilogy of bodyweight fitness. If you are interested in trying them you will want to check out my book <a href="http://www.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/natural-weight-loss-products.html">Natural Fitness</a>, as it contains variations on all of these exercises for everyone from the complete beginner to the advanced athlete (and many more on top of that).</p>
<p>If you want to get in great shape in as little time as possible, these are the 3 exercises that will get you there.</p>
<hr />
<p>If you’re interested starting down the path to a new you in as little as 15 minutes a day. I suggest you start with Natural Fitness. Exercising the lower body, the upper body, and the neck are the foundation for everything. You can either order directly from my site as a physical book or as part of a Green Value Pack (best value!). <a href="http://www.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/natural-weight-loss-products.html">Click HERE NOW to check it out</a>. Also available from Amazon.com in both book and Kindle Format.</p>
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		<title>Rebooting The Animal Kingdom Blog</title>
		<link>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=629</link>
		<comments>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=629#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Oct 2012 21:48:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com</dc:creator>
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Lately I’ve been focused on other projects and have not focused on this blog as much as I would like. Starting today, that is going to change. Going forward I’m hoping to have at least 2 new articles up a week, as well doing a regular video blog.
With the video blog I’m [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=629">Rebooting The Animal Kingdom Blog</a></p>
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<p>Lately I’ve been focused on other projects and have not focused on this blog as much as I would like. Starting today, that is going to change. Going forward I’m hoping to have at least 2 new articles up a week, as well doing a regular video blog.</p>
<p>With the video blog I’m hoping to deal with a lot of the questions I get asked through e-mail. The reason for this is that I’m getting a lot of mail, and a lot of the questions I’m being asked would likely benefit many people. It makes more sense to answer a question once on a blog that 100 people have asked, as opposed to replying to each of those people individually.</p>
<p>This doesn’t mean that I won’t still answer e-mail questions individually from time to time. It just means that if I don’t respond to you, don’t take it personally. If you’ve written to me and I haven’t responded to you, check out this blog as its likely I’ve already answered your question.</p>
<p>Having said that, if you have any issues with a purchase you’ve made the contact form directly to me is the best way to get it resolved.</p>
<p>With that housecleaning out of the way I think I’ll take this opportunity to re-state the fitness philosophy of this site. My belief is that the best way to get and stay in shape is to train naturally using your own body and bodyweight. Any animal in nature you can think of is in better condition than any human. Why? because they are constantly working their bodies. It’s that simple.</p>
<p>When I look around the biggest reason I see for people being in poor health is that they simply stop doing things. They stop moving, and later wonder why it’s so difficult to move. Most people you meet are physical wrecks before they’re 30, if not sooner. When you’re young you can abuse your body in all kinds of ways and get away with it. As you age you have to be smarter about it. Use it or lose it, as they say.</p>
<p>On some level, most people know this. But the question then becomes, how much do I need to workout?</p>
<p>My answer to this is that it depends on you. At a minimum I recommend exercising everyday for 15 minutes doing some form of a bodyweight squat, pushup, and back bend, as described in Natural Fitness. At a minimum, this is what I do. All you need to do is a little each day and you’ll not only be in great shape, but father time will slow to a crawl, if not reverse himself completely.</p>
<p>Now if you’re an athlete, on the other hand, and you’re training for physical competition, you’ll want to do more. Instead of doing 100 Hindu Squats, you’ll want to do 500, for example. For your average person 500 is just not necessary, but if you’re a soccer player, wrestler, boxer, etc, this is the kind of thing you’ll be looking at doing. The great thing about bodyweight training is that you can customize it as much as you want to suit your needs. It’s all up to you.</p>
<p>I know that some people balk at the idea of exercising, even a little, everyday. But common. If you can’t exercise for 15 minutes a day you’re not serious about getting in shape. Do you brush your teeth everyday? Do you take a shower? If you want to take care of your body, why wouldn’t you exercise everyday too?</p>
<p>Lastly, I really want to stress the effects that exercise can have on aging. I’m convinced that most of what we consider to be part of the aging process is simply the effects of inactivity, which leads to ill health. Again, consider the animals in nature. An old bear is a formidable animal. Perhaps it’s not as strong as it once was, but you still wouldn’t want to run into it in the woods. You never see an old bear walking around with a cane and it certainly wouldn’t have difficulty getting out of a chair. This is the way it should be. Throughout their lives animals maintain an extremely high fitness level until they get near the end of their natural lives. At that point their health degrades quickly and they pass on. This is the way it should be for all animals. It is only foolish man who harms his body in every way, and then needs medicine and mechanical devices in order to “live”. But is sitting in a chair all day for years on end, even decades, truly living? I don’t think so.</p>
<p>If you want to stay young, you need to do youthful things. Below are two examples of this philosophy in action. The first video is of 86 year old gymnast Johanna Quaas of Germany. Watch as she performs a routine that most people couldn’t do in their 20’s (I know I couldn’t). Take special note of the spring in her step. Those are young legs. Very impressive and inspiring, I’d say.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/W2bOED5LzZw" frameborder="0" width="420" height="315"></iframe></p>
<p>The next video is of 76 year old Stephan Jepson. His philosophy is “never leave the playground”. He is able to move and play like a 6 year old. Why? Because he moves and plays like a 6 year old!</p>
<p><object id="videoembed4560" width="450" height="275" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="src" value="http://a.gb.static.cf.boldernet.net/mplayer/player.swf" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="flashvars" value="width=450&amp;height=275&amp;displayheight=255&amp;file=http://gb.fs.boldernet.net/0/0/793/793776-o.flv&amp;ova.json=%7B%22playOnce%22%3A%22true%22%2C%22ads%22%3A%7B%22servers%22%3A%5B%7B%22type%22%3A%22OpenX%22%2C%22apiAddress%22%3A%22http%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fopenx.boldernet.net%5C%2Fwww%5C%2Fdelivery%5C%2Ffc.php%22%2C%22customProperties%22%3A%7B%22target%22%3A%5B%22plid%3D6%22%2C%22scpt%3D%252Fmedia%252Fmedia-view.php%22%2C%22obid%3D793777%22%2C%22obtp%3Dvideo%22%2C%22prid%3D360%22%2C%22prtp%3Dplanet%22%2C%22chnt%3DAging%22%2C%22chnts%3DAging%2CGB%2BTopics%2CHealth%2CNever%2BToo%2BLate%2CPassions%2CUnforgettable%2BCharacters%2CFitness%2CMental%2BHealth%22%2C%22tagts%3Djuggling%2Cskating%2Cstephen%2Bjepson%2Cbrain%2Cbalance%2Cplay%2Caging%2Cexercise%2Cfitness%22%5D%7D%7D%5D%2C%22notice%22%3A%7B%22textStyle%22%3A%22smalltext%22%7D%2C%22schedule%22%3A%5B%7B%22position%22%3A%22pre-roll%22%2C%22zone%22%3A%2286%22%7D%5D%2C%22displayCompanions%22%3A%22true%22%2C%22companions%22%3A%5B%7B%22id%22%3A%22bn-ad-250-250%22%2C%22width%22%3A%22250%22%2C%22height%22%3A%22250%22%7D%5D%7D%7D&amp;gapro.accountid=UA-3568989-1&amp;gapro.trackstarts=true&amp;gapro.trackpercentage=true&amp;gapro.tracktime=true&amp;flashplayer=player.swf&amp;allowfullscreen=true&amp;allowscriptaccess=always&amp;overstretch=fit&amp;stretching=exactfit&amp;bufferlength=3&amp;volume=95&amp;image=http://gb.fs.boldernet.net/0/0/793/793808-600.jpg&amp;duration=468&amp;skin=http://a.gb.static.cf.boldernet.net/mplayer/blended.zip&amp;hd.file=http://gb.fs.boldernet.net/0/0/793/793776h270.mp4&amp;hd.state=true&amp;sharing.link=http://growingbolder.com/media/health/aging/never-leave-the-playground-793777.html&amp;plugins=gapro-1,hd-2,sharing-3,ova" /><embed id="videoembed4560" width="450" height="275" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://a.gb.static.cf.boldernet.net/mplayer/player.swf" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" flashvars="width=450&amp;height=275&amp;displayheight=255&amp;file=http://gb.fs.boldernet.net/0/0/793/793776-o.flv&amp;ova.json=%7B%22playOnce%22%3A%22true%22%2C%22ads%22%3A%7B%22servers%22%3A%5B%7B%22type%22%3A%22OpenX%22%2C%22apiAddress%22%3A%22http%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fopenx.boldernet.net%5C%2Fwww%5C%2Fdelivery%5C%2Ffc.php%22%2C%22customProperties%22%3A%7B%22target%22%3A%5B%22plid%3D6%22%2C%22scpt%3D%252Fmedia%252Fmedia-view.php%22%2C%22obid%3D793777%22%2C%22obtp%3Dvideo%22%2C%22prid%3D360%22%2C%22prtp%3Dplanet%22%2C%22chnt%3DAging%22%2C%22chnts%3DAging%2CGB%2BTopics%2CHealth%2CNever%2BToo%2BLate%2CPassions%2CUnforgettable%2BCharacters%2CFitness%2CMental%2BHealth%22%2C%22tagts%3Djuggling%2Cskating%2Cstephen%2Bjepson%2Cbrain%2Cbalance%2Cplay%2Caging%2Cexercise%2Cfitness%22%5D%7D%7D%5D%2C%22notice%22%3A%7B%22textStyle%22%3A%22smalltext%22%7D%2C%22schedule%22%3A%5B%7B%22position%22%3A%22pre-roll%22%2C%22zone%22%3A%2286%22%7D%5D%2C%22displayCompanions%22%3A%22true%22%2C%22companions%22%3A%5B%7B%22id%22%3A%22bn-ad-250-250%22%2C%22width%22%3A%22250%22%2C%22height%22%3A%22250%22%7D%5D%7D%7D&amp;gapro.accountid=UA-3568989-1&amp;gapro.trackstarts=true&amp;gapro.trackpercentage=true&amp;gapro.tracktime=true&amp;flashplayer=player.swf&amp;allowfullscreen=true&amp;allowscriptaccess=always&amp;overstretch=fit&amp;stretching=exactfit&amp;bufferlength=3&amp;volume=95&amp;image=http://gb.fs.boldernet.net/0/0/793/793808-600.jpg&amp;duration=468&amp;skin=http://a.gb.static.cf.boldernet.net/mplayer/blended.zip&amp;hd.file=http://gb.fs.boldernet.net/0/0/793/793776h270.mp4&amp;hd.state=true&amp;sharing.link=http://growingbolder.com/media/health/aging/never-leave-the-playground-793777.html&amp;plugins=gapro-1,hd-2,sharing-3,ova" /></object></p>
<div style="padding: 4px 0; text-align: center; width: 450px;">Find more inspiring <a href="http://growingbolder.com/video/">video</a>, <a href="http://growingbolder.com/gbradio/">audio</a>, and <a href="http://growingbolder.com/galleries/">images</a> at <a href="http://growingbolder.com">Growing Bolder</a>.</div>
<p>The key is that they keep moving and doing things. So, the question is, which do you want to be? We’re all going to age. Time passes, we can’t control that. What we can control, however, is HOW we age. If you’re young and out of shape, I suggest you start now. If you’re older there’s no excuse. You can still do it. If you train naturally, like an animal, you’ll be feeling better in no time. I can’t say that you’ll be like Stephen or Johanna, but you won’t be confined to your easy chair. And who knows? If you work at it, you might be able to give them a run for their money!</p>
<p>That’s what animal training, and this blog, is all about.</p>
<p>Thanks for stopping by!<br />
(Note: This is the first video I’ve made in a long time and I see that I mixed up Stephan’s name a couple of times. My apologies)</p>
<hr />
<p>If you’re interested starting down the path to a new you in as little as 15 minutes a day. I suggest you start with Natural Fitness. Exercising the lower body, the upper body, and the neck are the foundation for everything. You can either order directly from my site as a physical book or as part of a Green Value Pack (best value!). <a href="http://www.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/natural-weight-loss-products.html">Click HERE NOW to check it out</a>. It is also available from Amazon.com in both book and Kindle Format.</p>
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<script type="text/javascript" class="owbutton" src="http://www.onlywire.com/button" title="Rebooting The Animal Kingdom Blog" url="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=629"></script><p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=629">Rebooting The Animal Kingdom Blog</a></p>
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		<title>My New Twitter Account!</title>
		<link>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=623</link>
		<comments>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=623#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 19 Aug 2012 18:44:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[insights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social-network]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=623</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Just a quick post today. I&#8217;ve just started a twitter account. I&#8217;m going to focus on tweeting about fitness and health issues (obviously). If you&#8217;re looking for a daily dose of motivation and information, and you&#8217;re on twitter, follow me today! Here&#8217;s the link:
https://twitter.com/FitnessQuo
Also, I&#8217;m planning on starting a video blog soon, so stay tuned [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=623">My New Twitter Account!</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://twitter.com/FitnessQuo"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-624" style="margin: 5px;" title="TwitterButton" src="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/TwitterButton.jpg" alt="TwitterButton My New Twitter Account!" width="261" height="193" /></a>Just a quick post today. I&#8217;ve just started a twitter account. I&#8217;m going to focus on tweeting about fitness and health issues (obviously). If you&#8217;re looking for a daily dose of motivation and information, and you&#8217;re on twitter, follow me today! Here&#8217;s the link:</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/FitnessQuo">https://twitter.com/FitnessQuo</a></p>
<p>Also, I&#8217;m planning on starting a video blog soon, so stay tuned for that.</p>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="border: none; float: right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=f4cae78b-1582-4bfd-aa73-ecef39f7e2d5" alt=" My New Twitter Account!"  title="My New Twitter Account!" /></a></div>
<script type="text/javascript" class="owbutton" src="http://www.onlywire.com/button" title="My New Twitter Account!" url="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=623"></script><p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=623">My New Twitter Account!</a></p>
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		<title>Easy Yoga exercises for beginners</title>
		<link>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=610</link>
		<comments>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=610#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Aug 2012 22:06:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=610</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yoga was introduced in the ancient history over 300 years ago. The term Yoga is derived from a Sanskrit word “yuj”, meaning “to bid, attach, yoke and join.” Yoga is not just an ordinary form of exercise, but it is also about developing concentration and binding the body and mind. The benefits of yoga contribute [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=610">Easy Yoga exercises for beginners</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vriksha_Asana-Tree_Pose.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="Vrikshasana - Tree Pose वृक्षासन" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Vriksha_Asana-Tree_Pose.jpg/300px-Vriksha_Asana-Tree_Pose.jpg" alt="300px Vriksha Asana Tree Pose Easy Yoga exercises for beginners" width="300" height="191" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Vrikshasana - Tree Pose वृक्षासन (Photo credit: Wikipedia)</p></div>
<p>Yoga was introduced in the ancient history over 300 years ago. The term Yoga is derived from a Sanskrit word “yuj”, meaning “to bid, attach, yoke and join.” Yoga is not just an ordinary form of exercise, but it is also about developing concentration and binding the body and mind. The benefits of yoga contribute in disciplining the balance of mind, emotions, soul and body. There are different forms of yoga, having excellent health benefits. It is beneficial for improving overall health functions, cognition, awareness and sense of reasoning. Yoga is effective on weight loss, <a href="http://bellyfatguide.blogspot.com">belly fat</a>  and healing too.</p>
<p>In order to start practicing yoga, it is very important to develop a basic idea about beginners’ yoga lessons. There are different poses to learn and incorporate in your daily life for good results.</p>
<p><strong>Pose#1: Mountain Pose or Tadasana</strong></p>
<p>Mountain pose is a basic yoga pose. It might seem to be a normal pose in which you stand straight, but there are several things on which you have to focus when you are performing this pose. You have to stand firmly with your feet apart, and hang your arms downwards. Now, you should move the back of your pelvis away from the lower back. And, breathe in and breathe out for some time. The major benefit of mountain pose is to give you a good standing posture, promote deep breathing and develop balance.</p>
<p><strong>Pose#2: Child’s Pose or Balasana</strong></p>
<p>Child’s pose has been one of the most favorite poses in yoga. It is very easy to perform. Sit down on your knees and gradually bend your body to reach the floor, taking deep breaths. Gradually leave and repeat.</p>
<p>This pose is extremely beneficial for releasing muscle tension and stress. It helps in calming the brain and relieves your tension or stress from the thigh muscles, back and hips. You can even do this pose by extending both the arms forward and supporting your head.</p>
<p><strong>Pose#3: Warrior Pose 1(or) Virabhadrasana</strong></p>
<p>There are 3 warrior poses in total, of which, the first pose is ideal for beginners. Stand with your legs apart – now stretch one leg forward and raise your arms to join them. With one leg in front and the other leg at the back, creating a 60 degree angle, gradually bend your torso backwards and release.</p>
<p>This pose is excellent to stretch your neck, chest and tummy muscles. It has effects on your shoulders and groins too. It helps in strengthening the calves, ankles and thighs. When you perform this pose for the first time, it could be difficult to maintain a balance. However, as you start gaining more strength, you will not wobble any longer.</p>
<p><strong>Pose#4: Warrior Pose 2</strong></p>
<p>In the second warrior pose, you must extend your arms on both the sides. When you are doing this for the very first time, ensure that you turn the neck gradually facing the front part. Do not try to do it abruptly as it will strain the neck if you aren’t careful. It helps in relieving back pain and stretching your core muscles.</p>
<p><strong>Pose#5: Tree Pose or Vrksasana</strong></p>
<p>Maintaining balance is the key to this pose. Standing on one foot with the other folded and your hands stretched over your head and joined, this pose benefits in strengthening your ankles, back, calves and thighs. It improves overall balance and is a great aid for people with sciatica.</p>
<p>So, follow these basic steps of Yoga before you graduate further in to this art form. However, seeking experts’ advice is always recommended before you start with any kind of workout or exercise regime.</p>
<p>Author Bio: Marguerite being a fitness enthusiast loves to blog on fitness and topics related to fitness. You can check out her latest post on <a href="http://bellyfatguide.blogspot.com">How To Lose Belly Fat</a>on her website.</p>
<div class="mceTemp"></div>
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<script type="text/javascript" class="owbutton" src="http://www.onlywire.com/button" title="Easy Yoga exercises for beginners" url="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=610"></script><p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=610">Easy Yoga exercises for beginners</a></p>
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		<title>Born To Run and more on Sprinting</title>
		<link>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=602</link>
		<comments>http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=602#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:11:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[opinion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Born to Run]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christopher McDougall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marathon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marathons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[McDougall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[running]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sprinting]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve recently gotten a number of letters from runners calling me,
well,  an idiot, for saying that running isn&#8217;t natural and is not
something humans should do. The main argument that these
individuals advance seems to be taken from Christopher McDougall&#8216;s
book &#8220;Born to Run&#8221;. I haven&#8217;t read the book myself, but from what I
can discern from the letters [...]<p>Post from: <a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com">The Bodyweight Exercises Blog</a>, the official blog of <a href="animal-kingdom-workouts.com">animal-kingdom-workouts</a><br/><br/><a href="http://bodyweight-exercises.animal-kingdom-workouts.com/?p=602">Born To Run and more on Sprinting</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Commgames_2006_Mens_Marathon.jpg"><img class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" title="Humans using a running gait. Note the &quot;su..." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/Commgames_2006_Mens_Marathon.jpg/300px-Commgames_2006_Mens_Marathon.jpg" alt="300px Commgames 2006 Mens Marathon Born To Run and more on Sprinting" width="300" height="368" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Image via Wikipedia</p></div>
<p>I&#8217;ve recently gotten a number of letters from runners calling me,<br />
well,  an idiot, for saying that running isn&#8217;t natural and is not<br />
something humans should do. The main argument that these<br />
individuals advance seems to be taken from <a class="zem_slink" title="Christopher McDougall" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McDougall" rel="wikipedia">Christopher McDougall</a>&#8216;s<br />
book &#8220;Born to Run&#8221;. I haven&#8217;t read the book myself, but from what I<br />
can discern from the letters I&#8217;ve received is that McDougall writes<br />
about how tribes in Africa use running in order to hunt, and that<br />
this invalidates my premise that there was no natural evolutionary<br />
reason for humans to run, hence why it is actually harmful.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve heard about this before and this is my take on it.</p>
<p>One of the advantages of being basically hairless, from an<br />
evolutionary perspective , is that it allows us humans to cool down<br />
much faster than other mammals. This is the advantage that African<br />
hunters use to hunt prey. This is the way it works.</p>
<p>A group of hunters spies a fleet footed animal they wish to kill,<br />
like an Antelope. What they do is they keep pursuing the animal,<br />
forcing it to run so that its body heats up. They keep driving it,<br />
never giving it a chance to rest, until the animal gets so<br />
overheated that it literally collapses.</p>
<p>Now, during the chase the hunters may have to run to keep up with<br />
their prey. However, they in no way run all the time like a<br />
marathon runner does. Their only goal is to keep their prey in<br />
sight at all times. If they can do this by walking they do it. If<br />
they have to jog for a bit so be it. And they only run when it is<br />
absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>This is why I don&#8217;t feel this example demonstrates in anyway that<br />
humans evolved running in the way that humans practice it today.<br />
Once again, they run only when they have too, and for generally<br />
short periods of time.</p>
<p>Just one other point on this. Like I said, I haven&#8217;t read the &#8220;Born<br />
to Run&#8221; book. Looking at Christopher McDougall&#8217;s website it looks<br />
like his love of running has led him on some great adventures, and<br />
it seems he has a lot of stories to tell. If I were to meet him,<br />
would I tell him why I didn&#8217;t believe that running was natural, and<br />
that he might actually be harming his body? You bet. Would he<br />
listen? I doubt it. It seems clear to me that Chistopher McDougall<br />
LOVES running, and has gotten a lot out of it. I used to love<br />
running too, until I wore out the cartilage in my knees.</p>
<p>Wait, that&#8217;s not quite the point I wanted to make. The point I want<br />
to make is that if you love doing something, even running, keep<br />
doing it. I&#8217;m not dogmatic on this stuff. To me, exercise shouldn&#8217;t<br />
be treated as a religion. Idiot or not, I&#8217;m happy to explain why I<br />
think the way I do. However, if you think differently and enjoy<br />
what you&#8217;re doing, then keep doing it. I&#8217;m not threatened by an<br />
opinion, or by others who feel differently than I do. At the end of<br />
the day running is better than sitting on a couch eating cookies.<br />
To each his own. Ultimately, as with everything in life, you have<br />
to find what works for you.</p>
<p>Related to Sprinting, a reader wrote in with the following sprint<br />
workout which is used by a sprinter in his 50&#8242;s. It looks good to<br />
me so I thought I&#8217;d share it here. Here&#8217;s his routine:</p>
<ul>
<li>400m jog.</li>
<li>100m in 15secs</li>
<li>3 minute recovery.</li>
<li> 100m in 14 secs</li>
<li>3 minute recovery</li>
<li> 100m in 13 secs</li>
<li>3 minute recovery</li>
<li>100m flat out in about 11.5 to 12 secs.</li>
<li>Dynamic stretches followed by a 30 min break.</li>
<li>Finishes off with a 300m &#8220;eyeballs out&#8221; sprint.</li>
<li>Warm down &amp; stretches.</li>
</ul>
<p>He does this routine 4 times a week. If you decide to try it<br />
remember that I do recommend that you take a days rest in between<br />
sessions. Sprint training is intense and you need to give your body<br />
time to heal.</p>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="float: right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=f8497946-de59-4e0e-ace7-00f39ab59567" alt=" Born To Run and more on Sprinting"  title="Born To Run and more on Sprinting" /></a></div>
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