Life is beautiful when you have nothing to limit you or curtail your confidence. Often times, being overweight, obese or simply lacking your desired level of strength can erode your confidence and give you a looser mentality.

A proper diet is essential for keeping fit and staying health, but the role that exercise plays in helping the body to be at its best is equally valuable.

Having a well-built physique and a solid core is a product of a combination of a healthy diet, regular exercise, and a beneficial workout routine.

When it comes to exercising to keep fit and healthy, push ups are one of the surest ways to go.

How to perform a Push Up

A push up is a calisthenics exercise that is traditionally performed by laying face down in a prone position. The exercise is such that it entails the lowering and raising up of the body with the aid of the hands to achieve an upward and downward movement of the body.

Of course, there are many variants of push ups, so one should never be limited to the standard variety.

You may begin with wall push ups, and progress as you increase in strength, to push ups done on the knees, traditional push ups, and even beyond that you will find there are plenty of variations to keep push ups relevant and challenging.

One of the most difficult I have found is the Planche push up, with your whole lower body raised in the air as you do the pushup, you put focused tension on your chest, shoulders and back.

The Benefits of Push Ups

Push Ups are an excellent exercise and offer many benefits to the body that are quite remarkable. Exercising with push ups is quite valuable because the push up, in all of its variety, is an exercise that puts strain on many different muscle groups. With push ups you can build strong abdominal (core) muscles, improve the triceps, build a strong chest and back, even your legs and buttocks will be strengthened. By increasing your overall muscle tone through push ups, you will more readily burn fats.

Push Ups are certainly the recommended form of exercise, they are convenient, require nothing but a little space and your own body weight, and provide over all results.

Increase your energy with Tibetan Rites

by Jennifer Townes

The Five Tibetan Rites are said to be over 2500 years old and originated as a form of yoga.

These are not your typical yoga poses, these rites are about movement and are meant to flow together at a moderate to quick pace.

It is widely believed that they are a key to prolonged youth that has been so sought after throughout history.

It may come as a shock to hear that five exercises done daily taking no more than 20 minutes to complete can have such a profound impact on your life, health, vitality and appearance, but that is precisely what these rites can do if practiced daily.

There are indeed varying tales and theories surrounding the history of the Five Rites. As it stands,Peter Kedler was in communication with a man known as Colonel Bradford. Bradford, it is stated, traveled to Tibet in search of the monastery he believed heald the secret of youth, which he first learned of years before while in India. In Tibet, he located the group of lamas that he preached held the secret of youth. As the lamas explained to him this consisted of five exercises done daily, that operate with the Chakras.

Although that story is probably not entirely true, what we know for sure is that we have these exercises are available now, and the impact they will have in your life is profound. Consisting of five exercises performed in twenty-one repetitions, some of the benefits claimed by people who practice are as follows:

• increased physical strength
• relieve stress
• improve respiration
• enhance bone mass
• improve digestion
• eliminate fat around midsection
• strengthen core muscles
• heal back pain, strengthen spine
• oxygenate the body
• think more clearly, become more alert and improve memory
• improve sleep quality
• improve eyesight
• reverse signs of physical degeneration, look younger
• arthritis relief
• enhanced sexual performance
• increase endurance and stamina
• attain a great boost in energy of the body and mind

Science: Why the Tibetan Rites Work

Many in the scientific and medical community have come to conclude that meditation and exercise has profound and direct benefits on the seen and unseen forces at work with in our bodies and minds.

Regular deep meditation changes the brain in positive ways, research is now showing. This type of meditation seems to be associated with gamma waves (the electromagnetic rhythm of neurons firing very rapidly in harmony).

“These findings may help explain the beneficial health effects of mindfulness meditation, and suggest, for the first time, an underlying reason why mindfulness meditation programs improve mood and health,” said UCLA psychologist. From the standpoint of neuroscience, meditation can be characterized as a sequence of mental exercises by which one strengthens their command over the workings of their own brain.

In fact, science went as far as to invite the Dalai Lama in 2005 to lecture at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington, D.C. In his speech, the spiritual leader of Tibet highlighted the areas of similarity between neuroscience and Buddhist teachings about the mind.

To learn more about the Tibetans rites, I have found the out-of-print, old edition of Peter Kedler’s book, originally titled “The Eye of Revelation.”

This e-book comes with a 100% money back guarantee, so I’m really happy to point you to this classic in the natural health field. The exercises work for me, and I bet they’d work for you too. Click here for more details.

I know you’re used to hearing from me about the latest in the raw foods and health movements, but I wanted to talk to you a little bit today about stress reduction. You can be eating all the right foods and following my plans perfectly, but if your mind and body are constantly under stress, it’s not going to do you as much good as it can.

One of the best ways to counteract stress is to exercise. We’ve talked before about the importance of daily exercise. Now, I want you to consider doing yoga as part of your exercise plan. Yoga is a great way to exercise because it utilizes all of the different muscle groups of the body and helps keep you flexible and toned and less prone to injury. But, more importantly, it’s meant to be a way to prepare your mind for relaxation and meditation.

The deep breathing that accompanies each yoga pose is intended to clear your mind and get you to focus on the physical movements you are doing. In the process, your body responds by releasing the tension and stress you might not even realize you have. Let’s try a simple exercise right now. As you are reading this line, breathe in deeply through your nose at a count of four. Hold slightly, and then release your breath slowly through your nose at a count of four again. You might already be feeling a sense of relief!

That’s because yoga has physical and mental benefits. It helps lower your blood pressure and heart rate and increase your intake of oxygen. As a result, you feel less anxious and tense. As your body gains strength and flexibility, you experience a slowing in the aging process and an enhanced feeling of well being.

Although some practitioners want you to believe that yoga is hard or mysterious, it really isn’t. In fact, like the breathing exercise you just did, you probably have already naturally done some yoga poses without even knowing it! Yoga involves stretching the body and forming different poses while breathing slowly and steadily. You feel relaxed yet energized at the same time. There are many different types of yoga, some which involves moving through the poses quickly (often referred to as *power yoga*), which other types require you to stretch deeply into a pose and hold it before moving on to the next pose.

Most yoga classes at fancy studios last 90 minutes, with about 60 minutes devoted to doing all of the poses and 20 to 30 minutes meditating. I know that sounds like a long time, but you can get some of the same benefits from doing just 20 minutes of yoga poses and 10 minutes of relaxation/meditation. So why not give yoga a try today?

I’ve received a lot of questions from you, asking “Frederic, I work behind a desk all day. I love my job, but I feel so stiff and out of shape by the end of the day. What can I do to offset sitting 8 hours a day?”

I’ve got some great exercises you can do right at your desk that will have you feeling better and staying more flexible, so no excuses! Also, take a look at some other products that I offer to get you on the road to fitness and health http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/products.html

Now, here’s my 3-part daily plan for you:

1. Stand up!!

At least every hour, you should at least just stand up. Reach your arms in the air, and get on your tippy toes, trying to elongate yourself as much as possible. Then, come back down on flat feet and reach your right arm up as high as possible and slowly bend over to your left side. Come back up straight, then reach your left arm up as high as possible and slowly bend to the right side. Shake everything out, and slowly bend forward, letting your arms dangle down. Don’t worry about keeping your knees straight or being able to touch the floor, that will come with time. Just use this time to get the blood flowing. Be sure you’re letting your neck relax and hang loose. Shake your head “yes” and “no” and let it release. Slowly, come back up to standing.

Do this at least every hour. It does not take a lot of time, and you will soon feel much better.

2. Relax your neck

Those of you working at a desk all day, probably on the computer most of the time, probably hold a lot of tension in your neck. It’s really important to try to ease that tightness. First, while working, try hard to keep your shoulders down and your back straight (good posture means a lot for easing tensions and also for good digestion!). Be sure your chair is at the right height so that you can comfortably have your feet flat on the floor and your arms parallel to your keyboard.

Here’s an exercise specifically for your neck: either standing or sitting, drape your right arm over your head and touch your left ear. Slowly lean your head towards your right shoulder. Be sure your left arm is held straight down (after a while, you might want to flex your left hand, so that your palm is parallel with the floor for an added stretch). Hold and slowly count to 10. Now, do the other side. Slowly and gently, roll your head clockwise one or two times; then, roll it the other direction.

Try to do this at least 2 or 3 times a day, especially after being at the computer for an extended period of time.

3. Stretch and flex your arms and hands

Another danger of sitting and typing too much is carpal tunnel syndrome, an ailment where you start to feel pain in your wrists and you experience numbness in different parts of your hands. Anyone who does repetitive motions for long periods of time needs to be very careful about this.

Here are some exercises you can do to ease the effects of too much typing or writing. First, hold your arms out parallel to the floor, with your palms facing the ground. Flex your hands up, as though you’re about to push against the wall in front of you. Hold while counting to 10 (for an added stretch, you might want to use one hand to push the other hand back towards you, and switch sides, but be very gentle and don’t yank or push too hard). Now, point your hands and fingers down towards the ground (again, you might want to very gently push the opposite hand toward you for more stretch). Now, hold your arms out to your sides and repeat the hand stretches up and down. Push outwards with your arms. Now, raise them up and interlock your fingers and face your palms to the ceiling. Push upwards, try to reach and push the ceiling. Bring your arms down and shake them out. Make fists with your hands, then stretch out your hands and fingers and wiggle them.

See, that didn’t take very long either.

Try to be more aware of sitting for too long periods of time. Get up and do these simple exercises. Or go for a walk down the hall and get a glass of water (you can never drink too much water!). Walk up and down the hallways for 10 minutes, then get back to work. You’ll feel better and ultimately be more productive in the work you do!

Okay, I’m getting a little belligerent, but here’s my opinion of yoga: yoga is a great physical and spiritual practice, but not a complete exercise it itself!

Don’t turn into a yoga “wimp”.

My tip for today is:

“Whether you’re a man or a woman, whether you’re young or old, lift weights for building strength.”

If you don’t already lift weights, you should start.

The benefits are numerous:

- Weight lifting will energize you, add functional strength that you can use
- It will improve your posture and reduce your risks of osteoporosis
- It will improve your balance and coordination
- It will improve your immune system and make you less prone to low-back injuries
- It will improve your digestion, your resting heart rate, your muscular endurance
- It will help you look younger, and help you burn more calories when you’re at rest (more muscles burs more calories!)
- It will improve your confidence and may your daily activities easier

And that’s not to speak of the cosmetic aspects!

Don’t start thinking that you will look like the pictures of ”Hulk” in the magazines… that’s very unlikely unless you train specifically for that!

Now… when I say weight lifting, I actually mean lifting actual weights, not just your body.

Although bodyweight exercises are great, and I really recommend them, I think everybody needs to actually pump some iron if they want to increase their strength.

Bodyweight exercises mostly build your muscular endurance.

Weight lifting builds your strength.

In theory, you could design some body weight exercises that can also build your strength… but those are too challenging for the average person.

Can you reasonably expect to do a “handstand pushup” (which means you’ll have to stand on hands, against a wall, and push up)?

That’s the way to build strength on your shoulders using body weight exercises only.

But with weight training, you only have to lift a weight above your shoulders to achieve the same benefits. So this is much more accessible to most people.

Don’t think you need any special equipment to start weight lifting, or any expensive gym membership!

All you need are a set of dumbells. Overtime, you can purchase heavier ones or buy a set of adjustable dumbells (If you can save for it… I recommend the best in the world… the Powerblock, a http://www.powerblock.com)

Then you also need an adjustable bench.

And that’s it! That’s all you need to get started.

Of course, you also need to know what exercises to do.

For that, you can learn the routines from a friend. You can buy a book on the subject (a good eBook I recommend can be found at: http://fredraw.westy04.hop.clickbank.net/)

All you have to do is to train for about 30 minutes three times a week, and you will build more strength!

Remember, this is important especially as you get older, and especially if you’re a woman (although men need it too!), because typically women and old people tend to avoid strength-building activities.

So start getting stronger now!

My tip for you is one that I’ve recently implemented with much more diligence in my life, and seen a huge difference in the way I feel:

“Exercise Before Every Meal”

It’s amazing once you realize how much exercise is related to nutrition and digestion! In other words, exercise improves every aspect of your assimilation, including:

- The ability to process sugar efficiently (called “insulin
sensitivity”)
- More efficient digestion and uptake of nutrients
- More natural hunger, more desire to eat natural foods.

The natural pattern is simple… you have to create “demand”.

You have to empty your fuel tank before you fill it again.

You have to lower a bit your blood sugar before rising it again… other wise you’re just filling up an already full tank!

The way to do that is to exercise before every meal.

It doesn’t have to be a big deal. This morning, I walked to the grocery store and back, to get some fruit for breakfast.

I happen to live where there’s a lot of hills, so just doing that is a mini-workout in itself.

If you don’t have “time” to exercise, at least spend 2-3 minutes doing some jumping jacks, before you start putting foods in your body.

Make it a commitment to exercise every day, and you’ll be surprised be how great you feel!

Also, plan your main workout of the day before a meal, and do some “mini-workouts” before your other meals. Your “mini-workouts” could be:

- Going for a walk
- Going for a sprint-run
- Doing some bodyweight exercises, such as pushups and squats
- Jumping on your mini trampoline
- Etc.

Get the blood moving!

If you’d like to get a very powerful exercise program based on simple, bodyweight exercise you can do anywhere, I highly recommend that you check out the “Lightning Speed Fitness”
program at:

http://fredraw.superbeing.hop.clickbank.net

“Rebounding Exercises For Health”

My health tip for the day is: “If you’re looking for an indoor exercise, try rebounding.”

What exercises can you do on a rainy day? Some people like to go jog in the rain, the mud and the cold. They are the brave ones. Good for them.

I like to watch them from my window.

But seriously, that’s not my style.

What do I do instead? I found a great workout I can do inside on a rainy do (or when it’s too cold to go outside).

It’s rebounding, a way to exercise that is complete and has several health benefits.

I won’t talk about the so-called benefits of “cellular exercise.” Because of the up-and-down movement of rebounding, apparently the lymph gets moving and this helps to detoxify and slow-down aging.

For me, the real benefits of rebounding is that it’s something you can do inside on a rainy day. Plus, it can be a great cardio-endurance-toning workout if you know what to do with the rebounder.

So two tips for rebounding:

1. Get a good rebounder. Not those cheap ones at Walmart. Get something that will last and will give you a real bound. My rebounder is a NEEDAK that I got on E-bay.

2. Get a DVD workout for rebounder. Most people have no idea what to do with their rebounder. I had one for years and the only thing I was doing with it was to jump up and down once in a while, and it got boring. Since then, I got a great DVD which as several workouts, one which is 45 minute long and is great for many aspects of fitness. You can get it from www.urbanrebounding.com, a company that also sells rebounders. I haven’t tried them but they look great and for a great price too.

NOTE: If you’re not in the habit of exercising regularly, you might want to start with that first! Don’t think that a rebounder is going to be the magic solution that will get you in shape. You have to get in the habit first.

After a break while doing my program the 21-Day Challenge, I’m back with the daily tips! My tip for today is:

My Tip for Today is:

“Don’t Skip a Day of Exercise”

According to an article published in one Health & Fitness section of the About.com Site, skipping exercise for two days in a row has bad effects on health. (To read the article, go to http://walking.about.com/od/healthbenefits/a/skip2days.htm)

It makes sense, because we’re meant to live an active life. Being sedentary was not the norm for human beings, even in the Western world, until just a few decades ago.

My commitment now is to exercise everyday.

I never had a session of exercise, either biking, a long walk, hiking, yoga, weight lifting, or running — that I regretted.

Even though I might not have felt like doing it when I started, I never thought to myself, “I shouldn’t have gone for that bike ride” or “That was such a bad idea to take that yoga class!”

On the contrary, I felt much better afterwards.

It is a basic human need to exercise everyday.

When you do this, you’ll be more hungry for natural foods. So earn your meals!

Is it any wonder that hunger is widely recognized as a sign of health? Lack of appetite is widely recognized as a sign of ill health. And the best way to cultivate true hunger is to engage in vigorous exercise.

PS: I discussed the concept of real hunger versus false hunger in details in my book the Raw Secrets. Have you read it? It’s a fascinating and very useful idea. To get The Raw Secrets, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/2k2dxx

Pushups have always been regarded as a military exercise, used for men training in the army, inmates in prisons and boxers training for a fight. That’s a cliché that should be eliminated from your mind, because pushups are one of the best exercises for men AND women.

Women should practice pushups on a regular, if not daily basis to build upper body strength.

The pushup is one of the best exercises for overall fitness.

Pushups train the chest muscles, the triceps, the biceps and back. They’re a great overall exercise for the chest, they benefit the abdominal muscles, and they’re much easier on the joints than other chest exercises. As an added bonus, a pushup workout is great for cardiovascular health and circulation.

Women especially need to practice more pushups because they lack upper body strength. How many women can lift their own weight? How many women feel totally confident about their strength?

Yet, many women are afraid to practice pushups because they think they will develop a large, unattractive “manly” body! Or they’re afraid of getting started because they think that pushups are “too hard” for women.

If you start doing pushups everyday, you won’t look like hulk! But you’ll develop a nice, enviable strong and sexy body.

If you can practice pushups everyday for the next 3 months, I guarantee you that your body will completely transform.

The other thing about pushups to keep in mind is that there is more than one type of pushup! There are literally hundreds of different variations on the traditional, military pushup.

What I recommend you do is start with about 25 pushups a day. Do the easy “pushup on your knee” type, and the work on being able to do four rounds of those (so a total of 100 pushups).

Then increase the types and varieties of pushups you practice.

For a complete mini-course on pushups and other exercises that are great for women, I highly recommend that you check out the Lightning Speed Fitness Program, click here.