Fit Naija

Have you done about  a thousand curls in the past week and the same number of triceps extensions? And your arms are still not growing? The fact is, there needs to be variety in your workouts, but the age-old question is how?  Try out these five killer moves and watch your arms inflate like balloons. Exercise 1: Dead-Hang Chinup Grab a pullup bar with an underhand, shoulder-width grip, kick your legs behind you, cross your feet, squeeze your glutes, and pull your shoulders down and back. This is the start position. Pull yourself up so your collarbone is in line with the bar, pause, and take four seconds to lower yourself back to the start position.   Exercise 2: Rolling Skull Crusher with Press Lie back on a bench holding a dumbbell straight above your chest. Slowly allow your elbows to bend and your upper arms to come back as you lower the dumbbell. It should end up behind your head. Reverse the motion to return the dumbbell to its original position, ...

The main aim of this article is to guide the reader on steps to reducing belly fat to an absolute zero. Truth is loosing belly fat is one of the hardest tasks, far harder than building muscles, but with these few tips, it should be a bit easier for you. Step 1- Stop worrying : The moment people discover that their abdominal regions are beginning to protrude, or jiggle indiscriminately they begin to worry about how they look or what people think about them. Worrying doesn’t help, rather it might increase your stress level which increases the cortisol hormone in your body which leads to weight gain. Rather accept who you are, accept you are fat, accept you need to loose weight, this will help you get at cynics trying to make fun of you. Step 2- Cut carbs : I’ve preached this sermon countless times. If you want to take plenty of carbs, you have to engage yourself in highly stressful activities, I don’t mean walking or jogging for 1km, I’m talking about playing intensive basketball...

  A keto diet is well known for being a low carb diet, where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy. It’s referred to as many different names – ketogenic diet, low carb diet, low carb high fat ( LCHF ), etc. By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what to eat on a ketogenic diet. Make sure that you read and re-read through the list of acceptable foods to build a mental image around what type of meals you will want to eat. If you’re still unsure about any products or food items that might not be keto friendly, don’t worry too much. Below, you’ll find a list of things that you should always be on the look out for. Sugar.  It’s typically found in soda, juice, sports drinks, candy, chocolate, and ice cream. Anything that’s processed and sweet you can think of most likely contains sugar. Avoid sugar at all costs. Grains.  Any wheat products (bread or buns), pasta, cereal, cakes, pastries, rice, corn, and beer should be avoided....

1. Cucumbers : Thanks to the flavonoid antioxidant quercetin (which reduces swelling) and a high water content of 96%, cucumbers can definitely help prevent bloating. This crunchy veggie is also extremely versatile: eat it in a chopped salad, or munch on cucumber slices.   2.  Bananas : Craving an afternoon snack? A banana may be your best bet. In addition to potassium, bananas are packed with resistant starch, a healthy carbohydrate that your body digests slowly, which keeps you full for longer. Resistant starch also encourages your liver to switch to fat-burning mode, giving your metabolism a boost. Even more good news for your abs: “Bananas may help prevent water retention in our bodies by regulating sodium levels,” says Gans, “decreasing the risk for bloating.” 3. Paw paw(Papaya) : There are lots of reasons to love this brightly colored tropical fruit, which is a rich source of vitamins A, C, E, and folate. Papayas also contain an enzyme called papain, which...

  Here are 10 basic exercises that will improve your lateral quickness and explosive power while reducing risk of injury. 1. Lateral lunge Why you should do it:  The lateral lunge mimics basketball’s standard defensive shuffling motion. More importantly, it opens up the muscles of the groin and hips. How to do it:  From a standing position, step to the right, keeping toes pointed straight ahead and feet flat. Squat onto your right leg, keeping the left leg straight and the weight on the right leg’s midfoot to heel. Squatting as low as possible, keep the left leg straight and hold the position for 2 seconds. Return to standing position and repeat for 10 reps, then switch sides.   2. Glute bridge  Why you should do it:  To improve the firing and muscle-recruitment patterns of the glutes, which are important for jumping and explosive movements. How to do it:  Lie face-up on the floor, with knees bent 90 degrees and feet flat on the f...

  Magnesium is one of the most important supplements for athletes because it regulates blood pressure, allows muscles to contract and relax and stabilizes heart rhythm. It also contributes to ATP production and activates several enzymes that facilitate digestion and metabolism. In addition, magnesium plays a vital role in neuromuscular functions, cardiac activity, protein and nucleic acids and mental health. Other benefits of magnesium A natural compound, magnesium helps the body use energy from food. Without it, your body would simply fail to function. Within the health and fitness industry, the supplement is cherished for its ability to aid protein synthesis and energy production. Athletes lose magnesium and electrolytes through sweat. Most times, they don’t make up for these losses in their diets, which leads to mineral deficiencies. Studies also indicate that magnesium may improve exercise tolerance and cardiac function in athletes, prevent muscle fatigue and boost men...

1. Skipping Breakfast It seems like a simple way to cut calories, but it can make you hungry the rest of the day. This may lead to unplanned snacking at work and eating a supersized portion at lunch, making calorie counts soar. But breakfasts that are high in protein and fiber can curb hunger throughout the day. In fact, studies show people who eat breakfast every morning are more likely to maintain a healthy weight. 2. Losing Track of Your Snacks Maybe you count calories at every meal, but what about all those nibbles in between? There's the bag of pretzels at your desk, the little slice of cake at a party, the taste of your son's ice cream cone. All of this mindless munching adds up and could sabotage an otherwise well-planned diet. If you're serious about counting calories, you may want to use your smartphone or a notebook to keep track of each bite.  3. Not Snacking at All While mindless snacking can pad your waistline,  thoughtful  snack...

  We may think of cardio as a chore, huffing, puffing, and sweating through workouts just to change how our bodies work. Yes, cardio can help change your body, but it has so many other benefits that know those may make you look at cardio exercise with different eyes.   Some benefits include :  Weight loss Stronger heart and lungs Increased bone density Reduced stress Reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer Temporary relief from depression and anxiety More confidence about how you feel and how you look Better sleep More energy Notice that weight loss, while a big focus for many people, is only one benefit of cardio. Despite that, weight loss is often our only goal and not just for health, but to look good. While there's nothing wrong with wanting to look good, having that as our only goal can make exercise harder. Why? Because losing weight takes time...what happens if you don't see results on your timetable? Where...

Working for long hours straight? Not exercising for long?  These and other common habits can be hard on your heart. Stay safe by making these heart-healthy changes. You know that eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly are important habits for a  healthy heart . But did you know that you could still be undermining all your efforts with some surprisingly common bad habits? “A number of activities that people don’t think twice about can have a negative impact on heart health,” says Kevin R. Campbell, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist at North Carolina Heart and Vascular, UNC Health Care in Raleigh. Check out this list of heart-damaging habits to see if it's time to make changes to your routine: 1. Sitting All Day   Compared to people with an active lifestyle, those who don’t move enough and tend to sit for five hours or more each day have double the risk for heart failure, according to a study published in January 2014 in the American Heart Association...

Indulge  me for a moment by flexing your right arm. Assuming you have an average build, and trust messss, you do, your arm is packing about five pounds of muscle. It represents nearly 10 percent of the total muscle on your body. Now, imagine that muscle gone. No biceps, no triceps, only a jiggly mass of skin and fat covering your bones from your shoulder down to your fingertips. That five pounds of muscle is about the same amount most men lose between the ages of 24 and 50. And that number doubles by the time they’re 60. In fact, once a man passes the half-century mark, he can expect to lose 1% of his muscle each year for the rest of his life. That is, unless he does something about it. And there’s good reason for intervention: the natural erosion of muscle and strength that comes with ageing leads directly to weak bones, stiff joints, and a slumped posture, and increases your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other maladies. But there’s no reason you c...