Three Simple Steps to Stay Healthy While Traveling

Guest post by- Mike Manning

Few habits are as important to develop as eating healthy and developing a consistent workout plan.  No matter one’s level of fitness, it is always important to get as much exercise as possible, within reason, and to stick to these plans every single week.  With the CDC now claiming that all adults need a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise per week, it may seem as if traveling and health living do not go hand in hand.  Luckily, airports, hotels, and other companies focused on travelers are now listening to their customers and making health and fitness easier than ever while on the move. Here are three simple tips that any traveler can use to take their fitness routine with them.

30 years and 30 lessons (part 3)

Click here for part 1 and part 2

Ok, so with only a day away from the day, here are the 10 final lessons that I learnt and would like to share with you. And in case you are concerned that like some others, the number 30 depresses me, then let me assure that it is not the case. Yes, I do wish I could be in my 20's a bit longer, but I see a lot of new opportunities for me to look forward to, and going after many life long dreams, which I believe I WILL achieve in the next decade! So, onto the final 10 lessons:

21) Do some athletic training or play some sport to stay connected with your youth- ok, so if you are  in your teens, then you might not get this one so much. But, if you are 25 or more, I strongly feel that playing some sport or engaging in any athletic activity that you took part in as a child is good for you even now. This could mean a weekly game of soccer with friends, a weekly martial arts of tennis class, sprinting, or anything else that fascinates you. These athletic activities outside the gym add a new dimension to your fitness, and gives you a nice growth hormone release. Plus it makes you feel young and in charge of your health.

30 years and 30 lessons (part 2)

Yesterday I had shared 10 lessons that I have learned in about the 30 years of my existence on this planet. In the second part I will share 10 more lessons that life has taught me so far. In case, you feel that I being too preachy, just bear me, I am getting old, ha ha.


11) Train in all the rep ranges- often you hear people arguing passionately about what is the ideal rep range to follow for any particular goal. And yet, the ones who actually do achieve success in the gym, use a variety of rep ranges. Yes, powerlifters do sets of 15+ reps, and endurance athletes do perform sets of 5 or less! Training in a variety of rep ranges allows you to work your various muscle fibers and ensure better development. In general make sure that you do some work in the low range (1-5 reps), some in the moderate range (6-15 reps), and some in the high range (15+ reps) for best results.

30 years and 30 lessons

This Friday on the 3^rd of May, 2013, I turn 30. Yep, I do turn that old, sigh!! As I enter a new decade of my life, I cannot help but think of all times when I thought about turning 30. Its something about the number 30, that will make you feel really grown up, even if you have been partying and avoiding responsibilities all throughout your 20’s. You know that you are now definitely expected to act "mature". However, you do not want to end up being and looking so mature, that people mistake you to be 2 or 3 decades older!

To be honest, if you were ask me, then as probably most people turning 30 I would also tell you that I wish I could have done a few more things in my 20’s. I wish I had achieved a bit more while I was in my 20’s, but hey, no point dwelling on what is done. Its important to move on and look ahead. So before this post turns into a sob story, let me share with you some vital lessons that I have learned in the 30 years of my life. Not that I am a big intelligent guy with tons of life's experiences, but enough to make some good points that I believe will benefit others. These are lessons involving various aspects of life like training, nutrition, lifestyle, etc. And yes, I do not claim to always successfully follow all the lessons that I have learnt in life, but when I do, life is so much better for me. Thus I can safely say that using some of these lessons I have learnt will definitely help you too:

2 bodyweight finishers for greater fat burning

Anytime you decide to do real, challenging bodyweight workouts, be ready to feel the pain! Honestly speaking, except for some very lightweight folks, most will find that bodyweight workouts can really help their conditioning levels go to a much higher level in a very short amount of time. And if you can add some resistance via kettlebells, suspension straps, or dumbbells, then the results are further multiplied.

Strong & Fit 2013

Saturday the 13th of April was the date for a very special event in the city of Kolkata. An event that gave trainees a chance to show their strength and fitness levels, and compete with others who share the same passion. After the Kolkata kettlebell meet held earlier in January, top coach Ranadeep Moitra came up with the idea to do something bigger, which would be focused on overall strength and fitness levels. Thus we came up with the idea of Strong & Fit, which would involve 3 events, of which one would be a barbell lift, one dumbbell lift, and one bodyweight event. The venue would be his large studio, Endorphins at the Calcutta Rowing Club. For this event we had three categories: men's, women's and under-15. The events that we chose were:

1) 5 rep max deadlift

2) Double dumbbell overhead lift

3) 5 minutes burpees

Can low rep sets work for fat loss?

Ok, first of all so let me begin by apologizing for my absence from this blog for over a month now. Ever since I started writing online articles since 2010, I have never gone this long without posting something on my site. And contrary to what my good friend Sean Casey might have told you about me enjoying the Valentine month for a bit too long (ha ha, you can get me later for this Sean), the truth is that I needed a little break after KKM. And to be honest, I will probably take it easy for this month too. Nope, no writer's block for me yet, but just taking it easy for sometime to recharge the writer in me so that I can come back and provide more useful stuff for you to benefit from.

Anyways, enough about me, now lets move onto the topic for the day. For a lot of us when you mention weight training for fat loss, the first thought that comes to mind is light weights and high reps. Automatically people think of a lot of crunches, leg extensions, cable crossovers, and other such isolation exercises. I am not really sure how the concept of light weights and high reps became so popular for fat loss, but I can tell you that it is NOT the best way to go for the majority of the population out there.