Exercise balls were certainly not invented by Joseph Pilates and they are not considered traditional Pilates equipment in the way that magic circles or reformers are. Nevertheless, the fitness ball has been heartily embraced by much of the Pilates community.

An Exercise Ball, is a Balance Ball, is a Stability Ball, is a Core Challenge:

Actually, Instability Ball, Off-Balance Ball, or Engage All Your Core Muscles Ball would be more appropriate, and give a big hint as to why fitness balls are so popular in Pilates. The tippy nature of a ball makes it quite a balance challenge when one it trying to sit or lay on one while exercising. Whenever you challenge balance you have a great opportunity to test core strength using the powerhouse and stabilizer muscles. You will find that even having just the hips or legs on the ball, while the rest of the body is stable on the mat, is an increase in difficulty.

Ways to Use Exercise Balls:

• Increase the difficulty of an exercise by adding balance and/or leverage challenges.
• Engage the subtle muscles of the core to keep balance.
• Instructors use exercise balls to provide neuromuscular feedback to their students.
• Exercise balls are found in many therapeutic settings where they provide support, and some movement, for the client.
• Many people sit on exercise balls at their desk to keep the abdominal muscles and spine active.
• Squeeze it for light resistance exercise.
• Stretch: balls are great to drape yourself over – front or back.
• Play!

Balance and Leverage – Using the Fitness Ball :

The ways to incorporate fitness balls into a Pilates based workout are really innumerable. The important thing is to stay true to the intent of an exercise.

Add challenge and variety to Pilates mat exercises by experimenting with the inherent instability of the ball, or using the shape and weight of the ball as a leverage challenge. For example, one could do The Hundred with the legs propped up on the ball(balance), or one could try doing The Hundred holding the ball between the ankles(leverage).

Pilates Exercises with the Fitness Ball:

Easy

• Do Pelvic Curl with your legs in table top propped on the ball.
• Do Spine Stretch with your hands on the ball, allowing it to roll out with the exercise.

Moderate:

• Do Plank with the hips balanced on the ball.
• Do The Hundred with legs propped on the ball.

More Difficult:

• Do Roll Up holding the fitness ball in your hands.
• Do Open Leg Rocker with the ball between your ankles.

Did you know that Green Tea is one of the most effective weight loss supplements that you can consume to help you lose weight?

Well, it is. According to recent studies, when combined with sensible lifestyle changes green tea can help dieters lose weight, burn fat, increase metabolic rate and suppress their appetites.

Unlike black tea which is highly processed and fermented, green tea is made by slightly steaming the freshly gathered leaves, which prevents them from becoming fermented or changing color. After steaming, the leaves are dried by lightly pan frying them in a wok, baking them in an oven or heating them with hot air until they are crispy. The resulting beverage is a greenish-yellow tea with a slightly astringent flavor.

More and more often you’ll find extracts of green tea being included in a lot of popular weight loss products today. One of the main reasons for this is because of one of green tea’s chief ingredients. Polyphenols, which are responsible for the color of the leaves of some plants, are a group of substances found in green tea. These polyphenols benefit weight loss by helping the body to burn fat naturally by increasing body heat and energy expenditure.

Green tea also causes carbohydrates to be released slowly, preventing sharp increases in blood-insulin levels. This promotes the burning of fat.

Another of the main ingredients in green tea is antioxidants. Antioxidants are organic substances, like vitamins A, E and C which are thought to be effective in helping protect the body against the harmful effects of free radicals – which cause the destruction of living cells, cancer, stroke and heart disease.

One of the most extraordinary characteristics about green tea is that studies have shown it is about 200 times more potent an antioxidant than Vitamin A, Vitamin C, E or curcumin in some instances. Additionally, just one cup of green tea has more antioxidant effect than a serving of strawberries, spinach or carrots.

Caffeine is another component in green tea which scientists think plays an important role in green tea’s ability to help people lose weight. Green tea contains less caffeine than coffee. There are approximately 30 to 60 mg. of caffeine in 8 ounces of tea, compared to more than 100 mg. in 8 ounces of coffee.

Combined with Polyphenol compounds, caffeine in green tea acts as a stimulant to the body to help promote fat loss. In a recent study, participants taking green tea extract and still following normal diet experienced a significant increase in their energy expenditure.

The researchers concluded that participants using green tea extract had increased fat oxidation beyond what could be attributed to the caffeine they consumed.

This indicates that green tea contains beneficial components that affect the body’s metabolism in such a way that favors weight loss. Additionally, scientists observed that participants in a study on green tea did not show any increase in heart rate, which suggests that green tea may be an excellent alternative to many stimulant-based diet aids.

If helping people to lose weight was not enough, green tea provides additional health benefits far and beyond weight loss, including:

• Protects against Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s
• Fights cavities and helps stop tooth decay and gum disease
• Prevents osteoporosis
• Protects against ovarian cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer and prostate cancer
• Lowers cholesterol
• Helps the body to fight viruses
• Controls high blood pressure
• Normalizes healthy bacteria in the intestines
• Helps prevent heart disease

Thus far, no harmful side effects have been found in drinking green tea or taking green tea extract capsules. This makes green tea one of the best health supplements available for weight loss and overall health. Author Resource:- Patricia has been interested in health and fitness since the early 70′s and knows how to seperate hype from fact.

Green Tea For Weight Loss Article From Article Health And Fitness

The Right Equipment
Mountain bikes are sturdier than your average 10-speed or hybrid bicycle so they can withstand rough roads. They have wide tires that grip the trail, and cantilever brakes, similar to those found on a motorcycle.

When purchasing a mountain bike, be sure that it isn’t too large. You should always be able to put a foot on the ground to steady yourself. A helmet is a must, and knee and elbow pads are sure-fire scar preventers.

Your Body On A Bike
Riding a bike is one of the best cardiovascular exercises around. Not only does it provide an aerobic workout, but it strengthens the large muscles of the lower body, including the thighs, hips and buttocks, without putting a lot of stress on the joints. The upper body and arms come into play when climbing hills.

Always warm up before you begin your ride. Pedal in a low gear over flat terrain until you begin to sweat or feel warm.

This usually takes about five to 10 minutes. And don’t neglect to cool down when you come to the end of your ride. Gradually lowering your heart rate can help prevent the pooling of lactic acid in the muscles. Again, pedal slowly in a low gear.

On The Trail
Practice makes perfect isn’t a cliché when it comes to handling a mountain bike. Once you start heading up hills and mountains and over rocks and steep falls, you’ll need to rely on your instincts, which, if they don’t come naturally, develop through practice. One of the first things to do is to get a feel for how the brakes work. The front brake on a mountain bike usually has more power than the back, and pulling it alone may send you flying over the handlebars. Practice quick stops before you hit the trail so you can feel how your weight may affect how you stop. Cantilever brakes are stronger than those on other bikes, allowing riders to control factors such as their rate of decline. When descending a hill, lightly squeeze and release the brakes – a technique called feathering – to prevent the wheels from locking.

Change gears as it becomes necessary in order to keep a steady cadence. Use a low gear when you need power, and a high gear when you want speed.

Climbing requires a shift in your weight that will control the tires’ grip on the ground. Short, steep hills may require out-of-the-seat pedaling to garner more power. If you try this on a long climb, however, you’ll likely tire before you reach the top. Shift your weight forward, off the seat if necessary, to gain the power you need.

Get Pedaling
You can obtain information about trails in your area from your local library or mountain-biking group. The sooner you start pedaling, the sooner you can test your limits – those set by both your body and your mind.

Source: ACE FitnessMatters; Learn more about ACE FitnessMatters online.