Do you pride yourself on your sense of humor and enjoy inside jokes with your friends?

Or maybe you are the type who wants everyone to know what they are all about.

You have an attitude and you are opinionated and you don’t care who knows it.

How do you express yourself?

Make an Impression

What the first thing you use to judge a person? Their physical appearance. Before they even open their mouth, you notice their hair, face, and their clothing. What do your clothes say about you? Do they communicate that you are just like everyone else?

The easiest way to make the right impression is to design a t-shirt that will tell the world who you are and what you like without saying a word.

Getting Started

Making a silkscreen design can be challenging and time consuming, and there is no guarantee that what you get back from the screen-printing shop will look anything like the image you had in mind. The most effective, efficient, and affordable way to get the design you want.

There are several websites that sell funny t-shirts, but these aren’t necessarily the best option for you if you want something truly customized. The best websites will have options for you to put your own content on your apparel, or will at least give you hundreds of options and let you add your own text.

Get Creative

This is the fun part. After you have found the best site, you can customize just about anything. Don’t limit yourself to just a t-shirt. What else do you want to be completely unique? Your hoodie? Your pillowcase? You can even make custom underwear.

Chances are, once you start thinking about making custom apparel and accessories, you will find inspiration everywhere. You will see a funny video on the internet, find a quote you love, or remember an old school mascot. The possibilities are limitless.

Conclusion

There are hundreds of ways you can personalize your appearance, but customized apparel is unique in that you can change it every day, and express yourself on a daily basis.

Are you feeling sarcastic today? Try that snarky t-shirt. Feeling quirky? Grab your messenger bag with that obscure “Dr. Who” quote. You can’t go wrong.

Feelings and Actions

Common feelings and actions that are linked to anorexia nervosa include:

Having an intense fear of gaining weight.

Restricting food or types of food, such as food that contains any kind of fat or sugar.

Weighing less than 85% of your expected body weight. (In a child or teen, losing or not gaining weight during a growth spurt is a concern.)

Seeing your body as overweight, in spite of being underweight. This is called having a distorted body image.
Exercising too much.

Being secretive around food and not recognizing or wanting to talk about having a problem with eating or weight loss.

Some people who have anorexia also make themselves vomit or use laxatives or diuretics to lose weight (bulimia). Breakdown of the enamel on the teeth is a common symptom of long-term vomiting.

Physical signs

Common physical signs of malnutrition from anorexia include:3

A low body weight.

Constipation and slow emptying of the stomach.

Thinning hair, dry skin, and brittle nails.

Shrunken breasts.

Stopping or never getting a monthly menstrual period.

Feeling cold, with a lower-than-normal body temperature.

Low blood pressure.

Food rituals

People who have anorexia often form rituals associated with eating. These may include:

Developing special ways to eat food, hoarding food, collecting recipes, and preparing elaborate meals for other people but not eating the meals themselves.

Spending a lot of time cutting and rearranging food on their plates to make it look as though they have eaten. They may also hide food or secretly get rid of it during meals.

Suicidal feelings

In some cases, people who have eating disorders can feel suicidal.

Warning signs of possible suicide in children and teens can include making suicide threats, being preoccupied with death or suicide, giving away belongings, withdrawing, being angry, or having failing grades.

Warning signs and possible triggers of suicide in adults can include making suicide threats, alcohol or substance abuse, depression, giving away belongings, a recent job loss, or divorce.

If someone you know shows warning signs of suicide, make sure that the person is not left alone. Seek help from a mental health professional immediately.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, talk to someone about it. Call a local suicide hotline, your local health department, the national suicide hotline (1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255), or seek help at a local hospital emergency room.

We looked at studies and articles that dealt with the issue, and have made some fascinating realizations. Men and women are very different when it comes to weight loss – and weight gain!

Food Preferences

Men and women like different foods, and that had much to do with the type of weight they gain and how quickly they can lose it. Katherine Tallmadge, RD, the author of Diet Simple says that “Men love their meat, and women are attached to carbohydrates.” This doesn’t inherently make men more likely to stay fit, but meat generally contains more protein. This means that when a man starts exercising, he may build muscle more quickly and effectively. Carbs are burned quickly during a cardio work-out or a marathon, but they do not convert into muscle like protein does.
Tallmadge says that extremes of both of these preferences lead to excessive weight gain and poor health. She says that both groups should seek healthy alternatives. For men, she frequently recommends lean meats such as turkey rather than rare steaks. For women, she replaces starches with grains.
Additionally, men tend to be less informed about calories and fat content. As soon as the men start paying attention to healthier food choices, they tend to get quick results.

Physical Differences

In short, men are larger and have more muscle than women due to the hormone called testosterone. They are genetically designed to have a higher percentage of muscle and less fat. Muscle burns calories, so they can typically consume more calories than a woman can and not see as many negative consequences. This is a disadvantage that can surely be overcome. The key is to build muscle and exercise regularly.
One advantage in terms of weight loss is that women tend to put on weight on the hips and thighs, while men put on weight in their middle area. The “pear” shape is much healthier for cardio health.

What’s for dinner?

Women, in general, tend to spend more time in the kitchen than men do. They plan meals, menus, do grocery shopping, and food preparation. All that exposure to food is sure to lead to nibbling and tasting, the kind of snacking that nutritionists advise us to avoid. If this seems to be a problem, try to equalize the workload and minimize the temptations by getting your husband and/or the kids involved in preparing quick and healthy meals. They will all benefit, and so will you.

Positive attitude

Many men are simply problem solvers. When they see that their weight has gotten out of hand, they cut back. They go for a run. They solve the problem. Women tend to take it personally, letting their self-worth get tied up in both their weight gain and weight loss. We suggest getting the support you need, celebrating the little victories, and staying positive. For some, weight loss is a long process. But it’s worth it when you feel healthy and look your best.

#1 Rotate your Routine

It is easy to get burned out when you try to take up running. If you ate the same thing every day, pretty soon meals wouldn’t be that enticing. In order to maintain a strong running routine, you need to switch it up often. One day you should run up a mountain trail (or jog slowly, depending on your ability), when another day you could do sprints for 30 minutes. Keeping up a running habit is easier when you have something to look forward to, so don’t be afraid to deviate from your standard run.

#2 Stress your body out, then take a rest

It’s easy to skip a day of running if your body is completely sore and spent after yesterday’s 15 mile run. That’s why it’s important to remember this simple rule. It’s ok to take a break. This doesn’t mean that you stop all physical activity for a week, but if you want to take a day off, go ahead. Just remember to get back on track the next day. A good schedule might look something like this:

Monday: 3 mile run
Tuesday: 1 hour of sprints
Wednesday: 2 mile jog/walk
Thursday: 5 mile run-full speed
Friday: Day off
Saturday: 45 minutes around a track
This type of schedule works well because you get the rest you need when you need it, but it is consistent enough to get the results you want. If you combine it with more variety (talked about in tip #1) then it will be much easier to maintain a solid running schedule.

#3 Just Keep Going

No one said that running would be easy. Sometimes getting out the door seems like the last thing you want to do. But just like any sport, you will only see improvement if you keep with it and practice. If you want a toned chest and abs, you’ve got to keep with a running schedule. I once saw a fridge magnet that said: “Seven days without exercise makes one weak.” You aren’t going to get anywhere near your fitness goals if you aren’t consistent.

-Pick one set of weights and figure out which muscle groups you can do with that weight. For example, 15 lb dumbbells (or heavier for men) might be ideal for larger muscle groups such as chest, back and legs. If you pick 8 lbs, you might stick with shoulders and arms. You’ll save time by not having to go get different weights and you’ll at least get some of your muscle groups in.

-Use a resistance band. These easily fit in a suitcase or desk drawer and can be used for the entire body. Check out this Resistance Band workout for ideas
Do one exercise for each body part, one set, the end. 2 or 3 sets is great, but you don’t always have time for that. We’ll often choose the heaviest weight we can handle for each muscle group and lift to fatigue–whether that’s 10 reps or 20. Fast and no frills!

-Do only exercises that are lying down. This sounds silly, but if you do chest press, flyes, tricep extensions, close grip bench press, skull crushers and dumbbell pullovers you’ve just worked chest, back and triceps without even getting up.

-Do everything seated. Overhead press, lateral raise, front raise, bent over raise, bicep curls–right there, just worked shoulders and biceps without standing up.
Do compound movements. To save time, we sometimes combine moves – squats/overhead press, lunges with lateral raise or bicep curls, deadlifts with bent over rows just to name a few.

When you are trying to lose weight and get in shape, you should not pick an arbitrary number as your dream weight. According to studies, many people do not consider that their bodies may be different structurally than their peers. Muscle weighs more than fat, and building muscle is an important part of any diet or exercise plan. Having a realistic fitness plan can be the difference between success and disappointed frustration.

The first thing you need to do is figure out your Body Mass Index (BMI). Click HERE to go to a free calculator which will help you easily find out this number for yourself.
BMI less than 18.5 – Underweight
BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 – Healthy Weight
BMI between 25.0 and 30.0 – Overweight
BMI greater than 30.0 – Obese

Regardless of the number, this index determines proportions.

Look at this Ideal Weight chart. Developed by Life Insurance companies based on longevity, it represents data that correlates height, weight, frame-size, and length of life. Their “ideal weight” ranges are based on those that live the longest or those that have the least risk to insure. Like BMI, this is a good gauge to help you refine your weight for your fitness goal.

There are many ways to determine if you are overweight or unhealthy. Much of this can be done by gauging how you feel. Even if you think that you are thin enough, you may still wheeze after climbing up a short flight of stairs. Even if you weigh more than your friends, you may have much more muscle mass and are in better health.

Health and fitness, and medical experts dismiss the concept of “spot reduction,” so you may use the ThighMaster to strengthen your abductors and adductors (inner and outer thighs) without actual loss of fat in the thighs. As the product review on the Excercise Equipment Review says…”Used consistently the Thigh Master will tone and strengthen your muscles in your thighs and other areas. But if they are still hidden under a layer of fat you won’t see much difference. Combine the Thigh Master with some aerobic exercise and a sensible diet and you’re on to a winner!”

In addition when it comes to thighs exercises, basic free weight movements are going to serve you better.

Some people think that in order to tone the thighs, there is a need to do a lot of aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is great for reducing body fat, but when performed as the only form of exercise, it is relatively ineffective for improving thighs.

To increase your progress towards the thighs you really want, you must perform strength training exercise  based around free weights.

The most effective free weight based thighs exercises are 1) Thigh Squats, 2) DB Lunges, 3) Barbell Lunges, 4) DB Step ups, 5) Leg Press, 6) Leg Curls, 7) Straight Leg Deadlift.

Often a woman may think that her legs will take on pro-bodybuilder dimensions when she uses weight training in the overall exercise. Not true!  What will happen is that the thighs quickly begin to tone up and slim down and you can see results in as little as 10 days..

The University of Illinois Extension Service has published some interesting advice under the title “Sports and Nutrition” – “The Winning Connection.

Athletics is becoming increasingly competitive. More and more stress is being placed on how well you perform. To reach your highest potential, all of your body systems must be perfectly tuned. Nothing is more important to your well-being and ability to perform than good nutrition. Eating the right foods helps you maintain desirable body weight, stay physically fit, and establish optimum nerve-muscle reflexes. Without the right foods, even physical conditioning and expert coaching aren’t enough to push you to your best. Good nutrition must be a key part of your training program if you are to succeed.There is no one “miracle food” or supplement that can supply all of your nutritional needs. Certain foods supply mainly proteins, other foods contain vitamins and minerals, and so on. The key to balancing your diet is to combine different foods so that nutrient deficiencies in some foods are made up by nutrient surpluses in others. Eating a variety of foods is the secret.

The nutrients–the proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water–are teammates that work together to provide good nutrition. Just as each team member carries out different tasks during a game, each nutrient performs specific functions in your body. A lack of just one nutrient is a disadvantage to your body, just as losing a player to the penalty box is a disadvantage for a hockey team. Your body needs all these nutrients all of the time, so the foods you eat should supply them every day.

Just because you are not hungry does not necessarily mean that your body has all the nutrients it needs. You can fill up on foods that contain mostly carbohydrates and fats, but your body still has basic needs for proteins, minerals, and vitamins.

Learn something that the delectable Kaitlin Sandeno has discovered and you could be on the way to “getting it right” when it comes to re-shaping and strengthening your body. Maybe you too should get an assessment at the gym! If a world class swimming champion can still be learning then you can too.

Warm Up With Cardio, Then Go To Weights. Right? Wrong.

Having been an athlete for most of my life, I figured I knew my way around the gym. On a typical day, I’d hit the treadmill or elliptical machine for 30 minutes, then move to the weight machines. And that’s what I started to do when I recently joined a gym. Then I got my assessment–you know, the review of your habits a lot of gyms do. And the review told me I was doing something wrong.

Hit the weights hard, the assessment said. Then go to cardio.

What?

“The body needs to burn through its sugar source first before it taps into the fat,” says Iman Nikzad, who runs the fitness program at my LA Fitness near Irvine, Ca. “You burn the sugar while doing the weights then burn the fat while doing the cardio.”

I did some more research and, turns out, he’s right and I was wrong. The optimal workout is a 10-minute warm-up on a low-impact cardio machine followed by 30 minutes of weights and then 30 minutes of intense cardio. Yes, really.

“Efficiency is the key when structuring any workout, so long-duration cardio should not be done in the beginning of the session,” says certified strength and conditioning specialist Jim Smith. “The most intensive training should be done first in the workout, when you are at your best.”

By starting with weights, you alert your muscles to trigger the proteins that churn through calories while you train. So even though you’re probably spent after 30 minutes of weights, your body is ready to eat fat faster than it would if you started by “telling” the body to attack sugar.

A lot of people get this wrong, thinking weight training diminishes the effect of the cardio work. It’s the opposite. Just remember the phrase: “Muscle eats the fat.” If you want to lose the flab–and who doesn’t?–you want your muscles as active as possible. That means starting with weights.

And if you only have 30 minutes total, go for weights instead of cardio. That sounds counterintuitive, since we feel sweating is “proof” we’re losing fat. But you will lose a lot more fat by pushing and pulling weights and then going on a brisk walk in your neighborhood (or even at the mall). The guy or gal who is dripping buckets on the Stairmaster is getting a good workout, but you’re likely getting a better one by getting sore and not getting soaked.

Here is some very useful information for those of you who are totally serious about your bodies. Machines can certainly help when you are serious about your shape and want to develop. So here is a short review of some of the best options you will have.

Stack Machines:

Stack machines have been around for decades and for good reason, they work. What separates this type of machine from others is its quick weight acclimation design. When looking to change the amount of weight lifted, all that needs to be done is an upward or downward change of pin position. 

Below are detailed explanations of the most effective stack machines.

Incline Press
Building massive upper pectorals is a difficult task for many, and this machine was designed to help those individuals break through that plateau and blast their pectorals.

Vertical Press
Tearing a pectoral muscle is becoming more common among bodybuilders with exercises such as the barbell bench press. This machine eliminates that risk and serves as a great chest builder.

Pec/Rear Delt Fly
Those individuals looking for maximal isolation and stretch in their pectorals and rear delts need to consider using this machine. Reps in the 12 to 15 range provide best results.

Lat Pulldown
A safe and effective way to train the latissimus dorsi muscles is with this machine. Finally, you can attain that V-Taper you’ve dreamt of.

Seated Overhead Press
Performing heavy barbell shoulder presses without a spotter can be risky on your rotator cuff muscles. Well, this machine eliminates problems like these and serves as an efficient deltoid exercise.

Seated Lateral Raise
Everyone knows that strict form provides best results, and with this machine, you can exclude using momentum and focus on isolating the side delts.

Preacher Curl
Isolating the bicep muscles, especially the long head, has never been so simple. This machine eliminates the cheating since your elbows are positioned on a pad.

Triceps Extensions
This machine is designed to build and separate the triceps lateral, long, and medial heads simultaneously.

Leg Extension
If you lack separation between the quadriceps, then you need to utilize this machine. Reps in the fifteen to thirty range provide best results.

Leg Press
This machine builds mass in the quadriceps and takes pressure off the spinal erectors of the lower back.

Lying Leg Curl
This machine is arguably the best hamstrings builder and provides a great pump when performed for fifteen to twenty reps.

Seated Leg Curl
Build your hamstrings without the risk of injury with this machine. Changing foot positions shifts the work from the biceps femoris to the semimembranosous and semitendinosus.

Seated Calf Toe Press
This machine builds and defines the calf muscles, which consist of the gastrocnemius and the soleus.

Abdominal Crunch
Thanks to this machine, building six pack abs has never been so simple, all the while increasing core strength.

Lower Back Extension
Most people overlook lower back training, then they complain about lower back pain and lack of core strength. This machine is easy to use and builds the spinal erectors of the lower back.

Visit www.bodybuilding.com for more info.