E-How All

Style Strategies

2009-09-17T10:53:00.001+06:00

1. How should I express myself in an office setting?

The CEOs Say . . .

58% patterned neckwear and shirts

15% jewelry (rings, earrings, bracelets)

15% cuff links

5% whimsical neckwear

"Having great style is something people notice over the course of time. But having bad style is noticed immediately." —Brett Fahlgren, director of special events, Prada

Match Colors, Mix Patterns

Your shirt and tie should share a shade. But if you're going to match patterns, "make sure they're a different scale," says Lynne Marks, president of Atlanta's London Image Institute. "For example, choose a larger pattern for your tie while keeping the shirt reserved."

Avoid Pattern Blindness

Your shirt and tie are the palette from which you paint the colors of your soul. Just keep the palette small. "A large pattern is far more casual than a small one, so if you work in a conservative office, stick to small checks and pinstripes," says Marks.

Go Light on the Bling

Just because you're the king of accounting doesn't mean you need to wear a diamond-studded tie clip. In addition to a dress watch and a stylish belt, "a nice signet ring or wedding ring is all you should wear," says Marks.

2. What's the most important accessory for a new hire?

The CEOs say . . .

50% well-polished shoes

18% a smart attache case

15% an elegant watch

8% matching belt and shoes

"Who wants a sloppy employee in an era when you can go to jail for reporting incorrect financial data?" —Tom Markert, global chief of marketing, ACNielsen

Shine with Spit

"It's that old military concept: Spit, polish, and repeat," says New York City shoemaker Warren Edwards. "You want to rub the polish in a circular motion—don't just slap it all over the shoe—then add some water and really polish hard."

Cut the Cream

Wax-based polishes last longer. "Any wax will work better than the sponge-on liquid polish that everyone is selling these days," says Edwards. Select a brush with long, sturdy bristles.

Store with Care

"Shoes will develop creases and the toes will turn up if you don't store them on trees," says Edwards. "Shoes are made on the principle of stretching leather. If you don't guide them back into place after they've been wet or you've worn them all day, they'll deform."

3. What should I wear to dinner with a client?

The CEOs say . . .

35% trousers, a dress shirt, and a sport coat

28% a suit and tie

28% jeans, a sport coat, and a dress shirt

8% a leather jacket, trousers, and a dress shirt

"Everybody wonders at some point whether they're going to be overdressed or underdressed. It's not some taboo discussion. Just ask." —Mike Fasulo, chief marketing officer, Sony Electronics

Lighten Up

Unless you live in New York City or Berlin, wear blue or gray sport coats instead of black, says Michelle Sterling, of Global Image Group, an image consulting firm. "Black is too formal for business and can put people off," she says.

Frame Your Face

If you're opting for the open-collar look, be careful about your choice of shirt. Wide, round faces look best with long, pointed collars, and narrow faces require wider, spread collars. In between? Go either way.

Pick the Right Kicks

Basic loafers won't cut it with a suit or dressy trousers; wingtips and cap-toe shoes can be too dressy for khakis and cords. Your utility infielder: leather lace-ups. Look for a classic oxford style, says Molina.

4. How should I dress for a creative workplace?

The CEOs say . . .

36% trousers, a shirt, and a sweater

23% a suit, dress shirt, and tie

23% jeans, a shirt, and a sport coat

5% casual pants and a t-shirt

"It doesn't matter if you're working at a law firm or a rock club. Your image should be in step with the firm's attitudes and beliefs. Your clothes are part of your resume." —Steve Tetrault, president, Tetrault Design Associates

Don't Dress Down

Just because you can get away with a T-shirt and flip-flops doesn't mean you should. The more casual the dress code, the greater the opportunity to showcase smart clothing choices. One option: Add a navy or black soft-shouldered sport jacket to a pair of jeans and a white dress shirt.

Play It Straight

Business casual doesn't mean you can lose your dry cleaner's number. "Even wrinkle-free clothes look bad if you don't take them out of the dryer fast enough," says Pat Newquist, president of wardrobeimage.com. Bonus tip: Install a hook in your office to hang your discarded layers during the day.

Hide Your Pits

If your company allows you to rock a golf or polo shirt, look for one with banded sleeves. This extra detail looks cleaner and more finished, and prevents your coworkers from ogling your pit hair, should you raise your arms above your chest.

5. What should I wear to an awards event?

The CEOs say . . .

75% a suit, dress shirt, and tie

10% trousers, a button-down shirt, and a sport coat

8% a suit and dress shirt

5% a tuxedo

"Attitude is important. Some people can't be convincing in French cuffs and a Gucci suit. You have to be able to pull off what you're wearing." —Tim Story, director of Fantastic Four

Stay Fresh

If it's an annual event, spring for a crisp, new white dress shirt. "They get dingy and yellow when you wear them on a regular basis," says Elena Castaneda, president of New York Image Consulting. To add a little color, go for light blue. Skip black unless you're Marilyn Manson or a Johnny Cash wannabe.

Lose Some Buttons

The more buttons, the dressier the suit—and the stuffier the look. One- and two-button suits are formal yet fashionable. If you do choose a three-button suit (the upper limit), never close the bottom button; whether you button just the top, just the middle, or both the top and middle buttons is up to you.

Tie It Right

"Wear a silver or champagne-colored satin tie for formal events," says Sterling. Use a fat knot, such as a Windsor. For wild ties, make sure the pattern size matches your body scale. "If you have medium-size features, wear medium-size patterns, and so on," she says.

6. What's the most acceptable look for casual Fridays?

The CEOs say . . .

46% jeans and a button-down shirt

24% khakis, a polo shirt, and a sweater

10% a suit jacket, a collared shirt, and jeans

10% trousers, a collared shirt, and a sport coat

"If you look like you're ready to paint a house or repair a leaky roof, chances are you're a little too relaxed for the workplace." —David Beigie, vice president of corporate communications, T-Mobile USA

Choose the Right Jeans

Dark washes are more formal than lighter washes. The distressed look—holes, frayed edges, questionable discolorations around the groin—screams rock star, not rising star. Jeans should be pressed and smooth, even if it's just with a hand steamer.

Throw in a Formal Touch

"A pressed, long-sleeved shirt will add a layer of respect," says Rachel Dee, a Denver-based image consultant. Leave your clubbing shirt at home and keep your chest hair and any neck chains on lockdown—a couple unfastened buttons should suffice.

Watch Your Waistline

A braided leather belt is like a time machine back to 1991, and a belt-clipped BlackBerry is the modern equivalent of the pocket protector. Choose a thin, solid-colored belt—nothing faded or distressed—to match your shoes. And holster the communicator elsewhere.

7. What should I wear to project confidence?

The CEOs say . . .

70% a well-tailored suit

18% a conservative shirt-and-tie combination

8% a power tie

"A new suit is like any other opportunity. The right tailoring shows you know how to follow through." —Congressman Charlie Dent

Sculpt Your Shoulders

"They're the first thing you see when you meet someone," says Guillermo Molina, an elite Manhattan tailor. "If it's an old suit, ask the tailor to reconstruct the shoulders using felt shoulder caps. They're less severely shaped than those made of other fabrics. And if it's a new suit, buy for the shoulders, not the waistline or hips. Shoulders are harder to fix."

Ditch the Pleats

One crease is enough. "The younger entrepreneurs, the guys who want to look sharp, they want flat-front pants," says Molina. "If a suit is too expensive to replace or has sentimental value, a good tailor can reconstruct the pants for about $100 to $150."

Do a Dry Run

When you're being fitted, wear the same shirt, undergarments, and shoes you'll wear with the finished suit. "It's common sense, but guys come in wearing T-shirts and sneakers all the time," says Molina.

8. What's the right outfit for a company retreat?

The CEOs say . . .

36% Khakis and a sport coat

23% Trousers and a dress shirt

23% Jeans and a sport shirt

3% Shorts and a button-down

"There's nothing like being stuck in the middle of nowhere with the wrong clothes for 3 days. Dressing for a corporate getaway is the hardest thing you can do." —Lauren Solomon, former vice president of professional image development, Chase Manhattan Bank

Wear Layers

When in doubt, overdress. "You can always remove your sport coat," says Dee. Underneath it, you can even layer a sport shirt over a high-quality T-shirt that's the same color as a stripe in either your coat or your sport shirt.

Choose the Right Khakis

They're a casual middle ground between jeans and slacks, but one pair of khakis doesn't fit all. Lighter skin tones require lighter khakis, while darker complexions look best with darker khakis, says San Francisco Bay-area image consultant Anthea Tolomei.

Watch the CEO for Cues

At dinner, watch the highest-ranking person in the room. If he or she shows up in a suit, you've come prepared. If the honcho shows up in jeans and a barn jacket, throw the sport coat over the back of your chair and roll up your sleeves.

Secret Muscle Foods

2009-09-17T10:35:00.001+06:00

Eggs - Muscle-Building, Immunity, Vision

One egg provides more than 6 grams of protein and 78 calories. They contain A and B vitamins to enhance immunity, nerve response, and vision. Macedonia recommends eating whole eggs only three times a week, because of high cholesterol content.

Crack it open: Make a minute omelet. Coat a microwavable plate with non-stick spray. Mix up a tablespoon of milk with 2-3 eggs, add a few shakes of garlic powder and basil, then spread on the plate. Nuke for 1-minute. When it's still hot, add a slice of cheese and as many cooked vegetables as you wish. Serve with two slices of whole-wheat toast.

Waffles - Cardio Fuel

Waffles are great breakfast choice if players are going to be running in the morning, since eggs could turn stomachs. They provide carbs for quick energy, and make a nice "plate" for fruit. Skolnik recommends players top waffles with fruit and nuts, to sneak in important vitamins and more protein. The waffles should be cooked with enriched wheat flour, and go easy on the butter.

Iron it out: Try this recipe for buttermilk waffles. Use a waffle iron. Top with blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and nuts instead of syrup loaded with high-fructose corn syrup.

Fruit – Hydration

Fruit is one of the most important components of the players' diets because it helps them stay hydrated in the heat, while providing a great source of carbohydrates, potassium, fiber, and no fat.

Smooth transition: Smoothies are the best way for you to get in a lot of nutrient-dense calories in liquid form. Especially since heat suppresses appetite and you may not want to eat a big, hot meal. Pick up a large bag of frozen fruit, instead of letting it ferment in the fridge, and it'll always be on hand. Here's one of the Bengal's favorite smoothie recipes.

Milk – Strong Bones, Muscle Contraction

Good for the obvious reason of building strong bones through calcium, milk also assists the players in muscle contraction through high magnesium and potassium content, which can control nerve function and prevent muscle cramping. That means less twitching at night when they're trying to fall asleep after a hard day of training.

Instant Breakfast: If you're going to work out, add a packet of chocolate or strawberry Carnation Instant Breakfast to a glass of skim or 1 percent milk, or a smoothie, for flavor and more nutrients, Macedonio says. Active people should do this because it provides extra energy, carbs and sodium, which you'll need during a tough workout.

Chicken Breast – Lean Muscle, Energy, Memory

If you want to gain lean muscle mass, eat lean muscle mass. Grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast, is one of the easiest elements of any meal. One serving (about 3 oz.) is only 142 calories, yet it provides close to 27 g of protein, and only 3 grams of fat. It helps athletes retain muscle mass and is a good source of B vitamins, which provide energy and aid in memory, so players can memorize the playbook.

Easy does it: Smother chicken in spicy peanut sauce, barbecue sauce, or hot sauce, then cook on the grill. Skolnik and Bonci recommend topping chicken with pesto. Buy the pre-made version from Contadina. Keep it fresh by spooning two-tablespoon amounts into ice cube trays and freeze. Pop one out if you're cooking a portion for one.

Fish - Anti-inflammation, Muscle Repair, Immune Function

Swordfish, tuna, salmon, and halibut are all big sellers with NFL players. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish will help their bodies recover faster from the wear and tear of strenuous exercise. "We encourage foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, because they help muscles repair faster, and improve immune function," Macedonio says.

Protein power: Fish is an excellent source of protein and players usually eat big portions of 8-16 ounces, Bonci says. The cooking method is very important, as frying it can counteract the positive effects on the body. Always broil, bake, or grill. Here's a recipe for pan-seared and baked halibut with sauteed vegetables, from the Bengals' kicker, Shayne Graham, who, Macedonio says, is an excellent cook.

Vegetables – Hydration, Muscle Repair

Like fruit, vegetables are a staple food group for replacing water lost through sweat. Plant sterols also aid in muscle repair. Macedonio gets players to eat them by flavoring them using low-fat marinades like balsamic vinaigrette, or olive oil with garlic and onion. Broiling, roasting, or grilling are the easiest ways to cook vegetables to retain the flavor.

Skewer thing: Cut up big chunks of zucchini, summer squash, pepper, and/or onion. Marinate in balsamic vinaigrette for 20-30 minutes, then skewer on wooden or iron sticks. Preheat grill, then place skewers on grill for 15 minutes until vegetables are soft. You can add cut-up, marinated chicken and shrimp to the skewers for dinner on a stick.

Pasta and Rice – Energy, Speed Recovery

Whole-grain pasta and rice play a huge part in team diets because they're easy to prepare for large groups and they provide excellent sources of carbohydrates to give energy for exercise and speed recovery afterward.

Stir it up: NFL nutritionists love stir-frys because they're an easy, tasty way to sneak whole-grain products, numerous vegetables, and protein sources into one dish. To make simple stir-fry at home, Bonci recommends this easy recipe, a Steelers' team favorite, over whole-grain brown rice.

Sports Drinks – Hydration, Prevent Muscle Cramping

Players are constantly drinking Gatorade on the field. Staying hydrated is a key issue for all teams, especially since the heat index is set to soar this week. Athletes lose pounds of body weight through sweat, and sports drinks replace lost sodium and electrolytes, which are crucial to avoid muscle cramping.

Drink it up: Everyone should know his sweat rate. Before exercise, weigh yourself. Afterward, get back on the scale, and determine how much water was lost by the difference between your before and after weights. In one hour, an athlete can lose up to two liters of sweat, Skolnik says. Hydrate by drinking 1-to-1.5 times the weight lost in fluid ounces.

Sodium-Rich Foods – Retain Water, Prevent Muscle Cramping

If you're working out and losing a lot of fluids, it's a good idea to include more sodium-rich foods to help you retain water and avoid muscle cramping. Skolnik recommends pickles, salted nuts, and pretzels. Macedonio suggests soup. "We serve soup at lunch and dinner, because the right amount of sodium prevents muscle cramping," Macedonio says.

Salt mine: Broth-based soups hydrate you through the liquid base and added vegetables. Because it is very hot outside, Macedonio recommends Gazpacho, a cold soup made with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onion. Here's a delicious, easy recipe to get you started.

Ice Cream – Cool Down Treat

Because no diet plan would survive without something sweet, NFL players eat ice cream after dinner. It provides calcium, cools them off, and gets more fluid into their bodies. But there's a limit. The Steelers grab ice cream to-go after dinner, Bonci says, that way they can't pile it on or go back for seconds.

The scoop: Always choose frozen yogurt or low-fat ice cream. Ice cream is better than other treats, because it's not as heavy, calorically, as cookies or cake, Bonci says. "Plus it takes longer to eat, so you enjoy it more," she adds. Eat it on a cone, that way you can only take a small amount to avoid it from melting all over you.

The Ultimate Smoothie Selector

2009-09-17T10:32:00.001+06:00

Smoothie Recipes

Boost your brain, build muscle, and help your heart -- with a blender

BRAIN BOOSTER SMOOTHIE

The berries here aren't just super food for your brain; they offer an important cancer-fighting bonus.

1/2 c fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 c fresh or frozen raspberries

1 c pineapple OJ

1/2 c low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 c ice

BERRY BERRY SMOOTHIE

Using all unsweetened fruit, this recipe delivers an antioxidant whallop without the sugar.

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries

3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

1 cup soy milk or 1% milk

MEMORY AID SMOOTHIE

This low-calorie smoothie is a good source of fiber, phytochemicals, and antioxidants. Blueberries in particular contain compounds that can help prevent cataracts, cancer, constipation, and memory loss.

1/2 c orange juice

1 pint nonfat vanilla or peach frozen yogurt

2 1/2 c sliced peaches

3/4 fresh or frozen blueberries

MUSCLE BUILDER SMOOTHIE

This mix features the brawn-building power of protein from both peanut butter and whey.

2 Tbsp peanut butter

1 banana

1/3 c whey protein

1/2 c fat-free chocolate frozen yogurt

1 c fat-free milk

BETA BLAST SMOOTHIE

This smoothie is a muscle-rejuvenating, beta-carotene-filled, orange-colored wonder.

3 small ice cubes

2 apricots (sliced and pitted)

1/2 papaya (frozen in chunks)

1/2 mango (frozen in chunks)

1/2 cup carrots

1 tablespoon honey

HEART HELPER

The fiber from the fruit teams with the artery-protecting antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated fats of the peanut butter to keep your ticker tickin'.

1 banana

1/2 c raspberries

1 Tbsp peanut butter

1/2 c nonfat chocolate frozen yogurt

1 c fat-free milk

KICKSTARTER SHAKE

This recipe helps produce wake-up chemicals in the brain.

1 c skim milk

2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate

1 c strawberries

1 kiwifruit

SMOOTH OPERATOR

The yogurt aids digestion, while the mango and juice boost immune response.

1/2 c pitted cherries

1/2 c mango

1/2 c low-fat vanilla yogurt

1 c pineapple OJ

1 c ice

MOOD MAKER

An all-fruit smoothie, packed with carbs to boost your serotonin levels. Add a handful of flaxseeds for an extra dose of mood-boosting omega-3 fatty acids.

1/2 c fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 c fresh or frozen mango

1 c pineapple OJ

1 c ice

BETTER BREAKFAST

Less than a minute and you're drinking a better breakfast.

1 banana

1 peach (cut up)

1/4 c orange juice

1 c ice

Why Use These Ingredients?

Peanut butter

Packed with protein, manganese, and niacin, peanuts can help stave off heart disease and, when eaten in moderation, promote weight loss.

Fat-free milk

All the calcium and protein, none of the fat.

Blueberries

The huge amounts of antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, in blueberries have been shown to slow brain decline and reverse memory loss.

Low-fat vanilla yogurt

A cache of calcium and digestion-aiding probiotics in every scoop.

Raspberries

An antioxidant powerhouse bursting with fiber, manganese, and vitamin C, these berries will keep your heart and brain in top shape.

Fat-free chocolate frozen yogurt

Calcium, phosphorus, and none of the guilt.

Pineapple-orange juice

OJ has vitamin C, and pineapples contain bromelain, a cancer-inhibiting, inflammation-reducing enzyme.

Cherries

In addition to their vitamin C and fiber content, cherries have been linked to reducing arthritis pain.

Bananas

Heavy on potassium, fiber, and vitamin B6, bananas do wonders for your heart and provide good carbs to keep you full and energized.

Whey protein

Its essential amino acids help pack on the muscle -- making whey the best friend of athletes and gym rats.

Frozen mangoes

To their stock of vitamins A and C, mangoes add a healthy dose of beta-carotene, which helps prevent cancer and promotes healthy skin.

Ice

A little H2O never hurt anyone

Your Body Is Your Barbell

2009-09-14T11:25:00.001+06:00

No dumbbells? No problem. Here's how to build your body anywhere.

Surely you've run nonstop for 15 minutes before. But have you ever performed 15 minutes of resistance exercise without rest? Try it with these challenging body-weight exercises from trainer Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S. "You'll be surprised how hard you can work without a gym," he says. (Before you get started, check out the 5 rules of body-weight training.) Alternate between the Y squat and the Spider-Man pushup for three sets of each. Then perform the remaining three exercises consecutively (again, without rest), doing three sets of each.

Y Squat

Stand with your shoulder blades pulled back and your arms extended up and out so your body forms a Y. With your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, sit back at your hips to lower your body. Go as low as possible without allowing your back to round. Squeeze your glutes and push yourself back up to the starting position. Do 12 repetitions.

Spider-Man Pushup

Assume the classic pushup position with your legs straight and your abs tight. As you lower your body, bend your right leg and rotate your right knee outward until it's outside your right elbow. Don't drag your foot, and try not to allow your torso to rotate. Return to the starting position and repeat, pulling your left knee to your left elbow. Do eight reps per side.

"I don't know Shah Rukh" - Salman Khan

2009-08-28T10:18:00.001+06:00

"You work with people you don't know. I don't know Shah Rukh so I don't mind working with anybody," says Salman Khan on the prospect of working in a film with friend-turned-foe Shah Rukh Khan. "If there's something good, I wouldn't have a problem that's if he doesn't have a problem. As long as those 100 days go off peacefully and don't have any problems," Salman adds. He rates Karan Arjun as one of his favourite films (where he created magic with Shah Rukh Khan).

Salman is known for his big heart and helping nature. In a cut throat industry, he is quite a rarity. "I don't have any insecurity or jealousies that ye bada star banega and he is going to take over and we are going to be thrown out. I don't care about that stuff at all. Woh apni mehnat par hai, apne fans ke upar depend karta hai, how long you're going to be there. Fans are saying jab tak you want us to see you, we will see you," Salman says with a smile.

With the buzz around his next release Wanted gaining a huge momentum and the promos of Main Aur Mrs Khanna and London Dreams attracting attention, it is a unanimous perception that Salman Khan is all set to make a lethal comeback this year. In a no holds barred exclusive video interview with Bollywood Hungama, Salman bared his heart out on his forthcoming films, prospects of a sequel of Andaz Apna Apna, the arduous task of maintaining his chiseled frame and lots more. Guys, the interview is coming really soon. Don't miss it for anything.

Via Bollywood Hungama

ICC and PCB resolve 2011 WC dispute

2009-08-28T10:13:00.001+06:00

David Morgan, the ICC president, and Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, arrived at an agreement during a meeting in Dubai © Associated Press

The ICC and the PCB have resolved their dispute over the staging of the 2011 World Cup. The PCB, which was stripped of its rights to host the tournament in the aftermath of the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, will retain its host fees of US$10.5 million and also receive a payment, still undisclosed, as additional compensation for the loss of hosting rights. The two parties reached an agreement during a meeting between the ICC president David Morgan and the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt in Dubai. It is expected that the settlement will be signed later today, at which point the PCB will withdraw its legal proceedings against the ICC.

However, Butt told AFP that the PCB was aiming to include a clause in the agreement which would allow Pakistan to host some of the World Cup matches depending on the teams' approval. "We have also demanded to include a clause in (Thursday's) agreement that if the security situation improves in Pakistan, some of the World Cup matches be played in Pakistan subject to teams' acceptance," he said.

It was also agreed that the PCB would be free of its liabilities and obligations associated with hosting matches during the tournament, including the location of the tournament secretariat which had originally been set for Lahore.

"This resolution is good for world cricket and provides an improved platform for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 as we now have a degree of certainty surrounding the event that was not there while the dispute was ongoing, " Morgan said after the agreement was reached. "I am glad we were able to come to an amicable agreement and I believe this is a fair resolution for the PCB and the ICC."

He added that international cricket would return to Pakistan once the ICC deemed the security situation in the country was fit for teams to tour. "When the position in Pakistan, from a safety and security point of view, becomes satisfactory to the ICC and its specialist security advisors as well as to visiting teams, then international cricket will return to Pakistan," he said.

Butt, who had strongly opposed the ICC's decision to move matches out of Pakistan, welcomed the breakthrough. "The PCB is content with the settlement that has been reached," he said. "We are able to see this dispute from the other side. We realise also the logistical and administrative difficulties that would be associated with organising our matches in the other three co-host countries.

"Our number-one priority is that cricket in Pakistan must not be allowed to suffer unduly and I believe this agreement is the best possible outcome for the game," he said.

The PCB had reacted sternly over its loss of hosting rights for the tournament and had issued a legal notice to the ICC in May, calling the decision "discriminatory" and "legally flawed".

Six Sri Lankan cricketers were hurt in the attack on their team in March when they were touring for a two-Test series; other countries, prior to the tour, had refused to visit citing concerns over the volatile security situation in Pakistan. The PCB had also filed a case in the Lahore court against the ICC's decision to move the headquarters of the 2011 World Cup (the World Cup secretariat) from Lahore to Mumbai.

In June, the ICC ruled out the possibility of Pakistan's matches being hosted at neutral venues, including the UAE. It confirmed the decision to allocate Pakistan's share of the matches to the three other co-hosts, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The row showed signs of abating when, earlier this month, the PCB said it was looking for an out-of-court settlement to resolve the matter and added it was entitled to a substantial compensation for its share of matches being taken away.

Courtesy By Cricinfo

Spread 'em!

2009-08-19T14:46:00.001+06:00

These peanut butters are heart-health powerhouses

Peanut butter isn't just kids' stuff, says Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Maine's department of food science and human nutrition. In addition to the protein a spoonful delivers, PB packs vitamin E and cholesterol-regulating monounsaturated fats, and "might even help curb your appetite," says Camire. Here's how to make the most of it, with or without jelly.

It may reduce your risk of coronary death

People who eat nuts or peanuts four times a week may lower their risk of dying of coronary heart disease by 37 percent, compared with people who seldom or never eat nuts, according to a review in the British Journal of Nutrition. Eating peanut butter may lower bad LDL cholesterol while maintaining good HDL cholesterol, the authors say.

It may help prevent Alzheimer's disease

Adding 22 milligrams (mg) of niacin to your daily diet may decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer's. A tablespoon of peanut butter contains about 2 mg. In a study, those who consumed 22 mg daily of this B vitamin had a 44 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's compared with those who consumed 13 mg, say researchers from Rush University Medical Center.

It's rich in antioxidants

Roasted peanuts contain about 22 percent more antioxidants than the uncooked variety and about the same amount of cell-protecting substances as strawberries, according to researchers at the University of Florida.

It may help you stay slim

If you eat nuts at least twice a week, you're about 30 percent less likely to gain weight than someone who never or rarely eats nuts, according to a study in the journal Obesity.

Best of the Best

Forget Jif. We tested more than 50 varieties for nutrition, texture, and taste. Our winners:

Best Organic: Once Again American Classic Creamy

Many organic and natural peanut butters vacuum moisture from your mouth. Once Again's variety delivers a rich, mellow texture that doesn't hang your tongue out to dry.

Per 2 Tbsp: 190 calories, 7 grams (g) protein, 15 g total fat

Try it on: your next burger. Slather it on a grilled patty and top with spinach and red onion for a double-fisted dose of protein. onceagainnutbutter.com

Best Smooth: Teddie Old Fashioned All Natural Smooth

This was one of our taste testers' favorites across all categories. Teddie has a deep, nutty flavor and spreads evenly and easily. Better yet, it offers a solid nutritional profile.

Per 2 Tbsp: 190 calories, 8 g protein, 16 g total fat

Try it on: a grilled steak. Mix 1/2 cup with minced ginger, the juice of a lime, a can of coconut milk, and a teaspoon of hot sauce for an Asian BBQ sauce. teddie.com (for distributors)

Best Crunchy: Sunland Valencia Peanut Butter Crunchy

Sunland's stuff is made exclusively with Valencia peanuts, which aren't imported--they come only from Texas and New Mexico.

Per 2 Tbsp: 200 calories, 9 g protein, 15 g total fat

Try it on: celery. Spoon a dollop into a bowl and top with golden raisins. Dunk sticks for a La-Z-Boy snack that satisfies a craving for something sweet and crunchy. sunlandinc.com

Best sweet: P.B.Loco Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough

The combination sounds like a gut bomb, but it's actually a healthy alternative that satisfies your cravings without subjecting you to a sugar rush.

Per 2 Tbsp: 190 calories, 6 g protein, 15 g total fat

Try it on: ice cream. Nuke peanut butter in a glass bowl at 30-second intervals, stirring until the peanut butter drizzles from your spoon. It's better than a sugar slick of chocolate syrup. pbloco.com

Best spicy: Peanut Butter & Co. The Heat Is On

This spread contains chili powder, cayenne pepper, crushed red peppers, and paprika.

Per 2 Tbsp: 190 calories, 8 g protein, 16 g total fat

Try it on: chicken satay. Brush chicken with peanut butter thinned with lime juice and soy sauce, and grill.

Go Creative with PB

At Spread, a San Diego restaurant for the health conscious, peanut butter is a standard ingredient. (Handmade spreads are its specialty.) Here's its Rose Salted Basil Forbidden Fried Rice.

What you'll need:

2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 cup assorted diced vegetables

2 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds

4 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1 1/2 cups cooked black or brown rice

For the sauce:

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic

1/2 onion

2 tsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp Spread Rose Salted Basil peanut spread ($12, spreadtherestaurant.com)

1/2 cup cilantro

Salt to taste

How to make it:

Heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan on medium high. Add vegetables, onion, and garlic; sautÃ© until the onion is translucent. Add eggs, scramble them, and add the rice. Combine sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve on your vegetable-rice entrÃ©e. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Younis not about to resign

2009-08-13T11:47:00.001+06:00

Younis Khan: "I am trying my level best to lead the team and achieve the best results" © AFP

Younis Khan has taken responsibility for Pakistan's Test and ODI series defeats in Sri Lanka but has refused to resign from the captaincy. He had come under widespread criticism from the domestic media and former players, who also demanded major changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board's setup and asked the senior team management to take responsibility for the defeats. Younis has instead hit back at those who suggested he should step down.

"I accept the responsibility of defeat, but will not apologise to anyone nor will I resign as captain because it's part of the game to lose and win," Younis was quoted as saying by the Pakistan daily Jang. "I am trying my level best to lead the team and achieve the best results but some people want me to relinquish the captaincy, which I won't. Am I not a good captain or do I lack leadership qualities?"

Pakistan lost the three-Test series 0-2 and surrendered the ODI series with their third consecutive loss in the five-match series before saving face with wins in the last two ODIs. Younis singled out those two wins as proof that Pakistan could do well in Sri Lanka. "We won the last two one-day matches by huge margins, and it proved that the team had the capacity and the talent to win the Tests and one-day matches," he said. "But due to the batsmen's inconsistency, we failed to finish properly."

Younis, who returned to Pakistan after the ODI series, had earlier blamed a weak domestic setup as the reason for below-par performances in Sri Lanka. Reiterating that 'groupism' within the team had nothing to do with the team's poor showing on tour, Younis defended Pakistan's unity. "There were no differences in the team. In fact I can say that the team was never as united as it was during the Sri Lanka tour," he said.

Responding to accusations of match-fixing, Younis said: "Baseless allegations are affecting the team's performances. No one should doubt my integrity. I can never resort to any wrongdoing."

Via Cricinfo

We played mature cricket to win - Afridi

2009-08-13T11:42:00.001+06:00

Shahid Afridi's third Twenty20 half-century in a row proved immense © AFP

Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's captain for the one-off Twenty20, believes his team played 'mature cricket' to beat Sri Lanka and end their six-week tour on a winning note. Afridi, leading his country for the first time, got Pakistan to rally around him magnificently in carving out a win which went to prove that Pakistan's victory in the ICC World Twenty20 final against Sri Lanka was no fluke.

As in the Lord's final it was Afridi's all-round brilliance that tilted the scales in favour of Pakistan. He scored a well-paced half-century off 37 balls, took a vital wicket and also affected a run out to grab the Man-of-the-Match award on his debut as captain. "As captain I am really happy to have won. The guys really played mature cricket. What I told them was we are the champions and we should play like a champion team and the guys gave me a good response," said Afridi. "We really struggled in the Test series and we didn't play too well in the ODIs. This is a good victory for us. It will keep the guys morale high in the future."

About his game Afridi said: "I love to play my natural game but the situation was not right, we lost an early wicket but I thought if I stayed long the players will rally around me and I can have the scoreboard running."

Afridi spoke about giving youngsters a chance at the expense of seniors who are not performing to expectation. "If the seniors are not performing we should give them a rest and give opportunities to the youngsters to show their talent. This was an opportunity to give the younger guys and they have lived up to it."

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said that Pakistan outplayed them and that a loss always hurt. "They batted much better than we did and bowled disciplined lines and lengths. At the end of the day you can analyse our game to bits but Pakistan played just better than us.

"It was a chaseable target and we didn't do well to get there. We've got to accept that responsibility and say that it was a match we should have won but we weren't good enough. At 100 for 3 with seven overs to go it was a very gettable total but we fell away and lost too many wickets too quickly. Partnerships are key in any form of the game and we didn't have too many of them either."

Sangakkara said the turning point of the match was the way Afridi batted. "We made early inroads but that little captain's innings of his really took the game away from us. That's the way he bats he comes up the order and enjoys that responsibility in Twenty20 cricket. We were ready for that but he just batted us out of the game."

Via Cricinfo

Afridi stars Pakistan's T20 win

2009-08-13T10:49:00.001+06:00

COLOMBO: Shahid Afridi shone with bat and ball on his debut as Pakistan's Twenty20 captain to steer the world champions to an emphatic 52-run win

Afridi smashed 50 off 37 balls in Pakistan's 172-5, and then claimed 1-21 in four economical overs and effected a run out with a direct throw as Sri Lanka were shot out for 120 with 11 balls to spare.

A sell-out crowd of 35,000 at the overflowing Premadasa stadium watched the first T20 match between the two teams since the World Twenty20 final in England in June, when Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets.

The result was the same as seamer Rana Naved and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal picked up three wickets each to stun the hosts.

Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals with skipper Kumar Sangakkara the only batsman to offer resistance against the fired-up Pakistanis with 38 off 31 balls.

Afridi, who was man of the match in both the semi-final and final at the Worlds, once again dominated the battle to help Pakistan end an otherwise dismal tour of Sri Lanka on a winning note.

Pakistan had lost the preceding Test series 2-0 and conceded the One-dayers by a 2-3 margin during the six-week tour.

Afridi hit two sixes and four boundaries after taking over the Twenty20 team from Test and one-day skipper Younis Khan, who has retired from the shortest format of the game.

Pakistan, who elected to bat after winning the toss, lost a wicket off the first ball when Kamran Akmal was bowled by Nuwan Kulasekara after attempting a big heave.

The other opener, Imran Nazir, cracked five fours and a six in his 40 off 28 balls to boost the total as Pakistan moved to 59-3 by the eighth over.

Teenager Umar Akmal, who hit a 20-ball 30, put on 66 for the fourth wicket with Afridi.

Abdul Razzaq and Misbah-ul Haq added a quickfire 33 as Pakistan plundered 47 runs in the last five overs to leave Sri Lanka facing a daunting target of 8.7 runs an over.

Afridi the unlikely captain

2009-08-12T16:27:00.001+06:00

Pakistan Tries Its Luck With an Unlikely Captain

Sports may specialize in tales of the improbable, but there are still some things you just don’t expect to see happen. On Wednesday, Shahid Afridi will captain Pakistan’s cricketers in a Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Think Michael Vick becoming president of the Humane Society of the United States, or Manchester United’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, being awarded the Freedom of Liverpool.

Of course not all national cricket captains are straight arrows like England’s Andrew Strauss. Should Afridi last very long in his new role, there is a good chance he will find himself tossing for innings with Ricky Ponting of Australia, whose issues with alcohol and betting once threatened to capsize his career.

Afridi, 29, has had a career whose colorfulness is eclipsed among current players only by his turbulent erstwhile Pakistan teammate Shoaib Akhtar. Afridi’s extensive rap sheet includes a four-match ban for insulting opponents and a match umpire; a dressing room dispute with his captain and vice captain over his place in Pakistan’s batting order; sanctions after a girl was found in his room — his explanation that she was seeking his autograph was not accepted — and being fingered as the provocateur two years ago when Akhtar finally lost it and struck a teammate with a bat.

There was a brief, mysterious and never fully explained retirement from test cricket three years ago, and as recently as last year the Indian star Vangipurappu Laxman, his captain in the first Indian Premier League tournament, complained that “Afridi has no team ethics.”

That he has survived at all is because of his exceptional talent. A dull or mediocre player — admittedly not a type often seen in Pakistan teams — would have been discarded long ago.

That Afridi is anything but dull or mediocre was made abundantly clear in his first international innings as a 16-year-old. Not for him the diffident, deferential entrance. Playing against Sri Lanka in Nairobi he struck bowlers who included the world-class Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas for 100 runs from only 37 deliveries, still the fastest century ever struck in a one-day international. He is also fourth on the list, with a violent 45-ball assault on India in 2005.

He has continued his career in that vein as the most destructive batsman around. He averages 111 runs per 100 balls, easily the fastest among those who have scored more than 1,000 runs, in one-day internationals. He also bowls fast, attacking wrist spin and is a fine fielder in a team often lacking in this respect.

The problem has been lack of consistency and judgment, overconfidently audacious stroke play that often costs his wicket when restraint would have produced better results. That he has played only 26 five-day tests in 11 years since his debut, and none in the last three, reflects the exasperation he has induced in captains and selectors.

His attributes might, though, have been designed with the Twenty20 format in mind. He bestrode this year’s World T20 tournament in England with both bat and ball, his innings in the semifinal and final taking Pakistan to its victory. Along with his brilliance, there was a fresh sense of him as a team man. When the 17-year-old paceman Mohammad Aamer beat the dangerous South African batsman Jacques Kallis in the semifinal, only to see the ball fly off the edge of the bat for four runs, it was Afridi who ran 20 meters to put an arm around his team-mate and encourage more of the same.

Much of the credit was due to Pakistan’s captain, Younis Khan, who reminded Afridi of his importance to the team but also counseled patience in his batting, pointing out that he did not need to strike every single ball for four or six.

Khan’s retirement from T20 created the opening for Afridi to step up. He has some experience of leadership in domestic cricket, and there may be a hint of his likely style in his criticisms of Shoaib Malik, Pakistan’s captain before Khan, for not being tough enough with his players.

It might be a short-lived experiment or could be the prelude to his stepping onto the big stage at some point should Khan, still one-day and test captain, lose form or fall victim to Pakistan’s ever-Byzantine cricket politics. But whether it lasts a day or a decade, Afridi’s tenure as Pakistan captain is unlikely to be dull. After all, nothing else in his career has been.

The Six Greatest Ab Exercises of All-Time

2009-08-11T16:53:00.001+06:00

Long-Arm Weighted Crunch

This abs exercise targets your upper abs. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Hold a light dumbbell in each hand and extend your arms straight back beyond your head. Now crunch your rib cage toward your pelvis, keeping your shoulders still and your arms straight. Don't generate momentum with your arms. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions.

Seated Ab Crunch

Sit on the edge of a bench. Grip the edge of the pad and lean back slightly, extending your legs down and away and keeping your heels 4 to 6 inches off the floor. Bend your knees and slowly raise your legs toward your chest. At the same time, lean forward with your upper body, allowing your chest to approach your thighs. Return to the starting position. Perform three sets of 12 repetitions.

Corkscrew

This abs exercise targets both the lower abs and the obliques. Lie on your back, with your legs raised directly over your hips. Your knees should be slightly bent. Place your hands at your sides with the palms down. Use your lower abs to raise your hips off the floor and toward your rib cage, elevating your feet straight up. Simultaneously twist your hips to the right. Hold, then return to the starting position. Repeat, twisting to the left. Do 10 repetitions to each side.

Weighted One-Sided Crunch

This abs exercise targets both the upper abs and the obliques. Lie with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, and hold a dumbbell with both hands by your right shoulder. Curl your torso up and rotate to the left. Lower yourself, finish the set on that side, then switch directions and repeat, holding the dumbbell next to your left shoulder. Perform three sets of eight repetitions to each side.

Kneeling Cable Crunch

Kneel facing the pulley and hold the ends of a rope attached to the high cable along the sides of your face. Bend forward, aiming your chest at your pelvis. Return to the starting position, then repeat the movement, this time aiming your chest toward your left knee. Return, then repeat to your right. That's one repetition. Perform three sets of eight repetitions.

Crunch/Side-Bend Combo

This exercise targets both the upper abs and the obliques. Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and hands behind your ears. Curl up so your shoulder blades are off the floor. Bend at the waist to your left, aiming your left armpit toward your left hip. Straighten, then bend to your right. Lower yourself to the starting position and repeat. Perform three sets of eight repetitions to each side.

A Harder Core Challenge

2009-08-11T16:50:00.001+06:00

Master the side bridge to build better abs Don't underestimate the tame-looking side bridge. "Men think a good ab exercise has to make your abs burn," says Michael Boyle, M.A., ATC. Here's the truth: Side bridges improve the stability of all the muscles surrounding your spine and stomach. In fact, Canadian researchers found that men who can perform the side bridge effectively are less likely to encounter back trouble. Add these ab exercises to your workout to bolster your core and help carve a six-pack.

The Moves

Hold for the time specified below, then switch sides.

Kneeling Side Bridge

Lie on your side with your forearm on the floor and your elbow under your shoulder, your knees bent 90 degrees. Contract your glutes and keep your abs stiff throughout. Raise your hips until your torso is straight from shoulders to knees.

Side Bridge

Lie on your side with your forearm on the floor under your shoulder, and your feet stacked together. Contract your glutes and abs. Push your hip off the floor, creating a straight line from ankle to shoulder and keeping your head in line with your spine.

Elevated Side Bridge

Same setup as you use for the side bridge, but stack your feet on a bench. Don't allow your hips to sag.

The Workout

Do this routine two or three times a week.

Week	Exercise	Sets	Time
1	Kneeling Side Bridge	2	30 seconds
2	Kneeling Side Bridge	2	60 seconds
3	Side Bridge	2-3	45 seconds
4	Side Bridge	2-3	60 seconds
5	Elevated Side Bridge	2-3	45 seconds

13 Places to Eat Before You Die

2009-08-11T16:43:00.001+06:00

Any seasoned traveler can tell you that the "best" meals on the planet are the result of an ephemeral confluence of circumstances. A table at the most expensive restaurant in the world does not guarantee a truly great meal. That said, if you're planning on dying in the near future and want to knock off a list of final, glorious dining experiences, these places would make a very respectable binge. Start with one. Make a reservation today. Go on an empty stomach. Trust me: This is livin'.

1) St. John (London) If I had to die with half a bite of anything hanging out of my mouth, it would probably be the roast bone marrow in Fergus Henderson's plain-white dining room at St. John. Scooped out and slathered onto a crust of toasted bread and sprinkled with sea salt, it's simple yet luxurious. The menu is proudly English, a rebuke to anyone still laboring under the impression that English food sucks. Famously pork-centric and focused on traditional offal and game dishes, St. John is as wonderful for what it does as for what it doesn't do: compromise. It specializes in good ingredients from "happy" animals that are treated with love and respect. Henderson has become a reluctant spiritual leader to a whole generation of chefs--and even the old-guard guys love to stop by for crispy pig tails, ham in hay, or a properly roasted bird. This is one of the truly bullshit-free zones on the culinary landscape.

2) elBulli (Girona, Spain) It's the hardest reservation in the world. And everything they say is true: It's an adventure, a challenge, a delicious and always fun acid trip to the farthest reaches of creativity. Brothers Ferran and Albert Adrià and their team are the most influential and creative people working in food--and this surprisingly casual restaurant on a sleepy cove on Spain's Costa Brava is probably the most important restaurant of our time. Love it or hate it, if you have the opportunity to wangle a reservation, do it. It's like seeing Jimi Hendrix's first show. Forget any preconceptions you might have. Is it good? Yes. More important--is it fun? Yes. Yes. Yes.

3) The French Laundry (Napa Valley, California)

4 Per Se (New York City) The best sit-down, multicourse, white-tablecloth meal of my life was at the French Laundry. And subsequent meals at Per Se, also run by chef Thomas Keller, were no less wonderful. There's no better way to go than the full-on tasting menu, a once-in-a-lifetime marriage of the best ingredients, creative thinking, and high standards, along with the personal imprint of the most respected chef in the world. How can Keller be at both restaurants at once? It doesn't matter. Pick one. Fast for 2 days, stretch your stomach with water the day of, and then see how they do it at the very top. It's a level of perfection in food and service that few even try to approach.

5) Sin Huat Eating House (Singapore) It's grimy looking, the service can be less than warm, the beer is served in a bottle (often with ice), and the tables sit halfway into the streets of Geylang, Singapore's red-light district. But the crab bee hoon--giant Sri Lankan beasts cooked with a spicy mystery sauce and noodles--is pure messy indulgence. The whelks, steamed spotted cod, prawns, scallops (in fact, any seafood available that day) are all worth having. Warning: It looks cheap, but it's not.

6) Le Bernardin (New York City) This is the best fish joint . . . anywhere. And it's relevant and fun, despite its formal service and fine-dining ambience. The grand tasting menu is a stripped-down thing of relatively austere beauty. And whatever they're doing this year or this month is always, always interesting.

7) Salumi (Seattle) It's a sandwich shop with a couple of tables, and a true mom-and-pop--even if they're the mom and pop of famous chef Mario Batali. Anything cured, anything braised, any of the limited hot specials . . . in fact, anything the Batalis make is worth grabbing with both hands.

8) Russ & Daughters (New York City)

9) Katz's Delicatessen (New York City) Russ & Daughters started as a pushcart nearly a century ago, and it now serves some of the last traditional Eastern European Jewish-style herring and smoked belly lox, sable, and sturgeon. And since you're close, walk down a few doors to Katz's to remind yourself how pastrami is done right. This is what New Yorkers do better than anybody else. And here's where they do it.

10) Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain) Victor Arguinzoniz grills unlikely ingredients over homemade charcoal: baby eels, imperial beluga caviar, oysters. (The fresh chorizo and prawns work, too.) Theoretically you can't grill a lot of this stuff, but a handcrafted series of pulleys that raise and lower each item makes it possible. Eat here, and no one is eating better.

11) Sukiyabashi Jiro (Tokyo) The best sushi on earth? Maybe. Jiro Ono is more than 80 years old, and he's been doing old-school Edo-style sushi his whole life. Every piece of fish is served at precisely the right temperature and the rice and seaweed alone are blackout good. Ono will ruin sushi for you from anywhere else.

12) Hot Doug's (Chicago) This place convinced me the Chicago red hot is, in fact, superior to the New York hot dog. And it's home to two great innovations in American gastronomy: the "foie gras dog" and the weekends-only practice of cooking French fries in duck fat. It's proof that food doesn't have to be expensive to be great.

13) Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue (Kansas City, Kansas) People may disagree on who has the best BBQ. Here, the brisket (particularly the burnt ends), pulled pork, and ribs are all of a quality that meet the high standards even of Kansas City natives. It's the best BBQ in Kansas City, which makes it the best BBQ in the world. Anthony Bourdain is the host of the Travel Channel's No Reservations.

Power 12 Foods: Never Go Hungry

2009-08-11T15:43:00.001+06:00

Meet the powerfoods that will shrink your gut and keep you healthy for lifePower 12 Foods: Never Go Hungry

The Power of Food

These 12 power foods make up a large part of your diet. The more of these foods you eat, the better your body will be able to increase lean muscle mass and avoid storing fat. They have been proven to do one or more of the following:

· Builds muscle

· Helps promote weight loss

· Strengthens bone

· Lowers blood pressure

· Fights cancer

· Improves immune function

· Fights heart disease

1) Almonds and Other Nuts

Eat them with skins intact.

Superpowers: Building muscle, fighting food cravings

Secret weapons: Protein, monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, folate (in peanuts), fiber, magnesium, phosphorus

Fight against: Obesity, heart disease, muscle loss, cancer

Sidekicks: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, avocados

Impostors: Salted or smoked nuts. High sodium spikes blood pressure.

These days, you hear about good fats and bad fats the way you hear about good cops and bad cops. One's on your side, and one's going to beat you silly. Oreos fall into the latter category, but nuts are clearly out to help you. They contain the monounsaturated fats that clear your arteries and help you feel full. All nuts are high in protein and monounsaturated fat.

But almonds are like Jack Nicholson in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest: They're the king of the nuts. Eat as much as two handfuls a day. If you eat 2 ounces of almonds (about 24 of them), it can suppress your appetite--especially if you wash them down with 8 ounces of water.

For a quick popcorn alternative, spray a handful of almonds with nonstick cooking spray and bake them at 400 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes. Take them out of the oven and sprinkle them with either a brown sugar and cinnamon mix or cayenne pepper and thyme.

2) Beans and Other Legumes

Including soybeans, chickpeas, pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans, lima beans.

Superpowers: Building muscle, helping burn fat, regulating digestion

Secret weapons: Fiber, protein, iron, folate

Fight against: Obesity, colon cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure

Sidekicks Lentils, peas, bean dips, hummus, edamame

Impostors: Refried beans, which are high in saturated fats; baked beans, which are high in sugar.

Most of us can trace our resistance to beans to some unfortunately timed intestinal upheaval (third-grade math class, a first date gone awry). But beans are, as the famous rhyme says, good for your heart; the more you eat them, the more you'll be able to control your hunger.

Black, lima, pinto, navy -- you pick it. They're all low in fat, and they're packed with protein, fiber, and iron--nutrients crucial for building muscle and losing weight. Gastrointestinal disadvantages notwithstanding, they serve as one of the key members of the Abs Diet cabinet because of all their nutritional power. In fact, if you can replace a meat-heavy dish with a bean-heavy dish a couple of times a week, you'll be lopping a lot of saturated fat out of your diet and replacing it with higher amounts of fiber.

3) Spinach and Other Green Vegetables

Superpowers: Neutralizing free radicals (molecules that accelerate the aging process)

Secret weapons: Vitamins including A, C, and K; folate; beta-carotene; minerals including calcium and magnesium; fiber

Fight against: Cancer, heart disease, stroke, obesity, osteoporosis

Sidekicks: Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and brussels sprouts; green, yellow, red, and orange vegetables such as asparagus, peppers, and yellow beans

Impostors: None, as long as you don't fry them or smother them in fatty cheese sauces.

You know vegetables are packed with important nutrients, but they're also a critical part of your body-changing diet. I like spinach in particular because one serving supplies nearly a full day's vitamin A and half of your vitamin C. It's also loaded with folate -- a vitamin that protects against heart disease, stroke, and colon cancer. Dress a sandwich with the stuff, or stir-fry it with fresh garlic and olive oil.

Broccoli is high in fiber and more densely packed with vitamins and minerals than almost any other food. If you hate vegetables, hide them. Puree them and add them to marinara sauce or chili. The more you chop, the less you taste, and the easier it is for your body to absorb nutrients. With broccoli, sauté it in garlic and olive oil, and douse it with hot sauce.

4) Dairy Products

Fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese.

Superpowers: Building strong bones, firing up weight loss

Secret weapons: Calcium, vitamins A and B12, riboflavin, phosphorus, potassium

Fight against: Osteoporosis, obesity, high blood pressure, cancer

Sidekicks: None

Impostors: Whole milk, frozen yogurt

Dairy is nutrition's version of a typecast actor. It gets so much good press for strengthening bones that it garners little attention for all the other stuff it does well. Just take a look at the mounting evidence that calcium is a prime belly-buster. A University of Tennessee study found that dieters who consumed between 1,200 and 1,300 milligrams of calcium a day lost nearly twice as much weight as those taking in less calcium. Researchers think the mineral probably prevents weight gain by increasing the breakdown of body fat and hampering its formation. Low-fat yogurt, cheeses, and other dairy products can play a key role in your diet. But I recommend milk as your major source of calcium. Liquids take up lots of room in your stomach, so your brain gets the signal that you're full. Sprinkling in chocolate whey powder can help curb sweet cravings.

5) Instant Oatmeal

Unsweetened, unflavored.

Superpowers: Boosting energy and sex drive, reducing cholesterol, maintaining blood-sugar levels

Secret weapons: Complex carbohydrates and fiber

Fights against: Heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, obesity

Sidekicks: High-fiber cereals like All-Bran and Fiber One

Impostors: Sugary cereals

Oatmeal is the Bo Derek of your pantry: It's a perfect 10. You can eat it at breakfast to propel you through sluggish mornings, a couple of hours before a workout to feel fully energized by the time you hit the weights, or at night to avoid a late-night binge. I recommend instant oatmeal for its convenience. But I want you to buy the unsweetened, unflavored variety and use other Powerfoods such as milk and berries to enhance the taste. Preflavored oatmeal often comes loaded with sugar calories.

Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, meaning that it attracts fluid and stays in your stomach longer than insoluble fiber (like vegetables). Soluble fiber is thought to reduce blood cholesterol by binding with digestive acids made from cholesterol and sending them out of your body. When this happens, your liver has to pull cholesterol from your blood to make more digestive acids, and your bad cholesterol levels drop.

Trust me: You need more fiber, both soluble and insoluble. Doctors recommend we get between 25 and 35 grams of fiber per day, but most of us get half that. Fiber is like a bouncer for your body, kicking out troublemakers and showing them the door. It protects you from heart disease. It protects you from colon cancer by sweeping carcinogens out of the intestines quickly.

A Penn State study also showed that oatmeal sustains your blood sugar levels longer than many other foods, which keeps your insulin levels stable and ensures you won't be ravenous for the few hours that follow. That's good, because spikes in the production of insulin slow your metabolism and send a signal to the body that it's time to start storing fat. Since oatmeal breaks down slowly in the stomach, it causes less of a spike in insulin levels than foods like bagels. Include it in a smoothie or as your breakfast. (A U.S. Navy study showed that simply eating breakfast raised metabolism by 10 percent.)

Another cool fact about oatmeal: Preliminary studies indicate that oatmeal raises the levels of free testosterone in your body, enhancing your body's ability to build muscle and burn fat and boosting your sex drive.

6) Eggs

Superpowers: Building muscle, burning fat

Secret weapons: Protein, vitamins A and B12

Fight against: Obesity

Sidekicks: Egg Beaters, which have fewer calories than eggs and no fat, but just as much of the core nutrients

Impostors: None

For a long time, eggs were considered pure evil, and doctors were more likely to recommend tossing eggs at passing cars than throwing them into omelette pans. That's because just two eggs contain enough cholesterol to put you over your daily recommended value. Though you can cut out some of that by removing part of the yolk and using the white, more and more research shows that eating an egg or two a day will not raise your cholesterol levels.

In fact, we've learned that most blood cholesterol is made by the body from dietary fat, not dietary cholesterol. That's why you should take advantage of eggs and their powerful makeup of protein. The protein found in eggs has the highest "biological value" of protein -- a measure of how well it supports your body's protein need -- of any food. In other words, the protein in eggs is more effective at building muscle than protein from other sources, even milk and beef. Eggs also contain vitamin B12, which is necessary for fat breakdown.

7) Turkey and Other Lean Meats

Lean steak, chicken, fish.

Superpowers: Building muscle, improving the immune system

Secret weapons: Protein, iron, zinc, creatine (beef), omega-3 fatty acids (fish), vitamins B6 (chicken and fish) and B12, phosphorus, potassium

Fight against: Obesity, mood disorders, memory loss, heart disease

Sidekicks: Shellfish, Canadian bacon, omega-3 rich flaxseed

Impostors: Sausage, bacon, cured meats, ham, fatty cuts of steak like T-bone and rib eye

A classic muscle-building nutrient, protein is the base of any solid diet plan. Turkey breast is one of the leanest meats you'll find, and it packs nearly one-third of your daily requirements of niacin and vitamin B6. Dark meat, if you prefer, has lots of zinc and iron. One caution, though: If you're roasting a whole turkey for a family feast, avoid self-basting birds, which have been injected wth fat.

Beef is another classic muscle-building protein. It's the top food source for creatine -- the substance your body uses when you lift weights. Beef does have a downside; it contains saturated fats, but some cuts have more than others. Look for rounds or loins (that's code for extra-lean); sirloins and New York strips are less fatty than prime ribs and T-bones.

To cut down on saturated fats even more, concentrate on fish like tuna and salmon, because they contain a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids as well as protein. Those fatty acids lower levels of a hormone called leptin in your body. Several recent studies suggest that leptin directly influences your metabolism: The higher your leptin levels, the more readily your body stores calories as fat. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that mice with low leptin levels have faster metabolisms and are able to burn fat faster than animals with higher leptin levels. Mayo Clinic researchers studying the diets of two African tribes found that the tribe that ate fish frequently had leptin levels nearly five times lower than the tribe that primarily ate vegetables.

A bonus benefit: Researchers in Stockholm found that men who ate no fish had three times the risk of prostate cancer of those who ate it regularly. It's the omega-3s that inhibit prostate-cancer growth.

8) Peanut Butter

All-natural, sugar-free.

Superpowers: Boosting testosterone, building muscle, burning fat

Secret weapons: Protein, monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, niacin, magnesium

Fights against: Obesity, muscle loss, wrinkles, cardiovascular disease

Sidekicks: Cashew and almond butters

Impostors: Mass-produced sugary and trans fatty peanut butters

Yes, PB has its disadvantages: It's high in calories, and it doesn't go over well when you order it in four-star restaurants. But it's packed with those heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that can increase your body's production of testosterone, which can help your muscles grow and your fat melt. In one 18-month experiment, people who integrated peanut butter into their diet maintained weight loss better than those on low-fat plans. A recent study from the University of Illinois showed that diners who had monounsaturated fats before a meal (in this case, it was olive oil) ate 25 percent fewer calories during that meal than those who didn't.

Practically speaking, PB also works because it's a quick and versatile snack -- and it tastes good. Since a diet that includes an indulgence like peanut butter doesn't leave you feeling deprived, it's easier to follow and won't make you fall prey to other cravings. Use it on an apple, on the go, or to add flavor to potentially bland smoothies. Two caveats: You can't gorge on it because of its fat content; limit yourself to about 3 tablespoons per day. And you should look for all-natural peanut butter, not the mass-produced brands that have added sugar.

9) Olive Oil

Superpowers: Lowering cholesterol, boosting the immune system

Secret weapons: Monounsaturated fat, vitamin E

Fights against: Obesity, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure

Sidekicks: Canola oil, peanut oil, sesame oil

Impostors: Other vegetable and hydrogenated vegetable oils, trans fatty acids, margarine

No need for a long explanation here: Olive oil and its brethren will help control your food cravings; they'll also help you burn fat and keep your cholesterol in check. Do you need any more reason to pass the bottle?

10) Whole-Grain Breads and Cereals

Superpowers: Preventing your body from storing fat

Secret weapons: Fiber, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc

Fight against: Obesity, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease

Sidekicks: Brown rice, whole-wheat pretzels, whole-wheat pastas

Impostors: Processed bakery products like white bread, bagels, and doughnuts; breads labeled wheat instead of whole wheat

There's only so long a person can survive on an all-protein diet or an all-salad diet or an all-anything diet. You crave carbohydrates because your body needs them. The key is to eat the ones that have been the least processed -- carbs that still have all their heart-healthy, belly-busting fiber intact.

Grains like wheat, corn, oats, barley, and rye are seeds that come from grasses, and they're broken into three parts -- the germ, the bran, and the endosperm. Think of a kernel of corn.

The biggest part of the kernel -- the part that blows up when you make popcorn -- is the endosperm. Nutritionally it's pretty much a big dud. It contains starch, a little protein, and some B vitamins. The germ is the smallest part of the grain; in the corn kernel, it's that little white seedlike thing. But while it's small, it packs the most nutritional power. It contains protein, oils, and the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and pyridoxine. It also has vitamin E and the minerals magnesium, zinc, potassium, and iron. The bran is the third part of the grain and the part where all the fiber is stored. It's a coating around the endosperm that contains B vitamins, zinc, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and other minerals.

So what's the point of this little biology lesson? Well, get this: When food manufacturers process and refine grains, guess which two parts get tossed out? Yup, the bran, where all the fiber and minerals are, and the germ, where all the protein and vitamins are. And what they keep -- the nutritionally bankrupt endosperm (that is, starch) -- gets made into pasta, bagels, white bread, white rice, and just about every other wheat product and baked good you'll find. Crazy, right? But if you eat products made with all the parts of the grain -- whole-grain bread, pasta, long-grain rice -- you get all the nutrition that food manufacturers are otherwise trying to cheat you out of.

Whole-grain carbohydrates can play an important role in a healthy lifestyle. In an 11-year study of 16,000 middle-age people, researchers at the University of Minnesota found that consuming three daily servings of whole grains can reduce a person's mortality risk over the course of a decade by 23 percent. (Tell that to your buddy who's eating low-carb.) Whole-grain bread keeps insulin levels low, which keeps you from storing fat. In this diet, it's especially versatile because it'll supplement any kind of meal with little prep time. Toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, with a dab of peanut butter for a snack. Don't believe the hype. Carbs -- the right kind of carbs -- are good for you.

Warning: Food manufacturers are very sneaky. Sometimes, after refining away all the vitamins, fiber, and minerals from wheat, they'll add molasses to the bread, turning it brown, and put it on the grocery shelf with a label that says wheat bread. It's a trick! Truly nutritious breads and other products will say whole-wheat or whole-grain. Don't be fooled.

11) Extra-Protein (Whey) Powder

Superpowers: Building muscle, burning fat

Secret weapons: Protein, cysteine, glutathione

Fights against: Obesity

Sidekick: Ricotta cheese

Impostor: Soy protein

Protein powder? What the heck is that? It's the only Abs Diet Powerfood that you may not be able to find at the supermarket, but it's the one that's worth the trip to a health food store. I'm talking about powdered whey protein, a type of animal protein that packs a muscle-building wallop. If you add whey powder to your meal -- in a smoothie, for instance -- you may very well have created the most powerful fat-burning meal possible. Whey protein is a high-quality protein that contains essential amino acids that build muscle and burn fat. But it's especially effective because it has the highest amount of protein for the fewest number of calories, making it fat's kryptonite.

Smoothies with some whey powder can be most effective before a workout. A 2001 study at the University of Texas found that lifters who drank a shake containing amino acids and carbohydrates before working out increased their protein synthesis (their ability to build muscle) more than lifters who drank the same shake after exercising. Since exercise increases bloodflow to tissues, the theory goes that having whey protein in your system when you work out may lead to a greater uptake of amino acids -- the building blocks of muscle -- in your muscle.

But that's not all. Whey protein can help protect your body from prostate cancer. Whey is a good source of cysteine, which your body uses to build a prostate cancer–fighting antioxidant called glutathione. Adding just a small amount may increase glutathione levels in your body by up to 60 percent.

By the way, the one great source of whey protein in your supermarket is ricotta cheese. Unlike other cheeses, which are made from milk curd, ricotta is made from whey -- a good reason to visit your local Italian eatery.

12) Raspberries and Other Berries

Superpowers: Protecting your heart, enhancing eyesight, improving memory, preventing cravings

Secret weapons: Antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C, tannins (cranberries)

Fight against: Heart disease, cancer, obesity

Sidekicks: Most other fruits, especially apples and grapefruit

Impostors: Sugary jellies

Depending on your taste, any berry will do (except Crunch Berries). I like raspberries as much for their power as for their taste. They carry powerful levels of antioxidants, all-purpose compounds that help your body fight heart disease and cancer; the berries' flavonoids may also help your eyesight, balance, coordination, and short-term memory. One cup of raspberries packs 6 grams of fiber and more than half of your daily requirement of vitamin C.

Blueberries are also loaded with the soluble fiber that, like oatmeal, keeps you fuller longer. In fact, they're one of the most healthful foods you can eat. Blueberries beat out 39 other fruits and vegetables in the antioxidant power ratings. (One study also found that rats that ate blueberries were more coordinated and smarter than rats that didn't.)

Strawberries contain another valuable form of fiber called pectin (as do grapefruits, peaches, apples, and oranges). In a study from the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, subjects drank plain orange juice or juice spiked with pectin. The people who got the loaded juice felt fuller after drinking it than those who got the juice without the pectin. The difference lasted for an impressive 4 hours.

Feed Your Skin

2009-08-11T14:57:00.001+06:00

The 9 best foods to keep your skin looking and feeling great
By Abby Lerner
1. Carrots
This crunchy snack is loaded with vitamin A, which helps balance the pH of your skin's surface, making it just acidic enough to fend off harmful bacteria. Plus National Cancer Institute researchers found that people with the highest intakes of carotenoids—pigments that occur naturally in carrots—were six times less likely to develop skin cancer than those with the lower intakes.

2. Berries
The high-antioxidant content of blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries yield countless healthy-skin benefits. Not a fan of fleshy fruit? Artichokes, beans, prunes, and pecans are packed with the stuff as well.
3. Salmon, Walnuts, and Flax Seed
The common healthy-skin ingredients in these foods are essential fatty acids, which not only block harmful irritants, but also act as the passageway for nutrients coming in and out and for waste products to get in and out of the cell. The stronger that barrier is, the better your skin cells hold moisture.
4. Healthy Oils
Good-quality oils—those labeled cold pressed, expeller processed, or extra virgin—keep skin lubricated and looking and feeling healthier. But remember even healthy fat is high in calories, so limit yourself to two tablespoons a day.
5. Whole-wheat bread, Muffins, and Cereals; Turkey, Tuna, and Brazil Nuts
It may seem like a random grocery list, but all of these foods are rich in the mineral selenium, which plays a key role in the health of skin cells. In fact, studies show that even skin damaged by the sun may suffer fewer consequences if selenium levels are high.

6. Low-Fat Dairy Products
Vitamin A is one of the most important components of skin health, and low-fat dairy products such as milk and yogurt are a great place to get it.

7. Green Tea
The skin-health assets in this drink are matchless. It has anti-inflammatory properties, protects the cell membrane, and may even reduce the risk of some cancers. An added bonus: Sipping on this super drink can also boost metabolism.

8. Sunflower Seeds
These tiny seeds pack the most natural vitamin E of any food around. And no antioxidant is better at slowing down the aging of skin cells to keep you looking younger longer.

9. Water
Good hydration is key to healthy looking skin, and there's nothing better than pure, clean water to quench your body's thirst—except maybe mineral-rich hard water from the tap

Unleash Your Abs

2009-08-11T14:55:00.001+06:00

Abs Diet Workout Plan

Abs Diet Weekly Workout Schedule

Your day-to-day workout plan with exercise photos and descriptions

When you construct your schedule, make sure to: Leave at least 48 hours between weight workouts of the same body parts. Your muscles need time to recover and repair themselves after a workout. Take 1 day each week to rest with no formal exercise. Warm up for 5 minutes before starting to exercise, either through a light jog, riding on a stationary bike, jumping rope, or doing slow jumping jacks.

The three components of your weekly schedule

1. Strength training: Three times a week. Below are total-body workouts with one workout that puts extra emphasis on your legs.

2. Additional cardiovascular exercise: Optional, on non-strength-training days. Examples are cycling, running, swimming, walking, and using cardio machines. An interval workout is recommended for 1 day a week, and light cardiovascular exercise like walking is recommended for 2 of your 3 off days.

3. Abs exercises: Twice a week. I recommend doing them before your strength training or interval workouts.

(If you need to familiarize yourself with the different parts of the Abs Diet workout, click here.)

Your Weekly Workout Schedule

Here, you're going to do circuit training to optimize your muscle-building potential. That is, you'll perform one set of an exercise and then move immediately to the next exercise, with just 30 seconds of rest. Follow the order of the exercises here; that will allow you to work different body parts from set to set. (Click here for a complete set of exercise descriptions and instructional photos.)

By alternating between body parts, you'll keep your body in constant work mode and be able to perform the movements back-to-back without rest. Here's why circuit training works so well: You'll save time because you'll cut the amount of rest you need when you alternate muscle groups. More important, you'll keep your heart rate elevated throughout the workout, so you'll burn even more fat while you're exercising -- whether it's in the gym or in your own living room.

In the first 2 weeks of the program, do the circuit twice. Move from exercise to exercise with no more than 30 seconds of rest in between. When you complete one circuit, rest for 1 to 2 minutes, then complete the second circuit. After the first 2 weeks, when you've become comfortable doing two complete circuits during a workout, increase your workload to three circuits per workout. In every exercise, use a weight that you can handle comfortably for the number of repetitions noted. When that becomes too easy, increase the weight on each set by 10 percent or less. Here's a sample schedule of how you might arrange your workouts.

Monday:

Total-Body Strength Training Workout with Ab Emphasis

Complete one set of each ab exercise*, then complete the rest of the circuit twice.

Exercise	Repetitions	Rest	Sets
Traditional Crunch*	12–15	none	1
Bent-Leg Knee Raise*	12–15	none	1
Oblique V-Up*	10 each side	none	1
Bridge*	1 or 2	none	1
Back Extensions*	12–15	none	1
Squat	10–12	30 seconds	2
Bench Press	10	30 seconds	2
Pulldown	10	30 seconds	2
Military Press	10	30 seconds	2
Upright Row	10	30 seconds	2
Triceps Pushdown	10–12	30 seconds	2
Leg Extension	10–12	30 seconds	2
Biceps Curl	10	30 seconds	2
Leg Curl	10–12	30 seconds	2

Tuesday (Optional):

Light Cardiovascular Exercise Such as Walking

(Try for 30 Minutes at a Brisk Pace)

Wednesday:

Total-Body Strength Training Workout with Ab Emphasis

Complete one set of each ab exercise* once, then complete rest of circuit twice

Exercise	Repetitions	Rest	Sets
Traditional Crunch*	12–15	none	1
Pulse Up*	12	none	1
Saxon Side Bend*	6-10 each side	none	1
Side Bridge*	1 or 2 each side	none	1
Back Extensions*	12–15	none	1
Squat	10–12	30 seconds	2
Bench Press	10	30 seconds	2
Pulldown	10	30 seconds	2
Military Press	10	30 seconds	2
Upright Row	10	30 seconds	2
Triceps Pushdown	10–12	30 seconds	2
Leg Extension	10–12	30 seconds	2
Biceps Curl	10	30 seconds	2
Leg Curl	10–12	30 seconds	2

Thursday (Optional):

Light Cardiovascular Exercise Such as Walking

(Try for 30–45 Minutes at a Brisk Pace)

Friday:

Total-Body Strength Training Workout, with Leg Emphasis

Repeat entire circuit twice.

Exercise	Repetitions	Rest	Sets
Squat	10–12	30 seconds	2
Bench Press	10	30 seconds	2
Pulldown	10	30 seconds	2
Traveling Lunge	10–12 each leg	30 seconds	2
Military Press	10	30 seconds	2
Upright Row	10	30 seconds	2
Step-Up	10–12 each leg	30 seconds	2
Triceps Pushdown	10–12	30 seconds	2
Leg Extension	10–12	30 seconds	2
Biceps Curl	10	30 seconds	2
Leg Curl	10–12	30 seconds	2

Saturday (Optional):

Abs Workout Plus Interval Workout

Complete one set of each ab exercise, then choose one interval workout from our selection.

Exercise	Repetitions	Rest	Sets
Traditional Crunch	12–15	None	1
Bent-Leg Knee Raise	12	None	1
Oblique V-Up	6–10 each side	None	1
Bridge	1–2	None	1
Back Extension	12–15	None	1

Sunday: Off

ABS EXERCISES

Traditional Crunch

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your hands behind your ears. Slowly crunch up, bringing your shoulder blades off the ground. 12 - 15 repetitions, 1 set

Bent-Leg Knee Raise

Lie on your back with your head and neck relaxed and your hands on the floor near your butt. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Use your lower abdominal muscles to raise your knees up toward your rib cage, then slowly lower your feet back to the starting position. As your feet lightly touch the floor, repeat. 12 reps, 1 set

Oblique V-Up

Lie on your side with your body in a straight line. Fold your arms across your chest. Keeping your legs together, lift them off the floor as you raise your top elbow toward your hip. The range of motion is short, but you should feel an intense contraction in your obliques. 10 reps each side, 1 set

Bridge

Start to get in a Pushup position, but bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms instead of your hands. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Pull your abdominals in; imagine you're trying to move your belly button back to your spine. Hold for 20 seconds, breathing steadily. As you build endurance, you can do one 60-second set. 1 - 2 reps, 1 set

Standing Crunch

Attach a rope handle to a high cable pulley. Stand with your back to the weight stack, and hold the ends of the rope behind your head. Crunch down. 12 - 15 reps, 1 set

Pulse Up

Lie with your hands underneath your tailbone and your legs raised and pointed straight up toward the ceiling, perpendicular to your torso. Pull your navel inward, and flex your glutes as you lift your hips just a few inches off the floor. Then lower your hips. 12 reps, 1 set

Saxon Side Bend

Hold a pair of lightweight dumbbells over your head, in line with your shoulders, with your elbows slightly bent. Keep your back straight, and slowly bend directly to your left side as far as possible without twisting your upper body. Pause, return to an upright position, then bend to your right side as far as possible. 6 - 10 reps on each side, no rest between sets

Side Bridge

Lie on your nondominant side. Support your weight with that forearm and the outside edge of that foot. Your body should form a straight line from head to ankles. Pull your abs in as far as you can, and hold this position for 10 to 30 seconds, breathing steadily. Relax. If you can do 30 seconds, do one repetition. If not, try for any combination of reps that gets you up to 30 seconds. Repeat on your other side.

1–2 repetitions on each side

Back Extension

Position yourself in a back extension station, and hook your feet under the leg anchor. Hold your arms straight out in front of you. Your body should form a straight line from your hands to your hips. Lower your torso, allowing your lower back to round, until it's just short of perpendicular to the floor. Raise your upper body until it's slightly above parallel to the floor. At this point, you should have a slight arch in your back, and your shoulder blades should be pulled together. Pause for a second, then repeat. 12 - 15 reps, 1 set

CORE EXERCISES

Squat

Hold a barbell with an overhand grip so that it rests comfortably on your upper back. Set your feet shoulder-width apart, and keep your knees slightly bent, back straight, and eyes focused straight ahead. Slowly lower your body as if you were sitting back into a chair, keeping your back in its natural alignment and your lower legs nearly perpendicular to the floor. When your thighs are parallel to the floor, pause, then return to the starting position.

Home variation:

Same, but with one dumbbell in each hand, your palms facing your outer thighs. 10 - 12 reps

Bench Press

Lie on your back on a flat bench with your feet on the floor. Grab the barbell with an overhand grip, your hands just beyond shoulder-width apart. Lift the bar off the uprights, and hold it at arm's length over your chest. Slowly lower the bar to your chest. Pause, then push the bar back to the starting position.

Home variation:

Just do standard pushups: Get in a Pushup position with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Bend at the elbows while keeping your back straight, until your chin almost touches the floor, then push back up. 10 reps

Pulldown

Stand facing a lat pulldown machine. Reach up and grasp the bar with an overhand grip that's 4 to 6 inches wider than your shoulders. Sit on the seat, letting the resistance of the bar extend your arms above your head. When you're in position, pull the bar down until it touches your upper chest. Hold this position for a second, then return to the starting position.

Home variation:

Bent-Over Row: Stand with your knees slightly bent and shoulder-width apart. Bend over so that your back is almost parallel to the floor. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, let your arms hang toward the floor. With your palms facing in, pull the dumbbells toward you until they touch the outside of your chest. Pause, then return to the starting position. 10 reps

Military Press

Sitting on an exercise bench, hold a barbell at shoulder height with your hands shoulder-width apart. Press the weight straight overhead so that your arms are almost fully extended, hold for a count of one, then bring it down to the front of your shoulders. Repeat.

Home variation:

Sitting on a sturdy chair instead of a bench, hold one dumbbell in each hand, about level with your ears. Push the dumbbells straight overhead so that your arms are almost fully extended, hold for a count of one, then return to the starting position. Repeat. 10 reps

Upright Row

Grab a barbell with an overhand grip, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Let the barbell hang at arm's length on top of your thighs, thumbs pointed toward each other. Bending your elbows, lift your upper arms straight out to the sides, and pull the barbell straight up until your upper arms are parallel to the floor and the bar is just below chin level. Pause, then return to the starting position.

Home variation:

Same, using one dumbbell in each hand. 10 rep

Triceps Pushdown

While standing, grip a bar attached to a high pulley cable or lat machine with your hands about 6 inches apart. With your elbows tucked against your sides, bring the bar down until it is directly in front of you. With your forearms parallel to the floor (the starting position), push the bar down until your arms are extended straight down with the bar near your thighs. Don't lock your elbows. Return to the starting position.

Home variation: Triceps Kickback

Stand with your knees slightly bent and shoulder-width apart. Bend over so that your back is almost parallel to the ground. Bend your elbows to about 90-degree angles, raising them to just above the level of your back. This is the starting position. Extend your forearms backward, keeping your upper arms stationary. When they're fully extended, your arms should be parallel to the ground. Pause, then return to the starting position. 10 - 12 reps

Leg Extension

Sitting on a leg extension machine with your feet under the footpads, lean back slightly, and lift the pads with your feet until your legs are extended.

Home variation:

Squat Against the Wall. Stand with your back flat against a wall. Squat down so that your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold that position for as long as you can. That consists of one set. Aim for 20 seconds to start, and work your way up to 45 seconds. 10 - 12 reps

Biceps Curl

Stand while holding a barbell in front of you, palms facing out, with your hands shoulder-width apart and your arms hanging in front of you. Curl the weight toward your shoulders, hold for a second, then return to the starting position.

Home variation: Same, only use a set of dumbbells instead. 10 reps

Leg Curl

Lie facedown on a leg curl machine, and hook your ankles under the padded bar. Keeping your stomach and pelvis against the bench, slowly raise your feet toward your butt, curling up the weight. Come up so that your feet nearly touch your butt, and slowly return to the starting position.

Home variation:

Lie down with your stomach on the floor. Put a light dumbbell between your feet (so that the top end of the dumbbell rests on the bottom of your feet). Squeeze your feet together, and curl them up toward your butt. 10 - 12 reps

Foods to Increase Your Brain Power

2009-08-11T14:42:00.001+06:00

Your noggin depends on a variety of nutrients to keep itself balanced. Unfortunately, Cheetos and beer aren't exactly brain foods.

So instead of downing a gallon of Breyer's the next time you're feeling down or stuffing yourself with leftover danishes from the break room before that big presentation at work, next time, give your body the fuel it needs.

Whatever your mood, we found the snacks that will provide a brain boost to get you through even the toughest situations—without sacrificing your waistline or muscles.

Anxiety

The Situation: You need to stay sharp through a grueling job interview.

Your Meal: Half a grilled-chicken wrap at lunch, hold the mayo

Here's Why: Eating between 4 and 5 ounces of protein helps your brain create dopamine and norepinephrine, neurochemicals that keep you alert, says Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., author of The Serotonin Power Diet.

Stress

The Situation: You have to meet a deadline without being overwhelmed.

Your Meal: A handful of sesame seeds while you're working

Here's Why: Stress hormones can deplete your body's supply of magnesium, reducing your stress-coping abilities and increasing your risk of developing high blood pressure, says Elizabeth Somer, R.D., author of Food & Mood.

Restlessness

The Situation: You need some serious shut-eye before the big day.

Your Meal: Nonfat popcorn half an hour before you go to bed

Here's Why: The carbs will induce your body to create serotonin, a neurochemical that makes you feel relaxed. "Make sure it's fat-free, because fat will slow the process of boosting serotonin levels," says Somer.

Depression

The Situation: Problems at home are doing you in.

Your Meal: Grilled salmon or sushi for dinner

Here's Why: A study in Finland found that people who eat more fish are 31 percent less likely to suffer from depression. And skip sweet, simple carbs—the inevitable sugar crash can actually deepen depression.

Insecurity

The Situation: Your confidence is waning as the night wears on.

Your Meal: A snack-size chocolate bar when she's in the bathroom

Here's Why: Chocolate contains a host of chemicals to brighten your mood, Somer says, including anadamine, which targets the same receptors as THC, and phenylethylamine, which produces a cozy, euphoric feeling.

Confusion

The Situation: You've forgotten your last two deadlines.

Your Meal: Pineapple chunks for a snack or a cup of berries in your oatmeal

Here's Why: Antioxidants from the most-colorful fruits and vegetables help pick off the free radicals that wear away at your memory. "Because your brain consumes so much oxygen, oxidants do heavy damage there," says Somer

Five Perfect Breakfast Meals

2009-08-11T14:25:00.001+06:00

Breakfast wakes up your metabolism and tells it to start burning fat, decreasing your risk of obesity

Banana Split Smoothie

(number of Powerfoods: 3)

What you need:

1 banana

1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1/8 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 cup 1% milk

2 teaspoons whey powder

6 ice cubes, crushed

How to prepare: Blend until smooth in blender. Makes 2 8-ounce servings.

Calories per serving: 171; Protein: 8 g; Carbs: 33 g; Fat: 2 g; Saturated fat: 1 g; Sodium: 94 mg; Fiber: 2 g

Halle's Berry Smoothie

(number of Powerfoods: 4)

What you need:

3/4 c instant oatmeal, nuked in water or skim milk

3/4 c skim milk

3/4 c mixed frozen berries

2 tsp whey powder

3 ice cubes, crushed

How to prepare: Blend until smooth in blender.

Makes 2 8-ounce servings

Per serving: 144 calories, 7 grams (g) protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat (0 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 109 milligrams (mg) sodium

Breakfast Bacon Burger

(number of Powerfoods: 4)

What you need:

1 Thomas' Honey Wheat English Muffin

1/2 teaspoon trans fat-free margarine

1 egg

1 slice low-fat American cheese

1 slice Canadian bacon

Vegetables of choice

How to prepare:

1. Split the muffin, toast it, and add margarine.

2. Break the egg in a microwavable dish, prick the yolk with a toothpick, and cover the dish with plastic wrap.

3. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Let stand for 30 seconds. Add cheese, egg, and Canadian bacon to the muffin, then nuke for 20 seconds.

4. Add vegetables to taste.

Makes 1 serving.

Calories per serving: 300; Protein: 22 g; Carbs: 28 g; Fat: 11 g; Saturated fat: 3.5 g; Sodium: 868 mg; Fiber: 3 g

The I-Haven't-Had-My-Coffee-Yet Sandwich

(number of Powerfoods: 3)

What you need:

1 1/2 teaspoons low-fat cream cheese

1 whole-wheat pita, halved to make 2 pockets

2 slices turkey or ham

Lettuce or green vegetable

How to prepare:

1. Spread cream cheese in the pockets of the pita.

2. Stuff with meat and vegetables.

3. Put in mouth. Chew and swallow.

Makes 1 serving.

Calories per serving: 225; Protein: 10 grams; Carbs: 42 g; Fat: 3 g; Saturated fat: 1 g; Sodium: 430 mg; Fiber: 6 g

Eggs Beneficial Breakfast Sandwich

(number of Powerfoods: 5)

What you need:

1 large whole egg

3 large egg whites

1 tsp ground flaxseed

2 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted

1 slice Canadian bacon

1 tomato, sliced, or 1 green bell pepper, sliced

How to prepare:

1. Scramble the whole egg and egg whites in a bowl.

2. Add the flaxseed to the mixture.

3. Fry it in a nonstick skillet treated with vegetable-oil spray and dump it onto the toast.

4. Add the bacon and tomato, pepper, or other vegetables of your choice.

Makes 1 serving.

Wash it all down with 8 ounces of orange juice, and make it the high-pulp kind. More fiber that way.

Per serving: 399 calories, 31 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat (3 g saturated), 6 g fiber, 900 mg sodium

Flat-belly food

2009-08-11T14:22:00.001+06:00

Beans (and other legumes)

SUPERPOWERS Building muscle, burning fat

SECRET WEAPONS Fiber, protein, iron, folate

FIGHTS AGAINST Obesity, heart disease, colon cancer, high blood pressure

SIDEKICKS Lentils, peas, chickpeas, bean dips, hummus, edamame

How to Use Them

Always rinse canned beans--rinsing washes away the high-sodium solution they've been soaking in.

Add a handful to a salad to boost its protein.

Toss a (drained) can's worth with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and your favorite spices (try paprika and cilantro), then toast them in the oven on high heat for 20 minutes as an all-purpose snack.

The Benefits

Builds muscle

Helps promote weight loss

Fights cancer

Lowers blood pressure

Fights heart disease

3-bean Chili

What you'll need

1 Tbsp olive oil; 1 small onion, diced; 1 lb lean ground turkey breast; 1 can diced tomatoes with jalapeños; 1 10.5-ounce can each chickpeas, black beans, and kidney beans, drained; 1 can low-sodium chicken broth; 1/4 tsp each salt and cumin; 1/8 tsp each cinnamon and cayenne

How to make it

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium-low. Add the onion and sautee until soft (about 3 to 5 minutes). Add the turkey and brown it (about 5 minutes). Add the remaining ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings Per 1-cup serving 292 calories, 30 grams (g) protein, 32 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat (0 g saturated), 11 g fiber, 787 milligrams sodium

Remember: Eat These Words

A-B-S D-I-E-T P-O-W-E-R

ALMONDS (and other nuts)

BEANS (and other legumes)

SPINACH (and other green vegetables)

DAIRY

INSTANT OATMEAL

EGGS

TURKEY (and other lean meats)

PEANUT BUTTER

OLIVE OIL

WHOLE GRAINS (breads and cereals)

EXTRA-PROTEIN POWDER (whey)

RASPBERRIES (and other berries)

Peanut Butter Possibilities

2009-08-11T13:59:00.001+06:00

For a whole new twist, add some PB to your Abs Diet smoothies

Honey-Nut Cheery Oat (Powerfoods: 5)

3/4 cup instant oatmeal nuked in water

1/4 cup 1% milk

1 tablespoon peanut butter

2 teaspoons whey protein powder

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon ground flaxseed

6 ice cubes

Makes 2 8-ounce servings

Per serving: 206 calories, 11 g protein, 26 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, (1 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 51 mg sodium

Chocolate Factory (Powerfoods: 5)

1 cup 1% chocolate milk

2 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 teaspoons chocolate whey protein powder

2 teaspoons ground flaxseed

6 ice cubes

Makes 2 8-ounce servings

Per serving: 219 calories, 11 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat (2 g saturated), 2 g fiber, 167 mg sodium

The Chocolate Latte (Powerfoods: 4)

1/2 cup 1% chocolate milk

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1/2 banana

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon finely ground coffee

2 teaspoons chocolate whey protein powder

6 ice cubes

Makes 2 8-ounce servings

Per serving: 171 calories, 10 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat (2 g saturated), 2 g fiber, 116 mg sodium

5 Foods with Stealth Health Powers

2009-08-11T13:56:00.001+06:00

Iceberg Lettuce

Conventional wisdom suggests this salad staple is nutritionally bankrupt. But as it turns out, half a head of iceberg lettuce has significantly more alpha-carotene, a powerful disease-fighting antioxidant, than either romaine lettuce or spinach.

Mushrooms

This fungi's metabolites—by-products created when mushrooms are broken down during digestion—have been shown to boost immunity and prevent cancer growth, report researchers in the Netherlands

Vinegar

Scientists in Sweden discovered that when people consumed 2 tablespoons of vinegar with a high-carb meal, their blood sugar was 23 percent lower than when they skipped the antioxidant-loaded liquid. They also felt fuller.

Red-Pepper Flakes

A Dutch study found that consuming a gram of red pepper flakes—about half a teaspoon—30 minutes prior to a meal reduced calorie intake by 16 percent. Plus, new research suggests its active ingredient, capsaicin, may help kill cancer cells

Full-Fat Cheese

This dairy product is an excellent source of casein protein—one of best muscle-building nutrients you can eat. What's more, Danish researchers found that even when men ate 10 ounces of full-fat cheese daily for 3 weeks, their LDL ("bad") cholesterol didn't budge

8 Foods that Pack on Muscle

2009-08-11T13:54:00.001+06:00

Eggs: The Perfect Protein

How they build muscle: Not from being hurled by the dozen at your boss's house. The protein in eggs has the highest biological value—a measure of how well it supports your body's protein needs—of any food, including our beloved beef. "Calorie for calorie, you need less protein from eggs than you do from other sources to achieve the same muscle-building benefits," says Volek.

But you have to eat the yolk. In addition to protein, it also contains vitamin B12, which is necessary for fat breakdown and muscle contraction. (And no, eating a few eggs a day won't increase your risk of heart disease.)

How they keep you healthy: Eggs are vitamins and minerals over easy; they're packed with riboflavin, folate, vitamins B6, B12, D, and E, and iron, phosphorus, and zinc.

Almonds: Muscle Medicine

How they build muscle: Crunch for crunch, almonds are one of the best sources of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E—the form that's best absorbed by your body. That matters to your muscles because "vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that can help prevent free-radical damage after heavy workouts," says Volek. And the fewer hits taken from free radicals, the faster your muscles will recover from a workout and start growing.

How many almonds should you munch? Two handfuls a day should do it. A Toronto University study found that men can eat this amount daily without gaining any weight.

How they keep you healthy: Almonds double as brain insurance. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that those men who consumed the most vitamin E—from food sources, not supplements—had a 67 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's disease than those eating the least vitamin E

Salmon: The Growth Regulator

How it builds muscle: It's swimming with high-quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids. "Omega-3's can decrease muscle-protein breakdown after your workout, improving recovery," says Tom Incledon, R.D., a nutritionist with Human Performance Specialists. This is important, because to build muscle you need to store new protein faster than your body breaks down the old stuff.

Order some salmon jerky from www.freshseafood.com. It'll keep forever in your gym bag and tastes mighty close to cold-smoked cow.

How it keeps you healthy: By reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Researchers at Louisiana State University found that when overweight people added 1.8 grams of DHA—an omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil—to their daily diets, their insulin resistance decreased by 70 percent in 12 weeks

Yogurt: The Golden Ratio

How it builds muscle: Even with the aura of estrogen surrounding it, "yogurt is an ideal combination of protein and carbohydrates for exercise recovery and muscle growth," says Doug Kalman, R.D., director of nutrition at Miami Research Associates.

Buy regular—not sugar-free—with fruit buried at the bottom. The extra carbohydrates from the fruit will boost your blood levels of insulin, one of the keys to reducing postexercise protein breakdown.

How it keeps you healthy: Three letters: CLA. "Yogurt is one of the few foods that contain conjugated linoleic acid, a special type of fat shown in some studies to reduce body fat," says Volek

Beef: Carvable Creatine

How it builds muscle: More than just a piece of charbroiled protein, "beef is also a major source of iron and zinc, two crucial muscle-building nutrients," says Incledon. Plus, it's the number-one food source of creatine—your body's energy supply for pumping iron—2 grams for every 16 ounces.

For maximum muscle with minimum calories, look for "rounds" or "loins"—butcherspeak for meat cuts that are extra-lean. Or check out the new "flat iron" cut. It's very lean and the second most tender cut of beef overall.

How it keeps you healthy: Beef is a storehouse for selenium. Stanford University researchers found that men with low blood levels of the mineral are as much as five times more likely to develop prostate cancer than those with normal levels

Olive Oil: Liquid Energy

How it builds muscle: Sure, you could oil up your chest and arms and strike a pose, but it works better if you eat the stuff. "The monounsaturated fat in olive oil appears to act as an anticatabolicnutrient," says Kalman. In other words, it prevents muscle breakdown by lowering levels of a sinister cellular protein called tumor necrosis factor-a, which is linked with muscle wasting and weakness (kind of like watching The View).

And while all olive oil is high in monos, try to use the extra-virgin variety whenever possible; it has a higher level of free-radical-fighting vitamin E than the less chaste stuff.

How it keeps you healthy: How doesn't it? Olive oil and monounsaturated fats have been associated with everything from lower rates of heart disease and colon cancer to a reduced risk of diabetes and osteoporosis.

Water: The Muscle Bath

How it builds muscle: Whether it's in your shins or your shoulders, muscle is approximately 80 percent water. "Even a change of as little as 1 percent in body water can impair exercise performance and adversely affect recovery," says Volek. For example, a 1997 German study found that protein synthesis occurs at a higher rate in muscle cells that are well hydrated, compared with dehydrated cells. English translation: The more parched you are, the slower your body uses protein to build muscle.

Not sure how dry you are? "Weigh yourself before and after each exercise session. Then drink 24 ounces of water for every pound lost," says Larry Kenney, Ph.D., a physiology researcher at Pennsylvania State University.

How it keeps you healthy: Researchers at Loma Linda University found that men who drank five or more 8-ounce glasses of water a day were 54 percent less likely to suffer a fatal heart attack than those who drank two or fewer

Coffee: The Repetition Builder

How it builds muscle: Fueling your workout with caffeine will help you lift longer. A recent study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that men who drank 2 1/2 cups of coffee a few hours before an exercise test were able to sprint 9 percent longer than when they didn't drink any. (It's believed the caffeine directly stimulates the muscles.)

And since sprinting and weight lifting are both anaerobic activities—exercises that don't require oxygen—a jolt of joe should help you pump out more reps. Skip it if you have a history of high blood pressure, though.

How it keeps you healthy: By saving you from Michael J. Fox's fate. Harvard researchers found that coffee drinkers have a 30 percent lower risk of Parkinson's disease than nondrinkers.

Creatine: Side Effects, What it is, What it Does

2009-08-11T13:30:00.001+06:00

Why is creatine such a big deal? What are the side effects? Risks? Men's Health answers your creatine questions and helps you decide if it's the supplement for you

Want to get bigger and stronger -- and get that way faster?

Creatine works. Lifters know this, professors know this, the marketers who sell the stuff know this.

But nobody should put anything in their body without weighing the benefits and risks first. That goes for everything from beer to marshmallows to the amazing amino acid called creatine.

It's not anything scary. It's not a Barry Bonds starter kit.

Creatine -- typically bought in flavored powders and mixed with liquid -- increases the body's ability to produce energy rapidly. With more energy, you can train harder and more often, producing faster results.

It's as simple as this: "If you can lift one or two more reps or 5 more pounds, your muscles will get bigger and stronger," says Chad Kerksick, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise physiology at the University of Oklahoma.

Research shows that creatine is most effective in high-intensity training and explosive activities. This includes weight training and sports that require short bursts of effort, such as sprinting, football, and baseball.

There is less support to indicate that creatine improves endurance performance and aerobic-type exercise.

One thing is almost certain: If you take creatine, you'll gain weight.

It'll happen quickly, says Paul Greenhaff, Ph.D., professor of muscle metabolism at the University of Nottingham in England. While the initial gain is water (about 2 to 4 pounds in the first week of supplementation), subsequent gains are muscle due to the increase in the workload you can handle.

Because creatine is an "osmotically active substance," it pulls water into your muscle cells, which increases protein synthesis, Kerksick says.

Studies in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that muscle fibers grow when a person takes creatine.

The catch: This only happens if you take advantage of the boost in energy and hit the gym. Otherwise, it is just water weight.

Nobody argues with any of this. But there are some questions about creatine that lots of guys have.

Will creatine mess with my kidneys?

Researchers are constantly studying creatine -- for effectiveness and safety. That's why many trainers and health experts support the use of creatine: Studies indicate it's safe.

"Creatine is one of the most-researched sports supplements out there," Kerksick says. "And there's no published literature to suggest it's unsafe."

Greenhaff has been studying creatine for about two decades, and says he never encounters the cramping that is sometimes reported. "I'm not saying people don't experience cramps, but I don't believe it can be very common," he says. "If there were any major adverse side effects, we would have seen them by now."

But there have been anecdotal reports of kidney damage, heart problems, muscle cramps and pulls, dehydration, and diarrhea, in addition to other negative side effects. The key word here: anecdotal.

Some of these conditions can be caused by consuming too much of certain vitamins, says Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of ConsumerLab.com. "Too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea, and too much iron may lead to stomach problems," he says.

To be safe, he recommends using creatine only if you are healthy and have no kidney problems. That's because your kidneys excrete creatinine, a breakdown product of creatine.

So there's no downside?

Not so fast, Biceps-Brain. If you can get big without it, there's no reason to use creatine.

"I feel it would be better for no one to use creatine even though it's shown to increase some strength and muscle mass," says Jim King, M.D., president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

"I wouldn't recommend doing anything that would show minimal improvement and possible risk. Weigh the negatives and the benefits before you try it."

Kids under age 18 should avoid creatine, King says, because few studies have been done on children using creatine as an exercise enhancement.

There have been reports of overexertion causing torn muscles. That can mean permanent damage. "Children are still in a growing phase, and we're not sure what impact creatine may have on muscles and bones as they grow," he says. "I feel very strongly that middle and even high schoolers shouldn't use it."

Will it transform me?

Here's one thing all the experts can agree on: It's impossible to say.

Creatine has different effects on every individual. Some people just don't respond to creatine -- it's a genetic thing.

You should know in about a week -- if your training volume increases, it's working for you. If not, you're probably a "nonresponder" -- taking the powder isn't going to help you.

Diet is important. Meat, especially herring and beef, has high levels of creatine, so vegetarians usually see a greater response, while those whose diets are highly carnivorous may see less change.

Of course, a healthy diet is key to anyone's muscle-building plan. "If your diet is junk, there's no point in adding creatine," Kerksick says. "It's better to eat good sources of carbohydrates and lean protein."

In the end, creatine alone will not make you a bigger man.

"Only when combined with exercise does it improve the quality of training," Greenhaff says. "You still have to do the work."

What kind of creatine should I take?

Powder is the way to go. Studies show that liquid creatine and creatine ethyl ester (CEE) are unstable and break down in your blood system. Don't bother with them.

Kerksick recommends 100-percent pure creatine powder. Some companies add electrolytes and other ingredients, but tests indicate those do little to improve performance.

"Save money and buy creatine powder and [mix it with] fruit juice," Kerksick says.

Fruit juice? That's right -- the sugar in the juice raises insulin levels, which helps increase creatine uptake into the muscle.

You need about 70 grams of simple sugars for every five grams of creatine, Greenhaff says. He suggests looking for a drink or supplement with 60 grams of carbs per 100 grams of product.

To ensure your body maximizes the benefits of creatine, buy the best stuff you can afford. It's your body -- this isn't the time to get cheap.

You'll know the powder is of poor quality if it's hard to dissolve and there's residue at the bottom of your glass after you drink it. You want the powder in your muscles, not in the glass. If this happens, try a different brand.

You can also check ConsumerLab.com, which writes reviews on creatine products and other muscle supplements every 3 years.

The Bastei bridge in Saxon Switzerland

2009-08-11T13:24:00.001+06:00

The Bastei bridge in Saxon Switzerland

The Bastei is a rocky prominence overlooking the Elbe River within the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in Germany. As a mountain of 305 meters height the Bastei surpasses the river by 194 meters. It was formed by water a million years ago. Located near Rathen in Saxon Switzerland the Bastei is a landmark in a national park near Pirna southeast of Dresden. It is part of a climbing and hiking area that extends to the Czech Republic as Bohemian Switzerland.

The Bastei has been a tourist attraction for over 200 years. Already in 1824 a wooden bridge was constructed to link several rocks for the visitors. This bridge was replaced in 1851 by the present Bastei Bridge made from sandstone. The rock formations and vistas have inspired artists, among them Caspar David Friedrich (i.e "Felsenschlucht" [1])

The low part of the Rathen spa can be reached from Dresden with paddle steamers on the river Elbe. Another famous landmark in that tourism and climbing area is the fortress Königstein.

Via Wikipedia

7 Perfect Fitness Foods

2009-08-10T15:45:00.001+06:00

Don't let your hard work in the gym go to waste. The food you eat doesn't just give you energy - it fuels your muscles, helps you burn fat, and even boosts your cardiovascular health. Chow down on these 8 power foods before and after your workouts, and you'll see results in no time.

Pineapple and Papaya

Good for: Muscle recovery

Both of these tropical fruits are loaded with bromelain and papain, enzymes that not only help break down proteins for digestion but also have anti-inflammatory properties to speed up your post-workout recovery.

Salmon

Good for: Cardiovascular fitness

Australian researchers found that cyclists who took fish oil for 8 weeks had lower heart rates and consumed less oxygen during intense bicycling than a control group did. The fatty acids in fish oil need to become incorporated into muscle and heart cells to have an effect, and that takes weeks of consumption-so either take fish oil pills each day, or try to eat fish rich in fatty acids multiple times a week to see similar results.

PB&J or Pasta With Meat Sauce

Good for: Muscle building and repair

The perfect post-weight training repast has about 400 calories, with 20 to 30 grams of protein (to build new muscle) and 50 to 65 grams of carbohydrates (to repair old muscle). Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or a small bowl of pasta with meat sauce fits that formula.

8 Ounces of Chocolate Milk

Good for: Hydration

The best sports drink may come from a cow. British researchers found that milk does a better job than water or sports drinks at rehydrating the body after exercise. Why? To begin with, milk has more electrolytes and potassium. The addition of chocolate gives milk the perfect balance of carbs, protein, and fat for speedy muscle recovery

Coffee

Good for: Pain relief

University of Georgia scientists revealed that taking a caffeine supplement (equal to two cups of coffee) after exercise reduces muscle soreness more than pain relievers can. Caffeine blocks a chemical that activates pain receptors.

Cold Water

Good for: Endurance

Drinking cold water before and during exercise can help improve your endurance. In a British study, cyclists who drank about 30 ounces of a chilled drink in the half hour before riding in a hot, humid environment-and smaller amounts as they rode-were able to bike 23 percent longer than riders who downed lukewarm liquids. Drinking cold water may be the most direct way to reduce core body temperature, so it takes you longer to heat up and slow down.

Green Tea

Good for: Muscle recovery

Brazilian scientists found that participants who consumed three cups of green tea every day for a week had fewer markers of the cell damage caused by resistance to exercise. So drinking a few cups every day may help your muscles recover faster after an intense workout.

Break Your Speed Limits

2009-08-10T15:40:00.001+06:00

A cutting-edge cardio plan that can push you to the head of the pack in just 9 days

As a man, you can accomplish many things in just an hour a week, based on my observations as a graduate student in exercise physiology at the University of Oklahoma. Here's what would not impress me: You watching any reality show with a number in its title. You doing chest bumps with your buddies during a pickup basketball game. You achieving your best score—ever!—on Guitar Hero.

What would impress me is you doing high-intensity intervals as your cardiovascular training. That means alternating between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of less-intense activity or even complete rest. In fact, you can achieve more progress in a mere 15 minutes of interval training (done three times a week) than that guy grinding away on the treadmill for an hour. An intelligent man draws maximum benefit from a minimum time investment, and smarts are sexy. So are abs, a benefit of this training style. Researchers at Australia's University of New South Wales found that intervals burn three times as much fat as running twice as long at a moderately hard, steady pace.

But interval training's benefits don't end with heart health, fat incineration, or the preservation of that most precious of commodities, your time. Most sports worth playing involve stopping and starting, not running at one pace, so you'll rule on the court or field. What's more, your muscles will learn to contract more forcefully. Ultimately you'll live longer, too, because intervals elevate the good cholesterol that makes your arteries whooshing streams and not plaque-strewn rapids.

How can stopping and starting during cardio do all that? Pretend you're back (or still) in college, and I'm your hot new teaching assistant. Class is now in session, so pop the lid off your latte and listen up.

Lesson 1: When your muscles contract repeatedly during intense training, they quickly use all available energy. So your body searches for fat. While that's going on, your body is quickly losing its ability to flush metabolic by-products from muscle. Ever heard of the burn? That's a buildup of ammonia and other bad stuff. Along with burning, this waste interferes with your body's ability to contract muscles forcefully. If you don't learn to manage the burn properly, your workout is doomed.

Lesson 2: When repeated bouts of high-intensity intervals are separated by short rest periods, each bout begins with a lack of available energy, and muscles that are already fatigued. "Interval training stresses energy systems in the body that aren't accustomed to being used," says Jeramie Hinojosa, M.S., director of the East Texas Medical Center Olympic Center, in Tyler, Texas. "Blood supply to cells increases, the cells use oxygen more efficiently, and the enzymes that help create energy also increase. This improves fitness." What's more, recovery from interval training forces the body to continue burning fat for energy. This all leads to an increase in postworkout calorie burning.

Lesson 3: There are lots of ways to do intervals. Over time you can adjust your ratio between rest and work, change the intensity of your work segment, or alter the length of the entire session. The new interval program that my university colleagues and I have developed produces truly amazing results, and it's perfect for people who don't like endurance training. As part of an experiment to test the ability of a dietary supplement to flush metabolic waste products from muscle tissue, we put a group of active college students (36 men and 33 women) through 6 weeks of high-intensity interval training on the stationary bike. Instead of the usual 30-seconds-on, 30-seconds-off approach, we had the students pedal intensively for 2 minutes, rest completely for 1 minute, and then repeat that sequence four more times. That's only 10 minutes of training! Even with the warmup and rest periods, they were looking at a 20-minute time investment.

After 3 weeks and a total of nine workout sessions, all 69 participants saw huge improvements. The maximum amount of oxygen they could consume—a measure of cardiovascular fitness—increased 11 percent. What's more, they were able to pedal 12 percent longer and complete 44 percent more work. After 6 weeks, the improvements were even more dramatic—18 percent in fitness, 17 percent in time to exhaustion, and nearly 100 percent in work completed.

To achieve the same results, use this workout chart. Measuring your effort accurately and training accordingly is a key to success. Let's assume you can't roll a metabolic cart up to the exercise bike like a scientist would. Your best bet, then, is to measure your heart rate using a monitor so that you can train at a certain percentage of your estimated maximum heart rate (MHR). (You can either use your own portable version, which attaches to your body, or grasp the handles on the machine. Most will provide a readout.)

Your MHR is 220 minus your age. If you're 28, the magic number is 192 beats per minute (bpm). So the goal for your first session would be elevating your heart rate to about 173 bpm (0.90 × 192) for all work intervals. If you look at your monitor and you're not there yet, push those pedals until you are. After 2 minutes, exercise lightly or rest.

Perhaps you're wondering: Is training at more than 100 percent of my maximum heart rate, like the workout chart suggests, even safe? Yes, because your body will make improvements as soon as you start training intensively. What seemed like 100 percent one week will be a level you can surpass the next.

If you don't own a heart-rate monitor or find one hard to use while you're shifting gears as intervals require, do it the old-fashioned way. Immediately after each interval, place your index and middle fingers on your neck just to the side of your Adam's apple or on the thumb side of your wrist. Once you feel a pulse, count the beats for 15 seconds. Multiply by 4 to determine your heart rate.

Bear in mind that even the lowest training level here (90) is quite intense. By the time you reach 100 or higher, you should be pedaling for your life, basically. You can also switch from the stationary bike to any other apparatus that elevates heart rate, including the treadmill, the elliptical trainer, or a jump rope.

As an avid runner and former college athlete, I wish I had known about high-intensity interval training earlier in my career. Huge gains doing cardio only 15 minutes a day three times a week!

Five Perfect Breakfast Meals

2009-08-10T15:29:00.001+06:00

Breakfast wakes up your metabolism and tells it to start burning fat, decreasing your risk of obesity

Banana Split Smoothie

(number of Powerfoods: 3)

What you need:

1 banana

1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1/8 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 cup 1% milk

2 teaspoons whey powder

6 ice cubes, crushed

How to prepare: Blend until smooth in blender. Makes 2 8-ounce servings.

Calories per serving: 171; Protein: 8 g; Carbs: 33 g; Fat: 2 g; Saturated fat: 1 g; Sodium: 94 mg; Fiber: 2 g

Halle's Berry Smoothie

(number of Powerfoods: 4)

What you need:

3/4 c instant oatmeal, nuked in water or skim milk

3/4 c skim milk

3/4 c mixed frozen berries

2 tsp whey powder

3 ice cubes, crushed

How to prepare: Blend until smooth in blender.

Makes 2 8-ounce servings

Per serving: 144 calories, 7 grams (g) protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat (0 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 109 milligrams (mg) sodium

Breakfast Bacon Burger

(number of Powerfoods: 4)

What you need:

1 Thomas' Honey Wheat English Muffin

1/2 teaspoon trans fat-free margarine

1 egg

1 slice low-fat American cheese

1 slice Canadian bacon

Vegetables of choice

How to prepare:

1. Split the muffin, toast it, and add margarine.

2. Break the egg in a microwavable dish, prick the yolk with a toothpick, and cover the dish with plastic wrap.

3. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Let stand for 30 seconds. Add cheese, egg, and Canadian bacon to the muffin, then nuke for 20 seconds.

4. Add vegetables to taste.

Makes 1 serving.

Calories per serving: 300; Protein: 22 g; Carbs: 28 g; Fat: 11 g; Saturated fat: 3.5 g; Sodium: 868 mg; Fiber: 3 g

The I-Haven't-Had-My-Coffee-Yet Sandwich

(number of Powerfoods: 3)

What you need:

1 1/2 teaspoons low-fat cream cheese

1 whole-wheat pita, halved to make 2 pockets

2 slices turkey or ham

Lettuce or green vegetable

How to prepare:

1. Spread cream cheese in the pockets of the pita.

2. Stuff with meat and vegetables.

3. Put in mouth. Chew and swallow.

Makes 1 serving.

Calories per serving: 225; Protein: 10 grams; Carbs: 42 g; Fat: 3 g; Saturated fat: 1 g; Sodium: 430 mg; Fiber: 6 g

Eggs Beneficial Breakfast Sandwich

(number of Powerfoods: 5)

What you need:

1 large whole egg

3 large egg whites

1 tsp ground flaxseed

2 slices whole-wheat bread, toasted

1 slice Canadian bacon

1 tomato, sliced, or 1 green bell pepper, sliced

How to prepare:

1. Scramble the whole egg and egg whites in a bowl.

2. Add the flaxseed to the mixture.

3. Fry it in a nonstick skillet treated with vegetable-oil spray and dump it onto the toast.

4. Add the bacon and tomato, pepper, or other vegetables of your choice.

Makes 1 serving.

Wash it all down with 8 ounces of orange juice, and make it the high-pulp kind. More fiber that way.

Per serving: 399 calories, 31 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat (3 g saturated), 6 g fiber, 900 mg sodium

120 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power

2009-08-05T14:30:00.001+06:00

Here are 120 things you can do starting today to help you think faster, improve memory, comprehend information better and unleash your brain’s full potential.

Solve puzzles and brainteasers.
Cultivate ambidexterity. Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, comb your hair or use the mouse. Write with both hands simultaneously. Switch hands for knife and fork.
Embrace ambiguity. Learn to enjoy things like paradoxes and optical illusions.
Learn mind mapping.
Block one or more senses. Eat blindfolded, wear earplugs, shower with your eyes closed.
Develop comparative tasting. Learn to properly taste wine, chocolate, beer, cheese or anything else.
Find intersections between seemingly unrelated topics.
Learn to use different keyboard layouts. Try Colemak or Dvorak for a full mind twist!
Find novel uses for common objects. How many different uses can you find for a nail? 10? 100?
Reverse your assumptions.
Learn creativity techniques.
Go beyond the first, ‘right’ answer.
Transpose reality. Ask “What if?” questions.
SCAMPER!
Turn pictures or the desktop wallpaper upside down.
Become a critical thinker. Learn to spot common fallacies.
Learn logic. Solve logic puzzles.
Get familiar with the scientific method.
Draw. Doodle. You don’t need to be an artist.
Think positive.
Engage in arts — sculpt, paint, play music — or any other artistic endeavor.
Learn to juggle.
Eat ‘brain foods’.
Be slightly hungry.
Exercise!
Sit up straight.
Drink lots of water.
Deep-breathe.
Laugh!
Vary activities. Get a hobby.
Sleep well.
Power nap.
Listen to music.
Conquer procrastination.
Go technology-less.
Look for brain resources in the web.
Change clothes. Go barefoot.
Master self-talk.
Simplify!
Play chess or other board games. Play via Internet (particularly interesting is to play an ongoing game by e-mail).
Play ‘brain’ games. Sudoku, crossword puzzles or countless others.
Be childish!
Play video games.
Be humorous! Write or create a joke.
Create a List of 100.
Have an Idea Quota.
Capture every idea. Keep an idea bank.
Incubate ideas. Let ideas percolate. Return to them at regular intervals.
Engage in ‘theme observation’. Try to spot the color red as many times as possible in a day. Find cars of a particular make. Invent a theme and focus on it.
Keep a journal.
Learn a foreign language.
Eat at different restaurants – ethnic restaurants specially.
Learn how to program a computer.
Spell long words backwards. !gnignellahC
Change your environment. Change the placement of objects or furniture — or go somewhere else.
Write! Write a story, poetry, start a blog.
Learn sign language.
Learn a musical instrument.
Visit a museum.
Study how the brain works.
Learn to speed-read.
Find out your learning style.
Dump the calendar!
Try to mentally estimate the passage of time.
“Guesstimate”. Are there more leaves in the Amazon rainforest or neuron connections in your brain? (answer).
Make friends with math. Fight ‘innumeracy’.
Build a Memory Palace.
Learn a peg system for memory.
Have sex! (sorry, no links for this one! )
Memorize people’s names.
Meditate. Cultivate mindfulness and an empty mind.
Watch movies from different genres.
Turn off the TV.
Improve your concentration.
Get in touch with nature.
Do mental math.
Have a half-speed day.
Change the speed of certain activities. Go either super-slow or super-fast deliberately.
Do one thing at a time.
Be aware of cognitive biases.
Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. How would different people think or solve your problems? How would a fool tackle it?
Adopt an attitude of contemplation.
Take time for solitude and relaxation.
Commit yourself to lifelong learning.
Travel abroad. Learn about different lifestyles.
Adopt a genius. (Leonardo is excellent company!)
Have a network of supportive friends.
Get competitive.
Don’t stick with only like-minded people. Have people around that disagree with you.
Brainstorm!
Change your perspective. Short/long-term, individual/collective.
Go to the root of the problems.
Collect quotes.
Change the media you’re working on. Use paper instead of the computer; voice recording instead of writing.
Read the classics.
Develop your reading skill. Reading effectively is a skill. Master it.
Summarize books.
Develop self-awareness.
Say your problems out loud.
Describe one experience in painstaking detail.
Learn Braille. You can start learning the floor numbers while going up or down the elevator.
Buy a piece of art that disturbs you. Stimulate your senses in thought-provoking ways.
Try different perfumes and scents.
Mix your senses. How much does the color pink weigh? How does lavender scent sound?
Debate! Defend an argument. Try taking the opposite side, too.
Use time boxing.
Allocate time for brain development.
Have your own mental sanctuary.
Be curious!
Challenge yourself.
Develop your visualization skills. Use it at least 5 minutes a day.
Take notes of your dreams. Keep a notebook by your bedside and record your dreams first thing in the morning or as you wake up from them.
Learn to lucid dream.
Keep a lexicon of interesting words. Invent your own words.
Find metaphors. Connect abstract and specific concepts.
Manage stress.
Get random input. Write about a random word in a magazine. Read random sites using StumbleUpon or Wikipedia.
Take different routes each day. Change the streets you follow to work, jog or go back home.
Install a different operating system on your computer.
Improve your vocabulary.
Deliver more than what’s expected.

Afridi New Twenty20 captain

2009-07-29T18:17:00.001+06:00

Afridi named Pakistan's Twenty20 captain

Shahid Afridi gets to lead the team for the first time © Getty Images

As had been widely expected for some time, Shahid Afridi has been named Pakistan captain for the Twenty20 game against Sri Lanka next month. He takes over from Younis Khan, who retired from the format after leading Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title last month.

Afridi was instrumental in that triumph, turning in Man-of-the-Match performances in both the semi-final and the final. Since Younis's retirement Afridi has been the leading candidate to take over, even as chairman Ijaz Butt initially said he would try and convince Younis to reconsider. Presently, he has only been appointed for the one game against Sri Lanka, but a more permanent decision is expected sooner rather than later.

It will be the first time Afridi will lead the national team in any format of the game, getting his chance nearly 13 years after making his Pakistan debut. The last five years have been the most productive of Afridi's career, where despite brief patches of indifference, he has established himself as a fixture in Pakistan's limited-overs set-up. His form has been particularly good this year, with impressive performances in the ODI series and Twenty20 against Australia in Dubai in May. That culminated with his critical role in leading Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title. Allied to his player-of-the-tournament contributions in the 2007 version, another indicator of his suitability to this format, his ascension became inevitable.

Whenever there has been a captaincy change over the last couple of years, Afridi's name has figured prominently among the contenders. He has plenty of captaincy experience at the domestic level, having been at the helm of Habib Bank Limited, Sind and Karachi Dolphins over the past few years.

The Best Foods for Healthy Hair

2009-07-29T17:36:00.001+06:00

Feed your muscles and your mane at the same time

Hit the gym and eat right, and you'll build muscle, burn fat—and have thick, great-looking hair.

"Exercise increases the blood supply to your muscles as well as your hair, which stimulates growth," says Jim White, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "And the foods we eat for muscle also promote hair health."

Just be sure you're eating balanced diet. "Your body has a priority system," says Amy Newburger, M.D., director of Dermatology Consultants of Westchester in Scarsdale, New York. "If it only has a limited number of nutrients, your body sends those nutrients to the cells essential for life. So your hair is one of the first type of cells to go."

Keep your hair (and entire body) healthy by including these nutrients in your daily diet.

Protein

You know you need adequate protein to build muscle—and you also need it for healthy hair because hair is made primarily of protein. Low-quality protein can lead to weak, brittle hair or a loss of hair color—but chances are, if you're trying to add or maintain muscle, you already eat enough.

Good sources: Chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, low-fat dairy (cottage cheese, milk, yogurt)

Iron

Low iron levels can lead to baldness, according to a Cleveland Clinic review. Researchers looked at 11 studies on the relationship between iron intake and hair loss, and concluded that treating iron deficiency may help regrow hair.

Good sources: Lean red meat, turkey, egg yolks, dried beans, dried fruit, whole grains

Zinc

Shedding more often? You may need to increase your intake of zinc. Studies show this mineral can affect levels of androgens, hormones associated with hair loss.

Good sources: Oysters, nuts (walnuts, cashews, pecans, almonds), beans, beef, lamb

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

"Omega-3s are known to support scalp help—a deficiency can result in dry scalp and dull hair," White says. And no woman will want to run her fingers through that.

Good sources: Salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, flaxseeds, walnuts

Lignans

In a 6-month pilot study, Taiwanese scientists found that lignans—disease-fighting compounds found in flaxseed—may help slow hair loss. Nine of the 10 men in the study reported modest to much improvement in the number of hairs shed daily.

Good source: Flaxseed. Lignans are found in the flaxseed's shell, so buy ground whole seeds in your supermarket's health-food section. The men in the study consumed 1 1/2 tablespoons a day. Try adding flaxseed to oatmeal or smoothies.

Water

If you have dry hair—or just want to prevent straw-like strands—drink more. "Hair is one-quarter water," White says. He recommends the typical eight glasses a day. Bring a water bottle to work so you don't spend the entire day refilling your mug at the fountain.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, so a deficiency can make hair dry and weak. You likely take in enough C from your diet, as long as you eat a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.

Good sources: Broccoli, leafy greens, green peppers, citrus fruit, strawberries

Biotin

A lack of adequate biotin can lead to brittle hair, but deficiencies are rare, White says. This vitamin will help you have thick hair as well as strong nails. (That may not sound important, but women like guys with nice hands.)

Good sources: Brown rice, legumes, lentils, eggs, Swiss chard, nuts

5 Fast Stress-Busters

2009-07-29T17:34:00.001+06:00

Take the edge off with these simple diet and lifestyle changes

Try some of these simple tricks when stress leaves you breathing harder than a bunch of frat brothers at a Girls Gone Wild shoot.

Reward your body. Regular exercise or relaxation techniques like yoga and massage will keep cortisol naturally in check by releasing beta-endorphins, brain chemicals that give you a calming effect.

Start strong. A recent study from Wales shows that regular consumption of breakfast cereal is associated with reduced stress and improved physical and mental health. Those who ate cereal daily had lower levels of cortisol. On the Abs Diet, that means oatmeal and bran cereals.

Snuff out the midnight oil. Regularly working overtime may inflate your weight. The stress of a string of 12-hour days can cause a spike in cortisol that stimulates hunger.

Fight with fish. That is, integrate more salmon and tuna into your life. When Swiss researchers fortified men’s diets with omega-3 fatty acids (fats found in fish), levels of cortisol remained unchanged during stress tests. (The placebo group’s cortisol rose by one-third.)

Get up and get out. A recent Australian study discovered that workers whose jobs require more than 6 hours of chair time a day are up to 68 percent more likely to wind up overweight or obese.

Perk Up Your Brain with Vitamin D

2009-07-27T17:43:00.001+06:00

A new study shows higher levels may boost cognitive function

If you feel your mind has been a little sluggish lately, you might want to opt for seafood tonight: New research suggests that vitamin D, which is found in fish, may improve cognitive performance.

After comparing over 3,000 men between the ages of 40 and 79 across Europe, University of Manchester researchers discovered those who had higher levels of vitamin D fared better in a cognitive test that measured how quickly they could process information.

To get your dose, try to eat more salmon and mackerel. The vitamins found in fish can help prevent prostate cancer. Fish is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, healthier fats than those found in meat like beef and pork—and it's full of muscle-building protein. Just two to three servings a week can provide you with health benefits. Read more on what fish to eat and the perks of omega-3 fats.

First Look of A Proper Prince Of Persia

2009-07-21T17:26:00.001+06:00

While a preview poster went up last year for Jerry Bruckheimer's upcoming Prince of Persia flick, it was just a tease. A logo and not much else. Today, Empire gives us our first look at some real posters.

Not what you'd expect, are they? Really clean, and modern. No tacky "Persian" logo, no silly pose modelled off a game cover. Nothing tipping you off to the fact this is a movie based on a video game series.

Which, after Max Payne and Hitman, is probably a smart way of going about it.

Asif and Veena ties knot

2009-07-21T12:10:00.001+06:00

We all know Muhammad Asif from being a good fast bowler tohis involvement in the notorious drug scandal. Veena Malik became a household name after her acting skills in “Hum sab umeed sey hain”. She brought smiles all over for her parodies from playing Meera to Reema or Rice! Both these very different people have somehow not only come together but have also tied the knot. I wish them all the best in life. I just hope Veena makes Asif more sensable.

Asif and Veena ties knot

Cricketer Muhammad Asif and actress Veena Malik entered wedlock in London recently.

According to reliable sources, the wedding took place on May 28. Veena Malik had left for London with Asif while wearing a burqa from the Islamabad airport. Asif gave Veena a car as a gift on her birthday, while Veena bore Asif’s expenses including the fee of the lawyers he had hired in connection with cases relating to his cricketing career.

Flintoff ends England’s 75-year wait

2009-07-21T11:58:00.001+06:00

Andrew Flintoff bowled with hostility and fire to take 5 for 92 in his final Lord's Test, as England took a 1-0 lead in the Ashes © PA Photos

Andrew Flintoff strikes a pose after dismissing Brad Haddin on his way to a five-wicket haul on his final Test appearance at Lord's © Getty Images

LONDON: Andrew Flintoff took five wickets as England finally ended their 75-year wait for an Ashes victory at Lord’s with a 115-run win over Australia on the final day of the second Test here on Monday.
Victory saw England take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series having clung on for a draw in Cardiff. Australia set a mammoth 522 to win — a target that had they achieved it would have surpassed the fourth innings Test world record victory total of 418 for seven made by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2002/03 — were bowled out for 406 shortly before lunch on the fifth day.
Fast bowler Flintoff, who before this match announced he would retire from Test cricket at the end of this series, took five wickets for 92 runs in 27 overs, including three for 43 in 10 overs on Monday.
It was only the third time in the 31-year-old all-rounder’s 77-Test career he’d taken five wickets in a Test innings. Off-spinner Graeme Swann provided good support with four for 87.
Michael Clarke did his best to deny England with a superb innings of 136 but ultimately could not prevent the hosts beating Australia in a Test at Lord’s for the first time since 1934, when they won by an innings and 38 runs. “To win an Ashes Test match at Lord’s feels very special but we’re not going to get carried away,” England captain Andrew Strauss insisted.
His Australian counterpart Ricky Ponting was magnanimous in defeat. “We are obviously disappointed to lose in this type of venue but we were outplayed from the first ball to the last ball.
“Now we have to bounce back, regroup and hit the ground running for the next Test at Edgbaston.” Australia resumed on 313 for five, 209 runs adrift of their target, with Clarke 125 not out and Brad Haddin 80 not out.
But starting again is never easy and they were unable to add to a stand worth 185 with Haddin out for his overnight score.
Haddin edged the 10th ball of the morning, fast bowler Flintoff’s fourth, straight to Paul Collingwood who took a good low catch at second slip.
Flintoff was now fired up and hit Clarke on the head with a bouncer, as the batsman took his eye off the ball, before beating him on the outside edge.
New batsman Mitchell Johnson was fortunate on four, after being completely deceived by a Flintoff slower ball that struck him on the pad, that veteran umpire Rudi Koertzen, standing in his 100th Test, had correctly called no-ball.
But it was Swann who, with his second ball Monday, took the wicket England craved when he beat Clarke in the air as the batsman went down the pitch and bowled him off-stump to end the Australia vice-captain’s innings of more than five hours.
Flintoff then bowled Nathan Hauritz for one as the batsman shouldered arms and Australia were 363 for eight.
Flintoff, the star of England’s 2005 Ashes series win, though then completed only the third five-wicket haul of his Test career when he bowled Peter Siddle, and celebrated by going down on one knee with his arms outstretched after leaving his side on the brink of victory.

Pakistan sets record planting mangroves

2009-07-18T15:33:00.001+06:00

The Sindh Forest Department and the Federal Environment Ministry set a world record by planting 541,176 mangroves in less than 15 hours on a barren island near Keti Bandar, about 90km from Karachi, on July 15. The feat will be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records, it was announced at the event.

The planting was supervised by local observers and Mangroves International expert Tahir Qureshi. Also in attendance at the event were designated representatives of the Guinness Book administration, a number of government dignitaries, members of the media, folk performers, singers and residents of the coastal belt.

The mangroves were planted on roughly 750 hectares, and in the future could play a protective role in the context of the recent devastating South Asian tsunami. Additionally, “As part of the ongoing National Year of the Environment, we planned on breaking the previous tree planting record of 348,493 established by Mexico in August last year, but we had to change the plan as India set a new Guinness World Record in June,” Qureshi said. India set a new record last month with the planting of 447,874 saplings in 24 hours.

Since it was not necessary to dig pits for planting mangrove trees under a new ruling set by the Guinness Book, planters were able to finish the newest record-breaking task in less than 15 hours.

Besides establishing an entry in the esteemed world record book, the project succeeded in involving nearby residents in eco-conservation. Experts say that while oil spills and the cutting of mangroves for firewood have led to a decline in their numbers in Pakistan, the project will aid in raising awareness about forest conservation and rehabilitation.

Shahid Kapoor receive Best Actor

2009-07-18T15:29:00.001+06:00

Shahid Kapoor to receive the Rajiv Gandhi award for Best Actor

With the kind of flight that the cutie-pie has taken to stardom these days, its not surprising that is showcase will be full of awards and rewards galore. The latest one in his kitty will be in the form of the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Awards that is given to a person who shows eminence in his chosen field. The award function will be held in the second week of August, just around the release of Shahid's most anticipated film till date - Kaminey.
Talking about the award, an excited Shahid said "I was pleasantly surprised to get the news about my being chosen for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi award. I'm only 28 years old and it's really early in my career. I feel humbled and honoured to be chosen by the jury."
For the uninitiated, the earlier recipients for this award have been the likes of legendary greats like Sunita Williams, Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani and Amitabh Bachchan among others.

No sympathy for careless Australia

2009-07-18T15:27:00.001+06:00

The visitors carried on batting as though still in Cardiff, without realising different conditions needed a change in attitude and style

There are times when natural games are not enough and attitudes must be altered to cope with certain bowlers and conditions. England swung the ball under heavy cloud cover at Lord's and the Australians were disrupted by a handful of rain breaks, but they played as if it was a risk-free, sunny day in Cardiff. This time a 600-plus total was not guaranteed.

The hosts are not carrying a spluttering fast man, a sick one and an injured offspinner, and they exposed the mental weakness in the visitors' attitude as they dropped them to 156 for 8, 70 short of the follow-on mark, when the weather intervened. It was the only relief the tourists received on a testing afternoon, but don't feel sorry for a side in which the young and old fell employing similarly destructive methods.

Phillip Hughes left before lunch to an ill-judged hook when a leave or sway were the safest options, while Simon Katich missed a half-century by pulling Graham Onions to fine-leg, a repeat of his dismissal in Worcester two weeks ago. Marcus North, failing for the first time in a crisis, pulled James Anderson on to his stumps, the third specialist to curse a horizontal bat.

After watching that trio fail Mitchell Johnson avoided hooking a couple of times to Stuart Broad, but quickly gave in and found deep-backward square. He slumped off in the gloom, wondering when the game became so hard following his troubles with the ball. Soon it was Brad Haddin proving it is impossible for him to use the brake, miscuing a similar stroke to midwicket.

"The pull shot is a very instinctive shot," Michael Hussey, who used it successfully in his half-century, said. "You try to pick up the length as quickly as you can and instinct takes over. Unfortunately we had a few dismissals with the cross-bat shots. Maybe that was a plan of theirs. They seemed to bowl a lot of short balls with two back and a short leg. It's something we're going to have to rectify."

The theory of playing straight and staying a long time was ignored universally. Ricky Ponting, unlucky to be caught at first slip when he should have been lbw, was attempting to hit across the line and Michael Clarke chipped Anderson to midwicket and Alastair Cook, the only man threatening to catch him on the legside. That the wickets fell in clumps was even worse: two were gone when they reached 10 and another six were lost as they tumbled from 103 for 2.

Batsmen exited at this speed here four years ago, when Australia were dismissed in the first innings for 190, but back then they were not starting 425 behind. Only when Hussey and Katich chipped away in a stand of 93 did Australia look like a team acting responsibly in reply. The visitors imploded instead of leaving, deflecting and crawling towards the total.

The atmosphere was bowler friendly and the stands shuddered with each breakthrough, but Australia still wanted to blast instead of out-last. The only person who deserves some sympathy is Hussey, who showed encouraging signs of emerging from his slump, particularly with his cover drives, until he lapsed against Andrew Flintoff and lost his off stump. Even after 51 runs and two hours and nine minutes in the middle, he couldn't depend on his previously impeccable judgment as the ball straightened with his bat raised to leave.

"I wasn't confused at all," Hussey said. "I felt very clear in my mind exactly how I wanted to get through. The ball I got out on, I can still see clearly in my mind. He gets quite a lot of bounce so I thought that the ball, if it did move, would move down the hill and away from the stumps, and his bounce would take it over them. Unfortunately I judged wrongly."

Teams can afford a couple of mistakes like that in a match, but salvaging an innings when every batsman has erred is impossible. England are on top and Australia can't to do anything about it.

[Via www.Cricinfo.com]

Lockerbie outlines plans for US-style IPL

2009-07-18T15:25:00.001+06:00

Lockerbie outlines plans for US-style IPL

There was a certain irony that on the day plans for a major Twenty20 tournament in the USA were announced, the USA Cricket Association's chief executive, Don Lockerbie, was at Lord's watching an Ashes Test, a format many seem to think is growing less relevant by the year.

Lockerbie was in town to meet with leading administrators to advance his plan to make the USA a major cricketing destination. While he wants to build the USA into a leading cricketing power, he also believes Twenty20 cricket is a format made for the American audience.

"I'd like to see a successful, world-class, best-players-in-the-game tournament, an invitational franchise league or something like that, in the near future," he said. "That would be the dream. It's too early to say what kind of format that would be, but we're putting out a tender for proposal."

Will that, as has been rumoured, be another IPL? "The IPL as I look at it now is a remarkable, fantastic model to follow. Look at what it's been able to do. Our hat is off to Lalit [Modi] and the people behind this fantastic sports property.

"So, of course, you want to look at it as a model to emulate, or as a model to partner with, or at least to come up with something that has its own fresh appeal.

"The USA is a country that wants to see the superstars, and that's what we have to focus on. We have to invite them to come and play in the USA, and eventually we hope to develop our own superstars."

The USA already has one major venue, in Florida, and Lockerbie said more are planned, either in new areas, such as Indianapolis, or by expanding existing facilities in California and New York.

"The proof will be, is the USA ready to undertake these type of events? When the US was announced back in the late 1980s as the host for the 1994 [football] World Cup, the world laughed and said 'what are they going to do with our game'. And yet we still hold the record for the most tickets sold at a football World Cup.

"Before the world laughs at the US taking on cricket, it's important to say we're going to do it well, we're going to do it smart, we're going to do it best and with the world's experts and put together a programme that will be successful."

And he added that his plans were very much in tune with the ICC and would fit in with the existing international calendar. "We're going to make sure what we do has ICC backing. That's the promise we made when we did a presentation to the ICC in Dubai [in April].

"We made a commitment we will be a significant contributor to the world of cricket and a good partner. I don't see us as a competitor, I see as being a partner in something that will make sense to the game as it continues to evolve."

Unlike many previous comets who have blazed into US cricket with bold ideas only to disappear without trace, Lockerbie has the professionalism and drive to make you think he really can pull off these plans. A highly-regarded sports organiser and event administrator, he was venue director at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and is well connected in not only the game but also the corporate world, something vital for the backing he seeks.

[Via www.cricinfo.com]

Planting rice in Pakistan

2009-07-17T16:59:00.001+06:00

Rice is one of the major exports of pakistan. Pakistan produces worlds most favorite rice. the Basmati Rice. There are also many other types of rice grown in the country.

The crop of rice is completly done manually. It is a culture feast to see the different stages of rice while travelling in Pakistan. Here is some photos of rice planting.

Muscle Building:Abs

2009-07-17T13:29:00.001+06:00

Trade Fat for Muscle

Use this 4-week workout to melt your flab and unveil your abs

If you want to lose your gut, don't think of lifting weights as an option; consider it a requirement. Why? When dieters don't pump iron, 22 percent of their weight loss comes from losing muscle, according to a Penn State study. So if you drop 20 pounds without lifting, almost 5 pounds will be from muscle.
That won't happen with this program. It's designed to work your muscles intensively 4 days a week so you can banish your belly but keep your biceps. In fact, scientists discovered that men using a similar approach lost 37 percent more fat than those who didn't hit the weights. The end result: the lean, muscular body you want.
Directions:
Perform these workouts 4 days a week. Do the upper-body and lower-body workouts on consecutive days, rest a day, and repeat. For your first upper-body day, use the low-rep workout. For your first lower-body day, follow the high-rep workout. Then switch for your second 2 days of training, so every week you end up performing both high and low reps for your upper and lower body.
For the upper-body workout, alternate between the exercises that have the same number (1A and 1B, for example). Do 1 set of the first exercise and rest, followed by 1 set of the second exercise, and rest again. Complete all your sets for each exercise pair and then move to the next pair (2A and 2B).
For the lower-body workout, do 1 set of exercise 1, rest, and repeat until you've finished all the sets.
Do the same with 2. Then perform 3A and 3B as pairs, alternating between them as you did with the upper-body workout. Do the same for exercises 4A and 4B.
Low-rep workout
Complete 5 to 8 repetitions of each exercise, resting 60 seconds between sets.
Upper body: Do 2 or 3 sets of each exercise
Lower body: Do 2 or 3 sets of each exercise*
High-rep workout
Perform 12 to 15 reps in each set. For exercises 1 and 2, rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets. For 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B, rest 30 to 45 seconds between sets.
Upper body: Do 2 or 3 sets of each exercise
Lower body: Do 2 sets of each exercise*
*Do just 1 set of the Swiss-ball plank

Days 1 and 3: Upper Body

1A Dumbbell bench press
On a flat bench, lie faceup holding a pair of dumbbells above your chest with your arms straight. Lower the dumbbells to the sides of your chest, and then push them back up to the starting position. Press the dumbbells together without letting them touch.

1B Wide-grip pullup

Grab the bar with an overhand grip that's about one and a half times shoulder width, and hang at arm's length. Pull yourself up until your upper chest hits the bar. Pause and slowly lower yourself to the starting position. Squeezing your shoulder blades emphasizes your back muscles.

2A Dumbbell push press

Stand holding a pair of dumbbells just outside your shoulders, your arms bent and palms facing each other. Bend your knees slightly to dip your body, and then push up with your legs as you press the dumbbells straight over your shoulders. Keep your torso upright throughout. Lower the dumbbells to the starting position, and repeat. Don't let your elbows flare out to the sides as you perform the exercise.

2B Barbell bent-over row

Grab a barbell with an overhand grip that's just beyond shoulder width, and hold it at arm's length. Lower your torso until it's almost parallel to the floor. Let the bar hang at arm's length. Pull the bar to your upper abs as you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Pause, and slowly lower the bar back to the starting position. That's 1 rep. Use a full range of motion by bringing the bar all the way up to your body.

Days 2 and 4: Lower Body

1 Barbell front squat
Cross your arms in front of your chest and rest a barbell on the front of your shoulders. Your elbows should be held high, with your upper arms remaining parallel to the floor as you perform the move. Set your feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back, and lower your body until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Pause, and push your body back to the starting position. Stay on your heels and make sure you don't rise onto your toes as you press back up.

2 Barbell Romanian deadlift

Grab the bar with an overhand grip that's just beyond shoulder width, and hold it at arm's length in front of your thighs. Keep your knees slightly bent. With your lower back naturally arched, bend at your hips and lower your torso until it's parallel to the floor. Pause, and then rise back to the starting position. As you lower the bar, keep it as close as possible to your body.

3A Swiss-ball hip extension and leg curl

Lie on your back with your lower legs on a Swiss ball. Extend your arms to your sides, palms up. Raise your hips so your body is straight from shoulders to knees. Pull your heels in, bringing the ball toward your butt. Pause for 1 second, and reverse the motion. Lower your hips to the floor and repeat. As you pull your heels in, keep your hips elevated and your torso straight.

3B Jump squat

With your feet hip-width apart, squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor, and then jump as high as you can. Allow your knees to bend 45 degrees when you land, and then immediately drop back down into a squat, and jump again. Perform this exercise as quickly as possible, to build explosive strength and power.

4A Swiss-ball plank

Place your forearms on a Swiss ball and raise your chest so your elbows are under your shoulders. Your legs should be extended behind you on the floor, and your body should form a straight line from ankles to head. Pull your shoulder blades back and down and brace your abs. Hold that position for 30 to 60 seconds. That's 1 set. Keeping your upper back flat maximizes the effectiveness and safety of the exercise.

4B Swiss-ball jackknife

Start in pushup position (your hands set slightly wider than and in line with your shoulders), and rest your shins on a Swiss ball. Your body should form a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Roll the Swiss ball toward your chest by raising your hips and slightly rounding your back as you pull the ball forward with your feet. Pause, and then return the ball to the starting position by rolling it backward. Don't allow your hips to sag at any point during the exercise.

Shoaib Akhtar in doubt

2009-07-17T12:59:00.001+06:00

Shoaib Akhtar in doubt for Sri Lanka ODI

by AFP

The chances of controversial paceman Shoaib Akhtar staging a comeback in Pakistan's one-day series against Sri Lanka plummeted after an official said Thursday he failed to show for a fitness test.

"He could not come because of his mother's illness and since his fitness and match form was not ascertained the status will be conveyed to the team management," Wasim Bari, Pakistan's interim chief selector, told AFP.

Bari said he would consult members of a newly appointed selection committee before leaving Friday for Sri Lanka, where he will seek input from team management on announcing the one-day squad.

Bari was appointed interim committee chief after the Pakistan Cricket Board disbanded the senior and junior selection committees last month.

A five-man selection committee, bolstered by two co-opted members and announced earlier this week, will start working from August 1.

Pakistan, 2-0 down in a three-Test series in Sri Lanka, will play the third Test in Colombo from July 20. The five-match, one-day series starts July 30.

The series will be followed by a Twenty20 match.

Akhtar, who was withdrawn from Pakistan's World Twenty20 squad last month after he developed genital warts, claimed he was ready to stage a comeback in the one-day series against Sri Lanka.

The 33-year-old paceman has been plagued by injury and disciplinary problems, and has not been a regular team member since 2007.

[Via www.pcboard.com.pk]

Strauss ton holds England together

2009-07-17T12:55:00.001+06:00

Andrew Strauss's 18th Test century guided England on the opening day and became even more important as the middle order faded © Getty Images

Andrew Strauss launched a stirring riposte to Ricky Ponting's 150 in Cardiff, carrying his bat through the first day to hand England the early ascendancy in the second Test. Strong off his pads, and stronger through the point region, Strauss (161 not out) moved within 16 runs of his highest ever Test score and beyond the 5,000-run career barrier. But the significance of this innings lay not in personal milestones but in its impact on an England team which, after the tea break, looked decided shaky against the enigmatic Mitchell Johnson and the consistent Ben Hilfenhaus.

Profligate in the first session, potent in the last, Johnson personified a day of fluctuating fortunes at Lord's. The foundations built by Strauss and Alastair Cook during an historic 196-run opening stand were eroded by a middle order stumble that drew Australia back into the contest. And, in both cases, Johnson was the pivotal figure.

Through his first 11 overs Johnson conceded 77 runs, including 15 boundaries, to allow England the opportunity to build on the bonhomie of their Cardiff escape. Whether overawed by the occasion of his first Lord's Test, upset by the ground's pronounced slope or just shy of form and confidence, Australia's spearhead appeared decidedly blunt in his exchanges with Strauss and Cook, guilty of straying both sides of the wicket and failing to find a consistent length in the period before tea.

But with a change of session came a change of fortune. The ball, which stubbornly refused to swing while still coated in lacquer, suddenly found its arc, with Johnson its pilot. His reverse swing slowed a scoring rate that had threatened to spiral out of control, and eventually accounted for the wicket of Matt Prior, bowled to a beautiful, tailing delivery.

Were it not for the stoic batting of Strauss, who ground his way to his highest Test score on home soil, Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle may well have seized back all the initiative surrendered in the earlier sessions. As it was, England headed to stumps in a position of strength, though perhaps not quite as strong as they might have hoped, after a final session in which four wickets fell for the addition of 109 runs.

Together with Cook, Strauss forged the highest first wicket partnership by an England combination at Lord's (196) in an Ashes Test, bettering by 14 runs the 83-year-old record held by Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe. Though Cook fell just five runs short of his century, becoming Johnson's 100th Test scalp in the process, Strauss thrust forth into the evening, denying the probing offerings of Johnson and Hilfenhaus with both old and new balls

Prior to the final session, England's cause had been helped no end by an Australian attack that lurched from the lamentable to the horrendous, and one temporarily without the services of Nathan Hauritz. Hauritz, in dropping a powerfully struck return catch by Strauss, dislocated the middle finger on his bowling hand and was immediately taken from the field for treatment. So savage was the force of Strauss's drive that Hauritz, upon viewing his contorted finger, immediately signalled to the dressing room in distress and almost vomited on the pristine playing surface.

Scans cleared Hauritz of a fracture, and the off-spinner resumed his place in the field in the final session. But the Australians will nonetheless harbour significant concerns over Hauritz's effectiveness over the final four days - both for variation, and also the workload of their fast bowlers, who are playing the second of back-to-back Test matches.

Extras, misfields and overthrows all blighted Australia's morning effort, but by far the biggest disappointment was Johnson, who arrived on these shores trumpeted as the best paceman in international cricket. In a portent of what was to come, Johnson began the day with a full, leg-side delivery that Cook duly clipped to the square-leg boundary. His errant ways continued in the first half-hour, at one stage conceding four boundaries in six deliveries to Strauss, prompting Ponting to replace him with Siddle after four expensive (26 runs) overs.

Siddle, too, was awry, failing to contend with the slope of the Lord's pitch and making life difficult for Brad Haddin. Australia's only saving grace was Hilfenhaus, who began the match with three consecutive maidens and was rewarded after lunch with the wicket of Ravi Bopara. He might also have had Strauss earlier in the second session, if not for the small detail of his no-ball and Haddin's turfed catch. Strauss went onto raise his 18th Test century moments before tea. It was that kind of day for the Australians.

The confidence of England's openers visibly lifted over the course of the first session. Cook, the chief aggressor, enthralled the capacity Lord's crowd in the lead-up to lunch by pulling Johnson at every opportunity - not all of them from bad deliveries - en route to a half-century raised from just 73 deliveries. Strauss, save for a bright flurry against Johnson, was happy to steadily accumulate as part of a partnership that rocketed along to 125 by the lunch break.

Eight minutes prior to lunch, Cook and Strauss bettered their highest ever opening partnership against Australia, eclipsing their stand of 116 from the Perth Test two years ago. They advanced that total to 196 - England's highest opening stand in an Ashes Test since 1956 - before Cook fell in the 48th over to a fuller, straighter Johnson delivery that rapped him on the back pad.

England's day tapered thereafter. Bopara's cheap dismissal was compounded by that of Kevin Pietersen, whose aura is dimming with each innings at present. The prodigiously talented batsmen tried mightily to surrender his wicket before the tea break, and succeeded just after by playing inside a shorter Siddle delivery. Paul Collingwood, the rock of Cardiff, then fell to the loosest of strokes off the bowling of Michael Clarke, and was soon followed by Andrew Flintoff, the departing hero, who edged a Hilfenhaus offering to Ponting at second slip.

The onus fell to Strauss to save the day for England, and the captain duly obliged. He saw off both the reverse-swinging old ball, and the harder new one to ensure advantage remained with the hosts heading into the second day.

[Via www.Cricinfo.com]

'No chance of factionalism in team' - PCB chairman

2009-07-17T12:52:00.001+06:00

of the Pakistan Cricket Board, does not agree with many former Pakistan players that the team's Test series defeat against Sri Lanka was caused by poor team spirit and an inability to cooperate with the captain, Younis Khan. Butt said it was too early to think of a change of captaincy, given that Younis took over a few months ago.

"There can be no chance of factionalism in the team as I believe Younis has good relations with seniors like Misbah-ul-Haq and others," Butt said in Lahore. "It is not a joke to change the captain again and again."

Three batting collapses over the two Tests contributed to Pakistan's series defeat. In the first Test in Galle, Pakistan needed 97 to win with eight wickets in hand on the fourth day, only to lose by 50 runs. In the second match at the P Sara Oval in Colombo, they crashed to 90 all out after opting to bat first. After a commendable recovery in the second innings, the batting crumbled again as Pakistan lost their last nine wickets for 35 runs to be dismissed for 320, thereby setting Sri Lanka a less than challenging target of 171 in the fourth innings.

Former players, ranging from Abdul Qadir to Inzamam-ul-Haq, have blamed factionalism for the defeat. Qadir said the fault lay with the players for not cooperating with Younis.

"When I resigned as chief selector, I am on record as saying that Shoaib Malik should be punished for letting captain Younis Khan down and I maintain that there is factionalism in the team," Qadir told AFP. "What I said was on the basis of what I saw during the series against Australia in UAE two months ago and I said that seniors were not co-operating with Younis.

"I said this before and I reiterate that the coach and manager's reports of this Sri Lanka tour should be made public. Had the UAE series report been made public, things would have been sorted out by now."

His opinions were echoed by Inzamam, the former captain. "The situation in the team is not good," Inzamam said. "I can smell factionalism within the team and Younis is not doing his best to keep the team united, and that does not augur well for our cricket."

Former fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz, often an outspoken critic of Pakistan cricket, said the former captain Shoaib Malik should take responsibility. He also slammed Younis, despite Pakistan winning the ICC World Twenty20 in England under his captaincy less than a month ago. Younis said after the defeat that Pakistan had been caught short due to the lack of exposure to Tests over the last two years.

"Malik, along with four senior players, is doing politics," Nawaz said. "Misbah-ul-Haq should be excluded from the team as he has failed and should be replaced by new players.

"Younis doesn't have leadership qualities," Nawaz said. "If a captain is not able to handle his players' batting failures and comes out with lame excuses of playing less Test cricket, he doesn't have the qualities of a good captain."

Give this team time before you judge us - Younis

2009-07-17T12:51:00.001+06:00

Younis Khan has responded to Pakistan's first Test series defeat in Sri Lanka by pleading for more time to rebuild the team after "very little cricket over the last 18 months". Speaking after a game in which Pakistan's batting collapses tilted the balance towards Sri Lanka, Younis said he didn't want to put blame on any individual - the team was lacking by just 20%, failing to stay focused throughout the games and while facing pressure situations.

"It's very easy right now to write this team off," he said, "But how many Tests have we played in the last 14 months? For one full year we didn't play at all. As and when we start playing more regularly, we will learn to adapt. I think it's not about the technique, not about the bowling, not about the weather.

"Give this team some time, don't point fingers too early. It will be very easy for me too to blame particular players, even myself. But the reality is, we haven't been playing any Test cricket. It's very easy for me to give up, to say I can't captain this team. But somebody will have to stand up and fix the situation."

Before the start of the series, Younis had said that being undercooked should not be an excuse for international teams. But three heart-breaking collapses later, Younis said it was time to analyse the situation, and that he concluded thus not as Pakistan captain but as an analyst. "Out of the four matches we have played, one was stopped midway, one we drew, and lost two," he said. "And that too it felt like we were not beaten, we lost them ourselves. So I am not looking for excuses but for reasons. And this is one of the major reasons."

The irony of the situation, though, is that it was not the youngsters, the debutants, who let the team down. It was the experienced pros who failed all three times to arrest the collapses. Younis saw that as one of the positives from the series. "This team is in a rebuilding phase," he said. "We had three debutants in the last match, and one in this. But if Saeed Ajmal is putting up a fight, if Abdur Rauf is putting up a fight, if Fawad Alam is putting up a fight, if Mohammad Aamer is putting up a fight, that gives me some solace. I will have to give them some time. So too the media and the fans."

Younis reiterated that the problem came from not finishing matches. "There is only 20% that we are lacking. If we play to our potential - everybody knows about us - we will start winning. It is all about concentration and how to adapt to conditions."

Over six and a bit days, Pakistan have had three disastrous sessions, while the other sessions have been full of heartening performances from their youngsters. Their bowling attack looks in good health, especially with an impending comeback of Mohammad Asif, and Ajmal and Danish Kaneria fighting for the spinner's slot. Yet they have lost the series, which can be a very demoralising experience.

Younis, though, wants to look ahead immediately, to the next Test. "What can I do? I can only ask them to focus for longer durations. After Tests we have to play one-dayers too. It will be every difficult if we go 2-0 down or 3-0 down. If we push more, keep pushing, we can win the last Test, which should give us a lot of motivation before the one-dayers. And if we can win both, we will get some satisfaction at least."

Via www.Cricinfo.com

Intelligent ways to loose fat

2009-07-14T18:02:00.001+06:00

After few blogs on HIT and principles of HIT I thought that I should write a blog on the most important concern of common people as well as a bodybuilders. So I chose the topic of fat loss.

I don’t want to give you an illusion regarding easy ways of fat loss. Had they been really easy we would not have so many heart attacks and obesity problems on the planet.So let us not go behind the misleading easy ways but let is look at fat loss from a intelligent vision. So that we can optimize out fat loss and attain our health goals. This blog is fully about diet and lifestyle.

Don’t starve while you diet

Drastic weight loss can cause issues with your body's metabolism and muscle mass. When you lose a lot of weight quickly, you really need to strictly monitor where the weight is coming from. Is it water weight, body fat or muscle mass? The majority of the time, it unfortunately comes from lean muscle mass and this is exactly what causes serious issues with your metabolism. Muscle is your body's most potent and active tissue for burning calories and body fat. It's basically your body's "furnace" and you always want to keep it burning hot. When someone loses a lot of weight, which usually comes from crash dieting or some other unhealthy way of dropping the weight, the body's lean muscle mass is eaten up and the person loses some of the most powerful tissue for keeping a lean body.

Drink lots of water

Adequate water consumption provides the main foundation for any weight loss program. It is probably the most overlooked and underrated strategy there is… Our bodies are over 70% water and it needs a large amount of this liquid to maintain its daily functions. Water helps to flush our systems and remove harmful toxins.

Water is useful in a variety of bodily functionalities like,

-Regulating body temperature

-Lubricating the joints

-Nutrition transportation

-Removal of waste from body

-Aids proper digestion

-Maintains the texture of the skin

It provides various benefits such as

-Helps in proper kidney function, which increases the ability of liver to burn fat efficiently.

-Acts as a appetite suppressant

-It helps body function at its optimum, which makes fat burning a easy process for the body.

Increase your protein intake

Make sure to include a lean protein source at every meal. Shoot for 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

The benefits of high protein diet is amazing. Here are a few

-By eating enough protein, you will keep your nitrogen levels high which supports muscular repair and growth.

-Protein has a thermogenic effect of 30% which makes it the highest thermogenic food compared to all other nutrients. This means that for every 100 calories of protein you eat, 30 calories are burned by your body to digest the food leaving you with a net 70 calories

Eat thermogenic foods

Thermogenic foods are the ones your body uses maximum energy (calories) in order to properly digest. Some of the greatest thermogenic foods are vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, squash, celery, zucchini, peppers, lettuce and green beans. These foods are very low in calories which allow you to include a large quantity of them in your diet.

Build lean muscle mass

Weight training builds lean muscle mass. By building muscle you will be adding the most potent fat burning tissue to your body. Muscle tissue is the most metabolically active tissue in your body, so make sure to build as much as possible.

Studies on thermogenic effect of muscle:

Studies have estimated that for each pound of muscle you add to your body, you burn an additional 35 to 50 calories per day.

So, an extra 10 pounds of muscle will burn approximately 350 to 500 calories per day, or an extra pound of fat every 7 to 10 days.

Eat frequent small meals

Many people who are trying to lose body fat believe that you must eat less often to get rid of those extra pounds. Sure, you may need to lower your daily caloric intake to burn more calories then you're taking in, but you should actually eat more often per day to help burn fat. Instead of 2 or 3 larger meals per day. you should try to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals every day.

If you eat 3 large meals per day you'll have a long time in between meals. The larger amount of calories and food consumed at each meal combined with longer periods between meals will put the body in a state where it tries to hold on to that extra body fat. It's human nature - if the body is put through a period of time (even 5 or 6 hours) between meals after you consume half or a third of your daily caloric intake in one meal, it will go into a small starvation mode that'll make it keep the fat on your body from being burned. Your metabolism will be slower between meals as well. Waiting too long between meals will also cause you to be hungrier when you eat again, which means that you may may take in more calories than you should at that meal. Eating too much at a meal will likely make you lethargic and unenergetic afterwards - not good if you're trying to keep your metabolism high to burn fat.

Eat fiber

Fiber will give you a feeling of fullness with a limited amount of calories. Fiber also helps to reduce constipation, indigestion, gallstones and cholesterol, and assists in combating heart disease and some cancers. Eat a variety of fibers (soluble and insoluble). A varied, high fiber, healthy diet will provide both. Soluble fiber comes from fruits and insoluble fiber comes from whole grains. Fiber rich foods include oat bran, beans, lentils, fruit, vegetables, whole wheat bread, brown rice and oatmeal.

Decrease your sugar intake

One of the best things you can do to drop excess body fat is to decrease your intake of sugar. Start gradually decreasing high sugar foods. If you want to cure a sweet tooth, try frozen grapes. By decreasing your sugar intake, you will be able to control your insulin levels which will help unlock your body's ability to start burning stored body fat.

Eat good fats

By right fat, I mean non-saturated fat - both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. This type of fat or oil has numerous health benefits.

It transports fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K throughout the body.

It cushions and protects internal organs.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs), benefit your heart, metabolism and immune system.

Some EFAs are used by the body for structural, hormonal and electrical functions rather than for energy. These EFAs increase metabolic rate and increase fat burn off resulting in loss of weight.

Here are some basic guidelines for how to choose the best type of fat.

- For cooking, choose extra virgin olive oil

- For salads, choose from flax oil, canola oil, soy oil, extra virgin olive oil, wheatgerm oil, walnut oil, hemp seed oil.

- Eat regular helpings of oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna.

Please don’t skip your breakfast

Always try to eat a very nutritious breakfast Eating a healthy breakfast is crucial for providing the correct fuel to get you going. Your body has been fasting for 6-10 hours from sleeping and is primed for re-fueling.

Researchers have found that people who ate breakfast every day were 1/3 times less likely to be obese compared to those who skipped the meal. In addition, they were half as likely to have blood-sugar problems, which increase the risk of developing diabetes or having high cholesterol, which is a known risk factor for heart disease. The researchers believe that eating first thing in the morning may help to stabilize blood sugar levels, which regulate appetite and energy. They suggest people who eat breakfast are less likely to be hungry during the rest of the day and are, therefore, less likely to overeat.

Four hundreds in an innings

2009-07-14T10:31:00.001+06:00

Four tons in an innings, and starting big but losing

Four-thirty-five and losing, Pakistan's lowest Test totals, and the most prolific Australian

Adelaide 2006 is one of 14 occasions in Ashes Tests when a side lost after making 435 in the first innings © Getty Images

How often have four Australians made centuries in the same innings of an Ashes Test? asked Rob Broughton from Leicester
Australia's four centuries in the first Test in Cardiff was actually the first time they had ever made as many in one innings in an Ashes Test - although there was a very near miss at Lord's in 1993, when Mark Taylor, Michael Slater and David Boon all made hundreds, then Mark Waugh was out for 99. England have also done it once in an Ashes Test - at Trent Bridge in 1938, when Charles Barnett, Len Hutton, Eddie Paynter and Denis Compton were the centurions. There have been two instances of five centuries in a Test innings - by Australia (the only other time they have had more than three) against West Indies in Kingston in 1954-55, and by Pakistan against Bangladesh in Multan in 2001. For a full list of the most hundreds in a Test innings, click here.

How many times have England lost to Australia (or vice versa) after scoring as many as 435 in the first innings of the match? asked Anura de Kretser from Melbourne
I suspect you asked this when England looked like losing in Cardiff, which somehow they avoided! On only 14 occasions in all Test cricket has a score of more than 435 in the first innings of a match (not necessarily either side's first innings) not been sufficient to avoid defeat. Five of those came in Ashes Tests, including the highest of all - Australia's 586 in Sydney in 1894-95, when England won by 10 runs after following on. On the last tour Down Under, in 2006-07, England declared at 551 for 6 in the first innings in Adelaide but went on to lose; in the final Test in Melbourne in 1928-29 England made 519 but lost by five wickets; at Headingley in 1948, England lost despite scoring 496 in the first innings (that was the match in which Australia made 404 for 3 on the last day to win); and also at Headingley, in 2001, Australia lost after scoring 447 in the first innings of the match. Australia also lost the final Test of the 1932-33 Bodyline series in Sydney despite a first-innings score of 435 - the same as England in Cardiff.

Pakistan were bowled out for 90 by Sri Lanka - is that their lowest against them? And is it their lowest against anyone? asked Hafeez Ahmed from Islamabad
Pakistan's first innings of 90 in the second Test in Colombo was indeed their lowest total against Sri Lanka, beating their 117 in the previous match in Galle. It was the 10th time Pakistan had been bowled out for less than 100 in a Test. Their lowest two totals - 53 and 59 - both came in the same match, against Australia in Sharjah in 2002-03. For a list of Pakistan's lowest Test totals, click here.

When was the last time England won a live Ashes Test match when Glenn McGrath played (he was injured for the two England won in 2005)? asked Duncan Davies from Australia
The last one was in 1998-99, when England won the fourth Test in Melbourne, to make the series score 2-1 to Australia, despite the presence of the formidable Glenn McGrath. If you take the view that that was also a dead rubber, as the Ashes had already been decided even if the series hadn't, the answer is the first Test of 1997, at Edgbaston. England also won at Headingley in 2001, but they had already lost that series.

What is the highest score by someone in their first match as a Test captain? asked S Srinivasan from Chennai
Two players have made double-centuries in their first Test as captain: Shivnarine Chanderpaulhit 203 not out for West Indies against South Africa in Georgetown in 2004-05, but the highest score is 239, by New Zealand's Graham Dowling, against India in Christchurch in 1967-68.

Who has the most first-class runs by an Australian? (No Australians make it onto Cricinfo's records list.) My guess is Stuart Law, Darren Lehmann or Justin Langer? asked Alex Thalis from Australia
All good guesses - but actually the top Australian at the moment is none other than Don Bradman, who made 28,067 runs in first-class cricket, at the handy average of 95.14. But he's probably about to lose top spot to Justin Langer, who has 27,943 runs (at 50.25) as I write. Stuart Law has 27,080, while Darren Lehmann made 25,795.

[Via Steven Lynch Cricinfo.com]

Legends of the fall

2009-07-14T10:25:00.001+06:00

Perhaps one collapse in a Test had become boring, so Sri Lanka and Pakistan produced two here

Something changes in the air when these two friendly teams come up against each other. Pakistan and Sri Lanka may not have a historical rivalry going, but for dramatic turns and collapses look no further. There have been three already in this series, Sri Lanka's losing seven wickets for 63 today being the latest, but those who follow these contests regularly will point to a long history of collapses, against the run of play - across formats.

Remember Singapore? Sanath Jayasuriya scored the fastest half-century in a chase of 216. By the time Jayasuriya fell for a 28-ball 76, the contest was all but over - only for them to lose the next nine wickets for 76 runs. What happened in Kandy two years ago? Sri Lanka sat pretty with a lead of 131 and then lost the whole team for a matter of 51. Pakistan provided their own version twice in this series, losing 18 wickets for 137 in less than two-and-a-half sessions.

Those who follow these contests will also tell us that Pakistan have often had the better of these collapses: Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis taking all ten to dismiss Sri Lanka for 71 in Kandy in 1994, Wasim going berserk at the SSC in 2000, reducing Sri Lanka's second innings from 67 for 2 to 123, or the Sharjah tie in which Abdul Razzaq went mad with his reverse-swing as Sri Lanka lost their last eight wickets for 23 in a chase of 197. Muttiah Muralitharan pulled one back for Sri Lanka in Peshawar in 1999-2000, sending Pakistan from 137 for 2 to 199.

Knowing the history Sri Lanka and Pakistan share its likely a few more instances may have slipped under the radar, but the number of Test collapses alone is sizeable or the last 20 years or so. For some reason, batsmen find the momentum swings irresistible. For some reason, everything comes together for bowling sides at the same time. It could be a freak coincidence too, but the presence of good bowlers against tails could suggest a trend. The likes of Wasim and Waqar could run through tails in a hurry, and so can Murali and now Ajantha Mendis. Mendis is accurate, doesn't spin the ball much, and his fast legbreak has proven to be too good for lesser batsmen.

Pakistan, who were on their way to losing this series via those two cave-ins, needed to get back at Sri Lanka. And against all trends today, Umar Gul, still struggling for rhythm and bowling regular no-balls, suddenly started reversing the ball. Gul had had an ordinary series thus far, coming off that special World Twenty20.

Younis Khan had earlier told Cricinfo that he just needed time. "He hasn't had any time to rest. For four days we kept doing the victory march in Pakistan, and came here directly. He is a match-winner, he might just take some time but he will recover."

Recover he did, and just in time. And a comeback of Pakistani proportions started. In a sudden flow of momentum, just to facilitate Sri Lanka's collapse, smaller errors like dropped catches seemed to stop mattering - they just didn't cost much. Kumar Sangakkara, looking set and to accumulate, got a ripper that nipped in late to take the slight gap between bat and pad. Gul's accuracy came back, the pads became to difficult and when Nuwan Kulasekara got a widish delivery, he threw his bat it without getting in position. Ranganna Herath got a swinging yorker first up, which he managed to get under.

Saeed Ajmal, for his part, got into the Test mode, slowing down his deliveries, flighting them as opposed to darting them in as in Galle, and creating doubt with his doosras. And when Pakistan start a day off with a direct-hit run-out, drama must be in the air. These are the same teams who were playing sleepathons in Pakistan earlier this year.

Perhaps one collapse in a Test had become boring, so they gave us two here. Who knows if a third one is around the corner? Even match, a pitch that will start to crumble, so yeah, why not? We won't we surprised.

[Via Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo]

Fast Track to Flex Appeal

2009-07-13T16:30:00.001+06:00

Add size and strength while obliterating fat, with this high-velocity, total-body workout.

Man's got to know his limitations." Spend enough time in the gym and you gain an acute appreciation of what Clint Eastwood meant with that immortal line. Eventually, we all run up against the limitations of whatever workout system we're using. Some help make us bigger, some help make us stronger, some help make us leaner, but none seems to do all three at once.

While I agree that it's often more efficient to pursue one goal at a time, the workout system I created for my new book, Huge in a Hurry, allows you to multitask. You'll build size and strength, thanks to the intense challenge to all your muscle fibers from the high-speed reps. And you'll get leaner, thanks to the maximum-effort sets. Try it for four weeks, and you'll see that your limitations aren't really all that limiting.

Your 4-week flex plan

In just three workouts a week, you'll build bigger, stronger muscles while whittling your waist down to size

Directions: Do each workout once a week, with at least a day (48 hours total) between workouts. Instead of performing a specific number of sets, do the total number of reps designated for each exercise—regardless of how many sets it takes you.

Here's how it works: For each exercise, follow the guideline for the amount of weight you should use, which includes a repetition range for your first set. For example, suppose it prescribes four to six reps. You want this to be a challenging weight, of course, so choose what you think is the heaviest weight that allows you to lift at least four reps but no more than six. Then simply do as many sets as you need to complete the total number of reps for that exercise. (If you do fewer reps in subsequent sets, that's fine.)

One more guideline: Perform every rep of every exercise as fast as possible with good form, without pausing at any point. Stop the set if you're slowing down or if your form changes—for example, your range of motion shortens or you need to cheat to finish a rep.

Workout A

25 total reps per exercise
4-6 rep range, first set
45 seconds of rest between sets

1. Chin-Up (or Underhand-Grip Lat Pulldown)

Using an underhand, shoulder-width grip, start the set from a dead hang with your knees bent and ankles crossed behind you [A].

Pull yourself up as fast as possible until your chest touches the bar [B].

If you can't do that many chinupsor don't have access to a chinup bar, do underhand-grip pulldowns on a straight bar with your hands about shoulder-width a part.

2. Dumbbell Bench Press

Grab a pair of dumbbells and lie on your back on a flat bench. Start with your arms straight, holding the weights directly over your chest [A].

Lower them to the sides of your chest [B], and then immediately push them back to the starting position.

3. Front Squat

Grab a barbell with a shoulder-width grip and place it in front of you across the tops of your shoulders. Now raise your upper arms until they're parallel to the floor, allowing the bar to roll back onto your fingertips [A].

Without letting your elbows drop, lower your body by pushing your hips back and bending your knees until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor [B]. Push your body back to the starting position.

4. Barbell Lying Triceps Extension

Grab an EZ-curl bar or a barbell with an overhand grip, your hands a little less than shoulder-width apart. Lie on a flat bench and hold the bar over your chest with your arms straight [A].

Without moving your upper arms, bend your elbows to lower the bar until your forearms are past parallel to the floor [B]. Pause, and then lift the weights back to the starting position by straightening your arms.

Workout B

40 total reps per exercise for each arm or leg
10-12 rep range, first set
60 seconds of rest between sets

1. Dumbbell One-Arm Row

Stand in a staggered stance, your left foot in front of your right. Hold a dumbbell with your right hand and bend at your hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Let your right arm hang straight down from your shoulder, your palm facing your left leg [A].

Pull the weight to the side of your torso [B] and then lower it. Do all of your reps, and then switch to your left arm.

2. Dumbbell One-Arm Shoulder Press

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell with your right hand just above and outside your right shoulder. Your palm should be turned toward your head [A].

Push the weight straight up over your shoulder [B], lower it, and repeat without pausing. Do all your reps, and then switch arms.

3. Barbell Reverse Lunge

Hold a barbell across your upper back and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart [A].

Keeping your torso upright, step back with your left leg and lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground and your left knee nearly touches the floor [B]. Push yourself back to the start. Do all your reps with your left leg, and then repeat with your right leg.

4. Standing Calf Raise

With a dumbbell in your right hand, stand on a step and put your left hand on something for balance. Cross your left foot behind your right ankle, and balance yourself on the ball of your right foot.

Lower your right heel as far as you can [A], and then lift it as high as you can [B]. Do all your reps with your right leg, and repeat the move with your left leg.

Workout C

50 total reps per exercise
20-22 rep range, first set
75 seconds of rest between sets

1. Cable Standing Face Pull

Attach a rope handle to the high pulley cable and grab the ends with an overhand grip. Stand back so your arms are straight and the cable is taut [A].

Pull the rope toward your chin as you rotate your forearms toward your ears [B]. Reverse the motion as you return to the starting position, and repeat without pausing.

2. Push-Up

Assume a pushup position, with your hands slightly wider and in line with your shoulders and your body aligned from ankles to shoulders [A].

Lower your body as far as possible [B], and then quickly push yourself back to the start. If traditional pushups are too easy, elevate your feet using a bench or Swiss ball.

3. Romanian Deadlift

Stand holding a bar at arm's length with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Your knees should be slightly bent [A].

Keeping your back naturally arched, lower your torso until it's nearly parallel to the floor [B]. Immediately raise your torso back to the starting position.

4. Standing Hammer Curl

Holding a pair of dumbbells, stand with your feet hip-width apart. Let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders, and turn your palms so they're facing each other [A].

Curl the dumb-bells up as high as you can without moving your upper arms forward [B], and then lower the weights to the starting position.

For more workouts and training advice, pick up your copy of Huge in a Hurry, by Chad Waterbury, available anywhere books are sold.

Download this workout to your iPod here.

15-Minute Workout

2009-07-13T16:28:00.001+06:00

Work multiple muscle groups with these unique exercises.

Challenge your core with this routine by Jamie Hale, owner of MaxCondition Training. Doing these three compound exercises as a circuit will ignite new muscle growth and boost your metabolism.

Finish as many circuits as you can in 15 minutes, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

1. Dumbbell squat press

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold dumbbells in front of you, your arms bent 90 degrees and palms facing each other.

Squat until your thighs are just past parallel to the floor.

As you stand back up, press the weights above your head, then bring them back to the start position.

Do eight to 12 reps.

2. Single-arm incline row

Holding a dumbbell in one hand, lie facedown on an incline bench and let both arms hang.

Pull the dumbbell up toward your midsection as you keep your elbow close to your body, and then lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.

Do eight to 12 reps. Switch arms and repeat.

3. Turkish get-up

Lie on your back with your legs straight.

Hold a dumbbell in your left hand, your arm straight above your chest.

Stand up, keeping your elbow locked and the weight above you, and then lie back down as you keep holding the weight above you.

Switch hands and repeat.

Do four to six reps on each side.

Expand Your Arms

To help your biceps and triceps grow faster, fitness trainer Jamie Hale recommends a technique known as max stimulation. Its high volume will add size and strength. Here's how to do it.

Choose a biceps exercise (such as the barbell curl) and a triceps exercise (such as the close-grip bench press).
Select a weight you can lift about eight times.
Lift the weight once, and place the bar back on the rack.
Rest five to 10 seconds. Repeat the cycle 20 times total for the biceps exercise. Now do triceps.
Each week, try to add a small amount of weight to the bar, while still aiming for 20 reps.

Abs in No Time

2009-07-13T16:27:00.001+06:00

Grab a medicine ball for an intensified crunch workout that will flatten your belly before beach season.

Get ripped fast

In these days of bogus infomercials, fat-burning concoctions, and fitness contraptions that promise incredible abs, there's something reassuring about a workout with a medicine ball. The heft of a vintage medicine ball makes us want to put on gray sweats and start heaving it around with the fellas, grunting contentedly. On the other hand, you can take the vintage thing too far. Leather is out; vinyl is in. Medicine balls now have easier-to-grab surfaces, and they come in many sizes and weights. (They still need a new name, though. Medicine?!)

What are you waiting for?

Here's a leave-me-alone, in-a-hurry, 21st-century set of exercises that uses the weight of a medicine ball to blast your belly from top to bottom, and your obliques on the sides—those all-important muscles you use when doing twisting, turning moves in sports. The workout was designed by Jacqueline Wagner, C.S.C.S., a strength coach in New York City. The added weight of the medicine ball will give you a more intense workout than you'll get with conventional crunches.

Use a ball that's light enough so you can do one set of each exercise without straining or arching your back. A good weight for ab workouts is a 4-kilogram medicine ball (just shy of 9 pounds). Start with one circuit and build up to three sets of the circuit. Use a slow, controlled movement for the Double Crunch and Reverse Crunch.

Double Crunch

Starting position: Lie on your back, with your hips and knees bent as shown and your feet off the floor. Rest your hands lightly on your chest. Position the ball between your knees.

The move: Exhale as you lift your shoulders off the floor and bring your knees toward your chest. Grab the ball with your hands and bring it to your chest as you inhale and ...

The finish: Return your shoulders and legs to the starting position. Transfer the ball back to your legs on the next repetition, and keep alternating ball positions for the entire set.

Seated Twist

Starting position: Sit on the floor, your back straight but leaning slightly toward the floor, as if in the "up" position of a sit-up. Your knees should be bent 90 degrees, your heels about 15 inches apart and resting on the floor.

The move: Hold the ball close to your chest, rotate your torso to the left, and place the ball on the floor behind you. Rotate around to the right, pick up the ball, rotate left, and place it behind you.

The finish: Repeat eight to 12 times, then do eight to 12 more starting with a rotation to your right; that's one set.

Hint: Keep your head in line with your torso throughout the movement. Perform this move as quickly as possible.

Reverse Crunch with Knee Drops

Starting position: Lie on your back, hands resting on the floor at your sides, hips and knees bent 90 degrees, and feet off the floor. Position the ball between your knees. Keep your lower back on the floor throughout the exercise.

The move: Contract your abdominals and pull your knees to your chest, then return them to the starting position.

The finish: Lower your knees to the left and return to the starting position. Drop your knees to your right on the next repetition, and alternate sides for each rep.

Provided by Men's Health

Iqbal Qasim appointed chief selector

2009-07-13T16:19:00.001+06:00

Former Pakistan spinner Iqbal Qasim has been appointed chairman of a new, restructured national selection commitee. Former Test cricketers Saleem Jaffer, Ijaz Ahmed, Azhar Khan and Mohammad Ilyas have also been appointed members. Two co-opted members, Asif Baloch and Farrukh Zaman, have also been included to make it a seven-member panel, but they will not have a vote on selection, and are only expected to provide input.

As had been expected after the previous committee was disbanded, the board has streamlined the selection structure by making just the one committee responsible for all selections, senior and junior. All major regions in Pakistan have been represented; Zaman ostensibly looks after the NWFP region, Baloch after Balochistan and the rest over Sindh and Punjab.

"The responsibility for them is to spot and nurture talent from the grassroots to the Test arena," Wasim Bari, director HR and adminstration, told Cricinfo. "We have streamlined the process by making one committee responsible for all selections."

Qasim, who was a member of the selection committee until the 2007 World Cup, has been appointed in an honorary post. He is a senior employee with the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and it is believed that his role will not be a day-to-day one. As such, in a break from recent practice, he is an honorary head and will not be a full-time paid selector unlike the last two selection committees where the chairman and other members were all full-time, professional selectors. It is not clear yet, however, about the status of the members, though it is likely they will remain full-time paid professionals.

There remains a sense of continuity, however, with the retention of Jaffer, who was part of the two previous selection committees, and Ilyas, who headed the last junior selection committee. Ijaz Ahmed is also a part of the existing board set-up, working at the National Cricket Academy.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had earlier disbanded the national senior and junior selection committees after Abdul Qadir, then the chief selector, resigned from his post claiming he wasn't allowed to carry out his duties. The new committee will be responsible for selection matters with effect from August 1, 2009.

National Selection Committee: Iqbal Qasim (chairman), Saleem Jaffer , Ijaz Ahmed, Mohammad Ilyas, Azhar Khan (members), Asif Baloch, Farrukh Zaman (co-opted members).

England pull off great escape

2009-07-13T16:16:00.001+06:00

James Anderson and Monty Panesar produced the most important innings of their lives as England's final pair survived 11.3 overs to pull off a thrilling escape at Cardiff. When Paul Collingwood fell for a monumental 245-ball 74 England still trailed by six, but once Australia had to bat again, valuable time was taken out of the game leaving Andrew Strauss and a packed Cardiff nervously clock-watching. The Australians threw everything into the final hour in an electric atmosphere with the crowd cheering the two unlikely batting heroes as though the Ashes had been won.

A vital moment came when Anderson collected consecutive boundaries off Peter Siddle to finally erase the deficit. It meant that two further overs would be lost from the remaining allocation, but there was yet another twist. Australia had bowled their overs quickly during the final hour, which meant it came down to a clock-watch situation for the batsmen. The crucial mark was 6.40pm: at that point it meant there was no time for Australia to start a run chase.

The closing overs were in the hands of Nathan Hauritz - who rose above all the pre-match concern over his quality to claim three final-day wickets and six in the match - and Marcus North. Anderson, outwardly calm while inside he must have been churning, blocked confidently but also picked up vital runs to just edge the lead ahead further. Meanwhile, Panesar, the most unlikely of batting saviours, watched the ball like a hawk. Having left expertly against the quicks he played with soft hands against the spinners, and one of the biggest cheers of the day came when he square cut North for a boundary.

However, while Anderson and Panesar were there at the end to soak up the acclaim the escape wouldn't have been possible without one of Collingwood's most determined innings for his country. He came in early after Kevin Pietersen lost his off stump, shouldering arms to Ben Hilfenhaus, and soon faced an England card that read 70 for 5. He found vital support from Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad and particularly Graeme Swann, who overcame a peppering from Siddle, to share a 20-over stand.

Collingwood fought with very ounce of the grit that makes him such a valuable player. He survived some early scares against Hauritz when an inside edge fell just short of Simon Katich at short leg and another delivery almost rolled back onto the stumps until Collingwood stepped on it. He went 31 deliveries after lunch without scoring, but unlike some of England's other batsman he isn't someone who gets overly twitchy when his own score his moving along.

Collingwood's fifty came off 167 balls, the slowest by an England batsman since Nasser Hussain against West Indies in Port of Spain during the 2004 tour, but the pace of his innings mattered not a jot. His only mistake proved his downfall as he chased some width from Siddle and Mike Hussey took a juggling catch in the gully. He could hardly believe what he had done and couldn't even bring himself to remove his pads as he watched the two tailenders defy Australia. Collingwood isn't a superstar; he doesn't fit into the hero mould, but here he was both.

Ponting admitted it was a tough result to take and Australia were ahead of the game virtually throughout the final day. Pietersen, who had an early-morning confrontation with Mitchell Johnson during the warm-ups, never settled against the swinging ball as the quicks probed away on the full length that causes him problems. His troubles ended when he completely misjudged the line from Hilfenhaus and didn't offer a shot. It was excellent bowling from Hilfenhaus, who had been shaping the ball away and made one hold its line, but Pietersen's back lift and footwork are currently not in sync.

In the eighth over of the session it was time for Hauritz and he was in the wonderful position of being able to bowl with men around the bat. He immediately found more turn, and posed a greater threat than England's spinner managed over two days, and made one bounce a touch more against Andrew Strauss as he tried to cut.

While the England captain can perhaps be partly excused his shot as the cut is a legitimate option against the offspinner, the same can't be said for Matt Prior. He had already flirted with danger by dabbing Hauritz through short third man and had also been beaten twice outside off stump by clever changes of pace and flight. Trying to go through the off side again he was undone by extra bounce and gloved a chance to slip.

Flintoff fought against his natural inclination to attack, playing watchfully against Hauritz as he accompanied Collingwood for 23 overs. The out-of-sorts Johnson, who was later horribly wayward with the second new ball, broke through when Flintoff pushed at one going across him and before tea Broad had also gone, trapped leg before playing back at Hauritz.

For Hauritz it appeared he would provide the ultimate response to his critics by securing a Test victory until he tired slightly in the tension-filled closing stages. Collingwood and Swann took a large chunk out of the evening session, with Swann completing an impressive match with the bat. Shortly before tea he was given a peppering from Siddle who sent down a violent over that struck three painful blows - two on the glove and one on the elbow - which required the physio to come out twice in three deliveries.

His runs were also crucial as England ate away into Australia's lead before he went for a pull against the impressive Hilfenhaus and was palpably leg before. Collingwood now had just two bowlers for company and when he departed an Australian victory looked assured. England, though, dug deep, deeper perhaps than many thought Anderson and Panesar could.

However, despite the scoreline still reading nil-nil the reality is that England were a distance second-best for much of the match. Australia have shown that, despite the loss of many greats, they are a unit of huge desire who will take some beating. At least this time, though, it won't be a whitewash.

Courtesy By Andrew McGlashan is assistant editor of Cricinfo

2010 Model Year Preview

2009-07-13T16:07:00.001+06:00

Here's a look at the new and refreshed cars, trucks and SUVs coming down the pike for the 2010 model year.

Automakers around the globe are reeling from the recession and the resulting downturn in automobile sales, which is projected to last well into next year. Consequently, most are rethinking their product offerings to meet the public's perceived desire for more affordable, fuel-efficient transportation. While traditional thought would tell us that the next generation of new car buyers is in for a parade of easy-to-sell vehicles with no pulse to speak of, we've found more than a few 2010 model year cars, trucks and SUVs that'll get your heart pounding.

To give you a more complete look at the latest vehicles coming down the pike, here's a comprehensive overview of what's new and what's been slightly modified or "refreshed" for the 2010 model year — as well as a few 2009 and 2011 models for good measure.

To make this massive list of metal more digestible, we've broken it up into three parts, and identified the highlights of each part for quick reading.

Highlights here in part 1 include the return of Italian automaker Alfa Romeo, a subsidiary of Fiat, to the American marketplace with several sexy, yet fuel-efficient models; an all-new array of slick-looking clean diesels from Audi, and the much-celebrated return of the Chevrolet Camaro.

Acura

Acura might not be riding the green wave like other luxury automakers, but it does benefit from strikingly efficient, low-emission gasoline engines, thanks to the experience of parent company Honda. The company is set to unleash a new crossover ute, the ZDX, geared to go toe to toe with Bavarian metal like the BMW X6. Longtime favorites such as the RDX should see some cosmetic changes to keep up with familial design language.

WHAT'S NEW . . .

Acura ZDX Prototype

2010 Acura ZDX
Acura isn't content to let BMW hold a monopoly on the nascent performance crossover segment. The ZDX prototype, which debuted at the 2009 New York International Auto Show, is reportedly powered by the same beefy 3.5-liter V6 engine found in the 2010 TSX. The 280-horsepower mill is coupled to a 6-speed automatic gearbox and Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive.
Availability: Fall 2009
Price: Around $50,000

WHAT’S BEEN REFRESHED . . .

2010 Acura TSX V6

2010 Acura TSX
The TSX now comes with significantly more grunt, thanks to a tweaked version of its 3.5-liter V6 that bumps horsepower up to 280. There are also a number of suspension revisions to go along with the more potent engine.
Availability: On sale now
Price: $32,000

2010 Acura RDX
The RDX, Acura's small crossover offering, is expected to receive the same design treatment as the rest of the Acura fleet for 2010. That's to say, like it or not, the nose of the company's turbo 4-cylinder will see the polarizing familial shield for the first time.
Availability: Fall 2009
Price: $33,895

Alfa Romeo

With parent company Fiat's new interest in Chrysler, next year should see an end to the Italian automaker's long hiatus from the U.S. market. We'll finally get a taste of a few premium-priced yet slick-looking Alfas alongside Fiat's fuel-efficient models. In fact, Alfa Romeo will have three models fit for U.S. consumption.

WHAT’S NEW . . .

2010 Alfa Romeo 159

2010 Alfa Romeo 159 Sedan
It's been a long time since Alfa Romeo last took to the land of the free, and it's a hard sell to get buyers to snap up cars from what feels like a brand-new company. To put those worries at ease, the Italian automaker is set to introduce the 159 Sedan as its first new model on this side of the Atlantic. With its sights set dead on the BMW 3-Series, the car boasts a direct-injection 260 horsepower 3.2-liter V6 engine, dynamic styling and standard all-wheel drive.
Availability: Late 2009
Price: Starts at around $34,000

2010 Alfa Romeo Brera Coupe
This 2-door has sporty written all over it. A 2+2 hatch that is well-styled with low and attractive lines, the Brera is powered by the same 3.2-liter V6 as the 159 to ensure that it has the bite to back up the aggressive look. Like the more reserved sedan, the Brera should also be able to brag about full-time all-wheel drive and a well-sorted suspension.
Availability: Late 2009
Price: Starts at around $36,000

2010 Alfa Romeo Spider

2010 Alfa Romeo Spider
For those of you who remember Alfa Romeo for its fun little convertibles, meet the new Spider. Based on the same platform as both the 159 and the Brera Coupe, you can expect similar handling and performance out of this relatively small Italian drop-top. Power should come from either the direct-injection 3.2-liter V6 mentioned above or a fuel-thrifty 2.2-liter 4-cylinder engine, which will probably be more fuel efficient. Rumor has it that there may be a more potent performance model, called the GTA, available in the United States as well.
Availability: Late 2009
Price: Starts at around $44,000

Aston Martin

Next year will be an exciting one for Aston Martin. The long-awaited 4-door Rapide will finally be available to the public, and the super-exclusive One-77 can be had by people with more money than most developing countries. Finally, if you've been itching for a DBS but yearning for a drop-top, too, Aston Martin has added the DBS Volante to its lineup.

WHAT’S NEW . . .

2010 Aston Martin Rapide

2010 Aston Martin Rapide
The company's first 4-door, dubbed Rapide, is built to take on the likes of Porsche's Panamera. Aston Martin's sedan is powered by the same 6.0-liter V12 found in the much smaller DBS Volante. However, the mill churns out 470 horsepower in family guise — 40 horses less than in the convertible.
Availability: Early 2010
Price: Around $200,000

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante
Adding a bit of drop-top fun to Aston Martin's new-decade portfolio is the DBS Volante. The car is built as a 2+2. While that technically means it has back seats, we wouldn't recommend that anyone over 10 actually attempt to use them. An automatic cloth top keeps the elements out when the going gets wet, and a 510-horsepower version of the company's hand-built 6.0-liter V12 provides plenty of power.
Availability: Late 2009
Price: Around $300,000

2010 Aston Martin One-77

2010 Aston Martin One-77
Only six One-77s will find their way to this side of the pond next year, and only 77 (fitting, right?) will be built worldwide. Since they are individually tailored to the buyer, each should be somewhat unique. Aston Martin has billed the super-exclusive car as a paradigm — i.e., the pinnacle of what the company can do in terms of performance — and the 7.2-liter V12 with 700 horsepower would seem to attest to that statement.
Availability: Late 2009
Price: Around $2 million

WHAT’S BEEN REFRESHED . . .

Aston Martin DB9

2010 Aston Martin BeoSound DB9
Aston Martin has partnered with Bang & Olufsen to produce the BeoSound DB9 — a DB9 outfitted with a special sound system that has been specifically developed for the car. Sporting twin acoustic lens speakers and cosmetics to match the car's interior, Aston Martin says it sounds unlike anything else out there. Of course, if the music isn’t enough to keep you in the cockpit, the DB9’s 6.0-liter V12 should be.
Availability: Late 2009
Price: $269,000

Audi

Despite the global sales downturn, Audi has actually gained market share in the U.S., mainly because its product offerings are solid. To celebrate, the company is rolling out all-new A5 and S5 Cabriolets, as well as spicing up engine choices in a few key product areas. The mighty R8 will have a taste of the company's powerful 5.2-liter V10, and the A3 will benefit from diesel power for the first time in the U.S.

WHAT’S NEW . . .

2010 Audi A5 Cabriolet

2010 Audi A5 Cabriolet
The 2010 A5 Cabriolet is set to replace the aging A4 Cab next year. Unlike other drop-tops in the luxury segment, this car will boast a traditional soft-top to save weight. Two engines will be available, including a fuel-thrifty 2.0-liter 4-cylinder and a more potent 3.2-liter V6. Brand new styling all around and a slew of tech goodies inside promise to make this convertible worth a look.
Availability: Fall 2009
Price: Around $42,000

2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet
The A5's more muscular sibling, the S5 Cabriolet packs some serious grunt, thanks to a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 that puts out 333 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. You will be able to choose from either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 7-speed double-clutch unit.
Availability: Fall 2009
Price: $52,700

2010 Audi S4

2010 Audi S4
Audi has focused on doing more with less with its newest generation S4, the A4's sinister twin, and the result is a car powered by a 3.0-liter TFSI V6 engine. The supercharged six-cylinder generates a heady 333 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque — enough to tango with the BMW 335i any day of the week. Choose a fantastic six-speed manual transmission or the company's new seven-speed dual clutch unit to put power to all four corners, resulting in a zero to 60 mph time of around 5.1 seconds. The best news is that this mean sedan does it all with 17 mpg city and 26 mpg highway.
Availability: Fall 2009
Price: Starts at $49,000

WHAT'S BEEN REFRESHED . . .

2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI

2010 Audi R8
Audi has added a new engine option to its all-wheel-drive supercar. The R8 can now be had with the company's 525-horsepower 5.2-liter FSI V10. While the car isn't set to be available until the end of 2009, the first model sold in the U.S. at a charity auction for more than $500,000. We expect the actual price tag to be significantly less.
Availability: Fall 2009
Price: $123,000

2010 Audi A3
Good news for diesel fans — Audi's diminutive A3 will finally be available in the land of the free with a 2.0-liter TDI engine. With 140 horsepower, 236 lb-ft of torque and astronomical fuel economy, this is the wagon of choice for families looking for an alternative green solution.
Availability: Early 2010
Price: $32,000

Bentley

Bentley, a purveyor of sheet metal worth more than most people's homes, seems undaunted by the worldwide economic collapse, as it is turning out a couple of pricey new and refreshed models. Front and center is the company's Continental Supersports.

WHAT'S NEW . . .

2010 Bentley Continental Supersports

2010 Bentley Continental Supersports
This is the fastest Bentley ever created. Powered by a flex-fuel 6.0-liter W12 twin-turbocharged motor that develops 621 horsepower from its perch under the car's long and lovely hood, the Supersports sprints from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, all while cradling you in the kind of hand-stitched luxury only Bentley can provide. Far from just a straight-shot warrior, it also boasts a refined suspension and careful weight balance to remain poised in the twisties.
Availability: Fall 2009
Price: $273,295

WHAT'S BEEN REFRESHED . . .

2010 Bentley Continental GTC Speed
The Continental GTC will get Bentley's "Speed" treatment for the first time. That means it will be outfitted with a 600-horsepower twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12; that's a boost of nearly 50 horses compared with the standard GTC. The extra power nudges the Speed's top velocity to 195 mph with the roof down, 200 with it up. New ceramic brakes and host of other upgrades help the car cope with the extra force from the W12.
Availability: On sale now
Price: $231,400

BMW

BMW is focusing on new and efficient technologies with its 2010 offerings. The company is, once again, offering diesel engines in the United States, starting with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo that produces 265 horsepower and a staggering 425 lb-ft of torque. The six-pot diesel is surprisingly clean, even meeting the strict standards of California's watchful eye.

WHAT'S NEW . . .

2009 BMW Z4
Th all-new Z4 is equipped witha slick, retractable hardtop (RHT). In sDrive35i trim, the car can brag about 300 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine, though a less potent naturally aspirated 3.0-liter version is also available for substantially less money. The best news: Unlike most roadsters with retractable hardtops, the Z4 doesn't suffer from a huge rear end.
Availability: On sale now
Price: Starts at $45,750

2009 BMW 7-Series
If fire-breathing sport utilities aren't your cup of tea, BMW has taken a clean sheet to the 7-Series. The result is an all-new design outside as well as a new beating heart under the hood, in the form of a silky smooth, twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 with 400 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque.
Availability: On sale now
Price: Around $80,000

2010 BMW X6 M

2010 BMW X6 M
Call it innovation or call it sacrilege, the X6 M represents an all-new chapter in the story of BMW's performance division. Thanks to power from a twin-turbocharged V8, this massive crossover utility vehicle does the zero to 60 mph dash in around 4.5 seconds. That's not just quick — it's lightning fast.
Availability: Fall 2009
Price: $89,725

2010 BMW X5 M
You can think of the X5 M as the X6 M's little sibling — as long as you remember that they're both motivated by the same powerful twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. With 555 horsepower and more than 500 lb-ft of torque on tap, this is one mean SUV. New design cues differentiate the M from the rest of the X family, including front fascia and side skirt treatments.
Availability: Fall 2009
Price: $86,225

WHAT'S BEEN REFRESHED . . .

2009 BMW 335d

2009 BMW 3-Series
The 3-Series receives a new powerplant for the 2009 model year — an Advanced Diesel. Found in the 335d and the X5 xDrive35d, the new 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine delivers 265 horsepower and an eye-widening 425 lb-ft of torque. The best part is that all that twisting goodness is available from low in the power band (1500 rpm). Fuel economy numbers sit in the 23 mpg city/36 mpg highway range, too.
Availability: On sale now
Price: Starts at $33,600

Buick

Despite the maladies afflicting parent company General Motors, Buick seems to be bent on rolling out new models that are as efficient as they are attractive. The Buick Enclave has seen surprising success after its recent redesign, and the company is looking for a repeat performance with its new Lacrosse. It remains to be seen whether these new products will have what it takes to counter the company's geriatric image, but — for the first time in a long while — Buick is a name worth considering in the mid-level luxury game.

WHAT'S NEW. . .

Click to enlarge picture

2010 Buick LaCrosse

2010 Buick Lacrosse
The all-new Lacrosse comes standard with a potent 3.6-liter direct-injection V6 engine that develops 280 horsepower. But the real news about this all-new ride comes from a smaller displacement model. Late in the first year of production, a 2.4-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine will be available with 180 horsepower and up to 30 mpg highway. That eye-widening EPA figure puts the car ahead of anything Acura or Infiniti can boast. Smart styling outside and an interior that's light-years ahead of what Buick was producing not too long ago make the Lacrosse a worthy competitor.
Availability: On sale now
Price: $27,835

Cadillac

Parent company General Motors might be slashing dealerships left and right, but Cadillac has some exciting news for the world. Next year will see not one but two new models from the Crest. A new wagon version of the CTS will help the company run with its tough German competition, and a new crossover should satisfy people who buy such things.

WHAT'S NEW . . .

Click to enlarge picture

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
The CTS Sport Wagon builds on the standard sedan's already attractive styling, adding the svelte proportions of a long roof and the functionality of an automatic liftgate to the equation. The result is the first full-blown wagon from Cadillac since a handful of rogue models escaped the factory in the '70s and '80s. The car is powered by either a 3.6-liter direct-injection V6 with 304 horsepower or a more efficient 3.0-liter V6. All-wheel drive will be an option.
Availability: On sale now
Price: Around $33,000

2010 Cadillac SRX
The SRX is getting a much-needed makeover. GM bills the car as a midsize luxury crossover, complete with a selection of two direct-injection engines. A 3.0-liter V6 with 265 horsepower is standard fare, but a turbocharged 2.8-liter example is also available. Both engines are coupled to an efficient, new 6-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel-drive versions receive an interesting new safety system that can transfer up to 100 percent of vehicle power to the wheel with the most grip.
Availability: On sale now
Price: $34,155

Chevrolet

The moment has finally come: The 2010 Chevy Camaro is here! While not likely to bring the public pouring into showrooms across the U.S., the car promises to stir up some much needed interest in General Motors. With a potent V6 or an insanely powerful V8, there's much to celebrate.

WHAT'S NEW . . .

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2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS

2010 Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro can be had in a variety of packages, all based on engine choice. The base engine, a 3.6-liter V6, serves up an impressive 29 mpg highway while still delivering 304 horsepower. And diehard fans will be glad to see a beefy V8 under the hood, good for 426 horsepower. The best part is the price — the Camaro starts at a lowly $23,040.
Availability: On sale now
Price: Starts at $23,040

WHAT'S REFRESHED . . .

Click to enlarge picture

2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
While far from a full-on new model, the Corvette will get a new option package for 2010. Essentially an extension of the already excellent Z51 package, the Grand Sport will employ the same 6.2-liter 430-horsepower LS3 in the 2009 Corvette, but will also make use of new wide-body styling. Brakes from the Z06 will also find their way aboard, as will new transmission gear ratios that should shave at least two-tenths of a second from the car's zero to 60 mph time.
Availability: Fall 2009
Price: $55,720

Chrysler

The past year has been rough for Chrysler. First, it had to endure filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Now, the automaker has to fight for its life in a cutthroat marketplace. Unfortunately, the company doesn't have much to brag about for the 2010 model year, but that doesn't mean a few eye-opening 2011 models aren't right down the road. Chrysler's merger with Fiat promises a bevy of new fuel-efficient models in dealerships across the country for the first time ever, not to mention talk of the company's much-ballyhooed electric vehicle program finally producing a marketable product.

WHAT'S NEW . . .

2011 Chrysler 300
Chrysler's hoping to get the company back on the right track by late next year, and those plans include an all-new 300. Expect to see massive improvements in terms of interior quality and fuel efficiency. That means one of Detroit's thirstiest models may topple the 30 mpg mark for the first time. For fans of the now-iconic styling of the 300, the base lines will likely stay, with the addition of a new rear end and other style cues.
Availability: Late 2010
Price: Around $28,000

WHAT'S BEEN REFRESHED . . .

2011 Chrysler Town and Country
The first model to benefit from Chrysler's work in the electric vehicle and hybrid categories will likely be the vehicle that made Chrysler king in the early '90s, the Town & Country. The T&C EV will have an all-electric range of around 40 miles. It won't be an electric vehicle or hybrid, but rather what's called an extended-range electric vehicle. That means the vehicle will be propelled at all times by its battery-powered electric motors. The small gasoline engine is only there to recharge the minivan's battery packs when they run low. The result is a people mover with half the emissions of a standard vehicle and phenomenal gas mileage.
Availability: Late 2010
Price: Around $35,000

Dodge

Dodge is under the same financial microscope that its parent company Chrysler is, and it too is feeling the pressure. While the 2010 model year shouldn't see any brand-new models, 2011 will likely boast a number of additions to the company's lineup by the end of next calendar year. The new cars and trucks should put the company where it needs to be in order to stay competitive with the rest of the automotive world, with new, fuel-efficient motors and a wide array of hybrids.

WHAT'S NEW . . .

2011 Dodge Charger
Dodge is keeping its lips sealed as far as hard details on its next-generation Charger, but we're guaranteed the car will top CAFE standards for fuel consumption and emissions. That's thanks partly to a new 8-speed transmission that should make the most out of whatever engine Dodge puts behind the headlights. The car will continue to be rear-wheel drive, and odds are a few performance variations will likely hang around to live up to the Charger name.
Availability: Late 2010
Price: Around $26,000

8 pack abs exercise

2009-07-11T12:56:00.002+06:00

This simple exercise addresses both the top and bottom of your abs.

Technically the exercise is known as the V Rais/Knee Tuck and this is how it is performed:

1. Lie face-up on the floor with your upper and lower back firmly rooted to the ground and your knees bent at 90 degrees so that your feet are flat on the floor and your arms lie beside your body.

2. Slowly extend your legs so that they are raised from the ground, locked at the knees and at approximately 45 degrees to the level surface. At the same time raise your body to mirror the action of your legs. Pull arms from the floor so they are directly in front of you.

3. Hold this position and draw your left knee to your chest and then extend fully back out. Repeat the motion with your right leg and continue the motion with alternative legs.

This exercise when done slowly and purposefully provides excellent targeting for the upper and lower abdominal muscles. Here’s an illustration compliments of Men’s health magazine to show you exactly how it’s done:

However long the night, the dawn will break.

2009-07-10T12:33:00.003+06:00

I enjoy warmth because I've been cold. I appreciate light because I've been in darkness. By the same token, I can experience joy because I've known sadness.
I laugh when everything's gone wrong. I smile when I'm in pain. I wear a facial expression that everything's good when I'm falling apart. Everything's opposite for me, and I pretend I'm okay.
It's weird that a broken heart can effect your whole life, but it does. When you broke my heart you broke everything, my whole world is upside down, it's even effected my breathing.
There is not a day where you don't cross my mind.
I tried so hard just to be with you, How could you just push me away?
Seems like every tear that fell from my eyes, just brought out more tears. Seems like every thought that crosses my little mind, just brings back memories of you.
So who do you trust now, when it was me who you needed to get through the day? I'm no longer around for you to lean on.
I got so used to your presence, that now that you're gone, I don't know what to do.

Finding your way

2009-07-10T12:30:00.003+06:00

There is nothing quite so freeing as the feeling of being exactly where you are meant to be ... and trusting that the path you're on is leading you where you are meant to go.
It takes a lot of faith in yourself, your instincts and the universe to trust that you are where you are meant to be - especially when things start to get rocky. And sometimes that trust doesn't come so easily. But it does come, if you allow it.
Part of that trust comes from learning to follow your heart - a skill often neglected in life - often in favor of reason and logic. But the way to your right path - in my experience - is lit not by reason and logic, but by your heart and your intuition.
So how do you start living more from your intuition and less from your thoughts? Well, much like the process of learning any other skill -- you practice.
You practice by paying attention to how things feel in your body and learning to read your body like an intuitive compass. When something excites you, notice what happens in your body. How does your body react physically to the things you love to do. Then do the same with the things that upset you, anger you, bore you, annoy you, so on and so forth.
The things that feel great in your body -- the things that inspire a sense of lightness, freedom, calm, relaxation, excitement, energy -- are "shackles off" ... meaning you have a sense of total freedom when you do these things.
The things that feel not so great in your body -- the things that evoke feelings of heaviness, sadness, depression, suffocation, being trapped, low energy -- these things are "shackles on" ... the complete opposite of freedom.
If all you did from this day forward was start noticing when things felt shackles on and when things felt shackles off and started to favor freedom over shackles, you would be moving in the right direction. More specifically... YOUR right direction.
And only you can know what that is. No one can decide that for you and no one else can lead you. Only the part of you that truly knows what you love in this world, what feels like freedom to you, can light your path and show you the way.