by | Feb 16, 2015 | Fitness |
Michael Volkin Kickstarter Project
Fitness fads come and go, but this new fad called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) might be here to stay.
HIIT uses a combination of quick intervals of intense exercise and short recovery periods to increase your heart rate, burn fat and work muscles in a short amount of time. In fact, HIIT is becoming the go-to training method for many professional fitness instructors. The allure lies in the ability to complete an entire workout in less than 20 minutes and burn fat. In fact, this type of training burns more fat than a regular 45 minute cardio session since it keeps your heart rate up and gives your metabolic rate a boost.
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Mike Volkin, creator of HIIT the Game, now on Kickstarter states “HIIT is just fun, it’s a fun way to mix up any routine and it can be done by just about anyone, and anywhere.”
A study performed at Laval University in Canada used two groups of participants. One group followed a 15-week program using HIIT while the other group performed only steady-state cardio for 20 weeks. The steady-state cardio group actually burned 15,000 calories more than the HIIT group. But, the HIIT group lost significantly more body fat. There are many scientific studies with similar results.
Aside from being quick and very effective at both burning fat and increasing metabolism, HIIT is appealing to many because no equipment is required. This training method uses bodyweight exercises so a workout can be done anywhere from a gym to a living room.
Another great aspect of high intensity interval training is variety. Everyone has complained that their workout routine gets boring and stale after a while, but with HIIT it doesn’t have to be that way. You can change things up and try something new every week if you want. Variety not only maintains enthusiasm during training but it will benefit the body immensely through a process called muscle confusion. Targeting a wide array of muscle groups and performing different exercises regularly is going produce results fast.
Lastly, even though HIIT workouts are short, usually 20 minutes, they actually improve endurance. HIIT works, if you’re skeptical, give it a try for a week and see how you feel, at the very least, it is a great plateau breaker of your current routine.
Press Release
HIIT The Game is So Much Fun, You Won’t Realize You’re Exercising
Stack 52 launches its long anticipated new fitness game, HIIT The Game
Santa Rosa, CA, 08 February 2015: STACK 52, creator of competitive fitness products, has launched on Kickstarter its new game called HIIT the Game, which incorporates a competitive game into the scientifically proven High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) method of exercising
Mike Volkin, Inventor of HIIT the Game and owner of Stack 52, said, “I’ve worked hard to develop a very unique and fun game that not only brings out players competitive side, but also gets you fit.”
In scientific circles, HIIT with HIIT The Game by STACK 52 commonly incorporates hard and fast cardio and bodyweight exercises with a 2:1 ratio of work to rest. The most interesting and attractive part of HIIT workouts is that the workouts are short but intense. Numerous scientific studies have shown that HIIT style workouts burns more calories than a traditional workout. HIIT the Game takes HIIT to another level and incorporates a competitive gaming environment to this already effective method of working out. Whats more, is you don’t need a gym to play the game. HIIT the Game can be played anywhere as the bodyweight fitness cards require no equipment other than your arms and legs. HIIT The Game by STACK 52 has garnered in a great deal of enthusiasm from its test groups.
Backing the Kickstarter campaign comes with a variety of attractive rewards:
- Digital thanks and good karma – $1
- HIIT The Game – $25
- 2x HIIT The Game – $39
- HIIT The Game + Strength Stack 52 Tri Pack – $49
- HIIT The Game + Strength Stack 52 Tri Pack + Weight Loss Stack 52 + Quick Sweat Dice – $97
- HIIT The Game with Skype fitness consulting – $500
Brandon, a playtester, comments, “HIIT is intense, and this game makes working out fun, be prepared to sweat and be prepared to be sore, this isn’t a casual workout.”
Please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mvolkin/66216308?token=08a6e50f and http://hiit.stack52.com/ for more details on this fitness game.
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Contact Information
Contact Person: Mike Volkin
Contact Number:
Email-id: mikevolkin@gmail.com
Website: www.HIITStack52.com
The Kickstarter project ends March 10. 2015 at 8:18 p.m. CST.
Mike is very passionate about health and feeling good about yourself so if you can help back this project it would be great.
by | Feb 8, 2015 | Fitness, Review |
Hi Elegant Readers,
Ozeri recently sent Bubbling with Elegance and Grace a Precision Digital Bathroom Scale to provide an honest review.
Although I do not believe in New Year’s resolutions; I believe that it is a great idea to have a scale to keep myself accountable of my weight.
The scale is slim line and has a small footprint so it doesn’t take up a lot of space.
JT on the Ozeri scale
Listing some of the claims that are noted on the back of the box.
* New widescreen LCD provides immediate and easy-to-read results. Just stand on the scale and in less than one second, you will see your weight in digital read out.
* The scale uses 4 high precision GX sensors that measures weight up to 400 pounds (180 Kilograms) in 0.2 pounds (0.1 Kilograms) increments.
* Award winning design features an over-sized platform made of impact resistant tempered glass.
* New InstaOn (trademarked) technology captures the precise weight measurements upon contact (no tapping required). It’s so quick that you may not even realize that it has measured your weight.
* Auto-calibrated and automatically turns off to conserve battery life. This is a great feature because you conserve energy and the batteries last longer.
* Runs on 1 lithium 2032 battery for better performances (battery included). It’s always wonderful to have batteries included because you may not have batteries on hand.
The scale is easy to use and is very economical. It retails for $29.95, but you can find it on Amazon at a sale price of $16.95, a 43% savings.
This scale is a basic scale and I recommend it.
* Ozeri provided us with this scale to provide our honest opinion! *
by | Jan 29, 2015 | Fitness |
By understanding your body type, you can customize a workout program to be more effective than an “out of the box” workout program. Customizing a workout program based on your body type is surprisingly easy. Before you start developing a workout program you have to identify your body type (also called somatotype). There are three basics somatotypes; mesomorph, ectomorph, and endomorph. A mesomorphic body is ideal. They are the individuals who are athletic with a strong frame that can easily gain muscle while remaining quite lean. Ectomorphs are those with thin delicate frames that have a hard time gaining weight, have a fast metabolism and very lean muscle definition. Lastly, endomorphs are the heavier individuals that have a round shape who find it difficult to burn fat but can gain muscle mass easily.
JT getting ready to workout!
Mesomorphs
If you are a mesomorph, lucky you! Since you can gain muscle mass fast your program has to include cardiovascular exercise to keep your body lean. Twenty five to thirty minutes of cardio 3 times a week is recommended. As for training, stay within 8-12 reps for each set with a 1 minute rest in between. Make sure to include a variety of exercises to continue to challenge your body, maintain muscle and improve strength as well as endurance.
Ectomorphs
Ectomorphs have to customize their fitness program to work against their natural thinness. To do so select short and intense exercises that target major muscle groups like the biceps, triceps, abdominals and hamstrings. This type of workout will help with muscle development. When doing any sort of weight or resistance training, train heavier and keep your repetitions within the 5-10 range. As for cardio, keep it to a minimum since burning fat is not needed. As for rest periods, 2 minute rests between sets are suggested. Since you will be doing more intense exercise you need additional time to recover.
Endomorphs
Endomorphs on the other hand have to embrace cardio in order to burn fat and maintain a good body fat percentage. Do cardio as much as you can and be sure to change it up. Try swimming, running, HIIT, cycling and any other form of cardiovascular exercise that interests you. Aside from that you do need weight and resistance training. It is highly recommended that you do compound lifts and stick with 8-15 repetitions per set with 30 second of rest. Challenging major muscle groups will speed up your metabolism to help keep the excess body fat off.
This article was authored by Michael Volkin, inventor of Strength Stack 52 bodyweight fitness cards and the all new HIIT the Game.
by | Jan 28, 2015 | Inspirations |
Hi Elegant Readers,
On week two of the Daniel Fast and it’s been going pretty good. There was one day I was feeling like I wanted food bad and that because I waited to long to eat. This fast has been different. This is the first time my husband and I fasted dairy, sugar, yeast and meat. My mind feels clearer and I have a lot more energy.
God has really been showing me that I need to put him first to have a deeper relationship with him. I had to put some things aside so that I could focus on my relationship with the Lord. Am I there yet? No. However, I am a work in process and every accomplishment is a mark towards the goal. Having a relationship with God is a lifestyle not a constant growth process.
I finished the book by Jerry Savelle called, No Boundaries and it is an awesome book. I will do a future post on it because it really gives you a step by step overall makeover on what you need to do to have a deeper relationship with the Lord.
My Pastor is doing a video a day of encouragement during the fast and it’s precious.
The video for today is protection because it’s so comforting to know that God is always there and my guardian angels have my back. It’s so important to watch what comes out of our mouths and make sure it’s positive and productive.
Moving forward means moving ahead and not looking back at past hurts and stresses of life. You can’t look back because you have such a vibrant future when you put God first. I keep remembering that if I strive to put God first everything else will fall into place.
I wanted to share this no sugar Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe from Kristin Feola’s Ultimate Daniel Fast website because it tricks your mind into thinking your eating a cookie but it’s actual a healthy burst of energy.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies by Kristin Feola
1 Cup old Fashioned rolled oats
1 Cup almond flour or oat flour ( we used coconut flour)
1 cup of creamy cashew butter, almond butter, or peanut butter (we used peanut butter)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (We added extra applesauce for dough consistency)
1/3 cup of Date honey
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix oats, almond flour, cashew butter, applesauce, and date honey in a large bowl until well combined. Add raisins, walnuts and cinnamon.
Dough Mixture
Drop by spoonfuls, two inches apart, on a 11 by 17 inch baking sheet. Flatten and shape into circles.
My hubby and I used Coconut flour instead of Almond flour because we couldn’t find it. We didn’t use the Date honey and we add more applesauce to get more of a doughy texture. You can make the cookies as big as you like them. We made them small to medium size.
The cookies turned out really well.
Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
If you are on a Daniel Fast or looking for a healthy alternative to a cookie, please give these a try.
by | Jan 27, 2015 | Beauty |
Hi Elegant Readers,
Lanakin recently contacted me and wanted for me to try a two-week sample of its product. Lanakin claims to that it can lengthen your eyelashes. I wanted to share with you my results. In only two week, I can see the difference in the length of my eye lashes.
AFTER using Lanakin for two weeks
In a previous post, I wrote about Lanakin and how it claims to grow longer lashes. To to read that post, click here.
The picture below is how my eyelashes looked before trying Lanakin. The lashes above look thicker and somewhat longer.
My eyelashes BEFORE using Lanakin.
Seeing changes like that in a short amount of time is quite impressive. The close up below shows more of the thickness and the length.
The Lanakin website says “LANAKIN has been shown in clinical studies to dramatically improve lash length, strength, and thickness without the side effects associated with some prescription applications, such as discoloration of skin around the eyes and vision impairment. This amazing formula is all natural and promotes proteins to boost lash growth from within, without any harmful side effects.”
“LANAKIN’s unique blend of 38 natural ingredients support longer, fuller lashes without any harmful side effects. LANAKIN’s Proprietary Blend includes Horsetail Extract, Green Tea Extract, Red Wine Extract, Citrus Bioflavonoids, Burdock, Yellow Dock, DMAE, Sarsaparilla, Geletin, Red Clover, Evening Primrose Oil, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Collagen Type II, Coenzyme Q-10, Dandelion, Aloe Vera, Fo-ti, Inositol, Pera Aminobenzoic Acid, Choline Bitartrate, Lycopene. LANAKIN is fortified with Vitamin A, C, D, and E, Thiamin, Riboflavin Nacin, Vitiman B6, B9 and B12, Bitotin, Pantothenic Acid, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Maganese, Chromium.”
The nutricosmetic capsules are not hard to swallow. I just get a full glass of water.
Reminder: Always make sure you check with your physician before taking any nutricosmetic eyelash capsule to make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients.
Product information that is important to mention located on the bottle.
Do not use this product if you are pregnant or lactating. Keep out of reach of children.
This product contains Aloe Vera. Read and follow directions carefully. Do not use if you have or develop diarrhea, loose stool or abdominal pain. Consult your physician if you have frequent diarrhea. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or have a medical condition. Again, consult your physician before using this product.
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