The 1990’s saw a surge of popularity for the aerobic exercise routine of Tae Bo, a form of Cardio boxing (the ‘tae’ comes from taekwondo and the ‘bo’ comes from boxing) developed by taekwondo practitioner Billy Blanks.  Over a hundred million workout programs of Tae Bo have sold since it was first introduced.

Recent reports suggest that the cardio workout with the martial arts kick is back – Tae Bo is back in a new avatar.  Earlier forms of the fitness routine drew upon diverse disciplines such as dance, ballet, yoga, boxing, karate and taekwondo, and the new workout from Blanks called PT 24/7 has all this and more.

PT (short for Physical Training) 24/7 also uses cardio bands for resistance that are attached to the shoes and boxing gloves so that you have the benefit of resistance along with a cardio workout to save time. The new workout time is shortened to half an hour, and the resistance bands move along with the exerciser.

Resistance bands are something that you can run, walk, cycle with and can also be useful for power walking making a daily stroll more challenging for older people. This is a fun way to get more out of regular cardio activities.

In part 1 of the post, we discussed about some tips to help you keep your brain fighting fit. Here are some more of them:

1. Drink Coffee. It may be reviled for a number of reasons, but new research is showing how the caffeine in coffee has a protective effect on the brain, even keeping dementia at bay and reducing chances of getting Alzheimer’s significantly.

2. Eat fish. Not only is it good quality protein, it also contains healthy fats – Omega 3 fatty acids – that are imperative for brain function and to keep memory loss and depression at bay.

3. Engage in relaxation and stress reduction activities such as yoga. Also engage in hobbies and interact and socialize with others – all of these help keep the mind active, reduce stress and reduce chances of memory impairment, keeping the brain in good working order.

4. Ditch the supplements. There have been studies recently that tell us that even the ubiquitous multivitamin may have no positive impact. Other supplements, even the so called ‘natural’ ones may have negative impacts and result in problems such as depression, high blood pressure, lowered fertility and so on.

5. Keep your brain busy with mental exercises – a daily crossword or Sudoku, puzzles and brain teasers, can all help. Make sure that you are trying to learn new information, new skills and obtain knowledge constantly in whatever way you can. Studies have shown that lack of education can predict decline of cognitive abilities.

First and foremost one has to understand that one can do all the double chin exercises in the world and never get rid of your double chin or jowls, so long you are overweight and carry around a lot of excess fat all over the body.

If however you are committed to an effective fitness or weight loss program that will help you shed overall excess weight, then double chin exercises will be an effective adjunct to the program that will help you get a leaner and more attractive face.

So if you shed overall weight, the right double chin exercises will help improve your double chin situation. Given below are some effective double chin exercises that will help you further reduce a double chin or heavy jowls –

Double chin exercises – No 1. Sight up straight and tilt the head back. Then pull your lower jaw up and forward to press your lips together.

Feel the stretch in your neck muscles and hold the position for two seconds before releasing and then repeating about 30 times each day. This is an exercise that can be performed even when you work at your computer or as you watch TV.

Double chin exercises – No 2.  Open the mouth up very wide and then extend the lower jaw up, so that the lower teeth extend up over the upper lip, but not so much that you strain the jaw.

You can perform 10 to 15 reps several times a day. After completing the reps use the finger tips to lightly tap the underside of the jaw firmly but gently.

Double Chin exercises – No 3. Put the palms of your hands to your forehead or the temple and create resistance with the head and the neck. You should feel the muscles of the chin and the neck working. Then put your palms to the back of the head and create similar resistance to work out the neck and chin muscles.

Double chin exercises – No 4. Lie on your back (do this last thing at night as you go to bed) – press your chin to your chest and hold the position for a couple of seconds then release and then repeat after tilting the head back. Do about 25 reps.

Double chin exercises – No 5. This one can be done each time you wash your face or when in the bath or shower. Tilt the head back and using face wash or soap, massage the entire neck area using upward massaging motions. This helps to tone the neck muscles as well.

As you try to keep your body fit, try not to leave out the most important body organ and take steps to keep your brain fit as well. Here are some tips to help you keep your brain fighting fit as well:

1. Eat a diet that has a low glycemic index so that food gives sustained release of energy – with nutrients reaching the brain in a reliable and sustained manner, keeping up optimum brain performance.

2. Eating too many calories can make the brain sluggish, but equally too few calories are bad since they can mean confusion, memory loss and reduced productivity.

3. Take steps to prevent diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and so on. These diseases are connected to increased risk of mental decline, stroke risk and even mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s and so on.

4. Get enough rest. Burning the candle at both ends may mean getting a project completed in time, but this could mean premature burn out in more ways than one – inadequate rest is also connected to cognitive decline, and early memory loss. It has also been seen that getting enough rest helps to consolidate learning and memories, making this one more reason to get that beauty sleep.

You may not have associated cheese with weight loss, but there may be some surprises in this list of 7 foods to help you lose weight and keep fit-

1. Full fat cheese can help you lose weight because of its linoleic acid content that helps give a boost to the metabolism.

2. Almonds may be high in fat but they are good fats that help burn fat. Additional almonds are a great source of Vitamin E and help shore up the immune system.

3. Coffee helps to up the body’s metabolic rate by as much as 15% but remember black coffee sans milk and sugar is what will offer benefits.

4. 3 cups of green tea a day can also help boost the metabolism and burn 30 calories extra per day.

5. Chili peppers have long been touted as fat burners because of the chemicals they contain that help burn fat in the body. Even less hot poblanos can help.

6. Eggs, long blamed for causing weight gain can actually help you lose weight because of the amino acid content that helps build lean muscle which will in turn help you lose weight all day long.

7. Portobello mushrooms contain copper and pantothenic acid potassium, all of which can help with weight loss.