The Perfect Body Formula

by fin2000

To build the perfect body, it helps to have the right dimensions. Thankfully, the magic formula for those dimensions has been known for centuries. It's called the golden ratio - a dividend of two measurements that's roughly equal to 1.618.

Its influence can be seen in the shape of a seashell, the spirals of a pinecone and the Parthenon in Athens. And in blueprints for the archetypal human form: Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man and Michelangelo's David. In fact, whether you're looking at art or nature, you'll find this ideal proportion turning up everywhere.

So it's no surprise to learn that chicks dig a physique that measures up to the golden ratio. An Archives of Sexual Behavior study reveals that women are most attracted to muscular men whose shoulders measure 1.6 times the size of their waists.

Of course, it's not always easy or practical to measure the width of your own shoulders - you need someone to do it for you. But you can use your chest circumference as a handy stand-in stat. ‘They're just different measures of the same thing.’ says Dr Viren Swami, author of The Missing Arms of Venus de Milo: Reflections On the Science of Attractiveness. One of Swami's studies shows that women prefer a chest-to-waist ratio of 1.4 instead of one in which the two measures are closer to each other. (It's a smaller ratio than 1.6 since your chest is narrower than your shoulders.) The bottom line: when women look at men's torsos, the V shape is victorious.

You can figure out your own proportion in three easy steps. All you need is a tape measure and a calculator.

1. Measure your shoulder circumference at its widest point - usually around your shoulders and chest in a line halfway between your nipple and collarbone. (If you're on your own, you can measure your chest at its widest point, just below your armpits.)

2. Determine your waist circumference by wrapping a measuring tape around your abdomen so that the bottom of the tape touches the top of your hip bones.

3. Divide the circumference of your shoulders (or chest) by that of your waist.

You don't have to look like a cartoon superhero to hit the ideal proportion: if you use the standard from Swami's studies, you could hit the jackpot by having a 114cm chest and an 81cm waist.

To visualize the look, think Muscle Beach 1940, not WrestleMania 2008. (For the sake of comparison, the most popular muscleman from the pre-steroid era, Steve Reeves, had a 132cm chest and a 74cm waist - a way-beyond-golden ratio of 1.8.) Leanness rules over hugeness. What's more, lower-body dimensions don't have the same appeal as those of the top half. ‘This point is pretty conclusive,’ Swami says. ‘When women judge a man's physical attractiveness, lower-body shape plays a negligible role.’

Which isn't to say that you should ignore your southern hemisphere, because it's exceedingly difficult to develop a lean, muscular upper body without using your body's biggest and strongest muscles: your hips and thighs. Their immense power to drive metabolism and generate muscle-building hormones will help grow your chest, shoulders, arms and upper back, too. The trick is to use your meatiest muscles strategically to produce the eye candy women find so tasty.

But before you launch into the workout, know that you don't have to achieve picture-perfect results to get the girl. There's some research to suggest that women aren't too keen on the most attractive men - they consider them too far out of their league.

The golden ratio is nice to shoot for, in other words, but you won't be disappointed with a silver or bronze.



Sandra Prior runs her own bodybuilding website at http://bodybuild.rr.nu.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

Colon Cleanses To Your Weight Goal

by Jackie Serta

Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, have you heard of weight loss cleanses, also commonly referred to as colon cleanses, before? If you have not, you may want to take the time to examine them. Colon cleanses are mostly used to remove unwanted toxins from the body, but they can also be used in weight loss. That is why it is sometimes possible to find colon cleanses being referred to as weight loss cleanses.

If you have never tried a colon cleanse before, namely to lose weight, you may be wondering what you should look for in a colon cleanse. If that is the case, you will want to continue reading on. Outlined below are a few of the many points that you should take into consideration, when looking to buy a colon cleanse. Perhaps, the most important factor to take into consideration, when looking to buy a colon cleanse or a weight loss cleanse, is safety. It is important that you find a colon cleanse that is safe to use. Colon cleanses and weight loss cleanses are made and sold by a number of different manufacturers and distributors. While many colon and weight loss cleanses do work, you will find that not all do. In fact, there are even some colon cleanses which can put your health at risk. That is why it is important that you review each colon or weight loss cleanse that you are interested in buying.

When it comes to researching colon cleanses and weight loss cleanses, you have a number of different options. Perhaps, the easiest way to review this popular weight loss tools is by performing a standard internet search. You may want to perform a standard internet search with the name of the colon cleanse that you would like to try. You will want to examine all information that you come across, especially product reviews. Another way that you can determine if the colon cleanse or weight loss cleanse that you are interested in trying is safe is by consulting with a healthcare professional, like a dietician or your primary care physician.

Another factor that you will want to take into consideration is the length of the colon cleanse or weight loss cleanse in question. When examining the length of the colon cleanse in question, you will find that it often depends on the type of cleanse that you are using. You should be able to find colon cleanses or weight loss cleanses that are in pill format, those that are in ready-to-drink format, as well as those that can be mixed into a drink. For the most part, you will find that drinkable colon cleanses require shorter use times, like for two or three days. It is common to find colon cleanses, especially those in the pill formats, which need to be taken for up to thirty days or more.

The directions of the colon cleanse or weight loss cleanse that you would like to try is also important when choosing a weight loss cleanse. As with the length of a colon cleanse, you will find that the directions of each cleanse also varies. For instance, there are some colon cleanses, namely those in pill formats, that allow you to go about eating your normal diet. On the other hand, there are some colon cleanses that require you to limit your food and drink intake, often to specific products. If you choose a colon cleanse that requires you to only eat certain foods or go without eating for a day, it is important to make sure that you can follow those directions. If not, your colon cleanse may not work as intended and you may not be able to lose weight.

The above mentioned factors are a few of the many that you should take into consideration, when looking to buy a weight loss cleanse or a colon cleanse for yourself. While some colon cleanses are not marketed as weight loss products, you will find that many do result in weight loss.



Learn about teenage obesity and obesity causes at the Obesity Facts site.


Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

Slim Habits To Slim Down And Lose Weight

Are you looking to slim down so that you can feel better about yourself? Or maybe you have some clothes that you can’t fit. Being overweight or obese can rob you of what joy you have left. It can steal your self-esteem from right under your nose. If you’re not careful, you can fall into a dangerous trap with food and continue on a downward spiral.

There is a way that you can get yourself out of this rut. If you want to slim down, you have to change your mindset. You have to change your mindset about weight loss and how you can attain your ideal weight. It’s important that you know the root cause of your weight gain so that you can deal with it head on.

If it’s overeating, then you’ll have to change that habit. Make that into a good habit, a slim habit, where you don’t have to continue overeating. You have to change your behavior pattern to where you don’t stuff yourself. Instead you will learn to eat sensibly. You should also learn to eat healthy. Slimming down involves making changes that may not come easy for you. However, if you want to rid yourself of this excess weight, you have to do it.

You need willpower to drive yourself to make this change. No one will do it for you. Everyone else can want it for you, but if you don’t want it, then you will continue to engage in the same bad habits that you had before. It’s important that you get as much information as you can to change your lifestyle.

You should also implement exercise on a regular basis. Make it intentional. It has to become a slim habit. Knowing that you’re going to do it will push you to do more. You should know how everything works in regard to losing weight. This will help you to know what you are doing in the process. When you find the answers to these issues, you will be able to target why you haven’t lost the weight and why you need to slim down and lose the weight.

Knowing exactly what’s going on can help to make sensible changes in your daily routine. If you don’t know what’s going on, then it’s a lost cause because you can go back to the same old habits. That is what you’re trying to avoid doing. Learn new habits – slim habits - so that you can move forward with slimming down and losing weight.

About the Author
A Well known speaker, author and commentator on diet, health problems and behavior change, Henry John has a particular interest in changing behavior through learning new habits He is a part of the Slim Habit team. Learn more about how to lose weight permanently by learning new habits.

Article Source:
http://www.articletrader.com/health/slim-habits-to-slim-down-and-lose-weight.html