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To have a better understanding on electrical muscle stimulation or EMS, it is helpful to know the following important information basing on its: definition, applications, and FDA regulation.

Your friend tells you about Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) that has been helping her tone her abs and so does your relative trying to prevent muscle atrophy. So what really is EMS? Here are important facts you need to know about Electrical Muscle Stimulation for better understanding:

Definition

Electrical muscle stimulation, otherwise known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation, is the method by which muscles are made to contract using controlled electrical impulses. Pads are adhered to your skin direct (SF7) to the muscles that need stimulation. These pads act as the terminal where electrical impulses go through. Different degrees of electrical impulses are given to different muscles as fibers are not the same among all muscles, causing them to react differently to different stimuli. Different patterns are also applied to particular muscles to achieve different results. For example, some programs or patterns will improve your endurance, while others will help you resist fatigue.

Applications

It was Luigi Galvani during the late 1700s who showed that current can acutally cause activation of muscles. Many researches and experiments were made from then on in an effort to come up with the electrical properties that can cause the movement of muscles. Studies were also made to understand the different applications and uses of EMS. To date, EMS is used for rehabilitative and therapeutic purposes, as well as for training and aesthetic functions.

• Rehabilitative and therapeutic. EMS is popularly known to prevent muscle atrophy or decrease in muscle mass. It also helps in rehabilitating patients who have undergone serious injuries, stroke, or major surgeries. EMS basically aims to recover impaired muscle functions brought about by the said conditions, without affecting the patient’s appearance. It helps relax muscle spasms and increase range of muscle motion. In addition, EMS can result to a more balanced mood in the same way as exercising does, thus making it helpful for those individuals with mild depression.

• Training. EMS devices are also known, since it has been studied in the 20th century, to help in the training of athletes by allowing them to gain more force and endurance through a series and pattern of muscular contractions.

• Aesthetic. Electronic muscle stimulation can benefit you in the same way as exercising does, but not to the extent that your muscles will increase its size as effected by strength training or even weight lifting exercises. Like what EMS belts do, as flex belt, it can tone and help shape your muscles. Although not proven, many claim that EMS devices can also help you lose weight, together with proper diet and exercise by burning calories in specific areas of your body targeted by EMS.

FDA regulation

All electrical muscle stimulation devices sold in the market are controlled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). EMS devices are categorized into two types under FDA’s control, namely over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription EMS devices. OTC devices are those mainly for personal use to tone muscles, while prescription EMS devices are those whom you are required of a prescription to get one for therapeutic purposes. This particular type of EMS devices usually require the supervision of a licensed physical therapist to ensure proper application. Devices that do not go through them are considered to be illegal and can be dangerous for personal use. There have been reports of shock, electrocutions, burns, and interference with other devices. FDA makes sure that these devices are properly designed and made to be safe and effective for different applications.

Electrical muscle stimulation has been a great discovery that answers certain medical, training, and aesthetic concerns. If you are planning to get one for yourself, make sure you know your goal, so you will know if using EMS device can actually help you. Make sure that you choose an EMS device that has passed the standards of and is accredited by FDA to make sure it is effective and safe to use.

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It has been recommended and proven by many weight loss advisers and individuals that a combination of cardio and resistance training will help you lose weight faster and more effectively. You can either do resistance training on certain days of the week and cardio exercises during rest days; do cardio training in an earlier session and resistance training in a later session on the same training day; or do both cardio and resistance exercises in one workout session.

The fast burning of calories brought about by cardio exercises combined with increased and continuous metabolism caused by resistance training would surely make your weight loss program faster and more effective. The best way to integrate these two exercises would be to find the best program that fits your time, your resources, and your endurance. Here are three different programs you can consider:

Do resistance training on certain days of the week and cardio exercises during rest days

Especially if you are just a beginner, always be reminded that when you do resistance training, you must give time for your body to recover. Three to four times a week would make a great resistance training program for you to lose weight and build up muscles. What is important is that you do it on a regular basis and you follow a strict program on progression of frequency and resistance applied. To integrate cardio exercises on your resistance training program to lose weight better, you can perform cardio exercises on your rest days to allow yourself to build up the lost energy and worn out muscles from resistance training.

For example, if you wish to follow four-days-a-week resistance training program, you can group certain muscle exercises on one day, making the second, fourth, and sixth days of the week your rest days, thus your time to do cardio exercises. Consider the following program as an example:

• Day 1 – legs and calves resistance training, such as leg presses and calf raises

• Day 2 – slow-intensity cardio exercise, such as biking at slow pace and strolling

• Day 3 – back, abdomen, and chest resistance training, such dumbbell row, exercise ball crunch, and push ups

• Day 4 – slow intensity cardio exercise that you can progress to medium-intensity after a few weeks or months; example: brisk-walking, 30 to 45-minute medium-paced workout at the gym, and jogging

• Day 5 – triceps and biceps resistance training, such as dumbbell triceps extension and alternate dumbbell curl

• Day 6 – slow-intensity cardio exercise

• Day 7 – shoulder and abdomen, such as dumbbell press and machine abdominal crunch

For your resistance training program, you can also use multi-purpose equipment similar to Total Gym 3000 that addresses multiple muscle exercises. Other equipment you can also use for resistance training are dumbbells, barbells, benches, elastic bands, weighted vests, leg presses, and exercise balls.

Do cardio training in an earlier session and resistance training in a later session on the same training day

Especially if you work out in a crowded gym or with limited training equipment, this combination would be advisable if you have time to exercise in the morning and in the afternoon. This combination of cardio and resistance training involves cardio training in the morning and resistance training in the afternoon. Especially for beginners, it is advisable not to do both exercises simultaneously as all your energy may be exhausted on your first weight loss activity.

Cardio training is better done in the morning, especially when you have not taken a full meal as you are able to burn the calories and fats that have been stored overnight. Never do cardio exercises with an empty stomach, though, as you need energy to endure your training. As long as you have not fasted the previous day, you are sure to still have enough energy to undergo up to an hour of slow to medium-intensity cardio exercises in the morning. It is also particularly recommended to be performed after about thirty minutes of being awake as you need time to get yourself more active. Thirty minutes to one hour of running, biking, or brisk walking would do great to burn enough calories and stored fats and to enhance your metabolism for the day.

As you give your body enough time to rest and recoup some energy, you can perform resistance training in the afternoon. One hour is enough for resistance training to be effective in losing weight and at the same time to keep your muscles for overworking.

Do both cardio and resistance exercises in one workout session

This step begins with the usual ways to begin an exercise, which is to warm up. After warming up, you can start with a medium-intensity cardio exercise limited to 30-45 seconds only. This short period of exercise is important to keep your energy until you finish your workout for the day. After your first cardio exercise, you can move on with a particular resistance training exercise with the exact frequency and resistance applied, and then go back to cardio training. Repeat the sequence until you finish your workout for up to forty five minutes only to keep your body from overworking. Always cool down and do not forget to drink water and other fluids in between exercises to keep you hydrated during your workout.

There are other individuals who endure cardio exercises after long minutes of resistance training to lose weight faster. This method is definitely not the best nor is it recommended, since your body gets tired and weary after resistance training, usually resulting to increased risk of injuries and less effective cardio exercises. Again, the best way to combine cardio and resistance training exercises to effectively lose weight is to consider your time, resources, and endurance.

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Here are a few tips on how to lose stomach fat in a healthy way: drink plenty of water, fruits and veggies; engage in aerobic exercise; do some weight training; have a proper nutrition and diet.

Belly fats can be very annoying. And, to get rid of them fast is one major concern of almost all women who gained weight through time. What to do and how to do it effectively is the big question. Below are some helpful ways that you can follow to achieve your goal:

drink plenty of water, fruits and veggies

Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily. Water will eliminate toxins from your body making it very important for your health. Drinking plenty of it can basically aid you in controlling your diet. Drinking vegetable and fruit juice is another healthy way of eliminating fat since they are rich in fiber. Fiber will naturally push calories out of your body.

Engage in aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise includes bicycling, jogging, walking, swimming, dancing and stair climbing. These exercises are great for burning belly fat. Any of these exercises should be done for about 30 minutes or more. Anything less than that would be considered as a exercises contributing to plainly cardiovascular benefits, but not in burning the fats in your abdominal area.

Do some weight training

Weight training need not be a strenuous one for you. Choose a program that fits just right for your body structure and need. This is a very good way to sculpt and tone your muscles. Weight training is able to burn fats fast and easier because of its capability to increase metabolism rate.

Have a proper nutrition and diet

In order to succeed in your fat elimination program, the key here is to integrate exercise and good nutrition and proper diet. You should have less intake of calories to expedite in getting rid of the fat in your belly. Eating in smaller portions of about 4 to 5 times per day is better that overeating in one or maybe two meal times. Choose natural and or organic food too. Take vitamins and supplements for a healthier you. Lastly, have a large amount of fiber and protein in your food intake. Foods rich in monounsaturated fats like beans, nuts and avocado can give you a feeling of being full, thus decreasing you cravings for more food.

Belly fat is caused not only by lack of exercise and increase in food intake. Studies show that stress can play a devastating role in your tummy. But, then again, with enough rest and exercise combined with a proper nutrition like that of Jillian Michaels diet, you know you have better chances of having the flat belly you so desire.

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We tend to avoid painful sensations. Painful stimuli, well, they hurt! The body’s response to painful stimuli is a natural and important one, which not only acts right away to prevent us from hurting ourselves but also acts in the long-term, teaching us not to put ourselves in that situation again. A study released this week by the Keele University of Psychology tested a set of undergraduates and found that swearing made pain more tolerable in a significant number of participants. Their reason for this phenomenon was that swearing might elicit aggressive or angry emotions, which in turn could start up our fight-or-flight response. The fight or flight response, due to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, leads to an adrenaline surge, increased blood flow to the muscles, etc.  It has been known to make the body forget about pain while it focuses on more important things. The study adds that the heart rate tends to be higher when people are in the act of cursing; but it is quite difficult to use that data to claim that the high heart rate is a result of the cursing activating the fight or flight response. Swearing is innate taboo, so the heart rate could even go up because the subjects have a slight rush or fear to swearing constantly and in front of people they do not know.

Now, while I believe that cursing causing the fight-or-flight response is a pretty good explanation for why swearing might make pain more tolerable, I don’t think it is the reason. When we feel a painful stimulus, we produce a myriad of responses. We yell, scream, gasp, swear, and jump (funny if you think about it). Then, afterward, we tend to rub the area, unless it is a burn or something of that type. Rubbing is what is referred to as a gating mechanism. Our body has developed its own way to deal with pain that does not necessarily have to do with fight or flight. Nerves are like roads, and there can only be so much congestion; therefore, we have a limited capacity to perceive (don’t confuse that with sense) pain. Pathways in the spinal cord are in charge of controlling traffic when faced with multiple painful stimuli, providing the brain with information about the most important sensations. For example, you stop feeling your sore quad when a knife is stuck into your arm. This is because clearly the knife if your arm poses a greater threat. Similarly, although on a smaller scale, rubbing your sore knee is a gating mechanism. It helps the pain to go away because you are providing a sense of touch to the same area that is in pain. Icing and heating work the same way.

So, what is my point? My point is, I would argue that the reason swearing makes pain more tolerable is because it is a useful gating mechanism. Swearing is not appropriate; it is not something that we can do whenever we want, wherever we want (not to say that people do not). The act of swearing has that edge to it that may be just enough of a distraction to switch on a simple gating mechanism. So the next time you stub your toe on a curb or a misplaced shoe, whip out the best curse word that you’ve got, and maybe it will give you a little bit of relief.

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