Muscle Building Tips for People at All Fitness Levels

The goal of many fitness regimens is to burn fat and build muscle. Muscle development helps harness calories into positive growth for your body, but it can be tricky to get the best results. Here are some tips to guide you to the best results. Be sure to check with your doctor before undertaking any new exercise regimen!

High-volume, medium-intensity training will give you the best results over time. For each exercise you do, the sweet spot is ten to fifteen repetitions with less than a minute between sets. This stimulates the production of lactic acid in the muscles, making you “feel the burn” and encouraging growth.

Push yourself as close to failure as you can. The ideal feeling when you’re lifting or working with weights is that you can’t do one more. Nearing that “failure point” means that you have worked your muscle to its current limit, which spurs it to develop more.

Work out at least three days a week. Too much time off between sessions gives your muscles time to contract and undo all your hard work. When you’re first starting out, two sessions a week might be sufficient, and if you’re really pushing yourself four or more are doable, but three is the magic number.

Manage your diet to ensure that you are eating the proper amount of calories and protein to give your body the fuel it needs. Building muscle requires a baseline amount of protein, so if you do feel the need to reduce your intake, try to take it from carbs and fats instead. 

Spring Is Here: Fun Flower Facts

Hair Style Trends: What’s Hot Now

2012 has seen the revival of some classic hair styles, along with the emergence of new favorites. Read on for five of today's hottest hair style trends:

French Twist
Classic style is all over 2012 fashion, so why not match it with a classic hairstyle? Have it tight or loose depending on the occasion, and then match the beautiful look with your favorite accessory to keep this updo in its proper place.

Looped Under Ponytails
Fold and loop a ponytail under for this fun, easy, and casual look. It's a great look for women with long hair that's on the straighter end of the spectrum, and is a great match to almost any of this season's outfits.

Side Part
Whatever your hair length, the side part is a great look for 2012. Compatible with all of the year's fashion trends and wonderfully simple, the side part is an easy go-to for those times when you want to look great but don't have a ton of time to burn on a more complicated look.

Wet Hair
The low-maintenance glistening look is killer. Not only can it have a wonderfully innocent, youthful look about it, but that just-washed look can look incredibly sophisticated when paired with the right wardrobe and makeup.

Big Blowouts
The bouncy, full volume look is extremely elegant and easy to create. For gorgeous richness, all you have to do is apply a hefty dollop of mousse to your hair, put it into pin curls, and then tousle it all out afterwards.

The Women’s Center – Donate by March 2nd, 2012

The Women's Center is in need clothing, house items, family activity and many more items. The Hamilton Greene Leasing Office will be accepting donations until March 2nd, 2012.

Wine and Dine the Night Away at Cork

This spectacular restaurant is characterized by a spectacular wine selection, as you might have guessed from the name. Wine is king here, and the cellar is incredibly robust, with well-curated selections from around the world. Thankfully, beer drinkers have plenty to love here with 15 microbrews and Belgians on tap. But don’t think this place is just for drinking—the menu of New American classics is well-executed and affordable. Regulars rave about the excellent flatbreads and pizzas, which are great to snack on while you sit at the bar. If you want a more extensive dining experience, some standout dishes include a great steak sandwich, calamari that perfectly skates the line between tender and crispy, and Chilean sea bass wrapped in nappa cabbage. Daily specials and an awesome happy hour draw a diverse crowd that trends to the older side. Service is great as well, with a very informed and convivial waitstaff making your visit a pleasure.

Cork
90 Haddon Avenue
Township of Haddon, NJ 08108
(856) 833-9800 ‎
www.corknj.com

Cafe 2825: A Hidden Gem for Upscale Italian

New York’s Little Italy used to be full of jewelbox-sized stunners like this; simple glittering lamps, a long bar and thirteen tables covered in crisp white linen signal that you’re somewhere different, a little warmer, timeless. The Lautato family has been serving top-notch Sicilian and Piedmontese cuisine for over fifty years, first in Brooklyn, and in Atlantic City since 1985. With complex artisan olive oils, impossibly rich scungilli and flaky calamari—not to mention a first-class regional Italian wine list, and cannoli that will make you beg for more—it’s obvious why Cafe 2825 has become famous in New Jersey and beyond. You won’t be able to resist telling your friends about this little palace of delights, but visit a few times first—some secrets are too delicious to share.

Reservations strongly recommended—confirmations are necessary, so if you don’t hear from the restaurant, call back. Online reservations are available and there is ample parking on Brighton Avenue.

Cafe 2825
2825 Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
(609) 344-6913

Have Your Fish and Eat It Too

Many favorite fish are now threatened by overfishing. In order to continue to enjoy the ocean’s bounty, protect our oceans, and sustain the livelihoods of millions of people, we need to make responsible consumer choices when buying seafood. Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch provides up to date information and a smartphone app to keep track of what seafood to buy and avoid, but here are some surefire ethical options to try:

Wild-caught Pacific Sardines
Fresh sardines can be hard to come by because they don’t transport or freeze well, but these tiny fish are well worth it when you can find them. Butterfly, debone, and grill your sardines or marinate them and serve them ceviche style in olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

Farmed Sturgeon
Sturgeon is a hearty, meaty fish that takes marinades very well, just be careful not to overcook it. Sturgeon is delicious baked in a tomato based sauce, or grilled with lemons and capers.

Farmed Oysters
Oyster farms are some of the most sustainable seafood farming operations, and have a minimal negative impact on the surrounding ocean. In fact, a properly managed oyster farm can positively impact its environment. You can eat oysters raw or smoked, or lightly bread and fry them.

Listen Up: Four Great Music Sites

The recording industry is changing quickly with the rapid rise of digital music, and streaming is becoming a preferred way to hear great tunes. Instead of clogging up your shelves or your hard drive with music files, these services let you reach out into the cloud and select from a massive library of songs. Here are four great music sites:

Spotify.com is the current darling of the streaming music world, letting you listen to full albums by a huge variety of artists. The service is free at the base level, but the paid subscription options add important features. With their offline mode, you can download songs and listen to them even when you don’t have an Internet connection.

Last.fm is one of the most well-established streaming music services. It allows you to set up and share customized playlists as well as discover new music through a "related artists" feature. It also lets you connect with people who have similar tastes and explore their favorite artists.

Pandora.com is an intelligent radio service that, unlike some of the other sites on this list, removes control from the user in favor of a clever algorithm that explores music by genre and style. By entering an artist’s name, you build a custom radio station and discover new favorite songs.

Live365.com uses the radio station model for its playlists, featuring a wide range of different genres of music carefully selected by experts for maximum listening enjoyment. The site offers both free and subscriber-only options.

5 Best Novels of 2011

In 2011, well-known novelists resurfaced with captivating new work while new authors established their voices. Here are some of the best novels of the year:

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Japanese master Murakami offers another lengthy yet gripping novel with 1Q84, set in 1984 Tokyo and the parallel world 1Q84. The lives of his protagonists, an inquisitive young woman and a ghostwriter, intertwine by chance, building romance and suspense in a dystopian setting.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides
This novel follows a love triangle from college into the real world. With his trademark wit, Eugenides creates engaging characters trapped in a modern-day love story.

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
In a humorous take on The Rapture, Perrotta follows the interacting religions and personalities in a town called Mapleton after some people spontaneously disappear into thin air. The Mayor and remaining citizens must grapple with remaining and losing their loved ones.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Harbach’s debut explores the American pastime of baseball, examining love for the game along with love for others. Structured around two fateful games, the plot concerns the characters’ tragicomic navigations of their college-sized world.

The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht
A worldly novel written by a young author, The Tiger's Wife follows young doctor Natalia as she wades through a secretive Balkan village. In addition, Natalia strives to uncover the secrets surrounding her grandfather’s recent, sudden death.

New York at the Holidays

There’s nothing quite like New York City at the holidays – festive crowds, sparkling lights, and countless attractions that perfectly capture the season's spirit. Here are some must-visit New York sites for the holiday season:

Rockefeller Center
No holiday adventure in New York would be complete without a visit to this iconic location. Every year, thousands of people flock to see the dazzling Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Make sure you also check out the famous Rockefeller ice skating rink, where you can watch skaters in action or strap on a pair of skates and join the fun.

Holiday Windows
At Christmastime, New York’s most famous department stores unveil brilliantly artistic and elaborate holiday window displays. Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, and Barneys are just a few of the stores that attract awed window-gazing crowds every season.

Radio City Christmas Spectacular
If you want the ultimate New York City holiday experience, make sure to book tickets for the classic Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. The show features song and dance numbers that will truly dazzle you, as well as stunning sets and costumes. The iconic Rockettes steal the show, of course!

Holiday Train Show
Every year, the New York Botanical Garden hosts a holiday exhibit featuring model trains and replicas of New York City landmarks, popular with people of all ages. The exhibit is housed in Garden’s Conservatory, a lovely indoor space, so it’s an ideal holiday outing in any kind of weather.

New York City Pops
If you love holiday music, you won’t find a better concert that the annual New York City Pops holiday celebration at Carnegie Hall. This year the featured singers are John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey, described by the New York Times as a “musical match made in heaven.”

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