Walking: Get Your Body Moving

March 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Walking is a form of exercise that is accessible to everyone, is simple and safe to do, and doesn’t require practice to perform.

There are many health benefits to walking:

  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Improves mood
  • Reduces the risks and helps manage Type 2 diabetes
  • Raises HDL and lowers LD cholesterol
  • Weight loss and maintenance
  • Strengthens bones and muscles especially the heart
  • Boosts brain functions
  • Alleviates stress, symptoms of depression, and eases anxiety

To prevent any injuries, it is important to be prepared:

  • Choose the right walking shoe that is comfortable, gives arch support, and has a flexible sole with firm heel to absorb shock and cushion the feet.
  • Dress in layers of clothing that is cotton, loose fitting, and comfortable to wear. Choose bright and reflective colors for early morning or late night strolls.
  • Warm up and do stretches before hitting your walking stride.
  • End each walk with a cool down and more stretches to reduce stress on muscles and your heart

When getting started on a new walking program, it is important to focus on the basics:

  • Always start out slow and easy by walking a comfortable distance at an even pace. Continue at this pace for a few days and then add extra distance and a bit more intensity. The goal is to gradually walk 30 to 60 minutes a day at moderate intensity.
  • Keep a check on your walking intensity by taking your pulse manually or with an electronic device. Know your target heart rates for maximizing your workout and avoiding injury.
  • Set realistic exercise goals that you can meet and remember that it doesn’t have to be done all at one. Schedule several walk sessions a day to build up to your goal.
  • Keep track of your walking progress. Chart the distance, record the steps, and calculate how long you walked to motivate you to keep walking.

They say it takes initiative to begin a walking plan, but motivation and commitment to stick with it.   So, make sure to vary your routine and make walking something fun to do instead of a chore.

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Start Slow With Fitness Regime in 2011

December 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment

As the New Year unfolds, many people will hit the gym with a renewed vigor as New Year’s Resolutions drive many to confront their medical issues. For many, the hope is that exercise and diet will help them turn back the clock on their health problems.
The current physical state you’ve achieved didn’t come overnight, and losing that weight for many will take a lot of work and a commitment to stay active.
Couple of hints to help you along your healthy journey
1. Start slowly – Nothing feels worse than going to the gym for the first time, working out as hard as you can and being sore for the next three days. Many exercise enthusiasts fail in their plans because they worked too hard the first few days and lose interest as the sheer effort sucks the wind out of their well intentioned plans.
2. Evaluate your eating habits  If you’ve put on extra pounds it’s likely the result of lack of exercise and poor eating habits. Eating a healthy breakfast is a great way to get your bodies fat-burning mechanisms running on all cylinders. Many people do great with their eating habits all day, then eat everything in the house at night. Limit your nighttime eating, and drink plenty of water for better results.
3. See a doctor before you start any exercise regime  It’s best to know what your medical issues are before you ever get started. A complete physical is recommended before you start your New Year’s diet and exercise plans.
4. Add extra cardio to your workout – For many the treadmill is boring and hard on the joints that are carrying extra weight. Find something you like to do like biking or an elliptical machine.
Above all else stay committed. Results don’t happen overnight, but after a few weeks or a few months you’re hard work will begin to pay dividends.

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Health and Fitness Key to Being Productive

December 23, 2010 by Leave a Comment

There is no greater way to improving your productivity that eating right and implementing exercise into your daily routine.
Regular maintenance on your car requires frequent oil changes and the every so often tune up. Many of us take the time to take care of our cars but fail to put the same kind of love and attention into our bodies.
Exercise does many wonderful things for the body including reducing our stress levels, improving our mental health and maintaining a healthy weight. For many there jobs can be stressful, and exercising before or after work can be a great way to get rid of the stress of the day. Every year, the average American puts on 2-5 pounds during the Holiday season. That weight tends to accumulate and over a 20-year period can add up to 40-100 pounds. Exercising regularly makes you feel better, gives you more energy and makes you more alert and a better worker.
It’s not just enough to exercise though. Combining a healthy diet with exercise is the key to giving your body the tools it needs to function correctly.
When you put low-grade gas in your car, it doesn’t run as well as it would with high-grade fuel.
The same analogy can apply to the foods you put in your body.
A healthy diet puts nutrients and minerals into your body, and gives you the fuel you need to be successful at work. A healthy diet reduces your risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases like diabetes.
Feeling sluggish at work, don’t reach for a soda or another cup of coffee, head to the gym for 30 minutes on the treadmill. Feeling tired immediately after work, a brisk walk can be the key to giving you energy to do more than just sit on the couch for five hours.

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Setting Goals key to Health and Fitness Success

December 19, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Many people enter the New Year with the idea they are going to lose weight and get healthier. These ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ typically fail as people give up on their hopes and dreams when they see little or no success by February.
Setting realistic goals is a terrific way to assess your progress and make changes accordingly for your Health and Fitness regime to derive success.
Before you attack any health and fitness plan it’s always wise to consult with a physician to help determine what level of exercise you are healthy enough for.
If weight loss is your goal, set realistic goals. On NBC’s hit Television Show, The Biggest Loser, contestants lose between five and 10 pounds per week. If that’s your goal, you better have a world class trainer by your side and the ability to eat little or no food. Setting realistic goals broken down into monthly segments is a great way to keep you on track. If you have fifty pounds to lose, give yourself 6-12 months to lose it. Set monthly weight goals that are reasonable (5-15 pounds) and adjust accordingly if you’re not meeting them.
Sometimes people exercise simply to maintain weight or just become more active. If you spend time on the treadmill, up your mileage or the speed you’re running or walking to challenge yourself as the workouts get easier. If you start exercising after the new year, set a goal to accomplish something in the summer. If you’re a runner, plan on a 5K race during the summer.
Keeping your eye on the prize at the end of the health and fitness plan keeps you on pace to do something you never thought possible. Weight loss and health and fitness doesn’t happen overnight, but when it does happen, it can be a tremendous barrier overcome.
Set goals and make 2011 the year health and fitness comes back into your life.

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Add Variety to Your Exercise Regime to see Improved Health and Fitness

December 13, 2010 by Leave a Comment

As this New Year begins, millions of Americans will head back to the gym with renewed vigor to make 2011 the year they finally make progress on losing weight and getting healthier.
If you’ve been to the gym before but just haven’t seen the results you would like, it might be time to re-evaluate your current workout routine.
Most people go to the gym and have some semblance of a routine. Some lift weight while others adhere to the cardio machine. Before you go back to the gym this year, ask yourself what you really like to do and what you think you should be doing to get the results you desire.
Let’s face it the gym can be torture for some. The treadmill goes all day but never really takes you anywhere and lifting weights can be intimidating if you’re the weakest one in any setting.
For Improved Health and Fitness try adding something new to the routine.
1. Lifting weights is a great way to build muscle and burn fat. If you’re not lifting weights, you’re probably not seeing the results you want. Some gyms offer circuit training that incorporates light weights with cardio repeats.
2. If you run five days a week and still aren’t seeing results, try something different. Elliptical machines or bike riding burns calories and is significantly less stress producing than a treadmill.
3. Find a workout partner. Nothing improves the experience of going to the gym than going with someone you enjoy and who has like minded goals.
4. If you’re burnt out from the gym, try doing something outside. A three-mile run outdoors is so much more energy-giving than running on a treadmill. Try incorporating hill-training into running or biking to give yourself an extra burn.
Even if you’re not seeing the weight loss you desire, keep at it. No matter the circumstance exercise will improve your health.

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Want To Become Fit? Better Determine Your Definition Of Fitness First

November 30, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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How do you measure fitness? Finding the answer to this question can be a lot tougher than you think. For starters, each and every person has his or her own parameter as far as measuring fitness is concerned. Some determine the level of fitness on the basis of physical exertion that they are in a position to withstand.

Other persons measure fitness on the basis of overall happiness and joy in their life. Some others measure their fitness in terms of the numbers displayed on the scale. Finally, there are many who determine their fitness level on the basis of their appearance. If they look slim, such persons automatically conclude that they are fit.

Well, there is a huge difference in losing weight, becoming healthy and being fit. Health and fitness is something more than just achieving a few pounds decrease in your weight. Further, it is something more than just having the ability to do certain things without getting tired.

Health and fitness involves proper exertion of the body to keep it in good shape. What is good shape depends on your lifestyle and your personal health. If you are convulsing from a severe illness, then a slight increase in weight combined with a healthy appearance will be considered a very smart move. On the other hand, a person who has put on a lot of weight will automatically wish to lose weight to become fit.

Remember that fitness can never be measured independently. Rather, it is always relative to something else. If you want to become fit so that you can run 10 miles in a day, then you will obviously have to focus on physical fitness.

If you want to become fit so that you can focus on your presentation and make a good impression, then you should obviously focus on physical as well as mental fitness. Of course, measuring the former is easy while measuring the latter is next to impossible unless you compare yourself with others.

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Fitness And Health – Impossible To Achieve Without A Holistic Approach

November 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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It is possible to regain your lost health by simply popping a few antibiotics pills and hoping for the best. However, you cannot become fit by simply popping a few pills. Rather, you will have to focus on the following characteristics to ensure maximum benefits.

Discipline. It is impossible to become fit and stay that way unless and until you are disciplined. Irrespective of the nature of exercise you have chosen, you will have to stick to what you are doing and do it very regularly. You may not increase the intensity of the exercise and may wish to curtail the benefits you enjoy. However, you should never compromise on discipline and regularity.

Commitment. Where is the question of commitment if you want to stay fit? Well, you have the option of running at a specific speed for a specified duration to reduce your weight and become fit. You can run as slowly as possible for the entire duration and claim that you have done the work properly.

Or, you can exercise very hard and then come out and have a few chocolate chip cookies that destroy the benefits that you have gained. In such a scenario, you should have commitment to the larger goal.

Control over diet
If you do not control the inflow of energy into your body, you will never find it easy to stay fit. This is because improper diet will have a negative impact on your efforts to become fit as well. Sooner or later, you are going to end up with the numerous complications arising out of lack of fitness.

You can choose any form of exercise but make sure that you do whatever you are allotted in a serious and committed manner. Further, try to combine it with healthy eating habits for maximum benefits.

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Focusing On The Cosmetic Aspects Of Health Alone? Here Is Why You Should Be Fit

November 17, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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What is the harm in adopting a solution oriented approach as far as fitness is concerned? If you want to lose weight and if you want to improve your appearance, what is the harm in popping a few pills when you know that this will help you speed up the process? Well, most of us have a desire to stay fit for all the wrong reasons.

We focus on the cosmetic aspect of staying fit. As far as we are concerned, looking good is the best advantage of being fit. It is only when we become old do we realize that fitness has a very integral role in keeping us healthy in our old age. If you do not want your knees to creak every single time you take a step, you should stay fit in your youth so that the wear and tear is not very high.

If you want your heart to pump blood and your brain to think properly even when you are old, you will have to give it nutritious food and make sure that excess fat does not clog the blood cells.

When we compare our motivation with these important objectives, we realize that we focus on very superficial aspects. We are more interested in looking good in front of four peers and colleagues. Hence, popping a few pills that help you reduce the fat in your body is only going to cause long term damage.

The intake of food will be very high and there will be very little outflows in the form of exercise. Rather, you will be consuming more chemicals and medications to change the metabolism process.

This may work for a year or two. However, you will definitely end up with serious medical problems because of excessive consumption of chemicals. If you want to avoid these problems, you should understand the true importance of staying fit.

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Fitness At Home – Opt For Such Solutions Only If You Have No Alternative

November 10, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Are those odd looking devices and inventions that claimed to help you lose weight without stepping out of your house any good? Well, if you buy a treadmill and set it up at home, there is no doubt that you will enjoy good benefits to your health and fitness.

On the other hand, there are certain other devices which claimed to make it easier to lose weight and stay fit. Well, you should be very careful about the phrase easy. There is no easy way to stay fit. It requires discipline, commitment and a desire to achieve the goal.

There are many persons who purchased the treadmill, use it for a few days and then use it as any other piece of furniture in their house. There are many persons who opt for these easy solutions and devices but find that they have to work very hard to enjoy benefits.

Just keep the following points in mind when you are purchasing health and fitness equipment that help you become fit at home.

The advertisements often point out extremely fit individuals using the device. Well, do not presume that individuals became fit with the help of these devices. Getting a six pack from a small piece of fabric or plastic that can stretch is going to take a very long time. Chances are high that all those persons who acted in the advertisement made use of elaborate muscle building facilities.

Secondly, you should ask yourself whether your desire to exercise in your house is based on necessity or convenience. If it is based on convenience, then you should get out in the open and start exercising.

If you focus too much on convenience, chances are high that you will end up skipping the exercises even before you begin. You should opt for the solution only if you are convinced that it is impossible for you to exercise unless you have some facilities at home.

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Controlling Diet To Become Fit Is Not The Same As Starving To Become Fit

November 8, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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What is the role of diet in your fitness plan? Well, if you focus on eating green leafy vegetables and nutritious foodstuffs, there is no doubt that it is a very important component to achieve fitness. However, if you intend to fast and starve yourself to get fit, you will have to think long and hard before proceeding.

There are many persons who swear by fasting. They claim that dieting has helped them regain control of their health in an effective manner. However, there are various complications involved in starving to get fit.

Firstly, it is not a healthy option. To stop eating high calorie foods is one thing. To skip junk food is good. However, to stop eating green leafy vegetables or to consume it in such small quantities that your body is forced to burn fat does not make sense.

Secondly, you will discover that you always set time bound restrictions and limitations for your diet. You plan to stick to the diet for a week or ten days. Once this is done, you will go back to normal and start eating normally. This will create more problems than it solves. It is natural tendency for the body to try and compensate the diet by eating more. That is the reason why the first few days after the diet tend to lead to weight increase. This means that you will never enjoy permanent fitness and health when you opt for starving.

Does this mean you can eat whatever you want? Certainly not. A person who exercises daily and one that exercises but consumes lots of chocolates will have different fitness levels Control of diet is very essential.

However, it should focus on avoiding harmful substances. To stop eating food to become fit will be tantamount to throwing the baby out with the bath water. You will regret your approach at a later date.

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