Exercise To Lose Weight

Archive for the ‘Fitness & Exercise Tips’ Category

Who has time for an hour long exercise session these days? With the demands of a career, children, after-school activities, volunteer positions, housework, errand running, and preparing meals, it’s no wonder we slack off when it comes to our health and most importantly, exercising. 

And yet, without proper exercise we get fat, our arteries get bogged down with bad cholesterol, our sugar levels can’t regulate themselves properly, and a multitude of other health problems wait patiently to take over our bodies.

Why is it so easy to forgo our health for the busyness of life? And where does one find the time, let alone the motivation, to get in shape?

Those are two questions I’ve been asking myself a lot the past few weeks—ever since I was told that my life is just too sedentary and because of it, my body is not only out of shape but in dire need of a little health boost! Of course my first reaction was to ask for a magic pill or a lazy man’s exercise equipment. But then reality hit and I knew no such thing existed—no matter what the infomercials try to tell us.

The key to getting healthier isn’t just about exercise and eating right, or even taking medications prescribed by a qualified health physician. No, getting healthier is about changing the way we think. It’s about looking within and discovering the real reasons behind our lack of enthusiasm when it comes to taking care of ourselves, it’s about understanding why we always put ourselves on the back burner, and then making conscious choices to make ourselves a priority.

For me, I forgo individual exercise because I wanted more time with the family—and because it’s boring! So to spice things up, I decided to make it a family affair. While there are certain activities I still do alone, like Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred exercise video or Richard Simmons’ Sweatin’ To The Oldies DVD, there are a lot of ways I include the kids, and most of the time they don’t even know they’re exercising!

Here are some great ways to make fitness a part of your family’s busy schedule:

1.       Need to get from one destination to another? Is it safe to race? Then race the kids.

2.       Need to run a few errands around town? Ask the kids to go on a bike ride with you.

3.       Is school close by? Wake the kids up early, get them dressed, hand them a breakfast burrito, and walk them to school. It’s a great way to find out what’s going on in their heads while getting in a little exercise.

4.       Need to return those books to the library or those videos to the video store? Slap on a pair of skates, fill the backpack up, grab the kids, and go.

5.       Kids fighting too much? Send them to the punching bag for ten minutes.

6.       Kids complaining of summer boredom? Start a garden. 30 minutes a day is all it takes to keep the weeds away, water, and cultivate.

Other ways to stay active are to:

7.       Park in the back of the parking lot instead of looking for a spot near the main entrance.

8.       Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator.

9.       Pick up a sport the family can do together, like tennis, croquet, bocce, golf.

10.   Join the YMCA and get involved in their many team activities or start a family program at your local church.

11.   Play a ten minute game of tag.  There are various forms such as laser tag and freeze tag.  And on hot days, you can turn on the water sprinklers and play tag in the water.

Exercising is more about moving the body than how many minutes (or hours) at a time one performs a certain routine. So if time is your excuse, get over it fast. All you need is ten minutes here and twenty minutes there.

What is the difference between exercise and physical activity? Physical activity is any type of movement of the body that increases your metabolism and causes your muscles to contract. Examples of physical activity range from playing basketball to making beds. Exercise itself is actually a subcategory of physical activity. When you exercise, you are engaging in a structured program of physical activity intended to help you maintain or achieve maximum physical fitness, such as walking or rowing.
Choosing to exercise regularly at least three times per week results in numerous health benefits. The old adage “use it or lose it” definitely applies to exercising on a regular basis. When you neglect to engage in a scheduled exercise routine, your muscles become flabby and your heart and lungs struggle to perform. If you want to lose weight, cutting calories is only half the battle. Exercise firms your body and gives you the toned, fit appearance you want.
The benefit of regular exercise includes:
1. Lowered body fat, which helps you to avoid conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cancer.
2. Improved circulation, resulting in a healthier heart and blood vessels with a more efficient cardiovascular system overall.
3. More stamina, building your body up over time so that it uses less energy to perform the same tasks.
4. Enhanced flexibility, giving you a better ability to bend, twist and reach without injury, as well as improving your overall balance and coordination.
5. Strengthening and toning your entire body for greater strength and endurance and better posture.
6. Elevated endorphins to give you a better quality of life by reducing stress so that you sleep better and feel better.
An effective, regular exercise routine includes several stretching exercises to start so that your muscles are warmed up for activity. After stretching, twenty minutes of aerobic activity such as running or walking will burn calories and improve your cardiovascular health. Finally, cool down by performing a few more stretches. Add a few minutes of weight lifting or resistance training to your routine for improved strength and endurance.
Spending a half hour three times a week on exercise is a sure way to improve your health, fitness and well-being.

Contemplating a workout program but having a hard time getting going? Here are a few facts about exercise that may convince you to get started.
Exercise can accelerate fat burning. A study done back in the 1970s at Ball State University found that the leg muscle of distance runners were 7 times more capable of burning fat after marathon training than the leg muscle of untrained subjects. Just imagine what that kind of training can do for weight loss!
Exercis can lower blood pressure. The number of capillaries surrounding each leg muscle fiber increases by 5-10% following endurance training. This not only makes exercise easier but also lowers blood pressure. Numerous studies support that exercise training does indeed lower blood pressure in hypertensive subjects.
Exercise improves heart function. When you start an endurance based exercise program, expect your resting heart rate to decrease by about 1 beat per minute every week during the initial weeks. This is an indication that your heart is becoming more efficient and pumping more blood each beat. Highly trained endurance athletes can have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute or even less.
Exercise can prevent muscle loss. Sedentary adults lose 6-10 percent of their muscle mass per decade after age 30, leading to a condition called sarcopenia. Regular strength training can delay or in some cases reverse this trend. When it comes to muscle, you must use it or you will lose it!
Exercise can help you live longer. Studies on large populations have discovered the highest death rates in those who are the least fit. Those who are the most fit have the lowest death rates.
Exercise can improve sex life. A study published by the Harvard School of Public Health found that men who exercised vigerously were half as likely to experience sexual dysfunction when compared to men who did no exercise.
Exercise can improve brain function. Research has discovered that the fittest kids generally score the highest on test scores. Older adults who are fit show less cognitive decline compared to their sedentary counterparts.
Exercise can speed up wound healing. A study out of Ohio State found that skin wounds healed an average of 10 days faster in the exercise group compared to the non exercise group.
Exercise can help the elderly. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported gains in leg strength of 374 percent over baseline in men over 90 years of age who began strength training in as little as 8 weeks! Other research has found a reversal in normal age related characteristics in the muscle of seniors who took up weight lifting.
The evidence supporting the benefits of regular physical activity is overwhelmingly positive and seemingly endless. What are you waiting for?

How many of you reading this finds it difficult to adhere to a fitness regime? If you’re like most Americans, you probably find it at least challenging, some may even go so far as to say impossible. From my experience, I find that you must adhere to a program for at least six months before it becomes routine, and several years before it becomes a lifestyle. For most people, this is challenging to say the least. If you’re lucky, you may have a circle of friends or an active family to support you, but if not, getting going in the beginning can be tough.

So the focus of this edition’s column will be on the benefits of exercising with one or two buddies. Not only does this increase your likelihood of sticking with a fitness program once you start it, but it can make it more enjoyable for you as well. Weather you will be training at a health club, home gym, or participating in a sport, this can work for you. It will contribute three major factors to the success of your newly undertaken fitness regime: accountability, safety, and enjoyment.

Being accountable to another person will help you to keep your workouts on schedule and on track. It is often very easy to tell yourself that you will work out later on in the day, after you get your more important tasks out of the way. While some people probably can do this, most cannot. Having a workout partner usually forces you to perform your workouts at your scheduled time. You will most likely be more consistent if you outline an exercise schedule in advance and then stick to it consistently. While some people have more energy in the mornings, others prefer to train in the evenings. No one is better than the other, just choose a schedule that will work well for you. There is probably more time in a day than you realize, and if you set out to make the most of it, you may be surprised and amazed at the outcome.

Safety is another reason to train with a partner. Especially in the beginning, everything is new and unfamiliar, so it is very easy to forget how to do the exercises appropriately. Form is extremely important in the safety of an exercise. Having another person there to remind you of what you may forget, can work very well. You know the old saying, “two heads are better than one.” In addition to proper form, having a training partner to spot you during a heavy lift is necessary unless you are lifting on specialized equipment like the Smith Machine.

Enjoyment is perhaps the single most important reason to train with a friend. Your workouts can be somewhat of a social occasion as well as a productive workout session, if done correctly. They can serve as a nice way to spend time with friends or loved ones while simultaneously doing something that is moving you towards better health and a longer life.

So if you can’t seem to get into gear training of your own, try giving it a try with a friend or family member. If no one seems to be available or interested, take a look around the gym and see if someone else like yourself isn’t having the same problem. You can help each other by training together. Don’t be bashful, you have nothing to lose just by asking!

Starting a new exercise program can be very stressful. Millions of Americans start exercise programs only to give up on it within a couple of weeks. I have found that by avoiding a few things, you can increase your chances of sticking with your exercise program and reaching your weight lost and fitness goals.
Avoid getting out of routine
Just like waking up each morning and going to work or attending Church on the weekend, including exercising in your daily routine is essential to you succeeding. The most important factor in establishing a routine is setting a time of day to accomplish a certain task.
The best time of the day to exercise is early morning. After a good night’s rest, we are well rested and full of energy. Try to avoid exercising late in the night as this is the time we are likely to complain of tiredness and skip exercising all together. Choose a time of day when you know you can consistently, on a daily basis, devote this time to focusing on getting in shape.
Avoid expecting immediate results
Many of us, after a couple of weeks of exercising, expect to see visible results. Most people with this expectation grow frustrated and soon quit. In most cases, it takes years to become 100 pounds overweight. You should not expect to lose this accumulated weight overnight.
The best way to approach a weight lost target is to set short, reachable goals. For example, you may want to give yourself a goal of 5 pounds for the first month. You must understand that beginners to exercising will not be able to keep a consistent, high calorie burning pace. By month three or four, you will be more advanced and will be able to set higher weight lost targets.
Avoid going in alone
When starting an exercise program be sure to find a partner, preferably one that is highly motivated and more advanced than you are. Having a partner will come in handle on those days when you feel like you can not go a day longer. Your chances of pulling through those tough times are much more likely with someone there helping you along the way.
There are also other benefits, like relationship building, when exercising with someone. This can give husbands and wives, parents and children, even siblings a change to spend quality time and grow closer. At the same time, you will also become healthier.

Push-ups are one of the oldest and easiest exercises that you can do to keep yourself healthy and fit in every way. They are probably one of the cheapest and best exercises, as they can be done at the comfort of home without much guidance. Unfortunately many people don’t know how to perform pushups and thus don’t know the benefits too.
Pushups can offer you with many perks, only when you perform it in a proper way.
In today’s busy world many people won’t find enough time to go to a gym and workout for hours to be fit and healthy but a simple pushup does it all. They are one of the excellent ways of exercising and can be done anywhere as they are budget friendly too.
Pushups are designed to strengthen your triceps, pectorals, shoulders and almost the whole of your upper body. Performing pushups will not only help you to pump up blood to muscles but will also help you to lose weight and keep you fit in all possible ways.
As I always say warm-ups are very essential before doing any kind of workout. It will be more effective, if you warm-up well before starting your pushups.
Pushups can be done in various ways:
Regular Pushups- Regular push-ups are the usual push-ups that everybody does.
Wide pushups keep your hands just a bit wider than shoulder width, in order to gain maximum effect.
Medicine ball pushups- This is performed just like a normal pushup, but the only difference is to use medicine ball. This move requires lot of core strength. Medicine ball pushup is a bit advanced one, as it stabilizes the muscles of your upper body and gives you great strength.
Chair pushups- Performing chair pushups are very useful for lower chest, shoulder and triceps. Let me tell you how to do this. Have two chairs of equal height of your shoulder far away from one another. Place one hand flat on each seat and extend legs behind. Press yourself back up and repeat as many times as possible.
“But some fitness gurus recommend that it is better to use stairs than chair as they increase resistance and stamina”.
As push-ups are a high-rep exercise, they help to increase your blood flow within the muscles and arms. If you use these exercises properly, you will definitely gain strength and condition your muscles. Start with the basic push-up and work up to 3 sets of 8 reps, then challenge yourself more.

The type of exercise you do all depends on you and what you like to do. What you hate doing, paying membership fees, and whether or not to buy equipment are all things you need to consider as well as answer.

If you choose something that you don’t like to do, you aren’t going to keep doing it for a long period of time. Give it some thought – if you don’t like jogging, you aren’t going to get up at 6 AM and go running. If you can’t find something you like to do, choose something you hate the least, which will normally be walking.

Walking is great exercise, as it suits all levels of fitness. Anyone can start a walking program at any time, it’s normally the intensity and duration that differs. Walking is also a social exercise, as it isn’t difficult to find a training partner to chat with while you exercise. Walking with a partner will also make time go by faster.

No matter what exercise you choose, you should start at a low level of intensity and build it up over a period of weeks, which is essential to the longevity of your exercise program. If you start off too hard, you could end up with an injury which will require time off to get over.

If you are really in bad shape, you should start off by walking for 10 minutes each day. Then, increase it by 5 minutes every 2 weeks. To make things more interesting, you should try walking a different course every few days. You can also roster a different friend to walk with you each day of the week.

If walking isn’t your thing, then you may want to try a fitness center. They have loads of variety and normally have trainers on hand to answer any questions you may have. When you choose a fitness center, make sure that they give good service.

If they aren’t willing to treat you well before you join, then they certainly won’t after you join. You should also make sure that the equipment they use is well taken care of. It’s easy to find out, as all you have to do is listen to the machines. If they squeak a lot or make noise, then chances are they aren’t being taken care of.

If you still aren’t sure what you should do, then you should look into golf or tennis. Both are good social activities in most areas, and you can even meet new friends. Tennis is great for fitness although it isn’t for someone who is just starting out. If you haven’t exercised in a long time, then golf may be the best activity for you.

If you’re looking for an exercise machine that will give you a good cardio workout without stressing your joints, then maybe an exercise bike is just what you need. Treadmills are still the most popular exercise machine out there, but not everyone can use a treadmill safely, because of the high impact exercise that it asks you to do. If you have very sensitive joints for any reason, you’ll have to try a different means of getting a daily workout.

Elliptical trainers can work well for this purpose, but an exercise bike is also a very fine choice. A lot of people seem to gravitate to exercise bikes, probably because they are familiar with the overall design. And everyone knows that riding a bicycle is good exercise, so it only makes sense that if you can perform the same motions indoors you should be able to get similar health benefits.

So what should you look for when you are shopping for exercise bikes? The first thing to decide is whether you wish to have an upright bike or a recumbent bike. The upright exercise bike looks very similar to a real bicycle, with handlebars, a seat, and pedals underneath. The recumbent exercise bike on the other hand, can be a sort of strange looking contraption, that you actually lay in and pedal with your feet straight out in front of you. Most fitness experts seem to agree that either type of exercise bike will work well for you, it just depends on your personal preference and comfort level as to which bike you should buy. For instance, those with chronic back problems may find the recumbent exercise bike much easier to work with.

When looking over the exercise bike candidates, the same general rule of thumb applies here as it does in other exercise machines. You generally get what you pay for. In other words, most of the really cheap exercise bikes will not hold up well over the long haul. So expect to pay at least $600 to $1000 for a good piece of equipment, and $1500 or more for a really heavy-duty gym quality machine.

It’s always a good idea to try out any exercise bike model that interests you in advance in person. See how comfortable it is for you to use as you exercise. Does this seat fit you as it should? Can you adjust the seat level to give you a comfortable travel distance to the pedals?

Other considerations include whether or not that particular model has a heart rate monitor. This is a good piece of equipment to have for almost any exercise machine that you want to use. In fact, some machines are even coming with interactive heart rate monitors that keep an eye on your heart rate level and adjust your workout automatically to help you burn the most calories per session. If you can get an exercise bike with this feature, it can be well worth it.

Also make sure that the display on each model gives you the information that you would really like to have as you workout. Does it keep track of the time that you have been on the machine? Does it show the calories you have burned? Does it display your heart rate level? Does it allow you to adjust the resistance of the machine as you workout?

As you test out each machine, take notes on each model, both its strengths and its weaknesses, and then compile the information after you have looked at a good representation of all exercise bike models available. By keeping the suggestions listed above in mind and doing your homework you should be able to make the best exercise bike choice possible for your needs.

With Winsor Pilates having created a new trend in the fitness industry it continues to conquer the whole arena of popularity with its new tools to further create a great result to most of the Winsor Pilates clients.
It is considerable that the Winsor Pilates has attested significantly prosperous in spreading the great news about the Winsor Pilates program and through the fanatics are greatly pulled to the extent. Winsor Pilates being a new set of exercise grant both the beginners and experienced Winsor Pilates exercisers some of the pleasurable visual direction in the Winsor Pilates.
Because the fitness Pilates Method has a series of controlled movements, it would take time for the Pilates beginners to learn the basics. So, experts often recommend starting out with one-on-one instruction with a certified fitness Pilates Method teacher. Although many of the fitness Pilates Method centers and studios offer only mat classes, it is still best to try Pilates using an apparatus. This is no doubt a good way to learn the fitness Pilates Method in its purest form.
In particular, with Winsor Pilates, the participants are said to attain maximum calorie burn in just 20 minutes. With Winsor Pilates you will get leaner and longer muscles and even get stronger.
Another thing with the Winsor Pilates is you will burn even more calories with an intense 45 minute workout and get a total body shaping workout that is results driven. With the Winsor Pilates concept you will sculpt leaner and longer muscles as well as get even stronger and look better.
Furthermore, Winsor Pilates is originally intended for women and men who are just starting exercising for the first time. Winsor Pilates is also intended for both women and men who have returned to exercising after a longer period of break and have a substantial weight loss goal or a bit older. With Winsor Pilates, you will surely feel good and acquire energy for the much vital things in your life. Anybody who will use this workout will definitely get the best shape and live life to the fullest at any age or fitness level.
Just like the first Winsor Pilates concept that contain the 3-D Training, the Winsor Pilates workouts today comprises the seven basic Winsor Pilates movements, which include the Pilates 100, Roll-Up, Single Leg Circles, Rolling Like a Ball, Single Leg Stretch, Double Leg Stretch, and Spine Stretch Forward. Aside from these seven major Winsor Pilates exercises, the Winsor Pilates workout also contain exercises like Single Straight Leg, Double Straight Leg, Criss Cross, Saw, Side Kick Series, Leg Lifts, and Seal.
It is necessary to note that all those powerful workouts in Winsor Pilates are presented to help the people achieve good look and better posture.

The right core exercises can mean the difference between great progress and definite results with your core training program or not getting any results at all.

There are hundreds of muscles in the core of your body – the abdominals (all layers), lower and mid back, pelvic region, obliques and the popular ‘love handle’ areas are loaded with muscles of all different sizes, shapes, lengths and angles – which require specific exercises to produce the desired strength training effect for optimal fitness.

The following exercises can serve as a core training primer for beginners or they can be added or substituted into your current core workout routine.

1 – Lying face up, hand down at your side. Bring your legs up, knees slightly bent with the bottom of your feet toward the ceiling. This is your start position. While keeping the abdominals pulled in (contracted), slowly lower your right leg, until the heel touches the ground, and then raise it back up. Do this fifteen times. Then switch legs.

2 – Lying face up with knees bent, feet off the floor. Arms are extended as if reaching toward the sky if you were standing. As you breathe out, slowly bring your knees toward you by contracting your abdominals (pulling inward). Then breathe in as you return to the start position.

3 – Lying face up with knees bent, heels on the ground and toes pointing up. Lift your butt off the ground to engage the core muscles. Now, here is where the fun starts. Lift one foot off the floor, extending that leg until it is straight, bring it back to the start position (heel on ground) and then do the same with the other leg. Keep alternating until you do a total of twenty, ten on each side.

If this exercise sequence is too easy, go through it again and see how you do. You can add these exercises to your current routine or if you are a beginner you can use this as a stand alone routine to get you going. If it was too challenging, decrease the number of repetitions to about five and do this every other day. Gradually increase the repetitions as your core gets stronger.

A big mistake many people, even trainers, make is to mimic the core training routines of bodybuilders or power-lifters. The problem with that is most people are not bodybuilders or power-lifters – and these people tend to over-train anyway (I know this because I used to do it myself!). The problems here range from a lot of wasted time to serious, long term injuries.

This happens every day to people who try to exercise without proper guidance and it’s one the reasons why physical therapists are so busy!

The proper workout must be designed to provide the most effective exercise training stimulus to the entire midsection, in the shortest amount of time (because we are all very busy people, right?), with minimal risk of injury. The problem is it is extremely rare to find an abdominal and core workout routine that fits all of these criteria.

These are the exact principles I follow when training my personal, one-on-one clients AND they are the same principles I follow in my own fitness training workout program. Structure your own program according to the principles outlined above, with the proper selection of core exercises for effective and safe results.