Monday, June 8, 2015

A Grab Bag Of Facts You Should Know About Fitness




There are all kinds of fitness fads and fitness practices available today. Many people form their fitness knowledge based on the teachings of an individual expert or guru. This can be very helpful in forming a core fitness philosophy; however, there are many truths surrounding fitness, and a smattering of general knowledge never hurt anyone. In this article, we will discuss some random fitness facts that are both fun and useful to know. Read on to broaden your fitness knowledge.



Playing in the yard with your kids or grand-kids is fun, but many people put off playtime because they feel it is too indulgent. After all, we should be hard at work doing practical things, right? Well, the fact is vigorous play outdoors burns up calories and keeps you fit just as well as power walking. Aside from that, it has the benefit of strengthening your ties with your friends and loved ones and putting a smile on your face. All-in-all, playtime is fun, productive and vitally important to your health, fitness and well-being.




No pain, no gain, right? Wrong! This is an old-fashioned theory of exercise that left a lot of people injured in the 1980s and 90s, Actually, fitness pursuits should be fun and challenging, but they should not hurt. When you are engaged in active exercise at the appropriate level for you, you should be able to talk, laugh and feel good. If any of those qualities are missing from your fitness routine, you are doing it wrong. For maximum results, dial it back a little bit to a point where you are comfortably challenged.



Lots of people think that doing just a little bit of exercise is a big waste of time. The generally accepted theory is that you have to exercise vigorously at least half an hour every-other day to get any benefits at all. You will be happy to know that this is hogwash. Anything you add to your activity level on a regular basis will make some difference in your overall health and fitness level. For example, while choosing to take the stairs instead of the elevator every day will not give you 6-pack abs, it could very well reduce your blood pressure significantly and improve your overall cardiovascular health.


It is never too late to start exercising, and every hour that you spend exercising may pay off in two more hours of life! Even if you are middle aged or elderly, exercising at an appropriate level will help you keep your energy levels up, retain and improve flexibility and mobility and improve your muscle tone and general health. Gentle exercise such as walking, stretching and even slow dancing will improve your health and the quality of your life.



Lifting weights (even little ones) is a great way to keep your body young. After the age of thirty, we start to lose lean muscle as well as bone density. Weight-bearing exercise helps combat the loss of muscle mass and bone mass. Working out with light hand weights while watching TV and/or going for a stroll can help you maintain your youthful figure and keep your skeleton strong.


Many people are afraid to start exercising because they think it will just be too hard or will not really help. Clearly, any level of exercise begun at any time in your life will boost your fitness level and help you enjoy your life more. Combine a positive, can do attitude and a handful of these fitness facts to improve your fitness level today.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

7 Simple Exercises You Can Do While At Work



If you’re lacking the time it takes to have a regular fitness regimen because of work, kids, or life in general then simple exercises you can do while at work could be just what you need. These 7 simple exercises and tips you can do while at work are fast and easy. You can still have a great work out without the need for a gym.




1. Instead of using a desk chair, sit on a large exercise ball. The balance required for sitting on the ball is a great core stabilizer. You’ll be toning and strengthening your ab muscles without even realizing you’re doing it. It takes very little to no concentration, which can leave your brain power for your work.



2. Resistance bands are great for your toning legs and arms. You can hook the bands to the legs of your desk or chair and do arm or leg reps while you’re sitting at your desk. If you are on the phone, switch hands as you do the reps. If you’re typing at your computer, work your legs with the bands.




"Royal Air Force- British Flying Training in the United States, 1941-1945. C2304" by Royal Air Force official photographer

3. Walk. During breaks walk as much as possible around the office. If you have ankle weights, then strap those on while you’re walking for an added boost.




4. Leave the elevator behind and take the stairs. Even if you’re on the 14th floor, walk up two to three flights and then catch the elevator the rest of the way. Doing just this one thing alone gets your heart pumping, and releases endorphins. It provides a great start to the day which both your body and brain will thank you.




5. Parking. You may not think that your parking spot has anything to do with your fitness level, but parking further away can actually provide a mini cardio session. Make sure to leave extra time so you aren’t late, and park in the furthest parking spot you can find. Strap on those ankle weights and either walk, run, or march up to the building. Don’t worry about how you will look doing it because the body you’ll gain from it will look and make you feel even better.




6. Stretching is always important. Sitting at a desk for 8-9 hours a day can lead to muscle stiffness, loss of flexibility, back and neck pain, restless legs, blood clots, and stiff joints. Of the things you can do for the health of your body, stretching is the most important. You should be getting up every hour to stretch.




7. Easy stretches you can do at your desk can be anything from reaching up to the ceiling with both arms, to touching your toes, to ballet plies. Make sure to give your back a good twist from side to side to stretch both your spine and your abs. Writer’s belly happens when the ligaments in your abs shorten because of sitting for long periods of time resulting in a “pot belly”, so make sure you’re stretching those abs to keep them long and lean.




Finding time to work out and keeping fit can be challenging, but implementing just a few simple things throughout your work day can really make a difference.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Combining Fitness with Health



Many individuals believe that fitness equates with health. However, having a healthy body, and being physically fit are two different realities. Individuals that have been able to combine both fitness and health tend to live a lot longer than others, and remain happy through the process.


Living healthy, and being physically fit, are not necessarily the same thing. Many individuals can get healthy by consuming a high quality diet, but their physique might be sorely in need of help. To achieve the best results, it’s important to combine both fitness and health into daily living.


If at all possible, it is crucial to maintain a healthy weight, based on the body mass index (BMI). This typically requires extensive measures such as eliminating a lot of the most favorite types of food including simple carbohydrates, fatty foods, and anything that contains high calories.


Losing Weight


Our bodies are natural fuel burning machines that use unwanted fat to generate energy. As a result, we can eliminate the unwanted and undesired body fat by exercising on a routine basis. However, the process should begin with consuming a healthy diet filled with organic fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and healthy grains and nuts. Attempt to stay away from any type of food that could cause allergies, to maximize the weight loss results.


The first step is to decide exactly how many calories you should consume every day, based on your weight. Typically, women should consume between 1300 and 1800 cal per day. Likewise, men should consume between 1500 and 2500 cal, based on their BMI.


By eliminating just 500 cal every day, both men and women can lose 1 pound of unwanted fat every week. This is because 1 pound of fat equates to 3500 cal, so seven days of eliminating 500 cal equates to 3500.


To accelerate the body’s ability to lose weight, it’s important to get involved in physical exercise. However, performing any type of exercise when overweight always requires that it be approached very cautiously. If extremely overweight, seek the advice of a physician before beginning.


Avoid Scales


Standing on a scale can provide a high level of motivation, but can also make an individual feel very depressed. When losing weight through exercise and proper dieting, try to avoid standing on the scale. Recognize that as you lose weight, you’ll reach certain plateaus, or the body simply is holding onto excess water as it eliminates the unwanted fat. During this time, the scale will not represent exactly how much weight has been lost.


Additionally, through routine exercise, the body will naturally start building up more muscle while eliminating fat. Muscles are significantly heavier than body fat. Therefore, you can look much thinner, and actually way more.


By blending both health and fitness together it is easy to create a phenomenal weight loss program when taken seriously. Choosing one over the other typically result in undesirable results. Set a goal, and stick to it. This will ensure that both health and fitness are complementing each other to help you attain your goals.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Walking Can Bring a Lot of Benefits



The following is a list of the benefits that we all can derive from walking. As parents, we are all concerned about our children. Whether it is their mental makeup or their physical makeup, children benefit by the concern that parents show in this regard. When it comes to the physical makeup of our children, we want them to be active and healthy. The best way that we can do this is by being a role model. If we show a love for exercise, so will they, and walking is one of the best exercises to do.

Walking Can Save You Money
 
With today’s high gas prices, most families are concerned with saving money wherever they can. If you own a car or two, you understand that the cost of fuel is a large portion of the family budget. That is why walking whenever you can is an excellent way to cut down on your fuel costs. A simple trip to the market by walking will soon add up to quite a savings.

Take a  Break

If you are a mother who is house bound for long periods of time due to family responsibilities. Or maybe you are an office employee who sits in front of a computer all day. Both of you will benefit by escaping that confinement by going for a leisurely stroll. It will help you to get through the rest of the day as it will give you a wholesome break away from your daily routine.



 Call on Your Neighbors

Do we really know our neighbors? Have we made an effort to visit them and get to know more about them? If you are in a habit of going for a daily stroll around your neighborhood, you will probably have a great opportunity to bump into them at some time. There will be occasions when they are working in their yards or coming and going from various daily outings. These would be perfect times for you to introduce yourself and thus perhaps start a new friendship.

Helping the Environment

We are all concerned about the health of or planet, mankind’s home. There are so many issues that are in the news about the destruction of the Eco-systems. Year by year it seems to be getting worse. There may be little we can do on a global front about the environment. However, we can do our part wherever we live. by walking whenever we can. This will help to prevent harmful emissions from polluting the atmosphere.


Walking Can Be Enjoyable
There is nothing that is more enjoyable that a stroll to enjoy the beautiful creation that surrounds us. It does not matter if it is a gorgeous evening sunset, or an invigorating scent from a pine forest, or a daily stroll while admiring the beauties of creation, walking does wonders for our psyche.

The best time to think is when we get away from whatever we are doing and take a walk. Walking seems to stimulate the thinking process. We are able to make decisions wisely and see things a lot clearer when we are walking.

Walking is simply the best exercise that you can do for your body. It is a low impact exercise and requires no costly equipment. The benefits derived from walking are second to none when it comes to fitness.