You Do Not Need A Gym to Exercise

We know that using free weights and machines is the fastest and most efficient way there is to improve your metabolism and strength, but for many reasons, these may not be convenient or readily accessible to you.

You may also have no access to a commercial gym, home gym or are on a business trip, but there can be a solution, a strength-training workout without the need for expensive machines. As with any exercise, whether you are using your own body weight, machines or free weights, if the resistance doesn’t increase, your muscles won’t be worked to their maximum capacity and the stimulus these fibers need to grow will be missing. Exercises done correctly will build the lean muscle and increase your metabolism in the same way as performing exercises at a gymnasium but without the time constraints and associated costs. These exercises can be easily done in a bedroom, hotel room, a park, schoolyard, ceiling rafters in a garage or in a doorway and all you have to do is use your imagination. There will always be a way to add more resistance to your workouts. Please remember: It doesn’t matter where you are working out at home, a hotel or a park always warm up properly before beginning your session, and cool down and stretch when you are finished.

Leg Exercises

Squats –

They build muscle in the thighs, shape the buttocks and improve endurance. Position your feet about 13 to 17 inches apart or at shoulder width, keeping the back straight and your head up. If you want you can use something that will give you some support, i.e. a desk, bookcase, sink etc.

Now squat down to where the tops of the thighs are parallel to the floor, hold for a second and then stand up, but don't bounce at the bottom of the movement, use a nice fluid motion. Always exhale your breath as you stand up.

Lunges

Stand straight in a correct posture; now stand with one leg forward and one leg back. Keeping your abdominal muscles tight and chest up, lower your upper body down, bending your leg (don’t step out too far).

You should have about one to two feet between your feet at this stage, the further forward you step, and the more your gluteus and hamstring muscles will have to work.

Do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down and stop where you feel comfortable (try not to let your back come forward) then push directly back up. Do all your reps on one leg then switch legs and do all your reps on the other leg.

Back Exercises

Chin-ups –

Chin-ups are a great upper body workout, particularly targeting your biceps, deltoid and lat muscles. Use a doorway chin-up bar, ceiling rafters in a garage or grab the molding of your door frame, position your hands with an underhand grip and hang down stretching the lats, slowly raise your body until your chin reaches the bar level.

Pause a moment before slowly lowering yourself back to the starting position. Do not swing or use momentum to get your body to the top, just use the target muscles. Doorway chinning bars remove from the doorway when you are not using them and can be put up and taken down in seconds.

Bent Over Row –

Take up a position with your right hand and right knee braced on a sturdy bed or some other flat surface that will provide good support. Now pick up a dumbbell or something heavy that you can hold onto with your left hand.

Visualize your arms as hooks and slowly bring the dumbbell or object up to the side of your chest, keeping your back straight, then lower the weight back down to arm's length. Concentrate on your back muscles. Reverse the whole procedure and do the exercise now with your right arm.

Chest Exercises

Push-Up –

The push up is used for building chest, shoulders, and arms. Lie face down on the floor with your hands about shoulder width apart and keeping your palms turned slightly inward. Now push-up until your arms are straight, lower and repeat for repetitions.

To make it more difficult elevate your feet. Try placing the toes of your feet on a stable, elevated surface such as a bench, chair or a stair. Straightening your body, position your hands on the floor at shoulder width, lower your body until your chest touches the floor at the bottom, and then return to the starting position in a nice fluid motion.

Dips –

This exercise can be done between two sturdy chairs or other surfaces that provide stability. The dip is another great upper body exercise. Its a compound movement as well and involves working all the muscles that the push up works.

Keep your head up and body as vertical as possible. For the beginning of the movement, start at the top (arms fully extended) and lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the seat of the chairs, hold and then push up to the top of the movement until your arms are fully extended again. Keep looking straight ahead and do not bounce at the bottom of the movement.

Adding Weight

Although the simple weight of your own body is enough resistance to provide an effective workout we need progressive overload (added resistance) to become stronger.

So all we need to do is add some weight wherever we can find some. Because there are no metal plates and fancy machines to use it does not matter because the body does not care where it is as long as it’s receiving resistance of some kind.

You can use heavy books clasped in your hands. You can buy some cheap weighted dumbbells or ankle weights. A weighted vest will also allow you to add resistance for both chin-ups and push-ups. Try to buy one that will let you remove and add weight as you see fit. Also, a backpack filled with books can be perfect for most of the exercises and is a cheap alternative.

How about a couple of buckets and fill them with a certain level of water? As you get stronger fill them with more water. This is perfect because depending on the exercise, all you need to do is to increase or decrease the amount of water in the buckets for the required amount of resistance.

To wrap things up

We know that using free weights and machines are the fastest and most efficient way there is to gain lean muscle and strength, but by performing the exercises in this article you will find that they will provide you with the same benefits as going to a gymnasium but without the ongoing costs and time constraints.

                           

The Five Components of Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is the ability to function effectively throughout your workday, perform your usual activities and still have enough energy left over to handle any extra stresses or emergencies which may arise.

The components of physical fitness are:

* Cardiorespiratory (CR) endurance – the efficiency with which the body delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for muscular activity and transports waste products from the cells.

* Muscular strength – the greatest amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort.

* Muscular endurance – the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated movements with a sub-maximal force for extended periods of times.

* Flexibility – the ability to move the joints or any group of joints through an entire, normal range of motion.

* Body composition – the percentage of body fat a person has in comparison to his or her total body mass.

Improving the first three components of fitness listed above will have a positive impact on body composition and will result in less fat. Excessive body fat detracts from the other fitness components, reduces performance, detracts from appearance, and negatively affects your health. Factors such as speed, agility, muscle power, eye-hand coordination, and eye-foot coordination are classified as components of “motor” fitness. These factors most affect your athletic ability. Appropriate training can improve these factors within the limits of your potential. A sensible weight loss and fitness program seeks to improve or maintain all the components of physical and motor fitness through sound, progressive, mission specific physical training.

Principles of Exercise

Adherence to certain basic exercise principles is important for developing an effective program. The same principles of exercise apply to everyone at all levels of physical training, from the Olympic-caliber athlete to the weekend jogger.

These basic principles of exercise must be followed.

Regularity

To achieve a training effect, you must exercise often. You should exercise each of the first four fitness components at least three times a week. Infrequent exercise can do more harm than good. Regularity is also important in resting, sleeping, and following a sensible diet.

Progression

The intensity (how hard) and/or duration (how long) of exercise must gradually increase to improve the level of fitness.

Balance

To be effective, a program should include activities that address all the fitness components, since overemphasizing any one of them may hurt the others.

Variety

Providing a variety of activities reduces boredom and increases motivation and progress.

Specificity

Training must be geared toward specific goals. For example, people become better runners if their training emphasizes running. Although swimming is great exercise, it does not improve a 2-mile-run time as much as a running program does.

Recovery

A hard day of training for a given component of fitness should be followed by an easier training day or rest day for that component and/or muscle group(s) to help permit recovery. Another way to allow recovery is to alternate the muscle groups exercised every other day, especially when training for strength and/or muscle endurance.

Overload

The workload of each exercise session must exceed the normal demands placed on the body in order to bring about a training effect.

                                 

How to Get Clear Skin Now

If you suffer from embarrassing acne or only get the occasional pimple, there are ways to prevent these blemishes and maintain clear, beautiful skin. By drinking a lot of water and washing your face without over drying it, you can be on your way to clear skin. Read this article for tips on how to get rid of acne.

                                             
To reduce your acne, you should learn how to wash your face efficiently. Choose a soap that is not too greasy and not too dry. Try to find a brand that advertises a neutral PH. This should not have any influence on your skin. Wash your face at least twice a day.


Reducing stressful situations in your life can also reduce your chance of developing acne. Although stress doesn't directly lead to acne, a lot of unhealthy habits developed during stress can. Some people even increase their oil formation when faced with stress. Eliminating stress to the best of your ability can actually have positive effects on your complexion.


Keep your phone away from your face at all times to reduce the chance of getting acne. A phones constant rubbing against your face can cause irritation which can inflame your skin and facilitate blemishes on your face. Instead, try a hands-free phone or Bluetooth in your car to reduce irritation.


Counteract the antibiotics you are taking with probiotics to effectively get rid of acne. Many people take antibiotics to help with their skin problems, but these pills also get rid of the bacteria in your body. This causes acne because you can't expel waste as well, and it comes out through your skin instead.


Drink apple cider vinegar to reduce acne breakouts, eczema, or other skin conditions. Apple cider vinegar may be hard to drink by itself, but try adding it to a blended fruit smoothie to get all the effects without the harsh taste. In addition to clearer skin, you may notice silkier hair and shinier nails.


If you are a woman using the pill Accutane (or any of its generic forms) to treat your acne, make sure that you avoid pregnancy during your treatment period. Make sure you have a second form of protection against pregnancy such as birth control. If you take the pill for acne and get pregnant, your baby has a high risk of being deformed.

Men who experience acne outbreaks should shave lightly to keep from cutting the top off their blemishes. If the beard is soaked thoroughly with mild soap and water before the application of shaving cream or gel, this will make the light shaving even easier and promote better acne skin care.

If you are suffering from severe acne, it may be best to make an appointment with a dermatologist. They can prescribe a prescription medication that will be more helpful for clearing up acne, and many times will be covered by your medical insurance carrier. Ask friends or family for a recommendation to a good doctor.

While you may have to be patient, it's not impossible to get rid of acne. If these tips do not help, try visiting a doctor and see if you can get a prescription to battle severe acne. Remember the tips in this article to help you get clear, beautiful skin!