There are probably just as many excuses to not get into shape, as there are reasons to get into shape. The difference is those excuses can lead to less mobility, more illnesses, and possibly an earlier death. The gain in overall health and fitness makes the effort to lose weight worth it. Please remember to visit a doctor before starting any exercise program.

Exercise Tips
There are different exercises and different exercise programs, and it seems that someone somewhere is promising that their program is the best. The truth is that the best exercise program, especially for the person who hasn’t been overly active for a while is the exercise they are willing to stick with. That is not to say they have to love the exercise they are doing, but if they won’t stick with a program over the long haul, then they need to find another exercise.

Another important factor is how hard the exerciser pushes himself or herself. A person who is very overweight can do a lot of good by walking one mile a day in the beginning. However, one month later they will need to have increased their pace and distance in order to do as much good. The more the exerciser pushes their limits, the better the exercise is for them.

Nutrition
One of the hardest parts of losing weight is using an appropriate diet. Just like sticking with exercise, the change in diet associated with weight loss must be a habit and a lifestyle change, not just something to do for a while, or else the fat will return and all of that hard work will have been wasted.

When considering how much to eat, it is important to understand how much is being eaten. One pound of fat is 3500 calories. Therefore, if a person wants to lose two pounds a week needs to consume 1000 fewer calories during that week. There are all kinds of faddish dietary foods available, but the best thing to do is learn how to eat smaller portions of healthy food.

The more difficult part of starting a diet for most people is portion size. People are used to eating too much. Learning how many calories are in a portion size makes knowing how much to eat much easier.

Losing weight is not easy. The payoff for those who are willing to stick with a healthy lifestyle change is looking better, and most of all feeling better.

(photo credit: MikeBaird)

Author Bio: Jackie joined the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance in 2009 as research assistant after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in fitness and nutrition. Jackie’s experience in technical and medical research has allowed her to assist in the development of medical content and outreach efforts, with specializations in alternative care, cancer support programs, and social media campaigns.

We all know a good exercise routine is a crucial part of maintaining our health. But if your aerobics class has you feeling disenchanted, or you just aren’t thrilled with the idea of running to the gym lately, you definitely have other options you can try to keep your body moving toward your fitness goals.

Badminton
Some healthy exercise possibilities might surprise you. For instance, badminton can serve as a light or strenuous workout, depending on how intensely a person plays, and is appropriate for children and adults. The game utilizes the entire body because of all the movement it requires, and promotes upper body strength in particular, along with stamina, flexibility, and core stability. High-level badminton matches may have participants running up to four miles, and changing direction 300 times.

Belly Dancing
Belly dancing is a low-impact workout that promotes back and hip flexibility, increases core strength, and helps tone the entire body. Some people believe this dance form has considerable benefits for pregnant women, as it requires a woman to strengthen her abdominal muscles, which she will rely on intensely for delivery. Some of the deep breathing taught in belly dancing is also used in childbirth classes.

Exercise Pool
Water is a unique environment in which to exercise because the resistance it provides boosts muscle strength, flexibility, and stamina. An exercise pool or plunge pool can support most or all of a person’s bodyweight, which is especially helpful for an injured individual. That person can exercise without placing unnecessary stress on his or her injury.

In a water aerobics class, a workout can be tailored to suit individual needs and abilities just by adjusting the size and speed of workout movements. Every joint and muscle can be used simultaneously, and it’s even likely that the person exercising will work up a sweat (but will fortunately feel a little cooler in the water).

Ice Hockey
Don’t let the seasons limit your exercise routine. Instead, see what you can do with what the weather hands you. For the right person, ice hockey can be an ideal way to work out a little stress in the winter, while doing something fun with friends. The sport requires that a person engage his lower body and abdominal muscles to stay balanced, while the upper body is busy controlling the hockey stick. In just the typical 60 to 90 seconds a player is on the ice, his heart rate can reach 190, and even off the ice, he will continue burning calories.

Play with Your Kids
What better way is there to couple family time with personal fitness? Enlist the help of your little ones to tone your body while giving them the time with you that they crave. Grab your toddler and fly him around like an airplane. Put your baby in his carrier while you do lunges around the house. Head to the playground and play tag together, or grab your teen for a game of basketball. You’ll all be getting the best of both worlds.

The key to freshening up your workout is creativity. Don’t be afraid to try something new and enjoy the many benefits exercise brings to your body and your overall outlook.

(photo credit U.S. Navy)

Author Bio: Brandon Serna is a fellow fitness enthusiast who enjoys sharing the benefits of exercise pools with the world. His post today is supplied by Hydroworx.

The idea of an early morning workout doesn’t sit well with many people. After all, not all of us are “morning people.” Some of us hit the snooze button on our alarm clocks several times and drink several cups of coffee before we are ready to face the day. But did you know there’s actually a better way to wake yourself up in the morning? Here we’ll explore five reasons you may want to break out of your habit of hating mornings and start waking yourself up with exercise.

1.) It’s cooler outside for outdoor workouts.

If your workout routine involves running or cycling, then you’re probably not thrilled about the sweltering summer heat beating down on your head during your afternoon or evening runs or rides. In the morning, the air is still cool and you can run or ride before the sun has reached its full heat. Just make sure you wear light or reflective clothing if you decide to go running or cycling before sunrise, as motorists may have trouble seeing you on the roadways. Running or cycling in the morning is better than running or cycling at dusk because even after the sun starts to set, it takes several hours for the ground to cool off after a hot summer day.

2.) The gym is less crowded.

Have you ever noticed that 5-7 p.m. is when the gym is the most crowded? It’s not uncommon to have long waits for the cardio and weight equipment you need for your workouts. If your workout routine involves going to the gym, you will find far fewer people there in the early morning hours than you will in the afternoon. There is also a full complement of group exercises available in the morning at most large, modern gyms.

3.) Morning workouts are great for burning fat.

Fitness experts have long advocated for doing intense cardio exercise in the morning on an empty stomach because your body is primed for burning fat. Why? Because you have not yet brought any carbohydrates or sugars into your system that your body will choose to burn first. Your blood sugar is low in the morning, and with little other fuel in your body to burn, your body will begin to burn fat as an energy source. Who doesn’t want to burn fat? Just make sure you eat a healthy breakfast afterward.

4.) Morning workouts prevent you from procrastinating.

We all know it’s easy to come up with excuses not to exercise. As the day goes on, we find a hundred reasons to put off working out for tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. After work, our minds and bodies are often worn out and our natural inclination is to relax at home. However, in the morning, despite how sleepy we may feel, our minds and bodies are fresh. If we get a difficult workout over with early in the morning, we can spend the rest of the day doing whatever we like. Morning workouts kill your habit of procrastinating.

5.) Energy for the rest of your day.

It’s remarkable how so many of us get sleepy at work no matter how much sleep we get or how many cups of coffee we drink. An early morning workout helps keep you energized at work for longer periods of time, which can help improve your attitude and overall work productivity. After a few morning workouts, you may even discover you don’t need coffee after all because your endorphins provide you with all the “waking up” you need.

In conclusion, whether you are a morning person or not, you should consider incorporating a morning workout. Not only will you then have the liberty to relax after work, but you can spend time with family and friends without having to worry about squeezing a workout into your evening. Finally, if you get really ambitious, you can even incorporate the occasional two-a-day to really send your fitness routine into high gear.

Author Bio:  This guest post is contributed by Leslie Johnson, who writes about health, green living, parenting related articles at masters in health administration.

(photo credit Vince Alongi)

Editor’s note: The following is a guest post from Colin Reay

When I first started getting serious and focusing on my fitness, I found myself lost in a sea of information that threw me into a spin of analysis paralysis as well as wonder at how many ways your body can get fit. As awesome as it is, it can also be hard to know which one is best.

Well, there are only a few things you really need to know about fitness.

1. Anything Works If You Commit To It

Your body is best at adapting. That’s why stuff like P90X works because it forces your body to adapt quickly. And if you are safe to exercise, the more you have to adapt, the more results you will see.

After that, you should find something that you like to do. You are a million times* more likely to stick with a plan if you enjoy what you are doing. That’s why I have stuck with basketball and sports specific activities because they play directly into my sports competition.

2. Nothing Works if You Don’t Push Yourself

In order to get your body to adapt quickly, it needs a reason to adapt. So you will need to push it past its own comfort zone. When I coach athletes on how to jump higher, they have to jump more than they are used to so that their body will adapt to this new request we have put on it.

If you do not push yourself to at least a 70% level of exertion, then you won’t get anything out of it. That is what the heart rate monitors are for, so that you can see how your body gauges how hard it is working. The best thing about the human body is that you don’t need a heart rate monitor or need to spend any money for anything in order to work out. When I started, all I used was a high school track and the bleachers.

3. The Best Way to Watch Your Diet is to Think of Food as Fuel

Food fuels your body, and without it, you won’t be able to function. Think of a car without gasoline. That is why you get tired after you eat, because it takes so much energy for your body to break down the food but the food doesn’t give you any energy in return.

Also, don’t focus too much on controlling your diet. You will hate yourself and will be unlikely to keep your diet. So just make sure that for every bad meal, you eat four good meals. That is much more manageable than eating right all the time. Because you will be eating well 80% of the time which is likely better than you are now.

Try those out for your fitness hacks and don’t get caught up in everything that could get in the way of your fitness goals. And good luck.

*not an official statistic

Bio: Colin Reay has been coaching track and basketball for 7 years and has been working with athletes with jumping workouts and ways to jump higher at his blog JustJumpHigher.com

(photo credit lululemon)

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post submitted by Brian Williams

I am sure you have seen it if you ever stay up late at night watching T.V. It is on almost every night and early morning promising you the best body of your life and the ability to get in terrific shape in just 90 days. I am speaking of the infomercial about the exercise program P90X. I know you are probably thinking to yourself that these exercise programs that come on the television in the middle of the night could not possibly offer a good workout. If that is what you were thinking then you would have been wrong.

P90X actually offers a terrific exercise routine and actually will get you in incredible shape in just 90 days if you stick with the routine. With that said, this is a very aggressive exercise routine and is very costly. Let’s take a look at it and decide if this could be the right exercise program for you. Here are some things to think about before purchasing this program.

Time

P90X is a very time consuming routine that takes more time than the average person has to offer. The average time frame of a daily exercise DVD for this program is a little over one hour. Each video has a warm up and cool down phase before and after the actual workout. These workouts are indeed pretty long, but generally worth every minute you put in.

Equipment

To complete this workout program you will need many different types of home exercise equipment. P90X requires the use of a pull-up bar, weights or resistance bands, yoga mat, yoga block, chair or stool and other items. If you don’t have all the items the cost can really add up for you. Many other exercise programs also require you to have the same type of equipments. If you are interested in a program that tones you by lifting weights, which is very common, then this really isn’t that big of a deterring factor.

Space

I would rate this program as average on the amount of space required. If you have an empty room or basement to workout in then you have plenty of room to do the exercises required. One thing to consider is that you will need to have a doorway close by your space so you will be able to do the pull-ups in this routine. If you are exercising in a basement you could also purchase a pull-up bar that attaches to the rafters.

Cost

This is a very expensive exercise program. If you purchase P90X directly from beachbody.com you will be paying well over one hundred dollars. You may be able to find the program cheaper on eBay or Amazon but it will still be very expensive for an exercise video. There are many other exercise video programs out there that are less expensive and will still give you a very good workout. I suggest you just spend a little time reading some of the best exercise video reviews and you will find something that works for you.

Overall, P90X is a fantastic exercise program that really delivers on what they promise. If you have the time, space and money to spend then I would 100 percent recommend this program. If not just spend a little time looking around and you can find a great alternative. Something like Supreme 90 Day is a much cheaper option.

Bio: Author Brian Williams is the owner of FitnessGearReviewed and enjoys research on many different types of exercise. Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.

(photo credit Iwan Gabovitch)

While many people look to a fitness center for all their fitness needs, many of us just don’t have the time or personality to exercise at a gym. You’ll find most of us running trails or riding our bikes by ourselves, rather than sweating it out at a gym, shoulder to shoulder with people we’d rather not talk to or waiting and waiting for the class to start or the machine we want to open up.  Exercising by ourselves works well until the weather turns foul, or the roads get too congested to exercise safely outdoors.

That’s where an indoor bike trainer can fit the bill handsomely.

There are many instances in which a quick bike ride after work will get my metabolism up enough to maintain a decent level of fitness. Often, however, by the time I get home it’s already dark, or the temperature has dipped too low to make a ride feasible.  But when I attach my bike to a trainer, I’m undeterred.

Bike Trainers Best Suited For Interval-Style Workouts

Bike trainers aren’t particularly suited for long rides.  Although I’ve been crazy enough to have ridden up to four hours on a trainer when getting ready for the racing season, I wouldn’t recommend it.  I’m pretty sure I lost a few IQ points from the ride.

The best use of trainers is a relatively ’short and sweet’ workout.

For this reason, it may be best to steer clear of low-end wind trainers which are both noisy and unable to provide sufficient resistance to make an easy-hard-easy type workout possible.

Fluid trainers like the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine or the Cycleops Fluid 2 are more likely to fit the bill.

In case you’re wondering what kind of indoor workout I’m alluding to, let me give you a couple of examples, starting with a ‘descending-ladder’ type workout, and then including a ‘pyramid’ type.

Of course you should consult with your doctor before exercising, since they know your health status…and if for no other reason than to cover my butt when it comes to offering exercise advice to people I don’t know

Here’s an example of a Descending Ladder workout:

• Fifteen minute warm-up
• Ride ten minutes relatively hard, followed by five minutes easy.
• Ride eight minutes a bit harder, followed by four minutes easy.
• Ride six minutes a little harder, followed by three minutes easy.
• Ride four minutes a little harder, followed by two minutes easy.
• Ride two minutes a little bit harder.
• Fifteen minute warm-down.

Here’s an example of a Pyramid workout:

• Fifteen minute warm-up
• Ride two minutes hard, followed by two minutes easy.
• Ride three minutes a little less intensely, followed by three minutes easy.
• Ride four minutes a little less intensely, followed by four minutes easy.
• Ride five minutes a little less intensely, followed by five minutes easy.
• Ride four minutes, increasing the intensity back to the original ‘four-minute’ level, followed by four minutes easy.
• Ride three minutes, increasing the intensity back to the original ‘three-minute’ level, followed by three minutes easy.
• Ride two minutes, increasing the intensity back to the original ‘two minute level.
• Fifteen minute warm-down.

If you have the advantage of having a power meter on your bike or trainer, you’ll have the advantage of being able to closely monitor the intensity of each interval in these types of workouts.

A heart rate monitor can also give you feedback, but there is the disadvantage of having a lag between the change in level of exertion and the change in heart rate.  But with an accommodation for the delay, you can get a pretty good idea of how hard you’re working.

A Bike Trainer Fits The Bill

For a lot of people intent on staying fit, membership to the right gym is just the ticket.  But if you’re a ‘loner’-style exerciser (and who knows, maybe having a little bit of quiet exercise time…away from co-workers and family, may be just what you need each day), using a bike trainer when conditions outside are adverse may round out your home exercise program.

I know that my bike trainer has become critical to my year-round fitness campaign.

Bio: This guest post was contributed by Ron Fritzke. Ron is a cycling product reviewer with a passion for ‘all things cycling’. A former 2:17 marathoner, he now directs his competitive efforts toward racing his bike…and looking for good cycling products.

(photo by Mario Inoportuno)

On the journey to physical fitness one cannot underestimate the importance of exercise. Even though there are hundreds of different types of diets out there, not one alone is going to give you the results you desire. The key to weight loss is a combination of both, so it’s important that you are able to eat wisely and work out consistently. Not only does exercise burn excess calories, it also helps you tone muscle, improve metabolism, and develop strength. Just like it’s important to find a diet you are less likely to cheat on, it’s equally important to find a gym you can stick with. Before you sign a membership contract, be sure to shop around for a gym that fits your preferences and lifestyle.

Fits Your Preferences

You need to find a gym that fits your workout preferences. Before you visit every gym in a 20 mile radius, take a moment to think about your fitness goals and what types of exercise you most enjoy. If you are the type of person who gets bored easily and needs the support of others to stay motivated, look for a gym that offers workout classes. From cardio boxing to yoga, most gyms today have instructors who are trained to teach a variety of exercise methods. These types of classes are usually included in a membership, although some more specialized classes may have an additional fee. Those who don’t like to mix socializing with sweating will probably need to find a gym that has more to offer in the cardio room. Whether you like to walk it out on a treadmill or hop on a stair stepper, the more machines a gym has the less likely you are to get bored with your workout routine. And if your goal is to build or tone muscle, the weight room will be an important factor in your decision. Those who want to bulk up should look for a gym with a lot of weight lifting equipment while those who simply want to firm up should look for one with a variety of weight training machines.

Fits Your Lifestyle

You need to find a gym that fits into your lifestyle. If you are someone who has a hectic schedule that constantly changes from one day to the next, you should look for a gym with flexible hours. Most big chain gyms have extended evening hours, are open on weekends, and rarely close early. Belonging to a gym that stays open more often than it closes down will make it easier to find the time to get a workout in no matter how late you work. And for the person whose job requires them to work during the times that most people are asleep, there are even gyms that are open 24 hours. Smaller or independently owned gyms are more likely to have operating hours that accommodate the majority of people’s lifestyles and open later or close earlier. But if you are someone who has a daily routine that is fairly consistent, it may not matter that a gym closes at 10 p.m. every night. Whether or not a gym is big or small you just need to make sure that it is open whenever you are able to be there. It’s also important to find a gym that fits into your routine. Belonging to a gym that is too far away will only make it easier for you to come up with excuses as to why you just don’t have time to go regularly. Try to find a gym that is on your daily route, or located not too far from it. If you have to pass by the gym on your way to or from work, you’ll be more likely to make a pit stop and complete your daily 30 minutes of cardio before heading home for the night.

Bio: This guest post is contributed by Kitty Holman, who writes on the topics of nursing colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email id: kitty.holman20@gmail.com.

(photo by the_toe_stubber)

Sometimes I feel like my personal fitness goals are more of a “nice idea” rather than an absolute “declaration of war”. Simply thinking that it would be nice to run an X minute 5k or bench X amount of weight will never ever result in success. Unfortunately, fitness isn’t easy and anyone who says otherwise (even fitness bloggers) is lying. If you aren’t fully committed to the operation at hand, you will surely lose focus and be swallowed up by the vast opposing army. Rather, if we declared war against ourselves, our bodies and our laziness, we could go into exercise with an intensity level of 11. 

For many in today’s culture, apathy is the biggest enemy of fitness. Sure everyone wants to “get in shape” but it seems that few actually work up the will to make any significant change in their lives. We as a generation, are overweight, unhealthy, and are dying young. As you may have guessed, the problem is only getting worse. Recent obesity statistics have shown that 1/3 of the adult population in the United States is currently obese. That’s just insane.

Why are we this way? What has made us become so lethargic that we don’t even care that we are slowly killing ourselves? Maybe people are too busy and don’t have time to exercise. Perhaps people can’t afford the “healthy food”. Maybe, it’s genetic or the result of greedy fast food companies trying to get us all addicted to their high calorie meals. Sure, maybe it is all of the above to some degree. But the bottom line is that we, as individuals, are just too apathetic to make the change we really need to see in our own lives.  In general, I believe the root of our apathy boils down to this: we are ignorant about proper health and nutrition, we are dishonest with ourselves about the effects our lifestyles are having on us, and we are far too easily distracted from the real problems at hand.

Ignorant: At some point I’m sure we’ve all thought about losing a few pounds, putting on some muscle or just trying to get in better general shape. However, if you have tried at fitness and failed, what happened? Was it too hard to stick with? Was it too difficult to eat right? Chances are you just didn’t know what to do. I know that this was my problem. I dreamed about getting in shape for years but until I actually began doing research into what steps were necessary to lose weight, it was always a pipe dream. I’d eat a salad or two and get frustrated that I hadn’t dropped any weight on the scale. I was ignorant of the realities of calorie restriction and exercise in bringing about real and sustainable change.

If you don’t know how to begin a process of weight loss and successfully implement a fitness plan feel free to check out my 5 Fitness Baby Steps. This is how I got started and the exact steps I took to get back on track.

Dishonest: I think it is important to admit that to some degree, we have all been a little dishonest with ourselves. We know that the fast food that we casually pickup on the way home isn’t the best choice for us. We know that if we don’t make exercise a priority it isn’t going to happen on its own. We also know that we don’t want to remain out of shape forever. Simply put, this isn’t how we were made to live. It’s OK to let yourself hear some harsh truths every now and then.

Distracted: With family, work, school, church and personal time, our responsibilities can stretch us all a little thin. However, when you also add TV, internet, Xbox, blogging, twitter, facebook, etc it can quickly become ridiculously overwhelming. It is OK to unplug every once in awhile. With a continuous flood of information vying for your attention it’s difficult not to become distracted from the things in life that really matter.

The next time you feel the need to make a change in your life, act on it. Don’t wait until the next commercial break.

(photo by CCC)

Lately, some of my most exhausting (and most beneficial) workouts have involved sprinting. These types of workouts are often referred to as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and can leave you flat on your back, gasping for air. HIIT involves short duration high-intensity cardio with lower-intensity “recovery periods” and really isn’t for the faint of heart. However, if you can regularly push yourself to include exercises like these into your routine, you will experience greater gains in fitness than you previously thought possible.

Sprint workouts are great because:

-They require less time. If, like me, you come from the land of jogging, you may have slowly been improving your distance abilities. Perhaps you can go for miles and miles at a time. This is great. Personally, I still love long distance jogging. But if you need a killer workout in a minimal amount of time, sprint workouts are the way to go.

-They build muscle. Think about this. If you ever watch the Summer Olympics maybe you have noticed a slight difference between the appearance of the marathon runners and the sprinters. Both are insanely fit, but Usain Bolt looks like the Incredible Hulk next to the bulkiest marathoner. I have no doubt that they both spend their fair share of time in the gym, but the very nature of sprinting can build lower-body muscles, and fast!

-They improve speed. Running fast will naturally allow you to run faster. The more you work at it, the more results you will see. Track stars, marathoners, Ultimate players all crave increased speed. Who wouldn’t want to be faster?

-They improve endurance. This is a surprising benefit that I noticed after I began regularly sprinting. Last year, I spent hours upon hours training for a marathon. I did nothing but long, slow jogging. This past year, I moved jogging to the side and began working on speed. I have been playing Ultimate Frisbee several times a week and have even incorporated regular sprint workouts into the mix as well. As it so happens, I ran a half-marathon this past February and crushed my personal record.

There is actually a ton of science to back up these claims too. Statistically, it has been shown that bouts of high intensity exercise actually burn more calories and fat than traditional cardio does.

So, now that you’re sold on the benefits of sprint workouts, what should you do? The following routines are the ones that I have been doing with a small group of runners at a local track. The diversity that these routines offer really break up the monotony of running/walking/running and are actually fun.

Pyramid Runs: This exercise is strict jogging+sprinting in increasing distance intervals.

Jog 100M,
Sprint 100M,
Jog 200M,
Sprint 200M,
Jog 300M,
Sprint 300M,
Jog 200M,
Sprint 200M,
Jog 100M,
Sprint 100M

Of course, you can vary these distances as you see fit. The key is alternating jogging and sprinting with increasing and decreasing distance.

20-20-70: This is a workout designed to improve your performance in any sport setting. On a long straightaway mark off a 20 yard distance then mark of 50 yards more (for a total distance of 70 straight yards). Start by sprinting to the 20 yard marker. Turn around and sprint back to the start. Then turn around again and sprint all the way to the 70 yard marker. Finally, turn around and slow jog back to the start line. These are similar to old-school “suicides” with a much longer distance. Do 3 reps of these and see if you are still standing.

Stairs: These are my personal favorite. Find somewhere with a considerable amount of stairs (like the famous scene from Rocky). Begin by running up the stairs as fast as you can, making sure to touch every single step. Take it easy on the way back down. Repeat this 3 times. Next, run up the stairs as fast as you can touching every other step. Repeat 3 times. On completing the final rep, feel free to jump up and down with arms overhead. It makes you feel like a champ.

Each of these exercises are pretty intense (they are designed to be). Make sure you warm up first with at least 5 minutes of moderate jogging and stretching. Bring plenty of water with you and avoid going alone. Racing against a partner makes it much more fun and competitive.

(photo by tarunactivity)