Are you wondering if need a fitness assessment? It all depends on how active or inactive you are in your life. Being fit is very important for our bodies because exercise helps the blood to flow in the body and helps to fight against illnesses and some diseases.

To know if you need a fitness assessment, see how many of these reasons apply to you. If you realize that you might need a fitness assessment, contact your doctor or physician to see what you need to do to get healthier and in shape.

(1) If you have had any muscle spasms lately, then your flexibility is weak. You may have tight or weak muscles that need to get stronger.

(2) Is your resting heart rate below 60? If so, your body is not working hard enough while at a resting state. It should be between 60 – 80 beats per minute.

(3) Do you have a history of diseases or illnesses? If so, that is even more reason to get a fitness test. If you are fit, then your body can help fight against some of these diseases or illnesses.

(4) Do you have good or bad eating habits? Bad eating habits can cause fat and high cholesterol and / or blood pressure.

(5) Have you had your body measurements taken recently? If not, you should. A fitness assessment will do this so that you can see how healthy your body is.

(6) Do you know your body composition? This tells you how much body fat and lean mass you have. It is very important to see if you have extra fat that can cause harm to your body.

(7) Have you tried to lose weight or get in shape, but haven’t succeeded? A fitness assessment will help you get motivated and achieve your goals. This is an important mental test.

(8) Have you experienced low back pain? If you have, then a postural assessment will be done. Good posture is important for our bodies and health.

(9) Do you know what your basal metabolic rate is? This rate tells you what your daily calorie intake should be based on your age, gender, weight and height.

(10) How ready are you for physical activity? If you are not sure, than a fitness assessment will do all of the above and let you know how physically fit or unfit your body.

And you? What are your fitness assessments?

Michelle Wagner writes for the elliptical machines blog, her personal blog that shares best home fitness practices and elliptical reviews.

Fitness is important, not just when you’re into sports or a professional player, but also because it’s an essential aspect of a healthy life. When you’re not fit, you have trouble moving around efficiently and going about your daily routine without succumbing to fatigue even though you haven’t exerted yourself.

The trouble with getting fit however is that most people associate it with hours of exercise; they either don’t have the time or they’re not inclined to sweat it out just for the sake of fitness. What people don’t understand is that fitness comes to those who are smart and know how to take every possible shortcut to get there. So if you’re looking for fitness, here are five smart ways to achieve it:

• Power workouts work: It’s a myth that you have to spend hours doing intensive training if you want to get fit; those hour-long and longer workout sessions are for those who’re involved in professional sports or too obsessed with exercise. For the rest of us, it’s enough to spend as little as 10 minutes, three times a day spaced at random intervals, doing squats, lunges, stretches, or any other workout you can get done with little or no equipment. The other option is interval training – work out for just 15 or 20 minutes, but make every minute count. Instead of exercising at the same pace the entire time, sprint for 30 seconds, walk for next one minute. Repeat this cycle for as long as you can, and watch your weight go down and your endurance go up. It works with any kind of cardio exercise where you can vary the pace.
• Do what is convenient: Most people fail to exercise because they cannot wake up early enough to work their workout into the start of the day. And because they don’t consider any other time suitable for exercise, they neglect it altogether. If you want to get fit, work out at your convenience. Exercise when it’s convenient for you, not according to preconceived notions and times.
• Watch what you eat: If you work out, you’re bound to eat more whether you’re hungry or not; this is because your mind tricks you into believing that since you’re now working off the calories, you’re entitled to eat more of them. Resist this temptation because it’s the shortest way to gain weight even when you’re exercising regularly.
• Boost your level of activeness: This requires conscious effort at first, and after a while, it becomes a habit. When you move around constantly without staying sedentary for long periods of time, you boost your metabolism and contribute to faster weight loss and higher fitness. Get up and walk every half hour if your job requires that you stay seated; take the stairs instead of the elevator; park your car further away so you have to walk a longer distance; avoid taking your car if you’re going just a few blocks away – there are so many things you can do to become more active.
• Give up your excesses: And finally, if you want to become really fit, give up smoking and drinking too often; while the occasional drink does no harm, smoking and alcoholism drain your body of nutrients and leave you feeling and looking older than you are. So kick those habits first before you start your journey to fitness.

This guest post is contributed by Paul Hench, he writes on the topic of masters in public health. He welcomes your comments at his email id: paul.23hench@gmail.com.

Many people worry about losing weight before they go on vacation and to a certain extent I understand this. Why on earth wouldn’t people want to shed a couple of pounds so they can fit into last year’s bikini? The problem comes when people take things further and actually watch what they do and eat when they are on vacation and there are both positives and negatives to this.

The Postives To Keeping In Shape On Vacation

The first major reason for keeping fit when you are away is the fact that all of your hard work would not have been for nothing. More often than not you will find that when you are on vacation you put the weight that you lost through dieting and exercise in the run up to the trip, back on again. This is a bit disheartening which is why people still continue to watch what they are doing when they are on vacation.

The easiest way to keep in shape is to swim in the pool after each meal as this is going to work off the food you have just eaten in no time at all. The great thing about swimming is that it works pretty much every muscle in the body. When I am on vacation this is the tactic I use to try and keep in shape.

Why You Should Just Let Your Hair Down

There is a reason people go on vacation and it is to wind down and relax! Don’t worry about what you are eating as you can always cut back down again when you arrive home. Vacation is all about trying new things so explore the foods that the country you are in has to offer. If the country has some of the worlds best ice-cream then feel free eat it! I tend to visit the buffet restaurants when I am in places like the US (love the US btw) and I just eat pretty much everything because I am on vacation and it is acceptable!

In reality I think the best option is to take a bit both and have your vacation in this way, this is what I tend to do and it works out fine. Eat as much as you like but don’t go too mad and perhaps go for a swim every now and again to assist in the process. Using this method you will find you will not only have a fantastic time but will come back feeling good too!

Ryan is an SEO working for a company that deal with holidays in Devon , they will be offering out kids under 10 stay free in August Bank Holiday. You can follow him on Twitter @ ryanogs.

If you’re weighing yourself and are motivated by your results, keep up the good work. However, if you’re determined to get fit and constantly weighing yourself is “harshing” your motivation, stop. It isn’t helping.

Reality shows like “The Biggest Loser” may be fun to watch but drive home the motivational concept of “pounds lost” as the primary progress metric. There are others; e.g., clothing size, social reactions, and performance increases. So, why only focus on pounds lost?

As a still hip, post-college kid, I stumbled upon the philosophy of “stop weighing yourself” when I started riding a track bike for fun and accidentally lost 40 pounds. I remember I had just watched my brother compete in the Little 500 (a single speed bike race held in Bloomgington, Indiana, that is the subject of the movie “Breaking Away”) and was so moved by the event and his performance that I got on Ebay right after the finish and bought an old Schwinn. Nine months and about 2000 miles of riding later, none of my clothes fit, and people who hadn’t seen me for awhile freaked out at my slim appearance. Until I hurt my knee and was told by my doctor that I was a full 40 pounds lighter than my last visit, weight loss hadn’t even registered with me. Scary, huh?

My somewhat dramatic weight loss was a few years ago. Today, I’m still managing to keep the weight off through a combination of diet (vegetarian) and continual motivation in the form of personal training. Adam, my first fitness pupil, weighed about 260 lbs when we started. He wasn’t morbidly obese but had a pretty sizable gut. During his first five months we didn’t look at the scale once and only used clothing size, social reactions, and performance increases to gauge his progress; e.g. new jeans, cat calls, ability to bench 100 pounds. About six months into his routine, Adam got on a scale at a new gym and discovered he had lost 40 pounds! Awesome, right? Commitment and sustained effort had been the keys, not motivation from the constant tracking of numeric metrics.

The most recent pupil, Danielle, is experiencing similar results from similar motivation techniques. She’s more excited about being able to run three miles than losing a few pounds. She’s also getting married next year so she’s super pumped about having tone arms and legs. Oh, she’s also a woman so she’s totally against scales. Right, ladies? wink

Anyway, keeping track of your weight loss through numeric metrics can be motivating. However, it’s not for me, Adam, or Danielle and therefore not for everyone. At “Phil’s School of Hipster Fitness,” we don’t care about scales or weight. We care about fitting into our skinny hipster jeans.

Philip Golobish is a triathlete and personal trainer to nerds, hipsters, and musicians. When he’s not getting fit, he moonlights as an eccentric sports marketer that promotes golf stuff like Augusta hotels and horse stuff like the Kentucky Derby. Feel free to contact him about anything at pgolobish at gmail dot com.

How many exercise myths do you still believe in? This cool quiz contest over at eFitilogy.com will help you find out!

Not only will it make you a smarter person (the quiz is hard but you will be amazed at what you will find out) but it also gives you the chance to win one of the ~$1400 prizes:

	1st prize: $1,399-worth: E30R Tunturi Recumbent Bike
	2nd prize: $1,299-worth: E30 Upright Bike
	3rd prize: $379-worth: Power Blocks Classic 5-45lbs Adjustable Dumbbell Set

The quiz is located here: eFITology Exercise Mythbuster Quiz Contest

Now here are some details:

• Contest expires March 10th, 2010;
• Contest is open only to individuals who are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia and are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry.

Let me know how you did in the comments!

There are many arguments and counter-arguments over the uses of steroids. When someone mentions the word “Steroids,” what immediately comes to our minds are the images of muscular and hot bodies that are sculpted to look like Greek statues. The fact is that steroids are not just drugs that give you lean muscular mass and more athletic prowess; steroids can also be found in many medicines used to treat osteoporosis, weight loss, breast cancer, and in anti-inflammatory painkillers (Cortisone).

In fact, small doses of steroids can be even found in medicines as simple as harmless cough syrups. However, there are types of steroids that bodybuilders and athletes use, which are called anabolic androgenic steroids. It is this type of steroids that are often abused by people to gain faster results, and this over-use can land them in serious health troubles. 

These anabolic steroids are prescribed by doctors for boys that have problems during puberty like underdevelopment of male sexual characteristics. Anabolic steroids are given to these boys to increase the levels of the testosterone hormone, which is responsible for muscle growth and masculine features. Since, testosterone plays a pivotal rule in the development of muscles, sex drive and energy, bodybuilders and athletes abuse steroids to increase testosterone levels, thereby, achieving faster muscular growth and increased athletic performance  (the abuse of steroids like any other drug abuse may cause serious health issues and one may even end up getting into a drug rehab).

There is a huge debate in the athletic and bodybuilding circuits as well as within the medical communities regarding the advantages and disadvantage of steroid use and abuse. To evaluate whether using steroids is right or wrong, we have to study the cons and pros of steroid usage before coming to a conclusion. The following is a list of the pros and cons of steroids:

Pros

• Increased and faster muscle growth
• A leaner, muscular body that looks like it has been sculpted.
• Increased sex drive and energy.
• Increase in athletic prowess due to better muscle mass and higher energy levels.
• A new found confidence in self arising out of the gain in looks and vigor.

Cons

Like any other drug abuse, using steroids may cause serious after-effects:

Common for Men and Women

• Increased risk of muscle tears, tendon injuries and nose bleeds.
• Muscle cramps and aching joints
• Bad breath.
• Hair loss and acne.
• Insomnia
• Infertility
• Increase in risk of liver, kidney and cardiovascular diseases. Increased risk of cancer.
• Mania, depression and Psychosis.

Men

• Decrease in the size of the testicles, and increase in risk of prostate cancer.
• Growth of breasts (Gynecomastia).

Women

• Increase in risk of osteoporosis, and cervical and endometrial cancer.
• Increase in the size of the clitoris.
• Increase in male characteristics like facial and body hair, and increase in the deepening and hoarsening of the voice. Decrease in the size of the breasts.
• Uterine atrophy and Amenorrhea.

The cons of steroid abuse far outnumber the pros, and this is why all athletic and bodybuilding organizations and governments prohibit the use of steroids without doctors’ advice. Systematic training with proper diet will ensure positive results that are long lasting and devoid of side effects. At the end of it all, what is the use of gaining an unfair advantage over others at the cost of reducing your life span every time you use steroids? The money and glory do not stay long, and you will only have a malfunctioning body in the later stages of life.

I figured that was a great idea to start this way listing most fun ways to keep fit because that’s the point of this resource: to show you how to enjoy your workouts and healthy life style.

So here we go: only those ways you will enjoy!

1. Dance! I simply love dancing and I believe that’s a best workout ever invented. It is fun to learn new dance styles weekly or monthly to never get bored and I guess I need to list some cool ways to find new dancing tutorials online (good plan!).
2. Go gardening! You get double benefit here: fresh air and exercise. And besides, you make this planet better by caring for its plants (OK, 3 benefits already);
3. Go hiking: workout, plenty of fresh (traffic-free) air and new beautiful places every day – can’t wait when I have my vacation already!
4. Try shell collecting: if you are with your significant one, this one is also romantic!
5. Simply walk more. A good way to turn this one into fun is to take your camera with you and find new places daily where you think you can get amazing photos: urban scenes, people, nature, etc.
6. Start traveling! Do you know that skiing, for example, is one of the greatest workouts you could ever dream of? Try  ski holidays for example and you are sure to see your general health and mood improve greatly after that experience.

There are many more of course but why not start with the simplest and most enjoyable ones? So no excuse for waiting any longer – just start your new fit life today!

Am I motivating? I hope I am

Post image by cmaccubbin