It’s the holiday season, which means that it’s that time of year when our waistlines tend to expand. But there are things that everyone can do that will reduce the chances of horrible weight gain.

Keep up (as best you can) your workouts. You may slack on your diet (if you are on one), but it’s imperative that you try and keep up a regular workout schedule – keep those sneakers where you will be able to find them – and feel guilty if you don’t use them! You’re throwing so many more calories at your body during the holiday season, not keeping a regular exercise will very well make it worse.

Watch your alcohol intake. Beer and wine equal empty calories – keep count not just for your alcohol consumption, but remember that those are calories, too.

Eat slowly and don’t stand by the food. This seems like something straightforward and easy, but it’s amazing how much a difference it makes when the holiday season comes – a switch turns on, and for some reason people decide that they need to take a man and a van and pile all that food onto a plate and then put it in their body in two seconds flat. Don’t do that. Eat slowly, maybe slower than your normal rate, and allow your body the chance to recognize it is full. Those 20 minutes can make a huge difference. This way you won’t feel like a towing company has to come in and roll you out of the party.

I’ve done it before, too – we all have – and it is definitely not a fun experience.

Sleep! This is another thing that people forget to take into account – but with the holiday season comes long days (and nights) of travel. Make sure that you keep as similar a sleep schedule as you can – as with your workouts and your caloric intake, our bodies do not always adjust well to the change from new stresses – so one of the best things to do is to keep your body as regulated as you can.

Move! Don’t stay on one place: go walking, playing or traveling!

Overall, the best thing that you can do for your body is try and keep all your other routines as best you can – and eating a healthy meal before a party isn’t a bad idea, either – that way you’ll be less tempted to eat all the deliciously bad food before you.

Ashley Dean looks forward to the holiday season every year, and actually enjoys swapping out her Carolina boots and her man’s Dunham work boots for snow boots. She’s been writing for as long as she can remember, but only recently started doing so professionally.

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by *clairity*

Calorie counting and tracking workout intensity through software can often be a bit of chore. FitRabbit is a mobile app (currently only supported for the iPhone) that puts a twist on traditional diet and fitness software by turning your fitness goals into a fun, social game.

Through the app, you can win prizes for healthy activities and share your meals and workouts with your friends. Since it’s mobile (as opposed to being a web or desktop app), it makes it pretty easy to track what you’re doing. It pulls calorie information from the USDA (through an API called FatSecret) and has a heartrate monitor. And finally, the app was created by me, a normal programmer chick who’s just trying to stay fit

Fitness (and everything else, for that matter) is becoming increasingly social with the rise of Facebook, Twitter and now Google+. For me personally, there is nothing more inspirational to me than knowing that Julie and Steph buy delicious and healthy fruit from the Farmers’ Market. Or knowing that Chris lifts weights at the gym almost every day and then has a home cooked meal of salad and chicken cordon bleu. Through FitRabbit, I can see what healthy activities my friends are up to (if they choose to share that info with me.)

The app spices things up a little bit by turning the achievement of your health and fitness goals into a game. The Garden and Moo Prizes, for example, go to users who eat fruits and vegetables four times a week or drink enough milk. The Body Builder Prize (winning requires working out 5 days a week) can give users the incentive to get in that last workout at the end of the week. The capstone FitRabbit Prize can only be won by users who work out frequently, eat enough fruits and veggies, and avoid sugar.

The app tries to strike a balance between being advanced and, at the same time, fun and accessible to ordinary people, who are too busy to track every little thing or pore over multiple graphs and reams of data. Activity entry is pretty easy through FitRabbit. The user can snap photos of their meals and then do the calorie lookup later. I use the app while I’m on the elliptical. With a few taps and zero typing, I am able to track my heartrate while I’m working out. The apps aims to be useful, without being distracting.

I hope others will find this app as helpful as I have. Check it out and write a review! Or contact me at help@fitrabbitapp.com. I am constantly iterating on the app, and I would love to hear your feedback! Thanks!

The word endorphins seems to be one of the buzz words within well-being lifestyles, and it’s for good reason. All of us contain natural feel good chemicals commonly known as endorphins, and when these chemicals are released it makes us feel a sense of euphoria and can greatly influence our outlook on many things.

If you and your partner worked on releasing these endorphins collectively, on a regular basis, absolutely everything in your lives will be positively impacted.

Regular exercise reduces stress hormones such as cortisol. Releasing endorphins, dopamine and serotonin through exercise on a regular basis will literally give you a natural high. The release of these natural chemicals have the ability to mask pain as well as allow people to overcome depression. You’ll perform better at work and have more energy to play with the kids. And of course, your relationship will also reap the benefits. Your sex life is also set to prosper as a result of choosing to lead a healthy lifestyle. Make a commitment with your partner today to stay fit and healthy in unison.

Most couples who remain together for a long period will commonly face several health issues related to lifestyle. 1/ Their diet suffers. 2/ They fail to integrate any form of physical fitness into their routine and will generally find some kind of justification or excuse for neglecting this extremely important life choice.

In order to experience all the wonderful benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle within a relationship, the effort must be combined and not just for one partner. Any health expert or fitness advisor will tell you that a training partner greatly assists in maintaining motivation and consistency.

Getting started is quite often the hardest part, but the good news is that the majority of your efforts should be focused in the kitchen. Think of it this way, 80% of your focus should be aimed at diet and nutrition and 20% on exercise. Cooking and experimenting with food is a great way to spend quality time with your partner, more so when there is a mutual goal being established. Make regular visits together to the local organic fruit and vegetable markets. Map out your meals at the start of each week. The food you eat is the single most defining element to weight loss or weight gain – exercise is just the icing on the cake, so to speak.

Lead by example

Complacency is where you’re likely to fail. One partner must take the lead and be mindful not to resent the other partner if it seems like a one sided affair. Developing a healthy pattern requires more than just a routine, try and mix things up a bit so your routine becomes fun and diverse. You could enjoy fitness workouts like swimming, running at the beach, hiking, bush walking, a fitness class, walking, volley ball and tennis. Exercising does not mean you should have to slog it out at the gym six days a week. Make it fun and mix things up.

Whether you’re in a committed relationship or leading a life as a single person, maintaining your health takes motivation. Motivation can be achieved simply by leaving the house, inspiration then comes easily. Instead of watching TV, go for a run, or read a healthy lifestyle magazine to maintain enthusiasm. Aside from all the wonderful benefits you’re set to gain within your relationship, you’ll also reduce the risk of stroke and diabetes, increase flexibility, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression as well as improve your own self-confidence.

You’ll start experiencing the natural exhilaration of healthy living within the first ten days, it’s quite common for people to become addicted to this lifestyle, and this is one addiction worth having!

Matt Fuller is a contributing author for several leading dating sites in Australia and social network blogs. Matt has been an active contributor to the online dating Australia sector for more than ten years and works as a matchmaking consultant.

If you’re currently on a muscle building workout plan and have been finding lately that you’re seeing less than optimal development, chances are you’ve hit a growth or strength gaining plateau.  This is a very normal occurrence for almost every trainee because as the body adapts to the workload being given to it, it fully manages to overcome it and then no longer sees a reason to change.

If you want to keep your body responding as best as possible so that you can move forward and see greater results, you have to push it back out of its comfort zone so it has a new reason to sit up and grow stronger.

Coming up with innovative ways to shock your muscles into growth is the perfect solution to do this.  Remember, sometimes you don’t necessarily have to completely restructure your workout around to create the change necessary for growth.  Often it’s a matter of a little tweak here or there that can do the job perfectly.

Let’s look at a few ideas for you to consider.

Reverse The Order

The very first way to shock the muscles into growth is to reverse the order of the exercises you’re performing.  Do you normally start out with bench press and then move to incline bench and finish with chest fly’s?

Try doing this the other way around.  In doing so you’re going to be much more fatigued by the time that you hit the bench press, thus your muscles will be forced to work that much harder.

Note that you likely won’t hit any personal bests when doing the larger, compound exercises later, but that’s not the point.  The point is to work through fatigue and grow stronger so that then when you do go back to your usual order, you’re now able to handle more weight.

Utilize Half-To-Full Reps

The second thing to consider is utilizing half to full reps.  This is an excellent way to bring on a high level of fatigue and really get those muscles responding.

To perform these you simply move all the way down through the first half of the movement, but then rather than returning all the way to the start, only come up half way.  Pause for a moment, go back down to the bottom of the movement, and then come all the way back up once again.

Perform all your reps like this in each set of that exercise and you’ll definitely be feeling it by the end.

Change The Grip Position

Third, another good way to bump up the intensity of your workout program and get greater growth is to change the grip position.

For instance, if you always do your pull-ups with an overhand grip, try an underhand grip instead. Likewise, if you’re doing bent over rows with an overhand grip, an underhand grip can be used here as well.

Often this simple change will entirely alter the stress on the muscle tissues and provoke that much greater strength gains.

Do Timed Reps

Another way that you can change around your workout set-up and see greater results is to perform timed reps.  With this technique, instead of doing your normal set of say 8-12 reps, what you’re going to do is see how many reps you can complete in one minute’s time.

Note that the point here is not to reduce the weight so you can lift for a minute straight, but rather, keep the weight at the same level and squeeze out as many reps as possible, even if breaks have to be taken.  If you’ve reached fatigue, pause until you can go again, and then continue on with your reps.

Once the minute is up, switch to a new exercise.

Try Single-Limb Exercises

Finally, the last way to shock your muscles into experiencing better growth is to use single-limb exercises.  In some cases you may have one muscle that’s stronger than the other that’s overcompensating for the weaker muscle group.

For instance if you’re doing a bent over barbell rows and one arm is significantly stronger, the other may not be pushing as hard as it should.

By switching this up to dumbbell single arm rows instead, you eliminate this problem from occurring.

So keep all of these quick and easy changes in mind. It’s vital that you’re constantly seeking out new ways to further stimulate your body so that you can take your strength and muscle growth to the next level.

This article has been contributed by Aishwarya Vohra. She works for Offshore Ally- a leading online source for reliable virtual assistant and SEO link builders.  She is a avid reader and enjoys practising yoga. Connect with her via Twitter.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by Ron Sombilon Gallery

Today, when there are so many responsibilities and social roles women play, not many of them have time to take care of themselves and their health. However we all know that any woman cannot accept the fact that she is not beautiful.

It is a common practice for people to think that most workouts can be done only in gym. But that is not the whole truth. In fact, you can workout whereever you feel comfortable.

For Arms

Many women are interested in exercises that target a particular area. Most women with chubby arms are often insecure and less confident. They don’t feel comfortable wearing shirts with short sleeves. For them hand workouts can be a good choice.

Some effective and suitable hand workouts include Pushups, Tricep chair dips, Cable curls, Skull crasher and Dumbbell curls etc.

For Legs

Legs are another problematic area for women. Especially thighs that are fat can be a big source of discomfort for many women. This can be prevented by performing few effective leg workouts. Leg workouts may include Leg raises and Squats.

Leg raises greatly helps in shaping your thighs and strengthening your leg muscles. Squats perfectly tone your thighs and buttocks. Squats should initially be performed without using any weights but once you get a hang of it to have better results you should start using some weights.

Penned by Jeffery Martin with P90X retailer. To help you obtain Leandro Carvalho’s Freshest exercise routine take a look at brazilian butt lift workout.

Life these days become so busy that it seems impossible for a person to spare some time for workout but ways described in the following list can help you a lot to include exercise in your daily life without much efforts and you can maintain your fitness automatically.

Everybody is familiar with the need of physical fitness and mental soundness. Basics of healthier lifestyle are to workout more and eat better. Although, it can be difficult to include health exercise into your daily life, especially for those who are stuck in a sitting job but still there are some tips for them to make their body more functional and movable during the whole day.

Luckily, you have many ways to include different activities in your daily life in order to reduce your weight or to remain fit. It will make you healthy and active.

1. Try to brush your teeth not just standing in front of the mirror. You can lift knees and mark time. Also try to tighten abdominal muscles while lifting knees.

2. Morning walk is recommended because of high quality oxygen available at that time in the atmosphere. Try to include it at least twice a week in your life.

3. Try not to bother your half to make breakfast for you, prepare it for yourself and try to put all the stuff back in the kitchen. That can improve your relationship as well.

4. If your office is not far away try to walk rather than using your car.

Instead of elevator you can use stairs.

5. If you are using car then you can get rid of some of your calories by parking your car farther away from your destination but don’t get late from your office by doing this.

6. Experts also suggest jaunting down and up the stairs or have a walk for some time in the office and do not be seated all the time.

7. For eyes it is recommended by the ergonomic experts that take of your eyes every hour or so from the computer screen.

8. Tensing and releasing the stomach and back muscles is also an excellent exercise.

9. Try to chat with your colleagues often while walking in the office. It not only increases your physical activities but also leave a good impression on your mates.

10. After lunch, spend the remaining lunch time in walking. You can take walk within your office building. This activity will help you in settling food.

11. When you come back from your office don’t restrict your life to only TV, try to socialize with your neighbors.

12. You can reduce some calories while gardening and housework.

13. When your family gets together try to plan an outdoor game instead of watching TV or board games. Try to arrange games like horseshoes, badminton or just kick a soccer ball around.

14. You can lift dumbbells or walk on treadmill while talking on phone with your girlfriend or wife when they are away from you, because in such case call must be long and you have much time for workout.

15. You can join your children for bicycle ride at weekends.

16. Workout when your children do. If you have to pick your child in the afternoon game practice, instead of talking with another partner or reading a book consider, walking or running around the perimeter till your child completes the practice.

17. Workout in front of the TV while watching your favorite program. You can walk instead of lying on couch or you can triceps dips off the edge of the coffee table during the commercials.

18. Try to wear casual clothing’s, it will provide an opportunity to your body to relax and movement of your body can be increased by it.

19. Take remote control and find out exercise TV channel, there are several and you can even chose. Don’t exercise too long, workout until you like it.

20. If your neighbors are fond of sports never fight with them because you can miss the opportunity to lose some calories while playing with them.

21. Try to spend a little time in your kitchen in cutting vegetables and helping your soul mate in cooking, this activity not only good for you relation but also for four body fitness.

22. If you have little babies then you can lift them and can play with them to burn your calories, it not only makes you slim but can also bring pleasure for you as well as your baby.

23. Availability of treadmill at home can increase the probabilities of doing more exercise daily. 3 minutes walk is more than 0. Don’t aim on long exercise, do as long you can and want.

24. Try to have a little walk after having a supper and plan your sleep time at least two hours after dinner.

25. Yoga is also an excellent exercise; you just need a piece of carpet and a quite room. 10 minutes of yoga can do miracles for your body and mind.

26. When weather is not good, go in a shopping mall and do window shopping. You can go further by trying clothes just for fun.

27. Giving a wash to your car at weekend can also help burning some of your extra calories.

28. Try to adopt a light hobby like painting or playing lawn tennis in your courtyard to bring your limbs into motion.

29. Drink lots of water and herbal tea – you will go to toilet more often and spend less time sitting. Don’t prepare a jug of tea, instead of this walk every time to the kitchen to prepare the next tea.

30. Take a pet and take care of it. Dogs need every day walk.

Try to remain physically active and involved in all the issues going on in the office as well as home. It will keep you busy physically as well as mentally occupied and you will never be bored from your life.

Rumiana Ilieva is author of exercises for women website, where women can find exercise videos, diet plans and cellulite treatment advices.

First things first, I’m not a fitness expert by any means. BUT if you’re anything like me, you are starting to get frustrated with all of the “experts” out there. Telling you to first “do this,” but then a new study comes out and really, “doing this,” is actually hurting your physique.

As I am a fairly modest person, I hate to even admit that I am actually in good shape. Of course I have the occasional terrible-no-good-for-you-in-any-shape-or-form meal or snack…but hey, I’m not claiming to be perfect.

Although I may fall off the healthy food wagon sometimes, I always at least balance it with a good workout schedule. I am someone who puts fitness as a part of my daily routine. I schedule it right into my agenda so I know I will get it done. Where did I gain this mandatory-workout mindset? I got it from being an athlete.

I grew up with sports. Tennis, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, cheerleading… you name, I did it. For those of you who think kids these days are over-worked, take a good, long look at the obesity totals in children today…I’m sure your viewpoint will change. Obviously there is a fine line of “living through your kids” and just making sure they stay active, but you get my point. I am so thankful that my parents enrolled my sisters and me in sports as children because it taught us that staying active was just a part of life! All three of us continued to play sports throughout middle school, high school, and even through college (two played NCAA DI tennis, while I played NCAA DIII tennis and 2 years of collegiate track & field). Now, as adults, we have the same mindset to stay active and make it a part of our daily schedules.

All sounds fine and dandy, right? No, not so much. I’m human. I get bored with the same workout routine, working out at the same time every single day, and sometimes not having the extra push to get to the gym. Here’s the thing…I can’t let these annoyances or boring workouts get the most of me. So how do I combat them? Below I have provided a few tips that may help you when you find yourself in a workout rut. Keep in mind, just because these tips work for me it doesn’t necessarily mean each will work for you, but I thought I’d share:

1. Spice it up. Try a new activity or sport. Belong to a gym? Sign up for classes. I can definitely say, from experience, this works! I signed up for a 6-week boot camp at my gym. While the 5:15 AM workout did not seem appealing at first, I knew I would feel better and even gain some new tips to enhance my personal workouts! Man, I noticed results after the first two days (no, I’m not exaggerating). Having an instructor push you to try your hardest really put me back in “athlete mindset.” I had a practice. I had a coach. I had to work my butt off to stay on top of everything. In the end? I was ready to sign up for another session!

2. Sign up for a race. Registering for a future 5k, 10k, Half or Full Marathon, etc. will give you the extra “umph” to workout. After dropping some moolah for a race, you’ll be SURE to train your best so that on the race day you will feel SUCH a sense of accomplish and of course get your money’s worth.

3. Make it work. Make working out a part of your daily schedule. Have plans after work? Get a workout in during your lunch. Have plans at lunch? Get yourself out of bed a little early and get to the gym. Making your workout a vital part of your day will ensure that you’re getting at least your 30 minutes of daily activity. Also, with a couple weeks of this mindset, adding fitness to your daily routine will become a no-brainer!

I hope some of these tips will help you increase your fitness activity and help you get moving on a daily basis! I guess I should mention that I also have an additional motive…I’m engaged to be married in the fall. Fitting into that wedding dress and having toned arms for the wedding pictures are a must!

When Ali isn’t running, playing tennis, or trying new workouts, she can be found promoting fitness to all the techie guys in the office. In addition to fitness, Ali also promotes clothing and formal wear such as the prom dresses found at Peach’s Boutique (which is fun since she is searching for bridesmaid dresses for her wedding!!).

It is a known fact that the majority of people are overweight. It is also a fact that the majority of these people do not do something about it because either they do not believe in themselves or because they are too bored to do something. Losing weight and becoming fit is not a difficult thing when you follow some simple and effective strategies. In this post we outline the 7 best weight loss and fitness tips that can change your life forever.

1. Start slow, aim high

If you haven’t exercise for years and one day you decide that you want to be fit, it is better to start slow and gradually introduce exercise and fitness in your life. You see the main problem that people have with exercise and fitness is that they get bored easily. They rush out to achieve super fast results and after a few weeks they get disappointed and quit. You need to avoid this situation and they way to do it is by exercising for 2 times per week and gradually make that to 3-4 times. You do not need get exhausted in the gym every day, 30 minutes of exercise at the beginning is enough and then as you become more experienced you can set higher goals.

2. Plan your way to success

Fitness and weight loss is like any other big project. Big projects in order to succeed they need a concrete and detail plan. Create your own fitness and exercise plan that is customized to your needs and abilities. Set your milestones and targets and stick to your plan until you get the results you want.

3. Make sure you know what you want to achieve

When it comes to weight loss is not enough to say ‘I want to lose weight’. You need to make your goals more tangible and meaningful. For example you can say ‘I want to lose 10 pounds by the end of May’. This is a measurable goal which can be used as the target for your weight loss plan. You can take this target and break it down into smaller phases so that it will be easier to achieve.

4. Track your progress and take actions

Whenever you have a plan you also need to have ways to monitor the plan. This is also true for your weight loss efforts. Once per week (not everyday) you need to analyze your progress and when necessary take corrective actions. If for example your plan is to lose 2 pounds per week and you see that by the end of the week you did not meet your goals then you can either: Follow a more intensive exercise schedule for next week combined with a stricter diet or change your goals to 1 pound per week. What is important is to follow up your plan and take corrective measures.

5. Flexibility is good but sometimes discipline is better

We just mentioned above that you need to be flexible when it comes to your plan. This is true, flexibility can sometimes help you achieve more but there are cases that you need to have discipline as well. In other words this means that you should try your best to meet your goals and not always choose the easy solution. Weight loss is a tough process that needs time and commitment.

6. Weight loss is not only about losing pounds

While trying to lose weight you should not forget that there are many more benefits to your health other than looking slimmer. Through exercise and fitness you can improve your quality of life and state of health. Losing pounds is only one of the benefits, the other benefits are more important and this is what you should aim.

7. Enjoy the process and you cannot fail

The last of the 7 weight loss tips presented here is probably the most important, you need to enjoy what you do otherwise you will not succeed. We mentioned at the beginning that the biggest problem of the whole weight loss process is that people get bored and quit. You need to take this very seriously. Do not just create a plan or fitness schedule and aim only for results. What you should do is follow a plan that you like enjoy and is within your abilities and physical boundaries. Enjoy the process, be patient and with discipline and you will see that at the end you will make it. Good luck!

This is a guest post by Myln. Myln maintains his own weight loss blog where he shares easy to follow weight loss tips that can help you lose weight in a natural and healthy way.

Working out and exercising have come a long way since the Jane Fonda days. Instead of having to go to a gym or buy expensive workout videos that will surely begin to clutter the house, those who are fans of working out can now get non-stop access to aerobics, weight training, and pretty much any other kind of exercise they could imagine. The dawn of niche television allows channels like The History Channel, Food Network and FitTV to bring hard-core history buffs, foodies and exercise fanatics their fill and them some of their hobby/obsession of choice.

FitTV shows episode after episode of instructional exercise segments, each geared to a certain exercise style and fitness level. One show may teach belly dancing, and in the next a group of gleeful, spandex- and Lycra-clad Nordic people teach cardio with Kilawea and the Hawaiian coast in the background.

Julie Almeida, the personal fitness guru for the Examiner.com-Birmingham, recommends a show with an up-tempo workout: “Hip-Hop Dance with Madonna Grimes”. The show is a feature of the All-Star Workout Segment. Almeida gives readers a run-down of the workout. She adds the moves are not only good for workouts, but also go from the workout studio to the dance club. She says her favorite move is called the “chicken head”. While most people associate a dance by this name with the dancer moving their head like a chicken, Almeida says this particular move has the dancer moving “like a chicken with your head cut off”. She also adds one of the main benefits is the cardio workout.

Almeida reports the workout is not only fun, but covers the general core areas of the body. With the warm-up, she says, Grimes teaches a move called the “chest pump” which loosens the upper portion of the body for the next phase of the workout, the dance portion. The next segment, Almeida says is longer, and where the meat of the workout is. In this segment Grimes teaches the actual dance routine. Finally, she says, the workout ends with a set that works out the abdominal muscles. The session Almeida tested worked out her oblique muscles, more popularly referred to as “love handles”. She says the continuous movement throughout this portion of the workout is the cause of muscle burn, but better results.

For many people, sticking to a workout routine is not easy. When the workout is enjoyable, it helps. Having a workout buddy is another good way to keep yourself on track. The continuous workouts offered by FitTV promote a healthy lifestyle for those who want to keep in shape. For those with busy or odd schedules, the program line-up allows them to choose when they will “attend” their workouts. This would definitely be an incentive for those who cannot make it to a gym when it is open, or who prefer to workout in the privacy of their own home.

Image courtesy sxc/pacapa
Trina L. Grant is a fitness and social media blogger, as well as a freelance writer and editor. You can find more information about these as well as all things freelance writing on her website and blog.

Whether you are trying to stop smoking or going on a diet, it is hard to break and make habits. Sticking to a workout schedule is no different. According to an article by eHow.com’s Sports and Fitness Editor, as with any other goal, making a strategy is the very first step to actually beginning your new health regimen. Your workout plan will be your guide and your director. Having a set plan to follow is like mapping your way before you begin a trip. You stand more of a chance of getting where you want to go if you are not out wandering around aimlessly.

The first phase of your workout strategy is planning. Taking the time to sit down with forethought will give you a general idea of where you want to go and how you want to get there. Your very first task in the planning phase is to decide how much time you are able and willing to devote to this endeavor. You should be realistic. If you overestimate your mini-goals and don’t meet them you may lose heart and give up. Give yourself a reasonable schedule and you will more likely meet your goals, which will encourage you to continue.

Next, you should decide the type of exercise that meets your needs, schedule and abilities. Two of the most common types of workouts are cardiovascular and weight training. Cardiovascular, or “cardio” are exercises that get your heart and other organs pumping and moving and working. It increases blood and oxygen levels in all the organs of the body. Weight training, or weight lifting helps build muscles and tones up your body.

The next step in the planning phase is commitment. Committing yourself to this goal is, according to the article’s author, the most important step. Making a serious vow to yourself, especially when it involves health and well-being, is enough for many people to stick to the their plan. So sit down and have that serious talk with yourself. Follow your schedule to the letter for at least a full month. Four weeks should be enough time for it it become ingrained in your psyche.

The next area is cardiovascular exercises. Cardio is what gets the blood pumping, so to speak. Many athletes use cardio as a warm-up and cool down before and after they perform a heavy exercise routine. Approximately thirty minutes a day of cardio is adequate for the average person. Choose one specific exercise for each day of your workout per week. Examples of typical cardio exercises the author refers to are, “treadmills, stair-climbers, jogging, cycling, and swimming”.

It is imperative to begin any physical activity with a warm-up and vigorously stretch for at least five minutes, at a moderate pace. You should never overdo it or workout until you feel burning or straining. This “set” should last no more than about twenty minutes. Just like the beginning of the workout, again you should end your workout with much lighter activity for five minutes to cool down. As you become more accustomed to the rigors of your workout you can increase the duration of your workout sessions as it fit your needs. Finally and nearly equally as important as planning the ultimate goal is the hardest part: sticking to your schedule. The very first time you let yourself slack off will make it easier for the next time. You must discipline yourself from the start.

The plan for a good weight lifting workout is a little more intricate than a cardio workout. To begin with, plan for a workout no longer than an hour in duration. However, do not workout less than half an hour. To achieve your workout goals during the time you allotted yourself, you should steer clear of socializing too much. A short rest of sixty seconds or less is plenty between sets.

To begin training with weights you should first remember the rule from the cardio workout-always perform warm-ups and cool downs. The novice weightlifter should first spend time researching this new hobby. The sport can be dangerous and it is essential to be informed of the risks such as muscle strain, tendon injuries and even broken bones. There is a plethora of potential injuries in a sport such as weight lifting. Always have a spotter, or someone to watch you and be there to prevent you from injuring yourself. Once you have taken all these precautionary measures, you can begin by conditioning your whole body at the same time. It is important that all three major muscle groups, upper and lower body and back, be equally exercised.

As you began to become more confident and skillful your newly-found experience will allow you to begin to plan more intricate workouts, focusing on one area of the body at a time. This is referred to as a split. It allows you to concentrate on different muscles groups which gives you more multi-faceted workout results. It is important to rest between each session. No muscle group should be worked out two days in a row, or it defeats your purpose, and you won’t make any progress. Muscles can only regenerate and become stronger while they are resting after being exercised. There is really no point in pushing oneself too far, thinking you will bulk up any faster.

Any physical activity should first be preceded with advice from a personal physician. Working out and getting sufficient exercise is important for good health, but overdoing it can cause irreparable damage. Following guidelines and sticking to a planned schedule will help you keep yourself on track, and prevent injuries from strains or overwork. Having a friend or partner to work out with is always good for incentive. Reward yourself when you achieve your monthly goal. A good workout routine and being actively fit will show results far into the future.