Simple Tips To Help You Keep Your Get Fit Commitment

People's new year resolutions always include getting fit. Years have passed and it is always there. Why? This is simply because people would easily give up on their diet and fitness plan. Only 45% of those who resolve to have a better fitness regimen become successful according to studies. You have another chance of improving yourself in this new year. If the past years were failures, get over them. Seeing this year in a different perspective is a good idea. Here are some helpful tips to reach your fitness goals.

You should first remember that fitness is a way of life. This isn't just a 2 week affair. And fitness doesn't happen overnight. It will take weeks for you to see results. Working out to get fit does not necessitate huge amounts of time and excruciating pain. You should have an exercise that works your entire body as part of working out for fitness. Cardio exercises will help you enhance your heart, lungs, and circulation. Having weight bearing exercises will enable you to strengthen your bones, muscles and joints. You should set realistic expectations so that you will not be overwhelmed. Small victories feed your motivation and keep you inspired.

Make it an effort to enjoy your exercise. You need not to perform boring exercises. You can jog or walk, play outdoor sports. If you enjoy what you're doing you're more likely to keep doing it. Activities that require you to increase your supply of oxygen are termed as cardio exercises. Even if you just run up and down the stairs 20 times, that is cardio exercise. Resistance or weight bearing exercises are those which utilize your body weight against gravity. Using free weights and weight training are examples of these. In order to maximize the benefits, you should work your largest muscles. The core muscles, thighs, glutes and back are large muscle groups.

Assessing and planning your meals can make a huge difference. Try to examine the foods that usually make up your meals. Chances are, you'll be able to substitute or cut back on fats or sugar. Making changes in your diet need not be traumatic. Introduce changes one at a time. For instance, make do with 3 cans of soda instead of 4. Replace it with a sparkling glass of cool water. Once you get used to it, subtract another can of soda, and so on. Take the time to eat a healthy breakfast every morning. Your succeeding meals will be smaller than when you haven't had any breakfast.

The perfect bodies you saw at the gym were not built overnight. It took months, even years to get there. It is never beneficial to compare yourself with others. It will only weaken your resolve. Instead, keep your eye on your goals. Who knows, you just might get to wear that itsy bitsy bikini next summer.

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Get The Lowdown on Stretching

One of the natural human activities is stretching. For some people, it's the first thing they do upon waking up. There are lots of benefits in stretching. Your muscles will be relaxed and your flexibility will be improved with stretching. After working out, stretching can minimize your muscle soreness. With this, you are able to increase your range of motion which is necessary in performing activities of daily living. Fitness trainers usually incorporate stretching into their client's fitness programs. There is still some controversy on the role of stretching in injury prevention. You should warm up your muscles before you perform stretching. There are evidences that this may prevent injury when performed properly.

Stretching can be done before and after an activity. Stretching before and after working out may provide you with lots of benefits. It should be done after warming up. You are at risk of acquiring injury if you do this when your muscles are stiff and less pliable. Stretching should not be included in your warm up routine. Usually, we utilize cardio exercises as our warm ups. It can also be an exercise that is part of your routine but at a lower intensity. Do 10 to 15 minutes of warm up. Aging causes us to lose some of our flexibility. Even as we age, it would be best to maintain a good range of motion. In this way, we will be able to perform our daily activities independently.

Exercise activities commonly utilize static stretches. Static stretches may be active or pssive. Dynamic stretches involve speed of movement, momentum and active effort. Static stretches hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds. Movement is involved in dynamic stretches. Think arm circles and walking lunges. Both dynamic and static stretches can improve flexibility and range of motion. Static stretches however can affect immediate physical performance. You should avoid static stretches before the game if you are an athlete. Other types of stretches are ballistic, isometric and PNF or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. PNF is a combination of static and isometric exercises.

There are a lot of static stretches that you can use as part of your fitness routine. It addresses all parts of the body and can help towards achieving greater flexibility and range of motion. The most common stretches observed in the gym are tricep, quadricep, hamstring, side, chest and shoulder stretches. Hips, neck and the lower legs can also be stretched. Ask your fitness trainer how to properly execute these stretches. Stay safe.

If you can, make it a point to include stretching in your workout routine. There can be lots of benefits you may get from stretching if you can do it properly. It elongates the muscles of your arms, legs and torso. You will be able to improve your over all health as well as the aesthetics of your muscles. You will be able to have sleek and attractive muscles if you consistently stretch.

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Design a Fitness Plan That Works For You

You will surely achieve success regarding your workout plan if you stick to it. You may be utilizing the best workout plan. However, if you are not putting it into action, what good does it do? On the other hand, working out without a plan is also disastrous. Therefore, a successful fitness program depends on these two factors. These are: A good exercise plan and the willingness to stick with it. Designing your own workout plan has its advantages. After all, you are the one who knows your body the most. Listed here are some tips you may utilize for you to formulate your own effective workout plan.

Both cardio and weight bearing exercises are involved in an effective workout plan. It would be best to ask for a professional advice before you initiate on these activities. You can start on your workout plan only when the health professional has given you his go signal. Having a basic knowledge of your muscles and how they function is important. You may surf the internet or see some books to get this information. It may also be necessary to familiarize yourself regarding basic exercises that work different parts of your body. Safety in exercise is always of prime consideration. You need to practice good form. You should also stay away from exercises that put you at risk of getting injuries. A lot of people would over estimate their strength. You should be conservative in approaching your workouts. You can work your way up from there.

Plan to include cardio, weight training and stretching exercises in your exercise plan. It is enough to have 15 to 20 minutes of cardio exercises each day. You also have to consider warm up and cool down routines. When working on weight training, divide your muscles into two groups. For example, one group would consist of back, biceps, buttocks, hamstrings and oblique abdominal muscles. The other group would include chest, shoulder, triceps, quadriceps and the rest of your abdominal muscles. Gather a list of exercises for each specific muscle group. In this way, you are all set to devise your own workout plan.

You have to start with basic weight training workouts for each muscle group. You can always improve on it later. Do one group of exercises on the first day. The second group of exercises should be done on the second day. Reserve the third day for rest. You can also do all exercises in one day. Make sure, though, that you give your body a rest the next day. Schedule cardio exercises after weight training. This is to make sure that you're not too tired to perform your weight training exercises.

Coming up with a good workout plan requires basic knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the human body. There are many web sites that provide information on these. Knowing how your body responds to a specific exercise is an invaluable tool in designing a workout plan. You are ultimately accountable for your body and its health. It is your responsibility to keep it fit. Getting the credit for keeping it in shape is an added bonus.

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Workout Tips For Strength Training

Strength training provides benefits which everybody will enjoy. You may think that it's a guy thing, but it's not. Even the older people can benefit from regular resistance training. Long term weight loss necessitates strength training. Doing cardio exercises is good. You will be able to lose weight faster with the combination of cardio and strength exercises. You may also firm up and lift your droopy muscles with this.

There is a diminishing muscle mass as the age advances. This may also increase fat percentage. Muscle mass will be maintained if you do strength training. Building muscles protect you from injury and promotes better balance. You will develop strong bones as well as increase bone density by lifting weights. Your stamina and endurance will also be developed. Diabetes may be managed with strength training because of its effect on the metabolism. Obesity may also be controlled with this. It also aids in sharpening the cognitive abilities of older adults.

Weight training can be done in the gym or at home. You may also perform your chin ups using monkey bars in playgrounds for the public. You may use your own body weight as well. Do crunches, push ups, squats and pull ups. You can use resistance bands as well. As the name suggests, they are elastic bands that provide resistance when pulled. They can be used anywhere and are great for those who travel. Usual strength training tools are barbells and dumbbells. Gyms have weight machines that can help you execute exercises properly. You can also avail these weight machines which you can use at home.

Seek your doctor's approval before beginning any exercise program. Once you're cleared, start slowly. Do some warm up first for 5 to 10 minutes followed with some stretching exercises. Choose weights that can tire you out after 10 to 12 reps. You should make sure that you execute your moves properly. You can do strength training for 20 to 30 minutes 2 to 3 times a week. Your muscles will have more time to recover in this way. Muscle soreness is normal and may last for 48 hours. However, pain and inflammation of the joints are not. See your doctor immediately if these symptoms develop.

Making strength training part of your fitness routine can boost over all health. You can improve your muscle tone and bone health with this. This can help you control obesity in combination with a well balanced diet. Best of all, it's not that hard to fit it into your schedule. You may utilize your own body weight in some exercises. In a few weeks, you will be able to appreciate improvements in your stamina, endurance and strength.

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How To Increase Your Metabolism To Keep Weight Off

Efficient burning of body fat is regulated by your metabolism. If you want to keep excess weight off for life, you have to learn how to increase your metabolism and keep it at a high level. The key is in knowing how to eat properly and building more muscles. Proper eating answers the questions what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat. Building muscles also includes proper eating as well as proper exercise.

Certain food and drinks should be taken with caution because they increase your metabolism. You should learn the difference between those groups so that you know what you should choose and what you should avoid. Foods that need extra energy to be digested and metabolized by the body are the ones that raise your metabolism. One of such foods is protein. The body uses twice as many calories to burn protein as compared to the digestion of carbohydrates and fats. The worst kind of simple carbohydrate for your metabolism is sugar. Many processed and natural foods contain many kinds of sugar and the worst kind that can slow down your metabolism the most is high fructose corn syrup. You can however speed up your metabolism with spicy food and green tea. Your energy level is raised as well. Your energy levels and your metabolism are also boosted by water. Make sure your body is well hydrated all the time.

Your metabolism is also affected by how much food you eat and when you eat. You should never fast or eat too little. Do not even skip your meals. When your body senses that too little food is coming in for its needs it automatically goes into starvation mode and slows down your metabolism to use as little food as possible and conserve fat. Neither should you overeat, though. Just eat six small meals distributed equally throughout your day. Your metabolism will be increased and your body will keep burning fat all day. Of course, this requires those six meals to contain only the proper foods, which are lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Finally, as you burn fat you should also add muscles. A pound of muscle burns 50 calories a day just for self maintenance. The more muscles you have, the higher your metabolic rate. The intense weight lifting and interval training exercises you do will also create an afterburn of higher metabolism for up to 24 hours. The muscle repair and muscle building done by the body also burns up even more fat for energy.

If you want to eliminate your excess weight and keep it away for the rest of your life, make sure you increase your metabolism by following the aforementioned guidelines.

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How To Gain Muscle Mass

While you gain an enviable physique by gaining muscle mass, it does not just benefit your appearance. Your health will also be tremendously benefited. This is because having additional muscle mass automatically speeds up your metabolism. It means your body will be able to burn fat more efficiently. You should realize that you also decrease your vulnerability to various diseases as you decrease your body fat. To gain muscle mass, you need proper weight training, proper diet and proper sleep.

Weight training is also resistance training. You can get the necessary resistance from free weights, weight training machines or even your own body weight. Some free weights are dumbbells and barbells. Push ups, pull ups, chin ups and dips are examples of body weight exercises. You are assisted in lifting weight by weight training machines through their cables and pulleys. By concentrating on free weight workouts you can gain the maximum amount of muscle mass more quickly even as all the weight lifting exercises are effective for strength training and toning. Using heavy free weights with low repetitions will also bring you rapid muscle growth. Choose a weight that is heavy enough that you are unable to lift it for more than four to eight repetitions. This will provide the necessary stress challenge to your muscles and nervous system to stimulate muscle building.

It is only by eating enough calories that you will be able to build muscle mass. All your calories should, however, be provided by the right kinds of food. You have to cut out unhealthy fats and simple carbohydrates that are mainly sugar and starch. These are the candidates for storage as fat. You must rather consume only lean protein, healthy fats like Omega 3 fats and unsaturated fats, and complex carbohydrates with high fiber content. Every day make sure you eat six small meals of these recommended foods. This means eating approximately every three hours but stopping three hours before bedtime. Your metabolism and muscle building efforts can be kept going by feeding your body at such regular intervals. Drinking enough water all through your day will hydrate your body properly and facilitate the elimination of toxic metabolic wastes that result from your workouts. Finally, supplement your diet with multivitamins and anti-oxidants to support the body.

Sleep is also a necessity in gaining muscle mass. The body can only repair and build muscles during deep sleep. Without enough sleep your weight training and your eating patterns can not be translated into maximum muscle mass building.

It is worth your while to do proper weight training, follow the proper diet and get proper sleep to gain muscle mass. Even if you want to do this just to look good, you will still gain all the health benefits associated with it.

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Pointers On Gaining Healthy Weight

Are you one of those people who are doing everything they can to gain weight while many others are striving to lose weight? It would, however, be a huge mistake if you indiscriminately stuff yourself with food. You will surely gain pounds but they will come mainly from fat. Your risk of acquiring various diseases increases as you increase your body fat. If you eat the right kind of food, build muscles and get enough sleep.

To gain weight you have to eat more. Ensure that your calorie intake exceeds whatever your body burns as fuel. If you have difficulty consuming large portions, you can break down large meals into smaller meals that are eaten more often through the day. You also have to make sure that muscle building food are what you are eating. Complete proteins like poultry, eggs, beef, pork and dairy products contain all the nine essential amino acids the body needs to build muscles. The energy that your metabolism burns to build muscles can be provided for your body by complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Complex carbohydrates include whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Healthy fats are Omega 3 fats from deep sea fish and unsaturated fats like olive oil.

You can ensure that those extra calories you have eaten will not be converted into fat by embarking on a strength training program. Make sure that you get the right guidance so that your workouts are appropriate to your current fitness level and your specific muscle building goals. Use heavy free weights with low repetitions to build the greatest muscle mass in the shortest time. You should use a heavy enough weight that you cannot lift more than four to eight times. Such a huge physical challenge tears into microscopic muscle fibers. This provokes the muscles to repair that damage and then build additional muscles in preparation for such a load.

Enough sleep should be ensured, too. Only when it is in deep sleep can the body do muscle repair and muscle building. Remember also that your metabolism slows down when you sleep. Your body is using up more calories the longer you stay awake. You should, therefore, get a full eight hours of sleep every night.

You will not gain healthy weight overnight. Even if you follow the advice to eat properly, do muscle building workouts and get enough sleep you will still have to be very patient with your body. Do not get frustrated and be tempted to go back to unhealthy habits. Just be consistent with your program and you will slowly but surely see the results coming in.

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Eating For Muscle Mass Building

The right diet can properly support your weight training program and build up your muscle mass. You have to know how those muscles can be properly fed. This involves learning the right amount of food to eat, the time to eat and the kinds of food to eat. The muscle mass you want will not be produced by just working out. Your body has to repair the muscle fibers that have been challenged by your rigorous training sessions, and it can only do this quickly and efficiently if it has the right mix of nutrients at the right time. The body can only build more muscles by first doing such repair work.

The first thing to remember is that you have to eat a lot to build muscle mass. Your body needs to have a surplus of calories even after it has burned up its basic needs. The body repairs the muscles that your workout has damaged and builds new muscles using the caloric surplus. To achieve this, you need a daily calorie intake that is 18-20 times your body weight in pounds. This total needs to be divided into six small meals each day, eaten at three hour intervals. This technique gives the body an opportunity to use those calories efficiently throughout the day and not store them as fat. That total calorie intake should, however, be made up of only the right types of food.

Take most of those calories from high quality whole protein. All the amino acids needed by the body for muscle repair, maintenance and growth can be found in whole protein. As protein builds muscle it also promotes fat loss as an added benefit. To be able to add more muscle mass, you should give your body a minimum of one gram of whole protein for every pound of your weight. Some excellent sources of high quality whole protein are meat, eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, cheese and milk. You will be able to take in the right amount of calories at each meal by learning the calorie count of these food items. Protein is, however, acidic and you have to remember to eat your vegetables at every meal to be able to have an alkaline balance.

Even as your goal is to build muscles and lose fat, you should not have a totally fat-free diet. In fact, your body needs good fats, specifically essential fatty acids, to produce the hormones needed for muscle growth and strength. Good fats can be sourced from olive oil, peanut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, flaxseed oil, grape seed oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil and the oil from nuts, as well as from food high in Omega 3 such as salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines and anchovies.

Eating the right amount of calories from the right types of food at the right time will properly support your weight training efforts toward building the muscle mass you desire. Just do not forget to also drink a lot of water with your food throughout the day to keep your muscles well hydrated.

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How To Devise A Fail Proof Fat Loss Plan

Fitness success comes to people who do not know the meaning of the word "quit". In life, people who are successful fail at one point of their journey. Failure is the only one that enables a person to correct his mistakes and go beyond what he aims for. If you get dismal results in your fitness evaluation then you may have not known failure. This is an important feedback that may convey that your strategy failed. This is important since it teaches you something out of the entire experience. Certainly, you will never be a failure as long as you continue to work on it.

A system that can help you reach your fat loss plan is a fail proof fat loss plan. You will be able reach your targets if you can use the system properly. The first thing that needs to be determined is your expected outcome. You should know where you want to go. You have to write your goals and you have to be specific up to the last detail. You have to establish where you are now. When you are on a fat loss plan, the most important measurements should be your body fat percentage and lean body mass. These should all be written on a progress chart. You have to include your skin fold measurement if possible.

Now, you are all set to plan for your course of action. The most sensible option should be the tested and proven formula that worked for a lot of people. No one can explain why, if diets fail miserably, do most people still rely on it as their number one weight loss remedy. You need to pattern your strategy on a proven method instead. That would be consistent workout and a diet plan which can help you lose all the fats. You cannot escape some experimentation because you are totally unique. The basic principles, however, are the same for everyone. You should act ion the plan consistently once you have it in place. A plan without action is futile. In order to get results, you need to work hard on your plan. Nothing worth having comes easy.

Committing mistakes is just part of the natural learning process. Continuously doing so however means you are not in tune with your body. That or you're simply not paying attention it. Hone your ability to sense the small changes in your body. Nobody can know how your body responds better than you do. Nobody has more interest in how your fat loss progresses more than you do. If you sense that your program is not working, immediately change course. Don't falter and don't quit. Be flexible and persist in your goals. No one can make you realize your goals except you.

A fat loss plan works if you combine it with consistent action. Having the heart to persist in getting what you want means you don't know how to quit. That is very important because only through dogged persistence will you reach your fitness goals. One more thing: Fat loss plans cannot fail. It is the person who does if he quits the game.

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You Can Burn Fat All Day

It is true that you can make your body burn fat all day. This does not mean you will have to do your exercises non-stop for all your waking hours. You can still go about your daily tasks while efficiently stoking the inner furnace of your body to keep up your metabolism. Your body will be working toward your fitness goals 12 hours a day if you set up your lifestyle and your body system the right way. You can raise your resting metabolism even while you are asleep.

Everyone knows that cardio workouts are the best fat burning workouts. To put your body in its optimum fat burning zone you should raise your heart rate to its maximum level and keeping that level for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 60 minutes. You are also raising your metabolic rate at which it will stay for the rest of your waking hours. It is, thus, best for you to go through your cardio workout as soon as you wake up in the morning. This allows your metabolic rate to remain high longer for the rest of the day. By working out before breakfast you also get to your stored fats immediately because there are no glucose stores to first burn off. Follow this up with an active day. Do not take the elevator but take the stairs instead. As much as possible you should walk. Instead of sitting, choose to stand. When doing your day to day tasks, put in as much movement as possible. All these push your metabolism even higher.

For muscle building, strength training should be included in your program even if cardio workouts are better fat burners. Not doing strength training could risk having your muscles wasting away. Remember that having more muscles further raises your metabolic rate for more efficient fat burning throughout the day. You need proper information and advice on strength training in order to prevent injury. You should give your body time to rest, recuperate and repair your muscles by doing this on alternate days. This is very important to the strength training and muscle building process.

Finally, you should change your diet and eating pattern. Sugar, starch and all other simple carbohydrates as well as unhealthy fats should be eliminated. Instead, include only lean complete protein, complex carbohydrates with high fiber and healthy fats. Make sure your total calorie intake exceeds your calorie output while working out. Divide this total into six light meals throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism running on high.

By following these guidelines you are training your body to become an efficient fat burning machine. You will be burning fat all day on your way to your target weight and body measurements.

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How To Sculpt Abs

Many men and women want to have a flat stomach these days in order to be able to sharply sculpt and define their abs into what is called a six pack. It is no longer enough to just simply lose weight nor just build muscles in general. Because you can find no cheats or quick fixes to do it right, it is not easy to attain that goal. It is very important to have determination, consistency and commitment to your program as well as to long term maintenance. Proper workouts and the right diet for losing fat and building muscles make up the basics of the program.

To build abs you need to flatten the stomach through weight loss. It is, in fact, necessary to trim down your body fat to just ten percent to be able to sculpt out and define those abs well. To burn off all your excess fat and to ensure that your weight loss should consist of fat loss, cardio workouts should be done three times a week. For half an hour to an hour in each cardio session your heart rate should be elevated to the maximum level and kept at that fat burning zone. Whatever kind of cardio workout you choose, whether indoors or outdoors, including aerobics, jogging, cycling or swimming, does not really matter. To enable your body to continue burning fat for the remainder of your day, your metabolism will be raised by each session. In order to have more hours of raised metabolism to burn fat, it is therefore best to do cardio workouts in the morning.

In tandem with burning off fat through cardio workouts you also need to do muscle building workouts that are specifically designed to strengthen and tighten stomach muscles. Body core exercises that do exactly this are part of the Pilates workouts. Abdominal crunches, reverse crunches and oblique crunches are likewise very effective when done with the proper techniques.

To be truly effective, though, your cardio and strength training workouts should be accompanied by the right diet. You should be eating less calories than you are burning off, but not too few as to lower your metabolism, n order to lose fat. All unhealthy fats, simple carbohydrates like sugar and starch, and dairy products that cause bloating and gas should be cut out of your diet. Make sure your diet contains adequate lean complete proteins supplemented by high fiber complex carbohydrates and healthy unsaturated fats. Your daily intake should therefore be made up of lean meat, chicken, fish, whole grains, vegetables and fruits divided into six light meals eaten through the day, with the last meal ending three hours before bedtime.

You can successfully create sharply defined six pack abs through the right combination of cardio workouts, stomach tightening and strengthening workouts and the right diet.

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How To Determine How Much Protein You Need To Build Muscles

Just eating a lot is not the right way to add muscle mass to bulk up your body. You may end up just fattening your body if you stuff yourself indiscriminately. This is not what you want to happen. You should instead eliminate fat and build lean muscles. If you support your weight lifting and cardio workouts with the proper diet you can achieve this. For your muscle building needs, this diet has to be high in protein. Protein, after all, is the major component in muscle building. For building muscles, how much protein should you eat?

The calories that your body is using for energy should basically be exceeded by your intake of calories if you want to add muscle mass. To repair and build muscles, your body uses the caloric surplus. That surplus should come from proteins so that it will not be converted into stored fat. If you are serious about bulking up those muscles you need to take in 1.8 grams of protein for each kilo of body weight daily. By dividing your weight in pounds by 2.2 you can determine your weight in kilos. If you weigh 150 pounds, for instance, you would be weighing 68.18 kilos. The daily requirement for protein would then be 123 grams.

If your protein intake for each day is comprised of complete protein, you will be able to get all the nine essential amino acids needed by the body for muscle building. Beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, cheese, yoghurt and milk are some of the animal sourced protein food that contain complete protein. Plant proteins are considered incomplete proteins. You can still come up with complete protein, though, if you combine legumes with whole grains in one meal. You need to supply your body with the nine essential amino acids which are tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine+cystine, phelylalanine+tyrosine, valine and histidine.

Complete protein is not necessarily just lean protein, though. Many complete proteins contain saturated fats. You should carefully recognize lean protein which contains just one to three grams of fat, or even less, per ounce. Among the complete proteins, your best choices would be coldwater fishes such as tuna, salmon and mackerel. Such fishes also have Omega-3 fatty acids which are healthy fats. Also considered lean protein are egg whites. Next to these are poultry like chicken and turkey, provided the skin is removed before cooking. For beef and pork, choose cuts with no visible fat or marbling.

It is easy to compute the amount of protein you need daily based on your body weight. It takes more effort to ensure that you get not only complete protein but, more importantly, healthy lean complete protein.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Timex Ironman Race Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Timex Ironman Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Suunto T4D Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Suunto T6D Heart Rate Monitor Watch. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

Minimize Pig Outs With Weekly Cheat Meals

In order to succeed in your fat loss plan,it would be necessary to be consistent in your nutrition and training programs. Following your day to day plans meticulously is necessary for you to achieve your short and long term goals. All the foods you eat and the things you do count towards your fat loss success or failure. However, there are moments when you also need to loosen up. It might be too restrictiove to go on an uninterrupted fat loss plan. Food is known to be one of life's greatest pleasure. Totally depriving yourself can set you up for bingeing and pig outs, which can turn a totally manageable craving into an uncontrollable one.

Physiological cravings are caused by literally depriving yourself of food and nutrients. Skipping meals and eating too much food made with simple sugars are just two examples of this. If you have gone on a diet that promotes avoidance of one certain food group, you'd be better able to appreciate the physiological impact of an unbalanced diet. There is a specific role for a particular food group in the way the body functions. Isn't it weird that the food group you've been avoiding is the one you fantasize a lot? You should not worry; you are not getting crazy. It's just your body telling you that you need more salt, sugar or whatever food element you lack which, not surprisingly, is found abundantly in the foods you're trying to avoid.

If physiological cravings are not enough, psychological ones are ever present. It is human nature to covet what we can't or shouldn't have. It is normal to have cravings. It occurs to the best of us. The difference between those who successfully conquer their cravings and those who don't is no mystery. People who outmaneuver cravings just give in earlier and therefore satisfy the need before it gets worse. This is the main reason why it is necessary to have a cheat day. It helps you get away from the dilemma before it gets you.

Having a cheat day may serve as a reward after you have reached for your fitness goals. The recommendation isn't actually a cheat day. It's more a cheat meal or meals. Once you decide on this, it would be better if you include cheat meals in your fat loss plan. This way, you can actually calculate the amount of risk you're exposing yourself into before it happens. Remember that everything you eat matters. Keeping your cheat meals to a minimum of one or two per week still gives you a 94% compliance rate. As you get used to the idea that no food is really forbidden, its psychological hold on you will most likely loosen up.

Making cheat meals part of your fitness plan is a strategy to minimize the threat of a possibly bigger problem, that is a pig out. Allowing yourself a cheat meal once or twice a week will not set you back as far as a binge session can. It can even give your metabolism a boost and that isn't such a bad thing.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Suunto T6D Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Timex Ironman Race Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Timex Ironman Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Suunto T4D Heart Rate Monitor Watch. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

Habits for a Healthier and Slimmer Body

Since people want a healthy body, they would do everything to keep them fit. Generally, what's good for your health is also good for weight control. Knowing the the foods you eat is important for you to attain good health. Getting enough amount of it can make you stay on the right track. Making exercise part of your daily habits is important. Keeping up with your physical activities will healp you keep yourself young and healthy.

You should get your daily fiber requirements. Foods high in fiber prevent constipation, decreases risk of cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, Diabetes and obesity. More often than not, our diet consists of simple carbohydrates and red meat. There is less fiber and high saturated and partially hydrogenated oils in these foods. Summarily, these are foods that are bad for one's health. It would be best if you observe your eating habits and mentally calculate the amount of fiber you consume. Try to compare it with the daily requirement which is around 28 to 30 grams of fiber. You also need to get your fair share of good fats. These kinds of fat are needed for vital body processes. Fats from fish, nuts and some fruits like avocados are good sources of unsaturated or good fats.

You need to drink sufficient amounts of clean and safe drinking water. It is also important to consider the container where you put your water. It would be best to have glass or steel container since it is safer. It is generally recommended that you drink eight glasses of water daily. However, it would be better to base it according to your needs. Strenuous activities like exercise requires increased water intake to maintain hydration. Having daily exercise is necessary especially if you want to stay fit and maintain weight. Try to find for a sport, an exercise regimen or any physical activity where you can be consistent in. You will realize that stress is decreased and it also promotes good sleep. Stress and lack of sleep have both been linked to weight gain.

Eat at least four to six small meals a day. This keeps your metabolism stoked. You can also prevent getting too hungry. Start with a healthy breakfast. Choose cereals that are high in fiber. Oatmeal topped with fruits is also a good choice. Get protein from low fat milk. Try to eat breakfast within thirty minutes of waking up. This is the most important meal of the day. Failure to eat breakfast can drive you to go on a binge later on.

Healthy lifestyle changes is the way to the attain weight loss and good health. Maintaining it ensures that your quality of life is not compromised by unhealthy dietary habits. Good health habits are worthwhile investments for your future.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Suunto T4D Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Suunto T6D Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Timex Ironman Race Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Timex Ironman Road Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

The Award-Winning Sole F63 Treadmill

The Award-Winning Sole F63 treadmill was selected as a “Best Buy” from a leading consumer magazine. This is an awesome treadmill. For starters, it comes with a 20-year warranty on the motor, a 3-year warranty on the deck, and a LIFETIME warranty on the frame. And the manufacturer (Sole) has been bringing home fitness equipment innovation for over 20 years. Okay, here’s the summary data on the Sole F63

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Good Thoughts, Good Moves, Good Food and Good Sleep For Fitness

The mere thought of starting a fitness program intimidates some people. Ironically, this is especially true of people who most need a fitness program. Individuals who are largely unfit or who have the most weight to lose or gain are the people who are anxious that they could not cope with the perceived impossibility of a fitness program. There is no need to plunge into anything drastic, though. You can start by just gradually altering your lifestyle in small ways. The first thing you have to fix is your mindset. The resolve to make those little changes is already a step that sets you up toward living a fitter lifestyle.

Even if your target is to lose weight, you must not, at all costs, stop eating to get fit. You should likewise not overeat to put on weight, even if you think you are too thin and your target is to build muscle mass. Either way, there is only one way to eat healthy. Minimize bad fats and replace them with good fats such as unsaturated fats like olive oil and Omega 3 oils from deep sea fish. Minimize simple carbohydrates like starchy food and sugar, and replace these with whole grains, vegetables and fruits which are complex carbohydrates with high fiber content. You should also have ample intakes of whole proteins like lean meat, poultry and fish. Finally, make sure you drink a lot of water to facilitate the distribution of nutrients throughout your body and the elimination of waste.

Also vital to your general fitness is sleep. With too little sleep, your body makes increased levels of the hormone ghrelin, which makes you feel hungry, and decreased levels of the hormone leptin, which makes you feel full. Lack of sleep therefore leads to cumulative weight gain. For people who want to build muscle mass, though, not sleeping enough is not the solution. It is actually during periods of deep sleep that the body repairs and builds muscles. Additional fat stores rather than more muscle mass are the results of lack of sleep. With adequate sleep, you energize the body to meet each day zestfully.

If workouts are still intimidating for you, there are other ways of increasing your physical activity level and gaining the advantages of cardio and strength training workouts. You can mimic the effects of a cardio workout by taking long walks. Walking for an hour without stopping can elevate your heart rate up to its maximum level and maintain it at that level long enough for your body to stay in its fat burning zone. Exercises that use your own body weight as resistance can be used to start your strength training. Something as simple as wall push ups will do for beginners You can do your research online for activities that are within your present capabilities if you are not in a position to hire a trainer for advice. Starting your program well within your comfort zone is actually safer.

These are three easy changes you can immediately fit into your current lifestyle. Just eat, sleep and move your mind and body into that fitness zone.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Stamina 1690 Power Tower, Suunto M5 Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Suunto T3D Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Teeter Hang Ups Dex II Decompression Machine. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

Dieting Makes You Gain Weight

It might be challenging to tell people that eating more can help them lose weight. Some may see it as a way toput them on. After all, it has been a proven advice through ages. The fact remains however, that there are more overweight people than ever. There has been new lows where the success of restricting calorie intake in order to lose fats has dropped. Its failure to help you lose fats is indeed obvious and there is no point that it would be effective. As we can all see, people's lifestyle have changed drastically. Our activity levels have plunged so low that a reasonable decrease in daily intake cannot compensate for it to lose fat. In this case, we tend to further decrease our food consumption which in turn buries us in a deeper pit called starvation mode.

A restrictive diet begins on a high note leading one to assume that it's going to be one easy ride. A lot of poeople think that the most effective way to lose fats is to go on a restrictive diet. Some would go as low as 1500 calories a day instead of the regular 2400 to 2500 calories per day. For the first week, you may lose up to five pounds, which may seem to be a really good thing. On the second week, you may lose four pounds and for the third until the sixth week, three pounds. If you started at 200 pounds, you'll end up at 179 pounds on the sixth week. High note indeed! Nonetheless, a closer look may reveal that it may cause some detrimental results if you want permanent weight loss.

Measurements after the diet shows that the dieter has lost weight but also a significant amount of lean body mass. Further analysis proves that he lost more than he bargained for because what he lost was a significant amount of muscle and a minimal amount of fat. Since the lean body mass has decreased, this will result to having slower metabolism. His ability to burn fat efficiently has been compromised which accounts for the fewer pounds lost from the second to sixth weeks of dieting.

Six weeks after he has gone off the restrictive diet, the dieter is back to 200 pounds. Psychologically speaking, he is probably disappointed. Physically, he is worse off than when he started. Why? It is because he has lesser lean muscles and a slower metabolism. Consequently, he has to rebuild his muscles just to get back where he started.

Restrictive dieting for fat loss endures because of the initial weight loss achieved by the dieter. To achieve permanent fat loss, one has to also examine where the fat loss comes from. Losing water weight and muscles are detrimental to your over all fitness plan. Weight loss is different from fat loss. To achieve a ripped and lean physique, you always have to strive to lose fat.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Teeter Hang Ups Dex II Decompression Machine, Stamina 1690 Power Tower, Suunto M5 Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Suunto T3D Heart Rate Monitor Watch. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

Setting Goals For Fitness Success

Goals take you from where you are to where you want to go. Goals give us motivation, direction, driving us into action. Life becomes a series of cycle without it. You consider getting the body you desire as a general goal. You have to break it down to the last detail so that you'll be able to reach it without compromises. Your achievements will depend upon your goals and what you are willing to do to realize it. Your goals greatly depend on how far you would like to reach in your dreams.

You tend to get vague and unsure answers when you ask people what they would like to achieve in their fitness programs. "I want to lose weight" is an example of a goal that needs to be more specific. Narrow it down to the last detail. How many pounds do you want to drop? What vital statistics measurements would you like to have? Make sure that these goals are measurable. In fitness, the mirror, tape measure and weighing scale are basic measuring tools. If possible, you also need to get your body fat measurement. A skin fold test is the basic way of measuring it. One good way of determining your progress is through the base data.

Set ambitious goals. Setting very conservative goals means you're short changing yourself. You will not be able to maximize your potential by expecting mediocre results out of your efforts. a lot of people would usually get scared of reaching for higher or bigger goals. This will make you acquire only things that you think you can. You have to aim for things you want and not just those you think you can when you are setting your goals. If you put your mind to it, you will surely be surprsed of what you can achieve. You should aim high but remember to set realistic deadlines. Losing weight is different from losing fat. Losing weight can mean losing water and muscles, which is not a good thing. "Lose fourteen pounds in seven weeks is a time bound, realistic and specific goal.

Set long and short term goals. Determine the reasons behind your goals. An emotionally driven goal is more powerful than goals conceived by the mind. Emotional reasons can range from fear of death or disability to proving you're a better catch than the one your former boyfriend married. Use them to fire you up and motivate you to achieve your maximum potential. Establishing the purpose of your goals early on keeps you focused and feeds your determination to do what you have to do.

Setting goals are important if we want to get what we aspire for. Staying positive by focusing on our achievements is the right way to fuel our motivation. Break down your goals into monthly, weekly and daily goals. It gives you something to work on and look forward to everyday.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Suunto T3D Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Teeter Hang Ups Dex II Decompression Machine, Stamina 1690 Power Tower, Suunto M5 Heart Rate Monitor Watch. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

Habits To Learn To Keep Down Your Weight

Keep your weight down with these habits from fit people. Integrate these habits into your own lifestyle. To change your body for good, develop healthy practices for life. Here are some of the habits that slim people share. They eat more often, they chew their food well, and they drink plenty of water.

You can eat more often and still keep your weight down. Keep in mind that eating more often is not the same as eating a lot. It is recommended that instead of three large meals a day, divide them into six small meals. These small meals should be eaten about three hours apart but should stop three hours before bedtime. Food in smaller amounts is metabolized more efficiently. Metabolism is kept at a high level by eating meals regularly and this maximizes fat burning. The need for snacks is also eliminated. It is important to ensure, however, that all of your meals are healthy. Starchy food, all types of sugar and unhealthy fats should not be in your meals. Instead, they should have a balance of lean protein, high fiber complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.

When eating your meals, you should take time in chewing your food. Hurried eating causes one to eat more than necessary because the brain is not able to immediately register fullness and satiety. By the time you feel full, you will have eaten more than necessary. When you eat slowly and more consciously, you give your body enough time to tell you when you have had enough. You’ll also enjoy and savor the food more. Chewing your food well also ensures that it is well masticated before it is swallowed and that enzymes from your salivary glands do their work in preparing the food for digestion. This will help your digestive system a lot.

Finally, you should drink more water. This keeps the body well hydrated and flushes out toxins more efficiently. The liver is, therefore, not overworked and can properly concentrate on the task of breaking down fats.

These are quite simple habits to learn and integrate into your own daily routine. You may have to make an effort to consciously do them at first but you will soon get the hang of it. Before long, these become naturally ingrained in you. You will then see those excess pounds dropping off and will not have difficulty keeping them away for life.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Suunto M5 Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Suunto T3D Heart Rate Monitor Watch, Teeter Hang Ups Dex II Decompression Machine, Stamina 1690 Power Tower. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

If I'm So Smart, Why Can't I Lose Weight?

Anyone know if this book is any good?

Here's the book description at Amazon:
If I'm So Smart, Why Can't I Lose Weight?

"Since applying the tools I learned in Brooke's program to my everyday life, I have already released 35 pounds of fat from my body. I no longer struggle with food and exercising has become a joy that I look forward to doing every day. Shopping in the stores I once used to walk by fills me with great delight, because I can finally wear the kinds of cute clothes that better fit my personality. Once I was able to create a new mind set that I am worth taking great care of myself, I experienced more happiness than I have ever known. For me, freedom from the weight struggle has been worth taking the risk to try again just one more time.' Suyin N. Client San Mateo, CA"

Guidelines For Home Workouts

When you work out at home, you gain many advantages. One of these is saving money by not having to pay for gym membership. Because you do not have to leave home to do your workouts you therefore save time. You do not have to worry about what you are wearing or what you look like. You will also avoid being intimidated by other people who are more advanced in their fitness training. There is also a whole new set of problems related to working out at home, though. You can prevent these by heeding the following tips.

That you have enough space for your workout is something you must ensure. The space should not be cramped for proper movement. Your exercises could either be ineffective or could cause injury if you do not have enough space to move properly. Make sure you have proper ventilation. This is very important for your proper breathing during workouts. All factors that affect atmosphere, including lighting, should likewise be given your attention. For the space to be conducive to working out it should make you feel good. Set up a full body mirror that will allow you to monitor your exercise form if possible.

Second, you should be able to set the regular and consistent schedule of your workouts. Your workout should be included in your daily routine. Schedule your cardio workouts and your strength training workouts on alternate days. You should never do your strength training on successive days because rest periods for muscle repair and recuperation are required in muscle building. Cardio or strength training workouts are both best done in the morning upon waking and before breakfast. From a full night's rest your body is fresh and can take on your exercises properly with enough energy, stamina and strength. Doing your cardio workout at this time is also more effective in terms of fat burning because your full night's fast has depleted your glycogen stores. Your body has no choice but to quickly burn fat stores. Working out also raises your metabolism for the rest of the day and doing it in the morning means you have longer waking hours in which to maximize the use of your increased metabolic rate to eliminate more fat.

Finally, do everything you can to motivate yourself to do your workouts. Music can be one source of motivation, primarily for cardio workouts. Just do not use a headphone that could interfere with your movements or even cause accidents. You might also want to get an exercise partner to workout with. You can spot each other for proper form and motivate each other.

If you are determined to work out in your own home, make sure you pay heed to the aforementioned guidelines. They will help you ensure your success.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: SurfShelf Treadmill Desk Laptop Holder, Stamina InStride Electronic Stepper, Stamina Pilates Premier XP Reformer, Stamina SpaceMate Folding Stepper. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

Be Realistic And Specific In Your Fitness Plan

A popular resolution of a lot of people at the start of the year is to get fit. This does not come as a surprise because we know how widespread the problem of obesity is. By being overweight, we increase our risk of succumbing to many different health problems. When overweight and unfit, people do try to commit to scheduling workouts and being more active in order to lose weight. These resolutions are related and often go together. By the end of each year, though, not many people can say they have attained their target. If you are among those who want to try again, here are ways to improve your possibilities of finally succeeding.

First you have to get real. This means you have to set a concrete goal that is realistic, given your current circumstances. Aiming too high will only increase your risk of getting disappointed and frustrated. These negative emotions are the most common reasons why people drop out of their fitness programs. You cannot be transformed overnight into a competitive athlete, for instance. Preparing for a bodybuilders' contest or a supermodel competition does not take only a few weeks. A complete medical examination will show you your actual health condition and what is possible for you at the beginning of your fitness program. Your goal and your pacing should be based on your actual capabilities.

To be able to reach your main goal, you need to determine your specific steps and sub-goals. What you should do each week and each month, and what you should achieve by the end of each interval, concretize how you can reach your year-end goal. These smaller targets are rewards in themselves because they are easier to accomplish. When you attain every milestone you gain more momentum to go forward. Because of the steps and sub-goals, any possible setback will only have a limited impact.

Make your concrete main goal and your sub-goals the focal points of your general fitness plan. This fitness plan should be put in writing so that your commitment to it is strengthened. Your plan should be holistic, with your workout details and schedules, recommended diet and other lifestyle improvements. Maybe a weekly massage can be added to address muscle soreness from workouts. Perhaps you want to change your sleeping and waking patterns to shore up your energy levels for your workouts. Append the plan to a fitness journal where you can record your progress and any possible problems you encounter. Identifying your obstacles can help you find ways to overcome them.

If you get real, be specific and make a plan, your chances of successfully working through your year-long fitness program are greater. You can then be among the few who can claim victory at the end of the year.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Stamina SpaceMate Folding Stepper, SurfShelf Treadmill Desk Laptop Holder, Stamina InStride Electronic Stepper, Stamina Pilates Premier XP Reformer. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

Get Lean With Lean Protein

You should have a diet that is rich in protein if your goal is to achieve a lean body with the lowest healthy percentage of body fat. The body needs protein as building blocks for muscle repair and muscle building. Our bodies can efficiently burn fat with a vigorous metabolism when we have adequate muscles. By learning as much as you can about protein you can take full advantage of its benefits in your diet. Make yourself knowledgeable about complete protein, lean protein and plant protein.

Complete protein is also referred to as whole protein. All the nine essential amino acids needed by the body for its biological functions, especially for muscle repair and muscle building, are contained in the proper amounts and proportions in complete protein. Tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine+cystine, phelylalanine+tyrosine, valine and histidine are the nine essential amino acids. Protein food that come from animals, such as meats, fish, poultry, cheese, eggs, yogurt, and milk are complete proteins. Not all of them are lean proteins, though. Saturated fats are contained by some of them. Make sure you know how to identify the lean complete proteins.

Lean protein contains one to three grams of fat and 50 to 55 calories per ounce. Very lean protein contains zero to one gram of fat and 30 to 35 calories per ounce. Fish, in general, is a very good source of lean protein. You also gain Omega-3 fatty acids considered as healthy fat when choosing coldwater fish like tuna and salmon. For chicken and turkey to be considered lean protein, remove the skin. Choose beef without fat marbling and remove all visible fat. When preparing eggs, use less yolk to bring down fat and cholesterol levels. Only low fat dairy products should be eaten. Lean proteins should, of course, be cooked without added fat by roasting, grilling or baking.

Probably the leanest protein is plant protein, although these are incomplete proteins. Certain plant proteins can be combined, though, to be able to have a complete protein meal. Combine lentils and beans such as kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, soy nuts and other legumes with whole grains like brown rice, barley, cracked wheat, quinoa and millet. Vegetarians can, therefore, also create good food combinations that have adequate lean and complete protein content.

Make sure your diet has enough amounts of the highest quality of protein to be able to support your fitness goals. This means aiming for lean complete proteins. You should not, however, neglect complex carbohydrates with high fiber content as well as healthy fats in your diet. You can actually factor these in with plant proteins as well as coldwater fish.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Stamina Pilates Premier XP Reformer, Stamina SpaceMate Folding Stepper, SurfShelf Treadmill Desk Laptop Holder, Stamina InStride Electronic Stepper. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

Get Full Benefits With A Proper Cardio Workout

Some people say that some exercise is better than no exercise at all. To a certain extent this may be true, but it is quite alarming if your cardio workout results in your getting injured just because you did it the wrong way. Why not do your cardio workouts properly in order to get full benefits without the risk of injury?

The proper way to start any cardio workout is with a warm up and a pre-workout stretching routine. Your warm up heats your cold muscles to prepare them for the exercises you will be doing. You prevent muscle injury by gradually increasing blood flow through your body and raising your heart rate above 100 before you begin strenuous activitiy. You can accomplish this by slowly walking or marching in place for about five minutes. The warm up should be followed immediately by the pre-workout stretching routine to relax and lengthen the muscles. This is necessary because going through a workout while your muscles are tense and contracted will surely bring injury. Make sure you know the specific stretches recommended for the type of cardio workout you are about to do.

The heart and lungs are strengthened by a cardio workout, leading to cardiovascular fitness. It also burns fat efficiently. To be effective, though, your workout should be sustained for 12-30 minutes and not more than an hour and should raise your pulse rate to 40-50% of your maximum heart rate. You can determine your accurate maximum heart rate through a cardiac stress test.

After you finish your cardio workout, do not take the risk of just stopping and sitting down. You should instead do your cool down and post-workout stretching routine. The cool down will slowly bring your body back to a state of rest. You can get dizzy by stopping abruptly after continuously doing rigorous activity. You can even pass out. The quick stop while your heart is pumping at a fast rate drives all your blood to your extremities, depleting the supply of blood and oxygen to your brain. The proper procedure is to slow down for five minutes until your heart rate goes under 100 beats per minute. The cool down should immediately flow into a post-workout stretching routine. By aggressively stretching your muscles at this time you can improve your flexibility. It will also flush away the lactic acid produced by exercise in your muscles. If left unpurged, that metabolic waste causes soreness.

Make sure you do all five components of a proper cardio workout at your every session. Trying to take a short cut by skipping your warm up, pre-workout stretching, cool down or post-workout stretching will not only bring on greater muscle soreness afterwards but will actually increase your risk of getting injured. Of course, you should also make sure that your core cardio exercises are done properly for maximum benefits.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Stamina InStride Electronic Stepper, Stamina Pilates Premier XP Reformer, Stamina SpaceMate Folding Stepper, SurfShelf Treadmill Desk Laptop Holder. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.

Eating, Sleeping And Moving Right For Fitness

Starting and maintaining a fitness program can be a daunting prospect for many even if everyone knows that there is a need to get fit to stay healthy at any age. There is no rush to plunge into any drastic plan, though, and you can instead ease yourself into a fitness mindset by simply starting with some adjustments in your daily eating, sleeping and activity patterns.

If you go to the extremes of bingeing on food if you want to gain muscle mass or starving if you want to lose weight then you are not eating healthy. Because bingeing will add on fat instead of muscles while starvation will just slow down your fat burning metabolism, these strategies are ineffective. To either lose excess fat or gain more muscles, you need to eliminate unhealthy fats and simple carbohydrates while feeding your body with enough lean complete protein, high fiber complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. Your protein intake can consist of fish, lean meat, skinless poultry, egg whites and low fat dairy while your complex carbohydrates intake can consist of whole grains, vegetables and fruits. For every pound of your weight, make sure you drink at least one half ounce of water each day.

You also need a full eight hours of sleep every night to be fit because your body performs its muscle repair and muscle building functions in deep sleep. The physical challenges of the next day can be ably met once your energy levels are restored. It has been scientifically proven that lack of sleep invariably leads to an accumulation of excess fat. The reason is that sleep controls the regulation of the hormone ghrelin which signals your hunger pangs and the hormone leptin which signals your fullness and satiety. Hormonal imbalance makes you feel hungry all the time, with cravings for sweets and starchy food, while not feeling satiated no matter how much you eat.

Lastly, by first raising the level of your daily activity and movement you can prepare your body for exercise without anxiety. Allow your joints to go through their normal range of motion upon waking up by doing a series of movements. You will just be extending your natural stretching in the morning. Throughout the day, consciously choose to be more active whenever an opportunity arises, like taking the stairs, taking a long walk and standing up more often than sitting. As your body gets used to the new level of activity you can slowly introduce simple strength training exercises that use your own body weight as resistance, like wall push ups.

Getting into the fitness mindset can be painless if you gently ease into it through adjustments in your natural eating, sleeping and activity patterns, something that anyone can take on with confidence.

Over at the FitnessArmory.com, you can let our expert advice on fitness and equipment reviews help you create the perfect home gym but without all the huge costs. We have the exclusive reviews on all your favorite brands and models to help you get in shape, get healthy and look great. Recent product reviews include: Stamina InMotion II Manual Treadmill, Stamina CPS 9190 Indoor Cycle, Stamina Total Body Recumbent Bike, Teeter Hang Ups P3 Back Stretcher. We invite you to stop by or drop us a line if you have any questions or need help with your fitness equipment selections.