Friday, April 6, 2012

Loose The Weight You Want With These Tips

By Steve Rian


Unfortunately, good intentions will not help you to get into shape! You have to be physically active to reap benefits. There is so much information available on the subject of fitness. Here are some suggestions that others have found helpful to become or stay fit:

Considering a gym membership but can't afford the monthly dues? Try doing home work-out routines with a friend instead. Work-out videos and routines can be found online at little or no cost to you. By inviting a friend to join you, you can satisfy the need for accountability as well as the social aspect that you would otherwise get from joining a gym.

Use exercise to help you quit smoking. This is beneficial in two ways - you will automatically become healthier if you stop smoking, and your exercise performance will improve. Whenever you crave a cigarette, go for a run, ride your bike or try lifting weights. If you are unable to stop smoking cold turkey, then try to cut down little by little. You will see an improvement in the length of time you are able to exercise and this may give you the incentive to quit smoking completely.

If you can get it done standing, do it standing. Even if you find yourself stuck in the house all day, sitting around certainly is not good for you. Standing, while it won't be getting you into perfect shape, is infinitely better than just sitting there. Move around as much as you can.

Ask around if you feel that you're performing an exercise wrong. Working out is all about experiencing new things, but sometimes when you perform an exercise without correct form it can lead to less-than-ideal gains or even injury. Asking your fellow gym-goer can be helpful, but an experienced trainer who helps people work out generally has more expertise in those areas than your average Joe.

When designing a fitness program, it is a good idea to devote at least 2 days per week to strength training. Remember that muscles increase metabolism and burn fat, so the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you can consume without getting fat. If you want to get in terrific shape, aerobic exercise is not enough, you must build muscle.

If you want to build up muscle faster, make sure you have meat in your daily diet. Studies have shown that if you eat meat in your daily diet, you'll gain more muscle and gain it faster from your workouts. Chicken, turkey, and fish count as meats as well, so you can mix it up a bit.

We have all heard of the benefits of eating whole grain foods. Some people even think they are eating healthy whole grains just because the bread is brown! But did you know that many foods only contain a portion of whole grains? The only foods that are 100% whole grain are foods with the logo that reads: Whole Grains Council.

To effectively build muscle, avoid painkillers. That may run counter to your instinct, but there's some research to suggest that painkillers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen can, if taken after working out, render all your pain pointless by preventing muscle growth. Plus, scientists say the painkillers aren't any more effective than placebos at killing the post-workout pain, anyway.

A great fitness tip is to try doing bench presses at an angle. By changing the angle when you do your bench presses, you're putting emphasis on a different area of the muscle. Doing this can have significant results. You can either set the bench at an incline or a decline to change the angle.

Getting a punching bag or rubber human shaped punching target can provide an outlet for stress as well as a way to work on ones personal fitness. The punching will work out ones upper body including biceps, triceps, and deltoids. One will appreciate their punching bag the next time they need to let off some steam.

To speed up your swimming workout, stretch out your ankles. Your feet act as flippers to propel you throguh the water, and strong, flexible ankles will give you more power. Get results by exercising your ankles while sitting on the floor, legs extended in front of you. Point your toes hard for a few seconds, then flex your feet up to your shins, also as hard as you can. Keep it going for one minute.

A beneficial aspect, yet little known fact about fitness, is that it can actually increase your mental capacity. While your energy levels are rising, so is the amount of serotonin in your brain matter. This can then lead to increases in your mental productivity. You can't argue with being toned and smarter.

There are alternative methods to being physically fit besides the standard of weight lifting and cardiovascular work. Sports such as swimming and basketball can give your body a good workout by exercising all of your body parts, and you can have fun while doing it.

Being physically fit and healthy is crucial to your quality of life, so it's extremely important that you go about it the right way. Having a solid foundation of understanding of fitness is key to any exercise routine. Apply the knowledge you've learned from this article, and you'll be on the road to better health.




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