Weight Fitness

Which is the Right Fitness Program For You?

November 28th, 2009 at 05:36am Under fitness

When it comes to fitness programs you can be forgiven for feeling completely overwhelmed by the options. how many times have you seen a new advertisement on TV, or a website ad that claims to have the ultimate “top secret” fitness program for you – but only if you pay for it. These types of ads are now common place as more and more people are becoming overweight or obese.

Many people are looking for a quick fix to weight loss and as such the market for “easy” exercise machines like comfortable gym cycles and ab pushers is huge. But if you really think you can become ultra fit using solely these machines, you will be sorely disappointed. Whilst these companies use bodybuilding models to sell their equipment, these people surely would not have got to that point by using that equipment alone (if they even used it at all). To be clear, I will emphasize that I am talking about products like those gym cycling machines that virtually have you laying down sleeping whilst you cycle. Unfortunately, fitness does not work in such a relaxing way!

To become truly fit you need a fitness program that caters to your goals and your body type. You don’t really need to pay for a fitness program, although if you want to become exceptionally fit it is always useful to employ a personal trainer to assist you.

First you have to work out what you wish to achieve.

Do you want to lose weight?
Do you want to tone your muscles?
Or do you want to train to run long distances?

These are three goals which will require very different implementation of fitness programs.

Losing weight will require you to focus on cardiovascular exercise as well as some strength training.

To tone your muscles you will do less cardio work but much more strength training in order to work your muscles to exhaustion. As they recover, they will grow and tone.

And to undertake a fitness program to condition you for long distance running, you must run almost everyday and add extra distance each time. Not only are you training your muscles to handle these conditions, but also your heart and lungs which play such a vital part in such a fitness regime.

By Paul

Fitness Books: A Wealth of Knowledge at Your Finger Tips

October 31st, 2009 at 04:45pm Under Weights and Fitness

Fitness books provide a guide and education for those wanting to delve a little deeper into their own health and fitness.
There are now so many fitness books and magazines available, so how do you know which ones to read?

When looking for quality fitness books, and short of buying the whole store out, always look at the credentials of the author. The best books are those written by coaches, professional athletes, scientists, nutritionists and military personnel. These people really know their stuff when it comes to fitness and you can learn a lot from them.

I am going to list just three of the best fitness books I have read lately. They are all very affordable – a couple are just $10 – and easy to read in just a few days.

101 Workouts for Women: Everything You Need to Get a Lean, Strong and Fit Physique
This book costs around $10 at Amazon.com and is packed full of solid information. It is published by Muscle and Fitness HERS magazine which is a wonderful magazine for all over fitness and health advice. The book contains some great fitness routines with great photos and clear instructions.

Fitness & Health
This book costs under $20 and is the sixth edition. It goes in depth on understanding the relationship between exercise and health. It focuses on aerobic fitness, muscular fitness, weight control, energy and much more. This is an all round book that is suited to people who want to learn more about the ‘how and why’ of fitness and health. However it also contains a lot of practical information with photos demonstrating exercises, plus calorie food listings.

The U.S. Navy SEAL Guide to Fitness and Nutrition
Don’t let the title scare you: this book is for everyone. For just $10 you get to read the material that was developed for Navy SEAL trainees. It talks about extreme conditions and preparing yourself for them, but the information is practical for everyday uses.

These three fitness books provide an excellent starting point for your health and fitness education and you won’t have to break the bank to own them.

By Paul

How a Personal Fitness Trainer Can Help You

September 24th, 2009 at 08:44pm Under fitness

Do you struggle to motivate yourself to exercise?
Or have you hit a plateau and are not sure what to do next to reach your fitness goals?

A personal fitness trainer is able to devise a customized plan for your fitness that suits your body type, fitness level, weight and goals.
Whilst visiting a gym class is useful, there really is no greater benefit to having your very own professional trainer who is an expert in health and fitness to work out a personalized plan just for you.

You always hear about famous people having fitness trainers; could this be the reason that so many of them look great? After all, how much does the average person really know about fitness? We know that doing exercise helps, but perhaps there are better ways to reach the goals we want. A fitness trainer can help you with this and more including diet tips.

The first thing a personal trainer will do is evaluate your current fitness level, your health, your diet and he or she will ask what your ultimate goal is. If you are focusing on weight loss he can make a plan that results in fast weight loss. But if you want to tone up and become more muscly, a custom exercise and health plan will be formulated for you to result in muscle growth.

Personal trainers charge varying amounts for their services. The most well known trainers may charge several hundreds dollars for a session, but lesser known but highly professional fitness trainers will be more affordable and no less effective. You will find a plethora of trainer advertisements in your newspaper, online and at your local gym.

The best thing about fitness training with a coach is tracking of your progress. He will be able to keep a record of everything you do and the results that occur over time. He can then refine the plan if need be, or teach you new routines that will improve your fitness.

A fitness trainer is highly beneficial for anyone regardless of what shape you are in now or what your ultimate health goals are.

By Paul

3 Health and Fitness Tips

September 18th, 2009 at 07:41pm Under Uncategorized

There are many helpful fitness tips floating around out there but even with this plethora of useful information freely available so many people are still ignoring the needs of their health. It is easy to be lazy and continually put off fitness until tomorrow, but what do you really achieve by doing that? From now your goal should be to make that ‘tomorrow’ start today!

These 3 health and fitness tips will get you motivated so that you can start exercising right away. With that said, starting something is one thing; actually continuing it for the long term is something else altogether. I will cover both of these issues here rather than focusing on the technical and specific exercises that you should do – you should know what types of exercises are good for you as there is plenty of free information available on that topic.

1. Do It Early
It is surprising how easy it is to put something off when you think about it all day long. If you plan to exercise in the evening then your day might be filled with negative thoughts about it, or coming up with excuses of why you can’t do it.
Don’t give your mind time to think up stories: exercise first thing in the morning and then feel good for the rest of the day knowing you have made progress.

2. Grab a Friend
Having someone to work out with you provide so much extra incentive. If you are feeling lazy, then your friend can be there to motivate you to get moving. You can also compare progress and even display some competitive spirit to push each other to the next level.

3. Don’t Make It Difficult
Starting exercise is only as difficult and dreadful as you make it be and surprisingly enough for some, it really is all in your mind.
If you tell yourself enough times that you are tired, then you will feel tired. If you continually tell yourself that you feel great then you will feel energized and ready for fitness. It is all mind over matter when it comes to getting off that couch and into your gym clothes.

These 3 quick health and fitness tips will help your mind to become accustomed to not only starting your exercise regime each day, but also sticking to it for many years to come.

By Paul