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GETTING READY FOR SUMMER Already swim suite time! Don't feel bad if you kept on putting training off, you were way too busy with the kids and work to fit in that extra training time - especially with the short and cold winter days... Don't be jealous of the way others look, they don't have all the responsibilities that you do! Be positive and start doing something now (for yourself), before it gets too hot and you are forced to go into the water with the body that you didn't really plan for. Winter is gone and days are getting longer, now is the time to act! Below are some exercises you can do - every day - and in no time you will feel much better about yourself.
Repeat the above 3 exercises 2-3 times. This is just a basic and easy work-out which will take you about 20min to do. Please consult your doctor before trying any of the above exercises. Now that you know what to do concerning exercise, let look at a few tips concerning your diet... Most people find it hard to follow a strict diet or any diet, so don't feel bad if you are one of them - We are all with you! When starting a diet, don't drop everything you used to eat at once, take it a day at a time... Follow a guideline to try improving your eating day by day:
Try improve yourself today and if it's still too hard, get a trainer to help you. Do what you can! Article written by Personal Home Fitness Trainer Next Article... Kids and Exercise Kids all over the world are enjoying a little too much of the new technology... Is your child overweight/obese? How did this happen? What are you going to do to get him/her to become fit and healthy again? Long ago kids used to play outside as soon as they got home from school, but now all they want to do is watch television - who blames them, there are so many nice shows on these days that they can't afford to miss anything. Televisions are getting bigger and so are our kids... The only part of their bodies that is getting any exercise are their fingers - playing video games or sending sms's or playing games on the computer. What do kids like to do while watching television? None other than eat! Food food and more bad food... So many easy already made take-aways - saves you time, why not? Because it is very unhealthy for your kids and you are making them use to eating “junk food”, which means that they will never learn to eat healthy. Look at any overweight/obese child; does he/she look happy to you? No! It is well known that kids, who are active and healthy laugh, play and seem much happier than a child who sits in front of a television/ computer screen the whole day. These kids learn to be rude to their parents and intend to cut themselves out of the real world... Have fun with your children, by being active - make the whole family happy. There are so many things you can do to have fun while getting your child fit and healthy... Look at your calendar, start to slowly fill events in when you might have some off time over the weekends - make time... Here are some examples:
There are so many things you can do for the whole family, but most importantly your kids... Please make a point of this, look at your calendar - do something every two weeks. If your schedule does not allow this, get a Personal Fitness trainer to come keep your kids active. Enjoy! Article written by Personal Fitness Trainer Next Article... Women and Exercise The benefits of exercise during pregnancy: Exercise can only be good for pregnancy. It boosts mood, improves sleep, and reduces pregnancy aches and pains. By strengthening muscles and building endurance makes the childbirth and weight control, after birth, easier. The ideal workout gets your heart pumping, keeps you limber, manages weight gain and prepares your muscles without causing undue physical stress for you or the baby.
Why all women should exercise: A Woman's body is keeps growing, thus can you start training at any age, which is very beneficial.
How can exercise help my diabetes? Exercise can help control your weight and lower your blood sugar level and lower your risk of heart disease. Exercise also increases your health and makes you feel good about yourself. There are some risks of exercise for people with diabetes, but the benefits outweigh then by far. It is advisable to have a trainer who knows what he/she is doing. Quitting Smoke and Gaining weight. Nicotine speeds up your metabolism, this is why your metabolism slows down when you quit and you might gain weight - even if you're not eating more. Food is used as a replacement for smoking most of the time, which is why people need to start exercising before you quit smoking... It is good to bring something new and positive into your life as you quit a bad habit. Exercise help smokers to quit and also have other benefits such as reduced craving for nicotine, reduced depression, helps with stress, improved mood, much improved physical condition, etc. Start Training Today! Next Article... STRETCHING Finding it hard to scratch your own back or maybe just bending down to pick something up off the ground? It's true...you can't reach so far, because as you got older your muscles and joints minimized! You need a stretching program... Stretching will help lengthen your muscles so you can get to those hard to reach places. You can stretch any place at any time - this should be like a second nature to you and you don't even have to stop what you are doing. Stretch while you are watching T.V, stretch while you are in the bath, stretch while you read, stretch while you wait in line, STRETCH! Teach your children to start stretching as they get up in the morning and before they go to bed, this way, when they get older they won't even realize they are doing it. Stretching before and after exercising is very good for you, but stretching in between exercises is even better... Don't spend 10min stretching before you exercise and then cool down again, make stretching brief before you start your training and stretch each specific muscle just before you get to the specific exercise for that muscle. This will prevent your muscles and tendons from hurting while you exercise.
Here is an example of an Abdominal stretch, following the Abdominal Exercise: Abdominal Stretch:
Abdominal crunch (with ball):
Article written by Personal Fitness Trainer Next Article... How to get six-pack It is very easy to get a six-pack from the bottle store - if you are over 18, but I am not talking about a six-pack beer here... Why is it so hard to get healthy six-pack abdominals? Everyone wants to have a nice six-pack under their shirts - you might not say it out loud, but I know it's what you are thinking... Now don't worry ladies, your six-pack does not have to look like the ones a guy has - so big and bulgy. No, you can get those nice two lines that run down from your chest to below your naval...this is six-pack enough for ladies. There are sooo many "solutions" to this problem on the market, but hardly any of them work. What you need to realize is that this is not realy a problem, this is just something that you need to work on - and it's not so hard! This will be fun and you will feel so much better about yourself. You have probably tried those huge bulky abdominal machines, diets, metabolism tablets, abdominal belts/vibrators, 100 crunches a day, etc. but none of these work? You are absolutely right, none of these will work and here is why...
Now, I have heard so many excuses as to why you can't train, but it's only because you are not ready... Things like "My metabolism is too slow and I will never loose the belly fat", "It's in my family, so I should just accept it", "I have tried everything and nothing works", "I am just way too busy and have no time to exercise", etc. These are excuses you make, because you are not ready...it's all in the mind! You need to get your mind right to exercise and start living healthy, if you don't do this then everything will go wrong and nothing will work. You can have everything you will ever need about exercise, but your mind has to be right. You have to believe that you can do this, only think positive about your body. Look in the mirror every morning and think about the good qualities that you have and not the bad... Tell yourself you are loosing weight and starting to look very good. Once you start thinking positive, you will have the motivation and dedication to stop eating bad and doing exercise. You won't be distracted like you were before, because your mind is set right. Believe it; it's all in the mind! Every person is different, so you need to find the work-out that works for you. Go to a gym and speak to a fitness professional or get a Personal Fitness trainer to come to your home and help you out. Here are some exercises you can do for all the different parts of you abdominal muscles...
Get your mind set right and get a fitness professional to make the right programme for you and help you with your exercise! Article written by Professional Home Fitness Trainer Other Articles... Health Benefits of Exercise Regular exercise can help protect you from heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, noninsulin-dependent diabetes, obesity, back pain, osteoporosis, and can improve your mood and help you to better manage stress. For the greatest overall health benefits, experts recommend that you do 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity three or more times a week and some type of muscle strengthening activity and stretching at least twice a week. However, if you are unable to do this level of activity, you can gain substantial health benefits by accumulating 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity a day, at least five times a week. If you have been inactive for a while, you may want to start with less strenuous activities such as walking or swimming at a comfortable pace. Beginning at a slow pace will allow you to become physically fit without straining your body. Once you are in better shape, you can gradually do more strenuous activity. How Physical Activity Impacts Health Regular physical activity that is performed on most days of the week reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States.
Specific Health Benefits of Exercise Heart Disease and Stroke. Daily physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke by strengthening your heart muscle, lowering your blood pressure, raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (good cholesterol) and lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (bad cholesterol), improving blood flow, and increasing your heart's working capacity. High Blood Pressure. Regular physical activity can reduce blood pressure in those with high blood pressure levels. Physical activity also reduces body fatness, which is associated with high blood pressure. Noninsulin-Dependent Diabetes. By reducing body fatness, physical activity can help to prevent and control this type of diabetes. Obesity. Physical activity helps to reduce body fat by building or preserving muscle mass and improving the body's ability to use calories. When physical activity is combined with proper nutrition, it can help control weight and prevent obesity, a major risk factor for many diseases. Back Pain. By increasing muscle strength and endurance and improving flexibility and posture, regular exercise helps to prevent back pain. Osteoporosis. Regular weight-bearing exercise promotes bone formation and may prevent many forms of bone loss associated with aging. Psychological Effects. Regular physical activity can improve your mood and the way you feel about yourself. Researchers also have found that exercise is likely to reduce depression and anxiety and help you to better manage stress. Weight loss and weight control through exercise and physical activity Exercise helps to control your weight by using excess calories that otherwise would be stored as fat. your body weight is regulated by the number of calories you eat and use each day. Everything you eat contains calories, and everything you do uses calories, including sleeping, breathing, and digesting food. Any physical activity in addition to what you normally do will use extra calories. Regular exercise is an important part of effective weight loss and weight maintenance. It also can help prevent several diseases and improve your overall health. It does not matter what type of physical activity you perform--sports, planned exercise, household chores, yard work, or work-related tasks--all are beneficial. Studies show that even the most inactive people can gain significant health benefits if they accumulate 30 minutes or more of physical activity per day. Research consistently shows that regular physical activity, combined with healthy eating habits, is the most efficient and healthful way to control your weight. Whether you are trying to lose weight or maintain it, you should understand the important role of physical activity and include it in your lifestyle. Balancing the calories you use through physical activity with the calories you eat will help you achieve your desired weight
Any type of physical activity you choose to do--strenuous activities such as running or aerobic dancing or moderate-intensity activities such as walking or household work--will increase the number of calories your body uses. The key to successful weight control and improved overall health is making physical activity a part of your daily routine. Overview of nutrition, nutrient food sources and the function of nutrients in the body. CALORIES are needed to provide energy so the body functions properly. The number of calories in a food depends on the amount of energy the food provides. The number of calories a person needs depends on age, height, weight, gender, and activity level. People who consume more calories than they burn off in normal daily activity or during exercise are more likely to be overweight.
FAT should account for 30% or less of the calories consumed daily, with saturated fats accounting for no more than 10% of the total fat intake. Fats are a concentrated form of energy which help maintain body temperature, and protect body tissues and organs. Fat also plays an essential role in carrying the four fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K. Excess calories from protein and carbohydrates are converted to and stored as fat. Even if you are eating mostly "fat free" foods, excess consumption will result in additional body fat. Fat calories in food are readily stored, while it takes energy to transform protein and carbohydrates to body fat. The only proven way to reduce body fat is to burn more calories than one consumes.
CHOLESTEROL intake should not exceed 300 milligrams a day. Individuals differ on their absorption of dietary cholesterol, what is important is one's level of blood cholesterol. High blood cholesterol has been linked to the occurrence of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a buildup of fatty deposits in the coronary arteries and other blood vessels, and is a leading cause of heart attacks. Dietary cholesterol is only found in foods from animal sources, including meat, fish, milk, eggs, cheese, and butter. You may have heard the terms HDL and LDL discussed in relation to blood cholesterol and heart disease. HDL and LDL are lipoproteins, substances found in the bloodstream, that transport cholesterol and triglycerides in the body.
CARBOHYDRATES are a major source of energy and should account for 50% to 60% of calories consumed each day.
DIETARY FIBER Sources of fiber from highest to lowest are highfiber grain products, nuts, legumes (kidney, navy, black and pinto beans), vegetables, fruits, and refined grain products.
PROTEIN should account for 10% to 20% of the calories consumed each day. Protein is essential to the structure of red blood cells, for the proper functioning of antibodies resisting infection, for the regulation of enzymes and hormones, for growth, and for the repair of body tissue. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are found in a variety of foods. Meat, milk, cheese, and egg are complete proteins that have all the essential amino acids. Other sources of protein include whole grains, rice, corn, beans, legumes, oatmeal, peas, and peanut butter. For those who do not eat meat, eggs, or dairy products, it is important to eat a variety of these other foods in order to get enough protein. SODIUM intake is recommended to be less than 3,000 milligrams daily. One teaspoon of table salt contains about 2,000 milligrams of sodium. The difference between "sodium" and "salt" can be confusing. Sodium is a mineral found in various foods including table salt (sodium chloride). Table salt is 40% sodium. People with high blood pressure (hypertension) may be instructed by their doctor or dietitian to reduce sodium intake. High blood pressure can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, or kidney disease. The body needs a small amount of sodium to help maintain normal blood pressure and normal function of muscles and nerves. High sodium intake can contribute to water retention. Sodium is found in table salt, baking soda, monosodium glutamate (MSG), various seasonings, additives, condiments, meat, fish, poultry, dairy foods, eggs, smoked meats, olives, and pickled foods. POTASSIUM is essential for maintaining proper fluid balance, nerve impulse function, muscle function, cardiac (heart muscle) function Sources: bananas, raisins, apricots, oranges, avacadoes, dates, cantaloupe, watermelon, prunes, broccoli, spinach, carrots, potato, sweet potato, winter squash, mushrooms, peas, lentils, dried beans, peanuts, milk, yogurt, lean meats VITAMINS AND MINERALS are required for the regulation of the body's metabolic functions, and are found naturally in the foods we eat. Many foods are fortified in order to provide additional nutrients, or to replace nutrients that may have been lost during the processing of the food. Most people are able to obtain satisfactory nutrition from the wide selection of foods available in the United States. If a person is not able to eat a variety of foods from the basic food groups, then a vitamin and mineral supplement may be necessary. However, except for certain unusual health conditions, very few persons should need more than 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance for any single nutrient. Large doses of vitamin and mineral supplements can be harmful. Vitamins come in two varieties: fat soluble and water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the body for long periods of time, while excess amounts of water-soluble vitamins are excreted in the urine. Other article... Posture Know what good posture is believed to be. Most people think that to "stand up straight" means tensing your back to heave your chest 'in and up', and pulling your head back in to your chest. This is not so. The spine has two natural curves that you need to maintain called the 'double C' or 'S' curves, these are the curves found from the base of your head to your shoulders and the curve from the upper back to the base of the spine. When standing straight up, make sure that your weight is evenly distributed on your feet. You might feel like you are leaning forward, and look stupid, but you don't. Using a mirror, align your ears, shoulders, and hips. [This needs an image] Proper alignment places your ears loosely above your shoulders, above your hips. Again, these points make a straight line, but the spine itself curves in a slight 'S'. You'll find that this doesn't hurt at all. If you do experience pain, look at your side view in a mirror to see if you're forcing your back into an unnatural position. If so, stop it! Do exercises that strengthen the muscles across your upper back and shoulders. These do not have to be strenuous! Try the following, with or without hand weights:
Sitting
Standing
Walking
Driving
Carrying Objects
Sleeping
Other Article... What is Exercise? What is exercise (physical activity) and what can it do for me? Exercise is also known as physical activity and includes anything that gets you moving, such as walking, dancing, or working in the yard. You can earn the benefits of being physically active without going to a gym, playing sports, or using fancy equipment. When you're physically fit, you have the strength, flexibility, and endurance needed for your daily activities. Being physically active helps you feel better physically and mentally. Physical activity can lower your blood glucose (sugar), blood pressure, and cholesterol. It also reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke, relieves stress, and strengthens your heart, muscles, and bones. In addition, regular activity helps insulin work better, improves your blood circulation, and keeps your joints flexible. If you're trying to lose weight, a combination of physical activity and wise food choices can help you reach your target weight and maintain it. All of these benefits can be yours even if you haven't been very active before. Overcoming Barriers How do I get past the barriers to being physically active? If you're not active, it's likely that you have at least one reason why. Perhaps you've never been very active. Maybe you're afraid you'll get low blood glucose. Think about what's keeping you from being active and then look into ways to overcome the barriers.
Types of Exercise What kinds of physical activity should be part of my routine? A comprehensive physical activity routine includes three kinds of activities:
Aerobic Exercise Aerobic exercise increases your heart rate, works your muscles, and raises your breathing rate. For most people, it's best to aim for a total of about 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. If you haven't been very active recently, you can start out with 5 or 10 minutes a day and work up to more time each week. Or split up your activity for the day -- try a brisk 10-minute walk after each meal. If you're trying to lose weight, you may want to exercise more than 30 minutes a day. Strength Training Strength training, done several times a week, helps build strong bones and muscles and makes everyday chores like carrying groceries easier for you. With more muscle, you burn more calories, even at rest. Here are some ways to do it:
Flexibility Exercises Flexibility exercises, also called stretching, help keep your joints flexible and reduce your chances of injury during other activities. Gentle stretching for 5 to 10 minutes helps your body warm up and get ready for aerobic activities such as walking or swimming. Your health care team can provide information on how to stretch. Being Active Throughout The Day In addition to formal exercise, there are many opportunities to be active throughout the day. Being active helps burns calories. The more you move around, the more energy you'll have. These strategies can help you increase your activity level:
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