Many people are under the misconception that if they are thin they are fit. There are many thin people who have high cholesterol, high blood pressure and are really, not as fit as they think they are. There are some things that you should consider if you want to know just how fit you really are.
One way to maximize your fitness routine is to keep track of your workouts and how well you did. This will result in positive thinking and will push you to compete against yourself. There are many online logs that you can keep, as well as devices that you can use to automatically track your workouts. This way you can see your progression and formulate your own challenges.
Have a quick checkup done by a medical professional before you sign up for any scuba lessons. While learning to scuba dive can be a fun and exciting idea, make sure your lungs are in shape to handle it before you waste your money on something so pricey.
If you’re trying to get in better shape, don’t bother exercising when you have a cold, the flu, or another illness your body needs to fight off. Why? Your body has different priorities than you do — when you’re sick, it will try to restore your health before it will devote any resources to muscle-building.
An easy way to work out your abs while doing any other activity is to hold in or flex your ab muscles. Doing this move on its own can, sometimes, be equivalent to doing a sit up. Doing it while working out or even just walking, helps strengthen the ab muscles and improves posture, since it is strengthening your core muscles.
Stretch those muscles. Your muscles have to get stretched for longer periods of time as you get older. Aging causes muscle density to decrease, as well as a decrease in pliability. Under 40 years old? Hold stretches for about 30 seconds. Over 40? Stretch for about a minute. You’ll feel more flexible and limber this way.
No matter which type of workout you choose to do, you need to stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water before, during and after exercise helps to replace fluids that are lost during your workout. Staying hydrated means that you will have more energy to go that little bit further, and you will feel better overall.
Warming up and cooling down are important aspects of physical fitness routines. Warm ups are particularly important because they get the body prepared for physical activity which can lead to higher efficiency. Cool downs are just as important because they help bring muscles back to their original resting state following a workout which helps prevent strain or injury.
If you train your abdominal muscles relentlessly, don’t forget to also train your lower-back muscles. If you ignore lower-back muscle training, abdominal training can actually create bad posture and back pain. A good rule of thumb is for each abdominal set, follow it up with a lower-back set with an equal amount of repetitions.
Strengthen your grip by using a towel. Wrap it around any weights or bars that you use to add extra girth. Your hands will have to work harder to hold on to the thicker material, and your grip will grow stronger. You can use this for weights, chin-ups, squats, or any other bar that you use in your routine.
Implement barbell squats with free weights into your fitness routine in order to develop your muscles. Barbell squats not only build many different muscle groups, they also cause your body to secrete more growth hormone, which is great for gaining mass.
It is important to stretch your tight muscles rather than your more flexible ones. This is because the flexible muscles are ready to handle whatever workout routine you may follow, while the tighter muscles are not. It is recommended that you spend twice as much time on your tight muscles than your flexible ones.
Improving your balance is a valuable asset. It can improve your workout routine and performing other physical activities. A tip to improve your balance is by putting one leg on your sofa, while moving a medicine ball from one side of your body to the other and hand to hand.
When doing a series of abdominal crunches, exhale forcefully at the top of each and every crunch. This movement will cause your abdominal muscles to work harder. By taking this simple step, you can decrease the number of crunches you have to complete but still achieve the same end result.
Being fit isn’t just about exercising, but also eating right. Watch what you put in your body by being a vigilant reader of food nutritional labels. Avoid sugars and fats, and look for foods high in fiber. Examine labels closely to see how many servings are in a package so that you’re not unknowingly adding calories. Although it’s always best to eat fresh foods, knowing the nutritional values of packaged foods can keep you on top of your fitness game.
Do simple cardio exercises to build up your heart rate and to burn more calories. Beginners can start out by adding more steps to their day, avoiding elevators and escalators and taking the stairs instead. Walk at a brisk pace when possible. And when running, you can alternate between a running pace and a walking pace to slowly build more cardio exercise into your routine.
Fitness has a lot to do with willpower. If you can exercise your willpower, you will be able to push through harder workouts, beat the temptations for unhealthy foods in the office, on your way home or at parties, and make giant steps forward in becoming a healthier and more fit person.
The information that has been provided above should have given you an idea for just how fit you really are. If you are not as fit as you would like to be, it is important for you to start making changes now while you can still fix your overall fitness.