There are many benefits to being physically fit. Fit individuals are healthier, have more energy, and overall live longer than others. If you would like to get your body in shape, then pay attention to the fitness tips in the article below.
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.
If you’re trying to bulk up, start out by going until you can’t go anymore and then having two cups of chocolate milk. Sounds simple, but a group of those just beginning were studied and it was found that training “to failure” caused a weight gain of 5 pounds in 2 months, but only if followed by a supplement.
A great way to help you get fit is to start running. Compared to other exercises like the stationary bike or the elliptical, running tends to burn far more calories. You can run on a treadmill or on a track if you can find one. Avoid running on concrete though.
Lunges are an excellent exercise that works out your calf and thigh muscles. To do them, simply stand with your left leg slightly in the front and your right leg slightly in the back. Then lean forward with your left knee slightly bent. Then stand back up. Do this for each leg ten times for three sets each leg.
Are you looking to speed up your run? To increase the speed of your running time, make your actual running strides quicker instead of making your strides bigger. This will shave time off of your run. Push off with the toes of your trailing leg to get you going.
When you feel the burn, go back the next day for more! Exercising to the point that we feel it can make us really sore for days. The best way to prevent that, or at least to minimize it, is to exercise again the very next day and the day following that. It may be prudent to take it easier but don’t forgo exercise all together.
Integrate exercise into your life so that it becomes normal and natural. Research has shown, that in order to be healthy, you need to be active on a daily basis. This is one reason why doctors recommend simple things like walking the dog, taking the stairs and doing yard work. Any amount of activity is worth doing.
If you dread the very idea of performing multiple sets of chin ups, try looking at it this way: rather than focusing on the effort needed to pull your entire body weight up, think about the effort needed just to pull your elbows down. Surprisingly, this makes the entire workout seem somewhat easier.
You can build your run time by changing the way you breath. While running, when you inhale, breathe so that your belly rises. When you breath likes this you are ensuring that your lungs are fully inflating with oxygen. This will help you to run for a longer period of time.
Plan ahead for your workout routine. For example, if you exercise in the morning, set out your clothes before you go to bed. If you go to the gym in the afternoon, pack your bag in the morning. This way, when it’s time to exercise you’re ready to go and have no time to make excuses.
One basic tip for fitness is do not overtrain! Sometimes when you have a health or fitness goal you want to achieve, it is tempting to push yourself to your fullest capacity, but this is not healthy. Set regular achievable goals for yourself and results will be well within your reach.
To really get some great legs, add some standing and sitting calf raises to your exercising routine. Doing both sitting and standing versions, work out both sets of muscles in the legs. Adding these to your workout will not only make your legs look great, but will allow you to get better results than with other leg exercises.
In between your workouts, you should try and change the grip on the bar that you use. Some people use a medium grip, while others use a large or wide grip. Changing the grip actually changes the type of muscle that you can work out, and you can get a variety of work outs for a single bar.
Make sure that you get the most out of your shoulder workouts. There are three parts that make up your deltoids and ideally, you want to hit all three, if you want a well developed muscle. Shoulder presses and lateral raises, are two of the best exercises you can do.
If you want your fitness program to succeed, surround yourself with other people who also make working out a priority. You will be motivated by their successes, and you can learn from their failures. Enthusiasm is often contagious; if your friends and family members are excited about the results they are seeing, you will feel the same way.
Arrange a neighborhood DVD swap. If you are getting bored with your same old workout DVD, gather some friends and schedule a swap. Every week or two pass your DVD on to your neighbor and receive a new one from another neighbor. This way, you don’t have to invest in a whole fitness DVD library, but you can still try out different workouts.
You can help to prevent knee injuries that can result from fitness by strengthening your hip muscles. This will help to lessen the burden on your knees, as your hips will have more control over the movement of your legs. Some simple exercises that can help to build hip muscles are lunges and bridges.
As stated before in the introduction for this article, everyone should strive for physical fitness. You will feel healthier, stronger, having more energy and live longer. It does not take long for your body to thank you so start today, you will be on your way to live a long healthy life with more energy.