Fitness is a way of life that many people are new to. Being fit, eating right, and exercising is something that many people have to learn. Even with all the ways to get fit, it can be hard to choose particular methods. Here are a few effective techniques for keeping fit.
Sometimes it can be hard for to maintain a daily exercise regimen, but here are a few quick tips to help you stick with it.
1) Set a daily alarm or daily reminder on your phone to encourage you to exercise, make it encouraging and positive. Remember, this is something you want to do!
2) Set the reminder for a time when you usually don’t have anything pressing to do. Such as after you come home from work or right when you wake up or go to bed.
3) Remember, you can split your daily exercise to two 15 minute sessions. IT can sometimes be easier to find 15 minutes than it to find 30, so perhaps set two alarms during the day.
Don’t get stuck behind your desk all day. Unlike our railroad-laying, dawn-’til-dusk farming ancestors, many of us don’t have jobs that require physical labor. If this is the case for you, try incorporating little exercises into your workday. Set a timer on your computer to alert you every hour. Stand up from your desk and either do a lap around the office or a strength move. These little bursts can add up to a lot of extra burned calories over the course of a week, month, or year.
When working out some soreness is normal, but pain is not. Working out is often uncomfortable as you are working to increase your endurance and limits; however, it should not be outright painful. If you ever experience severe pain when working out, stop what you are doing immediately. If the pain does not subside, head to the doctor, as you may have suffered an injury.
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.
A great way to remain consistent with your fitness regimen is to enlist a friend or relative to exercise with you on a regular basis. Getting another individual involved in your fitness journey helps you stay accountable in terms of the goals you have set, and also sets the stage for a bit of healthy competition to see who achieves the most impressive results.
A quick way to workout your leg muscles is to do squats. Simply hold your arms out, pointing forward away from your body, and crouch down with your legs. Then stand back up. Do this about ten times for three sets each. The stronger your legs get, the easier it will be to do them.
When you are training hard to reach your fitness goals you should remember to care for your body. One overlooked area of the body, that is commonly injured, is the neck. A simple way to save your precious vertebrae is to push your tongue against the roof of your mouth. You will automatically hold your head properly and avoid injury.
To stay hydrated, limit your intake of alcohol and caffeine. These two chemicals dehydrate your body and can leach nutrients from your bloodstream. The best drink for your body is pure water. Remember, you can lose a lot of water when exercising by sweating, so consider having an electrolyte replacement drink after workouts.
To build stronger abdominal muscles, don’t overdo it. You don’t want to do abdominal exercises every day of the week. Just like the other muscles in your body, your abs need to rest between workouts. Do your abdominal workout, just two or three days a week for the best results.
Take initiative on the exercises you know you do not like. You probably dislike them because you are worried you cannot do them, so give them a second, third, and fourth try. Keep working at them and you will eventually come to enjoy them, as you know you can succeed.
If you change your grip methods when working on bench-pressing, lighten up! Decrease the weight you are using so that you do not inadvertently injure your shoulder muscles. Your muscles need time to prepare for extra weight, so work your way back up to the max every time you make a change.
Only work out the muscles that have been exercised the previous day lightly. When exercising tied muscles it is important to use less effort when using them the next day so that you do not cause injury to the muscles.
When you are doing repetitions of an exercise, try counting backwards to your goal instead of forwards to it. It’s a mental trick. When you are concentrating on those big numbers you tend to think it is impossible to do more, while just the opposite holds true when you are decreasing your count. You may find those sets that were hard to get through are a little easier this way.
Plan ahead for situations that could derail your fitness plans. At a time when you are feeling enthusiastic and clear-headed, establish a plan of action for all the possible reasons that you may skip a workout. For example, if you have to work late, you will skip the gym, but instead do short but intense workout at home. By planning in advance, you don’t have to come up with a solution when you are stressed.
Staying fit takes a lot of hard work and information. Use these tips to help jump start a fit lifestyle that will result in longevity, health, and happiness. Using just a few of these tips can produce major results as long as there is a sense of commitment and dedication to fitness.