Some people have no trouble at all when trying to maintain their fitness, however, with others it becomes a daily struggle that needs to be thought out and watched closely as you progress. This article features a handpicked selection of tips and tricks that are ideal for nearly any fitness routine.
Try to use free weights rather than exercise machines. While exercise machines are great a way to stay fit, your body can actually benefit more from free weights. Free weights work stabilizer muscles that most machines don’t. Not to mention, free weights are also much less expensive and bulky. It is a better choice all around to add free weights to your home gym.
Stay motivated by setting personal fitness goals. This encourages you to focus on overcoming obstacles instead of obsessing over their difficulty. Your goal is the light at the end of the tunnel. It is the shimmering image of success that will keep you from quitting when discouraged.
If you’re looking to get in shape another thing to consider is to gradually increase the difficulty of your regimen. If you increase it too fast you will lose your motivation, and too slow, the results will be too slow. For example if you used to walk 30 minutes a day at a rate of three miles an hour increase it to thirty minutes, or increase your speed to three and a half miles per hour.
Decrease your time in the gym by not taking as long to rest between sets of weightlifting. When you first begin lifting weights your muscles are still strong enough to go right through. Think intuitively and take breaks when you need them, but you can cut down a good 10-20% off your gym time by cutting down on those early breaks, which would allow you to move on to something else that much quicker.
Biking to work is a great way to improve your fitness. Check local maps to find safe bike routes in your community. Set aside ample travel time on your way to work because biking to work will take anywhere from two to six times longer than driving. Wear bright clothing so that cars can see you. Most importantly, enjoy the fresh air and the exhilaration of being outdoors!
Use your smart phone to set alarms that remind you to get up from the desk and climb a set of stairs. Even a little bit of exercise is better than no exercise. In our harried day to day lives, however, it is sometimes difficult to remind ourselves to do it. Exercise during the work day will benefit you both physically and mentally. Your work will likely benefit as well.
Going to a commercial rock climbing wall can be a good way to get out of the house and have fun while still improving physical fitness. The climbing of the rock wall will work out the entire body and also stimulate the mind as one looks for a path to climb.
Taking advantage of seasonal sports can make fitness much more entertaining and rewarding. If you’re in a region that receives a lot of snow on the winter, try your hand at skiing. During the summer, go for a long swim every day. Seasonal sports give you something to look forward to, making exercising more fun.
When you run, you should build up more and more and go longer distances faster then when you previously started. One week out of every six, you should try and give your body a rest and chance to recuperate by running only half the distance and half the speed.
Increase the flexibility of your ankles to become a better and more natural swimmer. The more flexible your ankles are, the more they will perform like natural flippers, giving you a greater ability to propel yourself quickly and smoothly across the water. Work on flexibility exercises daily to maximize your swimming potential.
Keep a log when you are using a pedometer to record your daily steps. You want to aim for, at least, 10k a day. The best way to track your progress is to have a journal where you record your daily step count, before you go to bed at night.
When you are developing a workout routine, make sure that you focus on one specific area on your body if you want to get maximum results. This will give you the ability to aim for quality over quantity and can help to get you to where you want to be in your program.
When working out to try to get a better looking body, many people tend to overwork their abs. It is best not to work your abdominal area every day. You need to let them rest to get the full affect. Try to only do abdominal work every other day for a maximum of three days a week.
Start out slow and use a buddy when performing high-weight exercises. Activities like the bench press and squatting can involve very heavy weights that if dropped or thrown, can cripple an unwise amateur when it comes to lifting. A bar holding 400 lbs landing anywhere on the body other than the arms can be very, very painful and may even cause damage.
Make sure to loosen up your muscles before you engage in weight lifting. Stretching the muscle you are going to lift should be standard practice for everybody. If you are under 40, a 30 second stretch is adequate. However, if you are over 40, then you may want to stretch longer.
Fitness should be a priority at any age and it’s important for senior citizens to stay in shape, too. Swimming is great for older people because it’s low impact and easy on their joints. Water aerobics are a good alternative to swimming laps. Golfing is another way for senior citizens to get out and moving around.
It doesn’t matter what shape you’re in, these tips will help. Try to incorporate as much of this advice into your daily life as possible. If you make the time to get fit, you will have lasting benefits and a longer lifespan.