Fitness is about more than exercising; it’s about a lifestyle. People who start getting fit, feel better about themselves and are happier and stronger than their sedentary counterparts. If you are ready to get started and do what it takes, here are some quick fitness tips that can start helping you today.
Prohibiting certain foods to enter the house like donuts, potato chips or sugary beverages will help you from sabotaging your fitness program. Instead, clean out your refrigerator and replace the bad foods with healthier fruits, vegetables and water. Drinking plenty of water will help stave off hunger and prevent you from over-indulging.
Run at least four times per week. A consistent running routine increases endurance because your muscles train themselves to perform repetitive motions more efficiently. Running every other day is adequate to build this muscle memory. A run can be of any length, and beginners should start with runs no longer than 10-15 minutes.
Make a concerted effort to do the exercises that you like least. You may be inclined to resist doing exercises that you are not great at. So add those dreaded exercises to your daily routine and do them regularly.
To stay healthy when exercising, it is important that your body be well hydrated. About two hours before your work-out session, drink about two servings (one serving is 8 oz) of water; during your work-out, you should drink at least 5 oz for every 20 minutes of exercise. Dehydration can have serious negative effects on the body and can lead to hospitalization if severe.
Choose the best time to exercise. While most people like to get exercise out of the way in the morning, sometimes it’s better to wait. Lung function peaks in most people between 4pm and 5pm, so this may be better for you. Interestingly, midday is the time when exercise returns the lowest lung function. That being said, you should exercise at a time that suits you – your body will indicate that to you.
When riding a bike for exercise, you should try riding with only one leg. This forces you to concentrate on the one leg that is moving the entire bike. It also provides more of a workout for that individual leg if you ride it for a significant amount of time.
In order to more effectively target your back muscles, don’t wrap your thumb around the bar when performing pullups. It is much better to place your thumb on top of the bar. Performing pullups in this manner will reduce the amount of involvement your arm muscles have during the exercise and force your back to work harder.
Building forearm strength is easier than you might know and can be done almost anywhere. When you are finished with your newspaper, save a few sheets for working out. Place a sheet from the paper on a table or other flat surface. Simply start at one corner and crumple it into your hand, pulling the paper in as you go. Try to make this take about 30 seconds for maximum effect. Do this with both hands.
Consult your doctor about your new workout routine. This will ensure that you are ready to achieve your fitness goals in a healthy way. If you smoke or have any kind of health problems, then you really should make sure to do this.
When beginning to bench, build up to the strength by doing push-ups. Push-ups work out the pectoral muscles and triceps, both of which are used when doing the bench press. While it’s not necessarily the same exercise, push-ups can be a good alternative for individuals who lack gym equipment or are afraid to go in a gym and show off amateurish weights.
Remember how much fun riding a bike was when you were a kid? If you’re looking for a way to burn some calories, try hopping back on a bike. A lot of cities have designated bike trails. These are great because most of the time you don’t have to worry about watching out for cars (you do have to watch out for joggers, though). Be sure to wear a helmet when you go out.
Make sure to go to your doctor and get a physical before beginning any fitness program. It is important to get a physical to determine your height, weight and body mass index. Additionally, your doctor will be able to make sure your body is healthy enough to begin a rigorous fitness program.
Walking is a convenient and inexpensive way to get fit. All you need is a pair of comfortable shoes and a place to walk! You can listen to music or talk to a friend while you walk. Even setting aside half an hour a day to walk will help you get fit and feel great!
Whenever you are recovering from an injury, you should resume your training regimen as soon as you possibly can. Start out with very low intensities to see if your body is ready. If you feel pain, stop and try again the next day. This way, you won’t break your habit of working out.
A great fitness tip to make sure that you are doing squats properly is to use a bench. Position a bench behind the area where you squat and lower yourself as if you were going to sit down. When you make contact with the bench, push yourself back up.
Staying agile is a part of fitness. Agility combines balance, speed, coordination and strength to determine your body’s efficiency of moving from one direction to another. There are many exercises that can be done to improve or maintain agility including sprint drills and foot exercises involving an agility ladder on the ground.
Join the ranks of fit people by implementing these tips and falling into a routine of regular behavior that includes exercise and a healthy diet. By taking control of your fitness, you are taking control of your life. It’s not just the physical results that you’ll start to see, either. It’s entirely possible that a fit lifestyle will affect your entire life, if you let it.