As you get older, it’s more important than ever to take care of your body. An aging body loses its elasticity, muscle tone, and bone density. There is only one thing to combat this: fitness. Getting fit combats aging and helps us keep our strength. Here are a few tips to get fit today.
Swimming is a great form of exercise and it doesn’t put any stress on the body. When you swim you are working all the muscles in your body giving your whole body a nice relaxed workout. If you are not used to swimming then it may take awhile to get used to it but you’ll come to enjoy it in time.
To have a healthy body it is important to have a good amount of sleep. The body needs to sleep to rejuvenate, this should not be taken for granted. Sleeping for eight hours maintains the body’s healthy immune system, helps the individual manage stress better. So be sure to get a good amount of sleep daily.
Try joining sites like Fitocracy or My Fitness Pal to log your exercise and calorie intake. Not only are they good for seeing where you need improvement, but it’s also a community of people with the same goals as you and can give you tips and ideas as well as encouragement.
If one holds onto small weights in the two to ten pound range in each hand while they go on a run they will also be incorporating an upper body exercise into their aerobic exercise. An activity that works separate areas of fitness at the same time will improve the results that one sees.
For someone new to the idea of getting in shape, fitness does not have to mean buying the most expensive shoes and training for a marathon. For those with little athletic ambition, a good start would be taking the stairs up to the office instead of the elevator and walking to a work-mate’s office to relay a message instead of sending an in-office email.
When trying to improve your putting skills, you should roll a ball across some sort of carpet. You may think that this would not help at all while in fact, it improves your ability to judge the line of the ball and will help improve your put when on the course.
Even something as simple as a ten minute walk can raise your spirits, relieve tension, and get your energy levels up. If you can’t walk during the day, take a friend along for an evening walk, and you can also burn calories from your dinner while you’re at it.
If you need to build forearm strength for a sport such as tennis, use newspapers to get the job done. Lay them out flat and crumple them in your hands one by one. This actually works out the muscle you need most in your forearm, so crumple them up again and again!
When cycling, steady does it gets the job done best. Peddling very quick will just serve to make you exhausted. By keeping a steady pace, you can build endurance. A brisk and steady pace also allows you to better feel muscle strain, which helps you to recognize potential injuries before they happen.
Don’t forget that it’s important to warmup your mind as much as your body prior to a work out. While your body may be doing all the heavy lifting, it’s your mind that’s coordinating its efforts. To prevent silly mistakes that can cause injuries, be sure to do some stretches that challenge the brain, like one-legged squats.
If you are sick, take the time to heal instead of exercising. This is especially true if you are experiencing symptoms below the head. Your body will mostly be putting its resources towards healing itself rather than trying to build the muscle you are training for, so any work you do will more than likely be of little benefit. It’s better to rest up.
Try this handy trick next time you are doing sit ups or crunches. Have you tongue firmly pressed against the top of your mouth. Doing this, helps align your neck while working out your abs. Simple tricks such as this can help prevent you from injuring yourself.
Experiment with new exercises and new workouts to keep your fitness routine fresh. Once you have established a routine that works for you, you have to be on the lookout for boredom. Investigating and trying out new ways to exercise is not just fun; it prevents complacency and keep you dedicated to a fit, healthy lifestyle.
Don’t waste your money on expensive gym equipment. Most likely you won’t use it more than a few times and it’ll end up sitting in a corner somewhere gathering dust. Instead, use your body to workout. You can do push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and hundreds of other exercises without any equipment.
Cardiovascular exercise should not be the only type of exercise you participate in, but it should definitely be a huge part of your workout. Walking on a treadmill is a great way to do this type of exercise. It is recommended that you do not perform cardiovascular exercise more than an hour a day. The reason for this is you start to lose muscle mass. The right amount of cardiovascular activity really strengthens a person’s fitness level.
If you have been sitting on the sidelines for a while, then getting back on the road to fitness is best accomplished in baby steps. Start small and add a little more every few days. For example, a newbie walker might simply walk 10 minutes the first day – 5 minutes in any direction and 5 minutes back. Add one minute every other day for a couple weeks. By the end of the period, you are walking 12-15 minutes every day. That is definitely long enough to make some serious lifestyle changes!
Getting fit is the best thing for your body as it gets older. As the body starts to decline, you have the power to fight that decline. Stay fit and develop strength so your body can stay limber and strong. Keep these tips in mind and your body will be young for years to come.