Start an Exercise Regimen and Stick to It

Exercise, exercise, exercise is all you hear everywhere! Don't despair! It isn't as hard or cumbersome as you think it may be. In fact, it can be so much fun that you will forget that you are exercising.

Exercise to the body is like breathing. In other words, it is as necessary as the air we breathe. The well known cliché "If you don't use it, you will lose it" is well applicable to exercise and our body.
So if you are not already part of an exercise regimen, how do you go about it?


Say No
First of all, you have to say no to the 'excuse demon'. I used to be a person who dreaded exercise and would become dizzy at the very thought of it. And hence, I came to the conclusion that my body is not made for exercise. Sounds familiar?
Yes, our mind is powerful enough to bring up excuses like that which can stall us for a lifetime. Ever heard the one "I will go to the gym tomorrow". Smart huh?


Pick One Activity and Make it Fun
Next, you have to pick an activity that you really like and one that can be part of your routine for life. If you pick something which you already feel is a chore, then chances are that you will never stick to it. Whereas, if you start an activity that your mind now deems as fun then you will WANT to do it as opposed to dragging your feet to do it. Therein, lie the secret to starting an exercise regimen and sticking to it.


Stick to it
When you stick to the regimen, you will find yourself to be a new person with more energy and endurance and you will actually want to exercise more and will start looking around for something more strenuous or challenging.
Then you truly know that you have won half the battle over the excuse demon.


Swimming
Look around for an activity that you already do, for instance, an aerobic exercise like swimming.
Swimming is the most beneficial exercise ever and it does not feel like exercise either. Swimming also burns a lot more calories. Not only does swimming burn calories faster, it also burns fat faster because unknown to you your body is working a lot when you swim. So if you know how to swim, just go for it and watch the inches melt off your waist. Swimming also tones your thighs and arms. So, you are rewarded with a toned body as well.


Dancing
Dancing is another fun activity than can shed pounds and burn calories. Join a dance club or if you are one of the shy ones, get a dance video and dance away at home. You can also get other exercise videos that you can follow in the comfort of your home.


Walking and More
If you have never exercised before then walking is a good way to start. As with any exercise start gradually and then increment as you go.
Jogging, running, hiking, mountain and rock climbing, and any other sport or activity that you think of as fun is a great way to get your body moving and burning calories.
Or just plain old aerobics group exercise at the local gym is a great way to start. The group effect can be motivating and you will hold each other accountable enough to participate in the classes.

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Let Your Brain Be Your Guide To Fitness

Let's look at four ways you can use your brain to help you become successful with your training program. Fatigue might feel as if it begins in your body. You know the signs; aching muscles, waning strength etc. Research suggests that your mind plays a key role in combating these situations. Kevin Thompson, head of sport studies at the University of Canberra, Australia has found that your brain sets the pace so your body does not run out of energy. It also keeps energy in reserve. How can we tap into this for greater performance and better results?

I Think I Can, I Think I Can!

Just like the little engine that could, visualizing athletic success boosts mental toughness, according to a Journal of Applied Sport Psychology study reports. That can be the key of performance. "Imaging a situation reinforces the came neural pathways as executing the behaviour", says study author Krista Chandler of the University of Windsor. "When you then attempt the task, your body feels as if you've already done it". Try this: when you hit a strength or aerobic plateau, take 10 minutes to picture yourself conquering a heavier lift or a faster run.

Avoid Doubt, Stay Positive

Self-doubt can be a powerful saboteur. All you need to do is change your mental dialogue. "Positive self-talk reinforces your confidence and boosts your energy so you won't quit when you feel tired or challenged", says Nick Galli, and assistant professor of sport psychology at California State University at Northridge. Science agrees: A recent meta-analysis by Greek researchers found that positive affirmations can boost performance. So, how can this work for you? Repeat phrases like "I feel good" or "I'm swift and strong" as you workout.

Keep Your Mind Clear and Positive

Too much stress can get in the way of a good workout, according to a new study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology. The reason: it commandeers areas of your mind in charge of attention; areas that would otherwise be used to support the mind-muscle connection says study author Michael Agnew. The less you worry, the more benefit you will real from your workouts. Here is a positive way to keep your mind on your side. Count to four as you inhale; then hold your breath for 4 seconds as you refocus on your training. Exhale slowly. Repeat this process at least twice, more if necessary.

You've Got to Have Rhythm

Scientists have long known that music can boost athletic performance. According to new British research, the key is to listen to music that you find motivating! "The music distracts you from your effort, allowing you to train harder and for a longer time", says Edmund Acevedo, a professor of health and human performance at Virginia Commonwealth University. To get into the rhythmic mood, create your own workout mix instead of downloading a generic play-list or listening to your gym's piped-in music. If you like what you are listening to, you are more likely to increase your performance and in turn your results.

These are just a few ways you can improve you training results. Given time you may come up with some of your own motivational habits. The key is to find ways to intensify your workouts to get better results, quicker and more effectively. Staying motivated is key; being able to increase your time or strength is necessary if you want to stay in the groove. One of the main reasons people quit is their inability to increase their workouts and get the results they want. Following just these four methods should prevent any thoughts of failure.

Knowing what to do is useless unless you take action. There can be no results for those you claim to know how to do, only from those who DO! To help you take that next step please visit my website for more information on how to achieve your highest level of fitness.

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You can also contact me by email at gordon.folka@me

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Why Do Some People Stop Growing After Going to the Gym?

Progress is the way of life for anyone who exercises, especially for someone who is doing resistance weight training at the gym. But why do most people stall at a certain weight and do not improve anymore. There could be several underlying reasons for stalling to happen. Stalling comes in two ways, either from the inability to push or pull more weight or the inability to do more repetition.

In short, all the problems that cause stalling are because of a breakdown in the system of your workout. The biggest contributor is incorrect posture. An incorrect posture will lead to training the wrong muscle and that is why you do not see the progress anymore. What is worse is when you injure muscles like your legs and back which causes a habit of them stepping in whenever the weight is too heavy, resulting in them becoming weaker due to the fact that you do not utilize them properly. If your base is weak, it will no longer accept any more weight to bear on the top and that is why you could be stalling. Take off the weight along with ego and restart by doing extremely lightweight, preferably only with the barbell or the lightest dumbbell in your gym.

Put the pride aside or you will retire from training in the gym.

The next reason you stall could also be the workout itself is not fully rounded. Imagine that you are training for hypertrophy for your muscles and you see progress and add up more weight for you to push or pull. Soon, you realized you are adding less weight and in the end, you stall at a certain weight. This could mean that it is time for you to change up your exercise. Unless you are training on strength and taking a diet where you gain weight, you cannot simply just do the same workout again and again and expect growth because everything you do requires strength as a pillar inside to progress. Thus you will just have to settle with changing up the exercise since you have already plateaued on that exercise for now. This also affects people who are training endurance at the gym with high repetition and low weight used.

Lastly, it could be your diet. If you are training long hours at the gym, it could be your downfall instead of progressing you. The body enters a catabolic state an hour or more after intensive exercise at the gym which leads to your muscle breaking down as the glycogen storage in your muscles are deprived of fuel. The second mistake is consuming less of what you need. This is a sure fire way for you to demoralize and stall yourself as your body only grow when there is sufficient vitamins, minerals, protein and fuel. Lack any of these and soon you will see yourself staying the same size no matter how much you train. The biggest mistake I see when it comes to recovery is the fact that people do not rest enough. They over-train the muscle by training the same muscle again within 48hours or they simply do not sleep enough each night. Muscles grow mostly in your sleep so please stop hampering your growth with the late night movie and the late night up in front of your laptop.

Daniel E Goh is a Fitness Trainer and Personal Coach. For more information on keeping the weight you gain permanently, visit http://bit.ly/RmTAG5 on how I can help you further.

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What Ab Exercises Are the Best?

Over 40 billion dollars are spent each year in the health and fitness industry. People are looking for quick fixes to lose weight, specifically abs diet foods. Is there really a diet for a flat belly? What ab exercises are the best? This article will explore these important questions costing over 40 billion dollars per year!

Is there really a diet for a flat belly? Obviously, there are foods you should avoid when trying to lose weight. The elementary school food pyramid was created for a reason. If a person consumes large amounts of fats and sweets, he/she will end up looking like a large amount of fats and sweets! This isn't rocket science.

However, are there really foods for flat stomach? There has been a lot of research regarding this topic. Most doctors agree there indeed are certain foods that help fight belly fat. Some such foods may be oatmeal, milk, almonds, olive oil, certain fruits and vegetables and more! Scientists are also discovering that many so-called healthy alternatives are not creating the desired effects. For example, soy and whole grains may be making belly fat worse! As it turns out, WHAT you eat may actually be far more important than HOW MUCH you eat. That is refreshing news! Women will be happy to hear of a new type of diet called, "No more starving yourself diet for flat belly!"

And what about exercises to work abs? What ab exercises are the best? Six pack ab wannabes will be disappointed to hear that all of those crunches and sit-ups may actually be counter-productive. Certain exercises to work abs may actually build muscles; however, they may be building muscle behind the fat! This causes the belly to appear even larger! Not exactly the results most ab wannabes are seeking! In addition, sit-ups are not the best exercise for those with a bad back. If ab exercises aren't done correctly, other muscle groups may inadvertently end up with the workout - leaving the abs as flabby as ever.

So if sit-ups and ab crunches aren't the key, then what ab exercises are the best? For starters, one arm snatches, dumbbell swings and staggered lunges will help obtain the desired six pack abs. In a one arm snatch, hold a dumbbell between your legs with one arm. Bend your knees, look straight ahead, and swing the weight back between your legs. Then swing it back forward through your legs and straight up over your head.

Dumbbell swings also requires weights, however, soup cans will work for the beginner. Stand in a stance position with stomach tight and feet shoulder width apart. Bend down and pull up the weight in a swing motion until it is parallel to the body. Return the dumbbell to the starting position.

Finally, staggered lunges are like a typical lunge stepping forward with one foot and bending the knee in a squat position. A staggered lunge is walking forward lunging as you go.

This 40 billion dollar industry isn't just for physical appearance; although, it is a driving force behind many people seeking what ab exercises are the best. The truth of the matter is that belly fat is unhealthy. The visceral fat around your organs will affect your quality of life - if not now, then in the future. Under the supervision of your doctor, start an exercise and healthy eating life style change today. You will not only look better, but will also feel better!

If you want to know what ab exercises are the best along with the best abs diet foods to get the six pack abs you always wanted, you must visit this site: http://whatabexercisesarethebest.com

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Incredible Tips To Help You Lose Weight Fast And Safely

If you are seeking ways to reduce your weight, you probably want to look for how you can get results fast.
So, in this article we shall be looking at the following tips that will help you to lose weight fast without exposing your body to serious harm:

Tip 1-Avoid crash diets

Just because you want to shed off excess weight quickly does not mean that you should fall into the temptation of using crash diets that prescribe that you should consume less than 1000 calories per day to burn body fat.

This is because even though these crash diets help you to shed fat quickly, their results do not last; once you stop using them (there is no way that you can be on less than 1000 calories per day for a long time) you will experience a rebound weight gain that will be more than all the weight that you had lost previously.

Tip 2-Keep a food journal

If you can write down all the foods that you consume, you will be able to stay on track of your healthy diet more easily. Where you write on is not as important as making sure that you write; you can even write on napkin which you can throw away later.

The main reason why you write what you want to eat down is, so that you can have an idea of the amount of calories that you want to consume at any time, so that you can monitor your calorie intake more closely.

Tip 3-Seek the help of a counsellor

If you are the type that engages in a lot of emotional eating, you will not be able to shed off your excess fat very easily. If you are this type of person, you must strongly consider talking to a qualified counsellor to help you find practical ways that you can use to handle your emotions.

Tip 4-Remove all tempting foods from your home

There is no point in keeping what you are trying to avoid close to you. You should remove all sugar laden junk foods that will only make you fat from your home. As long as those foods, especially those that you like, are within your reach, you will not be able to resist the temptation to go for them after a while.

Tip 5-Make sure that you burn more calories than what you are consuming

There is no way that you would succeed in shedding off excess body fat if you are not burning more calories than what you are consuming. If you want to speed up the rate at which you lose weight, you must add some level of exercise to your healthy and low calorie diet plans.

If you can consume 1,050 to 1,200 calories per day in addition to engaging in exercise for at least one hour every day, you would be able to lose about 3-5 pounds per week; you should not reduce your calorie intake beyond this level when you are exercising.

The most important step in shedding off excessive body weight is by making major diet changes.

So, you can click here to sign up for a free 7 days fat loss e-course by the diet solution program to kick off your healthy diet plan.

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How To Motivate Yourself To Exercise - Best 4 Tips

Although you know that you should exercise to improve your state of health and lose extra body fat, you still find it hard to actually start and keep on exercising. You would easily think of a thousand and one 'good' excuses that are good enough to stop you from exercising; in fact the whole process of trying to stay fit and slim has become very stressful and overwhelming. If you are not careful, you might most likely abandon the whole idea of exercising totally.

However, in this article, I am going to show you the following tips that you can use to keep yourself motivated to continue doing your exercises:

Tip 1-You must have strong reasons for wanting to exercise

You must have very strong reasons why you want to become more active. There are different reasons why you can seek to become fit and here are some of those reasons that you could have:

-You may want to weigh less

-You may want to strengthen your bones

-You may want to develop stronger muscles

-You may want to reduce the risk of developing coronary heart diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and some kinds of cancer.

-You may want to increase your internal energy levels so as to reduce your stress levels
If you have strong personal reasons for becoming more active, those reasons will help you to keep going on till you reach your desired fitness goals.

Tip 2-You must set realistic goals

If you aim for goals that are too high to attain, you will easily get discouraged every time you fail to reach those extremely high goals.

Even though the CDC guidelines prescribes that you need to be on a 2 and half hours of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week, you might need to start at a lower activity level from where you can gradually increase the intensity and time of your exercises up to this recommended level.

You can start by walking for 5 minutes per day for 3-4 days in a week. Gradually step up your walking to 30 minutes walking sessions per day for five days in a week.

If you set moderate weekly goals which you increase gradually, you would be able to monitor and allow your weekly progress to spur you into more activities.

Tip 3-Start seeing exercise as fun and not as a chore

You have to come up with innovative and fun filled activities that you can use as exercises.

Attending a gym might not work out well for everybody; while going to the gym helps some people to follow well structured exercise routines, for some other people, it looks like a chore which they easily get fed up with.

Some fun filled activities that you can use to exercise include the following:

-You can walk your dog around your neighbourhood

-You can organise a dance contest with your kids

-You can play hide and seek with your kids at the park

-You can walk to the store and other short distances instead of driving

-You can also get down from the train early so that you can walk the rest of the distance to your working place.

If you can make use of a lot of the fun filled activities around you, you will exercise while having fun at the same time.

Tip 4-Fail forwards

There is no way that you will pass through your fitness program perfectly without failing and slipping occasionally along the way; remember that you are human after all.

When you fail occasionally you must not despair and throw in the towel easily; you must learn to fail forwards when you slip occasionally. This actually means that you must pick yourself up immediately and propel yourself forwards into more action every time that you fail.

By the way, do you want to know the right food choices that you must make in combination with exercises to make your body fit, healthy and trim?

If so, you are invited to click here to sign up for a free 7 days fat loss and healthy diet e-course by the diet solution program.

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How To Lose Weight Effectively By Swimming

Swimming is one of the best exercises that you can engage in if you want to lose weight. It is a low impact exercise that helps the heart to pump out more blood effectively without putting too much stress on the joints.
Swimming helps to lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels. This exercise also helps to tone the muscles of the body as virtually all the muscles in the body are put to work when you overcome the resistance of the water while swimming. This exercise helps to burn up more calories as an average 155 pound woman burns up to 223 calories every time she swims for 30 minutes.

What are the materials that you need for swimming?

Here are some items that you must get if you are really interested in engaging in this exercise:

1-Swim cap

You need to get a good swim cap to help you keep your hair in place and to shield your hair from the harmful effects of pool chemicals like chlorine. A good cap will also help to reduce drag while you are inside the water.

If you are a beginner, it is better for you to go for silicone caps; they have a very comfortable feel.

2-Goggles

You need to make use of goggles to protect your protect your eyes from the effects of irritation and inflammation of the pool water on your eyes. If you want to swim indoors, it is better that you go for transparent lenses, but if you want to swim outdoors it is better that you go for polarized lenses with ultraviolet protection.

3-Sunscreen

If you must use sunscreen when you are swimming outdoors to reduce the risk of sunburn, you should apply water proof sun screen on your body before you get into the water to minimize the potential risk of dangerous sun burn.

4-Water Bottle

You need to store some extra water in a water bottle so that you can sip water at regular intervals during swimming to replace the water that you will inevitably lose through sweating (this is because you actually sweat when you are swimming in the pool).

Tips to help you start swimming

Tip one-Don't aim for perfect strokes

When you start out on this form of exercise, your main aim should be that you want to get into the water to start moving in the pool. You should not focus or aim to make perfect strokes when you start out initially.

Tip two-Start with simple strokes

As a beginner you should make use of backstrokes and sidestrokes which are easier to master than the more complex butterfly and freestyle strokes which are actually more ideal for more experienced swimmers that desire more demanding exercise sessions.

Tip three-Master the art of breathing under water

If you want to master the art of breathing under water as beginner, it is better that start your practice at the shallow end of the pool, and you can make use of these following steps to practice breathing in water:

Step one-Immerse your face into the water and breathe out in the water through your nose and mouth.
Step two-Push up your face out of the water and inhale

Step three-Immerse your face back under the water and exhale

Repeat this routine over and over again till you become very comfortable doing it.
By the way, do you want to know the diet changes that you must add to your exercise routines to lose weight efficiently?

If so, click here to sign up for a free 7 day fat loss and healthy diet e-course by the diet solution program.

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