Exercise Articles

Fitness for All

Easy Workouts to Do at Home!

Summer is almost here and whether we like to admit it or not, many people spend less time at the gym once the spring weather arrives.

But you can still get a decent work out in just by doing some simple exercises at HOME!

Here are a few to get you started:

“In Bed Abs” - Lie on your back with your legs raised, knees straight; bring your belly button toward your spine. Lace your fingers behind your head and curl your shoulders up. Exhale and draw your abs in as you crunch toward your thighs, reaching for your feet. Inhale and drop one to two inches, then crunch again. Repeat 20 times.

“Lower Body Barre” - Stand tall with your feet in first position—heels together, toes no more than six inches apart. Bend your knees softly, then extend your left leg back, with your toes pointed and the inside of your big toe touching the ground. Lift your back leg slightly, pushing your hips forward in opposition. Pulse your leg upward as far as you can (you shouldn't feel pain in your lower back). Continue pulsing for eight counts, working up to 16. Then switch sides.

“Couch Potato Core” - Sit on the edge of the couch and lean back onto your elbows, hinging at the hips. Stretch your legs toward the floor in front of you, with your knees straight, toes pointed, and heels about six inches from the ground. Pull your belly button toward your spine and, moving from your hips, kick your feet up and down. Focus on small, controlled, quick movements. (To make it easier, you can bend your knees so they're at a 45-degree angle.) Count to 25, rest, and repeat three times.

Staying Motivated This Winter

Fitness for All

The weather outside is truly frightful, which makes it easy to stay indoors and be super lazy during the winter months.  But you don't have to anymore. There are plenty of things that you can do to stay motivated this winter:

• Listen to motivational tapes and/or read motivational books to help gain some inspiration to keep going.
• Learn to breathe correctly. You will feel more relaxed and when you are more relaxed you will also be more apt to stay motivated than when you are stressed.
• Keep a positive attitude. Even though it is easy to be depressed when the long, cold winter months drag on, try to remain positive and you will notice that motivation comes along with being happy.
• Remind yourself that progress is what is important and not perfection. This is especially important when you are looking at your long-term goals, at your long-term goals, as they may seem like the most unreachable.  Remember all of the short-term goals that you have met and you will be more successful.
• Build a support system of friends and family members that are typically motivated. By keeping like-minded people close to you, you will become motivated by just being in their presence.

While these are only a few tips to get you motivated during the next few months, everyone is different, so do what works best for you, and you will see that spring will be here before you know it!

Fitness for All

Trainer Tips: Habits to Avoid for Success

If you feel like you have hit your plateau and aren't seeing any results from your workouts lately, there may be more problems than just diet and exercise that are interfering with your goals.

Many people play the “blame game” and find a host of reasons why things have wrong awry.  But according to fitness trainers, there are a number of habits that you can be doing that will wreak havoc on any diet or exercise program that you participate in.

1. You are doing workouts that you hate : if your schedule is full of workouts that you don't like doing, chances are you are going to continuously skip them often!
2. You always take the same class : if you continuously do the same class then your body will get accustomed to that same workout, creating fewer results.
3. You aren't making a plan : if you are always going to the gym and “just winging it” then you won't be seeing any real results anytime soon.
4. You aren't “fueling” your body : it's not enough to just do the exercises alone, you must fuel your body adequately to have the energy you need to complete your workout.
5. You're skipping your warm up : it is super important to always give your body time to warm up before your workout to prevent injury and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
6. You're not getting enough sleep : lack of sleep is one of the biggest bad habits that all trainers talk to their clients about.  Sleep is critical for strength and recovery.  Your body must be rested in order to gain strength.

Recovering After a Workout

Feel exhausted after a grueling day at the gym? This would not come as a surprise since a serious workout requires huge amounts of energy. Your level of exhaustion may depend on the intensity and length of your workout. Just like a machine, you should load up on fuel to run the entire length of your workout. Deciding to take better care of your health by working out is a big step. But before deciding on this new path it would be a good idea to consult your doctor.

Fuel up your Body

Exercising a good way to loose excess body fat. And most people make the mistake of skipping meals to enhance their weight loss efforts. This way, they're burning fats while preventing additional fats from entering the body. This looks good in paper and it surely is a quick way of shedding unwanted pounds.  This might work for the first few days but depriving your body from its natural source of energy would lead to serious health concerns in the long run.

Eating before and after workouts provides the body with much needed energy not only during workouts. It also allows your body to repair itself and prepare for the next day at the gym. A healthy diet does not involve skipping meals but one that tells you to eat the right type and recommended amounts. If you plan to use exercise as part of a weight loss program, consult your doctor or a dietician for proper food intake and schedule.

Hydrate

More than half of our body is composed of water and when we exercise, we lose some of these as sweat. Water is essential in our body's everyday processes. And without adequate water levels our body is unable to function optimally.

Dehydration is a serious threat to our health. And we should keep ourselves hydrated by drinking adequate amounts of water. Dehydration can cause dizziness and weakness. And when you're working with weights at the gym, this could lead to a serious accident.

Get some sleep

Sleep is not overrated. Sleeping gives our time to recover and get much needed energy for the next day. Spending a few hours at the gym is an excellent way to get a healthy body but we should also give our body much needed time for rest. Without sleep, going to the gym the following day would not be possible or even be dangerous. Seven to eight hours of sleep is all that's needed for our body to repair and get itself ready for the next day.

Gradually increase the intensity of your workout

Aside from performing warm-up exercises before working out, gradually increase the intensity of your workout. Build your cardio and strength before progressing into heavier weights. Workout injuries are often caused by overdoing your exercises. Having a healthy and slimmer body can't be achieved in a day.

Listen to your body

When you're tired get some rest. To keep workouts healthy and free from injuries, simply listen to your body. Pain is our body's way of telling something is wrong. Listen to your body for any signals such as pain or tiredness.