Urgent! Top 5 Weight Loss Tips For 2010

Posted on 18th December 2010 in Fitness



This is a short countdown to the best tips for how to lose weight.

Number 5 – Drinking water is a big part of weight loss. It might not seem too important but if you think about it if you’re not drinking water you will most likely be drinking soda or other high sugar beverages. With all that sugar you don’t use up it gets converted to fat.

Number 4 – This is an obvious one but you need to eat better. Like with drinking, you need to cut out all the sugar and fat. I know you’ve heard this a million times but you need to eat fruits and vegetables, but don’t just try the same boring fruits everyone eats, try and find new ones that you might enjoy more.

Number 3 – The next one requires a bit of work but is very beneficial. Building muscle doesn’t just make you look and feel stronger muscle actually helps burn fat.

Number 2 – This is another obvious one you’ve heard countless times, Exercise. It can be a lot of hard work but you could make it fun and easy. Walking or running can be very tedious so go and find a sport that interests you. If you keep up with that, even a little bit a day, you will be a lot slimmer very soon.

Number 1 – The most important but what most people get wrong. You can’t diet. It might seem good to eat less but in reality when you eat less your body starts to think that you have less food to survive so it will try keep as much fat to keep you alive. You know you have enough food but your body doesn’t SO DO NOT DIET!

Bodybuilding For Fitness Tips

Posted on 17th December 2010 in Fitness



There are literally many reasons why people take up bodybuilding. Many people use bodybuilding for building up there muscles, some people use bodybuilding for fitness, it really depends on the individual.

The great thing about bodybuilding is that you are training all the major muscle groups in the body and this really helps to keep your whole body fit and not just certain parts of it. Of course, when you are training, you are burning calories and lots of them. So this immediately starts the fat burning process. Balance this with a healthy diet and you’re well on your way to having that body you’ve always dreamed of.

Using bodybuilding for fitness is more than just going to the gym a couple of times a week. It should really be a lifestyle choice and affect all the things you do in your life. This doesn’t mean that you have to think about bodybuilding 24/7 but just that you should really think about what you are eating and drinking at all times. As this will greatly affect your results in your fitness.

So try to have a well balanced diet of carbs, proteins and fats. Add to these essential vitamins and make sure you are staying hydrated by drinking at least 1-2 litres of water each day. 30 minutes of exercise each day, whether it is weight training or simply aerobic exercise is recommended too.

Your diet will really depend on what you want to achieve, how fit you are and how much you weigh at present etc. A fitness instructor who will guide you through what you should and shouldn’t be consuming should really look this at. If you want to really bulk up and build your muscles, then you will increase your carb intake. If on the other hand, toning is what you want, then decrease your carbs and increase your protein.

If you’re using bodybuilding for fitness then you should see results fairly quickly as long as you balance your diet and exercise as recommended by your instructor or by the bodybuilding routine you have set yourself. So start today and don’t put it off any longer!

10 Simple Tips for Fitness Success

Posted on 15th December 2010 in Fitness



Approximately 30% percent of Americans are overweight or obese and a good percentage of these people try to start a fitness program every month. However many people are inconsistent, or get discouraged and quit within the first three to six months of their exercise program. In fact research shows that 50 percent of people who start an exercise program quit within the first 6 months. The problem is making your exercise a habit as part of your daily life. It is not easy to make something a habit. On average it takes between 30-40 times of doing something to make it an actual habit (everyone is different so it can be more or less). This means the first 2-3 months will be difficult, and you will want to give up but if you just endure and push through it, you will see the results and be glad you stuck with it.

Here a 10 simple tips to help you with your fitness success.

1. Get Moving

Make up your mind to start a new life. Become physically active, by getting off the couch and doing something, anything. Walk, bike, and run as long as you are doing something over doing nothing.

2. Workout

Do physical activity that requires the use of the major muscle groups, back, legs, arms, etc. Join an intramural sports team.

3. Work your muscles

Lifting weights or using resistance bands will increase muscle strength and endurance. This will challenge your muscle and increase muscle power.

4. Stretch

Stretching is important for flexibility. Stretch before and after exercise to avoid injury and muscle soreness. Stretching increases range of motion in joints and muscles.

5. Lose weight

Everyone has an appropriate weight for the gender, and height. Maintain your weight by exercising and eating healthy. If need to lose weight, increase workouts or decrease food intake.

6. Watch What You Eat.

Change your diet. Being physical fit is not just about how much you exercise. It involves what types of food you are putting into your body. Fatty foods or empty calories don’t give your body any nutrition. Swap things out of your diet to make you healthier. Switch your soda for water and chips for fruits and vegetables.

7. De-stress

Stress has a huge impact on whether we loss or gain weight. When we are stressed out we tend to eat, and eat bad foods. Then our bodies hold onto the bad foods and turn them into fat. Always, try to reduce the stress in your life. Don’t stress out over things that you can’t control.

8. Get Plenty of Rest

Eight hours of sleep is the appropriate amount of sleep for your body to rejuvenate and your mind to reboot. Some people need less and some people would sleep all day if they could. However, what’s important is to allow your body to rest and relax. Rest is important to allow our bodies to restore itself physically and your mind mentally.

9. The Task at Hand.

Make time in your schedule to exercise. Make sure you actually physically write it into your schedule that way you are committing to the act of exercising. Remember consistency is key to making it a habit in your life. If this is what you want you need to do it. Make the effort to get what you want.

10. Its your Life, make the change

If you want to change its your decision. But don’t commit only half way. If you have changed your diet and have started to exercise, then don’t mess it up by smoking. Its like taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back. If you are working out on a weekly schedule don’t eat fats food every night. Remember this is your life; it has to be a lifestyle change.

18 of the Best Fitness Tips Ever

Posted on 14th December 2010 in Fitness



You can follow the hereunder mentioned fitness tips and secrets to:

- Maximize the benefits from your physical exercise and supportive nutrition.
- Avoid any possible dangers/traps which might signal painful recoils and regressions.

TIP no 1

Try to find the golden mean between over-training and concrete, tangible fitness gains and benefits. Calculate attentively the intensity, frequency and duration of your workouts. You need quick and visible results but a burnout might prove disastrous.

TIP no 2

No workout program and no diet will bring long-term results if you don’t make a serious commitment. Feed your self motivation and self discipline. Look into the mirror: if your eyes spark then you can go on.

TIP no 3

Before you embark on your long and difficult trip to physical perfection try to dispel the most persistent fitness myths.

TIP no 4

Do not omit to integrate into your workout routines the warm up ritual.
Prepare your body for the hard exercise that is going to follow and considerably reduce the possibilities for a painful injury. Warming up relates both quantitavely and qualitavely to the kind,duration and intensity of the main workout.
It’s very true that lots of people omit this workout phase because it is considered as boring and it lacks the glamour of tough exercise. Huge mistake! About stretching: After the general warm-up you can do some active or passive static stretching. Try to avoid any type of dynamic or ballistic stretching. These are games for bigger boys!

TIP no 5

Also: don’t overlook the cooling down procedure! After the intensity of the main workout we need an adjustment period. Body temperature has to decrease and waste products to be removed from the muscles.
After 5 minutes of relaxed jogging you can devote 5-10 minutes to active or passive static stretching exercises.
Cooling down is critical for a quicker recovery and should be adjusted to the main workout.

TIP no 6

Every fitness program should by all means comprise in its exercise part:

a) Aerobic activities: to improve the cardiovascular system.
b) Strength or resistance training: to maintain/increase muscle mass, improve strength and protect bones.
c) Stretching: to increase range the of motion of the joints and muscles’ flexibility. Also to prevent from injuries and relieve from pain.

TIP no 7

Share your objectives and visions with some positive-minded people of your close environment. They will support you morally. Additionally, sharing of your goals makes commitment easier and giving up is not an option any more.

Tip no 8

Challenge yourself! Try always for a personal record,however marginal. Avoid the hamster mentality of endless walking or slow jogging on the treadmill etc.

Go for the real things:

- Circuit weight training/metabolic weight training.
- Anaerobic interval training or at least some form of HIIT.

Tip no 9

- No fancy fitness gadgets!No form of passive exercise(vibration training included!)
- No fad diets!
- No magic pills, potions and powders!
- You will have to try hard! You will have to sweat!
- Don’t fall prey to the fitness charlatans’ deceitful promises!

Tip no 10

There is no best time for fitness activities. The best time is this that best suits you and serves your schedule in an optimum way.

Tip no 11

Weight training: do not engage into endless repetitions looking for muscle definition. Definition is a pleasant side-effect of fat loss.

- Lift heavy enough to adequately tax your muscular system.
- Avoid split workouts if you are an amateur fitness enthusiast.
- Perform only compound,two handed exercises at 8 repetitions/set and minimal breaks between sets.
- Perform 2-3 short but really intense workouts per week.Beware of overtraining!
- Do some HIIT after your weight training session.

Tip no 12

The most important meals are the breakfast and the post workout meal (makes sense only after really tough workouts). If your workout is not challenging enough you don’t really have to bother!

Tip no 13

You can control your insulin levels–and thus your energy profile– by spreading your caloric intake into about 5-6 equivalent meals/day. Do prefer foods with a low glycemic index (and load of course). These choices will favor a better body composition.

Tip no 14

You absolutely don’t need a gym (except if you want to socialize or flirt!). Try bodyweight circuits or dumbbell circuits in the convenience of your your home. You will save money and time! Of course you will need some self-motivation for this!

Tip no 15

Never, ever quit. Time spent for a better physique is a valuable investment. You will be thankful for this when you catch your 40s.

Tip no 16

Mind beats body! Make your mental preparation. Fight to be consistent, disciplined and self motivated!

Tip no 17

The best nutrition in only few words:

- Quality protein.
- Tons of vegetables.
- Monounsaturated and omega-3 fats.
- Unprocessed, natural foods.
- Foods high in antioxidants.
- Minimal sugar,white flour and trans fats intake.
- No fad diets!
- No exaggerations!
- Consistency.
- Minimal emotional and mindless eating(a matter of mind).

Tip no 18

- Don’t follow the herd. Use your imagination. Try non conventional, functional exercises.
- Don’t get obsessed with perfection!
- Get obsessed with perpetual progress!

Chris Strogilis

13 Fitness Tips To Stay Motivated And Workout Effectively

Posted on 14th December 2010 in Fitness

1. Read fitness magazines. Fitness magazines are a great source of both information and inspiration. They can help remind you of why you want to get fit in the first place!

2. Work out with a friend. Not only can this help you actually get to your workout appointment, but friends can help encourage each other to work out with more intensity.

3. Set a regular time for fitness. If you have fitness time incorporated into your schedule, it’s much easier to stick with it, especially over time.

4. Find exercise activities that you enjoy. Whilst it’s important to have a balanced workout, there are many ways to build muscle and strength, flexibility, and get aerobic exercise. List the types of activities you enjoy, or think you might enjoy, and start working through all of them. You could even rotate them every 6 weeks.

5. Build variety into your program. Not only does this make it more interesting, you’ll actually work different muscle groups, or the same muscles but in a different way. The challenges we create for our body in adapting to new types of exercises results in a fitter and stronger body. Change your program every 6 weeks.

6. Try new fitness activities – Try dancing, boxing, plates, yoga, or kickboxing.

7. Frame the thought of exercise in a positive way in your mind. Even if you don’t like exercise, try and think of it in a positive way – that way you are less likely to talk yourself out of it. Think of how good you feel afterwards, not the pain involved in getting there!

8. Exercise outdoors. Whether it’s team sports or swimming, get out in the fresh air!

9. Try skipping. Skipping ropes fit into small bags, don’t require expensive gym memberships, are available for use 24 hours a day, are never overcrowded, and are great aerobic activity.

10. Try resistance training. Resistance training will increase the size and strength of your muscles, thus preventing injuries. If you’re not up to free weights, take a circuit class, or a bodypump class.

11. If you’re tired, or your muscles ache, try something a bit gentler – but don’t avoid fitness entirely ‘until you feel better’. Swimming is good because it helps support the whole body, and it is still a good workout.

12. Don’t rest too long between sets. Otherwise your workout will take a lot longer to complete, and it could be off-putting mentally the next time you are scheduled to do a workout, especially if you don’t have a lot of time that day.

13. Use a heart rate monitor. That way you can make sure you are working out at the right intensity, thus maximizing your workout time. You’ll see improvements a lot more quickly that way.