Archive for the 'Staying Fit' Category

Finding the Right Gym for You

So you think you’ve had enough of those flabs? Or perhaps you just wanted your body the way it is now so you’d like to stay in shape. You have then finally decided to enroll yourself in a fitness center to get it over with. But wait, before you start spending that hard-earned money to join a gym, here are a few things you might want to consider in picking the right one for you.

Location – You might have found the perfect place to do your fitness regimen but it takes ages to get there specially coming from work, then you ought to be finding another gym closer to you workplace. If you don’t feel like working out during office days and would instead be doing it during your day-offs then there might be a health club near your house that would conveniently then make it easier for you to run a few errands before or after workout.

Equipment – Examine the machines available in the gym you are interested in before you do sign up. If you are not looking into toning your muscles too much and just want to do cardio exercises, then the basic running equipment and weights available would do just fine. Otherwise look for a gym that will satisfy your fancy for high-tech workout apparatuses to suit the most specific body parts to work on.

Price – How much of your monthly budget do you allot in your gym fee? Do you think the price you pay is worth what you need to keep fit? It doesn’t necessarily follow that if you’re going to a pricier gym that that you’re getting what you’ve been paying for. Remember, you are going there to reap the benefits of sweating it out for your body and not to put a big whole through your pocket. There might be other gyms that are not as expensive but offer as much convenience and good services as those which are not that affordable.

Space – On peak days/hours, you wouldn’t want to be spending your time exercising in a crowded room, neither do you want to be waiting for your turn too long to use an equipment. Choose a place that is spacious enough for you to still be enjoying your workout even if there’s a lot of people around you. If you are satisfied enough with other things in your gym despite its limited space, then choose a time or day that you’ll have the place to yourself.

Shower/Locker Rooms – Are there enough cubicles that when you feel like going for a quick workout before going to work you won’t find yourself waiting in line to freshen up?

It wouldn’t hurt to check out all of these before you actually join a fitness club. After all you do want to get your money’s worth don’t you? So go now and ask your friends for a place they could recommend you, or try that one you happened to notice from a flyer someone gave you at the street. But remember, you now have these things on your mind before you could pick out which gym suits you fine.

Protect Your Aging Bones And Move With Grace

As we age, our bones become increasingly porous and brittle, even for those of us who are disciplined about our calcium and vitamin D intake. Unlike our parents we benefit from extensive research concerning osteoporosis, diet, exercise and supplements but in spite of all best efforts, time does take its toll on our bones, our joints and, therefore, our ability to move efficiently and gracefully.

Until relatively recently in the history of the species, mans life usually ended in his 40s. Mother Nature takes very good care of a human being and forgives all sorts or errors in judgment until the baby-making years are over. At that point the responsibility for quality of life and survival falls pretty much to the individual.

While the body continues to have extraordinary healing capabilities there does need to be a strategy, a campaign, to make it to age 85 without feeling like crap.

Obviously the first step in this campaign is to keep the bones strong (and yes, this goes for men as well as women). This means staying informed about which supplements you may need, about hormone replacement therapy (or not), about family history and about good dietary choices. The Internet will arm you with good questions to bring up with your doctor. Do it.

Too many people dont even notice that they have bones until they begin to break. As is true with so many medical problems, by the time you begin to have symptoms you are already in deep trouble. Sometimes this trouble cannot be reversed.

As our bones age and become weaker, our muscles need to become stronger. We need to be increasingly flexible. STRENGTH and FLEXIBILITY are well within your control while you work simultaneously to slow the deterioration of your skeleton. Its up to you!

Unfortunately, the typical senior doesnt have a balanced regular exercise plan. By the way, the body pays absolutely no heed to your best intentions. It only registers what we actually do. It doesnt register excuses so dont waste your time creating them!

This is a serious campaign. Vow that you will never go down with a fractured hip. You will still be hiking and dancing and cycling when so many others are condemned to bed or a wheelchair way too soon.

Wrap your bones in powerful protective muscles. Stretch those muscles so that your joints move freely, beautifully and safely. The work that you do to build muscles also benefits your bone quality directly so your time in the gym is well spent.

While our focus here is to keep you out of a wheel chair, there is also that little extra bonus of looking ten years younger than you are and feeling better than you have in years. But that is icing on the cake.

Do not leave a program of this importance to chance and dont put it off. Make use of the wonderful collection of books available. Enroll in a gym or the Y or even sign up for a class through your hospital or clinic. Join an exercise group. Hire a respected trainer to work up a personalized program for you. It will be worth every penny.

To put it simply, consider what happens when you drop a glass rod onto the sidewalk. Then consider what happens when you drop a rubber band onto the sidewalk. Like all successful campaigns, this one takes planning, determination and discipline. You are worth the effort.

6 weeks to a bikiniready body

Ah, the thrill of being fearless in your bikini. But are you fearless? If not, the problem may be that you aren’t ready to strut your foxy stuff because you’re dreading every lump and bump and the bulging belly on your body. Well, you don’t have to spend your summer in a muumuu.

Instead, get a body you’ll love with these exercises taken from The Six-Week Bikini Body Countdown. This is the inside scoop on how you can get ready to show off an itsy-bitsy bikini (without a sarong) on the beach or in your own back yard. The book’s program combines interval training, Pilates, cardio and weights to get your body bikini-ready in six weeks.

But if you do this mini workout six days a week, you’ll be on your way to bikini-ready: After 50 minutes of cardio, follow the directions and reps for the seven moves below to shape your best abs, butt and thighs.

EQUIPMENT :- Here’s what you’ll need to complete these exercises:

•exercise mat

•2-pound ball

•exercise step with four risers or a staircase

•8- to 10-pound dumbbell

•large exercise ball

1.CORKSCREW :- Develops crazy-strong, flat abs. Repeat it 5 to 8 times position 1: Lie on your back with your knees to your chest and place your hands on your shins. Curl your chin to your chest and lift your head, neck, and upper back off the mat.

position2: In one motion, inhale to straighten your legs to the ceiling and reach your arms over your head, circling them behind you. Exhale to finish the circle, using your abs to bring your knees to your chest.

2.DOUBLE LEG STRETCH :- Scorches love handles. Repeat it 3 to 5 circles position 1: Lie on your back with your legs straight at a 90-degree angle. Straighten your arms by your sides, keeping your knees and ankles together. position 2: Complete the circle to the right. Reverse the direction, circle left and finish right; that’s one complete set or circle.

3.TEASER TWIST WITH 2-POUND BALL :- Moves you from so-so to stunning abs. Repeat it 3 to 5 times.

position 1: Lie on your back with your legs straight and your arms straight over your head. Hold the ball in your hands.

position 2: At the same time, inhale to lift your arms to your legs into a “V,” your fingertips reaching for your toes. Engage your abs to protect your back. position 3: Exhale to twist your torso to the right, and inhale back to the center.

position 4: Exhale to twist your torso to the left. Inhale to center, and exhale to roll down slowly to the mat.

4.SINGLE LEG LUNGE ON STEP :- Perks up your butt. Repeat it 15 to 20 reps on the right leg and then left leg .

position 1: Stand behind your step and place one foot on a step (about 4 rises high) or on a stairway. To ignite your belly and back muscles, hold an 8- to 10-pound dumbbell in front of your chest.

position 2: At the same time, get into a lunge position with your foot on top of the step. Your thigh is parallel to the step as the bottom foot lifts and lowers, tapping the step. Stay in that lunge the whole time, sinking into your hip to stay stable and work your butt.

5.CLAM WITH 2-POUND BALL :- Fights cellulite. Repeat it 10 to 12 reps on each leg .

position 1: Lie on your left side with your knees bent in front of you so your ankles, knees, and hip bones are stacked on top of one another. Prop your head up with your left arm and then place your right arm, palm down, on the mat in front of your torso. Put a 2-pound ball behind your right knee.

position 2: Inhale to lift your knee to the ceiling without lifting your heel. Your heels are glued together and you won’g be able to lift your knee very high.

6.THIGH SQUEEZE WITH BIG BALL :- Gives your gorgeous inner thighs. Repeat 10 to 12 times .

position 1: Lie on your back with your legs at a 90-degree angle and straighten your arms by your side. Place the ball between your thighs; squeeze and release.

7.BOOTY BUSTER ON BIG BALL :- Tightens your tushie. Repeat it 10 to 12 times position1: Roll onto your belly so the big ball supports your torso. Place your elbows on the floor in front of the ball. Gaze at the floor.

position 2: Lift both legs up off the ball, lifting from your fanny and squeezing your inner thighs. Don’t sag your belly; lift your belly button to the sky to support your lower back.

I am sure that the bulging belly you got during the winters would soon disappear and the flat stomach would be ready with the above exercises for the bikini season.