Health Fitness Center

Posts Tagged ‘health’

You know you should be getting some sort of exercise, you know of all the health benefits that come with a more active lifestyle. You’ve tried the whole Gym thing, but it just wasn’t for you. The temptation to just sit in front of the TV, to curl up with a good book, or to spend a little extra time at your computer is just too big. Who wants to head to the gym right now anyway?

There are many other options to get more active that don’t include jogging, weight lifting or other “traditional” ways to work out. Here are a few ideas to get you moving

1) Chase your Kids around the Yard
You’d be surprised at how much of a work out you’ll get playing catch with your kids. Time will fly while you are having fun and your children will enjoy the extra time with you. Just get out there and play.

2) Turn up the Music and Dance around the Living Room
While you’re dusting, putting up dishes, straightening up the kids’ rooms, or after you’ve been sitting around for too long, just play some of your favorite upbeat music and dance around in the house. Not only will you get your heart rate up, but you’ll also have more fun doing some of those chores.

3) Plant some Flowers
When the weather is nice, just get out there and plant some flowers. Or you could start a little vegetable garden, trim some hedges, cut the grass, or plant a tree. You get the idea. Just get out there, enjoy the sunshine and fresh air, and play in the dirt. Yes, this actually counts as exercise in our book.

4) Go for a Walk with a Friend
Take a walk and invite a friend to come along. I’ve had some of the best conversations while on a walk. Getting to chat with a friend makes the time fly by and before you know it you’ve been walking for 30 minutes.

5) Listen to some Music or an Audio Book while You Walk
Again, keeping your mind on something else will make the time fly by and you’ll get some extra fun out of your walk. You may even want to consider getting an MP3 Player. You can easily add what you want to listen to and go for your walk.

6) Sign up for a Yoga or Pilates Class
Consider starting a yoga or Pilates class. Both of these workouts are pretty low impact and won’t leave you sweaty and sore (mostly). You may also enjoy meeting some new people in the class.

7) Take some Dance Lessons with your Partner
Ok, here is the tough part: Convince your partner to take some dance lessons. Dancing will give you quite the workout and it’s just plain fun and of course romantic. Think about all your options here. You can pick from anything from Ball Room Dancing, to Line Dancing, to Latin etc. Pick something that sounds fun to you and go for it. You’ll enjoy the extra one on one time with your partner as well.

Go for a Swim at Your Local YMCA or Aquatic Center
Swimming makes for some great exercise. It is low impact and easy on your joints. Start by swimming a few laps, or play in the pool with your kids.

9) Go for a Bike Ride
Take the entire family on a bike ride. You can ride through your neighborhood in the evenings or plan a longer trip for the weekend. Pack a picnic for extra fun and start peddling.

10) Go for a Hike
Look for some hiking trails in your area and go for a hike. This could be a fun activity for you and a friend, or take the entire family along. Start with some easy trails and work yourself up to some longer or steeper trails.

Go ahead, pick one or two of the activities and get moving. I’m sure you’ll come up with plenty of versions of your own. The most important thing is to find something you enjoy, so you’ll stick with it. Get out there and get moving today.

If you are busy, not able to get up early morning or have no time for gym just follow this 20 minute home work out to stay healthy and fit.

1) Jog : in one place for 3 minutes

2) Jumping jacks: 25 repeats
When landing, bend your knees slightly to reduce the impact on knee joints.

3) Crunches : 15 repeats
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent. Place your hands behind your head with elbows pointing outwards. Support your neck with your hands. Keep your neck in a straight line with your spine. Flex your waist to raise the upper torso from the mat. Lower yourself until the back of your shoulders touches the mat.
Muscle worked: rectus abdominis

4) Hip Bridges : 10 repeats
Lie on your back. With your hands at a 90 degree angle to the floor, lift your body off the floor to form a straight line, a sort of a bridge, from the shoulders to the knee. The position should resemble a table … your hands and legs as the legs of the table and your upper body to your knees as the surface. Hold this position for two seconds. Squeeze your gluteus (butt muscles) and then lower yourself.
Muscle worked: Lower back, hamstrings and gluteus.

5) Step – up’s : 1 minute
You will need a stepper for this.
Muscle worked: hamstrings, gluteus, quards.

6) Reverse crunches: 15 repeats
Lie on your back with your hands on your sides. Keep you knees bent. Bring your knees towards your head, till your hips come slightly off the floor. Hold this position for a second, and then lower your knees.
Muscle worked: lower abs and obliques.

7) Mountain climbers : 1 minute
Get your hands and knees and raise your knees like a starting block sprinter. Run in that position, supporting your upper body with the palms of your hands. Keep your back straight.
Muscle worked: triceps, deltoid muscle, gluteus, quards, hamstrings, calves.

Push – ups : 15 repeats
Muscle worked: triceps, deltoids, pectorals.

9) Squat thrusts: 1 minute
Stand straight. Now, drop to a crouch position. Immediately thrust your legs out straight behind on your toes, in push up position, now jump to pull legs back to the chest, in crouching position , then stand up straight,
Muscle worked: arms, legs, chest, and lower back.

Cool down by walking around, till your heart rate starts getting back to normal, stretch.

A minutes rest is needed in between exercise. Proper form is important. Do not hold breath. Sip water during the workout. This workout targets the whole body, improves cardiovascular efficiency and tones and strengthens the body.

It’s a healthy body that can home a healthy mind. Fitness has been one of the prime considerations for the humans for ages. Several fitness programs have been developed for different kinds of works and sports. There are several procedures that can be devised and executed to tone the body muscles. They include running, weightlifting, exercise etc. These entire have different out comes and they require different level of skill and stamina. One of the basic requirements before going in for training is that of a good trainer. It is a great risk to try out the workouts by oneself. Every exercise has a different position and posture which when tempered with can result into sever damage to the body tissue.

One of the basic components of a fitness program is weight training. It is the systematic lifting of weights to strengthen and tone specific parts of the body. The nuances of this include the different weights, having proper attire for lifting weights etc. For example the gloves must be worn before going for high-end weights as it may cause corns in the palms and they also provide a good grip on the bars of the weights. The weight lifts are customized for different sports. Some sports like discuss throw or hammer throw require much more weightlifting then the lighter sports such as table tennis.

Gymnasium is a favorite place for aspiring athletes and fitness conscious people. The number of equipments in the gym can be really enticing and inviting for the work out. But it has to be kept in mind that not all devices are ones cup of tea. The requirement of a trainer is a prerequisite here too. Basically there are two categories of equipment found in a gym, the machines and the free weights. They both cater to different parts of the body and have different ways to execute. The machines are better in a way that they have meters in them which tell the extent of workout that a person has undergone. This helps the athlete keep a track of his stamina.

Work out is also required by certain kinds of patients to keep up their body in shape to defend the attacks. Especially in case of patients suffering from cardiovascular ailments the doctors suggest a set pattern of workout to provide strength to the heart muscles. These are light exercises for example brisk walking, lifting lightweights.

Another major component for a fit body is the dietary schedule. It is the intake of recommended food while one is undergoing a fitness program. Excessive intake of fats during fitness tenure can make the whole procedure futile. The dietician, who in most cases is also the fitness trainer, provides a list of proper foods to supplement and support the body’s work out. The food is a combination of solids and fluids. They, in which ever forms are, must be able to fulfill the bodily requirements of structural components. They must be rich in carbohydrates for the energy purposes and proteins to build the body tissues.

Fitness is fast becoming a very important characteristic of the human beings. The heavy work schedules and the long working hours require a person to be mentally and physically fit to take the toll of such work. So don’t forget to include a fitness schedule in your work schedule.

With our busy lives these days we are more apt to dine out, pick up take out food, or have food delivered to us. The problem is we are not aware of the calories and fat we are consuming when we continually eat food other than what we, ourselves have prepared.

The average dinner meal at a restaurant is 1200 calories, and 60 grams of fat. Men should not have more than 70 grams of fat a day, and women 40 grams of fat a day. One meal alone can make up one whole days worth of fat, or two, in the case of women’s diets. If you do find a meal that is low in fat, make sure you do not consume such a large serving that you eat more calories than you should.

There are restaurants out there that do have meals considered lower in fat and calories. If you do not see it on the menu ask your server for the information. Remember low carb is not low-fat. When you are eating a low –carb meal out at a restaurant you are usually eating high-fat. Make sure you do not take in more than 20 grams of fat in a meal. Below is a list of restaurants that offer low-fat meals.

RESTAURANTS

APPLEBEE’S
CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN
CLAIM JUMPER
CHILI’S
MACARONI GRILL
TGIF FRIDAY’S
MIMI’S CAFÉ
OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
TONY ROMA’S

FAST FOOD

ARBY’S
BURGER KING
CARLS JR.
CHICK-FIL-A
JACK IN THE BOX
MC DONALDS
SUBWAY
WENDY’S
KFC

We use food as an important part of our cultural and social lives to connect with one another. We also use it as a comfort when we have had a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, or a bad year. Reducing the foods we do not need helps us stay healthy in mind and body.

Remember, even though we are overwhelmed, stressed out and tired, we must make healthy decisions when it comes to what we eat. Trans fat, found in most cooking oils in restaurants- is the worst kind of fat you can put in your body. It increases the level of blood fat called triglycerides, and has even been found to contribute to insulin resistance, which raises the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Children as young as 10 years old are developing heart disease and diabetes. Set an example for your children and ensure you both will live long, healthy lives.

In our quest for the fountain of youth people have taken up a new form of treatment, Anti-Aging Clinics. Here you can get injections of human growth hormone HGH and injections of nutrient supplements, however a simpler and perhaps easier away to do this is by changing your diet and exercising.

Strength training has been proven to help the body naturally produce HGH. The more you train the more your body produces HGH. Strength training is taking exercises to specifically strengthen certain muscles. You can do this by spending 20 minutes a day 3 times a week at your local gym or fitness center. Or if you have some simple equipment you can do this at home. Just some simple squats can stimulate the body to make HGH and help you lose weight as well. It will take about 24-48 hours for your body to build up HGH.

Research has found that for every hour you work out your body will make $10,000 worth of beneficial chemicals that it needs. This means that with some simple exercise you will not even need to go to an Anti Aging Clinic your body will produce the chemicals naturally.

Try to strength train on a regular basis. As well as getting the HGH you will also improve bone mass and get more oxygen to your body tissues and organs. This will help them function better. You will feel better when you lose weight in this way as well. This is what the HGH injections at the Anti aging clinic will do for you. However nothing beats the natural treatment that your body can do for you.

So instead of jumping on the bandwagon and running to the nearest Anti Aging clinic, give yourself a break and let your body do it the natural way. Strength training coupled with diet will go a long way towards achieving your goal of not only a great looking body but also very possibly prolonging your life.

As well as exercise try to adjust your diet to a healthier one with more fruits especially berries and whole grain cereals. Try to add some fish to your diet (not shellfish) to make a complete diet. Cut down red meats, salt, fats and refined sugar and you will find your body rewards you as you feel better and have more energy. This change of diet coupled with strength exercises will also help you to lose and keep off those pounds.

You can also add natural nutritional supplements to your diet to ensure you are getting enough of the essential nutrients. These, when taken at a proper level will also help the anti aging process.