getfitsource.info

Women have nothing to worry about when it comes to weight and resistance training. It’s physiologically impossible to gain muscle mass like Arnie or other meat head style men. In fact, adding resistance to your training is more beneficial to you than just plain cardiovascular workouts.

It will help to produce leaner muscle mass as opposed to bulky muscles and regular resistance training has shown to increase the basal metabolic rate by up to 15%.

Resistance training will also build your overall body strength and flexibility making you less likely to suffer an injury when performing everyday tasks such as gardening.

There’s an on-going debate as to whether crunches are better than situps, as the situp uses the hip flexors and once you’re in a seated position your abs are relaxed. Well, it’s not true to say one is better than the other as both have their own pros and cons.

As mentioned, situps works the abs but also the hip flexors and this is particularly beneficial for sports people who train in martial arts for example and have to kick often, and footballers in particular.

If you want to work solely on your abs then crunches is the way to go. Don’t forget that with both situps and crunches there are many variations which you can apply which can help work the muscles differently.

Burpees are great for conditioning the body and muscles. You can spend hours in the gym perfecting and sculpting the muscles but that won’t save your life if the situation ever arose nor would it help you split a pile of wood for survival.

With burpees, you’re constantly conditioning the body and building up endurance which will help you tackle challenges ahead. Every fitness buff or sportsmen, from professional footballers and armed forces will perform burpees as part of their regular workout. You begin by squatting with your hands in front of you on the floor, palms down. Next, throw your feet back to adopt the pressup position. Quickly bring your feet back up to the squat position then leap as high as you can from this position and repeat over again. The idea is to do them all in quick succession to get the best benefit.

If you’re like me and not much into gyms due to lack of motivation and willpower, then finding a sport while will not only keep you fit but keep you interested is the best way to keep fit.

Kickboxing is a great way to keep fit but not only that, you’re learning self defence skills which can really come in handy should you ever need it and you’ll see your confidence grow as you improve.

The main thing to be aware of is that kickboxing is usually taught in groups – this does not mean you are in competition with anyone or that you have to be better than them, you’re there to improve yourself.

Running is becoming a more popular activity now from professional runners and beginners taking part in 5ks, 10ks and half and full marathons. There are no hard, fast rules as to how you should train for a 10k, but as a guideline ideally you should try and put time aside for about three running sessions a week.

There are three types of running exercises which you should practise; speedwork, tempo running and long runs. Each week, aim to fit one of the aforementioned running exercises along with shorter runs and some cross training, such as cycling or swimming, while ensuring you rest on the other days.

When you are trying to get fit, it be difficult to keep yourself disciplined and keep to a schedule. It can help to get yourself properly planned out. Use Calendars and diaries to help schedule your different workouts.

By planning out your exercise by writing it down somewhere, it can become more difficult to use excuses. Exercising with a friend can also help, as you will tend to spur each other on. It can also become slightly competitive, which is a great motivator.

When you are planning your exercise routine, you should also plan out some time where you are not exercising. It is more helpful to have a plan that is a little less rigorous that you can stick to rather than a plan that makes you exercise every day .

It might also be a good idea to include food in your exercise plan. It’s obvious that you will need to alter your eating habits when you start exercising. By having an eating plan with your exercise you will be able to plan out how much you are eating and the correct amount of carbs etc.

It’s vitally important to find a way of exercising that you enjoy. When you start feeling that your plan is becoming a chore, its time to mix it up a bit!

I’ve just had my New York Marathon guaranteed entry confirmed which is a big wait off my shoulders. Apparently I should expect to hear from them until the summer so that gives me plenty of time to get into shape and increase my stamina. I’m not setting my targets too high and aiming for a relaxing 4hrs 30mins which is no record breaker but to be honest at the moment I’m just concentrating on completing it.
Part of my training schedule involves some type of organized event each month. So far I have got April, May and June covered with an 18Km run around the Lake District in the UK, the Manchester 10Km run and the London to Brighton Bike ride

Companies and organizations who are involved in sport and fitness are supposed to project a healthy representation of themselves, eat healthily, drink alcohol in very limited amounts or not at all, so to hear that British Cyclings Christmas party at the Midland hotel in Manchester was from 1pm till 5pm didn’t surprise me, but what do they service at these Christmas parties. Do they serve nutritionally balanced meal (probably chicken) with a pint of Gatorade to wash it down? Canopies of fruit and vegetables?
The festive period must be a very difficult time for them with temptation lingering around every corner.

Once the festive period has finished, it’s time to think about quitting smoking. Below are some tips on how to stop smoking.
1.    Think about why you actually smoke, when you smoke and why you want to quit. It is important to get some preparing done before hand
2.    Set yourself a realistic date to quit, and keep to it. Try not to make this too adventurous. Its pointless setting yourself unattainable targets
3.    There is a lot of help out there, go to your doctor or an NHS advice centre.
4.    See whether any of your other friends want to quit with you and team up, supporting each other
5.    Start an exercise routine, this will help keep your mind on other things
6.    Reduce the amount of things that trigger your habit such as going to bars, stress, going out for a meal.
7.    Think positive about your success

The festive period is on us and it’s time to forget about the gym, training and being healthy. At the end of the day your wellbeing, which can be improvement through being with loved ones, family and friends is just as important as your physical health. It’s time to relax, have a beer or two and eat lots of things you normally wouldn’t eat.
There are many promises made at new year, stopping smoking, reduce the amount you spend on shopping, but the important thing is to remember to get back on to your training come January. If you’re not a member of a gym or fitness centre, search around on the internet for promotional vouchers or special offers which more than likely will be running in the New Year. This should entitle you to discount and special rates.
Once you’ve sorted out your membership, get a training plan sorted, either professionally, most gyms offer this as a one of service, or do one yourself if you feel confident enough. Make sure you stick to it and you should come through the month unscathed. It may also be a good idea to have a target, aim to do an organized run or cycle ride.
Good luck!