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Exercise & Fitness Tips for Health & Anti-aging

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Aerobic exercises and strength training should be a part of everyone’s weekly routine (at least three times a week) in order to maximize their overall health, fitness and enjoyment of life. Exercise helps with weight loss by boosting metabolism. The healthier you are the better you feel. So it only makes sense that greater health leads to greater satisfaction in life. If you look around at the people with the biggest smiles on their faces, they are usually the ones who are healthy and active. Our bodies were made to move. Movement is life.

Before starting any rigorous exercise program, you should consult with your Doctor in order to ensure that you are not endangering your health in any way.  In other words, it is important to be healthy before you begin exercising. It is also important to exercise in many cases if you are not healthy, but this must be done under the strict supervision of a health expert. Here are some exercise tips to make your exercise program work to your benefit, helping you lose weight, increase lean muscle mass and fight depression while maintaining your motivation and sense of fun.

1. Begin by finding an aerobic exercise program that you find interesting and enjoyable so that you will be able to maintain it over a long period of time. Perseverance is key to getting fit and losing weight. If you start by working at an exercise program you don’t like, you will become depressed and won’t maintain the motivation to keep doing it on a daily basis, which is crucial for success. If you don’t enjoy exercising, you will soon be back on the couch watching TV, gaining weight.

2.  Many people enjoy walking, which is easy and natural, and find they are able to maintain a walking program three to seven days a week without much trouble. Walking is great because we can do it with a partner or in groups, and have great conversations. It is perfect for becoming more intimate with family, friends, or even conducting high-level business meetings. It is a great way to meditate, improving our mental health, and many great thinkers have said they got their best ideas when walking. That is because of the meditative quality of walking, which combines increased blood flow to the brain with a relaxed and rhythmic gait.

3. Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing and good supportive shoes that are specific to the particular exercise activity you are engaging in.  By using appropriate clothing and shoes you will decrease your risk of injury while increasing your enjoyment. The more you exercise (within reason), the more you can lose weight.

4. Get basic training for your particular exercise regime. While you may not require extensive training in order to walk, many people actually walk incorrectly, which causes injuries to either their plantar fascia, shins or hips.  If you experience any pain in your legs or hips, definitely consult with a fitness expert who can show you what you may be doing wrong.

5.  Individuals who are attempting other rigorous sporting activities should also ensure that they get proper instruction prior to beginning the program. Especially if you’re rock climbing or doing some other activities that could cause serious injury or even death. You would be surprised how many people seriously injure themselves every year because they attempted to do activities they were not adequately prepared and trained for. Don’t be one of them. If you’re a guy and getting on in years, don’t try and show off or regain your youth overnight. Many injuries happen this way.

6. For minimal benefits, you need to exercise at least three times a week, which is ok for those who want to maintain their overall level of fitness. Those who want to increase their level of fitness should exercise five to six times a week, with increasing intensity. Plan exercise regimes that are age appropriate and in line with your abilities. Regular exercise has been shown to be anti-aging, increase weight loss and fight depression.

7. Incorporate some form of strength training into every routine in order to improve bone strength, muscle strength and tone, and cardiovascular health.  Strength training should never be done more than three times a week unless you are a bodybuilder or serious fitness buff, and there should always be a 24 hour window between each workout to allow your muscles to repair themselves.

8. Those without access to weights or hand weights can use resistance bands, which will help accomplish the same task.  These bands are sold in most department stores and can also be ordered online. The important thing is to increase resistance to the muscles, which builds strength and tone, increases metabolism and burns fat. An increase in lean muscle mass helps you lose weight, as muscle increases your metabolic rate, burning more calories faster.

9. Participants should always warm up before any sport, whether it’s weight training or an aerobic activity.  Warming up will ensure flexibility and blood flow to the muscles, decreasing the risk of any injury. Stretching is a great way to warm up before exercise. It is also a great way to reduce stress and relax when not exercising. Doing mild calisthenics will also increase blood flow to all muscles of the body.

10.  As important as the warm-up is the cool down time, when muscles are tight and gorged with blood, vulnerable to injury.  All participants should take the time to cool down and stretch in order to maintain muscle and joint flexibility, and reduce the risk of injury. The endorphins released during and after a good work out produce one of the greatest natural highs in the world.

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October 1st, 2009 | Tags: Aerobic exercise, all natural weight loss, Anti-Aging, best exercise to lose belly fat, diet and exercise, fitness, Health, lean muscle mass, Lose Weight, Natural Weight Loss, Physical exercise, Weight Loss, weight loss program, Weight Loss Tips, weight training, working out | Category: Uncategorized

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