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So I’ll be the first one to admit, I’m not the best at exercising regularly.  In fact I’m horrible.  Between all the different commitments I have I honestly feel like there is very little time to do little if any exercise in my week.  Everyday is so packed with so many different events and activities that it almost seems impossible to fit in something like exercise.  However, I also understand that this is not good.

Exercise is one of the most important thing that we can be doing, because in order to do the things we want to do, we have to have a healthy body.  A health body equals a health mind and a healthy and clear mind is going to lead us to success.

That being said, certainly many of us know this, but we may have just fallen out of the habit of doing so.  Getting back into the habit is one of the most difficult parts of exercising regularly.  For myself, during the summer I would exercise on a regular basis, but come fall and school time, exercise seemed less and less possible.  So it’s about summer time again, and I know I’ve lost some muscle mass.

Therefore, these were some of the tips I found that I liked the most for getting back into the habit of exercising:

– Don’t break the habit – First and foremost, don’t break the habit, just keep going.  For some of us, we still have this option.

– Reward showing up – Sometimes the hardest part is just showing up to exercise, that in and of itself deserve a reward.

– Commit for 30 days – One month, be consistent for a month and see what happens.

– Create a ritual – It’s the same with getting up early in the morning, once you have done it enough times, your body simply does it on its own.

– Start small – you haven’t been running in months, you may not want to start with anything that is going to kill you.

– Go for yourself, not to impress – This is the one that I like the most because, in the end we should be doing this for our own benefit and not so we can look good.  It is a process of bettering the self.

I’m guilty of not following through with my own exercise, but I think maybe it’s time to get back into the habit.

-Ace

References:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/15-tips-to-restart-the-exercise-habit-and-how-to-keep-it.html

High intensity interval training, hereafter called HIIT, is a great exercise for people who are maxing out in their workouts but are not increasing their muscle mass. One of the reasons that exercises will hit plateaus is because they are doing the wrong type of exercises.

In some instances, the exerciser should cut out exercising for as long as three weeks and let the body systems that have been taxed to the max catch up to the enlarged muscles that they have been fueling. If this is the needed step for an exerciser it should be taken seriously; total rest is the prescription, not low intensity exercise with low reps.

For everyone else, however, the answer will likely be to try out a different type of exercise. HIIT is different from any other form of exercise that will offer you both aerobic and anaerobic benefits.

At their core, HIIT regimens are built on aerobic exercises such as running or exercise bikes. Running on a treadmill could also work for HIIT, but the need to change quickly between high speeds and low speeds makes anything but an extremely programmable treadmill a difficult option. In the same way, riding a bike outside could also thwart your attempts to use HIIT unless you have a large and unobscured stretch of road that you can really let loose on.

The most effective HIIT regimen uses 20 second burst of power sprints followed by 10 seconds of rest or low intensity exercise such as a walk or a slow pedal. If this regimen is observed for four weeks or more, the exerciser will begin to see benefits that are similar to steady aerobic exercises along with the additional benefits of anaerobic fitness.

When you are chronically stressed your body goes into a state similar to the fight or flight syndrome and produces chemicals like cortisol which can have a big impact on your weight loss goals. Cortisol has the effect of making your body store more fat which may just add more stress to your already stressful life. It’s a vicious cycle, but the reason your body does this is no accident. Say you were in physical danger, like if a big scary bull dog were to start chasing after you, the fight or flight syndrome would produce these chemicals that would lower your appetite, increase your energy, and make you more likely to escape or fight off the dog. The problem though is that the things that stress us are generally more among things like job loss, bills to pay, and other such inactive stressors. Generally we do not make use of the extra energy and when it comes time to replenish the energy that we didn’t even use our body doesn’t know and drives us to eat more. So do your best to keep relaxed!

Run Any Where in the World with NordicTrack’s x9i Interactive!

Today I took a trial run on NordicTrack’s x9i Interactive and let me tell you, it was quite the experience. I am floored by how motivated I felt running on this treadmill. This treadmill, outfitted with iFit Live, inclines from a -6% to an astonishing 40% incline! That’s only the beginning though. My first run was around Niagra Falls! It was a short 3 mile run, which was a good start for me, but I was able to track where I was at all times. I could feel every inclination of the trail I was on as the treadmill calculated all the hills and valleys.

The features that this treadmill had were extraordinary. There is a web browser that you can watch videos and surf the net with and the speakers were great. My second run was on the Haleakala trail in Hawaii. This run was so cool because the iFit Live came with a HD video of the trail. You got to see the sights and the feel the rise of the mountains.

If you’re looking for a great way to stay motivated running on a treadmill, the x9i Interactive is the best treadmill for the job. Even the fan that  this stellar treadmill comes with works far better than expectations. I highly recommend NordicTrack and their x9i Interactive model. If you’re interested in buying this treadmill, you can save some money by visiting NordicTrack Coupons.com and by using their coupons!

Pineapple slices

Pineapples are one of the best fruits out there that don’t grow on trees! These strange, vitamin C enriched delicacies are known to help arthritis, high blood pressure, and help digestion! Slices of pineapples on the right salad adds a whole new zing to the meal.

Almonds

Almonds can bring a much needed source of vitamin E, calcium, and iron to a salad. These added bits of crunch can help regulate cholesterol and prevent colon cancer. They are also are very filling, leaving you more satisfied by the meal! Crushed almonds sprinkled around your salad will help balance your meal and provide essential vitamins and minerals.

Romaine Lettuce

Romaine Lettuce is full of potassium, folic acid, and is a great low calorie choice for adding the green to your salad. This green leaf is a wonderful ally in preventing heart disease and cancer. The taste of romaine is a little bitter, but can really accent the other tastes in the salad.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Balsamic Vinaigrette can be a great tasting sour tang to bring to your salad. This dressing helps produce pepsin, which greatly aids in the digestion process. Another advantage to balsamic vinaigrette is that it slows down the emptying of your stomach which helps keep you full!

Adding it all together

All the ingredients that this article mentions go perfectly together for a salad. The pineapple brings the super sweet and sour, the romaine brings the slight bitter to calm the pineapple, the almonds add some smooth flavors and add crunch, and the balsamic vinaigrette wraps all of it up with a pleasant tang. Just writing this article has got me craving for one of these salads!

Your metabolism is the amount of energy your body will use everyday. The higher the metabolism, the faster your body goes through energy. The lower the metabolism, well, the slower your body will go through energy. This is why it is so hard or so easy for different people to lose weight. A high metabolism will use up more energy and thereby store less fat.

Often times after a surgery or long period of inactivity your body’s metabolism will significantly decrease. This is also true with aging. Although this is an unfortunate thing, there are a few things you can do to regain or even increase your metabolism.

1. Exercise

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The more you exercise, the more you build up muscle mass. Muscles use up more energy and elevate your metabolism.

2. Eat Breakfast

Don’t skip out on meals, but try to space them evenly throughout your day. This gives your body access to that energy every moment of the day. If you are skipping meals, your body will end up conserving fat and burning the energy slower.

3. Eat more Protein

Protein is harder for your body to break down, causing your body to spend more calories to digest. Eating lean chicken, beef, and fish can be a great way to start a meal off that will raise your metabolism.

4. Relax

Stress causes your body to send out hormones that cause you to stores more fat.

The Human body is utterly amazing. The more we study it, the more we find just how incredible it is. One of its most amazing powers is called “muscle memory”. This is exactly what it sounds like, and is one of the most essential functions of our body. Without it, we would hardly be able to get anything done, and we would never be able to improve at anything that requires movement.

Muscle memory is basically the ability for our body to ‘remember’ how to do something without having to consciously think about it. We use it every day. When we walk, talk, type, text, drive and more. After much repetition of the same thing, our body is able to consolidate the attention and effort that it requires so much that we are able to do it without having to think about it.

This comes in extremely handy for things that would normally take a lot of effort. Children for example, struggle with walking because they have to think hard about every movement that they make. After they walk a lot, then it becomes easy and natural for them. We take for granted the things that we can do with muscle memory. A lifelong piano player will require less thought and attention to play Flight of the Bumblebees as a beginner would require to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

The reason muscle memory is so incredible is because it enables us to learn anything. Anybody can learn how to play any instrument, play any sport, or do anything physical with enough practice. All it takes is patience and repetition until our brain makes it automatic. So, get out there and start trying new things. Develop muscle memory for as many things as you can. It makes life fun.

Just thought i would post a few fun excercises for you to try.

In and out slalom shuffle – The in and out slalom shuffle is an exercises that utilizes and imroves foot coordination, balance, and cardio. You can use tape or chalk to draw your area on the ground. Basically draw a ladder like shape on the ground: two 15′ long parallel lines about a foot apart, then connect those with cross lines about a foot apart. Read the rest of this entry »

There are literally millions of books and articles written on fitness, weight-loss, diets, and similar topics. Without having to read all of those, you can be well of just with this one equation. Ready to learn some programming? Okay…See if you can decipher what this program means.

def How’s_my_weight(calories in, calories out):
if calories in > calories out:
my_weight = gaining
else if calories in < calories out: my_weight = losing Can you figure it out? Basically if you plugged your calories in and calories out into these variables, the program would tell you if you're losing weight or gaining weight. The simple formula to losing weight is if your calorie in are greater than your calories out, you'll gain. If it's less, you'll lose. It's as simple as that. That being said, you can look in the mirror, and if you're overweight, you can know that there's only one real reason, and only one solution. You've got to get your output more than your intake. One way to do that is to read food labels. Almost all foods have a food label that state how many calories they are. You have to be careful when reading them because they try to trick you. The amount of calories food labels show is for one serving. Yet usually a container of food will have multiple or many servings inside it, so you have to figure in how many servings of that food you ate, and then multiply the displayed calories by how many servings you ate. Keeping track of calories out is a bit harder, but can be done somewhat. You can get a podemeter to figure in walking, and use calorie burn programs on your exercise equipment that shows you how much you burn. A tip for burning extra calories: short bursts of very fast paced and intense workouts actually will burn more calories than long distance endurance workouts. Good luck with this. (Treadmills are excellent for tracking calories burned. Get discounts and reviews on name brand treadmills at Proform Coupons)

People have all sorts of crazy conceptions about how to lose weight and get into shape. People hear something, and so they try it without researching it much. Some of these things work, some don’t, some look like they work, but are very temporary, and some are flat-out harmful. When losing weight or getting into shape, you should always look at the long term picture rather than a short term fix. You always want to take the healthiest route. This will help you stay healthy and in shape in the future and throughout your life.

We wanted to list a few things you should make sure not to do when dieting.

First. Don’t go anorexic. You’re probably saying, yes we know, that’s obvious. Well, however obvious we think it is, statistics show that a great many women still use anorexia to lose weight, whether they mean to or not. To stop eating is bad for you. Period. Stopping eating to lose weight is like drinking salt water to quench your thirst. It only makes things worse. Your body has to get good at holding onto whatever you give it, and so your metabolism goes way down, and when you do start eating again your body puts on pounds extremely quickly. You end up harming yourself much more than helping yourself. Even doing things like skipping breakfast are more detrimental than healthy. Metabolism a key player in weight loss, and if you mess with it, it will mess back. The best way to keep your metabolism working at its highest is to eat as soon as you wake up, and then eat for lunch and dinner. What you can change are your portion sizes and what you eat. Be cautious when diet plans try to tell you when, or how often to eat.

Studies show that people who skip breakfast actually gain more weight per year than those who do eat breakfast. The principle of the matter is, you should have something in your body throughout the day while you’re active. Try not to eat at night within 1 or 2 hours of going to bed. It’s okay to go to bed on an empty stomach. Late night snacks tend to turn straight into fat because our body doesn’t use them.

Remember these few things, and stay tuned for the next tip.

(staying active is also key to fitness. Treadmills are a great help with that. Get quality treadmill coupons and reviews at Treadmill Reviews)