Defining Fitness and Setting Goals
Water Rules
Importance Of Hydration
12 Fast Facts
Exercise & Workout Tips
Weight Loss & Diet Tips
Holiday Tips
Bridal Tips
10 ways to supercharge a boring gym session
Gain strength and size with the right combination of sets and repetitions
Defining Fitness and Setting Goals
Defining fitness as specifically as possible will make setting your goals easier. Think of fitness as a state of well being consisting of optimum levels of strength, flexibility, weight control, and cardiovascular and aerobic capacities that help you participate fully in life.
Focus your goals
Remember this definition of fitness as you set your training goals and training routine. Take a moment to think about why you are training and what it means to you. Ask yourself if training is important to your health concerns. Is training specific to another sports activity you are involved in? Is it necessary for your career? Whatever the reason, understand what you are doing and why.
Set Realistic Goals
Set your goals so they are realistic and reachable. Maximize your training time by noting goals in your diary and reviewing them each day before you train. Set short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. Begin with short-term goals to achieve within your first 30 days. Add mid-term goals to reach in about 90 days. And set long-term goals that could run from 6 to 12 months. Remember that the more time you put into planning effective training programs, the more you’ll get out of them. It takes dedication, desire and determination to get results. Go for it and feel good about yourself!
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Water Rules
1. Drink before you are thirsty – thirst is not always a good indicator of fluid loss.
2. Drink 15-20 ounces of water or sports drink before you start your workout.
3. Drink plenty of fluids while working out (5-10 ounces every 15 minutes).
4. Drink fluids at a cool temperature. Studies show that people consume more liquid when it’s cooler.
5. When you exercise or engage in any activity that makes you sweat, you need to drink extra water to compensate for that loss. If you work out for less than an hour, plain old water – about 2 cups – is sufficient for optimal rehydration.
6. Workouts that are longer than an hour increase your loss of fluid and drain your muscles’ energy stores. Make sure to drink water regularly during longer training sessions and continue to drink even when you’re done. Sweating profusely leads to sodium loss, so you may e better off drinking sports drinks that contain sodium.
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Importance Of Hydration
Our bodies are made up of 55% - 65% water – everything from blood to bones and muscle contains water, and our systems depend on it to function properly. Water regulates body temperature and waste disposal, and it lubricates your joints. So when you have long and/or hardcore workouts, it’s crucial that you replace the fluids you lose to prevent dehydration. Symptoms can include excessive thirst, fatigue, headache, dry mouth, little or no urination, muscle weakness, dizziness and lightheadedness. Even mild dehydration can sap your energy and make you feel tired.
The amount of fluid you should drink is determined by how long and how hared you train, environmental conditions and whether you’ve acclimated to the heat. You’ve probably heard that you should drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, but a recent study done by the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C., found that men need and average of 16 cups of water a day and women need 11 cups. But you don’t need to drink that much water; included in that total is all the fluid you consume each day, including coffee, tea, soda and milk as well as the fluid contained in fruits and vegetables.
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12 Fast Facts
1. Want to spend 5 seconds a Day to Encourage Weight Loss? Drink a glass of cold water every night right before you get into bed. Your body will have to heat this water up to your body's temperature of 98 degrees, and it will have to burn a few calories in the process! This sets your body up to burn calories as you sleep! When you make this 5 second activity a habit, you will be excited to find yourself losing weight easier than ever before.
2. Eating right when you wake up is vital to breaking the fast your body goes into every night. 2- 3 hours after you eat your body shuts down your metabolism and acts as if it need to store food. In order to communicate with your body that it is healthy, well fed, and not in need of extra fat storage you need to start your day off with a small meal and continue to eat small meals every 2-3 hours.
3. The easiest way to effortlessly lose weight is to not eat three hours before bed. It has been proven that not eating three hours before bed reduces fat storage throughout the night.
4. Drink a large glass of water before every meal. It may seem like a chore, but drinking a large glass of water before eating is a great way to partially fill you up and prevent you from overeating
5. Losing patience with exercise? The key to weight loss and fitness gains is to consistently give your body new challenges. Mix up your workouts every few weeks, and don't be afraid to try something new!
6. Eating a balanced diet is key in maintaining a healthy body weight. The American Council on Exercise suggests that this balance break down into 12-20% protein, 55-65% carbohydrates, and 25-30% fat.
7. Eat 5-7 meals a day. Eating multiple meals supplies you with nonstop nutrients without setting off fat-storing hormones and enzymes associated with larger, infrequent meals.
8. Go Fish. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish fight inflammation, support glutamine levels and increase anabolic response to insulin. Eat 4-6 ounces three times a week.
9. Drink Milk. The amino acids in milk digest slowly, making it ideal for preventing muscle breakdown. Plus, milk exerts a repartitioning effect, meaning calories become less efficient at making body fat and are either used to build mass or are simply burned off.
10. Make the right cut. Reduce your daily calorie intake by 15% - 20%. (For example, if you are currently ingesting 3000 calories, reduce to 2400-2550). This reduction almost exclusively burns fat, while larger cuts in calories burn a combination of muscle tissue and fat.
11. Dairy is for dieting. Dairy foods contain biologically active compounds that help make the body less efficient at storing fat. Studies show that weight-loss plans containing lots of dairy are superior to those that lack it.
12. Sip Green Tea. Green tea contains caffeine and polyphenols called epigallocatechin gallate, which have been shown to increase calorie burn by 100 calories a day.
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Strength Training Tips
· Include some type of strength training in your weekly exercise regimen no matter what your fitness goals are. Resistance training provides many health benefits.
· Don't take the all or nothing approach. It's better to do a little training than none at all. So, even if you can only fit one strength training routine in a week, you'll still benefit from it.
· If you're a woman, don't be afraid of strength training. You won't bulk up (unless you are really trying to). And, resistance training is easy to start. With professional guidance and direction, you can quickly learn how to train properly.
· Focus on correct form. If you are unable to use proper, safe form when performing an exercise then you probably are using weights that are too heavy. Choose a size that allows you to train with correct form.
· Concentrate on the muscle(s) you are working during a specific exercise.
· How long you rest between sets is important. For building muscles and getting bulkier the rest time should be longer. For more muscle endurance and leaner, sculpted muscles the rest time should be shorter.
· The frequency of your strength training depends on whether your goals are to get bigger and stronger (less often) or whether you want to get leaner and more defined muscles (more often).
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Exercise & Workout Tips
· Stair climbing is a low-impact alternative to running.
· Choose exercises that you enjoy doing. You'll be more inclined to stick with a fitness regimen when it includes things you like to do.
· Change your fitness routine every 4-6 weeks to prevent a workout plateau.
· Strive to include total body workouts. These include: cardiovascular exercises, strength training (both upper and lower body), core training and stretching/flexibility.
· Whenever possible, take the stairs instead of an elevator.
· When working out on cardio equipment (e.g. elliptical trainers), don't lean heavily on the handrails. This will reduce the amount of calories you burn.
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Weight Loss & Diet Tips
· Exercise is not enough. You must also include healthy eating habits.
· Make a list of all the benefits regular exercise provides you. Everything from feeling healthier, sleeping better, preventing depression, feeling stronger, etc. Post this list somewhere that you will easily see it everyday so that it can serve as a reminder why you should workout.
· Eat breakfast every day. People who eat breakfast consume fewer total calories during the day then those that don't.
· Don't waste your calories on drinks. Drink low-calorie or no calorie drinks instead (preferably water).
· Try to take at least 20 minutes to complete a meal. This is how long it takes for your brain to recognize that your stomach is full.
· Use a lot of spices and seasonings when cooking low-fat/low-calorie meals. They can make your meal taste so much better and therefore make you feel more satisfied.
· Decrease your caffeine intake. Too much caffeine can decrease the burning of stored fat.
· Consume at least 64 ounces of water per day, plus an additional 16 ounces for every hour of moderate-intensity exercise.
· Each day fill a container(s) with your daily water supply so you'll always know how much you've drank and ensure you drink the required daily amount.
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Holiday Tips
· Create a plan ahead of time. Before the holidays sneak up on you, create a plan for incorporating fitness and good nutrition into your daily routine. Evaluate your holiday and then determine how much time you will realistically have available to devote to working out and/or eating healthy meals.
· Schedule your workouts. Mark them on the calendar and set-aside time to complete them. Consider them as important as any other appointment or event you have marked on your calendar.
· When at a party, start by eating some of the healthy offerings. For example, vegetable sticks (without dip), fruit pieces, plain chicken pieces, etc. Then move on to some of the less healthy (but yummy) offerings. You will be less likely to overindulge on these foods if you have already filled-up on some of the healthier items. Yet, you will not feel deprived or unsatisfied.
· Avoid wasting calories on alcoholic beverages. The average alcoholic drink contains 150-200 calories per glass. Indulge in just 2-3 drinks and you’ve drunk the equivalent calories of an entire meal. If you partake in these beverages, choose wisely. For example, instead of having a full glass of wine, try mixing half a glass of wine with sparkling water or with a diet cola. This will help cut your calories in half.
· When shopping, don't search for the closest parking space. Park far away and take advantage of the walk you get.
· Don’t put your fitness goals on hold until the New Year. If you can’t exercise as often during this time period as you normally do, adjust appropriately. Don’t use the excuse that since you don’t have time for your full workout you just won’t workout at all. Instead accept your limited availability and simply reduce the frequency and/or duration of your exercise. It’s much better to cut your fitness time in half than to completely eliminate it.
· On the day of a party, be sure to eat regularly all day long. If the party is in the evening, eat breakfast, lunch and a snack before hand (just as you would on any other day). Once you are at the party, go ahead and indulge in some of the fun, delicious foods. Since you have eaten meals earlier in the day, you probably will find that you aren’t tempted to go overboard and eat everything in sight. However, if you starve all day long attempting to save up all your calories for the party, you will be so famished by the time it begins that it will be difficult not to overeat.
· On days that you really lack motivation or simply do not have time for your complete exercise routine, commit to do just 10 minutes of exercise. You’ll probably end up doing more than that once you get started. Even if you only end up completing 10 minutes, that is still a lot better than zero minutes.
· When presented with a large variety of food options, it’s tempting to want to eat everything. Rather than eating one large slice of chocolate cake or a huge plate of meatballs, select a sampling of bite size pieces of several of the desert or appetizer offerings. This way you get the enjoyment of trying many different foods without overeating.
· Exercise at home. You’ll be more inclined to follow-through on your exercise commitment if you don’t have to drive somewhere to do your workout. Plus, you won’t waste any time on driving, parking, the locker room or waiting to use equipment. Working out at home requires very little equipment (even can be equipment-free) and is quite inexpensive.
· When running errands or shopping, be sure to pack some healthy snacks to have on-hand. Then after you work-up a big appetite, you won’t be tempted to grab something at the mall food court or the fast food restaurant on the way home.
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Bridal Tips
· One of the most important things to remember if you are trying to lose weight is too start early. For example, don’t try to lose 20 pounds two months before the big day. The key is to plan ahead so that you can lose the weight (or just firm up) gradually.
· Be realistic with yourself. If you’ve never been a size 6 in your life, then it is probably unrealistic to think you can magically transform just because you are getting married. Set attainable goals.
· Brides typically are short on time and long on to-do lists. This leads many to try unhealthy fitness programs or starvation diets. Don’t be tempted by diets that promise quick, drastic results with little effort from you.
· It’s very easy for brides to say “I don’t have time to exercise” or “I’m too tired to exercise”. But diet and exercise should always go hand in hand. Without activity your body can’t burn as many calories. If you are very short on time, try to exercise in small 10-minute bursts throughout the day. And, keep in mind that little things help too, like taking the stairs or parking at the outer edge of the mall parking lot.
· Eat regularly -- don't skip meals. Not only is skipping meals unhealthy, it often leads to binge eating. That often means eating very fattening foods and/or overeating all at once. To avoid this try packing light snacks to keep on hand throughout the day. Good examples include carrot sticks, cheese strings, peanut butter on crackers, etc.
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10 ways to supercharge a boring gym session
We should have a "refresh" button for everything: a bitter coworker, a lame bar scene, the National Hockey League. Just a click or two could give us instant improvement.
Same with tired workouts. Maybe yours has frozen up like a gym version of Windows 95. You may think you have to reboot, or even upgrade. Instead, all you need are a few tweaks for a faster, more enjoyable, more effective workout.
Take a typical guy's stale routine: treadmill for 5 minutes, then bench presses until someone asks if he's almost done--in which case he's suddenly on his last set. Next, a few rows, curls, and crunches, then a quick toe touch and he's out.
You can do better, beginning with your warm-up. Most men warm up with a few minutes of light cycling or jogging. And that's fine if all you plan to do in your workout is lower-body exercise. But an upper-body workout demands something that's more in sync with your plans. Switch your warm-up to jumping rope, rowing lightly, or using any cardio machine, like an elliptical trainer, that makes you pump your arms.
As for the rest of your routine . . . stop calling it routine. Refresh it, and yourself, with these moves.
START WITH YOUR HAMSTRINGS
Most men do the exercises they like first and save the ones they know they hate for last. Toward the end of a workout, they either put little effort into these exercises or just skip them entirely. Performing your workout in the opposite order can give muscles you tend to overlook (such as your hamstrings) the attention they deserve. And saving your favorites for last can help you recharge when your energy level is in decline.
STRETCH BETWEEN SETS
Don't stretch only when your muscles feel tight. Stretching the muscles you're working not only helps them stay loose, but can also increase your range of motion, allowing you to work more muscle fibers with each additional set.
TAKE A COFFEE BREAK
Anytime you draw your legs toward your midsection--reverse crunches, V-ups--you emphasize the lower portion of your abs. These moves also stress your hip flexors, the muscles on the front of your thighs. When these muscles are involved, your abs exert less than full effort, and you end up with tight hip flexors.
Overcome this tendency by pretending there's a cup of coffee resting just below your belly button. Before bringing your legs up each time, imagine tilting that cup toward your legs first. This redirects your body positioning, so the effort stays concentrated on the lower abs.
CLOSE YOUR EYES WHILE EXERCISING
This helps you visualize the muscles you're working, which is especially helpful for posterior muscle groups like your back, hamstrings, and butt. (Exceptions allowed when that brunette happens by.) Also try closing your eyes during any exercise that involves balance, such as a one-legged squat. It challenges the neuromuscular system and helps you establish better balance.
CHANGE YOUR INCLINATION
Rather than do three sets of dumbbell presses followed by three sets of incline presses, combine the two exercises. Start with one set of chest presses on a flat bench. Then raise the bench one notch from the flat position--to about 15 to 20 degrees--for your second set. Continue raising the angle one notch per set, stopping at the notch before vertical. This lets you exhaust more muscle fibers by working your chest through five or six different angles instead of just the basic two. You'll actually end up doing fewer sets, so you'll save time, too.
GET TWISTED
During the standard single-arm dumbbell row, your palm faces in as you raise and lower the weight along the side of your chest. To get more out of the move, rotate your wrist inward 180 degrees as you lower the dumbbell so that your thumb ends up pointing behind you when your arm is completely straight. This rotation helps adduct the scapula, working the back through a fuller range of motion for added strength and size.
STOP AND GO
Instead of raising and lowering the weight in one continuous motion, pause for a second about halfway up, continue the movement, and then pause again about halfway down. In a set of eight to 12 repetitions, you'll add only an extra 16 to 24 seconds to each set, but you'll be able to exhaust your muscles faster using less weight. This tactic works great with shoulder presses, lateral raises, and bent-over lateral raises.
LOWER THE WEIGHT WITH ONE LEG
Your muscles are much stronger during the eccentric phase of an exercise--when the weight is being lowered. With leg presses, leg curls, and leg extensions, consider the "two up, one down" option. Try pressing or curling the weight up with both legs, then slowly lowering the weight back down using only one leg. This lets you work your muscles even harder in the same amount of time without constantly needing to change the weight, says Westcott.
SPREAD 'EM
Change your hand spacing with each set of barbell curls, instead of keeping them placed at shoulder width for all you repetitions. Spreading your hands a few inches farther out stresses more of the inner portion of your biceps, while bringing your hands in a few inches builds more of the outer part. Or, try switching from the standard shoulder-width grip on a barbell to an angled position with an EZ-curl bar.
RUN THE RACK
Save time on the last dumbbell exercise in your workout. Instead of doing three sets of shoulder presses, biceps curls, or any dumbbell move, start with a weight that's about 50 percent of what you usually use to do 10 to 12 repetitions. Perform the exercise six times, then quickly grab the weight that's one increment heavier. Continue working your way up in weight until you finally find one that you can't lift six times using proper technique. Then reverse this process by grabbing a slightly lighter weight and completing as many repetitions as possible, even if you can only manage a few. Keep moving down the rack until you're left using the lightest set of dumbbells possible.
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Gain strength and size with the right combination of sets and repetitions
You've been told to listen to your body, learn its idiosyncrasies, and embrace it like a friend. Don't buy it. You can listen and learn, sure, but forget the friendly stuff. When it comes to muscle, you need to be less good buddy and more psychotic drill sergeant.
Keep your muscles off balance. When they get used to lifting a certain amount in a certain way (sound like your workout?), they stop growing. A training program that never changes also creates strength imbalances; that's unproductive and dangerous.
This doesn't mean you have to master the incline behind-the-back modified triceps windmill. Just do your usual exercises, but use different combinations of sets and repetitions.
What follows is a guide to different kinds of sets and how they produce different results. Plug this into your gym routine and see the surprised--and supersized--reaction you get from your muscles.
Straight Sets
What they are: The usual--a number of repetitions followed by a rest period, then by one or more sets of the same exercise.
Why they're useful: The rest periods and narrow focus of straight sets help add mass and build maximal strength. As long as you rest enough between sets (1 to 3 minutes), your muscle, or group of muscles, will work hard two, three, even five times in a workout.
How to use them: The start of your workout is the best time to do straight sets, regardless of your experience level, Ballantyne says. Your energy and focus are high at the start, so it's the best time to execute difficult moves. Perform three straight sets of six to eight repetitions of a challenging exercise like the bench press, pull-up, or squat; aim to do the same number of repetitions in each set, with either the same or increasing amounts of weight.
Supersets
What they are: A set of each of two different exercises performed back-to-back, without rest.
Why they're useful: Supersets save time and burn fat. You can multitask your muscles--for instance, working your chest and back in one superset and legs and shoulders in another. Lifting heavy weights in a short time period increases the rate at which your body breaks down and rebuilds protein. This metabolism boost lasts for hours after you've finished lifting.
How to use them: Insert a superset at any time in your workout. To involve the most muscles, pair compound exercises--moves that work multiple muscles across multiple joints. For example, combine a chest press with a row, or a shoulder press with a deadlift. To save more time, pair noncompeting muscle groups, such as your deltoids and glutes. One muscle group is able to recover while the other works, so you can repeat the set without resting as long.
Trisets
What they are: Three different exercises performed one after another, without any rest in between.
Why they're useful: Trisets save time and raise metabolism. A single triset can be a total-body workout in itself.
How to use them: Trisets are a good workout for at home (or in an empty gym), because you need to monopolize equipment for three exercises. Do basic exercises that hit different body parts--like bench presses, squats, and chin-ups. Perform a warm-up set using 50 percent of the weight you usually use in each exercise. Then repeat the triset two or three times, using weights that allow you to perform eight repetitions per set. Rest 1 to 3 minutes after each triset.
Drop Sets
What they are: Three or four sets of one exercise performed without rest, using a lighter weight for each successive set. Also called descending sets or strip sets.
Why they're useful: Drop sets are a great quick workout, fatiguing your muscles in a short time, getting your heart going, and giving you an impressive post workout pump as your muscles fill with blood.
How to use them: Use drop sets when you're pressed for time. Don't do them more than three times a week; you'll get so tired you won't be able to accomplish much else. Start with a warm-up, using 50 percent of the weight you expect to use in your first set. Now use the heaviest weight you'd use for eight repetitions of that exercise to perform as many repetitions as you can. Drop 10 to 20 percent of the weight and go again. Continue to reduce the weight and go again, always trying to complete the same number of repetitions (even though you won't), until your muscles fail.
Circuit Sets
What they are: A series of exercises (usually six) that you complete one after another without rest, though you can do some cardiovascular work (such as jumping rope) between exercises.
Why they're useful: When you use weights, circuits can be a great total-body workout. But they're most valuable without weights as a warm-up of the nervous system, joints, and muscles. Because a circuit stresses the entire body, it's more effective than a treadmill jog, which primes only your lower body.
How to use them: You'll annoy the other guys at the gym if you do an entire workout based on circuits, because you'll monopolize so many pieces of equipment. But one circuit is quick and effective. If you're using it as a warm-up, you need only your body weight or a barbell. Or use just a pair of dumbbells and circuit-train at home where you won't annoy anyone.
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