Let’s begin this discussion by acknowledging that maintaining fitness is not easy and it’s often not much fun either. But, you have to realize that to be healthy, this is something we all must do. Fortunately, extreme measures are not required. You only need put forth a minor amount of time and effort. You may even enjoy yourself.
A few sessions of one-on-one coaching from a personal trainer can get you on the right path to an effective workout routine. The trainer will tell you how to reach your goals and you will be able to focus on areas you need help in. The first visit to the gym can be overwhelming, so you’ll have your foot in the door after you’ve had a pro show you what to do. If you take your time you will have a great plan in place.
Lose Weight
Pay several months in advance when you join a gym or fitness club. Hopefully by paying all at once in the beginning it gives you the motivation to go to the gym, otherwise you would be losing out on a lot of money. You should only do this as a last ditch effort.
Counting calories is helpful when trying to lose weight. Knowing your calorie count helps you determine if you’re going to gain weight or lose weight. If you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight.
Strengthening your thighs is a great way to protect your knees. Avoid the most common injury, which is torn muscles and ligaments along the back of your legs. Work on your hamstrings and quads to protect your knees. Leg extensions and curls are a couple of great exercises to work these muscles.
You lessen the chance of injury by keeping proper form during your walk. Pull your shoulders back and keep your spine aligned. Your arms should remain bent at an angle of about 90 degrees. You should swing your arms in a rhythm opposite that of your front foot. Each step should involve allowing your heel to land on the ground first followed by rolling the rest of your foot forward.
Complete your weight lifting routine in 30 to 45 minutes. Also, after an hour of weight lifting, muscle wasting can occur. This is why you should lift weights for only an hour or less.
If you are looking to strengthen your legs, try wall sits. When doing wall sits, make sure you have an empty wall, with nothing too close to your body. With your back facing the wall, position yourself approximately 18 inches from it. Lean back and bend your knees until you feel you back touching the wall. Lower yourself, bending your knees until you come to a sitting position with your thighs and calves at a 90 degree angle. Hold this position until you are too tired to continue.
Exercise using the right shoes. When you don’t wear the proper shoes for your exercise, you run the risk of injuring yourself. Also, you will experience significant discomfort that may prevent you from continuing your routines.
If you are new to making exercise a part of your life you should not refer to it as such. Using those words can make you become less motivated. When you are calling it working out or exercising you should really call it playing basketball or riding a bike.
If you cycle to work, aim for a pace between 80rpm and 110rpm. You can ride longer this way without stressing out your knees. If you don’t want to invest in a digital device to put on your bike to keep track of your rpm and mileage, you can use simple math to figure your rpm. Count how frequent your right leg rises in 10 seconds. When you have this figure, multiply it by six. You should try to keep this rpm.
So to sum everything up, fitness isn’t always a fun pursuit, and it’s rarely easy. However, with the proper attitude and training, it can certainly be more of both. Nobody is able to take on fitness without learning how to properly do it first. So do everything in your power to get the body that you truly want.