There’s much more to fitness than simply spending time at the gym. To achieve your fitness goals takes knowledge, patience, and persistence. Follow the tips below to help you enhance your fitness plan.
Decide on a fitness plan that matches your needs plus your interests. Pick something you enjoy, so you can actually look forward to working out.
Begin a garden. People are shocked at how much work gardening really is. You will have to squat a lot, dig, pull weeds and carry heavy things. There are many more activities that will help you stay in shape: you should try home improvement, sports or simply playing with your children.
By adding variety to one’s routine, the body will receive maximum benefits. If someone usually uses a treadmill, they can easily run around their neighborhood. Running uphill will create different results for your body. If you vary your exercises, your body will not be able to settle into routine, and your weight loss will keep improving.
Pay several months in advance when you join a gym or fitness club. Not getting the full value of what you paid for will likely motivate you to go to the gym more often. If you find it a chore to get out to the gym, this strategy may be your last resort.
Are you like many others and have very little free time in your life? Break your workout into two sessions. You don’t have to workout for a longer period of time; just split one workout in half. Therefore, instead of working out for a one hour burst, split it into two half-hour sessions, one morning and one night. You can complete one of your workouts at the gym and the other outdoors if you would prefer to avoid going to the gym twice.
You need not worry if this is the case. Biking is a great low impact alternative to running. Biking is a cheap and fun way to get fit on your way to work. If you bike to work, you will get a powerful workout that is well worth the ride.
Maintain a fitness log detailing your fitness activities for the day. Record your daily work outs, and be sure you add in all the extra exercises you do each day. Invest in a pedometer so you can track your steps throughout the day and add that information in as well. This diary will be a visual reminder of how far you have come.
Strenghtening your thighs can help prevent sports injuries to the knees. Torn ligaments behind the kneecap are a common injury obtained from sports and other physical activities. Making your hamstrings and quads stronger protects you knees from those kinds of injuries. Leg extensions, leg curls, squats, and lunges are all exercises that will work the upper leg muscles.
Maintain a daily journal, recording everything you do. Everything from the exercises you complete, to the foods you eat, need to be written down. You may even find including the day’s weather to be helpful. You’ll be able to remember the things that work clearly when you write down every detail. If you were unable to exercise for a day or two, then write down the reason why.
20 Reps
You will receive greater benefit from running outdoors than using a treadmill. When you can, run outside. When the weather prohibits being outdoors, transition to a treadmill.
If you’d like to improve your muscle mass, then you should do less reps, but lift a greater amount of weight. Before you start working out, select a muscle group. Warm up by using weights that you find less challenging to lift. Do about 20 reps to warm up: use lighter weights if you cannot do 20 reps. The next set should include about 6 to 8 repetitions with a heavier weight. Add on another five pounds, then complete a third repetition.
Anyone can enjoy fitness, but only the truly dedicated people will get the most out of their fitness plans. The more knowledgeable we are about fitness, the better prepared we are to design a fitness plan that optimizes our chances of success.