Keeping fit is vitally important for having a healthy and happy life. It can be hard to learn how to stay in shape. There’s such a vast amount of fitness information available that just knowing where you should start is often challenging. The tips laid out here will give you a solid foundation on how to get fitter.

Choose a fitness plan that involves activities you enjoy, and that are likely to sustain your interest over the long run. If you are doing an activity you enjoy you will start to look forward to your work outs.

Be fearless when approaching a new exercise program. Riding a bicycle is a perfectly valid workout. Riding your bike to work each morning will not only save you money on gas, but it is a great way to get in a workout every day. A car ride of 5 miles should take fewer than 30 minutes to bike, and riding to and from work gives you two workout sessions.

Create a garden oasis. Gardening is a great workout. You have to weed, dig and squat in the dirt. Gardening is a great home activity that keeps you in shape.

Weight Lifting

Complete your weight lifting routine in 30 to 45 minutes. Besides producing cortisol, working out for over an hour actually causes muscle waste. So remember to limit your weight lifting to no more than 60 minutes.

When you are doing weight training, start small. Your smaller muscles will get tired before your larger ones, and it also makes a lot of sense to use small dumbbells before using big ones. Then, as you work your greater muscles, the small ones get a much-needed break.

Having a goal for your work out is a good way to keep you going. This goal will have you focusing on getting fit, rather than how hard your fitness regimen is. Having goals in place also prevents you from quitting because they will help you to stay on track and motivate you even more to reach your particular goals.

Include the exercises that intimidate you in your workouts. It is thought that people skip doing certain exercises that are not the easiest parts of their routines. Add your least favorite exercises to your workout routine and never omit them

Press on the padding with your finger to make sure the bench is padded enough for you before working out on it. If the padding is so thin that you can feel the wood on the bottom, look for a better machine. If you are using a bad machine, you can injure yourself.

A great fitness tip is to make sure you find shoes that fit your feet. Shop for shoes later in the day after your feet have had a chance to spread. There should be at least a half of an inch at the end of your shoe, between it and your large toe. You should have room to move your toes.

If you are using weights, begin with smaller weights first. Your smaller muscles get tired before larger ones do, so it makes sense to start with dumbbells or barbells before the bigger machines, for example. This is because if you are working out big ones the smaller ones may strain.

All activities require knowledge, fitness is no different. Whether you just want to get a bit more active or you’re training competitively for sports, you’ll get more out of your fitness regimen if you take the time to learn your fitness basics. Utilize all that you have read above, and you’ll soon discover that you’ll be in the best shape of your life.