Fitness is a way of life that many people are new to. Being fit, eating right, and exercising is something that many people have to learn. Even with all the ways to get fit, it can be hard to choose particular methods. Here are a few effective techniques for keeping fit.
If you’re lucky enough to live near your local grocery store, an easy way to get a workout is to walk to the store on your day off instead of taking your car. Grab a basket once you’re inside– getting a cart will make it easy to choose more items than you can easily carry. You can always make multiple trips, or bring the family so everyone can grab a few bags.
As a population we have generally become lazy. If a car will get us there, in the car we go. A good fitness tip is to forgo the wheels and go on foot. Perhaps you need to go to the gas station a half mile away for milk, then you should walk. Another good idea is to park farther away at places like the grocery store, and force yourself to walk a few yards. This will get a little bit of exercise in where before there was none.
Do not rely on a fitness routine that requires extensive equipment. Putting all of one’s faith in equipment-intensive exercise leaves one at the mercy of the equipment. The savvy fitness enthusiast will have a varied exercise program that includes plenty of exercises that can be performed without equipment. These exercises prevent a breakdown of one’s overall fitness strategy when equipment is temporarily unavailable.
A good tip that may help you get fit is to eat cottage cheese or milk before bed. Cottage cheese and milk, along with a few other foods, contain casein protein, which actually promotes lean body mass when eaten before bed. There are also protein powders that contain casein protein.
A good, and easy exercise to try when getting into better physical shape is walking. Walking at a fast pace for fifteen to twenty minutes a day can quickly impact your fitness goals. If you stroll for thirty minutes, you can have a similar impact to your body, it will just be more gradual.
You should always hold your stretches. It does not matter your age, if you are not holding the stretch for at least thirty seconds, you are not maintaining your flexibility. The older you get, the longer you need to hold the pose to achieve the same result. Add thirty additional seconds if you are over forty.
If cycling is your exercise mode of choice, you can increase the efficiency, endurance, and coordination of your muscles by pedaling your bicycle using only one leg at a time, then alternating after every three to five minutes. This helps to engage all muscles in the leg by distributing the work evenly up and down the entire length of your legs and feet.
One of the most common and preventable causes of muscle strain and injury during workouts, is exercising while wearing old, worn-out shoes that are no longer able to cushion and support the foot. Think of your workout shoes as any other perishable item and assign an “expiration date”. For even the highest quality shoes, five hundred miles is the typical lifespan.
When pursuing your fitness goals, a great tip is to never coddle a weak area. If you hate doing a particular workout, you need to start doing it. If you have weak spots in your body, they can likely lead to injury down the road if you do not start working on them.
To properly work out your muscles, only work them out for about an hour. Working out for more than a hour generally works against you. Your body tends to produce more cortisol after about 60 minutes, and this can cause you body to both block testosterone and cause you to waste the muscle you have just gained.
If you want to increase your foot speed, then try this. First, stand with your feet apart at around hip-width. Have your hands down at your sides. Lift your left foot out, and touch the foot with your right hand. Put that foot down, and then repeat this with the opposite foot and hand. Do this as fast you can for around twenty seconds each time. Do around three to five sets.
Never use a weight belt. While many trainers will tell you that they are great for everything, weight belts actually weaken your abdominal and lower back muscles. They put heavy pressure on muscles you are not working, causing your muscles to pull from areas they normally wouldn’t, namely your abs and back.
Staying fit takes a lot of hard work and information. Use these tips to help jump start a fit lifestyle that will result in longevity, health, and happiness. Using just a few of these tips can produce major results as long as there is a sense of commitment and dedication to fitness.
