exercise for fitness

Team efforts

2008-09-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

This week we were down to eight people. I know that some have gone on holiday. One sent apologies because she had to work late. Also the weather wasn’t terribly conducive to being out in the open.

The ground we usually base ourselves on was very wet and boggy so I decided on a different spot nearby. We were still “hidden” from general view. Because of the change of position I varied the warm up route taking in the first cricket pitch. It made a change and I think variety helps so long as it is kept within a framework of familiarity.

I had to re-organise the session in my mind because of the number attending. I set them on a relay of three points so there were four in each “team”. They did it twice round and then had a short rest. Then went through the same effort once more.

I find that even though I stress that it isn’t a race, they are all very competitive. This motivation enables each and everyone of them to push themselves over the short distances I set.

After the final jog round to cool down we had what seems to have become a regular little chat. This week I was able to relate what information I had collected about tee shirts. We are trying to decide on a colour.

MO said how she had noticed the previous week’s efforts had been set for all abilities and that no-one gave up but worked through to their own level. She pointed out that everyone was achieving in the company of others. MO found this motivating and at the same time lacking in intimidation.

AB announced that she had managed to go out and jog for a full fifteen minutes for the first time since joining the Plodders. She puts this down to her achievements during the Monday sessions. We were all impressed and the whole group were most supportive.

More Newcomers for Fitness with Fun

2008-08-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

A total of seventeen people this week, including two men. It really feels that we are getting somewhere now. I believe that the large the group the more I can help individuals by being able to set graded exercises.

After the warm up jog, stretching and drills, the exercise was what I call Diagonals. Basically it is to walk or jog the short ‘ends’ along the side lines of the football pitch. The run across to the diagonally opposite corner. Jog the short end and then back across to the start corner. I set this to be done twice then rest for five minutes and repeat.

I have to impress upon the runners that the walk / jog sections are recovery periods and they must not try to catch up with those in front. Everyone should concentrate on their own training not someone else’s.

This exercise saw the faster, fitter people stringing out the group. This is one of the reasons why I am keeping the efforts fairly short in duration. It stops people from believing they are not good enough.

There was talk about wanting a group tee shirt proclaiming their membership of the Plodders. I must research suppliers.

Team Running

2008-08-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

At last. A man joined us this week. I didn’t particularly want the class to turn into a female only session. The only criteria I have is that everyone is over 18 years of age and seeking fitness through exercise.

The total attendees was twelve. That felt great. The class seems to be taking off well. However, so far the weather has been good. It may be different when the cold, dark evenings are with us. We’ll see. I think if we achieve good membership before October then that should see us through.

I set a course across the football field as follows: Centre line – side line – front of penalty area – side line. However, the “Start” is halfway across the field. The people got together in pairs. One started on the “Start” line. The other of each pair walked directly across to the corresponding marker. The first of the pair runs around half the course to reach their partner. Touch hands. Number two runs second half of course whilst number one walks across centre to “Start” line. Number two hands over to number one and repeats.

They were asked to make two circuits then rest and repeat.

Gosh. They may be beginners. They may think they can’t run. But boy are they competitive!

Mind the Racing Car

2008-08-22T08:32:00.001-07:00

The class was attended by seven people this week - the best so far.

Everyone went for a warm up walk / jog around the perimeter of the field which is about half a mile in distance. This was followed by the usual stretching. I emphasise that the whole body needs to be worked on, not just the legs. I advise working from the head down in order to remember a sequence. This can then be worked through as part of the warm up for all exercise sessions.

For this week’s exercise I had plotted out an area which used the centre line and front of the penalty area line across the football field. So they were presented with an effort as follows: Walk / jog along the side line – run across the centre line – walk / jog along the side line – run across front of penalty box – twice. Then a five minute rest and repeat.

To liven this session up was the remote controlled model racing car which was speeding around part of the field!

Another New Runner

2008-08-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

I walked on down with the three I met at the entrance on the park road. This week we had to use the far side of the field because other groups of people had staked out territories!

I had just sent the group on a warm up run when I saw a woman approaching. She turned out to be someone I had been told might be attending. So after four weeks with three people we now had a class of four which meant that we had a total of seven who had attended at various times.

Each week I told everyone to try to bring one person the following week in order to expand. I find that larger groups work better than small groups.

The exercise was to run fairly hard (within the individual’s capabilities) for about 80 metres and walk back recovery. The newcomer, CD, although claiming not to have done any running, is obviously quite fit.

A great, chatty little group. MO is proving to be quite a fun person and CD will be easy to get along with.

I find that it is quite difficult to know whether the people in the group feel that they are getting what they need. I guess time will tell. If they keep coming then the answer must be yes.

Features that Beginners Appreciate

2008-08-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

I think that people really appreciate the idea of having a class for those who as yet have no running ability.

There are several aspects to this:

The meeting place is “hidden” away at the far end of the Sports Park behind trees and bushes. Beginners often feel that the eyes of the world are upon them and they feel foolish.

They do not need to reach any standards set by others. It is their own expectations that they need to reach.

Every session I state that they can walk, jog or run. All I ask is that they remain focused on moving in the direction set in a purposeful manner. This removes any pressure on the individual.

I keep the session light-hearted and fun even though the exercise is serious. There is a lot of laughter and banter from within the group as they all get to know one another.

A New Fitness Group

2008-08-22T08:13:00.001-07:00

I’ve decided to set up a class for people who are new to running. It has always been obvious to me that there are those out there who do not see themselves as “good enough” to join an athletics club. This means that as a coach I very rarely have the chance to help absolute beginners.

So my idea was to have this new class as a stand alone group. Somewhere that people could come and not feel foolish. Somewhere that people could get their running underway. They will then be able to choose whether to stay in the new group or “graduate” to the athletic club.

The new group, which is called Plodders, actually started on 9^th June when three people arrived and took me by surprise. Why was it a surprise? Well I hadn’t started to advertise. It was just word of mouth that brought them.

I hope that this will become a regular, well attended session. This is mainly because I believe that there is a gap to be filled here and also I feel that I am able to help the beginner.

Hopefully I shall be able to find the time to keep a record here of what happens week by week.

Exercise for Fitness

2007-11-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

For various reasons I have been getting quite unfit. I am, therefore, thinking that I must do something about it.

I also like to help others get fit which is why I coach athletes and people who are not so athletic.

These two strands have gradually come together in my mind. I have decided to get fit and help others do the same by joining with me. So now I am inviting you to get fit with me. I am going to do this on a most basic level so that everyone will manage – it will consist mainly of walking.

I intend to set out here what I (and you) need to do on a daily basis. I am then going to write up what happened. In this way I hope that I shall not shirk. I should also like you to tell me what you think and how you cope.

Who is this for?

Anyone who is a couch potato,
people who have not undertaken a schedule of exercise for a long time,
those recovering from illness and
members of the older generation.

So I am not looking for the young and fit. You should join me it you feel you will benefit from this kind of schedule.

I’ll probably leave this pst here for a little while until I see enough ‘signing up’ by making a comment to show interest.

Can Exercise Lower Your Cholesterol Levels?

2007-05-22T04:14:00.000-07:00

Author: Albert Lee

Numerous studies support the various benefits of exercise in daily life. The ability of exercise to lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of development of heart disease has been confirmed by adequate scientific research.

A study conducted in a university proved that any amount of exercise is better than no exercise at all. The study was composed of 84 individuals who all had high cholesterol levels. They were divided into a group of intense activity of long duration, another group of similar intense activity but of shorter duration, a third group of moderate activity, and a control group.

At the end of the study, all exercise groups were noted to have better cholesterol levels than the control group. The study likewise revealed that when you exercise to lower cholesterol, the amount of exercise you accomplish is more important than the intensity of your exercise.

Another study conducted in a different university revealed that combining a low-fat diet with regular exercise to lower cholesterol results in healthier cholesterol levels. A total of 377 individuals with low HDL and high LDL levels were divided into an exercise group, a diet group, an exercise-and-diet group, and a control group that received no intervention.

A year after, the exercise-and-diet group were found to have a significant decrease in LDL cholesterol compared to those who merely dieted. This also supports the fact that it is effective and safe to use exercise to lower cholesterol.

Research has also shown that when you exercise to lower cholesterol, your HDL cholesterol, which is the good cholesterol, goes up, while your LDL cholesterol, which is the bad cholesterol, goes down.

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How to Melt the Fat

2007-05-22T04:09:00.000-07:00

Would you be interested in losing fat AND improving muscle tone?

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As an experienced Coach, I am always on the look out for programs which will be useful for my Fitness Groups.

This book is for Newbies because it gives a good basis on which to build. It is also good for my Intermediates and Advanced groups to have some new ideas set out for them.

So I shall be recommending it to all my groups and individual athletes.

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Jogging - Health Benefits and How to Do it

2007-05-20T02:56:00.000-07:00

By: Knut Holt

Performing regular jogging gives better physical condition and other health benefits. Jogging also gives physical and mental pleasure.

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF JOGGING

Jogging on a regular basis give a distinct good effect upon the general health, provided it is not over-done. The effects are:
* Jogging makes the heart stronger. It increases the capacity of the blood circulation and of the respiratory system.
* It speeds up the digestive system and helps you get rid of digestive trouble.
* It counteracts depression.
* It increases the capacity to work and lead an active life.
* Jogging makes you burn fat and thereby helps against over-weight.
* If you suffer from poor appetite, jogging will improve your appetite.
* Jogging will strengthens the muscles of your legs, hips and back. However you will not get very big muscles from jogging.
* Jogging makes you sleep better.

THE PLEASURE OF JOGGING

Jogging gives you physical and mental joy, provided you do not exhaust yourself. When jogging is done correctly, you will actually feel less tired when you have finished a tour than before you began. You get nice feelings in your muscles during the jogging and afterwards.

You will feel the wind blowing around your body. You will hear the birds singing, the music of running water in the streams, or the sound of waves dashing towards the seashore. During the jogging you will also get a euphoric mental feeling after some time.

CLOTHES AND SHOES

The type of clothes you were must be suited to the weather conditions. In warm weather, shorts and a t-shirt is enough. However, it may be useful to carry along an extra piece of clothe in a light back-pack if you run out on a long route, in case the weather aggravates. In colder weather you must add more layers of clothes. In either case, the requirements for the clothes are:

You should use light and soft clothes without any sharp sutures, hard edges or massive folds. They should sit fairly close to your body, but not so close that you feel squeezed, trapped, or so that your movements are hindered.

The clothes should give good ventilation for moisture and sweat and perspiration through the fabric. The fabric should ideally hold water totally out from the outside, but this requirement is difficult to achieve together with the requirement of good ventilation.

You should use fairly soft shoes, but with a good shape fitting the anatomical shape of your feet. The soles should easily bend during the normal movements of your feet, but support well against the ground. The underside of the sole should give friction against any type of grounds, so that you do not slide during jogging. The soles should buffer well against each impact from the ground.

JOGGING ROUTES AND SESSIONS

Jogging may be performed in a lot of ways
* Long distance jogging 6-20 km in a moderate speed on even roads or paths.
* Short distance jogging 3-6 km in a high speed.
* Jogging upwards in a steep terrain 3-4 km, in a speed adjusted to the steepness
* Jogging in a hilly terrain with paths going both up an down 4-8 km

It is advisable to vary the type of jogging from day to day. Then the jogging gets funnier and you get a variable type of training.

HOW TO PERFORM A JOGGING SESSION

You should move slowly with little efforts the first few hundred meters to warm up your muscles. Then you gradually increase your muscular work and speed. When you have done half the route, you can take a speedy spurt using most of your capacity. If the route is long enough, you can take two or three spurts using nearly full capacity. The last hundred meters you gradually slow down again.

STRETCHING YOUR BODY BEFORE AND AFTER EACH SESSION

It is advisable to stretch out both before and after each jogging session, and not only the muscles in your feet, but your whole body 2 minutes before and 3-4 minutes after the session. When stretching out do the following movements:
* Bend forward and touch your toes.
* Kneel down on one of your feet, and stretch the other out backwards.
* Bend your body to both sides.
* Stretch out an arm, grab something, and turn your body round so that your arm is bent backwards.
* Shoot your abdomen foreword, so that your spinal column is stretched into a bow.
* Place your hands behind your neck and stretch your arms backwards. Then twist your body to left and right, also bend to each side.

After the jogging it is sometimes best to wait for some minutes before you stretch out, so that the worst tiredness has gone away first.

WHEN AND HOW OFTEN

If jogging is the only sport activity done, a jogging session every second day is ideal. This is enough to give all the health benefits and increase your condition and endurance gradually, but without wearing yourself out. If you combine jogging by other types of sport activities, 2 times a week may be enough.
You should not be too hungry before jogging, but it is not advisable to take a jogging session straight after a big meal. The time of the day does not matter, but your jogging should not be the first thing you do in the morning.

HOW TO BEGIN

If you are not accustomed to physical activity before you start jogging, it is advisable to consult a doctor before you start. You may have health issues that is not compatible with jogging activities, or that you must consider when doing your jogging.

The first times, you should only jog on plain ground and only for 10 minutes. Then you can increase the time, distance and speed, and choose steeper and more difficult paths.

Jogging gives joy, gives good effects on the health and improves the physical condition. In the beginning your jogging program must consist of short sessions on a plain ground, and with a moderate speed. Gradually you can lengthen the route and add intervals with higher speeds to your sessions.

Knut Holt is an internet consultant and marketer focusing on health items. TO FIND anti-aging supplements, medicines against acne, eczema, rosacea, scars, wrinkles, other skin problems and natural medicines against heart disease, hypothyroidism, hemorrhoids, depression and other common health problems, PLEASE VISIT:----

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----Free to reprint with the author's name and link.

How to Melt the Fat

2007-04-24T04:15:00.000-07:00

There's More To Fitness Than How Much You Weigh

2006-10-15T04:05:00.000-07:00

One of the most important things to keep in mind if you feel that you weigh too much is that fitness is not directly related to your weight. Of course, your weight will have some effect on how fit you are, especially if you're exceptionally overweight. However, this is not nearly as significant as most people would guess.

In reality the only real way to tell how fit you are is to see how much exercise you can do. You will find that if you begin an exercise program and begin to increase your fitness significantly, your weight will come down.

If your goal is to not only lose weight, but to keep that weight off, and to keep it off in a natural way - not using some fad diet - then you should look at increasing your overall fitness level, and the level of exercise you get everyday. Diet and exercise go hand in hand, diet will not be truly effective without exercise.

When you start exercising you dont just burn fat, you also strengthen and tone your muscles. This will increase the rate at which you burn fat also. It can be disastrous to start out dieting without a corresponding increase in your exercise. This will often end up burning your muscles instead of your fat. So you will lose weight, but not fat, and in fact your body will naturally burn less fat as a result of having less muscle. This will make it harder for you to exercise and lose weight in the future.

In any case, if you've been exercising regularly, you'll be more fit than somebody who does not exercise at all, regardless weight considerations. For this reason, no matter what diet plan you're starting, you should make sure that you start exercising as well.

If you want to really improve your fitness, then you'll need to do more than just a little bit of exercise. Also, you'll need to do more than just one type of exercise. You'll need to do both cardiovascular exercise as well as some basic strength training.

For your cardiovascular exercise - which is basically any type of exercise that increases your heart rate by considerable amounts - you should work on being able to exercise for a longer period of time than you could before.
This will enable you to build up some stamina.

The strength training exercises are important also, they will not really increase your actual fitness but they will tone your body. They will also increase your strength making you feel and look fitter, this will give you a much needed confidence boost.

Of course you don't need to be lifting weights! A small amount of strength training that doesn't even need equipment can make all the difference in your strength and confidence.
You can do this exercise in the comfort of your own home.

Regardless of your weight, you can be at a suitable fitness level just by adding a suitable amount and type of exercise to your daily life.

Britannia Findlay is the Staff Writer of FOCAL Fitness
There are a lot of interesting articles and great resources at her site. For all the info you want, visit:
http://www.focalfitness.com

Your Guide To Exercise

2006-10-15T04:03:00.000-07:00

Any exercise, no matter how small, will help you, so keep at it!

You will get the most out of exercise when you enjoy doing it so you should pick an activity that you'll enjoy doing.
There will be time to wonder if its the most effective exercise you could be doing later.

The biggest mistake that most people make when they start an exercise routine is the choice of exercise. Most people start out excited, and they pick a really hard exercise routine to start out. They also tend to pick the type of exercise that is recommended to them, instead of one that they enjoy.

This will cause people to get sick of the routine within a matter of weeks and eventually stop exercising altogether because they just can't find the energy or motivation to stick with the overly hard program they chose.

This is something that you should make sure that you don't do. Any exercise is better than no exercise at all, so if all you feel up to doing is walking, then you should walk.
Study after study has shown that even people who do only twenty minutes of exercise as little as three times a week have better health than they would otherwise.

Obviously once you get settled into doing some exercise you'll want to begin to step up your routine. A good example is if you like cycling then go for a short cycle ride every second evening, after a while you will notice you can cycle for longer without getting tired - this is your fitness increasing. So when you reach this stage you might want to try cycling further or maybe cycling more frequently.

Perhaps you already get some exercise every day and you feel confident and happy with your ability to complete your designated exercise. You should consider stepping up your exercise program - exercise more and do it more often. For example if you go for a short walk three times a week then try to find the time to do the same walk four or five times a week.

If you find your exercise is getting boring or monotonous then you should look to change the exercise you're doing, add some variety by doing a different exercise instead. If you become bored you will begin to dislike your exercise routine and this must be avoided.

If you're looking for a good type of exercise, you should look for something that works your entire body. For this reason, it might be a good idea to invest in a small exercise machine, or in a membership to one of your local gyms. By exercising all of your body, you'll be able to increase your muscle tone everywhere - which will generally make you feel healthier.

The most important lesson is don't get discouraged. If you are in an off mood and can't bring yourself to exercise, then accept that this happens everyone - it's your body's way of saying it needs a day off! But the important thing is to not let that day off become a break, don't break your exercise routine for more than a few days or it will be very difficlut to get back into it.

Even if you end up not exercising for so long that you get out of your routine, that is no reason to give up. Just start exercising again - no matter how much or how little exercise you do, it will always benefit you. Whether you're looking to continue or change your current exercise routine, or you're just starting to exercise again, good luck!

Peter Hilsper is webmaster and editor at ROAR Exercise
which is crammed with the best in health information, links and articles. For more information, go to:
http://www.roarexercise.com/

Walking Meditation Is Meditation In Action

2006-10-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

by: Sarah Thomas

It isn’t always necessary to sit in silence with crossed legs in order to meditate or benefit from the meditation. Walking meditation is an excellent example of this. Walking meditation requires the use of focus much in the same way as other types of meditation. The difference is that the focus is placed upon the walking experience.

With walking meditation therefore, we are mindful of the experience of walking; the movement of our legs, the movement of our arms. We focus upon the rhythmic motions of walking. Walking meditation also differs from traditional meditation in that we are aware of and participating in our surroundings. Whereas with the usual types of meditation, one withdraws into silence and closes the eyes. Obviously we can’t do that with walking meditation because we need the eyes open to see where we are going and to watch for dangers and obstacles. So while we are focusing on the rhythm of our walking movement, we are also aware of the sights, sounds, and sensations around us.

It is actually easier for many people to focus and meditate in this environment, and therefore are more successful with walking meditation than with the more traditional sitting forms of meditation. It is easier to be aware of and focus upon your body while it is in motion; the experience can be powerful and a source of deep enjoyment.

A few different types of walking meditation have evolved; however walking outdoors is the most common. To give walking meditation a try, find an open space like a park or empty parking lot where you can walk safely for about 20 minutes without the worry of encountering traffic or crossing busy streets.

How to do walking meditation

Once you have selected the ideal location for your walking meditation, follow the guidelines below:

Begin by Standing

Begin to focus upon your body with the simple act of standing. Notice how your body feels and be aware of the constant little adjustments your body makes in order to maintain balance. Feel the weight of your body pressing through your feet and onto the earth.

Walk and Focus

Once you have placed your full awareness onto your body, begin the walk. Walk with your usual stride and pace, not too hurriedly. There is no need to try and change the way you walk, all you need to do is be aware of your body walking. Keep your focus upon your body and feel it moving. Be aware of your feet as one raises and then the other. Become aware of all the tiny little sensations in your body from the feeling of your feet inside of the shoes, to your knee as it bends to lift your leg. Stay relaxed, relax your eyes and just let the scenery flow past you. Your goal is to be relaxed and bring your focus onto your body.

Become Aware of Feelings

Once you are fully aware of your body, switch your focus onto the feelings or sensations that pass through your body; not necessarily emotional problems, but rather the overall tone of your feeling of the moment. Are you happy? Bored? In a hurry? Pass no judgment on the feeling and don’t analyze it. Your goal is to just become aware of it and then move your awareness on.

Balance the Inner and Outer

Alternate your awareness between the inner, your feelings, and the outer, your body. Play with the awareness, and focus upon them in equal balance. When you are able to do this, your mind reaches a state of stillness and clarity. Your mind becomes calm. Your goal is to balance your awareness of the inner with the outer.

End by Standing

After you have completed the above steps and brought your awareness into a balance of the inner and outer, bring your body to a natural stop and once again experience yourself standing. Bring your awareness to the feelings in your body as you stand in place. When you are ready, bring the walking meditation to a close.

Selecting the appropriate location for your walking meditation will be an important consideration as you can imagine. It is not necessary to find a place of solitude, but you do need to find a location where you will be safe if your full awareness is not upon the environment around you.

About The Author
Sarah Thomas is an established freelance writer. You can find more of her writings at http://www.meditationteam.com and http://www.anxietysos.com.

Start Getting Fit With Yoga Exercise

2006-10-15T03:53:00.000-07:00

by Christopher Smith

Yoga through meditation works great to achieve synchronization of the body and mind. It's actually a very common occurrence for people to be unable to perform tasks properly and satisfying because of their mental state of mind. Stress is the largest suspect for affecting parts of physical and emotional systems of all of us. Yoga however, can help cure this. In the physical sense, yoga has proven to be one of the most effective way to cure yourself of various disorders.

Listed here are some benefits of yoga that you can obtain:
1) Yoga is a perfect way to increase flexibility. Yoga has positions and postures that help flex and trigger joints of your body that you sparsely use. Including ones that are not included in your average exercise routine. 2) Yoga increases lubrication of joints and other important areas of the body including ligaments and tendons. There has been years of research behind the yoga concept to help improve this. It is also been found that people with rigid bodies can end up with extremely flexible bodies due to yoga. It can be quite remarkable how much flexibility one can gain from just yoga alone. 3) Yoga helps massage all organs of the body. Yoga is one of the only exercise routines that works through your internal organs thoroughly, as well as those that rarely get stimulated externally as well. 4) Yoga is an extremely wholesome activity on the various parts of the body. This massage and stimulation of the internal organs can turn benefits on us by helping reduce disease and disorder. Not to mention that yoga is a great way to improve your sense of awareness. This also helps improve health disorders and infections. 5) Yoga is completely different than any other exercise and helps detoxify the body unlike your average exercise program. It stretches and massages the various muscles and organs which ensures optimum supply of blood to all parts of the body. This helps release all the bad toxins from within your body and provides to be great nourishment for your body as a whole. This helps your body age better and retain your energy on a daily basis. 6) Yoga is a great way to stay in shape and tone all of your muscles. Yoga helps drop off flab and fat and put on pounds of muscle with just a simple program.

But, the fitness and physical improvement is just a side-dish to this powerful practice. Yoga harmonizes and synchronizes the body and mind. The mind alone has enabled many people to achieve unbelievable acts of physical feat which proves mind and body connect amazingly.

In fact, yoga is a form of meditation because both work in sync in achieving the goal of unity of the mind, spirit and body. This can lead to an eternal sense of serenity. That's the great feeling you get from yoga. Meditation through yoga helps to achieve an emotional balance through detachment. This helps to create an amazing calmness and sense of security with life. It will make your outlook on life improve by a large amount. This as well helps create amazing benefits for the physical health of your body.

About the Author
Now that you have a good understanding of the multiple benefits that Yoga can provide please visit the Start Yoga Now Resource section or read "staying fit with yoga exercise."

Burn 500 calories

2006-07-23T01:57:00.000-07:00

To lose weight it is necessary to burn more calories than we take in during a day. Basically there are two ways to do this:

1 Cut down on your calorie intake. In other words watch your diet.

2 Take exercise calculated to use up the calories.

To burn 500 calories take a walk for one hour at a steady, fast pace. The distance should be about six miles.

To exercise or not to exercise

2006-07-23T01:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, many of us exercise whilst going about our daily business. This however doesn't work on an overall fitness of the body. Whatever the physical aspects of your day it will still bring added benefits to undertake a varied exercise regime. We all need a well rounded program if we are to keep up muscle tone and flexibility in all areas.

Well what about the weather? Maybe it's too hot, too cold, too wet, too windy, too foggy. No it's not. Get the right clothing and exercise in the right place and/or right time and everything will be fine. It just takes a bit of planning.

Don't feel too good? Got aches and pains? May have a cold coming/going. Got a bad head. All excuses. Get going with your chosen exercise and your general all round feeling of wellness will improve.

Having said all that I would urge you to be careful and not push yourself too much if there really is something amiss.

Walking - the simplest exercise

2006-07-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Walking is a great way to exercise. You can do it on your own or with friends. On your own you are alone with your thoughts and that is very pleasant. With friends you can chat and pas a pleasant period of time. Either way the exercise is good.

As an exercise, walking is almost discounted by some. This is probably because we walk around every day. If, however, you put your mind to it and decide to walk for a set period of time it will be very beneficial. The walking we do in the course of our every day living is usually in fits and starts. It is done in short bursts - say from one shop to the next. What is needed though is a sustained period of time if it is going to produce the desired results.

Work up to a walk a day of not less that 20 minutes without stopping for any reason. This has been found to be the shortest time which produces any benefits. Of course, you can walk for longer than this. It is good to vary the length of your walks from day to day once you are used to the exercise.

So you are thinking of walking as a fitness exercise? Stop thinking - get out there - and do it.

Are You Walking Long Enough?

2006-07-08T02:24:00.000-07:00

By Bill Vlass

According to experts walking is the best kind of exercise that you can do! Unlike jogging, walking is easy on the knees and according to some experts even burns more fat.

How could it be? How could walking actually burn more fat than jogging? I personally don't claim to have the answer but I will say this - experts advise that if you walk a treadmill or walk outside that you actually have a minimum amount of time that you should walk to even begin burning fat. This "magic time" according to some researchers is around 20 minutes.

If you walk 10 minutes or 15 minutes don't get me wrong, you are still burning calories and building muscle in your legs but for the fat burning effect you should plan on walking at least 20 minutes a day 3 days per week.

A good routine to follow is 2-3 days of resistance training along with 3 days of aerobic activity. You could lift weights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and walk for twenty minutes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

If you find the idea of walking a treadmill unbearable then there are many other good activities - fun activities - that you can do that will help you to lose weight such as Raquetball, Basketball, Baseball, Football - basically any activity that gets you moving.

Always remember to follow the advice of your family physician before beginning any excercise program. There are many ways that people talk about when it comes to losing weight but in my opinion the best program is one that includes proper eating habits along with regular excercise.

Bill Vlass is not a doctor and does not even claim to be a weight loss expert. Bill at one point however lost 110lbs and he did it by using the methods he writes about in his articles.

You can visit Bill's website at http://www.instantehealthinfo.com

Bill always encourages anyone beginning any diet or excercise program to check with their local physician first.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Vlass

technorati tags:Exercise, fitness

Gauge your fitness level with three simple tests

2006-07-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

I've just found this very well set out article for you. It really does have all the essential components detailed. Do go and have a look.

There are three unique components of fitness: strength, flexibility and cardiovascular capacity, and it takes all three to be truly fit. Physical fitness isn't just about how much you can lift or how far you can run, and a person who excels in one area could be floundering in another and not even know it.

New Lifestyle

2006-07-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I did something monumental. I took an early morning walk. That's not so remarkable, except that I am almost never up early, let alone walking anywhere.

Great ideas in this article but please don't launch off into everything at once. Exercise is best done regularly for the long term not in short bursts that are so extreme you just can't face any more.

Go take a look at the full article:

News report

technorati tags:exercise, fitness, walk, walking

Welcome to Exercise for fitness

2006-07-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

I have found that simple exercise with a purpose is what people are looking for. If pounding the roads or pumping iron fills you with loathing then join me for regular sensible exercise.

My intention is to provide ideas for exercise that you can undertake regularly and happily come back for more.

Also, I shall be posting links to other sites and articles for your interest. So do join me regularly as I update this blog.