Archive for: May 2009

There are many different fitness items advertised on the television every day of the week.

Some of these are actually very good for helping gain and maintain a strong healthy body but there are others that can best be described as gimmicks.

If anything promises to give you the body of a bodybuilder or fitness model over night then it is something that you should steer clear of.

It is not possible to make drastic changes over night and promises to that effect are untrue.

You cannot lose vast amounts of weight in a few days or reduce your waist measurements dramatically overnight even if you were to starve for a few days.

This is all advertising hype to get you to part with your money.
Unfortunately this type of advertising can often make people skeptical about the benefits of other quality pieces of fitness equipment.

Progress should always be gradual whether it is for weight loss or weight and muscle gain.
Nothing good happens overnight and there is some effort required to get results.

People promoting gimmick products are trying to sell a dream.
You can’t expect rock hard abs in an instant if you have been over weight for the last twenty years.
You can however, expect to get good results from using quality fitness equipment on a regular basis that has been designed correctly to target specific areas of the body.

If you are constantly looking for a fast fix all you will get is a delayed start to a quality fitness program that could deliver the results you long for.

When you see the results that can be achieved with something as simple as a barbell and free weights you will understand that fitness is not about the equipment you have but the actions you take to improve your health.

It is a lot easier to maintain your fitness than to try to regain it once it is lost.
The same applies to your muscular size and strength.
If you don’t use your muscles they will become smaller and weaker and will require more effort building them back to their former condition than it would have taken to maintain them.

Fitness maintenance requires minimal effort once you have achieved a level that you are happy with.

If you are happy with the level that you have reached then there is no need to continue challenging yourself to reach higher goals.
Just by continuing on with fitness maintenance you will still be improving your overall health, as the more we exercise the better conditioned we get even if we are doing the same exercises with the same weights every week.

Naturally you will get more benefits if you strive to do better all the time, but sometimes it does a lot of good to have a break from trying to better yourself and just implement a program of maintenance for a while.

Generally people who do this find renewed enthusiasm after a while and either change or improve their training program.

Having a record of what you looked like, and what you were able to achieve when you started your fitness program, and where you managed to progress to, is often the best motivator to get back on a fitness program if you ever take a break.

Some people like to have a complete break for a short while before resuming whereas others like to continue with light training for a period of time.
Whatever works best for you is the action you should follow, keeping in mind that it is always easier to maintain fitness than to start again from a lower level.

It is our attitude that often determines our level of fitness.
It is our attitude that will determine whether we want to sit on the couch or get out to the gym for a workout.

The way we feel about our health and what we believe we have to give up in order to maintain it will be the deciding factor for our fitness.

If we believe that we have to miss out on some pleasures in life, such as watching the television or drinking with our friends then the price we have to pay for our fitness will seem too great.

Alternatively, if there are activities that we find can give us immediate satisfaction, and more satisfaction than long term good health, then often the choices we make will be determined by those activities rather than the ability to still be able to do those activities as we age.

It is not until it is too late that the wrong decisions, made because of our attitude towards health and fitness, determine the quality of life we are left with.

If only we could turn back the clock.

We need to look at our attitude towards health and ask ourselves the questions we would ask others if we were giving them advice.
Would you recommend someone starts smoking or drinking excessive alcohol if they were asking for advice on finding health for life?
Not likely – Yet we make decisions like this every day that we will pay for dearly in the future.

Change your attitude and you can change your health, and in doing so you can expect to live life to the best of your ability.

Exercise builds energy and energy is the source of all life. We have the opportunity to take this energy that is available, and all it takes to get our share is a positive attitude and action.

The question is often asked whether multivitamins should be taken each day.
There are people who believe that we will get all the nutrition we require from the foods that we eat but this is no longer the case.
Many of the foods we eat are processed and have all sorts of additives that can be detrimental to our health.

Even fresh foods don’t have the same minerals that they once had.
In some growing areas most of the minerals that were once in the soil have long since been depleted and the food that is grown in that soil doesn’t have the same values as we have come to expect.

Additional stresses are placed on our health with pollution, work stress and so on, all making demands on our body and the nutrients that we need.

Even fitness training, while good for our health, places additional demands on the body and this is best addressed with supplementation.

A good multivitamin taken once or twice a day can help to balance out any deficiencies that we might have.
This will help us to train better and to stay fitter and healthier and not become as susceptible to illness.

Most of the best multivitamin supplements include a balanced proportion of vitamins and nutrients that meet the recommended daily dosage for an average person.
If you are doing intensive fitness training then your requirements might be higher than normal and that might necessitate additional supplementation.

Once of the most effective methods of testing your needs for vitamins and minerals is through hair sample testing.
Hair sample tests can give you an accurate graph of your levels of vitamins and minerals and based on this information you can supplement your diet to bring back a balance in your nutrition.

Sometimes deficits in these areas can take months to address and without accurate testing the process will take longer.
Everything from smoking to alcohol will deplete the body of essential vitamins and minerals.
Supplements will help to counter these effects.

Fitness apparel is far more than a fashion statement even if many people don’t realize.
Good fitness apparel is designed specifically for the various sports or fitness training requirements to assist, protect and support the individual.

It might be designed to let the body breathe as in running vests or protect you from the weather.

It might be designed for support, with things like knee wraps aiding in heavy weight lifting exercises such as squats.

It might be designed to eliminate chafing as in cycling shorts or allow freedom of movement with yoga and Pilates gear.

It is important that you get the correct fitness apparel for the type of fitness training that you have chosen to pursue.
This will help you to perform better and will also reduce the chance of strains and injuries.

You should always choose apparel that is appropriate for the climate you will be exercising in, as an incorrect choice will hinder your performance.

The correct sizing and fit is also essential and you will often find that the better quality products are a lot more comfortable and perform better than the low cost items.

While you will need tighter fitting apparel for a sport such as cycling where wind resistance is an important factor, if your chosen fitness program is yoga you will be looking to buy loose fitting clothing that allows for ease of movement while performing your routines.

Once again the online sports stores often offer the best prices due to their reduced overheads and high sales volumes.
You do need to be careful when buying apparel online that you know your correct sizing although you can return goods that aren’t suitable at most online stores.

The fashion element, while important to make you feel good, should be secondary to getting the correct fit, support and comfort that will ensure you perform better when training or competing.