Before starting to work out make sure you get a full physical from your doctor and a letter stating it is ok for you to do physical activity. Many gym and aerobic centers will require this before letting you start.
Depending on how long it has been since you last did regular exercise it is recommended that you start off slow and gradually build up your workout to harder levels.
It is generally recommended to start off at the gym with just the treadmill and the lifecycle for the first week or 2. This is to wake the muscles up and to slowly get you prepared for a harder workout.
You will generally want to find a speed on the treadmill that is a pace you can keep up with little discomfort and do it for 20 minutes. After this take a 5 minute break, stretch a little and have a drink of water, then go back and increase the speed just a bit then do another 20.
Remember that pushing yourself too far is taking a gamble that you may not be able to live with. In a casino you can put everything you have on the roulette table and maybe you win and maybe you lose, but in the gym if you push too hard you can die, so take things slowly.
Many people make the mistake of getting back into an exercise program and going all gung ho an trying to get back in shape in just one hour, well let me tell you this will not work. The only thing this will do is make you very sore the next day and you will not be able to workout that day, and it will make you lose interest fast in the gym. Discomfort in ok pain is not.
Depending on how long it has been since you last worked out, I recommend working out 4 or 5 days a week. This may seem like a lot but if you were trying to win a poker tournament you would go to a casino or an online casino and poker room to practice almost every day right? So you will have to do the same with the gym.
Working out 5 days a week does not necessarily mean you have to go to the gym every day. I recommend the gym 3 times a week and the other day or 2 you can just go for a long fast paced walk around your neighborhood. Try to vary the things you do so that you do not work out the same parts of your body 2 days in a row.
Most professionals will tell you that if you work out your arms and chest on a Monday do not exercise those muscles again for at least 48 hours. This is to give the muscles time to heal and grow. It is this straining and resting of the muscle that makes it grow not just the working it out. If all you did every day was work the same muscle group in a few days the muscle would be more likely to tear in a painful experience and the only thing you will be able to do for several months will be playing in an online casino from your laptop in bed.
Filed under Exercise by on Nov 3rd, 2009. 
Everyone has heard about the physical benefits of exercise: weight loss, improved stamina, increased lifespan, and much more. But did you know that it can have as much benefit to your mental health as well? Not only does exercise make your body work better, it makes you feel better too. These are just a few ways exercise can help you live a happier life.
Boosts your energy. A sedentary lifestyle can make you feel fatigued. When you work your muscles with regular exercise, you feel more energized and ready to face the day. Exercising also helps you have a more restful sleep and fall asleep faster. This will leave you feeling rested when you wake up in the morning. Regularly working your muscles also makes them less likely to fatigue with normal activity.
Helps relieve stress. Many people know the endorphins from exercise make you feel better and have a better outlook on life, but exercise can also provide a time for reflection; further easing a stressful life. Many of us don’t have time alone without thoughts to contemplate our problems. Some types of exercise, such as running, can provide time to think about the day and sort out problems.
Improves self esteem. After a workout, most people feel that they’ve accomplished something. This makes you feel that you’re worth something and improves how you feel about yourself. In return, feeling like you can accomplish things makes you more likely to work out again, this is one great cycle to get into.
Increased social interaction. Being social and having friends is an important part of leading a happy life. Exercise can be used to stay in touch with old friends by scheduling regular walks or runs. It can be also used to meet new friends at the gym or through sports. These kinds of activities can make you feel accepted and loved; making you feel much better.
If you’re wondering if the effects of exercise will change the way you feel, consider this: many doctors and therapists recommend exercise as part of their treatment for anxiety or depression. If exercise is powerful enough to combat depression, think what it can do to improve your life.
Filed under Exercise by on Sep 5th, 2009.
Sure, exercise is important for losing weight. In fact, weight loss without increased activity is impossible for many people. But the kind of exercise you do can make your weight loss even more significant. While cardio workouts are great for getting the heart pumping and the calories burning, you need to build muscle mass if you want those calories to keep flying off while you’re sitting around doing nothing. That’s why it’s important to do exercises that tone your body while you exercise.
Adding a pound of muscle mass will cause you to burn up to 50 extra calories per day, even when you’re just sitting down. Imagine how much faster you could lose weight if you replaced 10 lbs of fat with muscle? Plus, on a normal diet, you lose muscle mass along with the fat. This slows your metabolism and causes you to gain weight when you eat normally again. If you add muscle mass instead, you keep burning more calories and are more likely to keep the weight off.
Exercises like running, biking, and swimming can burn hundreds of calories per hour, but have much less benefit after the exercising is done. While they can increase muscle mass, the increase is not nearly significant as lifting weights. Weight lifting burns fat while you work out, and continues to burn after you stop. And the more weight you can lift, the more calories you’ll burn each time. This means the stronger you get; the faster you’ll burn through your fat reserves.
With many exercise programs, doing too much too quickly can be dangerous. This is especially true with weight training. Using too much weight can not only stress your muscles, it can also cause permanent damage to tendons and ligaments. Not to mention the dangers of being crushed or trapped by extreme weight. When using weight training, always start slow and build your way up. And remember to use a spotter when lifting significant amounts of weight.
Remember that weight training should not replace a cardio workout. For best results you should alternate between aerobic exercise and weight training. This gives you the benefits of both to power maximum weight loss.
Filed under Exercise, Strength Training by on Jan 21st, 2008. 3 Comments.
If only there were more hours in a day! Life is busy and often times exercise seems to take a back seat to everything else we have going on in our lives. With all the benefits of regular exercise we all should really make time to fit in some physical activity into our daily routine…. Your body and mind will thank you for it.
Here are some tips for helping fit some physical activity into your schedule.
Bring a sandwich to work. Instead of spending your time and money buying food at work, pack a lunch and take it with you on a walk or run. This way you can get some exercise in and eat when you get tired. If you usually eat with coworkers, encourage them to pack a lunch and tag along.
Work out instead of vegging out. If you’re like me, there are one or two television programs you just can’t miss. Just because you’re watching TV doesn’t mean you have to sit on your couch. You can use this time to do stretches, sit ups, or even lift weights. If you’re really ambitious, you can try aerobics or jogging in place.
Cut back on coffee breaks. Tomorrow, use clock or stop watch and add up how much time you spend on coffee breaks. If you cut back on coffee, you could use the extra time to walk around the office or climb the steps of your building. Plus, the endorphins from exercise are considered more energizing than most stimulants.
Use exercise as a social event. If you spend a lot of time during your week chatting with one of your friends, encourage them to become your workout buddy. Instead of sitting at a diner or a coffee shop to chat, socialize by jogging or going to the gym.
Do some housework. No, your husband/wife did not pay me to put this in here. Cleaning the kitchen, mowing the lawn, tending to the garden, and even dusting are all great ways to get a work out. Housework lets you stretch, works your muscles, and gets your heart pumping; all essential for staying in shape.
The most important part of any exercise plan is sticking with it. Make a plan keep it. If you build up slowly, you’ll eventually have a great exercise plan that fits into your busy life.
Filed under Exercise, Health Talk by on Dec 6th, 2007. 1 Comment.
You’ve probably heard a lot of hype lately from fitness gurus about strengthening your core. Before you dismiss these exercise regimens as simply the latest fad, you should find out exactly what your “core” is and how important it is to overall fitness.
The “core” of your body is a set of 29 muscles that surround your torso; specifically your abs, glutes, and back muscles. These muscles are very important because they surround your center of gravity. Having a toned core improves posture, balance, and stability. If you still doubt the importance of these muscle groups, put your hand on someone’s abdominal or back muscles while they move (always get permission first). You should be able to feel these muscles working no matter what part of the body is moving.
Since it’s a bit tedious to do 29 separate exercises, it’s best to do moves that work at least one group of core muscles at the same time. The best exercises for strengthening these muscles groups are the crunch, the bridge, the plank, and the quadruped. These exercises should be done slowly, focusing on doing them right. Remember that an exercise done right once is more helpful than doing it wrong twice.
For those of us that don’t have a lot of time on our hands, there are ways to work your core while you exercise the rest of your body. The best way to do this is by using an exercise ball. Doing exercise on a ball requires a lot of effort to stay balanced. Since the core is pivotal for staying balanced, you’ll work these muscles while you’re doing exercises for other parts of the body. These balls can be purchased at most stores that sell fitness equipment.
While you’re purchasing a ball, you should pick up an instructional tape or even sign up for a class to get you started. The most important part of doing these exercises is doing them correctly. You should focus on the form of the movements and proper posture. This will give you the most benefit from your workout.
Hopefully this information is enough to get you started. While it’s important to exercise all your muscles, paying extra attention to your core will allow you to work perform better with your whole body.
Filed under Exercise, Health Talk, Strength Training by on May 26th, 2007.