"Keep it Going"

smartpassiveincome.com

It could happen to the best of us. The holidays arrive, the parties begin. And before you know it, your priorities start to shift. Suddenly, it seems so much more important to meet up with your girlfriends for an indulgent lunch than to haul your butt to the gym. Or better yet, it’s bang in the middle of the year with no reasons for celebrations whatsoever. You have been through a plethora of different kinds of exercises since the year began. Yet, after just two weeks of that hip-hop aerobics class, you literally find yourself making any excuse not to make it (my desk needs to be re-arranged??!).


News Flash! Working out only works when you make it a permanent part of your life. Don’t freak out. I am not saying you need to live in your gym clothes and exercise eight hours a day. What I am saying if you are looking to stop being a workout quitter (start,stop,start,stop – you get the picture), you need to find a way to make exercise a part of your normal life.



Cut out the pity fest - First things first, you need to stop playing the victim. “I’m already so fat, so what’s the point?” “I’ll never be skinny like those salad-eating waifs, so let me just drown my anger in a bowl of ice-cream instead! If you want things to change, you can’t keep waiting around for some miracle. It’s up to you to make it happen. So get your hand out of that bag of chips, get off the sofa, and do something about it.



Wake up to reality - Figure out what will really work for you. Which means take a look at your life, your job, your schedule, and think about what kind of work out would truly suit your current life. That way, you can find a way to incorporate your workout times into your life, rather than trying to change your entire life around to make some 6pm class on the other end of town!



Enjoy what you do – Personally, i think this is the golden ticket girls and boys. Discover what you love. Trust me, it’s out there. Something that makes your blood pump, your heart race, and always puts a big, fat smile on your face.



Make it stick – Once you have found that special something (think running, swimming, yoga, cycling, kickboxing, dancing, basketball, soccer, the list is endless!) hold onto it with your life. Realize that this is something that adds to the quality of your life. And stay with it. The rest is easy... :)

"The Power of Three"

blog.kir.com

Find your perfect blend of diet, exercise, and lifestyle!

Managing your weight in a healthy way is more complicated than it looks. It comprises of a balanced mix of three elements: diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices. And while some people like to pick just one of these elements and focus on it to get healthy, that never really works. Just focusing on diet without doing any exercise or resting may well give you results when it comes to weight loss, but this is rarely sustainable. More often than not, the minute the diet is over, the weight comes back.


Then there are those who like to concentrate on just intense working out. While that may result in burning calories and building some muscle, it’s really a waste of time if those gymaholics are chomping down cheeseburgers and pizzas right after their workouts. Even those who try to live a clean lifestyle cutting out the alcohol and late nights are not really gaining any health benefits if they are leading a sedentary lifestyle with no restrictions on diet at all.

When it comes to getting it right it is vitally important to remember that it’s the whole package that matters. That means you need to think about all three aspects of your life when you want to get the best results. For instance eating right is not simply about going on a binge diet every few months during which time you starve yourself in order to fit into that killer dress. Instead, one needs to evaluate the way we make our food choices on a daily basis. Homemade meals versus those meals eaten out, the kind of preparation we use to cook our foods (frying, steaming, raw), and even the mix of grains, meats, fruits, vegetables, and sugars we consume. Looking at food through this multi-angled lens then allows you to be more aware of what and how you are eating.

In the same way, as long as exercise is a “chore” or something you dread, it will never be a permanent part of your life. For that to happen, you need to figure out some physical activity that you truly enjoy doing. Dancing, swimming, running, yoga, soccer, weights, pilates, kickboxing, squash, the list of choices is limitless. Just find what you love, and do it. The calorie burning, muscle power, and strengthening will all follow naturally.

Finally, the pyramid of three gets perfected once you are able to balance your lifestyle choices to complement the exercise and diet you like.

"The Truth about Exercise: Fact versus Fiction"

fitsugar.com

Exercise right - Know your facts!

Running on the treadmill is safer on the knees than road running: the truth is any form of running is going to have an impact on your knees. Experts say the best way to avoid chronic pain and keep your running injury-free is to combine it with other activities. So if you are running on the treadmill thrice a week, use the alternate days to work on the elliptical or the cycling machines, which tend to have a lower impact on the knee joints. Bottom line: watch yourself. If you find you are beginning to have a chronic pain which isn’t going away, switch to another activity.


Working out on an empty stomach will help you lose more weight: the theory that less is more in this case just doesn’t work. In order to have a good workout in which you burn enough calories, you need to have some food in your stomach to fuel the workout. Understandably, this is not for everyone and there are those who like to exercise on an empty stomach, however the idea that weight loss will be faster doing this is simply not the case. Usually, you end up feeling ravenous post work out in this case, and eat enough to make up for being on an empty stomach pre-workout. My advice? Try and get a little something to eat before you hit the gym: a granola bar, an apple or banana, even a protein shake all do great to give you a strong workout.


No sweat means nothing happened: Sweating is a sign that your body needs to cool down. It’s a way the body naturally controls its temperature. This does not mean that without sweating buckets its impossible to lose weight. In fact, some activities like walking or yoga may burn several calories without you even breaking a sweat.


Yoga can relieve all back problems: While it is true that a regular practice of yoga can strengthen the spine as well as increase flexibility, its not always advisable as a solution to all back problems In fact, in some circumstances, practicing deep backbends can lead to further pain for someone who is suffering from backaches. The best thing to do is to identify the kind of back problem one has and then ask your doctor if practicing yoga (or even modified yoga) will help to alleviate the discomfort.


Doing crunches will make you lose your belly fat: I am sorry to break your bubble boys and girls but doing just crunches alone are not enough to rid you of that unwanted flab on your tummy. Although crunches will strengthen the muscles of your abdomen, for these to show (ie to get a flat stomach) you need to combine crunches with other forms of cardiovascular and weight-training activities. This encourages weight loss for the entire body, including the core area, which in turn will look trimmer through the muscle toning achieved through crunches.

"Running Tips from the Insider"

scrapetv.com

Want to make the most of your morning run? Here are some easy ways to add a spring to your step and keep you smiling mile after mile after mile!


Move that body - Create a fun, energized playlist on your ipod. Work it out so each track builds a tempo, slowly building up to a peak, helping you to push that much harder when your bodys beginning to ache. (some awesome tracks include “I gotta feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas and “Dhan ta nan” from the film Kaminey!)* find my current playlist below

Light and easy - Always wear comfortable, fuss-free running gear! Reebok, Nike and Adidas all make dri-fit clothing which allows the body to breathe while absorbing sweat fast!

Drink up! Make sure you take breaks to drink a couple of sips of water every few kilometers, this keeps you hydrated and allows you to run further.

Heel to toe - Make sure those feet are properly cushioned and protected from painful blisters by wearing the right shoes – there is no room for substitutes here people, if you are going to start running outdoors or even on your treadmill, make sure you are wearing a pair of comfortable, well made running shoes (and yes, they are different from basketball, track, football, and aerobic shoes).

Run Safe – Always keep an eye (and an ear if you are using your ipod) out for the traffic around you when you are running on the road. In fact, the smartest thing to run is to find a route where you are running against the traffic so that you can see the cars/crazy bus drivers/Micheal Schumacher wannabe heading in your direction, and carefully jog out of the way. Also, and this is more for the ladies, try and avoid running in the dark or in any lonely areas where the chance of unfun encounters of the slimball type are kept to the minimum – remember run safe, and you run smart!

Running Tracks that keep me Going (and going and going and going…!)

Harder, Better, faster, stronger – Kayne West
Ruby – Kaiser chiefs
Fire Burning the Dancefloor – Sean Kingston
Let it Ride - Kevin Rudolf feat Lil Wayne
Shine On – RIO
I know you Want me – Pitbull
Smooth Criminal – Micheal Jackson
Dhan Ta Nan – Kaminey
American Boy – Estelle
Love is Gone – David Guetta

"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"

 

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Fact: Running outdoors can burn up to 40% more calories than running on the treadmill in the gym.

It’s the ultimate in its “feed-good” factor. It challenges you each time to do it. It works the ENTIRE body. And, oh yes, it guarantees you look…F-I-T.

Getting started – at the onset, you may find yourself getting breathless very easily making it difficult for you to jog continuously. In this case, I would suggest jogging at an even pace for one minute, and then walking at a brisk pace for four minutes. As your endurance increases, you can increase the amount of time spent running vs walking.

Going outside – Road running can be hard on the body. Because of the fact that you are dealing with a constantly changing incline in the road, with shifting wind patterns, not to mention the outdoor weather (verrrry different from your 21 degree air-conditioned gym temps!), you need to run smarter. First off, start by running on a softer surface like mud or a running track in a park. This is kinder on the knees while getting you used to the external environment. Then, gradually begin to run on asphalt, keeping it slow and steady so as not to injure yourself or overdo it too soon!

Finding your path – Its always a good idea to spend some time thinking about the details of your running route: how long its going to take, which part is going to be tough, the bit that’s a little easier, and where you’ll need to push yourself. If you prepare yourself for the run mentally, it will give you that much more ability to put it your 100% effort.

Mixing it up – Change the speed, distance covered, and terrain of your run by spending some days working on distance, others covering flyovers (increased incline), and some just running fast on shorter distances. Avoid doing the same route more than twice a week if possible – it will keep you from getting mentally fatigued and will also boost your body’s fitness by forcing it to adapt.

So get out there and do something which really gets the body going, believe me, it will leave you feeling fitter, and better than ever before!!