Walk Towards Fitness

Fitness is a concern for many of us, especially those who live rather sedentary lives. Set up a walking routine, as one of the simplest things to do to get the needed exercise. You will find that walking benefits you as soon as you have taken the first few steps.

Walking is the one exercise that does not demand that you need to join a gym, or buy some costly exercise equipment. Of course, there are certain treadmills that can have you exercising in the privacy of your home. But they will require a fair amount of money and the space that you need to install this equipment. You will, however, need the right shoes and will be more comfortable if you wear loose and comfortable clothes when you go out walking.

Now that you are properly outfitted, start with deciding the time you will devote to your walk. Start with a time allotted of not more than half an hour, as this is something that you should be able to spare, from your otherwise busy schedule. Note the time, open the front door, and start walking. Decide on a place in your neighborhood that you can walk to. A park or open ground is the best if you are lucky enough to have this close to your home. Start your walk at a leisurely pace, till your body is warm enough. After this you can speed up and walk faster, but make sure that you never overexert yourself, especially for the first few days after you have started this routine.

Walk with as erect a posture as possible, and swing your arms as you walk, as this will give your entire body the exercise that it needs. Make the walking a part of your regular routine, and once this becomes a habit, you will be surprised as to how easily your body adjusts, and even demands that you go for a walk. 

Fitness of the Mind is Equally Important

You have the ability to create your own mindset. Whether your attitude is positive or negative, is up to you. The ability to change your environment, the circle of friends, and attitude, is within your control.

Just like a computer absorbs raw data, so does your mind. Within your mind, a culture, within itself, has grown. Many people feel like they have no control of their own mind because this culture has become negative. The negativity is a result of past experiences, being in a negative environment, or being under the influence of unconstructive ideas.

Similar to a computer virus, you have to identify it quickly, to avoid letting it spread within your mind. You can also pass this virus of negative thinking to people around you. As a result, you are spreading negative energy around, like “weeds in a field.”

Much like a farmer, you cultivate too. The energy in your mind is the crop, and it is up to you, whether it is weeds or wheat. If you have a farm and let a field take care of itself; you will be lucky to have any kind of a crop, from it. 

Meditation

This is the same with the energy within your mind.

You have to option to pick quality seeds: Information, in the form of books, eBooks, DVD’s, CD’s, lectures, courses, workshops, and seminars. This is learning, for the sake of self-improvement, and it results in a positive mindset.

However, your work is not finished, because you must still reinforce the lessons, and keep everything in a focused order. This might be compared to fertilizing, watering, and “weeding the mind.” You have to work at it continually or the weeds will grow back. This, my friend, is meditation, and one of the reasons why we meditate, in the first place.

Meditation is controlled focus on an object, thought, or task without judgment. 
This process makes it possible to look at all situations objectively. You can find solutions, turn negative situations into positive learning experiences, and create your own positive mindset. As a result of this, you will make new friends, reach goals, handle problems easily, and develop an indomitable spirit.

Remember the last time you made an accomplishment. That feeling and that ability are within all of us. It is a formula for success, but you have to take action. An action is something that the vast majority of people will never take. 

Learn to separate yourself from “the pack,” through education, meditation, and action.

Components of Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is the ability to function effectively throughout your workday, perform your usual other activities and still have enough energy left over to handle any extra stresses or emergencies which may arise. You will reach your desired level of physical fitness faster by understanding the five components of physical fitness and how they fit together. 

 The components of physical fitness are:  

* Cardiorespiratory (CR) endurance - the efficiency with which the body delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for muscular activity and transports waste products from the cells.

 * Muscular strength - the greatest amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort

 * Muscular endurance - the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated movements with a sub-maximal force for extended periods of times.

* Flexibility - the ability to move the joints or any group of joints through an entire, normal range of motion. 

* Body composition - the percentage of body fat a person has in comparison to his or her total body mass. Improving the first three components of fitness listed above will have a positive impact on body composition and will result in less fat. 

Excessive body fat detracts from the other fitness components, reduces performance, detracts from appearance, and negatively affects your health. Factors such as speed, agility, muscle power, eye-hand coordination, and eye-foot coordination are classified as components of "motor" fitness. 

These factors most affect your athletic ability. Appropriate training can improve these factors within the limits of your potential. A sensible weight loss and fitness program seeks to improve or maintain all the components of physical and motor fitness through sound, progressive, mission specific physical training. Principles of Exercise Adherence to certain basic exercise principles is important for developing an effective program.

The same principles of exercise apply to everyone at all levels of physical training, from the Olympic-caliber athlete to the weekend jogger. These basic principles of exercise must be followed. Regularity To achieve a training effect, you must exercise often. 

You should exercise each of the first four fitness components at least three times a week. Infrequent exercise can do more harm than good. 

Regularity is also important in resting, sleeping, and following a sensible diet. 

Progression The intensity (how hard) and/or duration (how long) of exercise must gradually increase to improve the level of fitness. 

Balance To be effective, a program should include activities that address all the fitness components, since overemphasizing any one of them may hurt the others. 

Variety Providing a variety of activities reduces boredom and increases motivation and progress. 

Specificity Training must be geared toward specific goals. For example, people become better runners if their training emphasizes running. Although swimming is great exercise, it does not improve a 2-mile-run time as much as a running program does. 

Recovery A hard day of training for a given component of fitness should be followed by an easier training day or rest day for that component and/or muscle group(s) to help permit recovery. Another way to allow recovery is to alternate the muscle groups exercised every other day, especially when training for strength and/or muscle endurance. 

Overload The work load of each exercise session must exceed the normal demands placed on the body in order to bring about a training effect.

A Guide to Losing Weight

Weight loss is one of those subjects that everyone is always talking about. It seems you can’t go anywhere without seeing or hearing some type of weight loss message. Stories of the dangers of not losing weight appear regularly on the nightly news. Retail outlets and the Internet both are full of weight loss books and products. Weight loss is discussed in medical centers and at schools and even in the work place. If you’re trying to lose weight, here are a few tips to get you going. 

Tip #1 – Stop Talking About Weight Loss!

All that talk about how much you want to lose weight isn’t going to make the weight come off. You’ve got to take action, starting right now. So take this simple advice: Stop moving your mouth and start moving your body! It won’t take long to begin seeing the results.

Tip #2 – Slow and Steady is Best

Slow and steady weight loss is better (and safer) than riding the dieting roller coaster. If you’re looking for long-lasting weight loss results, aim to lose an average of about two pounds each week. In order to lose weight you’ve got to consume fewer calories than you burn. As a bonus, when you combine dieting with exercise, you’ll be reducing your caloric intake and increasing your caloric burn rate at the same time. 

Tip #3 – Save Your Money

Don’t spend your hard-earned money on the latest weight loss gimmicks. Pills, fad diets, hypnosis, and extreme surgical procedures are not the answer! These gimmicks won’t slim you down, but they will fatten the bank accounts of those who promote them! Eating a nutritionally-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, good fats and lean proteins will encourage weight loss faster than any miracle cure you can buy.

Tip #4 – Weight Loss is a Way of Life

Unfortunately, the issue of weight is something that most people will struggle with throughout life. Excess processed foods and a sedentary lifestyle are the two biggest contributors to this constant struggle. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you’ve got to change the way you think about food. It should be thought of as a source of fuel, not a passion. Successful weight loss really is about making lifestyle changes, including making the right food choices, and then sticking with those choices throughout life. 

Tip #5 – Weight Loss is More Than a Number

When you’re dieting, don’t become a victim of the dreaded scale. When the numbers go down, happiness goes up. But when the numbers stay the same or go up, it is easy to give up and give in. Remember that even if your weight isn’t changing as you would like, your body is. You’ll be taking better care of your heart. You’ll be lowering your cholesterol levels. You’ll be sporting a leaner body and your clothes will begin fitting more comfortably. When you learn to find joy in these other benefits, you’ll want to keep on being a loser!

Dead Lifts Can Help Fitness

Individuals who want to improve their strength, posture, and overall health usually include dead lift exercises in their fitness program. This exercise is an integral component of a strength development program that virtually works every muscle in the body and emphasizes hips, thighs, buttocks, lower back, the shoulders, and the forearms. These body parts are the postural chain of the body and are essential for maintaining proper posture. The dead lift is taught by fitness experts to people who want to increase their level of strength and muscle mass.

The dead lift is one of the best exercises for improving one’s physique, especially if that fitness goal wants to be attained in just a short period of time. The best thing about this exercise is that it does not require any fancy gadgets and equipment. All one needs is a barbell and a flat surface. The barbell can be loaded with as much weight as one can handle and pick it off the ground while keeping the back straight. The dead lift also has possible rehabilitation benefits. Research has shown that the moderate to high hamstring activity performed as part of a dead lift routine may help strengthen the Anterior Cruciate Ligament during rehabilitation. The movement of this exercise translates well into real life because it can be likened to bending and lifting.