February, 2019 | Life Health Fitness

Replace Gym Machines with These Home Workouts

Gym machines continue to improve and incorporate new technology to isolate muscle groups and give you a good, safe workout. But gym memberships also continue to get more expensive and making trips to the gym is time-consuming. Life happen and maybe you cannot make it to the gym for one reason or another. When you work schedule, you change job or you have a sick love one you have to tend to going to the gym is not an option.

It takes about 2-3 weeks of inactivity for you start seeing small declines in your strength and endurance. Therefore, its import for you to keep strength training by all means necessary.

How do you do this at home. You can make good use of your time and resources and get a good workout at home with little or no equipment. Following are six gym machines and alternate home exercises.

You can use water bottle filed with water, sand or stone as a substitute for dumbbells. In addition you can fill a backpack with books as a substitute for barbells. All you have to do is slide a strong broom stick through the handles. Lastly, resistance bands can be just as effective as weights.

1. Seated Crunch Machine

This machine is great for isolating your ab muscles and giving them a good workout, but there are plenty of alternatives that don’t involve machinery. Start with simple crunches to get your abs used to the different moves. Once you can do twenty or so reps, add in leg lifts and bicycles for a great ab workout.

2. Adductor/Abductor Machine

This little torture device attempts to isolate the muscles on the interior and exterior of your thighs. The problem is, the leg muscles are made to work in tandem and isolating them can easily lead to injury. Instead, to deep side lunges or speed skates. To add extra resistance one you are accustomed to these moves, add barbells to the lunges and do jumping speed skates.

3. Seated Cable Row

This machine works several muscle groups, but you can easily replicate the workout at home. Do squats and deadlifts with barbells to work the thighs and back muscles, and then finish up with bent-over barbell rows to work the arms.

4. Leg Extension Machine

The leg extension machine is a great one to work those quads, but it doesn’t do anything you can’t do on your own. Alternate sets of squats and lunges with heavy weights or resistance bands to give those quads a workout at home.

5. Lat Pulldown Machine

This one should be obvious, but just install a pull-up bar in your home. There are several inexpensive ways to do this using a doorway or the ceiling in your garage. If you have an unfinished basement, attach a wood closet rod between studs. Alternate between pull-ups and chin-ups and remember not to swing your legs.

6. Back Extension Machine

Giving your back a good workout at home is easy, but take care to use proper form. Stiff-leg deadlifts with dumbbells will give you a good workout. To further stretch and exercise the lower back, add in some superman or bird dog reps. These are good to do after your ab workout as well.

Getting a good workout at home without buying a lot of expensive equipment is easy with a few alternatives and some dumbbells. Spend the time you would usually take to drive back and forth to the gym to throw in some cardio for a complete workout.

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Reap the benefits of Burpees today

Jump into it with Burpees!

If you’re looking for the ultimate fitness challenge, add burpees to your training routine! Ever heard of them? Also known as squat thrusts, burpees were named after a physiologist and fitness guru in the 1940s named Royal Huddleston Burpee. Mr. Burpee came up with this challenging exercise to measure a person’s fitness level in a way that didn’t require equipment. The exercise caught on and are still popular today. In fact, the military used burpees as a screening test for new enlistees during World War 2. The enlistees had to be capable of doing a certain number of burpees to join the military. So, burpees have a bit of history behind them and are still making people sweat today!

As popular as they are, burpees are an exercise people love to hate. That’s because they’re tough! But, if you can whip out a few burpees in quick succession, you can congratulate yourself on being in ship shape.

Burpee Exercise Benefits: Why You Should Include This Kick Butt Exercise in Your Routine

Burpees are a multi-benefit exercise. If you do a set of squat thrusts at a rapid tempo, you tap into glycolytic energy pathways that improve your anaerobic fitness as well as your aerobic capacity. It takes balance and agility to do burpees. So, it is a whole-body exercise that conditions your entire body in a way that can boost your performance in a variety of sports that require agility, coordination, and power. Plus, you don’t need equipment to do it.

What Muscles Do Burpees Work?

Burpees not only elevate your heart rate and get the sweat flowing, but they’re also a dynamic exercise that works most of the muscles in your lower body and your core. When you descend into a squat, you target your quadriceps and, to a lesser degree, your hamstrings. Plus, you also brace your core muscles for stability. If you modify a burpee by adding a push-up, your upper body, particularly your triceps get in on the action.

How to Do a Burpee Exercise

•Stand erect with your feet a few inches apart and your arms at your sides.

•Lower your body into a squat.

•Place your hands in front of you on the floor and shift your weight onto your hands.

•At the same time, jump your feet behind you while holding your body straight. Your weight should be on the balls of your feet and your hands, similar to a plank position.

•Quickly, jump your feet forward so they land right outside of your hands.

•As you launch your feet forward, jump into the air as you raise your arms overhead.

•Lower your body into a squat and repeat.

A more intense modification is to add a pushup after you land in the plank position. Since this is a more advanced move, don’t try it until after you can do at least 10 conventional burpees with good form.

How to Modify Burpees

You can tweak a basic burpee to make it easier or harder. If you’re just starting out and don’t have the stamina to do standard burpees, skip the jump until you’ve built up more endurance. You can even do burpees by placing your hands on an elevated bench rather than on the floor. This makes the move easier. The higher the bench, the easier.

What if you want to make burpees harder? Include a jump and a push-up with each repetition. To make it more challenging from a cardiovascular standpoint, increase the tempo. Do burpees faster! Here’s a challenge. See how many burpees you can do in 30 seconds. Then, try to beat your time when you next work out. Be prepared to sweat and suck air!

Another way to make the exercise harder is to modify the type of jump you do at the end. To increase the challenge, do a star jump or jump on to a low box. Be careful! This takes lots of agility and coordination. It’s not a beginner move or one you should attempt until you have lots of standard burpees behind you. To add a balance challenge, do single-leg burpees. Again, wait until you’ve mastered standard burpees.

The Bottom Line

Burpees can be a stand-alone exercise you do for cardiovascular fitness and to burn fat or you can do a few in between strength exercises to keep your heart rate up when strength training. There’s nothing like getting double the benefits – strength and cardiovascular from a single exercise. Take advantage of this challenging but effective exercise.

References:

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000522.

HuffingtonPost.com. “A Brief History Of The Burpee”

Risks for High Blood Pressure

You might be at risk for hypertension without even knowing it. Even if your blood pressure is normal it is still important for you to know if you are at risk. High blood pressure can creep upon you like a thief in the night because there is no symptom. As you blood pressure increases gradually you won’t feel any different until its in the critical range forcing you to seek immediate attention.

High blood pressure has caused deadly strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure. Its not quite clear what causes high blood pressure but the natural aging process causes our arteries to stiffen, therefore by the time we are in our 60s most of us will have high blood pressure. However, this does not have to be the case if you know your risk factors and start taking immediate measure to reduce the possibility of being a victim of high blood pressure.

In the medical community doctors use “risk factors” to determine the chances of you developing a condition. This is why they weigh you and ask you about your family history and habits such as drinking, smoking and exercise. They use this information to make an educated guess based on research about potential problem that might occur in the future. This way, they can determine the appropriate treatment protocol and you can make the necessary life style modification.

Hypertension can be classified as either primary of secondary. The majority of people with high blood pressure have primary high blood pressure. Primary high blood pressure is associated our genes and lifestyle. Secondary hypertension is associated with a medical condition. If you are can modify your lifestyle by abstaining from the culprit agents you blood pressure can be normal. Likewise if your medical condition is manage properly then your blood pressure can be normal and you might not need medications.

Your kidney plays a major role in managing your blood pressure because it regulates water and sodium. When it is not working properly your blood pressure will be affected. High blood pressure can be one of the first sign of kidney disease. Conversely it can also cause damage to the kidneys. Therefore your physician will probably check your blood, urine and structure of your kidney to assess damage or disease. Unfortunately, in the late stages of kidney failure, they will stop working and you will need dialysis until you get a kidney transplant.

If you do not have any of the primary risk factors for high blood pressure, you are younger than 30 or older than 55, you present with extremely elevated high blood pressure, blood pressure medication is no longer working or just does not work at all then your doctor might suspect you have secondary high blood pressure.

Primary Hypertension

Excess sodium
Inadequate potassium
Physical inactivity
Stress
Low levels of Vitamin D
African American
Smoking
Alcohol

Secondary Hypertension

Polycystic kidney disease – cysts present on kidney preventing it to work
Sleep Apnea– absence of breathing while asleep causes decrease oxygen in the blood which in turns damages the blood vessel
Glomerular Disease– the kidneys are unable to filter water and waste properly
Renovascular High Blood Pressure– the artery leading to kidneys are damage and the function of the kidney is impaired
Cushing Disease– too much cortisol is produce by a tumor on the adrenal glands or side effect of long term use of corticosteroids that are use to treat some conditions
Aldosteronism– too much aldosterone that interferes with sodium, potassium and water excretion by the kidneys
Pheochromocytoma-a tumor that releases hormones that can cause high blood pressure
Thyroid Disease– high or low thyroid function causes abnormal thyroid hormone secretion. Both condition can cause high blood pressure
Diabetes-blood vessels in the kidneys are damage and blood flow is impaired result kidney function
Hyperparathyroidism-an increase in calcium secretion by the parathyroid gland result in calcium interacting with the blood vessels making them stiff
Coarctation of the aorta-a congenital anomaly causes the aorta to become narrow which results in a higher force to push blood around the body
Obesity-excess weight equals excess blood circulating through the body which place added pressure on the arteries
Pregnancy-one or more primary risk factor present
Medications and Supplements

To close, if you ever wonder if you are at risk for high blood pressure then this list should give you a good idea where you stand. Primary high blood pressure can be prevented if you make some adjustment primarily in what you eat. Not only will you see an improvement in your blood pressure you will also loose some weight.

5 Fun and Effective Workout Outdoor Ideas

Outdoor exercise has benefits you don’t get from working out in a hot, indoor gym. Studies show that simply being in nature is good for your mood and enhances your self esteem.Other benefits include easy access and low cost. So why not take advantage of the health benefits nature offers? As the winter passes and flowers and greenery spring into full bloom, take your workout outdoors and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine while you do something healthful for your body. If you expose your arms, you’ll also soak up some sunlight to boost your vitamin D level.

Not sure about outdoor workouts ideas? Here are some ways to get a workout outside that’s fun and effective. Don’t forget to dress for the weather and apply insect repellent to ward of those flesh eating critters.

Join an Outdoor Fitness Bootcamp

Boot camps are all the rage, and some are setting up shop outdoors in local parks. Boot camps typically combine a variety of exercises with an emphasis on bodyweight movements, like push-ups, with minimal rest between each movement. You’ll find yourself sweating in short order! But the time will pass quickly due to the camaraderie of exercising with other fitness-minded individuals. You’ll make friends who share your love of fitness too.

Find a Fitness Trail

Some parks have trails with fitness stations along the way where you stop and do exercises. At one station, you might find an incline bench to do crunches. At the next, a bar where you can do pull-ups. Each station includes a board with instructions on how to complete the exercise. You can walk or jog the trail and stop at as many stations as you like to do the designated exercises. It’s a great way to build endurance and strength as you breathe in the fresh, outdoor air. You can search online for fitness trails in your area.

Hike Your Way to Fitness

Hiking is good exercise, but it doesn’t feel like a workout because you’re distracted by the panoramic view of nature that surrounds you. Hiking has advantages over walking because you’re on uneven terrain. Walking up hills and on uneven ground burns more calories and helps develop greater agility and balance. Did you know even a 10 to 15% incline boosts the calories you burn by up to 40%? Hiking uphill is an excellent way to strengthen your core and the muscles in your lower body. To burn more calories and build strength and endurance in your lower body, wear a backpack when you hike. Ready to tackle a trail?

Play Your Way to Fitness

Who says the only exercise equipment is at the gym? The park has fitness equipment too! Park benches, the monkey bars, and the swing sets can give you a workout. Park benches are ideal for doing triceps dips. You can also place your hands on them to do push-ups and mountain climbers. The monkey bars aren’t just for monkeys either. Use them to do pull-ups for your upper body and leg raises for your abs. Between exercises, jog around the park to keep your heart rate up. Afterward, take a leisurely stroll around the park to cool down. Mission accomplished.

Garden Your Way to Fitness

Gardening puts healthy food on the table, and it also keeps you fit. Did you know gardening burns up to 280 calories per hour? You’re also building strength in your core and lower body as you squat to pick up gardening tools. There’s also something mentally relaxing about spending time in nature and putting your hands in the dirt. In fact, a study showed that gardening was linked with a 36% lower risk of developing dementia.

Try a New Setting

Walking briskly is good exercise, but it’s boring if you always do it in the same place. Why not expand your walking horizons? Get in your car and drive to a new neighborhood. Park the car, get out and walk. You’ll have new sites to see. Hopefully, the neighborhood you choose has a few hills for an added challenge. Explore a new neighborhood every week.

The Bottom Line

Think beyond the gym and enjoy the health benefits of working out in nature. Enjoy the added mental and physical perks of outdoor exercise and reap the benefits.

References:

WebMD.com. “How Hiking Is Good for Body and Mind”

AARP. “5 Secret Health Benefits of Gardening”

Med J Aust. 2006 Jan 16;184(2):68-70.

Fasting Cardio Benefits: Should You Eat Before a Workout?

To Eat or Not to Eat

The basic meaning of fasting is ot to to abstain from food. How long your fasting lasts depends on the reason for fasting. Most people fast for religious or spiritual reason but in the fitness industry people fast to loose weight.

If you plan to workout while fasted it is very important to schedule the best time for you to workout while fasted. Because of our different lifestyle, this schedule will differ from person to person.

Should you grab a bite to eat or a small meal before a workout? Or should you start your sweat session with an empty stomach? Fitness gurus say that working out first thing in the morning after fasting overnight burns more fat. Does science support this idea?

It’s true that your body is primed to burn fat when you haven’t eaten in eight or more hours. In fact, some studies show that you burn up to 20% more fat if you exercise before eating. That’s because muscle glycogen, a source of fuel for muscle contractions is low, and your body must tap into fat as an energy source. If your intent is to burn body fat, exercising after a fast has potential advantages.

However, the benefits apply mainly to moderate-intensity exercises, like brisk walking, jogging, or cycling than it does high-intensity exercise. If you’ll be doing vigorous exercise, like heavy weight lifting, or a high-intensity interval session, your muscles are dependent on carbohydrates, in the form of glycogen, as a source of fuel. If you haven’t eaten in more than eight hours, you may have a hard time sustaining high-intensity exercise. The fatigue that goes along with fasting works against you when you’re trying to maximize your fitness level and burn the most calories. Exercising in a fasting state may keep you from performing your best, as you’re limited by fatigue and that means burning fewer calories.

You’ve probably heard of athletes who carb load before a race or other event where they need to perform at their best. There’s a reason they do this. They’re trying to maximize their muscle glycogen stores, so their muscles have enough fuel for a strong performance. They don’t want to “bonk out” in the middle of a race or other event.

Another Problem with Fasted Cardio

Fasted cardio may modestly boost fat loss since your body has to tap into fat as a source of fuel. But you may lose muscle as well, and that’s not desirable. If you overdo the cardio by doing a 10-mile run in a fasted state, it places stress on your body, not only from the exercise but the fact you’re running when you’re low on fuel. In response, your adrenal glands pump out more of a stress hormone called cortisol.

Cortisol has some good effects. For example, it helps keep your blood sugar from dropping too low when you’re fasting, but it also boosts muscle breakdown. It also sends your body into a catabolic or muscle breakdown state. Over a longer period of time, it also causes weight redistribution so that more fat ends up around your abs and waistline and less in the thighs and hips. So, cortisol isn’t favorable for body composition.

Fasted Cardio Can Impact Exercise Motivation Too

People respond differently to fasted cardio. Some people do it and feel reasonably well, but others feel fatigued, weak, or have problems with focus and motivation. Your brain needs a constant supply of glucose, and you don’t supply that glucose in a fasted state. It’s possible to adapt over time to a low carb diet and exercising in a fasted or low-carb state, but it takes time for this adaptation to take place. If you have blood sugar issues, particularly if you have a history of hypoglycemia or type 1 diabetes, exercising in a fasted state can be dangerous.

The Bottom Line

If you do low or moderate-intensity exercises such as walking, jogging, or cycling, you’ll likely have no problem doing it in a fasted state, especially if you exercise for 30 minutes or so. But, if you’ll be lifting heavy weights or exercising at a vigorous pace, it’s best to consume a snack within a few hours of a workout. You don’t have to eat a full meal. Choose a snack that has about a three to one ratio of carbohydrates to protein. For example, an apple or banana with peanut butter gives you healthy carbs and protein. Yet, this snack is still light enough that you won’t feel too full or heavy.

References:

Exercise Physiology. McGraw Hill. Powers and Howley. 2009.

British Journal of Nutrition. Volume 110, Issue 4 28 August 2013, pp. 721-732.

Fun Cardio Workout Ideas

Cardiovascular exercise is necessary to improve your aerobic condition and maintain heart health. Unfortunately, most forms of cardio revolve around jogging or biking, and can get boring fast. Try these five forms of cardio for a workout that is not only fun, but also highly effective. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes 5 days a week minimum. However, you can break it up in 15 minutes block 2 times for the day. You can also pick from 2 activities below. For instance you can jump rope for 15 mins then box for 15 mins. There are so many ways you can get a workout in between your other activities. Be creative and have fun.

Here are fun cardio activities that will get your heart rate up.

Use a boxing bag

You may not be a martial artist, but anyone can use a boxing bag. Find a pair of comfortable gloves, watch a few videos on throwing basic kicks and punches, and find a sturdy bag that can take your abuse. Focus on mastering the fundamentals of each strike or throwing combinations while moving your feet and body to avoid imaginary hits. It may sound easy, but you’ll be breathing hard in no time.

Try to perform ten 1 minute rounds with 1 minute of rest in between. As you get in better shape, try to increase your boxing rounds to 2-3 minutes each while keeping rest the same. This type of full body exercise will greatly increase your beats-per-minute while burning plenty of calories. Additionally, you can take out your stress and frustration while learning a valuable skill.

Jump Rope

Jumping rope is not just for school kids. Jumping rope provides a gentle, yet challenging way of elevating your heart rate that requires minimal space and equipment. You can do it inside or outside, and you can also take your jump rope to a park, beach, gym, or practically anywhere else you like to go.

Using a jump rope can be a challenge since it takes a while to develop the necessary rhythm and coordination. Make sure your jump rope is long enough for you to easily jump over, but not so long that it drags along the floor or gets tangled.

Set realistic goals for yourself that you can increase over time. Maybe you want to spend 20 minutes jumping rope, maybe you want to do 1000 total jumps, or maybe you’re still trying to get 10 clean hops in a row without messing up. There’s no wrong way to do it. Not only is jump-roping a great way to get good exercise and have fun, but jumping rope can also help those who are less than nimble become more footloose and spry.

Run Ladders

Lay an agility ladder down on the ground or draw a long row of approximately twelve adjacent 1-foot by 1-foot boxes on the ground to perform ladder drills. The goal is to quickly get from one end of the ladder to the other without stepping on the lines. The fun part comes when you try to do so using the most creative footwork possible.

You can just run straight through by putting one foot in each box. You can put two feet in each box. You can hop all the way through on one leg. You can put one foot in each box and one foot out. You can run it backwards, sideways, or while pivoting in circles.

Think of running ladders as a fancier form of hopscotch. If you can’t come up with imaginative ways to move your feet, watch some videos online. Not only is this a great way to get moving, but it’s fun to invent, experiment with, and practice your own original dance-like steps.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics have a formal sounding name, but they’re just any exercise where you’re jumping around in an explosive and energetic fashion. You can squat down and jump up as high as you can. You can lunge from your left foot to your right foot like a skater. You can try to skip up your driveway on one leg. Any type of repetitive and dynamic jumping motion that moves your body in different patterns and directions can be an effective plyometric exercise.

Find a few different moves you like and perform each one 10 times, one right after another. Rest for a minute after completing this first round of exercises, and try to complete 2-3 total rounds with one minute of rest in between each round. You’ll burn plenty of calories while having fun and you’ll also be developing your leg strength, balance, and coordination.

Sprints

Sprinting can be intimidating, but if done right it can be a manageable and effective way to quickly get in excellent shape. While you’re sprinting, your body’s heart rate will quickly spike to near maximum levels and then slowly lower as you rest or walk back to your starting position. This effect boosts your metabolism, increases your aerobic capacity, and improves fat burning for hours after you complete your workout.

Find a distance you can comfortably sprint across at 80-90 percent of your greatest effort. Slowly run back and forth a few times to warm up. When you feel ready, run your first sprint at 70 percent maximum speed, then the next one at 80 percent, then 90 percent, then 100 percent. After you run a few sprints as fast as you can, gradually work your way back down to a slower pace. Walk back to your starting position after each sprint you complete and rest for a few seconds. By slowly ramping up your sprinting speed to a maximum and then going back down you adjust the difficulty incrementally without feeling overwhelmed or exhausted. It may sound tough, but the challenge is exhilarating.

Step Aerobics

Step aerobics is fun and easy. All you need is a step platform . Besides being a good cardio workout, stepping on and off the platform firms and lifts your booty. You can increase the intensity of the workout by raising the platform or by wearing a weighted vest. Start by having the platform flat then raise the platform as your fitness level increases. If you have arthritis, this might be a good option because its low impact .

Trampoline

Jumping on a trampoline has to be one of the most fun things you can do. And guess what, you can also enjoy this activity with your kids. Trampoline parks are popping up all over my city and most offer fitness classes. However, if you have space at home you can buy one for yourself . This way you can bounce off all the fat and have fun.

Weighted Hula Hooping

Hooping, if done with the right amount of intensity can increase your heart rate, burn calories and is a good exercise that is comparable to brisk walking. This activity also helps to improve flexibility and stability in your hips and back. It takes time to get use to the motion of the tube around your waste but with practice and time you will be a master hooper.

Whether it’s boxing, jumping, sprinting, or any other type of activity that elevates your heart rate, there are many ways to get cardiovascular exercise that don’t involve jogging or biking. Try some of these methods for your next cardiovascular workout. 30mins per day for 5 days a week is all you need. You can even split up the sessions. Have fun and get creative. The goal is to get your heart rate up by all means necessary.

Creative Ways to Exercise Without a Gym Membership

Gym Membership Woes

Believe it or not there are some individuals that enjoy going to the gym and working out. They look forward to their workouts and feel strange when they miss one. Beside the health benefits of exercising such as weight loss, energy and control of high blood another reason why they love going to gym is because of the unsung reason “me time” . When you are exercising you are focused on 3 things:Me, myself and I . Sounds selfish but Yoga is build on this principle. While exercising you are able to zone everyone out and tune your reps and sets in.

However, if the idea of paying money and going to workout on sweaty machines with a bunch of other random people is wholly unappealing no worries, working out at home can offer you the same rewards. Trying to add gym membership dues to your budget, getting yourself to the gym, and having to fight for machines and equipment is for the birds. Ain’t nobody got time for that especially after a long day at work. Besides you do not want to pay for a membership and become a statics. I am referring to the statistics reporting that 80% of people with gym membership do not go regularly. Fortunately a gym membership isn’t the only way to get a good workout and stay in shape. There are lots of creative and fun ways to get your workout in without all the hassle.

Workout while You Work

For starters, you might already be exercising throughout your day and not even realize it. If you have a physical job or one where you are on your feet and walking around all day, you are likely getting exercise without even thinking about it. You can try to maximize this by adding in a few extra reps here and there or taking a longer route to get some extra steps in. For example, if your job requires lifting and moving objects, you could add in a couple of squats or arm lifts while you are working.

Walking is also a great way to stay active. Make a conscious effort to get up and go for a walk on your work breaks, walk places instead of driving. Use hand weights or weighted vest and trying rucking. Find a park that you enjoy and go for an afternoon hike. Hiking in nature is not only great exercise it is also a great stress reliever.

If you do not have time to read, you can catch up on your “reading” by listening to your favorite audiobooks as you walk. Put your ear piece in and instead of sitting and talking on the phone, you can walk as you talk on the phone. However, you should aim for brisk walking which is very difficult to do while you are talking.

If you want something a little more active than a walk, the internet is a great place to find free workout videos. From yoga to high-intensity interval training, to pilates, you can find just about any workout you might want to try. Make some space in your home or the park, pull up a video on your tv, tablet, phone or computer, and get moving. The sky is the limit when it comes to fitness app. Try the free version of the apps until you master the exercise. Once you master the moves you really don’t need the app anymore. You can then create your own routine.

Exercise Equipment

Instead of paying monthly for a gym membership, invest in some weights, exercise bands, or other home gym equipment that you can easily use with your at-home workouts. If you have space, you can invest in bigger workout equipment such as a treadmill or exercise bike. Having your own equipment is a great way to step-up your workouts in the comfort of your own home. Search the web for used fitness equipment. There are plenty.

If buying workout equipment is beyond your budget, you can get creative and find things around your house to use. Things like canned goods, water jugs, or a sack of potatoes can substitute for weights and add an interesting and fun element for your workout. You can also double task by turning your household chores into workouts. If you have to scrub the tub, do reps on each arm. Add squats or lunges while you go around cleaning your house. FYI one gallon is equivalent to approximately 8 lbs.

If the weather is nice, and you are sick of working out at home, go outside. Play sport with kids, such as soccer, basketball, football or any activity that involves moving. They will wear you out. You do not have to be good at the sport to gain the benefit or movement. You can also do some of the activities by yourself causing you to move even more. Whatever it is, just get yourself outside and moving. All movement counts.

Dance like No One is Watching

Although we might not like the same music, everyone loves music. Therefore put your favorite music on and start dancing. Dancing is another creative way to get a workout without even thinking about it. If your dancing is slow then add weights. If your dancing is already fast and up beat, no need to add anything , just dance. You don’t even need to be good at dancing. Start a dance marathon and keep yourself moving to every beat for as long as you can. Have fun and do what feels good. Isolate body parts and do reps to the beat and work on some fun new dance moves. Just dance like no one is watching. So what if you have no rhythm.

Started at the Bottom

Take the stairs as much as possible. Pick a few days of the week to wear comfortable clothes and shoes to work then go in the stairwell or finds some stairs or steps. Go up and down as quickly as you can. The steeper the stairs the more challenging the workout will be. Use your lunch break wisely. Research shows that in order to give your brain enough time to register that your are full you need to eat slowly. Therefore give yourself 20 minutes to eat then take rest of your lunch time to go up and down the stairs.

So, if you hate the gym, or just don’t want to pay for a membership, that doesn’t mean you can’t still be active and get an amazing workout in. There are lots of creative ways to stay active and get some exercise. Don’t limit yourself by believing that a gym membership is the only way to get fit. Figure out what works best for you and keep doing it! Enjoying your workouts makes you more likely to make them a habit and to stay healthy and strong. All you need is 30 mins of cardio 5 days a week and strength training 2 days a week.

How Do Fit People Stay Fit ?

5 Things Fit People Do That You Don’t

Ever looked at someone with a better body than you or someone who has outperformed everyone else on a task where fitness was key and wondered how they did it? What about someone who has their numbers in check. What numbers do I mean? Blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, weight and waste line. A byproduct of being fit is preventing high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and obesity. Getting fit will prevent you from getting sick.

Heart disease kill more women than cancer. You can prevent heart disease and some cancers by exercising.

If you want to prevent the above diseases then do what fit people . Get active. Here a few thing things that you can add to you daily routine to keep you healthy.

1. Girl I Got A Secret

Fit people don’t browse online looking for game-changing supplements and miracle gadgets. Manufacturers of these products don’t make their money from fit people; they make it from naive people searching for the magic bullet. Fit people know there’s no secret to getting a strong, lean body. They focus on the basic things that work, and they do these things repeatedly to achieve the fitness and physique goals they want.

2. What floats Your Boat

Dumbbells, cycle and group fitness classes, these few of the activities you can do at home or the gym to stay fit. A fit person doesn’t just train with the vague goal of weight loss. And they certainly don’t sign up to any and every fitness class at their local gym. No one wants to do the same boring activities day in and day out. Working out can be fun.

Fit people figure out what floats their boat and they dedicate themselves to this area. Maybe they did start running simply with the intention of losing weight…but when they learned they liked it, they started setting concrete goals, aiming to run specific distances in specific times. Fit people have genuine long-term reasons or passions that keep them eating correctly and training correctly.

3. Performance Enhancement

The people you admire the most eat for the physical exploits they undertake. Their physiques are byproducts of this training routine. The fittest people you know are focused on taking in enough calories. Calorie restriction is counterproductive to their training goals.

4. Performance Improvement

A fit person doesn’t care how much they sweat or if they’re making strange faces. They don’t worry about if a workout was ‘too short’ or ‘too long’ because somebody else said so. They set workout goals (surprisingly small ones, more often than not) and they do what they need to do on the day to achieve them.

5. Cheers to the Freakin Weekend

Remember how they know there’s no magic bullet? The same logic applies here. How can you expect to get the results you want when you lead a double life? When you eat as healthily as possible and train as often as you can Monday-Friday, but then throw it all out of the window as soon as the weekend arrives. Fit people don’t do this. They don’t need to, because they weren’t eating too strictly or pushing themselves too hard in the gym in the first place. The sun still rises and then sets on a Saturday and a Sunday just as it did in the week. Fit people are indiscriminate with their days; days are blocks of time, and fit people use them wisely.

As with all forms of success, the key to success with your fitness is identifying the right things you need to be doing and having the discipline and determination to do them each day. Go forth and get fitter.

Does Gardening Count as Exercise?

Work videos and ad with fit chics or dudes pushing sled or flipping tires are fun to watch but are quite intimidating. Do you watch them and think that the only way to get active is to engage in those form of activities? You not have to worry because being physically active is not limited to only intense workouts. In fact, you don’t even have to workout. You can reap some of the health benefits of working out by doing some of the things that you are currently doing.

Everyone has those days when there’s no time to exercise, but what if you could get in a workout while doing household chores? Actually, you can—by changing the way you do housework. With a little creativity, you can learn how to burn extra calories performing household tasks. Not only will you save time and money your housework and health just might improve.

Our idea of what constitutes as exercise is too narrow. This is because the images that portrayed are ones of people working out in the gym or running a marathon. I have never seen anyone promoting the benefits of doing house work to increase physical activity.

If think you have to cycle, bike or run around the block a few times to get a workout that counts then you need to open your mind to other possibilities ? It’s time to change your thinking! Exercise is movement and short periods of exercise count too. You can even earn fitness points for doing things around the house, as long as you do them with vigor.

How do we know this? A study carried out by researchers at Queen’s University in Canada showed the importance of unstructured physical activity for cardiovascular health and fitness. In the study, researchers quantified the activities of healthy adults. When they added up the minutes the participants spent moving throughout the day and compared it to their cardiovascular health, they came to a surprising conclusion. The time spent vacuuming the rug, climbing the stairs, and scurrying through the parking lot to get to a job, are beneficial for heart health. In the study, the researchers measured the minutes the participants moved using an accelerometer, a device worn around the waist that monitors activity. The participants didn’t do structured workouts, only the daily activities they normally do, like cleaning house, climbing stairs, and running errands.

There is one caveat. Non-structured physical activity is most effective when you do it vigorously, not leisurely. When you scrub the bathtub, for example, clean that basin with vigor, not at a leisurely pace. By the way, scrubbing the bathtub for 15 minutes burns 60 calories. But, even if you do it in a more leisurely manner, you’re doing something other than sitting. That’s important because we now know that sitting is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, even in people who do a structured workout.

Another study published in the journal Lancet looked at the movement habits of 130,000 people from around the world found that being physically active for at least 30 minutes per day was linked with a longer lifespan and reduced odds of developing a serious illness. This includes non-structured exercise like doing outside chores and indoor housework. Nothing like accomplishing two tasks at once: a chore and a workout!

Making Unplanned or “Incidental” Exercise Work for You

If you can’t do a structured exercise, make the most of the time you have to move. Pick up the pace when you walk. Interestingly, walking speed is correlated with the risk of mortality. Slowpoke walkers have a higher risk of dying than speed demons. You’ve heard it before, but park as far from destinations that you visit as possible, so you have further to walk. Walk when you talk on the phone. That’s another benefit of a smartphone; you can move while you use it.

Rethink whether to hire someone to do tasks like gardeing, mowing the lawn, raking leaves, or shoveling snow. These activities are intense enough to offer cardiovascular benefits, so why not do them yourself? And stop being so energy efficient. When you walk, swing your arms with vigor, use long strides, and keep the pace snappy. Forget about elevators. Make friends with the stairs and make sure you’re wearing a pair of shoes that can safely navigate a staircase; high heels aren’t the best choice. You can even strap on a weight vest when you walk.

Ready to tackle the chores and get fit? Here are five unique ways to exercise while keeping house:

Cook Without Appliances

Modern kitchen appliances make food preparation almost effortless, but exerting effort in the kitchen can be a good thing, especially for your health. Next time you bake, put the mixer in the cupboard and pull out the whisk instead. You’ll work your arms, tone muscles, and burn calories. Chopping, kneading, peeling, and grating can be done manually, too. For additional exercise, hand wash the dishes.

Iron to Music

Believe it or not, ironing burns significant calories—anywhere from 75 to 150 per hour. But you can add to that total by plugging in some music and turning your ironing session into a workout session. Move your feet while ironing, or better yet, set down the iron between shirts and do a series of aerobic steps, jumping jacks, or dance moves. Ironing to music makes this mundane household task more active, engaging, and fun.

Clean the Old-Fashion Way

Scrubbing is about as active as a brisk walk, and you’ll accomplish important housework while doing it. Say goodbye to the mop, grab a sponge, and get on your hands and knees for some good old-fashioned cleaning. There’s plenty to scrub, including the floor, bathtubs, kitchen counters, and sinks. And don’t forget the walls, door knobs, and windows. An hour or two of scrubbing is great exercise for the entire body.

Organize and rearrange the Closet

Don’t just clean the closet, organize and rearrange it. Moving hangars, folding clothes, repositioning shelves, and sorting shirts and shoes are all active chores that burn calories and work muscles. When you’re done with the bedroom closet, move on to the other closets in the house. Then box up items to donate. You’ll appreciate the results of your hard work, including improved fitness.

Vacuum Hard-to-Reach Spaces

Pushing a vacuum across the living room carpet is one thing, but vacuuming stairs is quite another. It takes considerable effort to maneuver vacuum brushes and crevice tools between stairs, around vents, and under furniture. You may be surprised at all the dirt you find in those hard-to-reach spaces, but don’t be surprised by the extra calories you burn. Vacuuming alone earns you more than 200 per hour.

The Bottom Line

Household chores are necessary, but so is daily exercise. When time is at a premium, do them together. The above activities will help you burn extra calories while you conquer the housework

It’s not just the exercise you do at the gym that counts. So, do the things you do around the house. The bottom line is we need to be more active regardless of whatever form that activity comes in. But, keep in mind, you gradually lose muscle mass after the age of 30 and working your muscle using resistance is the way to reduce that loss. Including 2 to 3 sessions of strength training or resistance training in your weekly routine is wise even if you’re an active person. But, know that every movement that you make with intensity counts toward getting fitter and healthier. You will lose or maintain your weight and also decrease the risk of developing health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. You don’t have to invest in a gym membership to stay fit. The gym is wherever you happen to be even at the office.

References:

Health News Daily. “Attention Exercise Haters: Everyday Activities Improve Fitness”

The Lancet. Volume 390, Issue 10113, P2643-2654, December 16, 2017

Health Stats. Calories Burned Estimator

Common Reasons for Not Exercising and How To Fix Them

Don’t Be a Victim of a Sedentary Lifestyle

People have all sorts of excuses not to exercise. Reasons that range from “I work all day” to “I’m too tired” are commonly used to justify not moving. However, your body and your longevity need you to exercise, and that’s not to mention the benefits of stress management on your mental and emotional health.

A sedentary lifestyle is the new epidemic threatening wellness. Fitness guidelines advise Includes 150 minutes of aerobic exercise on a weekly basis, along with at least two sessions of strengthening. That can be broken down into smaller 10-minute segments of activity to make it even easier to achieve, but how many people can accomplish this?

Listed below are five commonly heard excuses not to exercise. Do any sound familiar? Don’t let yourself be a victim of weak reasons. Challenge yourself to avoid living a sedentary lifestyle.

1. “I have no time.”

Lack of time is probably one of the most common excuses for not exercising. Whether you’re working 12 or more hours each day, parenting, or getting pulled in too many directions by those around you, you owe it to yourself to make time to exercise.

So what is the trick to fitting exercise into your day? Break exercise time up into small amounts. Free online workout videos are a beautiful thing. Cue up a short 10-minute video, or even a five-minute one, to get started. Squeeze a video or download an exercise app to do in the morning, during your afternoon lunch break, after dinner, or before bed.

Although many jobs may leave people feeling like they are “walking all day,” it’s not quite the same as a fitness routine that targets cardio and strengthening exercises.

2. “I’m too tired.”

Fatigue can be a revolving cycle: feeling tired leads to not wanting to exercise; not exercising leads to more exhaustion, and so the cycle continues. Stopping the cycle is imperative. That can be difficult at first when it seems like a nap should trump exercise. However, it will not take long to experience the rejuvenating benefits of endorphins and increased blood supply throughout the body.

If you find you need support to get started, consider: writing out an exercise contract for yourself, making a plan with a friend to exercise together so you will be less likely to cancel, asking your doctor for an exercise prescription to make the arrangement formal. Whatever it takes, get started.

3. “I have chronic pain.”

While pain is real and can be a valid reason to be cautious with how you exercise, in the majority of cases appropriate exercises have a considerable benefit. For example, if osteoarthritis is causing what feels to be debilitating knee pain, by exercising to strengthen the surrounding muscles pressure will be relieved off of the knees.

Additionally, weight loss through exercise can make a massive difference to knee pain when the knees are no longer required to bear the extra weight.

Regardless of what the underlying medical condition is, always speak to a health care provider before getting started for medical clearance.

4. “I can’t afford to exercise equipment.”

The exercise equipment industry may target those looking to get fit and lose weight, especially with late-night infomercials. However, such equipment is in no way a requirement. Your body weight can provide just the right amount of resistance needed to tone and strengthen your frame. From push-ups and plank holds to burpees and lunges, your own body can get the job done.

5. “I hate the gym.”

If you hate the gym, you are not alone. Being within concrete walls, possibly with few or no windows or view, is not a particularly motivating environment in which to start exercising. In contrast, consider working out in the comforts of home or (even better) with what nature has to offer.

For example, biking, jogging, walking, hiking, snowshoeing, swimming, and even outdoor yoga or fitness boot camps can provide you with both fitness and fresh air. It’s as though you get a double whammy of re-energizing when you combine fitness with fresh air.

6. ”I am not seeing results”

I get it you have been going at it real hard and you are not looking like those fit chics on Instagram. Now you are ready to give up. If you give up now you will never know if see your dreams into fruition. You have to be in it to win it. There is no fast and easy way to weight loss and and being fit. Plan to give it time in the form of months. The fast and furious method is not sustainable. You will get burn out quickly.

7. ”I don’t live near the gym”

This one is quite easy to fix. There are so many workout options that do not require a gym membership. You can workout at home. Start by doing body weight exercises. Youtube has plenty of videos that shows how workout your different muscles and cardio. It is possible to exercise without equipment .

8.”I am self conscious”

Have you ever taken a step aerobics class? If you have a hard time keeping up then you will feel self conscious in one of these classes. It takes a lot of practice to get it right. Everyone started messing up the moves. But you can also do the classes in the comfort of your own home and go at your own pace. Look for fitness classes on youtube or a app.

Whatever your reason is for not exercising, it may be time to stand back and consider strategies to make exercise a regular part of your day. Given the health benefits you’ll enjoy, ranging from prevention of heart disease and diabetes to the overall feeling of emotional well-being, you owe it to yourself to find a way, a time, and a plan, to start exercising now and avoid living a sedentary lifestyle.