Exercise & Fitness articles

If You are already fitness walking several times a week ? great! Now its time to step it up a bit. Here are 6 ways to turn your walks into workouts. They involve adding a little creativity but with these few simple techniques you can maximize the benefits of your walk and get more of an overall body workout.Swing it!Have you ever made fun of the walkers who swing their arms? Well they know something you don't. This is the... Read More

In the first article in this series (http://tinyurl.com/8ztbo), we gave you an overview of the stages of change in Prochaska's Transtheoretical model. The first three of these stages are all about getting started. They apply to anyone who's not actually regularly exercising at the moment. If you were active in the past, but don't now (i.e. you're in the "Relapse" stage), then, motivationally speaking, you're in one of these stages. Just as a reminder, the stages are:- Pre-Contemplation: When you're... Read More

For years exercise scientists and physiologists have preached that lactate/lactic acid build-up in the muscle is the direct cause of muscle fatigue and a decrease in performance. It is proposed that lactate builds up in the muscle cells during intense exercise and literally "poisons" them, essentially shutting down activity biochemically by reducing the pH or increasing the acidity level. Lactate has therefore been dubbed a metabolic by-product or dead end and as the enemy of human exercise and performance. This... Read More

1. Cardio in Combination with Strength Training- If you need to combine your cardio with Strength training then do your Cardio AFTER your Resistance Training workout. You need that extra energy for the Hi Intensity Strength training and you also want to pump blood into your muscles after you have just broken them down from a heavy resistance training program... So Pump it up first then do your Cardio.2. Exercise in the Morning - A Recent Study showed that after... Read More

This is a list of ten common mistakes made during exercise. Quite often the exerciser and even the personal trainer or coach is unaware of these mistakes, decreasing the effectiveness of the exercise and even risking injury. This list describes each "mistake" but follows with a suggested "correction". You may find this list helpful in grading yourself or even your personal trainer.Ineffective warm up prior to a workoutThe purpose of a warm-up is to gently prepare the body for the... Read More

Rebounding: Health and Fitness BenefitsAs quoted by NASA, rebounding is "the most efficient and effective exercise yet devised by man". It is an excellent, non-impact, aerobic excercise gained by bouncing on a mini-trampoline.The benefits of rebounding are astonishing and have been promoted significantly within the last decade.It is a unique excercise in which a weightless state is achieved at the top of each jump and then land with twice the force of gravity on each bounce. This shift in gravity... Read More

Do you know the health and fitness industry is plagued by an over abundance of workout myths? A myth is a fiction or half truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology. Rob tells Jen about a new fitness program that is suppose to deliver amazing results; Jen tells Ted, and Ted then tells Pam, but only half of what Rob said. Confused? Just image how confusing Rob's "cutting edge" theory has become. And the funny thing is, Rob... Read More

The Art of Multifunctional TrainingPeople often complain about how they just do not have enough time to spend working out in a gym. It seems every year the lives of many Americans become more hectic and they have less time to devote to bettering their health. As a certified personal trainer I often hear people stating that they just have to spend too much time working out to get the results they desire. They tell me how they have to... Read More

These days many people spend a significant part of their day slaving away over a hot computer and as a result, their posture is not what it should be. Bad posture can result in short-term discomfort such as neck stiffness and headaches and also lead to more serious problems in later life. It is therefore worth spending some time to counteract the damage we may be doing to ourselves every day. But how about this - did you know that... Read More

Quite often runners and exercisers experience painful muscle cramping either during or immediately following a strenuous exercise bout and as a result, these types of cramps have become known as Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps or EAMCs. Much confusion surrounds the causes of EAMCs including dehydration to electrolyte imbalances. This article aims to explain the latest model for describing EAMCs, how to prevent them and how to deal with them once they occur.What is a muscle cramp?A muscle cramp is defined... Read More

Taoist PhilosophyTo understand the purpose of the form it is important to understand its basis and roots.The origins of Tai Chi go back over 5,000 years and are based in Taoist philosophy developed and refined by the great Taoist thinkers such as, Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.The core concept of Taoism and Taoist philosophy is that everything in the universe is subject to change and when dealing with this change we should... Read More

Learning Tai ChiTai Chi combines movement, meditation and breathing, to enhance the flow of vital energy in the body, to increase both physical and mental well-being.Tai Chi is one of the most broadly applicable systems of self-care in the world and is suitable for both young and old alike.In China, it is estimated that 300 million people alone practice Tai Chi.Tai Chi however is not just practised in China, in the 20th century... Read More

It is thought that moderate exercise, such as speed walking, jogging, and aerobics may enhance your body's natural resistance to infection. This is due to that fact that this kind of physical activity activates the release of immunostimulatory factors, such as growth hormones, cytokines, and prolactin, which in turn activates various populations of immune cells.Exercise sessions of moderate duration (under 60 minutes) have been associated with enhanced activity within the immune system. This applies to many different immune parameters, including... Read More

I think the real question is "How safe is it for you not to exercise?" Did you know that obesity has just replaced smoking as the number one cause of health related problems? That's incredible! Sorry to say, but that means we are a bunch of fat, inactive people! Back in the day when people milked cows and planted their own food for exercise, you would never hear of something like this. Think about that the next time you can't... Read More

Fitness is just as imperative as health. As a matter of fact, fitness is linked directly with your health. If you are not taking care of your body, you will get sick. Here are some great suggestions that will help you to keep your body fit:1. BicyclingIt is a sad thing that many people do not take advantage of this excellent option for exercise. Bike riding exercise your body and build a stronger cardiovascular system. Also, it allows you to... Read More

There's plenty of evidence that an essential component of a healthy life is physical activity. It has been shown that exercise has a positive effect on both your body and mind.Exercise helps blood flow, pumping more blood through your arteries. First of all that means your lungs will become better conditioned for work bringing more oxygen for your body cells. Then, more blood increases the size of your arteries and veins preventing fat from clogging them and helping to lower... Read More

Those of you that have either completed a one-on-one program, purchased an on-line program or have read anything else that I have written in the past have most likely determined by now and realize it is quite evident... I am a huge supporter and advocate of integrated and phase-based training as optimized methods of health and fitness technologies/systemologies. And it wasn't until I started researching Tai Chi as an alternative form of exercise (I have been exercising for three-and-a-half decades... Read More

Exercise can be very beneficial for arthritis sufferers, often relieving stiffness in joints, strengthening muscles thereby reducing stress on joints, keeping bone and cartilage tissue strong and healthy, and increasing flexibility. A recommended 30-minute minimum of daily activity is the norm. Before starting any exercise program, it is vital that one speak to their doctor to ensure there are no unseen risks, however you will find that most doctors recommend exercise for their arthritis patients either on their own initiative... Read More

Already dedicated exercisers make small but costly mistakes regularly in their workouts, and one tiny change can have a huge impact on their results. Time is valuable, and for each precious moment invested you want to ensure the best possible return. If your body is not yet as lean or toned as you would like, it is likely that you are committing some key training mistakes. These errors can sabotage the efforts of even veteran exercisers. By learning about the... Read More

Back pain, one of the most common physical, and debilitating ailments today, affects 70% - 80% of us at one time or another in our lives. However, as a result of the obesity epidemic, that number continues to climb. So if you are suffering or have suffered from back pain, you are not alone!Back pain suffers, resulting from wear and tear and the aging process, generally are over 40 years of age; but it is not uncommon for individuals in... Read More