Exercise and Health Trends
Exercise and Health Trends
There are certain exercises that always make the top of the list. One of these would of course be walking. It is so easy to start and doesn’t require any special equipment at first. Once you get into walking and decide this is your favorite exercise then investing in a good pair of walking shoes would be a worthwhile investment.
Spinning is an exercise that is becoming more popular each year. It is a great overall exercise that is relatively easy on your joints. Physiotherapists actually recommend that people with a knee injury use a bike on very low resistance to get their knee moving again.
The great thing about spinning is that you can join a class and meet other people. During the class you can increase or decrease your resistance level to match your ability. So you don’t have to worry about falling or lagging behind.
Plus spinning is a wonderful way to burn calories. Depending upon your weight and body size you could burn anywhere from 350 up to 550 calories per hour of spinning class. Remember that after the class your metabolism is still fired up and you will continue to burn additional calories.
Concentrating on Wellness is a fitness trend that is becoming more noticeable. People are becoming more consciousness of their health and are taking steps to become healthier. These types of people may not have a weight or health issue but they understand that their lifestyle affects your body eventually. They accept that they must make changes now in order to lead a healthy life as they mature.
There will always be those trendy exercises that become popular for a while and then phase away. Some of these trends do stay popular for the long term. Check out some current trends such as Kangaroo jump, Aero jump and Belly fit.
Turning traditional exercises into something less stringent and more fun is a new exercise trend. A great example of this is Zumba dance classes. Dancing to the sounds of rhythmic Latin music is motivating and fun. Yet at the same time you are burning tons of calories. There are Zumba classes for seniors, kids and even aqua classes are popping up.
Fitness for kids is another increasing fitness trend. This ties in well with families being concerned about their overall wellness. Schools don’t always offer enough sports and fitness programs. Plus with all the new fangled technology kids are too busy playing with video games and being on the computer. Obesity in children is on the rise and a major concern in North America.
The same applies for seniors. Senior fitness is a growing trend as baby boomers are aging. More gyms and clubs are catering to this new group of fitness goers. Seniors don’t want to lose their zest for life and want to keep mobile and active.
Functional fitness classes are aimed at senior and anyone with a disability. A functional fitness class is aimed at getting a person mobile again. Allowing them to do daily life activities including carrying your groceries home, doing your household chores and being able to play and hold your grandkids.
If you look closely you can see these trends almost follow your life’s pattern. This enforces the thought that exercise and fitness is for life and should be done on a continuous basis.
Workout Routines from Home
Workout Routines from Home
For many people starting a new exercise routine they want to work out from home. This can be due to many reasons. You may not feel comfortable going to a gym yet. You may not have the correct equipment or no clothes to wear. Or you just could have time constraints that keep you at home.
If this is the case for you then there are plenty of exercise choices for you. You can easily pick up an exercise DVD and pop this in at home and then exercise when you can.
When choosing an exercise program think about what you are interested in. Do you want to learn yoga, Zumba dance or even belly dancing? Exercise can and should be fun!
If you follow shows like the Biggest Loser then grab one or two of their DVD’s and follow along. You can even combine this with signing up for an online program where you can record your exercise and keep track of your goals.
You don’t even have to go out and purchase anything to start exercising at home. You can design your own fitness routine by combining some cardio with strength or resistance training.
Here’s an example:
Cardio – 20 minutes
Jumping jacks
Jumping rope in the basement or outside
Walking up and down your basement stairs
Dancing to music
Strength training – 2 times a week for about 20 minutes
Sit ups
Push ups against the wall
Wall squats
Leg raises
Lifting light weights – use soup cans or water bottles
You can mix and match the exercises until your find a routine that works for you and are comfortable with. As the exercises become easy add some more or increase your weights. For cardio try to increase the length of time or your intensity level as it becomes easier.
Working out from home has a couple of benefits with the main benefit being that you don’t have to pay for a gym membership. You also don’t have to worry about buying fancy gym clothes either. On the downside you may find that it is harder to make yourself motivated each day and you might get lonely working out alone.
As you can see there are many workout routines that you can do from home. You definitely have no reason not to exercise. Dig down deep inside you and discover why you want to start exercising and write these reasons down. Post them in a place where you can read them every day and use your reasons as a motivator.
Top Trends for Exercise and Health
Top Trends for Exercise and Health
There are certain exercises that always make the top of the list. One of these would of course be walking. It is so easy to start and doesn’t require any special equipment at first. Once you get into walking and decide this is your favorite exercise then investing in a good pair of walking shoes would be a worthwhile investment.
Spinning is an exercise that is becoming more popular each year. It is a great overall exercise that is relatively easy on your joints. Physiotherapists actually recommend that people with a knee injury use a bike on very low resistance to get their knee moving again.
The great thing about spinning is that you can join a class and meet other people. During the class you can increase or decrease your resistance level to match your ability. So you don’t have to worry about falling or lagging behind.
Plus spinning is a wonderful way to burn calories. Depending upon your weight and body size you could burn anywhere from 350 up to 550 calories per hour of spinning class. Remember that after the class your metabolism is still fired up and you will continue to burn additional calories.
Concentrating on Wellness is a fitness trend that is becoming more noticeable. People are becoming more consciousness of their health and are taking steps to become healthier. These types of people may not have a weight or health issue but they understand that their lifestyle affects your body eventually. They accept that they must make changes now in order to lead a healthy life as they mature.
There will always be those trendy exercises that become popular for a while and then phase away. Some of these trends do stay popular for the long term. Check out some current trends such as Kangaroo jump, Aero jump and Belly fit.
Turning traditional exercises into something less stringent and more fun is a new exercise trend. A great example of this is Zumba dance classes. Dancing to the sounds of rhythmic Latin music is motivating and fun. Yet at the same time you are burning tons of calories. There are Zumba classes for seniors, kids and even aqua classes are popping up.
Fitness for kids is another increasing fitness trend. This ties in well with families being concerned about their overall wellness. Schools don’t always offer enough sports and fitness programs. Plus with all the new fangled technology kids are too busy playing with video games and being on the computer. Obesity in children is on the rise and a major concern in North America.
The same applies for seniors. Senior fitness is a growing trend as baby boomers are aging. More gyms and clubs are catering to this new group of fitness goers. Seniors don’t want to lose their zest for life and want to keep mobile and active.
Functional fitness classes are aimed at senior and anyone with a disability. A functional fitness class is aimed at getting a person mobile again. Allowing them to do daily life activities including carrying your groceries home, doing your household chores and being able to play and hold your grandkids.
If you look closely you can see these trends almost follow your life’s pattern. This enforces the thought that exercise and fitness is for life and should be done on a continuous basis.
Planning A Successful Diet And Exercise Routine
Planning A Successful Diet And Exercise Routine
Why You Can’t Just Start Exercising and Dieting
One of the biggest mistakes that many people make when trying to lose weight or build muscle, is to approach the objective as something isolated and separate from the rest of their lifestyle.
Too many people think that they can start getting into better shape, simply by changing their diet or by starting to train for X number of hours a day.
What’s wrong with this? It doesn’t take into account any of the challenges that led to you becoming out of shape in the first place and it neglects to account for the obstacles you will continue to face.
Why Aren’t You in Shape?
When it comes to working out, people will spend a lot of time and even money looking for the perfect training program. This is ignoring the fact that they aren’t already doing any exercise – despite being perfectly aware that doing some press ups at the end of the day would probably be good for them.
They want to get into shape and yet they’re not already doing anything to get there. Why is that? It’s not the lack of program – it’s the lack of energy. And most likely that lack of energy is in turn linked to a number of other things, such as their diet and perhaps their sleep.
More often than not though, that lack of energy is to do with stress. It’s because they’re coming home every day from a hard day at work that leaves them feeling harassed, energyless and potentially depressed.
Likewise, we’re stressed, tired and rushed because we have so many other commitments. These include things like clubs and activities, taking the kids to school, making food and cleaning the house…
How a Complete Lifestyle Change Helps
With all this in mind then, it’s not enough to just try and add 5 40 minute workouts to your week, that just won’t work! Instead, you should focus on your whole lifestyle to put yourself in a position where you do have the energy and the time to make these big changes.
That means focussing on getting home from work quicker and on being less stressed while you are working. It also means improving your sleep by learning to switch off and by maintaining a more comfortable sleeping environment.
It even means dressing better so you feel more confident at work and thus more energized when you get home.
To get into shape it’s not enough to change one thing. Everything must change.