Health and Diet Articles

Posts Tagged ‘workout’

Five Important Exercises To Do Each Day

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Everyday should be an exercise day! Ideally, this exercise day would include a full workout.  However, sometimes this is not possible due to time constraints. Many people run around with overbooked schedule and too many tasks to accomplish.  People should be able to squeeze in time to do at least 5 exercises that are not time consuming at all.  By breaking up the exercise time into smaller sections to get a work out, you get exercise goals accomplished that you did not think possible.  Here is a list of 5 exercises a busy and on the go person should do each day.

1. Jump Rope

Jump roping is a rigorous activity that is easily transportable. All it requires is a jump rope, sneakers and a location to jump rope. You can burn on average 11 calories per minute jumping rope.  In 10 minutes, you could burn about 111 calories. This all depends how quickly or slowly you jump rope and what your heart rate is.  This activity will burn calories instantly.  So if you are traveling out of your area or even at home, you can find 10 minutes and bring your rope with you and burn calories.

 2. Crunches

This is a problem area for almost everybody at some point. Fat loves to collect on and around abdominal muscles. However, the fat around your abs can be worked into muscle with regular crunched. Crunches should be done at least once a day. The amount you need to do depends on how many your body can take. You should start out doing 3 sets of 10. If this is not strenuous, work your way up to 15 or 20 per set. Once you get a regular routine going, you can get tone that wonderful abs.

3.   Squats

Squats are great for the gluteus maximus. You can do a squat by placing your feet shoulder with apart. Next, you slowly bend up and down while you keep you back straight & flat as a board. This is great exercise because you work your quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals, hip flexors, and calf muscles. This will keep your legs and thighs looking really fit and toned.

 4. Lunges

Lunges work the same muscles as the squats. This will keep your legs strong and fit looking. You do lounges by keeping your back straight and bend one knee and then the next as you walk forward.  This workout usually allows you to the stretch that is taking place. You will love it.

 5. Triceps/Bicep curls

Keep your arms fit and strong. This is so important because as you get older you do not want to lose your upper body strength. By doing bicep and tricep curls once a day, you can stay fit looking and feeling fit. You can do a bicep or tricep curl by getting some weights that are not too heavy or too light for you. You may have to try out a few different weights until you find the right one for you. I suggest starting out at 5 pounds and working your way up. After doing this on a consistent basis, you will begin to see the definition on your arms.

 

How to Plan an Exercise Routine

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Planning an exercise routine does not have to be complicated. For the most benefits incorporate exercises that cover all of the major areas as well as cardio for your heart. One of the most common mistakes made when first starting an exercise program is to overdo it. It is easy to get hooked on exercising once you start. It feels good to work your body but exercising every day exhausts your muscles without giving them a chance to recuperate. If you must fulfill your desire to exercise everyday build a plan that works different muscle groups on alternate days. A better plan is to exercise every other day so that your body has time to recuperate. 

Always begin a workout regimen with warm up exercises. These exercises will stretch the muscles and get them ready for more serious stress. If you rush through the warm up portion of your workout, or skip it altogether you are more likely to injure yourself. Dedicate at least 10 to 15 minutes to this part of your routine. Yoga exercises are terrific for this and also include a great deal of muscle toning and control along with them.

The next 15 minutes of your workout should be devoted to cardio based exercises that vary in speeds to give your heart and lungs a good workout. The backbone of good health is your heart. It is the most important muscle and needs to be exercised to be healthy.

Follow your cardio routine with exercises that cover the major muscle groups such as upper arms, abs, back, thighs and calves. There are many exercises that can be done without the need for expensive equipment and that cover each of the major trouble areas. You can even get industrious and use common household items to give you extra help along the way if you wish. Plastic milk jugs filled with water or sand make good hand weights, a kitchen chair can double as a dip bar, the kitchen countertop makes a good bar for stretching, and stairs become a great workout tool. Don’t let the inability of lack of time to go to the gym stop you from achieving your health goals during the week.

This portion can be anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. Finish your routine with a generous cool down period similar to your warm up. Stretching your muscles gives them a chance to cool down slowly thus avoiding bunching up. A great deal of the soreness and stiffness often associated with the day after a heavy exercise routine can be eliminated by paying close attention to both the warm up and cool down periods of your plan.

The most important part of your workout plan is commitment. Developing the best plan in the world won’t help you if you don’t take the time to use it. Keep it simple and make it something you can easily accomplish in the time you have available.

5 Simple Exercises That do not Require Equipment

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle but you do not need expensive equipment or health club memberships to get a daily workout. Those things are great but it isn’t always affordable to buy your own and when you can’t get out to the gym you can still get a good workout at home with these five easy to do exercises:

Tone Your Tummy

Sit ups are great but they are hard to do if you are busy. Using a simple isometric exercise you can tone your troublesome tummy area when you are at work or even watching television and no one will ever know you are working out. Sit up straight in your chair and pull your belly button in toward your spine. Hold it in to the count of five and slowly release. Repeat in sets of five. 

Tighten Your Calves

Taking the stairs whenever you can is a great aerobic exercise as well as a terrific leg strengthener but even if you do not have flights of stairs to hike you can get a great workout with just one stair, or a raised platform. Stand on a stair edge with your weight on the ball of your foot and your heels hanging over the edge. Slowly inhale and raise up onto the ball of your foot as high as you can and hold for a count of five, then lower slowly while you exhale until your heels are as far down as they will go. Repeat in sets of five.

Firm Your Biceps

Whether you are in the shower, or just walking through the house you can firm up saggy biceps with a simple isometric exercise. Stand perpendicular to a wall and put your arms straight out in front of you with your palms flat against the wall at shoulder width. Exhale as you lower your torso to the wall keeping your heels flat on the ground. Push up away from the wall as you inhale and repeat in sets of five.

Strengthen Your Back

Most back pain is caused by weak lower back muscles and you can do a simple workout that requires no equipment to strengthen those muscles. Lay flat on the floor face down and put your arms straight down by your sides with the palms up. As you inhale lift your arms off the floor keeping your elbows straight as your press your palms to the ceiling. At the same time lift your legs together keeping your knees straight. Breathe in to the count of five and then exhale lowering your limbs slowly to the ground. Repeat in sets of five.

Get Flexible

Strengthening and toning are very important but it is also vital to keep your body flexible to avoid injuries and keep it in good condition. Standing with your feet together and your arms at your sides slowly inhale and raise your hands until they meet above your head. Exhale as you keep your arms straight out over your head and bend at the waist until your torso is horizontal to the ground. Gently roll your back as you continue to roll down to touch the floor with your palms. Inhale as you reverse the roll and raise back up with your arms stretched high above your head. Inhale as you stretch as high as you can then release your arms to your side as you exhale once more. Repeat in sets of five.

These are just a few of the isometric and callisthenic types of exercises you can do without equipment and in many cases without extra time or a specific place to work out. Doing them even once a day will help improve the condition of your body and better your overall health.