Free Medical Blog

By: John Layton

Let's face it, everyone of us could be in better shape. By getting in better shape we lower our risk for many disorders and ailments. This can extend your life and improve its quality. One simple way to start a simple fitness workout routine is to set aside a mere half hour a day. After some time with that routine it would be possible to focus on areas you are specifically interested in improving.

It is best for people who are unfit to start with lower impact, and body weight resistance exercises. So there is no need to run out and buy so many thousands of dollars of equipment for your new fitness workout routine. Wait until you know better what you will need. Exercises such as push-ups, squats, and crunches, which use the bodies own weight to provide resistance can be done by anyone. Small hand weights can be used for light weight high repetition overhead presses with the arms. Suitable weights for this should be just a few pounds, one, three, and five pound are the most common. These can be found very nearly everywhere that would sell any exercise or sports equipment.

Always remember to warm up and warm down. It's very important to set aside five minutes at the start and finish of your fitness workout routine. If you don't warm up and down each and every time you exercise you put yourself at risk for pain. Not taking the few minutes required can cause you potentially serious injury. During both the warm up and warm down you need to stretch the muscle groups that you will be using with in your fitness workout routine that day. You should feel a light stretching sensation in the muscle you are intending to stretch, do not force the movement to cause pain, this can cause injury as well. Some light walking is also a good warm up and warm down if your routine includes any running.

A good routine also includes a bit of intense cardio exercise. Any thing that really gets your heart going is the key here. The most common would have to be running, as people can run absolutely anytime with nothing more then decent shoes. There are any number of other exercises that can fulfill the cardio requirement of you routine. Activities such as jumping rope, or pedaling an exercise bike are great. The point is to get your heart rate up and then to keep it up for about five minutes. Don't over exert yourself at the beginning, do what you can, but make sure it is a little more each time. Your fitness workout routine will show results over the next short weeks.

Source: diet articles .info

By: Nitin Chhoda


Which is the world's most common, inexpensive and enjoyable fitness activity?

It is a form of exercise that anyone can do, does not require any investment, special gear or even a fixed time commitment. It can be done anytime, anywhere, and you can do it with friends, while enjoying nature. Its plain-old walking. All you have to do is to find a good location, put on a pair of shoes, find a friend if you can, grab an MP3 player (if you prefer music) and just do it.

Here's a suggestion - Set a simple goal. For example, "I will walk for 30-40 minutes, 5 days a week from Monday to Friday." Make a note of it in your dairy, since writing down goals makes them more achievable. Stick with it. With a few simple variations, walking can become fun and provide a 'total body workout.

TIPS FOR A PERFECT WALK:

1. Invest in a good pair of shoes, preferably cross trainers.
2. Start with a slow-walking warm-up and pick up the pace as you go. Slow down to cool down as you finish.
3. Drink water after your walk. This will help hydrate the body and replace the fluids lost in sweat.
4. Feel free to sing, whistle, or hum as you walk. This develops breath control. It also monitors the vigor of your workout: If you're too breathless to maintain a song, then reduce the pace. If you can maintain a long conversation with a friend while you walk, then the intensity or pace of your walk is on the lower side. So speed up slightly.

POINTS TO REMEMBER WHILE WALKING.

To make your walk a little more exciting, try the following variations on occasions. You can add movements, stretches and resistance.

Movements:
1. Quicksteps. Take short, brisk steps, advancing only inches per step; or march in place.
2. Right-left-back. Step sideways 1-2 paces to the left, then to the right. An occasional backward walk works to engage the opposing muscles, and aid in flexibility and fluidity.

Stretches:
1. Overheads -Extend the arms above head while walking. Maintain the stretch for 5 to 10 paces, then relax and repeat.
2. Long strides - Maintaining a slow pace, stretch the legs as far ahead as you can and take long, slow giant steps to firm the calves, thighs, and hamstrings. .

Resistance:
1. Imagine you are pushing a wall with both hands, while walking for 4-5 steps. Push two walls as they close in on both sides, for the next 4-5 steps.
2. Clench the hands for 3-4 steps, slowly unclench them for the next 3-4 steps.

Don't be concerned that all of this will look funny when you actually implement it in the park, then think about it this way - If you do it right, then you could set a trend for those around you. Try these techniques and you could become a trendsetter for other walkers / joggers in your area!

Source: diet articles .info