Why do Fitness?

Many years or centuries ago we as a race worked out pretty much every day. Most people did some sort of physical labor for a job or for just basic survival. There were no preservatives or artificial sweeteners or diet pills and since food was not nearly as abundant most were not usually overweight. So people were not dying from obesity related illness or disease, they were just dying from other natural causes like rotten teeth!

Well along came modern technology and out the window our built in workout routine. So we ‘work’ all day but we don’t actually do anything with our bodies. We sit more than ever and eat more than ever. So we invented a thing called fitness. Fitness is suppose to make us better. It is suppose to make us happier. Well if you are exercising and dieting and you are miserable then something is wrong. This is where the concept of balance and moderation come into play.

Everyday, the clamor for good looks and great, sexy body is amplifying. While there are lots of medical advancements that could produce your desired body and good looks to some extent, there is still no real substitute for Fitness Exercise. Scientific evidences increasingly confirm that the best key to achieving your desired physical Fitness is, without doubt, regular exercise. There are more significant benefits you can get from exercising other than improving your appearance. Fitness is your cheapest insurance:

Here are some benefits of physical fitness:

- Exercise alleviates many current health problems: Exercise reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes. It also helps people with chronic conditions, improve stamina and muscle strength.

- Exercise improves your sense of well-being: Study after study has revealed that staying physically active not only prolongs your life, it also improves your quality of your life. Not only does it help you set off with more energy, regular physical activity also improves your quality of sleep and ability to cope with stress.

- You're more likely to live a long and healthy life: Regular exercise reduces the risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. It also reduces the risk of having a stroke. In one eight year study of more than 20,000 men, those who were lean but unfit had twice the risk of death as those who were lean and fit.

- You'll have more energy, strength and stamina: People who complain that they don't have enough energy to exercise fail to realize that working out gives you energy.

- You'll get sick less often: Both aerobic exercise and weight lifting strengthen the immune system.

- Exercise can relieve depression: One of the best ways to chase the blues away is to exercise. Research has shown that for mild to moderate depression, regular physical activity can be as effective as psychotherapy. Exercise can also improve the appetite of those who don't feel like eating, and reduce the food cravings of those prone to overeating when stressed. And unlike many medications, exercise delivers positive side-effects.

- Exercise can reveal various disorders: Serious and recreational athletes, even casual exercisers who tend to be in tune with their bodies, often notice changes in their performance that can indicate a medical problem. The changes may be nothing, but they might pinpoint problems such as anemia and heart problems.

- You'll keep your bones strong: Both men and women start losing bone mass around age 35. Lifting weights can not only stop the loss of bone mass, but in some cases it can even reverse it. This drastically reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Weight bearing exercises like walking and running also help keep bones strong.

- You'll enjoy life more: Life is much more enjoyable when you're fit and healthy. You look and feel good and you're more productive in everything you do.

Related Articles
- Fitness Workout - Running and Jogging
- Fitness Workout - Swimming
- Fitness Workout - Walking
- Fitness Workout - Hiking
- Fitness Workout - Bicycling
- Fitness Workout - Yoga
- Fitness Workout - Skating

Fitness Workout - Bicycling

Cycling is one of the easiest ways to fit exercise into your daily routine because it's also a form of transport. It saves you money, gets you fit and is good for the environment.

It's a low-impact type of exercise, so it's easier on your joints than running or other high-impact aerobic activities. But it still helps you get into shape.

Bicycling is not only one of the Best, Easiest, and Most Popular Forms of Exercise, it also is a lot of fun! Cycling is great for people who like speed and a variety of pace. Unlike jogging or aerobics, you don't need to worry about joint impacts. Also, pedaling in the fresh air is invigorating and refreshing. One of the most popular type of these Cardio Exercises is Mountaing Biking.

An excellent aerobic conditioning, cycling strengthens the legs, especially the quadriceps and tones your muscles superbly. Don't forget, this Cardio Exercise is also one of the least expensive because quality bicycle equipment lasts a long time.

Incorporate Bicycling in your Fitness Plan: Do this exercise 3 to 4 times a week, for a period of at least 20 minutes.

Fitness Workout - Swimming

Swimming is an activity that burns lots of calories, is easy on the joints, supports your weight, builds muscular strength and endurance, improves cardiovascular fitness, cools you off and refreshes you in summer, and one that you can do safely into old age.

If you want a powerful and effective, total body shape-up tool, Swimming is the Cardio Exercise for you. Being a completely non-impact exercise, Swimming is also perfect for the very overweight, the injured, the recovering, and the paraplegic.

Performed with good technique of the swimming strokes, it can Improve your Fitness Level and burn calories more effectively than many other forms of Aerobic Exercise. Swimming also has a dual effect of building cardiovascular strength, and toning and strengthening your body's major muscles at the same time.

Targeted Fitness Goals: strengthens your heart and lungs; builds a stronger upper body; burns calories; entire body workout

Incorporate Swimming in your Fitness Plan: Swim for about 30 minutes 3-5 times a day.

Fitness Workout - Hiking

It's a completely different experience than anything you are going to do in the gym or on the side of a rock. It's more of a full body experience. Your heart and lungs are being taxed and then your whole sense of balance as well.

If you're interested in outdoor activities and scenic views, then Hiking is for you. Although hiking is just a form of walking, this cardio exercise is an excellent form of exercise for people of all fitness levels.

Trails that range from easy to challenging are available to almost every state park - at little or no cost. If you are a beginner, go on easy flat walks. For the more experienced ones, you can head straight up a mountain. If you want to burn more fats and calories, you need to maintain a steady pace.

Hiking is not only an excellent cardiovascular exercise - it provides psychological benefits as well. Hiking helps you clear your head and offers a feeling of relaxation and enhanced well-being that comes on after a few-mile hike in the woods.

Targeted Fitness Goals: Help build muscle strength, particularly in your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and gluteus muscles. Hiking helps strengthen your bones since it is a weight-bearing activity. You will burn more calories if you carry a backpack as it will add more weight

Incorporate Hiking in your Fitness Plan: Do this Cardio Exercise for about 25-30 minutes, 3-4 days a week.

Walking Mistakes to Avoid

walk is one of the best exercises for our health. A 30 minute walk early in the morning is worth a 2 hour hard core excercise in the gym. It gives us a sense of happiness calms our agitated nerves and cools the mind body and soul.

Walking the wrong way can lead to wasted effort or even injury, not to mention ridicule. Here are some of walking mistakes that can be avoid

- Overstriding: When walkers try to walk faster, a natural inclination is to lengthen your stride in front, reaching out further with your foward foot. This leads to a clumsy, ungainly gait, striking hard with the feet. Your shins hurt and you really don't get any faster.
- Wrong Shoes: Not all "walking shoes" are good for walking. If this describes your shoes, you are setting yourself up for plantar fasciitis, muscle pulls and knee problems.
- The Wrong Clothes: clothes matter when you take a walk. Here are some common mistakes with choosing your walking clothing.
- Walking Flat-Footed: Instead of rolling through the step with your forward foot from heel to toe, your foot is flattening out prematurely and you land flat-footed. Either you are fighting stiff, heavy shoes or your shins are too weak to let you roll through the step.
- No-Arm-Motion: It is natural to move your arms while walking to counterbalance your leg motion. But if you keep your arms stiff and straight at your sides, they act like a long pendulum, slowing you down. You can add power and speed by using you arms effectively and more naturally, by bending them and letting them swing naturally forward and back as you walk.
- Leaning: Somewhere you read to lean forward when walking. Or, you may be leaning back on your hips. Leaning forward or backwards or holding your back swayed can all result in back pain and do not contribute to speed or good technique.
- Head Down: You are always looking down, hanging your head and staring at your feet.
- Drinking Water: You don't drink enough water before, during, and after walking.
- Overtraining: you walk and walk and walk. But you have lost your enthusiasm. You feel tired, irritable. You always have aches and pains. You may be overdoing it.

Related Article
- Fitness Workout - Walking

Fitness Workout - Walking

Walking is one of the easiest, most versatile, and most profitable cardio exercises to be fit. All you Need to Walk is a good pair of shoes, comfortable clothes, and desire.

A 30 minute walk early in the morning is worth a 2 hour hard core excercise in the gym. It gives us a sense of happiness calms our agitated nerves and cools the mind body and soul.

Walking is a great way to learn about how your heart rate reacts to different exertion levels since it's easy to monitor and control how hard you work. It doesn't matter if you Walk Outside (e.g. Hiking) or Indoors on the treadmill (especially if the weather is poor) since you will get just as much exercise.

Benifits of walk.

Given below are some of the benifits of walk. (These are just a few of the hundreds of benifits that you get from walk and a seprate book can be written on this topic but I am only giving you the most relevent)

1- It gives your lungs and blood a rich source of fresh oxygen.
2- Very good for people suffering from high Blood Presure.
3- Gives a good excercise to the lower extremities joints specially knees and ankles.
4- Highly recommended for arthritis patients.
5- Helps to lower LDL (bad cholestrol) and increases HDL (good cholestrol)
6- If you take a hot glass of water mixed with lime juice and honey it may help to reduce your weight very fast.
7- The cool and mistic atmosphere of early morning is very benificial for patients suffering from depression and anxiety.
8- Increases you energy and work efficiency.
9- Helps to control high blood pressure.
10- If combined with yoga or meditation, it is alone sufficient for overall health and no other excercise is needed.

Fitness Workout - Yoga

Yoga is a holistic form of exercise that has been practiced for thousands of years. It is generally considered to be a safe, beneficial practice for people of varying ages and levels of physical fitness. The many benefits of a regular yoga practice stem from its emphasis on connecting the mind and body through performing conscious, focused postures, breath work and meditation.

It is consists of Ancient Theories, observations and principles about the mind and body connection which is now being proven by modern medicine. Substantial research has been conducted to look at the Health Benefits of Yoga.

The whole system of Yoga is built on three main structures: exercise, breathing, and meditation. The exercises of Yoga are designed to put pressure on the glandular systems of the body, thereby increasing its efficiency and total health. This Cardio Exercise has both physiological and psychological benefits: it increases your cardiovascular efficiency, improves your posture and balance, at the same time improves you mood and decreases your level of anxiety and depression.

Anyone can practice yoga. You don't need any special equipment, clothing, classes just the will to pursue a healthier and happier lifestyle. The yoga postures and "asanas" exercise every part of the body, stretching and toning the muscles and joints, the spine and the entire skeletal system. And they work not only on the body's frame but on the internal organs, glands and nerves as well, keeping all systems in radiant health. By releasing physical and mental tension, they also liberate vast resources of energy.

Targeted Fitness Goals: stretches and tones the muscles and joints, the spine and the entire skeletal system; work not only on the body's frame but on the internal organs, glands and nerves as well

Incorporate Yoga in your Fitness Plan: At least 30 minutes per session, 3-4 sessions per week.