Fitness Tips - How Much Exercise Should You Do?

Americans are always wanting to find a short cut. There is no quick fix. Attaining fitness requires a lifestyle change and making the right healthy choices. The most benefits come from cardio-respiratory fitness, and to attain this a regular exercise program is often needed. Failing this, making active choices, such as using a push mower rather than a power mower, and walking to each tee rather than using a golf cart on the golf course, will help one stay fit.

Those who promote fitness exercise are following along the more recent lines of nutritionists' thinking, he says, which involves behavior modification. If you do not change your behavior and make it a lifestyle change, it's not going to become a habit.

The message that many experts are starting to put out is: A little bit of exercise is good enough.

How little? All you need, is to expand 285 calories a day - 2,000 calories a week - in activities above and beyond your job.

But if it's a healthy life you're interested in, they write, all other things being equal, the gardener's odds against heart disease are as good as the marathoner's.

How much exercise you should do depends upon what you want to achieve. If you just want stress reduction, you don't have to do aerobic exercise,... but you won't get reduction in the risk of heart disease if you do not meet minimum standards of exercise. That means exercising at 60 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times a week. Do less than that and you will never achieve a level of conditioning. You won't improve.

But being moderately fit is OK. In a paper based on data collected at the researchers showed that the largest difference in mortality - about 60 percent - was between the sedentary and people who were only moderately fit, as judged by performance on treadmill exercise tests.

It's dangerous to do nothing and easy to do enough.

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Calories burned in a single hour
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The following figures are for a man weighing 180 pounds and a woman weighing 130 pounds.
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Activity Men Women
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Cooking 216 156
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Chopping wood 414 299
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Mowing lawn 486 351
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Scrubbing floors 522 377
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Trimming trees 630 455
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Gardening 576 416
(heavy chores)
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Painting outside 378 273
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Washing the car 270 195
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House cleaning 288 208
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Raking 270 195
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Stocking shelves 270 195
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Window cleaning 288 208
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Fishing 234 169
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How to Gain Maximum Benefits From Aerobic Workouts

The reason for workout may be different for different people. For some, it is to lose weight, and to maintain the good shape for certain others. It is advisable to ascertain your age and level of fitness before you start with Aerobic exercise at home.

One of your first steps should be to understand the benefits obtained by such workouts. Aerobics is a cardio workout that improves overall health of a person. It strengthens the heart, lungs and muscles; circulatory, immune and respiratory systems of the body. It also relaxes the muscles thereby lifting up your mood and mental health.

The next thing to do is to plan your workouts. You can start with 10-15 minutes workout, thrice a week and then increase it to half an hour, five days a week. In order to obtain maximum benefits you need to include strength training with aerobic exercise at home.

Start with warm up of about five minutes, followed by a set of strength training of 8- 12 times. Now, do some light aerobics for 15-20 minutes. You will not be able to see immediate results. It will take time and discipline.

As your body gets accustomed to workouts, you can interchange with aerobics on one day and strength training the next day. You can take one day off to relax yourself.

Lastly, it is important to start with slow workout and gradually increase the intensity and duration. You can easily work your way up with Video CDs teaching Aerobic exercise at home.

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An Exercise Bike Workout

The exercise bike workout has long been a staple of cardio routines everywhere! Some people find them boring to ride but others find that they enjoy that time on the bike. It can be a "me" time where you watch your favorite TV show or listen to your favorite music. Among the reasons that the exercise bike (or "stationary bike") is so popular is that it is easy to do other things while you ride it. It's easy to watch television for example. This makes the time go by much faster for most. Some people even read while riding an exercise bike.

Among the big positives of an exercise bike workout is that it's easy to change the resistance on the bike. You can make the workout not particularly challenging or you can make it very challenging (if you turn the resistance up very high.) This is great because you can keep challenging yourself as your fitness level increases.

Another big positive of having an exercise bike workout as part of your fitness routine is that there is very "low impact" type of exercise. This makes it ideal for those with bad joints or for those who are very overweight. It's also an ideal exercise for those who are recovering from some sort of injury.

An exercise bike may be a great choice for a bicyclist who wants to be able to "ride" even when the weather is poor. Otherwise a bicyclist may spend very little time exercising during the winter months.

Exercise bikes, of course, can be found at any gym. But they are also a great exercise machine to have at home. You can easily buy one online and have it shipped to your home. A great thing about ordering a bike online is that you don't have to deal with transporting it from the store to your home.

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5 Tips to Help You Improve Your Cardio Health

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States today. If you have certain risks factors, it is critical that you take measures to improve and maintain good cardio health. Keep reading to discover what you can do to naturally improve your heart function for a long and healthy life.

1. Lose weight. This should be at the top of your list to get into good physical health overall, but it is especially important to your cardio health. Overweight people are at a higher risk for developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even certain types of cancer. Obesity will also cause your heart to pump harder which can lead to long term damage.

2. Stop smoking. This killer habit can put you at a much higher risk for heart attack and stroke. Smoking is one of the most preventable causes of heart disease there is. So if you smoke stop. If you don't smoke, don't start. If you live with a smoker, insist that they not smoke around you. Second hand smoke can do just as much, if not more, damage to your lungs.

3. Exercise. Your heart is a muscle. The best way to develop any muscle is through exercise. This includes your heart muscle. Exercise gets your blood pumping and makes your heart stronger. It also reduces cholesterol levels and helps to reduce stress.

4. Eat heart healthy foods. Foods that are rich in potassium are good for your heart. You should also try to avoid foods that are high in sodium because sodium will make you retain excess water and put a strain on your heart muscle. Studies have shown that foods that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids are good for your heart. Stop eating the high calorie, high fat junk foods and start eating a diet rich in fiber, fruit and vegetables.

5. Lower your stress levels. This can be easier said than done. We all lead busy, stressful lives. If you feel that you are under too much stress, investigate ways to decrease these stress levels. There may be some things you cannot change, but some things you can. If you are trying to be perfect in everything you do, stop. Nobody is perfect and trying to achieve perfection will cause unneeded stress in your life. Find something that you can do that will de-stress you. Some people like to exercise while others engage in their favorite hobby. Whatever you, do try to lower your stress level to protect your heart from the damage that ongoing stress can cause.

So there you have five great tips on how to improve and maintain your cardio health. Use these tips wisely and develop a few of your own. Keep your cardiovascular system healthy and lower your risk for heart disease.

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The Best Workout Music For the Best Exercise Method - Interval Training

Interval training has been around for a long time but recently has had a boost in support as one of the best methods to gain muscle and lose weight. The problem many people have with interval training is that it is HARD! You have to do sets of intense exercise followed by rest periods and to get the best results you need to keep count precisely on how long you work for and rest for. Compared to more steady paced exercises this can be difficult to achieve which is where having a beat comes in and the best workout music compliments the interval training style.

If you are not too familiar with interval training you may wonder at why it is so hard, and may not know why it is also so good! Interval training as has been mentioned is method of exercise that involves near maximum exertion training for a period of time followed by a rest period of much reduced intensity and repeating this pattern. So if you are running you might sprint for 10 seconds then jog for 20 seconds. It has been proven by many studies now that this method is superior to steady mid level intensity training for cardiovascular health and for muscle growth as well as it pushes and challenges your body but allows rest so you do not wear out quickly where a mid level exercise does not challenge the body enough and straight high intensity training wear you out too fast for lasting effect.

What music is important for is to keep time for these intervals and to keep motivated. The best workout music is hard to find among regular music to match your exact rhythms of exercise but anything with a good beat will allows you to keep count. The best workout music optimally would be music that matched high intensity music for your high intensity period followed by a more mellow tune for your rest periods but you will not find that in the top 40!

From this we can see the best workout music for interval training is not bought off the shelf but is made with this sort of exercise method in mind to produce the kind of results the fitness industry can deliver.

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Calisthenics Exercises

Calisthenics exercises, alternatively known as body building exercises, are considered an effective alternative over visiting the gym in order to build your body as well as remain in shape. In other words, Calisthenics involves a series of exercises that consists of simple steps as well as movements that are usually focused to improve the strength, flexibility, and endurance of the body. Calisthenics exercises are categorized into aerobic exercises and anaerobic exercises. Among the exercises that form part of aerobic exercises are swimming, jigging, running, and walking. Anaerobic exercises include activities such as rope climbing.

The origin of Calisthenics is attributed to gymnastics, and one of the key benefits of calisthenics exercises is that it does not require the usage of any specialized equipment to perform the exercises. Another great thing regarding this type of exercises is that it could be performed anywhere and that too at anytime. As it not risky and does not cause any damage to the body, it could be carried out by people of almost all ages. Further, it is inexpensive, since one can do it without investing in the gym equipments. Above all, performing calisthenics exercises help to improve the resistance level of the body.

Listed below are among the most popular calisthenics exercises.

Sit Ups - First of all, lie down on your back, with your hands beneath your head. Now slowly lift your body with the abdomen muscles. This exercise is especially focused to strengthen the abdomen muscles.

Knee Rotation - This should be done by keeping your feet together and placing your hands on your knees. Then slowly move your hands in clockwise direction and then in anticlockwise direction.

Arm Rotation - To begin this exercise, stand straight with your arms stretched out horizontally.

Hip Rotation - Begin this exercise by standing straight and placing your hands on your hips. Then slowly move your hip in clockwise direction and then in anticlockwise direction.

Flutter Kicks - To perform this exercise, lie on your back with hands placed beneath your butts. Then lift one leg and it should be about five inches from the floor. Then move the leg just as the way you kick your legs while swimming.

Above mentioned are just few among many of the calisthenics exercises, and they also include jumping jack, squats, and push-ups.

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Discover the Benefits of Aerobic Exercise for Seniors

Aerobic exercise is the best for improving your heart health, mobility, fitness and also stretching muscles. Senior aerobics can do all these things, bit when it comes to specialized aerobics for seniors there are even more reasons to participate.

Aerobics may look hard and tiring, but senior aerobics does not have to be. There are gentler ways to raise the heart rate enough without jumping, running, jolting or straining yourself. Aerobics for seniors is also very simple and uncomplicated, catering for people of all levels and ages.

Senior aerobics is a joyful way to improve muscle strength and tone, assist with losing excess weight, maintain heart health and keep or improve your figure. Aside from the wonderful, physical benefits, senior aerobics enhances your feelings of calmness and well being, and alleviates depression through increasing endorphins. It only requires half an hour a day and your whole life will show improvements.

You want to be sure the exercise you are doing is suitable for senior aerobics, and there are plenty of DVD's and VHS' available to buy for directions. You should be able to tell from the name of the program whether it is designed for seniors or not. You will find them to be gentle while still increasing your heart rate and stimulating your entire body.

A gym of fitness center near you should also offer some classes in senior aerobics. These will be low impact, slower classes and can be great fun and social events. The instructor is there in person which can provide you with extra confidence if you feel you need assistance. Fitness instructors focus on safety and soft stimulation for senior aerobics, and everyone is encouraged to work at their own steady pace.

Senior aerobics will commonly include walking and modified walking motions that are done on the spot. Slowly stepping sideways and small kicks will probably be done, and you will be encouraged to do exercises moving your arms and legs to increase your heart rate.

For those who are more experienced or have higher fitness levels, small weights or closed fists can be used for the class. This will further improve strength and flexibility over time. Simple is the key to senior aerobics, so moves are always uncomplicated and designed not to jolt the body or joints. Some instructors include balance exercises on fitness balls and low steps, both which are fun yet gentle.

So you don't; get bored doing the same class every time, there is variety available for aerobics for seniors. These include dancing, dance-step, water and pool aerobics, seniors yoga and seniors pilates. The pool classes are excellent for anyone who experiences trouble with their joints like arthritis.

The idea is to have fun while focusing on improving health through increasing the strength, fitness and circulation in the body. You will meet loads of people through seniors aerobics, and if you have a weight problem, you can work together with others to become healthy and fit.

Simply contact your local gym or fitness club to find out when the classes are on, or alternatively visit your local department store to purchase a program for home use. Before you begin seniors aerobics it is always advised that you check with your doctor first, and if you are given the green light you can begin!

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