A Grab Bag Of Facts You Should Know About Fitness

There are all kinds of fitness fads and fitness practices available today. Many people form their fitness knowledge based on the teachings of an individual expert or guru.

This can be very helpful in forming a core fitness philosophy; however, there are many truths surrounding fitness, and a smattering of general knowledge never hurt anyone.

In this article, we will discuss some random fitness facts that are both fun and useful to know. Read on to broaden your fitness knowledge.

Playing in the yard with your kids or grand-kids is fun, but many people put off playtime because they feel it is too indulgent. After all, we should be hard at work doing practical things, right?

Well, the fact is vigorous play outdoors burns up calories and keeps you fit just as well as power walking. Aside from that, it has the benefit of strengthening your ties with your friends and loved ones and putting a smile on your face.

All-in-all, playtime is fun, productive and vitally important to your health, fitness and well-being.

No pain, no gain, right? Wrong! This is an old-fashioned theory of exercise that left a lot of people injured in the 1980s and 90s, Actually, fitness pursuits should be fun and challenging, but they should not hurt.

When you are engaged in active exercise at the appropriate level for you, you should be able to talk, laugh and feel good. If any of those qualities are missing from your fitness routine, you are doing it wrong.

For maximum results, dial it back a little bit to a point where you are comfortably challenged.

Lots of people think that doing just a little bit of exercise is a big waste of time.

The generally accepted theory is that you have to exercise vigorously at least half an hour every-other day to get any benefits at all.

You will be happy to know that this is hogwash. Anything you add to your activity level on a regular basis will make some difference in your overall health and fitness level.

For example, while choosing to take the stairs instead of the elevator every day will not give you 6-pack abs, it could very well reduce your blood pressure significantly and improve your overall cardiovascular health.

It is never too late to start exercising, and every hour that you spend exercising may pay off in two more hours of life!

Even if you are middle aged or elderly, exercising at an appropriate level will help you keep your energy levels up, retain and improve flexibility and mobility and improve your muscle tone and general health.

Gentle exercise such as walking, stretching and even slow dancing will improve your health and the quality of your life.

Lifting weights (even little ones) is a great way to keep your body young. After the age of thirty, we start to lose lean muscle as well as bone density.

Weight-bearing exercise helps combat the loss of muscle mass and bone mass. Working out with light hand weights while watching TV and/or going for a stroll can help you maintain your youthful figure and keep your skeleton strong.

Many people are afraid to start exercising because they think it will just be too hard or will not really help. Clearly, any level of exercise begun at any time in your life will boost your fitness level and help you enjoy your life more.

Combine a positive, can do attitude and a handful of these fitness facts to improve your fitness level today.

Eating To Help Maximize Your Fitness Goals

Fitness and nutrition go hand-in-hand. You really cannot have one without the other. What and when you eat can have a big effect on how you are feeling when you exercise. This can be whether it is a serious competition or just a casual work out.

The intensity and duration of whatever activity you choose dictates what you should drink and eat, and how often.

Paying attention to the snacks and meals that you consume will provide you with a great benefit during your fitness workouts.

Eating a healthy breakfast is essential. If you work out in the morning you should get up early enough to be able to eat breakfast first.

This means you may have to rise one or two hours earlier before you begin your workout.

Typically your blood sugar is low in the morning because most of the energy from the previous night’s dinner has been used up. If you do not eat before your workout, you can feel lightheaded or sluggish when you are exercising.

If you are going to be doing your workout within an hour after you eat breakfast, try to keep it lighter or drink something that will help to raise your blood sugar levels.

Carbs are great in the morning to help maximize energy. Bananas, whole-grain cereals, juice, low-fat milk, and whole grain breads are all good choices in the morning.

Be very aware of how much you are eating before you start to exercise. The general rule would be if you are eating a large meal, try to consume it at least 3 to 4 hours before you begin your workout.

If you are eating a smaller meal try to keep it at least 2 to 3 hours before your workout, and a small snack should be at least an hour before your workout.

If you eat too much before you start your exercise you can end up with stomach cramps, or you may feel really sluggish. If you eat too little, you may not have enough energy to feel strong enough throughout your workout.

Either way, you are missing out on maximizing your full workout potential.

Snacking can be very important. Some people eat small snacks before beginning and then during their workouts. The trick to this is being aware of how you feel. You need to find the foods that seem to work best for you.

If you are eating right before your workout, the snack is not going to give you much added energy, but it can help to keep your blood sugar up during the exercise.

Good choices for snacks are foods such as granola bars, yogurt, energy drinks or bars, fresh fruit or bananas, crackers with peanut butter, whole grain bagels, or fruit smoothies.

If you are working out several hours after you have eaten a meal, a healthy snack is really important to help provide you with the energy that you need.

Eating the proper foods at the right times can greatly help to maximize your energy levels so you can get the most out of your workouts to help you achieve your fitness goals.

Learn more in here about our lifetime fitness exercise guide

Warren Tattersall has been a nutritional consultant for over 20 years and has a personal interest in weight lifting toward reaching competition level.

If you would like to learn more about safe healthy ways to get fit, and about the natural supplements that I recommend and use myself, just drop me a line here and you'll get a free consultation ... CONTACT ME - no obligation, we'll just have a chat about your weight and health goals and the best ways you can achieve them while improving your overall health.

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