If you want to feel better as you age, you need to be good to your body. It can be difficult to know what the best way to do so is. There is so much information out there about fitness, so it’s hard to know where to start. The tips laid out here will give you a solid foundation on how to get fitter.
Setting goals for your fitness level is a wonderful motivation. Having goals focuses you on the task at hand instead of the hurdles to get there. A goal also discourages quitting and shirking because it makes you think of your fitness program as an ongoing process – a process you are not finished with yet.
If you employ a variety of techniques and workout elements, you can improve your results. If someone’s favorite way to exercise is on their elliptical, they can take a jog around their block instead. There will always be different results achieved between running up hills on a sidewalk and the treadmill. If you vary your exercises, your body will not be able to settle into routine, and your weight loss will keep improving.
Try thinking out of the ordinary when you want to start a new fitness program. You do not have to go to the gym to workout; you can get exercise anywhere! This can be key to maintaining your motivation, a necessary element in any long-term fitness commitment, especially for beginners.
Strength Training
Your long term exercise goals should be the determining factor in the frequency of your strength training. If you want muscle mass, you should not have more than one strength training session a week. If you prefer more leaner muscles, do more strength training.
Keep your knees strong by exercising your thighs. Tearing a ligament on your knees is a very common sports injury. To keep your knees safe it is crucial to include exercises for both your quads and hamstrings. Leg curls, squats and quad extensions are good exercises to build up these muscle groups.
Track everything you do throughout each day. You should write down the food you eat, drinks you consume, and what exercises you do. You should even jot down the weather you had that day. Doing this will help you notice patterns in your workout activity. On days you do not accomplish much, make note of the reason.
If you want perfect ab muscles, start an aerobic workout. It is important to get about 30-45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 3 times a week. Do ab exercises every other day and exercise your full body regularly.
Plan your workouts on a regular, frequent schedule. Try and workout anywhere from two to around four times a week, just as long as you are moving around you should be fine. Remember that you do not have to have extra long sessions to achieve results. Aim for at least a full 15 minutes. Never work out more than one hour per day. The frequency and quality of your workouts matter more than the amount of time you spend exercising.
Age can be a factor in determining how much stretching you are able to do. People younger than 40 should hold their stretches for about 30 seconds. If you are over the age of forty, hold your stretches for a minute. This helps prevent injuries to your muscles.
To have enough energy for your workouts, you need to eat a variety of proteins, carbs and healthy fats. If you are active, about half of your calories should come from protein, a third from carbs and 20% or less from fat. Each meal should include protein, which helps to nourish and build your muscles.
As with anything else in life, knowledge is power. It doesn’t matter if you want to casually get into shape, or if you are diehard about it, education is helpful. If you remember these tips, you will soon be in better shape.