Winston Salem Fitness

Every gym requires essential gym equipments keeping in mind the different exercises and requirements of the clients.
Some of the most essential gym equipments are:
Dumbbells are the first equipment that should be present in a gym – a weight train equipment wherein performing the variety of exercises develops muscles. This versatile equipment can provide the ultimate body workout. It is used for chest and forearms exercises. An ideal dumbbell should have standard shape, size, and grip. It should lay steady in the hands of the user. There are two available dumbbell types in the market: hex and adjustable. Hex dumbbells are for beginners as they are simpler and cheaper in cost. It is made of iron coated baked enamel. The adjustable type is more expensive, time consuming, yet space saving.
Barbell set helps perform heavy exercises particularly because user will be lifting heavy weights using this equipment to improve chest endurance. This equipment is made of steel with carved patterns and plates are steel discs attached at the ends of the barbell. There are 3 types of barbell set: Olympic barbell, standard and Olympic bar. The Olympic barbell is the ideal set of barbell. It consists of 45 pounds weight, 7ft in height with 150-pound plates. The standard barbell is 20 pounds in weight and 5-7 ft in height. The Olympic bar is 35 pounds in weight and 5-6 ft in height. Plates are designed with 25-45 pounds weight. Ideally males carry 20 kilograms and females about 15 kilograms. Exercise professionals say that barbell squat is the king of all bodybuilding exercises.
Exercise bench is the third equipment. It consists of an exercise bench, which should be stable and sturdy. Varieties of benches include flat, inclined, and declined. Other features include leg extension or leg curl attachments. It is used with bench press and other free weight lifting exercises.
Squat rack allows user to perform heavier exercises when he or she has mastered the dumbbells. It is also known as power cage, squat cage, or power rack. It consists of four vertical posts, a movable bar, and side catchers. It helps user perform partial bench press, squats, and dead lift exercises freely.
Dip Station is gym equipment consisting of a solid metal frame, a base and two rubber coated grip dip bars. It helps develop shoulders, thicker delts, and stronger triceps.
Calf raise machines are also known as Smith machines. It consists of a barbell, which moves upward and downward on steel runners with weight rack base to help stabilize the exercise. It helps perform high jumps. There are two types of calf raise machine: standing and seated. Standing calf raise machine should be stable, vertical and plate loadable. Seated calf raise machine allows performance of calf raise exercises while sitting down.
Exercise ball is also known as Swiss ball. It is made of elastic soft PVC with a 35-85 cm in diameter. It is ideally used for physical therapy and exercises.
Treadmill is equipment, which consists of a belt system user, allows running or walking so the top of the belt moves to the rear and allowing user to run on same speed. Some treadmills are motor driven and others are manual. Motor driven treadmills are more expensive yet durable. Manual treadmills are simple and cheaper. Some are created foldable and omni directional function.
Elliptical machines are also known as cross trainers. It is a machine used to stimulate walking and running for a cardiovascular workout.
Rubber bands are used to increase energy level and provide resistance. Ideally, workout rubber band should be strong and loose.
Exercise bikes or stationary bikes are equipment with pedals, saddle, and handlebars created like bicycle but used for exercise. Some are recumbent and others are upright. It is used for general fitness.
Mats are used to keep the user clean while performing floor and stretching exercises. It is usually made of large foams.
Cable crossover machines consist of frames with pulleys located on top and bottom with attached weight stacks to supply resistance. It allows user to perform lat pull downs and triceps press down exercises.
Steppers and stair climbers are machines that are real stairs adaptation. It comes with a stepper type, which are two-foot plates and handrails. Another variation is the rolling staircase, which is a collaboration of the treadmill and staircase.
Spinners are bikes that were designed to allow user visualize cycling up and down.
Medicine balls are rubber, leather, and synthetic made. Some are designed with handles. It helps perform different exercises to increase muscle strength.
Exercise bar includes the push up bar, pull up bar and chin up bar. These are versatile bars, which add variation to the exercises performed. Push up bars are used for the arms, chest and back while chin up and pull up are used for the arms and back. All 3 bars are useful for abs exercise.
Step Benches are used for cardiovascular training. It is adjustable, lightweight, easy to store, non-slip surface with step and bench adjustable.
Rowing machines or the indoor rower is similar to watercraft rowing. Some machines come with an ergometer, a device to determine the amount of work performed.
Leg press machine is equipment to perform leg exercises. Pushing a weight thru the legs performs it. It has two types: the diagonal or vertical ‘sled’ type and ‘cable’ type leg press, or ‘seated leg press’. The diagonal or vertical type involves pushing plates upward. The seated leg press also known as multigyms involves pushing plates forward.
A hyperextension machine is equipment used to develop back and define hamstring muscles. A good hyperextension machine is one, which is fully adjustable with built in non-slip footplate and thick pad.
Bowflex machine is Nautilus, Inc created strength training exercise equipment. It is made of combined polymer rods to produce tension. In 2004, 420,000 units were recalled due to mechanical problems and so in 2006 a new model was introduced in the market.
Jump rope is equipment used to burn calories. It is simple and cost efficient. It is made of materials like beaded, vinyl, leather, and cloth. An ideal jump rope should be of the right length. Different varieties of jump rope include single rope, long rope and double Dutch ropes. Market offers jump ropes with talking digital calorie counting and digital speed counting.
Mirror serves as motivational and progressive reflection of the user’s output while performing the exercises. It helps monitor and provide feedback for the user.
Weight Trees and Dumbbell Racks are used as organizers for the plates used in the barbells and dumbbells. It helps user refrain from bending down while performing exercises.

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1175636

The next time you are thinking about hitting the gym but your bed seems a lot more comfortable and it’s a lot more tempting to hit the Snooze button on your alarm than to get up, do keep in mind that there are many positive benefits to exercise. While it may still be tempting to stay put, once you do get up and moving, you will know that you are doing something that will improve your life and your health long after the workout is done.
OK, I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. But just look at the potential payoffs of firing your snooze button.
Exercise is a Great Stress Reliever
We all have a ton of stress in our lives these days and regular exercise gives us an outlet for those feelings. Instead of carrying around our frustration like a big ball of negativity that pushes down on us, getting physical helps us to diffuse those feelings.
If you want to get the focus off of your own frustration, choose a sport that pits you against an opponent, such as a game of one-on-one basketball. You will be so focused on what the person you are playing against is doing that you won’t have time to think about the problems you have been experiencing at work or whatever is bothering you at that moment in time.
Exercise Helps to Develop a Positive Attitude
When you treat your body well by giving it regular physical activity, something amazing happens. You start to feel better about life in general, not just when you are actually exercising, but after you have finished working out.
Being physically active releases endorphins, the body’s “feel good” hormones. These are the same ones that provide the euphoric feeling that comes with being in love (or eating chocolate). When you work up a sweat on a regular basis, you allow your body experience this wonderful state and you don’t need to worry about whether you will be rejected (such as if you were in love) or gaining weight (from eating too much chocolate).
Exercise Gives Your Metabolism a Boost
If you include working out with weights as part of your routine, over time you will start to develop lean muscle. Muscle needs nutrients to keep them healthy and once the percentage of body fat starts to go down, your metabolism will kick into higher gear automatically to keep your muscles well fed. This will make it easier for you to lose weight, which will certainly give your self-image a boost.
Exercise Can Help Combat Depression
In addition to an increased level of self-confidence, regular exercise may help to combat feelings of depression. It’s a simple solution to a problem that many people struggle with. There are no side effects, like there can be with medications. Exercising is a safe pastime, so long as you don’t push yourself too hard, too soon.
These are just a few of the benefits to getting active on a regular basis. Rather than exercise on your own, why don’t you find an exercise buddy and get started right away?

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1177614

How To Build Muscle Fast by Spending Less Time In The Gym By Jason Ferruggia
I’ll never forget my first encounter with “Big Joe.” I had just gotten my driver’s license about a week before, so I was 17 at the time. Up until my 17th birthday, I had been training at our crappy high-school weight room and was counting the days until I could drive myself to the real gym about 15 minutes down the road. I had been training for a few years at that point and was really starting to get obsessed and read everything I could about how to build muscle fast. Of course, I had been doing everything wrong up until that point, but I didn’t know any better. I was convinced that when I was finally able to join Main Street Gym, I would start to grow like a weed.
During my second week there, I saw Big Joe for the first time. I was about halfway through my workout when he walked in. He was massive from neck to calves with a thick goatee, long sideburns, and a mop of curly brown hair. Big Joe stood about 6’4″ and had to have weighed close to 300 pounds. At the time, he was in his late 30′s or early 40′s and walked with a slight hitch–I would later find out that it was from an old football injury–but he continued to squat and deadlift on a regular basis.
He was doing standing military presses that day and throwing around 275 like the bar was empty. I couldn’t help but stare as he hoisted the weights up with ease. After every set I did, I would walk to the water fountain just to get a closer look at one of the most jacked guys I had ever seen in person.
Eventually, we crossed paths and he nodded. That was it.
All the gym vets seemed to know him and every few minutes I heard one of them acknowledging his presence.
What’s up, Big Joe?
Big Joe, what’s happening, my man?
I had to move to another section of the gym to complete the rest of my workout, but I figured I would see Big Joe again when I was done. I was wrong. When I finished my workout, I looked around the gym and Big Joe was gone.
It was about two weeks before I saw Big Joe again. He came in the door right behind me one night and thanked me when I held the door for him. We both went about our business and started our workouts. He was doing bent-over barbell rows that night and had worked up to 405 for a few sets of six.
About halfway through my workout, I had to run to the locker room to get my straps out of my gym bag. When I returned Big Joe, was gone again.
Over time, I started to see Big Joe more and more and began to notice a trend- he was in and out of the gym before most guys were even halfway done with their workouts. He was so much bigger and stronger than everyone else that I figured there had to be something to what he was doing.
Finally, I worked up the courage one day to go up to Big Joe and ask him about his short workouts. I wanted to learn more about how to build muscle fast and I just knew Big Joe was the one to help me.
Uh, excuse me, I said.
What’s up, big man? Big Joe replied.
I just wanted to ask you a few questions about training. I notice that your workouts are way shorter than anyone else’s in this entire gym, yet you are bigger and stronger than everyone, I said.
Finally caught on there, huh, diesel? That’s the secret right there. If you keep your workouts short, you never overtrain, you recover faster, and you constantly make progress, Big Joe explained. “Your testosterone output peaks about a half hour into your workout and is completely shot within 45 minutes. So get in and get out in 45 minutes or less and you will get huge. That right there is one of the most important things I can ever teach you about how to build muscle fast.”
From that day on I have kept all my workouts short and have always done so with all of my clients. The results have been nothing short of spectacular. There is no reason to spend your life in the gym. Hit it hard and get out. And get ready for guys to start stepping aside when they see you coming.
Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He is the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more How to Build Muscle Fast tips, check out http://saxoplace.ferruggia.hop.clickbank.net

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1177749

OK all you “Jocks” here is what you have been looking for!
Good solid factual information about products that will actually improve your workout, whether in the gym or doing some other active sport.
Lets start with something basic that everyone who participates in an active aerobic or anaerobic activity needs. What’s that you ask? A good high quality protein supplement.
What follows is a list of some really great products that I have found to be awesome.
By the way, now that I have mentioned me, let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. Bob and my wife Linda and I are very active. We work out, we play tennis and we love to snow ski; so that having an excellent diet and having excellent supplements to keep us fit and healthy is very important to us.
So lets get to the point. Here are some products that we swear by and we think you will too. Here’s what you should look for in supplements for your active life.
1) A high grade scientific blend of enzymatically Pre-Digested Whey Protein, that actually tastes good. Why do you need supplemental protein? Simple. When you actively exercise your body you are breaking down muscle protein, so you need extra protein to combat this catabolic muscle breakdown and promote the opposite which is an anabolic muscle growth and development. Why pre-digested Whey protein? Because it is the best and easiest to be absorbed quickly into your system for best results.
2) Ciwujia: This funny sounding Chinese herb is our best friend and it will be yours as well, once you try it. Recent studies published in “Nutrition Science News” demonstrated scientifically that Ciwujia actually causes your body to preferentially burn fat as an energy source over carbohydrates (sugars) with the result that your body produces much less Lactic Acid when you exercise causing you to have much less muscle fatigue, cramping, soreness & stiffness. You will be amazed at your increased performance, stamina and endurance. When we first tried it, was when we were skiing and we were amazed at the difference it made in our legs. We were able to ski from the top of the mountain to the base without once stopping.
3) Creatine Monohydrate: This is particularly good for those who want to build up their skeletal musculature, but it is healthy for even those who just want to keep their muscles healthy and toned. Along with this it is good to supplement with high quality amino acids (which are the building blocks of protein…for those of you who did not know this) such as L- leucine, L-isoleucine, and L-valine.
4) Omega 3: Almost everyone knows how good Omega 3 is for you, but it is particularly good for the athlete. Why? Because it promotes joint health, it is a potent anti-inflammatory helping to cut down on post exercise soreness, it is heart healthy, reducing the incidence of heart attacks and fatal cardiac arrhythmias, and it helps reduce blood pressure and promotes healthy blood vessels by favoring the good cholesterol (HDL) over the bad cholesterol (LDL).
5) CoQ10: This all important body enzyme is essential in providing your body with the main source of energy, Adenosinetriphosphate (ATP). A recent study in Australia showed that elite athletes who took supplemental CoQ10 performed at a higher level, had less fatigue and less post exercise discomfort. The study was performed using the new, recently formulated Ubiquinol CoQ10 in place of the older and less effective Ubiquinone. On a personal level, we absolutely love these last two products and we take them every day, together. The reason for this is that CoQ10 is lipid soluble an is absorbed more effectively when there is fat present. Omega 3 is a fatty acid and so taking them at the same time increases the effectiveness of both.
6) Amino Acids: Also, having a good source and supply of high grade targeted amino acids is a good thing for anyone who is physically active and who wants to protect and improve their body.
7) Antioxidants: Lastly don’t forget a good source of antioxidants such as Vitamin E, Bee Pollen and our friend CoQ10 which has excellent antioxidant properties.
So, now that you know about what supplements to take to keep you body healthy while you exercise…what are you waiting for? Get in the car and go to your favorite health food store and stock up!
Or if you don’t want to be bothered, here is an excellent site where you can purchase products that will fulfill your needs and you don’t even have to leave your house or your computer for that matter.
Click on this link…
http://RoblinWellnessToday.com <a/>
Don’t forget to type in your Preferred Customer Code: Wellness2440 for special pricing.
The products that correspond to the above are: 1. Whey Protein = ProXtreme 2. Ciwujia = Sure2Endure 3. Creatine Monohydrate = Mass Appeal 4. Omega 3 = WinOmeg 3 5. CoQ10 = Win CoQ10 6. Amino Acids = Elasticity, Flexibility, Elixir 7. Antioxidants = Are contained in the above.
To Your Health,
Dr. Bob

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1177933

On the road from obese to fit one of the things that I had to master was getting myself to exercise consistently. It took me at least 10 years to discover the 7 secretes to becoming a consistent exercising, AND being someone who exercises regularly with joy.
It has been one of the most important transformations in my life and I would like to share the lessons I’ve learned on my journey from sporadic to consistent to fit.
1. Take the long view:
It is what you do, or don’t do, today that determines how you and your life will be tomorrow and many, many tomorrow’s later. You have the body that you have right now because of what you have or have not done over the past few weeks, months and years. Be honest about where not working out will lead you – poor health, low energy, muffin top, man-boobs, and eventually a trip to the hospital.
2. Set a new standard:
We all have internal laws – “I wear clothes in public,” “I don’t cheat on my wife,” and “For God’s sake, I do NOT listen to Britney Spears or read about her in the tabloids,” etc. Here’s a new one: “I DO NOT EVER MISS WORKOUTS UNLESS I AM SICK OR INJURED AND EXERCISING WILL INTERFERE WITH MY RECOVERY.” You can stop reading the article right now. That law, that attitude, is all there is to it, everything else in the article is just how to make it easier to follow.
3. Drop the BS excuses:
Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State flies 24,000 miles per MONTH, yet she works out between 6 and 9 times per week and almost never misses a workout. This is despite the fact that she is almost constantly in a new time-zone, and the “normal order” of her life simply does not exist. What’s your excuse?
Rationalization: rational-sounding-lies about why you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing, that let you off the hook. It’s like taking the top off of a pressure cooker. Excuses make it OK – in YOUR head and your head only – not to exercise. That conflicts with your new standard. This is an instance where it is good to be upset – not to beat yourself up, but to be dissatisfied with your behavior. If you make it OK, then you will not change. You will continue to NOT exercise. If you resist the temptation to let off the pressure with an excuses, then that pressure will motivate you to find a way to get it done.
4. Make more time for THE most important person in your life:
Could you tell your boss that you were too busy to come to work? Not if you want your job. Can you tell your body that you’re too busy to exercise? Not if you want your health, or don’t want your gut.
While you can tell yourself that you don’t have the time to exercise for three hours per week, the truth of the matter is somewhat different. A week has 168hrs in it. So, for everyone who flunked math, three is less than 168. Three is LESS than 2% of the time available to you in the week. The problem is not that you do not have the time, the problem is that you do not reserve the time.
5. Have a REAL plan:
This is, I think, where the magic happens. Frequently people get all excited about getting fit and healthy, and decide that they are going to “workout.” They get a gym membership, and then go in to do some random stuff. Then come back a day or two later and do some more random stuff… This lasts for a week, two weeks, maybe even a month or two and then they just stop working out.
Some combination of three things happened: A) frustration from lack of results, B) exercising started to stress them out and made them feel bad about themselves, or C) they just got side-tracked by life.
A) You know the old saying, “If you choose to act as your own attorney, then you have an idiot for a client.” You are a teacher, a rocket scientist, a doctor, a CPA, or something other than a fitness expert. Doing random stuff in the gym will only get you results by chance – you want results by design. (By the way the ones that so-called personal trainers make up off the top of their heads aren’t effective either.) You are an expert at something, just not this.
There is nothing more frustrating than making an honest effort to do something, and getting absolutely (or almost) nowhere. Get a real plan, and real coaching from a real expert, that really measures your progress objectively so that your time and effort are not wasted. Getting results is very motivating. Lack of results is demoralizing. If you are currently a gym member, I’m sure you have noticed that almost everyone looks the same month-in and month-out, year-in and year-out – especially those working with the people in the “trainer” shirts.
B) Being vague about what constitutes “success” or compliance is the quickest way to feel terrible about yourself no matter how hard you are working. “I’m going to start working out,” or “I’m going to get in shape” don’t mean anything specific? What do they mean specifically?
You need goals that you can quantify and that you can objectively measure your progress towards (with numbers!). You also need a plan that spells out exactly what you are supposed to be doing to get to your goal.
C) A real plan comes in handy here too. If you have a specific plan that says do X, Y and Z on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 45 or 60 min., it is soooooooo much easier to schedule that into your life in advance. Whereas the vague, “I should exercise this week,” or “today” means nothing specific and is impossible to schedule. And if you aren’t setting aside the time in your calendar to exercise, then the only time you’ll exercise is when you have “free time.” Which is something that just doesn’t exist for most people. Everything else becomes more important by default, all your good intentions go out the window and you feel terrible about yourself for not exercising when you know you should. Get a real plan, from a real expert and schedule it.
6. Get more sleep:
Want to put your self discipline on turbo drive? Get 7-9hours of sleep every day. Fatigue is the death rattle of motivation and self-discipline. When you are exhausted your subconscious, and often conscious mind are obsessed with, for lack of a better term, being lazy. They are looking for any excuse to NOT expend energy, to be distracted, to watch TV, to eat some extra food to relax (I don’t think that many people understand how HUGE the link between stress eating and lack of sleep and play time are), anything to try and compensate – poorly – for not getting enough rest.
7. Be realistic:
On the road to success you almost always must pass through failure. Despite what you learned in school, doing something wrong is part of learning how to do it right. You are not a machine, you are a human, so you can probably count on stumbling on your road to becoming a consistent exerciser. If you don’t get it the first, second, third, etc. then keep on trying and adjust your approach a little each time. Stick with it and you will figure it out. Provided you don’t just keep repeating what did not work in the past.
This is all very simple stuff – simple does not mean unimportant: attitude rules, all the strategies to make it easier are great, but they are worthless without the right attitude – “I make all of my workouts, unless I am sick.” Either you do or you don’t, you did or you didn’t, you will or you won’t. No excuses, no rational-lies-ation. You want health? You want to look good? Then you exercise, and you do so consistently. You don’t? Then you don’t, end of story.

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1182104

By Sean Nalewanyj Natural Bodybuilding Expert & Best-Selling Fitness Author www.Workout-Routines-for-Toning.com
Okay, so you’re looking to pack on some serious muscle mass, right?
You want to build a ripped, rock-solid physique that demands respect and turns heads everywhere you go, correct?
Good.
In this article I’m going to talk to you about one single exercise that will help you to achieve that powerful body quicker than you ever thought possible.
No, it’s not a bench press or a barbell curl. It doesn’t involve cables or chrome machines. You won’t need a swiss ball or any other fancy gym gadgets.
All you need is a good old-fashioned barbell and a flat surface. Load the bar with as much weight as you can handle and pick it up off the ground while keeping your back straight.
Sounds simple enough, right?
I’m talking, of course, about the undisputed king of all upper body exercises: the deadlift.
If you’re looking to pile as much lean muscle mass onto your frame as humanly possibly in the shortest period of time, the deadlift is your best friend in the entire world.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that deadlifts are without a doubt one of the most painful and discomforting exercises you will ever come across.
When performed properly, they’ll leave you lightheaded, nauseous, gasping for air and will temporarily have you wishing that you hadn’t come to the gym in the first place. But if it’s serious results that you’re after, this is the price you must pay.
The deadlift will work you from finger to neck to toe. It is a raw, basic power movement and will literally stress every single muscle in your entire body to some degree. The main areas of stimulation are the back (lower and upper) and thighs, but once you start deadlifting on a consistent basis you’ll see gains just about everywhere.
The high intensity nature of this basic lift will also force your body to secrete higher amounts of powerful anabolic substances such as testosterone and growth hormone. This causes what is known as a “spill over effect”, and will result in new, total body size and strength gains.
For example, after a few weeks of heavy deadlifting you should notice that your other lifts, such as the bench press and barbell row, will suddenly increase.
There a few different variations of the deadlift, but in this article we’ll focus on the basic, standard bent-legged version. Let’s go over the proper technique…
Position your feet about shoulder-width apart and grip the bar with your hands just outside your legs. You can either hold the bar with an overhand grip or with one palm facing in and one palm facing out. Choose whatever grip is most comfortable for you.
Start the movement in a squatted position with the bar close to your shins. With your back flat, abs tight and head looking up, lift the weight off of the ground by driving upward with your legs. Pull the weight up until you are in a standing position. Now lower the weight back down by following the same path as when you lifted it.
Rest the plates on the ground briefly, regroup, take a deep breath and pull the weight back up again. Continue the lift until your legs reach muscular failure or until your form starts to slip.
Maintaining proper form is of high importance when performing deadlifts. You should be able to handle a reasonable amount of weight here, and this increases your chance of injury. The most important thing to remember is to keep your back flat at all times and to keep the weight close to your body. Keep your abs tight as well as this will minimize the stress on your lower back.
Practice this lift with light weight in order to get the form down before you start going heavy. You may also find it useful to use lifting straps when performing deadlifts, as this will prevent your grip from giving out before the rest of your body does.
I recommend performing deadlifts once a week for 1-2 all-out sets.
How many reps should you perform for each set?
Well, deadlifts are such an incredibly effective exercise that they’ll work no matter what rep range you use. My suggestion is to stay in the range of 5-7, but some people go as high as 20. Experiment and see what works best for you.
Treat your deadlifts with respect, and be prepared for the gains of your life.
To learn about some other highly effective growth-producing exercises, visit my website at www.Workout-Routines-for-Toning.com. Most trainees get their exercise selection all wrong in the gym, but luckily you won’t be one of them.

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1182172

If you have kids, you can exercise to lose weight after birth. Emulate their behavior and see how they approach fun and fitness.
Just observe a child completely engrossed in a project and you can see how they have the magical ability to be serious about what they’re doing without taking it too seriously. You can do the same with your exercise program to lose weight after birth. Live every day with more focus, and every week with more motivation so that you can lose weight after birth.
Here’s what every child knows and see if you can apply some of these lessons to your daily exercise program to lose weight after birth:
Treat everything as a game. Why slog through the same workout routine and be bored, when you can add a little fun? Make up rules, shoot for personal records and regain your competitive spirit.
Don’t walk when you can run. Every day is full of opportunities to increase your fitness to lose weight after pregnancy. Push yourself a little further in your workout.
If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. Once you reach your goals, chances are your eating habits won’t stick around long if you hated what you were eating. Healthy eating involves balance and moderation to lose weight after birth.
Laugh often. Kids seem to inherently know that laughter can ease blood pressure, help your brain function, give you energy, and help you reach your goals. Smiling and enjoying yourself can be serious help.
Playtime is important. We get so caught up in work, chores and a host of “have-to’s” that we forget to take time for ourselves. Not only does relaxing and regrouping make life worthwhile, it has real health benefits. Most of all, it will help you stay consistent and motivated to lose weight after birth.
The world should be full of color. Decorate your dinner plate with as many colors as possible. It’s more fun to look at, the most colorful produce options often pack the most nutrients, and chances are you’ll be eating a healthy, balanced meal to lose weight after birth.
Have friends around. Children tend to gravitate toward other children. It gives them spirit and makes them want to play all day. Working out with other people is almost like having your own little playgroup.
Go outside for adventures. Every kid knows that the good stuff is in the great outdoors–fresh air, wide open spaces, limitless possibilities. You can’t find those things cooped up in a tiny, stale gym. Open the door and start a new adventure every day to motivate you to lose weight after birth.
It’s important to use your imagination. Be Wonder Woman or whoever you choose to be. Give yourself permission to believe in your own super powers and let your mind take you wherever it wants to go. Anything is possible. No fear, no self-doubts, no negative self talk, no self-criticism, no worries, no destructive anxieties or thoughts of failure. To a child, he/she can do anything. And do you know what? They’re right.
Fitness consistency and enjoying what you do is key to losing weight after birth. When you act more like a kid, suddenly the world opens up. Living a healthy lifestyle becomes something you want to do every day. Start enjoying yourself again as you work on your goal to lose weight after birth!
What is YOUR most pressing question about weight loss? Just type your weight loss question at the link below and click the “Submit” button, and you’ll receive a preview of The Essential Post-pregnancy Weight Loss Guide for FREE ! http://chelle1984.thinkrite.hop.clickbank.net/

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Try to reduce the Fat, Sugar and Salt in your diet.
Diets high in fat and sugar are typically also very high in kilojoules or calories which when combined with low levels of exercise or activity can contribute greatly to us being overweight.
In addition, excessive levels of fat, sugar and salt in our diets have been shown to contribute to a variety of serious health conditions.
Foods that are ‘low in fat’ have 3g or less fat per 100g. Drinks low in fat have 1.5ml or less per 100ml.
Foods ‘low in sugar’ have 5g or less per 100g and drinks low in sugar have 2.5g or less per 100ml.
Foods ‘low in salt’ have 120mg or less per 100g.
While all the foods we eat won’t have levels of fat, sugar and salt as low as this, these measures can be useful when we are comparing food options.
Join a gym or hire a personal trainer with a friend.
Joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer with a friend has many advantages.
Foremost among these advantages are that you’ll have a workout buddy, who can keep you motivated and keep you company while you get used to the gym environment and exercising regularly, and you’ll save money because most gyms and personal trainers offer discounts when you join or train with a friend.
Just be careful to make sure that both of you are as committed to exercise as each other and be prepared for the time when your workout buddy isn’t able, or doesn’t want to, workout any more or as regularly as you do.
Hopefully by the time this happens (if it happens at all), you’ll have made new friends at the gym or enjoy exercising so much that you are motivated and happy enough to do it on your own or find a new workout buddy.
Participate in a weight loss challenge.
Getting yourself a diet buddy or buddies and setting yourself a 12 week weight loss goal is a great way to lose weight.
Losing weight when you’ve got someone else to compete against will give you extra motivation and help you to stay on track.
The members of the Weightloss Forum currently have such challenges which you can participate in simply by registering as a member of the forum, which is totally free.
Walk for a ½ hour instead of watching TV.
Some people believe that watching TV is a great way to wind-down after a hard day and doing exercise is often the last thing on their minds.
But going for a half-hour or hours walk instead of plonking down in front of the TV can help you de-stress, clear your mind and set you up for a relaxing evening and a great night’s sleep.
You can make the walk even better if you take your partner, children or dog with you.
Share an entree or dessert with a friend.
Many of us put on weight because we make careless or unconscious eating decisions, like automatically ordering an entree or dessert while at a restaurant.
Most restaurants main meals are already too big and as well as eating them, many of us eat entrees and/or desserts as well.
If this sounds like you, start sharing your entree or dessert with a friend and your waist-line will thank you.
Vary your exercise.
In addition to helping us avoid boredom, adding variety to our exercise program actually helps us lose more weight and become fitter.
When we perform the same exercises at the same intensity, our bodies get used to our routine and stops responding. Muscles only get stronger when they need to adapt. By changing exercises and the order in which we do them, we keep our body guessing and force it to respond and adapt.
- To get a an idea of your fitness level before starting a new exercise program, try running or walking for 12 minutes and see how far you get.
If you can walk or run 1.6 kilometres in 12 minutes or less, then you’re in decent shape. Most beginners won’t make it this far in under 12 minutes, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t.
Beginners should start out at a comfortable pace and increase their speed as their fitness improves.
Eat leaner red meat & poultry.
Fat contains 37 kilojoules (9 calories) per gram while protein and carbohydrates only contain around 17 kilojoules (4 calories) per gram so it makes sense to try to reduce the amount of dietary fat in our diets if we are trying to lose weight.
One relatively simple way of doing this is to eat the leanest red meat and poultry available to us.
As well as buying the leanest meat and poultry we can in the first place, we can also trim off any access fat from our cuts of meat and remove any skin from our poultry.
one of the reasons many of us are putting on weight year after year is that we have lost all sense of correct portion sizes.
Because most meals served in restaurants and at home are much larger than we actually need to maintain a healthy body weight, some people use a very simple technique to successfully lose weight and keep it off – they only eat half of what is on their plate!
Could this work for you?
Walk during your lunch break.
For most of us our lunch break is an ideal time to go for a walk but many people miss this opportunity to build their fitness, relieve stress and burn precious extra calories.
If you aren’t motivated enough to go walking alone, organise a walking group among your colleagues, you’re sure to find other people who want to get fitter and lose a little weight.
Park your car further away from the shops and walk.
Increasing the amount of incidental exercise we do each day is one of the secrets to successful weight loss.
By parking further away from the shops than you normally would you’ll force yourself to increase the number of steps you take in a day which will help burn off extra calories and help improve your fitness.
I hope these were usefull tips, for more weight loss tips click here – http://chelle1984.4idiots.hop.clickbank.net/

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Whenever someone finds out that I’m a fitness expert the FIRST thing out of their mouth is, “What kind of crunches should I be doing for my abs?”
Each time I say the same thing, “Squat and eat better.” And each time I get this very puzzled look while they think “well what the hell does that have to do with my abs?”
The truth of the matter is that you have a six-pack right now. That’s the natural shape of the muscles. You can’t see because there’s too much fat between your skin and your abdominal muscles. If you want a nice tummy, get lean and crunches have NOTHING to do with getting lean.
Why Crunches Have Nothing To Do With Getting Lean
They fall into a category called “isolation exercises”, and when it comes to fat-loss, isolation exercises are pretty much worthless (they are better than watching TV, but that’s about it). Isolation exercises are exercises designed to target a single muscle, such as bicep curls, triceps extensions, calf raises, leg extensions, etc. of all varieties for each. The common problem with all of these exercises is that they are trying to work just one muscle or body part at a time. This is retarded for at least one reason that we’ll get into:
Little to no results: If you want to burn fat (grow, or become a better athlete for that matter) you want to recruit as many muscles as possible at one time, because you want to consume as much energy as possible during your workout and create the largest Afterburn possible (the Afterburn is the post-workout metabolic boost that can last for up to 36 HOURS that only comes from a well-designed resistance training program, and/or interval training, not from aerobic training).
Example: Leg extension vs. Squat. In the leg extension, you sit on a machine that stabilizes your hips and back, and then straighten out your knee (just like in a seated ass-kicking contest). You hit just one muscle group – the muscles on the front of your thigh (quadriceps). This is just a platy 8 or 9% of the muscle in your body.
In a squat, you hold a load on your back, shoulders, or in your hands and you squat – like sitting down in a chair without using your hands. In a squat you hit the muscles in your feet, front of your calfs, back of your calfs, inner & outer thigh (you can skip the inner/outer thigh machine now), front & back of thigh, butt, abs (way more than on a crunch), and all the way up and down your back. You’re hitting about 80% of the muscles in your body at once, or getting 1,000% more done in the same amount of time. Basically, you could do 10 isolation exercises to get the benefit of just doing squats. Better yet, you could do squats, push-ups, dead-lifts (which also do more to stimulate your core than a crunch ever will), and rows to hit your entire body and actually burn some fat, and get way more done in 30min. of multi-joint exercises than you could get done in 2hours of isolation exercises.
(Side note: Ironically, isolation exercises are worthless for fat-loss AND muscle growth. Side note – men can get good sized muscles in just 3 short workouts per week if you stick to the basics: deadlifts, squats, chin-ups, etc. in a well-designed program.)
Getting Lean:
I think that almost most of the articles I have written so far have dealt with getting lean (fat-loss), but I’ll re-cap:
#1. Create A Calorie Deficit (Burn More Than You Eat):
This is the golden rule of fat-loss – the one that you cannot violate if you want to be making any sort of progress at all. Excess calories are mostly stored in your fat-cells. Your body will have no reason at all to access it’s “saving account” until it is in a calorie debt. This is where common sense plays an important role:
*When you go out to eat, you don’t need to devour the bread basket, you don’t need 3 drinks (or more than 1 for that matter), you probably do not need an appetizer (especially a deep fried one), and you almost certainly do not need dessert more than once a week unless you are interested in wearing that food in your belly, and/or hips and thighs.
*Do you drink OJ every day? Stop. Eat an actual orange instead. The orange actually has some nutritional value, like fiber, and will save you close to 180 calories per day over the standard glass of OJ. That one change could workout to 18lbs of fat lost over the course of a year! (OJ has as much sugar as soda does, no it’s not “ok” because its “natural” – whatever that means, sugar is one of the biggest culprits in making your fat cells grow).
Please don’t interpret this to mean starve yourself. That will probably do more harm than good, and either cause your metabolism to crash and/or send you on the binge to end all binges – like the one that killed your last diet.
#2. Boost Your Metabolism & Hang On To Your Muscle
Nothing new here, lift weights and do intervals. If you’re interested in fat-loss, avoid wasting any of your time in the gym with aerobics – they are nearly worthless in the short term, and counterproductive over the long term. Aerobic exercise is a no-no: it will stimulate your muscles to shrink and thus slow your metabolism and stall results. Intervals and lifting 3 or 4 days per week (2.5 to 3.5hrs/week total) will burn tons of calories during the workout, and for the 24 to 36 HOURS after your workout. #3. The Icing on The Cake:
If #1 and 2 are the cake, then #3 is the icing – the after though, the bonus, or the thing that it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to do until you have taken care of your foundation (#1 and 2). The icing on the cake are exercises for your core (your core being the muscles in your mid-section, all of them). Doing some extra core work can be beneficial for a number of reasons, including giving you a little edge in having an even nicer mid-section than #1 and 2 would provide alone. P.S. eating a lot of cake would pretty much negate #1, but you knew that already.

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The World we live in these days is in constant motion and as a direct result, so are we. It seems like we are never in the same place for very long. You can wake-up in San Francisco, be in Dallas by lunch and have dinner in Miami.
After doing some reflection on this, I started talking with some of my personal training clients that do their fair share of business travel. Not to my surprise, my client’s fitness regimens greatly suffer, as does their health. (How many times have you come home from a business trip with a cold or totally worn out? Granted, a lot of factors are in play here, but the lack of exercise can be a contributing factor, or should I say “exercise,” could play a role in being an important health safe guard).
I thought I would tackle the subject of keeping to your fitness regimen while traveling for business, since it is easier than you think and more important to do than you may think.
There’s no doubt that traveling these days is stressful and traveling for business is especially stressful. There’s an obvious difference between boarding an airplane to Hawaii to have fun under the sun and boarding an airplane to New York to give an important business presentation.
Stress is one of many “health negatives” attached to business travel (the stress of travel and the stress of conducting business), but add in late nights (lack of sleep), dining out (over eating and often eating late), drinking more alcohol (over indulging), you can quickly put your health and well-being behind the eight-ball.
So I’m not going to tell you to eat less, drink less and get the proper amount of sleep while on your next business trip, although I wouldn’t be doing my job as a personal trainer if I didn’t, but I understand the reality of the situation. However, I will tell you that there is no reason for you to totally abandon your workouts.
To combat some of the negatives of business travel with several positives, a few of the key benefits of continuing your workouts while traveling on business are;
Exercise on the road will boost, as well as help you maintain High Energy Levels and increase Stamina, so you can “Go, Go, Go” without hitting the wall and crashing.
Exercise on the road will greatly increase your body’s Immune System to work at peak performance. Stay healthy and come home healthy.
Exercise on the road will help keep normal “day to day” Stress and your added stress of business travel in check.
Exercise on the road will help you maintain your Weight Management while on the road. Stay mindful of what you are putting into your body, but on the other hand, enjoy the pleasures of dining out within reason. That slice of cheesecake is far less damaging when you hit the gym or go for a brisk-walk the next morning.
Exercise on the road will help you maintain healthy Sleep Patterns. Jet lag, differences in time zones, a strange bed, work dancing around in your brain, long hours are all contributing factors of throwing your sleep patterns way out of whack. Exercise helps quiet the mind, relax the body and aids greatly in ensuring a good night’s sleep. Wake up feeling rested, calm and refreshed, ready to face another busy day.
Exercise on the road can help relieve Body Tension and Muscle Fatigue. Unless you’re one of the lucky ones who are able to travel First-Class, you will be painfully aware of the joys of being crammed into a tight and un-comfortable airplane seat for an extended period of time. Lugging your suitcase, laptop and work-paperwork in your briefcase around takes its toll on your body. Your shoulders, back, neck and feet really feel the negative effects of travel. Exercise will help you stretch out your body and balance it by relieving the days built up tension in your muscles.
Exercising on the road will help you recover from the negative effects of Alcohol. You know that sometimes, unavoidable night of drinking with your co-workers or clients. Alcohol as we all know, has some damaging side effects. If you are feeling a bit slow, in a bit of a daze and even that dreaded feeling of being hung-over from last night’s party, exercise could be your magic pill for that much needed, quick fix. It might seem like the last thing you want to do, but it will have a much better effect on you than sleeping in. When we exercise we sweat and by sweating we release the toxins from our body, as a result you boost the recovery process. You will have that spring back in your step and feel energized to face another busy day.
Exercise on the road will keep you Mentally Sharp, focused and give you that important competitive business edge. Plus you will look and feel alive, believe me it will show.
Now that I’ve talked about the reasons to exercise, I would like to touch on: “How to Exercise” while you’re are on the road.
Today’s business travelers are so fortunate that most business hotels have realized the importance of exercise and have made fitness rooms available to their guests. This has made it so much easier not to skip a workout.
Some hotels have fitness rooms that are loaded with different types of aerobic machines such as treadmills, stair-climbers, bikes and make weight machine and free weights available while some fitness rooms only provide the most basic equipment. Whatever you have available to you, I am sure you will be able to accomplish a quality workout. Most of this fitness rooms are available 24 hours, which will help you schedule your workout at a most convenient time.
If you aren’t fortunate enough to be staying in a hotel that has a fitness room, ask the front desk about local gyms in the area. Most gyms will make day or even weekly passes available to the business traveler for a reasonable fee (in major cities many hotels have partnerships set up with local gyms for hotel guests. If you belong to a large national gym chain, like Bally’s Fitness or even the YMCA, check the list of gyms in the area you are traveling to ahead of time so you can schedule your workouts. I actually like to check out new gyms; you might find an interesting and new piece of workout equipment that your home based gym doesn’t have and a change of workout scenery if always nice.
Business travelers have no fear if by rare chance a gym is not available to you, you still can accomplish your workout the old fashioned way. Whether it’s as simple as running up a flight of stairs (talk about a killer workout), or some good old fashioned push ups, sit ups, running in place and stretching in your room. I find doing some yoga (especially to help make my body forget that airplane seat) and shadow boxing work well for me.
Another great option available to the business travelers is to travel with a pair of running shoes. What a great way to take in the city’s sites, get a taste of some local color, and enjoy some fresh air by getting out and taking to the streets for a brisk walk or energizing run.
If you get some down time on your business trip, maybe enjoy some recreational activities like a round of golf, the local batting cages, some skating or bowling. All in addition to being exercise, they are also fun and excellent team-building opportunities.
So you can now see, with a little imagination and drive, the business traveler can find a good and beneficial workout on the road. Take it from an experienced personal trainer and a seasoned traveler, the business traveler will be way better off having done their workout on the road!
THE FITNESS UNDERGROUND-LOS ANGELES http://www.thefitnessunderground.com
Worldcopyright: Markus B./The Fitness Underground

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