Exercise Guide

You know you should be getting some sort of exercise, you know of all the health benefits that come with a more active lifestyle. You’ve tried the whole Gym thing, but it just wasn’t for you. The temptation to just sit in front of the TV, to curl up with a good book, or to spend a little extra time at your computer is just too big. Who wants to head to the gym right now anyway?

There are many other options to get more active that don’t include jogging, weight lifting or other “traditional” ways to work out. Here are a few ideas to get you moving

1) Chase your Kids around the Yard
You’d be surprised at how much of a work out you’ll get playing catch with your kids. Time will fly while you are having fun and your children will enjoy the extra time with you. Just get out there and play.

2) Turn up the Music and Dance around the Living Room
While you’re dusting, putting up dishes, straightening up the kids’ rooms, or after you’ve been sitting around for too long, just play some of your favorite upbeat music and dance around in the house. Not only will you get your heart rate up, but you’ll also have more fun doing some of those chores.

3) Plant some Flowers
When the weather is nice, just get out there and plant some flowers. Or you could start a little vegetable garden, trim some hedges, cut the grass, or plant a tree. You get the idea. Just get out there, enjoy the sunshine and fresh air, and play in the dirt. Yes, this actually counts as exercise in our book.

4) Go for a Walk with a Friend
Take a walk and invite a friend to come along. I’ve had some of the best conversations while on a walk. Getting to chat with a friend makes the time fly by and before you know it you’ve been walking for 30 minutes.

5) Listen to some Music or an Audio Book while You Walk
Again, keeping your mind on something else will make the time fly by and you’ll get some extra fun out of your walk. You may even want to consider getting an MP3 Player. You can easily add what you want to listen to and go for your walk.

6) Sign up for a Yoga or Pilates Class
Consider starting a yoga or Pilates class. Both of these workouts are pretty low impact and won’t leave you sweaty and sore (mostly). You may also enjoy meeting some new people in the class.

7) Take some Dance Lessons with your Partner
Ok, here is the tough part: Convince your partner to take some dance lessons. Dancing will give you quite the workout and it’s just plain fun and of course romantic. Think about all your options here. You can pick from anything from Ball Room Dancing, to Line Dancing, to Latin etc. Pick something that sounds fun to you and go for it. You’ll enjoy the extra one on one time with your partner as well.

Go for a Swim at Your Local YMCA or Aquatic Center
Swimming makes for some great exercise. It is low impact and easy on your joints. Start by swimming a few laps, or play in the pool with your kids.

9) Go for a Bike Ride
Take the entire family on a bike ride. You can ride through your neighborhood in the evenings or plan a longer trip for the weekend. Pack a picnic for extra fun and start peddling.

10) Go for a Hike
Look for some hiking trails in your area and go for a hike. This could be a fun activity for you and a friend, or take the entire family along. Start with some easy trails and work yourself up to some longer or steeper trails.

Go ahead, pick one or two of the activities and get moving. I’m sure you’ll come up with plenty of versions of your own. The most important thing is to find something you enjoy, so you’ll stick with it. Get out there and get moving today.

Susanne Myers together with Christine Steendahl, owns and publishes the Healthy Menu Mailer. Each week, we provide you with 7 dinner recipes. Sign up for a free sample menu of Healthy Recipes

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I cannot imagine that there is anyone past the age of about 10, that has never had calf cramps. Let’s face it, they are horrible. From having no pain and full movement to excruciating agony in a matter of seconds. I think that you can relate to that. If you are into sports though, calf cramps are far more common, and can stop you in your tracks. So what are calf cramps exactly? Anyone competing in sports know that they usually occur after strenuous exercise. But what about those poor folk who wake up with cramps for no discernable reason. So, how do they occur?

How Calf Cramps Can Occur
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Although not an exhaustive list by any means, here are some common causes of calf cramps

Dehydration: If you are involved in any sports, especially if you are serious about it, you should always ensure that you maintain your fluid levels. As you get hot, your body sweats, and you lose fluid. If these fluids are not replaced, there is a danger of dehydration, and dehydration can accelerate the onset of calf cramps.

Over tiredness: If you exercise longer or harder than you are used to, there is a danger of calf cramps. Sometimes, in competitive situations, this can be difficult to avoid, but in training, you should increase demands on your body slowly, so that it can get used to it. That is the purpose of training after all. If you train to peak fitness in competition, the likelihood of calf cramps or any injury for that matter, is reduced.

Vitamin deficiencies: There is speculation that that athletes who get calf cramps could suffer from low levels of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Poor warm up: It is vital that you warm your body up carefully before any exercise. If you don’t stretch your calves properly for example, they continually stay contracted and are thus more susceptible to cramps.

Poor circulation: I can attest to this myself. When I was young, I played a lot of soccer, and used shin guards to protect the front of my legs. To keep the shin guards in place, I used ties to hold my socks up. More than once, during a strenuous game, my calves tightened up and cramped. The cause, I am sure, was poor circulation as a result of tight sock ties.

Some of these causes will have obvious remedies for example. I shouldn’t have tied up my socks so tight for example! If cramps occur during exercise, then stretching the calf whilst massaging can alleviate the pain, and stop the muscle from tightening. However, there are other things that you can do which might stop the problem occurring.

Stretch your muscles before exercise as part of a regular warm up routine. Try and warm down after exercise as well.

Ensure that you stay properly hydrated during exercise and drink plenty of water

The article was written by Charlie Cory, who is the owner of Home Fitness Online, a website dedicated to providing advice
about attaining higher levels of fitness from the comfort of your own home.

You can visit his website about calf cramps.

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When you start out with a workout program - whether the purpose is weight loss exercise or another - you have started a training process that hopefully is going to last for a while. It is important that you are aware of some factors that can decrease your motivation for the exercising or even damage your health - while you are executing your training program. Even a few minor mistakes in your workout can easily accumulate to bad habits over time, kicking you off track, and that is not the purpose with good exercise. Below I’ll go through a few of these.

1. Impatience

Impatience is probably most people’s worst enemy when it comes to staying on track with your workout plan. It is so easy to get distracted, especially if you feel the recent progress with your exercise has been slow. You must be aware that physical training won’t do miracles over night. Only faitful and diligent exercising and workout, day after day, week after week, month after month will prove results.

Looking back; maybe you’re one who hasn’t trained or exercised for years, maybe not at all. How many years did it take to put you in the physical shape and fitness condition you were in before you started regular exercising? Do not expect results in one week - take a look back and try to feel the difference after 3 to 6 months of exercising. If you are that patient, you’ll definitely see results of your workout effort.

2. Expectations too high

If you expect to become a Joe Jordan or a Naumi Chambell after a few weeks of exercises, you’ll get disappointed. The purpose with your physical workout is to make yourself feel better and give you a better and richer life, not to compare yourself with others, whoever they are.

The measurement stick should always be the fitness and shape you were in before you started the exercising, and every improvements you do, are with references to this. If you do that, your expectations to the results of your exercise and workouts will be realistic, and you’ll be amazed of how good you really can be.

3. Getting Exhausted

Especially in the start up phase of a training program, some people are exercising so hard that they simply get exhausted or burned out. If you start your training program exceeding your present capabilities, and if you have not been exercising since you were a kid - you probably won’t be able to jogg or workout for the next 14 days.

Your muschles will hurt so much and your legs will be so stiff after your mega exercise, that you have to lay down and wait til you are able to exercise again. This is not very motivating. Start out the exercising very carefully and lite - that is especially important if you have not done much training before.

4. Doing exercises the wrong way

This can really be damaging, especially with anarobic exercises. If you are training at a fitness center you should make sure you’ve got all the instructions you need from the trainer before you do any workout. One little mistake in your exercise can damage your back for a long time, and even permanently.

The best is to have a personal trainer that can follow you through thick and thin throughout the exercise program but for most people this alternative is too expensive. So my advice is; if you are in even the slightest doubt of how to do an exercise, simply ask, ask and ask. The training staff is there to help you with your exercising, that’s their job.

5. Chosing an exercise program that is not exciting enough

I have always been fascinated about people I have seen running up and down roads and streets day after day or people that do all their exercise on trim cycles. How boring must that be? Well, we are all different and have different preferences when it comes to what activities we enjoy. Some people love to run for hours - and that’s fine, let them do it.

I prefer more enjoyable sports like tennis, badminton, football, smashball, squash or training together with other people. Dancing is also a great fat burner. The point is: Chose an exercise plan that include your favorite activities.

If you like and enjoy what you’re doing day in and day out, you’ll be much more likely to stay in the training program for a long time. And the longer you stay in it, the more you’ll enjoy it.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet marketer. He runs the website 11-Weight-Loss.net. Terje enjoys to give advice and help people with fitness diet programs and target="_new" href="http://www.11-weight-loss.net/workout.htm">exercise plans

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