10 Best Fitness Tips - Common Fitness Tips

Here’s a quick top ten of what we feel are some of the best general fitness tips.


Goals
Before you start any new program always write down your goals


Plan
Once you have set out your goals, draw up a plan on how you will achieve them.


Take a before photo
The change will be gradual and it is often difficult to see by looking in the mirror but take a picture every month and see the changes.


Do a fitness test
Before you start a new regime make sure you know your current state of fitness.


Take your time to stay up to date
Read the latest fitness magazines and books so you can stay up to date with current fitness developments.


Keep a journal
Keep a food and fitness journal; you will be surprised at what it will reveal.


Eat several small meals
Eat several small meals through the day rather than the accepted “three square meals.”


Drink water
Aim to drink at least eight glasses of water a day


Ward off stress
Take time to relax and reflect every day


Think positively
Think positively, negative feelings can set back your gains.

Read more...

10 Best Fitness Tips - Motivational Tips

Motivation is king when it comes to exercise and health, if you’re motivated to succeed you will succeed.


Find a partner
If you have someone to workout with your odds of sticking to it are greatly increased.


Set your goals
You need goals to work to in order to succeed. Want to run a marathon? Want to drop a dress size?


Vary your routine
Don’t just hit the same machines over and over again, you’ll soon get bored.


Try something new
Why not try a game of squash? Or rock climbing? Go wild and try new things all the time.


Get the new gadget
There’s nothing like the latest heart rate monitor to make sure you hit the gym.


Focus on feeling
Focus on the positives of exercise, how do you feel and how does it make you look.


Take a break
Take a rest from working out occasionally you’ll come back with renewed vigour.


Treat yourself
When you hit your goals, go out and buy yourself a gift, dropped that dress size? Get a new dress. Got a six pack? Get some new clothes to show them off.


Keep a log
Tracking your workouts and progression will demonstrate the gains you are making.


Music
Make sure you have your favourite music with you when you workout.

Read more...

10 Best Fitness Tips - Clothing Tips

To get the best results you have to be wearing the correct clothing, here’s ten to help you get the best from your kit.

All eventualities
Going for a jog outside? Make sure you have the right kit for rain, sleet and snow!


Comfort
Comfort is king with workout clothing, if you’re not comfortable you will not get a good workout.


Quality
Workout clothing is often treated harshly, it is washed a lot it is thrown into the bottom of bags. If your clothing isn’t of a good quality it will fall to pieces only too quickly.


Quantity
If you’re working out everyday your will need plenty of clothing for your workouts.


Wicking
Wicking fabrics should be worn next to the skin as they pull moisture away from the body and keep you cool.


Be Reflective
When the winter months arrive you will be jogging in the dark, make sure your clothing is reflective and you can be seen.


Socks are important
Don’t scrimp on socks! Poor fitting socks will give you blisters.


Go to a specialist
When buying your running shoes, go to a specialist running store that will help you select the correct shoes depending on the style of your running. This will help avoid injuries.


Take your old running shoes
Taking you old running shoes will allow the store to see the wear on the sole of the shoe therefore giving them an insight into your running style.


Sun cream
If you’re jogging or cycling in the summer months make sure you “slap on the sun cream!”

Read more...

10 Best Fitness Tips - Equipment Tips

Buying fitness equipment can often be a baffling ordeal, try these tips to a stress free purchase.


Consider the noise level




How noisy are the equipments? Do you live in an apartment? Can your partner still hear the TV?


Size




Will the equipment comfortably fit in the space you have set aside? Will it stow away in a cupboard?

Cost

Is the equipment within your budget? Will you get the usage from the equipment?


Refund policy

What is the companies refund policy? If the product is defective can you easily return it?


Buy something you enjoy

If you hate the idea of running then don’t go out and buy a top of the range treadmill. Get a piece of equipment you will look forward to using.


Buy from a knowledgeable retailer

Get advice if you need it from the retailer, they should have a good working knowledge of the products they supply.


Buy some travel equipment

If you’re away on business or on holiday it’s always useful to have a jump rope and some resistance bands this will ensure you don’t have to miss your workout.


Have Cardio and Strength equipment

If you’re kitting out a home gym you need both Cardio and Weight equipment to ensure a quality workout routine.


Buy the best you can afford

Don’t scrimp on fitness equipment, buy the best you can afford and it will pay you back for years to come.


Do your research

Research the product fully before you decide to purchase.

Read more...

10 Best Fitness Tips - Muscle Building Tips

Getting in great shape makes you feel superb; to get a great shape you must train with weights as well as your cardio workouts.


Evaluate

Before starting a weights plan you should evaluate your current position and goals. How much can you comfortably lift? What size is your waist? Do you want to be the next Mr or Mrs Universe? This all impacts the plan you must put together.


Keep your workouts short

Muscles respond better to short intense sessions, so does your boredom threshold and your life 


Start with compound

Compound exercises will help keep your workout short and will allow your body to adapt to the rigours of weight training.


Eat well

When training with weights your body will burn up more protein as these are the building blocks of muscle. Six small protein rich meals a day is your goal.


Supplement

Your body will be stressed by a weights workout so ensure you take supplements that aid healthy joints and bones.


Rest

Muscles grow when the body is asleep so get plenty of rest for maximum gains. It will also help you to not over train.


Use correct technique

Bad technique leads to injuries and poor gains. Take the time to get the right technique. If you’re struggling for form then the weight is too heavy.


Lower at half the speed of your lift

The lowering portion of the lift can help build the muscle so make the most of it!


Stretch and warm up

Warm muscles respond better to strength training, it will also help you to avoid injury.


Measure your progress

Keep a log of your sessions so you can see your progress and you know what weights you were lifting in your last session.

Read more...

10 Best Fitness Tips - Weight Loss Tips

Weight loss is probably the single biggest reason people start to exercise. Try these ten tips to blast that fat.


Don’t concentrate on losing weight

Concentrate on eating healthily and exercising rather than obsessing about weight loss.


Eat more often

Smaller meals eaten more regularly will keep your metabolism high and will help you to burn more fat.


Eat fewer calories

This is an obvious point but worth stressing. You CANNOT lose weight unless you create a calorie deficit. That is burning more calories than you consume.


Eat more protein

The ideal fat burning menu contains a large portion of protein.


Eat the right fats

Fats are very important to your diet, think oily fish however rather than saturated fats from fried food.


Consistent exercise

To create a calorie deficit and to tone up you MUST regularly perform both cardio and resistance training. Aim for three cardio sessions and three weight training sessions a week.


Weigh and measure weekly

Give yourself the boost of seeing the weight come off by weighing yourself weekly. Don’t do it with any more frequency however as body weight can fluctuate.


Cut down on sugar

Sugar causes insulin spikes and the sugar in your coffee or tea can really add up over the course of a day. Try green tea which is rich in antioxidants and can help burn fat.


Keep it hot

Did you know that simply changing the temperature of the water you drink can speed up your metabolism and burn more calories? Drink hot water!


Don’t go hungry

Starving yourself will just prompt the body to slow down it’s metabolism as it thinks there’s a famine so will store fat.

Read more...

10 Best Fitness Tips - Cardio Tips

Cardio is the cornerstone of your workout; these ten tips will help you ensure your cardio is ultra effective.


Get a Heart Rate Monitor

A heart rate monitor ensures you don’t over train or workout at too high a tempo and can help you hit your goals


No Pain Good Gains

When performing a normal cardio session you should still have the breath to conduct a conversation, don’t overdo the intensity it won’t benefit your development.


Do something you enjoy

Hate running? Don’t do it. Love cycling? Do that. Pick a cardio routine you will look forward to doing


Switch Machines

A forty minute treadmill workout can be boring can’t it? Why not switch between the treadmill, rower, elliptical and stepper?


Play with the intensity

When you have completed your base phase why not throw the odd high intensity session into your workout? Sprint for thirty seconds and jog for two minutes and continue this for twenty minutes. A real tough workout!


Get the correct equipment

If you are running as part of your cardio routine, ensure you have the correct footwear. The wrong equipment will get you injured.


Do it in the morning

Performing your cardio routine in the morning on an empty stomach will massively improve the session’s fat burning properties.


Stay Hydrated

You will quickly become dehydrated if you’re not taking on water during your cardio sessions.


Stay Motivated

A standard cardio workout can become boring quite quickly so make sure you have some music on the go or a great view to keep you focussed.


Wait at least 45 minutes before eating.

Waiting for at least 45 minutes after your cardio session before eating will massively benefit your fat burning capabilities.

Read more...

10 Best Fitness Tips - Health Tips

Good health is essential to your quality of life and longevity, try these ten for size.


Stop Smoking

Smoking has no benefits to you at all, so why do it?


Reduce Stress

Stress is one of the major killers in the western world, learn to meditate and relax, your body will love you for it.


Drink plenty of water

Water can help you loose weight and will help detoxify you.


Wear a seatbelt

Not wearing a seatbelt increases your chances of death or injury.


Reduce alcohol consumption

Alcohol abuse can cause relationship, money and health problems and contains a massive amount of needless calories.

Laugh a lot

Laughing keeps you young and is proven to provide countless health benefits.


Don’t ignore body changes

If your body changes or your start to feel pain don’t ignore it, get it checked out. Catching problems early can help professionals to cure them.


Sleep

Your body needs quality sleep to regenerate and to live it’s essential; you die from a lack of sleep before you die from a lack of food!!!


Take tests

Make sure you keep up with smears and other essential health tests


Check yourself

Ensure you check for breast cancer, testicular cancer and skin cancer regularly and take action if you notice any changes.

Read more...