Archive for September, 2008

5 Reasons Why You Should Exercise Regularly

September 29th, 2008 stay fit guy

You already know that you need to hit the gym, the pool, the basketball court, or the soccer field to get and stay fit If you need some extra motivation to get up and Just Do It, these five reasons may provide you with the push you need to get started

You already know that you need to hit the gym, the pool, the basketball court, or the soccer field to get and stay fit. If you need some extra motivation to get up and Just Do It, these five reasons may provide you with the push you need to get started.

1. Exercise helps to elevate your mood.

Whether you need to relieve stress after a long day or you are feeling a bit down, spending 20 or 30 minutes performing some kind of physical activity will make you feel better. When someone gets their heart rate elevated, their brain releases some feel-good chemicals that help them to feel more relaxed. Exercising regularly can help with anxiety and depression, too.

2. Exercise can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Many people struggle with their weight and if you have ever tried to manage it by dieting alone, you know how difficult it is. A better strategy is to combine a healthy diet with regular exercise. Physical activity gives your metabolism a boost and makes it easier for you to burn calories.

3. Regular exercise will help you sleep better at night.

When you are more physically active, you may find that you are able to fall asleep easier and stay asleep longer. The quality of your sleep improves and you are much better able to deal with the demands of your day, no matter what it throws at you.

4. Exercise strengthens your heart and lungs.

Your heart is a muscle, and when you get regular exercise, you are actually helping to strengthen it. If your heart is able to do its job more efficiently, your whole body functions better. As a result, you will have a lot more energy and when you are not struggling to get through the day, you will be better able to enjoy life.

5. Being physically active can improve your sex life.

That”s a good reason to make plans to include exercise in your routine. If you find that you are too tired to be interested in sex, then start exercising. It will give your energy levels a boost, which means that your interest in being intimate will come back. When we feel better about ourselves, we are more confident, in the bedroom and outside of it.

Since exercise improves circulation, men who make a point of exercising regularly are less likely to experience erectile dysfunction as they get older. This is another good reason to stop being a couch potato.

The good news about getting motivated to exercise is that once you establish the habit of being physically active, it will be less of a chore for you. It will probably take about 30 days before this change in your routine is a habit, and that doesn”t seem like a long time to wait to get used to doing something that is going to improve your life in so many wonderful ways. Even if you start with a daily walk around the block or a game of one-on-one in your own driveway, you?ll start to see improved strength, endurance and energy.

Now get off the couch and get started!

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Sports Nutrition For Athletes

September 29th, 2008 stay fit guy

Athletes are always aiming to build their lean muscle mass to increase their athletic performance. One key to achieving your muscle gain goals is to have the proper calorie uptake for your workout routine. Most competitive athletes know that not all calories are created equal so eating the right calories is key to proper sports nutrition.

Carbohydrates For Sports Nutrition

Carbohydrates are the leading energy resource for building strength in muscles. Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in the muscles to provide energy for short, explosive bursts of exercise. The harder and longer you workout, the more carbohydrates your muscles need. If your stored glycogens are exhausted then you will feel a drop in energy and find it very difficult to continue exercising. If you continue to work out without any energy stores then the body will start burning muscle instead of fat reducing your exercise effectiveness. You can see why eating enough of the proper foods for good carbohydrates is important when building lean muscle through strength training.

Sports Nutrition Protein

In order to build muscle your body needs protein because it is the foundational building block for muscle tissue. The amount you exercise and body weight will both play a factor in how much protein your body requires. You should consult a nutritionist or personal trainer to determine the proper protein uptake you need but a general rule is around half a gram of protein per pound of body mass for average athletes. If you are serious about strength training and workout 5 or more times a week you may want 0.6 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

Burning Fat

Even though your ultimate goal is to burn fat and build muscle you need to include some fat into your diet to keep your body healthy. This will help your body burn fat and keep muscle along with giving you some wiggle room in your diet. You should aim for 25% of your calories to come from unsaturated fat.

Sports Nutrition Hydration

Athletes require more than the standard eight glasses of water a day to replace the fluids lost during an intense workout. It is a good idea to consume about a liter of water during a workout and 2 cups of water before and after your workout. This will ensure your body does not become dehydrated during an exercise routine lessening the impact of your efforts.

Extending Energy with Sports Drinks

Protein bars and sports drinks (anything that ends in “ade”) are good for a boost when you exercise more than an hour a day. If you workout twice a day or have an extended workout then sports drinks are a great supplement for energy and hydration. It is best to save the energy bar or some other protein rich food for after your workout routine. Another option is a protein shake designed as a meal replacement; although this may just be a snack if you are really pushing hard. It is important to recharge your body after exercising with protein, carbohydrates and hydration so that your body is fully fueled for the next intense session. This will help promote fat burning after your workout and complement building muscle mass in future workouts.

Sports Nutrition Supplements

There are many nutrition supplements touted as the best thing ever however trained athletes should know that most of these products are gimmicks. Since nutritional supplements including sports nutrition supplements are not regulated by the FDA there is a lot of room for stretching the truth. Seasoned strength trainers do utilize a few supplements including whey protein powders, creatine and fish oils.

Training With Creatine

Creatine is a supplement that helps muscles recover from a workout and is a good way to speed up muscle building when coupled with a solid diet and exercise regiment. Creatine occurs naturally in some meats but you can take about 5 grams for 5 days for an extra boost. It is a good idea to rotate creatine usage to maximize its affect in building muscle. Many athletes take it for 5 days then take 5 days off and start using again. Be aware that if you take creatine everyday eventually it will lose effectiveness.

Remember to always consult a registered nutritionist, physician or personal trainer for nutritional guidance.

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Top 5 Weight Loss Tips and Guides for Teenagers

September 27th, 2008 stay fit guy

Weight loss tips and guides abound in magazines as well as in television and internet locations Eat Healthy If there was only a few weight loss tips and guides available for teenagers and others, the most important one would surely be to eat healthy
Weight loss tips and guides abound in magazines as well as in television and internet locations.

Eat Healthy

If there was only a few weight loss tips and guides available for teenagers and others, the most important one would surely be to eat healthy. Check the intake of things like fat, protein, sugar and caffeinated foods in order to improve your overall health and help you in your drive to lose a few pounds for a special occasion. In fact, if you make a conscious effort to always eat healthfully, you may find that you no longer need to go on endless diets. Instead, you will maintain your desired weight within a few pounds of what is appropriate for your height and body type.

Walk

Walking more is one of the best weight loss tips for teenagers. In fact, just as for adults, movement–active enough to get the heart rate up and the blood flowing. Because adolescents are normally functioning at a more efficient rate from a metabolic standpoint, sometimes it doesn”t take as much effort to kick the metabolism into a higher gear as it would for an adult. Even a few minutes walk two or three times a week will provide overall improvement in general health as well as better oxygenation of the blood, and will firm and tone the muscles.

Avoid Fast Foods

One of the least popular weight loss tips for teenagers, in fact for all of us is the recommendation to avoid fast foods. Fast foods are often a significant part of the normal diet of Americans and these foods are often high in fats as well as calories. Replacing a double bacon cheeseburger with a grilled chicken sandwich on whole wheat bread will change the number of fat grams consumed by a significant amount and be better for your heart as well. If you can”t avoid fast foods as a teenager, at least choose those that are more healthful than others.

Participate in activities

Weight loss tips, whether for teenagers or adults almost always include the recommendation to increase the expenditure of energy in order to burn more calories. Teenagers can do so by ramping up the sports activities and doing more high energy activities such as roller blading, dancing and similar pursuits. Increasing the activity level alone will result in more calories expended, even if the food intake level doesn”t change. Using both techniques will be doubly effective. Making more sensible food choices adds yet another dimension to effective weight loss.

Avoid Sugar

Sugars, both refined and natural are often used by teenagers in order to provide energy for the many activities in which they participate on a daily basis. However, in order to lose weight or at least to control weight, it is important to avoid the intake of large quantities of refined sugars such as those typically found in candy, ice cream and other products. Taking advantage of the variety of weight loss tips will help the modern adolescent maintain the ideal weight levels throughout later life as well. Choose wisely as a teenager and your later weight control issues will be lessened or nonexistent.

Using the resources you will find at http://www.fastweightlossplantips.com is an easy way to learn about effective Weight Loss Tips for both teenagers and adults alike.

Article Source: Top 5 Weight Loss Tips and Guides for Teenagers

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