Sport Sandals - New Fitness Sandals For Summer Walking

It's that time of year again...summer. It's right around the corner. Time to search for ideas to keep your children busy. Time to plan your summer vacations. For many of you it is time to shake off that cabin fever and get outside and be active. If you're like me, you won't have a lot of time for yourself. One of the activities that gets dropped by the wayside is my fitness routine. But there are new solutions that can help you get creative outdoor workouts wherever you live or vacation. One of which is sport sandals.

There are a lot of different types of sport sandals available. All different shapes and sizes. Don't let your feet down this summer. There is a lot of new fitness sandals available this summer that will help trim the fat and make your body feel great. With many varieties to choose from, and a lot of different claims being made, I have chosen two that I have personal experience with and that I think are worth looking into more.

MBT Sandals

We all know the feeling of walking on sand, right? Soft, forgiving, but actually very hard work. That's the concept of the MBT sandal. MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. It's a footwear company that claims to have technology that mimics walking on a beach.

The secret to the MBT sandals are in its heel. Instead of a traditional sandal heel, they have used a heel sensor and pivot sole that forces you to balance and straighten up. They turn hard and even surfaces that we walk on every day into soft and natural ground. This causes the muscles to work harder and become the natural shock absorbers they were designed to be. With a more upright posture, you not only look better, but you are also healthier and automatically stronger. The design of this sports sandal has provided me with very positive effects, remarkable actually. It really did prove its claims of activating neglected muscles, improving my posture and strengthening my back.

FitFlops

When first reading the name, one might think that their is an error. That I meant to type more common name flip flop. But it's no misprint. Fit Flops are an relatively new type of sport sandals that have been all the rage in Europe and are starting to become very popular in the United States. Fitness, made simple, is the claim and are suppose to tone and strengthen muscles in your legs as you walk.

The people that developed the FitFlop spent years to research and devise a way to train the bottom of the foot to do all the work that it would do if you were walking barefoot. The premise of these sport sandals is to induce instability so that you hit the ground normally while walking. The mid soles incorporate a technology that challenges hard to reach muscles, tones your legs and thighs, and give you a better posture. All this is accomplished with the microwobble effect that causes increased tension in the legs, working the muscles more when walking.

I think the FitFlop sandal is very appealing. It's very comfortable to wear, making a great walking shoe. It's also appealing because of their stylish look. They can be worn with basically anything. Jeans, shorts, skirts. The list is endless. You can't say that about most fitness footwear. I've had my pair, called the WalkStar, for a short period of time. But I can honestly say that, while wearing them, I did feel the muscles being worked. While wearing them I felt my posture being corrected and felt very comfortable while walking.

Overall, I think both the above sport sandals are worth taking a deeper look at. There's a lot of high-tech footwear out there that make promises to do a lot from a fitness and weigh loss standpoint, but these two have a lot of research behind them, plus a lot of satisfied users.

Fitness and Free Printable Exercise Logs

One of the top goals for many individuals is to become a healthy and fit individual. Many will need a way to keep track of calories and food, personal fitness goals and accomplishments. Keeping track of your fitness plans can be an easy task with the help of a free printable exercise log. An exercise log can be used by anyone from the person who has been exercising for a while to the person who is just beginning. When many start a fitness routine, lack of motivation is usually a big problem. A free exercise log can provide you with the visual you need to help keep you motivated, which can help you to continue to strive towards your goals.

A free printable exercise log can help you to remain focused and on task so that you don't get sidetracked. Remaining focused is key to accomplishing fitness success and a exercise log to write down your fitness information can assist you with your efforts. An exercise log is a great way to hold yourself accountable. Holding yourself accountable to your workout can help you to follow through with your short term and long term goals. When beginning a fitness routine people often find that it is very difficult to stay committed to their exercise regime. Commitment is a necessary component when trying to achieve any type of fitness goal and with this exercise log you can stay committed to your workouts.

Free printable exercise logs can be found online and is an excellent way to look at your overall accomplishments. Being able to take out an actual visual that can show where you began when you started your program and where you are now is a great way to monitor your progress or lack of progress. When you are able to do this it can allow you to make needed adjustments to your routine. Being able to make adjustments to your routine is a way to improve your fitness methods. This log saves you the time and effort of trying to remember everything related to your personal fitness.

A free Printable exercise log can also be used as an inspirational tool for others. Friends and family can benefit from seeing your triumphs and setbacks and become motivated to began their own quest for fitness success. The type of information that a log can contain is a record of workouts, weight, body fat, muscular endurance, cardio, food intake, day of exercise, time spent on exercise etc.. You can have your exercise logs custom made to better fit your personal and individual needs. When you choose to have your log custom made, you have a greater sense of control over your success.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Fitness Ball Exercises

Most people dream of getting into shape, losing weight, and exercising more. It can mean signing up at local gyms. However, many fitness enthusiasts prefer to purchase home fitness equipment that can be effective for them. They can take the benefits of a total workout while at homes and within flexible times.

One of the best options to consider is buying a fitness ball. It is time for you to experience a unique workout at home. There are various reasons why this piece of exercise equipment has become very popular. In fact, it is utilized by most physical therapists to treat their patients back pains.

A fitness ball having a diameter of about 55 to 85 centimeter is made of elastic rubber. It is utilized in exercise and physical therapy. There are various names for a fitness ball such as exercise ball, Pilate's ball, gym ball, therapy ball, balance ball, body ball, yoga ball, sports ball, and Swiss ball.

The major benefit of a fitness ball exercise is enabling the body to respond to the ball's instability while keeping your balance and engaging more muscles as well. Keep in mind that the muscles are strengthened upon struggling to maintain the balance. The core muscles of the body, back muscles, and abdominal muscles are the target of the fitness ball programs of exercises.

Exercises done on or with a fitness ball will never bore you. In fact it can challenge your stamina, patience, perseverance and, self-discipline. This is the true form of exercising. Working the entire core muscles to achieve the best results.

A fitness ball is effective because of its rounded shape. It can create instability to induce your core body muscles to work. Compared to floor crunching, the muscles that are only working are the upper abs, but when you do the crunching on a fitness ball, the core muscles including abs muscles, back muscles, pelvic muscles, and hip muscles are working together in helping you stay on the ball.

Try doing a few pushups using a fitness ball, your hands on the floor and your feet on the fitness ball or vice versa. This exercise gives more stability when the feet are spread apart and tougher when the feet are put closely together.

Although a fitness ball provides many advantages. There are also some pitfalls especially if overused. Strength coaches revealed that the exercise ball can cause injury if not used properly. Approximately 70 percent of fitness ball exercises are considered worthless. Nevertheless, it is still prescribed by some therapists in treating patients with back pain.

Incorporating a fitness ball in your fitness program can mean surpassing all the difficult levels involved during the exercise. Each exercise requires support from your stomach muscles and back to help in keeping the trunk muscles firm.

More often then not a fitness ball is good for people who have lower back pain. Other uses include developing overall strength and control of the body's core muscles, increasing the strength of back and abdominal muscles,learning proper posture and body mechanics when lifting objects, and increasing mobility of the lower back.

Fitness Workout Programs - Revealed - The Foolproof Way Of Finding The One For You

It now seems there are thousands of fitness workout programs available on the weight loss market, however a large number of them are simply junk. This article will give you a few pointers of what to look for to find one of the better ones.

1) Look at who they are written for. Many fitness workout programs are written by super fit people that fail to understand that not everyone can do what they do or anything near it. This means a fair amount of those purchasing workout programs find the ones they get too hard to complete. These kind of programs can lead to serious injury if your body isn't used to these types of work out.

2) Options should also be offered in a fitness program. A variety of options being made available will make the program more accessible and flexible, which is important in todays world of hectic lifestyles.

3) Can you achieve what the program asks of you? If the program requires daily workouts or a fair amount of time to give a week, do you have that time available?

4) Does the fitness program sound right for you? If you don't want to go to a gym but the program requires such a chore or for you to fork out on the equipment - then it probably isn't right for you.

5) Make sure some sort of nutritional advice is included in the program as this is more important than the actual workout. Without the right nutrition for your aims you may not lose weight, gain weight or achieve whatever your aim is.

If you check for these factors before you decide upon any fitness workout program it may save you some money and help you to identify the perfect program for you.

Scott Sonnon - World Renowned Tactical Fitness Coach

If you have been exercising fruitlessly and your body shows more signs of damage than muscle, then you need to change your outlook on body fitness routines. If you truly want to build rock hard muscle and want to excel in various martial arts or sports such as rugby, football, tennis, swimming etc then you need to follow the teachings of Scott Sonnon.

As a child Scott Sonnon faced several health challenges such as crippling pain in his joints, dyslexia and several other physical and mental disabilities that might have permanently disabled any other child. However, through sheer grit, Sonnon faced and overcame those challenges and ultimately winning the silver medal in the World University Games in 1993.

He then became the Pan American Sambo champion in 1994, and was then the National Sambo coach of the U.S. Sambo Association in the same year. This was followed by several accolades, awards and recognitions by various departments including the Police Department.

However, it was Scott Sonnon's famous fitness invention known as the "Clubbell" that won him worldwide recognition along with a patent in 2003 for this innovative design that he used in his "Circular Strength Training" Program. The result was that the fitness regimen invented Sonnon is now implemented rigorously in around 58 countries around the world.

In 2009, Sonnon was appointed coach of the U.S. martial arts team that would compete in the World Martial Art games that were to be held in 2010. In 2009, he also created a world record with his 25 lbs Clubbell by doing 1433 mill repetitions within one hour.

If you simply need to learn from the best then you should embark on the Circular Strength Training Program initiated by Scott Sonnon. This multi-pronged approach to total fitness ensures that you do not get bored with a single workout routine. You will be able to learn the correct method of using various exercising equipment and products such as medicine balls, monkey bars, sandbags, Kettlebells and of course his ultimate training tool, the Clubbell. In fact, you can even register with his coach training program that will allow you to master all the patented techniques before teaching it to other interested students.

If you are interested enough to listen to the fitness sermons of Scott Sonnon, then you can attend any one of his public seminars, although if you do want a one-on-one training session with him then you would need to book well in advance since he is normally booked throughout the year.

However, you can be sure of a life-turning experience once you meet this multi-faceted fitness expert and follow his path to total physical and mental fitness. The main objective of his training is based on achieving maximum efficiency in each workout but still recover quickly enough to perform the next set of exercises and that too with equipment that can even fit in a small closet.

If you truly want to gain valuable and unseen insights into achieving a new level of fitness as you pursue various martial arts or sports then you need to train from one of the best coaches in the world. You should definitely try out the Circular Strength Training Program initiated by Scott Sonnon so as to achieve a totally new level of fitness that you might have never thought possible.

Fitness - Slap That Butt Workout

To follow Zuzana's daily home workouts and diet tips visit her fitness blog: www.BodyRock.Tv

LLCoolJ's Men's Fitness awning shoot - Part 3

Part 3 of LLCoolJ's Men's Fitness cover shoot produced by Boomdizzle

Fitness - Ball Buster Workout

To follow Zuzana's daily workouts visit her free fitness blog www.BodyRock.Tv

Why Join a Fitness Club?

Rest assured that there are a lot of reasons why you should join a fitness club but there's only one reason that you'll even feel marginally reluctant to join a fitness club and it's called MEMBERSHIP FEES.

Still, don't let this dissuade you. After all, you can't expect to reap all the benefits of joining a fitness club for free right?

Fitness Clubs - Helping you Achieve your Fitness Goals

Fitness clubs motivate you. Exercising alone is no fun and even if you are not with an exercise buddy, the atmosphere in fitness clubs alone is often enough to energize you into 'getting back on track' with your fitness goals. However, don't worry that you won't find your own 'personal space' in fitness clubs. Most people, like you, appreciate the ambience but are quick to leave you alone.

Fitness clubs offer savings. There is no doubt that various fitness machines have proven themselves to be extremely effective. However, to buy them all would cost a fortune! This is really one of the main reasons to go for a fitness club membership. Sure, you might pay a steep amount especially if you are going for a well-equipped fitness club, but considering that you get access to numerous equipment, consider it a worthwhile investment to your overall fitness goals.

Fitness clubs give you access to fitness professionals. Fitness centers truly worth their salt are staffed with professional nutritionists, dieticians, fitness consultants and personal trainers. Most of the time, access to these people are included in your membership fee so do take advantage of them!

Fitness clubs offer pleasant pleasures. Great amenities such as saunas, steam rooms, spacious shower and changing rooms, and perhaps a swimming pool are all great 'perks' that come with a fitness club membership. So exercise and enjoy!

What to Look for in a Fitness Club

All geared up to join fitness club. Following are a couple of pointers you should consider.

Consider your own fitness goals and what particular type of activity really encourages you. For instance, if you are more into aerobic workouts, join a fitness club that offers aerobics classes and offers a host of aerobic fitness machines. On the other hand, if you're idea of an overall body workout is swimming ensure that the fitness club has a great swimming pool.

Location, location, location. The best fitness club to join is to the one that you have ready access to. Believe me, if that 'perfect' fitness club is all the way across the other side of town, chances are, you will NOT go as often as you should and you would have just wasted money joining it.

Friendly and reliable fitness club staff. Although one of the main factors to join a fitness club is the range of fitness equipment they offer, it is important that they have professional staff that are accessible to you all the time. For instance, some fitness clubs claim that they have in-house trainers and consultants but many customers are never able to 'consult' with them. If you are a novice with fitness equipment or are just starting out on your fitness goals, this point should be big consideration with you.

Fitness and Health - The Real Key to Weight Loss?

Fitness and diet has turned the center of attention of obesity, to a war on losing weight in these days of a fast food world. In fact, multitudes of our population are realizing that the key to losing weight has to be some form of fitness training and diet which is a necessity to good health. With the hectic lifestyle of our society today, most people are leaning more towards overall fitness in a greater hope to chisel your own physique to reach that lean and fit look. As a result, gyms, wellness centers and diversified fitness facilities, are rising up all across the world to assist the needs of health oriented people.

With the influx of infomercials selling exercise machines, weight loss products, and other muscle building supplements, consumers are finally seeing that by implementing some of these products to their fitness training and diet routines will create better health; and for people who are overweight, monumental weight loss. Please remember that exercise by itself cannot construct that do-it-yourself physique. It really entails a greater call to duty by regulating the types of foods one chooses to eat.

Losing weight is fundamentally an exercise all by itself. Dieting for fitness provides an enormous amount of fuel and nutrients your body need to lose weight. Fitness training and your diet should never be interpreted as a negative mindset. With the ongoing popularity of incorporating fitness and diet, research, programs, and dieting strategies are constantly being tested to push the grandness of total health.

But fitness training and diet alone is certainly not the cure all for losing weight and gaining fitness. One must educate themselves about his/her goals to achieve overall health. Significant studies have been done to show that the fastest way to weight loss can only be achieved by creating a fitness workout, and a diet program that is suitable to your nutritional preferences, lifestyle, and your past medical history.

A well balanced fitness and diet program can assist you on your way to overall fitness and improve your health. Health gurus abroad agree that implementing exercise and diet in a well balanced daily routine will reduce the risks of some cancers. When working on a diet plan, try to have your last meal at least by early evening. The body needs time to digest your food before your good nights sleep to rejuvenate itself.

Fitness and diet should be in unison with our day-to-day activities and should not be looked at as a cumbersome task. A daily routine of at least 20 minutes of fitness, and a healthy diet can bring about significant health changes to your life.

Remember, with hard work, and determination, a fitter life-style means putting together a master plan towards looking good, eating healthy, and achieving your overall health and fitness goals.

Planning Your Fitness Program-Fitness

You now know that regular physical activity and exercise can help you avoid preventable diseases and add to both the quality and length of your life. If you are currently active, you are more aware of the benefits of regular physical activity and should be motivated to continue your efforts. If you are sedentary or sporadically active, you realize that you should not delay one day longer in making the behavioral changes necessary to improve your fitness level.
Identifying Your Fitness Goals

Before you initiate a fitness program, analyze your personal needs, limitations, physical activity likes and dislikes, and daily schedule. If you have inherited no major risks for fatal or debilitating diseases, your specific goal may be to achieve(or maintain) healthy levels of body fat, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, or flexibility/mobility.

Once you become committed to regular physical activity and exercise, you will observe gradual changes and note progress toward your goals. Unfortunately, you can't get fit for a couple of years while you're young and expect the positive changes to last the rest of your life. You must become committed to fitness for the long haul-to establish a realistic schedule of diverse exercise activities that you can maintain and enjoy throughout your life.
Designing Your Fitness Program

Once you commit yourself to becoming physically active, you must decide what type of fitness program is best suited to your needs. Good fitness programs are designed to improve or maintain cardio respiratory fitness, flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, and body composition. A comprehensive program could include a warm-up period of easy walking followed by stretching activities to improve flexibility, then selected strength development exercises, followed by performance of an aerobic activity for 20 minutes or more, and concluding with a cool-down period of gentle flexibility exercises.

The greatest proportion of your exercise time should be spent developing cardiovascular fitness, but you should not exclude the other components. Choose an aerobic activity you think you will like. Many people find cross training alternate-day participation in two or more aerobic activities(ie, jogging and swimming)-less monotonous and more enjoyable than long-term participation in only one aerobic activity. Cross training is also beneficial because it strengthen:, a variety of muscles, thus helping you avoid overuse injuries to muscles and joints.

Responding to the exercise boom, fitness equipment manufacturers have made it easy for you to participate in a variety of activities. Most colleges and universities now have recreation centers where students can use stair-climbing machines, stationary bicycles, treadmills, rowing machines, and ski-simulators.
What Do You Think?

You now have the ability to design your own fitness program. What two activities would you select for a cross-training program? Do the activities you selected exercise different major muscle groups?

Cross training Regular participation in two or more types of exercises (e.g., swimming and weight lifting)

Fitness Assessments - An Important Screening Tool Before Starting a Fitness Program

We've all heard the advice before starting an exercise program: "See your doctor before you begin." Often, many adults disregard this advice, presuming that it doesn't really apply to them. However, regardless of your age, your current fitness level, or your health history, it's always important to make sure that exercise is safe and appropriate for you before embarking on a new exercise program.

Fitness assessments -- also known as pre-participation health screenings, or fitness tests -- are important screening tools to determine the presence of risk factors and any symptoms of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and metabolic diseases, as well as other health conditions which may be adversely affected by exercise. The fitness assessment provides key information that can be used to develop a prescription of exercise that helps you achieve your health goals quickly, but safely.

These can range from simple self-administered questionnaires, to a physical examination and even complex diagnostic screening tests. Typically, the physician creating your exercise prescription will determine the screening procedures appropriate for his or her patient population.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests three levels of fitness testing prior to participation in an exercise or sports program. In a Level 1 Screening, only a self-administered questionnaire is completed. The Level 2 Screening is more detailed, and can involve a medical history, physical examination, and laboratory testing. Level 3 Screening involves an even more detailed physical examination and exercise stress testing.

Most often, only the first level screening is performed. However, according to the ACSM, it is not inappropriate to perform all three levels of fitness testing, since the information obtained from all three screening steps can actually enhance your exercise prescription's safety and effectiveness.

Fitness assessments typically focus on identifying the presence of major cardiovascular risk factors, looking for symptoms suggesting possible cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic disorders. However, other important areas of consideration include your baseline joint range of motion and level of flexibility, since design of your exercise program should ideally take these into consideration in order to be completely safe. Your body composition and a test of your strength and endurance should also be performed, primarily to obtain a baseline so that you can see how much you've improved by the end of your exercise prescription.

Finally, perhaps the most important part of a fitness test is to make sure that those who have demonstrated some risks or health concerns are referred for additional evaluation. The presence of health risks doesn't necessarily preclude you from participating in a fitness program, but your exercise prescription may need to be altered to allow for safe participation and to maximize health benefits.

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The Lesser Known Fitness Equipment

The lesser known equipment can be anything aside from the staples (free weights, body weight, cables and weight machines) that give you a great workout and supplement your fitness routine. These equipment types are great for home and studio training.

Effective equipment that can be used for a fabulous fitness program

Stability Balls
Going by many different names (core ball, balance ball, physio ball etc) the stability ball is best known for ab exercises but can actually provide a full body routine. The act of balancing to perform the exercises recruits abdominal core muscles for stronger abs and a better posture. Make sure to reduce your normal weight as the stability ball adds the extra challenge of balancing the weights toward your centre of gravity.

Resistance tubes/bands
Resistance tubes (or bands) are great fitness tools for home/outdoor workouts and the ideal equipment to take with you on vacation. The tubes are portable, durable and affordable. Only one tube is enough for a challenging full body workout.

Medicine Ball
The balls come in weights ranging from 2-15+lbs. They are best suited for power and strength drills. They can also be used to add resistance to abdominal exercises and for easy handling during compound exercises such as a lunge + tricep extension.

Bosu Ball
The Bosu looks like a stability ball cut in half. The name stands for both sides utilized. You can use the Bosu ball side up or down to perform exercises such as squats, lunges, push ups or even as a weight bench for all your bench press and sitting/standing free weight exercises.

Jump Rope
Skipping is a fantastic way to increase your heart rate in a hurry.
You can receive the benefits of 30 minutes of running in 10-15 minutes of jumping rope. Using the rope improves speed, agility, co-ordination and also helps to shed some pounds. They are affordable, portable and very durable.

Punching Bag
Having a punching bag is an awesome way to take out aggression and get fit at the same time. Learning to punch and kick is great defense but it also helps you to lose weight and tone your whole body. I find the punching bag works best with some loud music and a good warm up before hand, so you don't pull your hamstrings.

Russian Kettlebells
This piece of equipment is making a comeback. These are basically, weights with a handle. Kettlebells come in all weight increments and are fantastic for all weight lifting exercises. The kettlebell's main advantage is the handle. It can be placed on your foot for weighted pull ups and thrown in different ways than a medicine ball. Kettlebells are also wonderful for cardio. High rep swings, snatches and clean and jerks will get you sweating up a storm!

With so much equipment options out there, fitness enthusiasts and soon-to-be fans have no reason to get bored with workouts. Try some new equipment for a change of pace and add some positive changes in your physique.

Try It!

Pregnancy Fitness Myths

It was not long ago that pregnant women were told to sit still and eat as much as they want throughout their pregnancy. Nowadays, the rules have completely changed thanks to modern medicine and women willing and wanting to stay fit through out their pregnancy.

Three Pregnancy Fitness Myths

1. You should not exercise.

This is absolutely untrue. Prenatal exercise has many positive benefits including sleeping better at night, less back ache and cramping, easier labour and maintaining weight. It is always best to consult with your doctor before starting a fitness program or even better, hire medically supervised personal trainers.

2. Eat For Two.

During your pregnancy you should be eating healthy, fresh foods and staying well hydrated. Eat what you want your baby to eat but you do not have to overdo it. Just listen to your body. Some women don't feel very hungry at all while others have a bigger appetite. Eat when your body tells you to and keep your proportions similar to pre-pregnancy.

3. You can't do crunches.

Performing crunches while you are pregnant strengthens the abdominals for a faster delivery and recovery time. The only variation required is 20 weeks after pregnancy when you should avoid laying on your back. This reduces oxygen to the baby. Instead you can do crunches seated and on your side.

Pregnancy is not the end of your prenatal body. It's the start of a new beginning and that includes what you do for your health and well-being. Whether you work out currently or not, exercise during pregnancy is a great thing to do for both Mom and baby.

Fitness Slogan For Women

"I'm fit not fat". This is a slogan many women need to remember. Being thin has become a fashion statement. From the rich to the poor, every man and woman these days aim to be in good shape. But are you getting obsessed with it? Are you on a track to starving yourself? Or the societal norms have pressurized you to loose weight before you can find a suitable match ?

It came as a pinch of pain when Suzanne reported "I was shocked to hear that my maid's daughter had been rejected by more than 8 guys as she is little chubby. She is having tough times in finding a relationship."

Though a general health awareness is required, but it is suggested by experts that one should not go overboard. If one is healthy, active and free of any ailments or symptoms of any diseases, then being overweight by few pounds doesn't matter much. If you are really worried of your looks, then don't forget that you can always wear a clothing that will make you look slimmer. Ask or consult a fashion expert.

Now, you can go on to join any weight loss or fitness program but there is no need to be obsessed or overwhelmed with it. Start out slow, maybe just shooting for 1 or 2 workouts a week. Once you have successfully added that to your normal routine, then attempt to slowly add to your fitness program. Plus, most women don't need to exercise more than 3-4 times a week. That doesn't mean you can't exercise more; it's just not necessary. Also, attempting to do too much too fast is worse than doing nothing at all! You may begin feeling that exercise is too hard and its just not for you. So, if you think of joining a weight loss program try to keep things moderate in the beginning. Also educate yourself on how to exercise correctly.

We need to realize that every woman cannot and need not have a perfect 'model like' figure. And there are much better goals in life to aim for. Don't try to compare yourself with others. Some women are genetically thin with a higher Basal Metabolic Rate. Now, being healthier and trying to be healthy is always an important thing in life but weight is not the only parameter to judge your health and fitness.

Mr Smith working in a fitness center faces a lot of problems, "Almost every day girls come in to join one of our several weight loss packages whereas they have normal B.M.I. [ Body Mass Index ]. Even parents are keen to get their teenagers to join our programs. They demand a good shape at any cost. But I feel by the look of face of those girls they are either stressed or depressed."

In fact , in modern world mothers don't want their daughters to lag behind in terms of the looks even though their daughters don't want to become models. We as parents should learn to appreciate our daughters as they are and give them the confidence that they don't need to look beautiful to prove themselves.

It's high time that we change the parameters of judging women. Next time someone comments, lash back in confidence 'I AM FIT NOT FAT'.

Can I Drink On A Fitness Program?

I get asked often if it is still okay to drink while trying to achieve a fitness goal. It's a tough question. Many factors are involved. Some people can drink moderate amounts and still obtain their goals. For others it really hurts their progress.

Personally I absolutely love wine and (good) beer. However, when I was on my weight loss program I didn't touch a drop of either. Alcohol makes me feel fat and apparently, its not just a feeling as you will read below.

It seems every week a new study is released stating that moderate amounts of alcohol, particularly red wine is good for your health. Maybe so, but don't let the studies (which change like the wind!) justify a glass every night. Especially if you trying to shed a few pounds.

Alcohol has 7.1 calories per gram. It's almost as much per gram as fat.

5oz of Merlot red wine is 123 calories. This is okay once a week. Have two if you like. Unfortunately drinking a glass of wine every night will slow down your fitness goals for the following reasons:

-Over the course of a month you will have accumulated over 3800 calories. This is more than a whole pound worth of unnecessary calorie consumption. Drinking a pound worth is alcoholic fluid is not good for any goal. Remember, alcohol is a toxin!

-Just TRY to drink and not eat too! Drinking makes you hungry. This results in eating more than you normally would, in addition to the empty calories already consumed.

-Alcohol spikes insulin levels, causing your body to hold on to fat.

-Studies show there is a definite relationship between alcohol consumption, waist circumference and the waist to hip ratio. Beer belly anyone?

-Alcohol messes with hormonal balances. It makes it harder to put on muscle and makes storing fat easier.

Studies claim that alcohol in moderation can be good for your health (lowers risk of heart disease, improves circulation) but the health benefits they claim to bring about can also be achieved by eating properly and exercising.

My bottom line is that if you have a couple of drinks once in a while, then it's not that big of a deal. If you are drinking everyday then your fitness goals might not be reached nearly as quickly as you hoped.

Have a grape instead!

Be Realistic About Your Fitness Goals

I'm afraid that a lot of people set really high expectations on themselves. Some think working out will solve all of their body image issues. Thinking that exercise will make you perfect only leads to disappointment and ultimately, giving up altogether.

The thing is, we are predisposed to an extent. Our genetics play a huge factor in our body shape.

I really wanted a nice bulge in my bicep. You know the ones I mean. Those nice, perfectly formed round muscles. Well, my biceps are probably comprised of slow twitch muscle fibers, which means they are great for endurance but not so great for power. This makes them appear long and small but lean. Not big, round and powerful. So I don't have my ideal biceps but you know what? I'm very happy with my arms. They have come a long way! There was a time when I would not even take a picture from the side because I was so self-conscious over them.

I remember when I started losing weight, I had these ideas that I would lose a few pounds and suddenly have a perfect body. Like a model from a magazine. No cellulite, no little bulges of fat anywhere etc. The reality is, nobody is ever 100% happy with their bodies. There is always things we think could be better. The quest to perfection is doomed for failure.

The point is, self-improvement is not about looking like the cover of a Fitness magazine. It's feeling satisfied with all the physical and mental changes you have achieved. It's about all the newly developed abilities and feeling good about yourself, that truly matters.

My main goal was to lose weight but through that goal I discovered my love of running, weight lifting, walking, sports and fitness related topics. I see these interests and abilities to be more satisfying than the original goal I set out to achieve.

Keep in mind that body builders like Arnold used steroids and models were born thin and they are still airbrushed and "digitally enhanced" to look perfect. The bodies you see in the media are not real. Nobody is perfect but everybody is beautiful.

Be Realistic!

Fitness Program Must Include Posture

It is your third set, and you are fighting to complete your tenth repetition of bicep curls. You are doing whatever is necessary to complete that tenth rep even at the expense of proper exercise form and posture. Exercise posture probably has never entered your mind, nor has anyone said proper spinal alignment, and posture are crucial to your fitness program results.

The often overlooked, and rarely talked about, exercise posture
is extremely important in preventing exercise injuries, and
strengthening your overall skeletal muscle system. When
focusing on proper posture while performing an exercise, you will provide a more grounded, solid base; thus, improving focus on taxing the specific intended muscle group or movement without getting unwanted muscles involved.

It is also important to focus on everyday posture outside of your fitness program. Discomfort in the back and neck is the primary adverse consequence of poor posture. It can also strain your hips and knees.

The first thing you must know is what exactly is proper posture. Find a mirror, take a deep breathe, and exhale. Now observe your position. Your head should be centered on your neck (not pushed forward or tilted in any way.) Your shoulders should be level, and not sloped. Your chest should be up, and abdominals tucked in. You should also assume the same type of position when seated.

When conducting any type of exercise, strength training or cardio, please focus on the specific posture mentioned above. Concentrate on contracting your abdominals during the execution of all exercises. Chest will be up, and head straight forward. This little reminder will not only protect you from injury, but automatically strengthen your core muscles from the constant isometric contraction.

It is important to note that poor posture can be corrected by
combating the two major causes of misalignment: weak muscles,
and bad habit. Correction begins outside of the gym getting into the habit of proper posture each and every day as mentioned above.

Here are a few more exercise tips to help you strengthen the muscles that will affect your posture.

1. Do pelvic tilt exercises while lying on the ground

2. Abdominal crunches

3. Upper and lower back exercises. Rhomboid, and Erector Spinae

4. Strengthen your gluteal and leg muscles

In order to increase your exercise productivity, and decrease the chance of injury, pay close attention to your posture both during, and after participating in your specific exercise program. You will see a difference in results and fitness program injury prevention.

*** Attention: Ezine Editors / Website Owners ***
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine, Blog, Autoresponder, or on your website as long as the links, and resource box are not altered in any way.

Jim O'Connor - Exercise Physiologist / The Fitness Promoter

Copyright (c) - Wellness Word, LLC

Fitness Competitions - Compete In Fitness Contests & Fitness Shows

This is an article designed to help you work toward competing in a Ms. Fitness or Ms. Figure contest. If you are debating the idea of competing then don't debate, just go for it! Almost anyone can prepare toward a Fitness/Figure contest and this information should give you a great boost toward that goal! It is nice to have the 2 classes to choose from.

When I discuss competition, there are several obstacles which seem to deter women from competing. The 4 biggest concerns I hear are:

I can't do gymnastics


I am not flexible


I can't jump


I could never get that lean

I could never get that lean

These are all very simple problems to deal with and age has no bearing on anything! I have competed along side many women in their 40's who have won or placed very high.

The Ms. Fitness routine is not judged on what "tricks" you are able to perform, but rather on how clean and polished the content is. Ms. Figure has the same focus with a bit more on physique, of course, since this is a contest where the judges want to see a body in between fitness and bodybuilding. Ms. Figure is perfect for those who are not interested in the strength, flexibility and endurance components of competition. Ms. Figure contestants should recognize that Ms. Figure does require that you to be somewhat leaner than for a Ms. Fitness competition.

Bare Basics

Planning Training & Diet

Let's start of with planning. You want to look ahead a year to 4 months away from a contest date depending on your current level. Training and diet needs to be periodized toward your contest so that you are prepared and peaked at the right time. I always suggest doing a few contests the same year especially if there are some contests that fall a week apart so that you can get some experience and get to utilize everything you worked so hard for. Periodizing simply means you plan progressively over time so that you can:

I can't do gymnastics


I am not flexible


I can't jump


I could never get that lean

Insure success

Ms. Fitness wants to concentrate on the outcome of a nice toned and moderately lean physique with out too much hardness or striations. Ms. Figure wants to get a bit leaner than Ms. Fitness with a bit more muscle density and hardness yet not as lean, striated or muscular as the bodybuilders. Achieving this balance is the trick. Even once your at your best the rest is up to who is standing beside you and how you all look in comparison.

The type of weight training/cardio and diet depends on each individual, some need more others need less but everyone needs a different combo and levels can vary so programs have to be individualized, you can't train/eat like "everyone else" because it may not work for YOU. Mass produced competitive training/diet manuals made bulk in advance to help you prepare for a contest can work but were not made just for you, which means you are getting second best. I am very insistent on making sure all the programming is catered to each of my clients individual needs but unfortunately not all trainers do that which can result in injury or lack of preparation. You don't want to be 'group' trained for contests because the chances of all participants being at the same level has a very low probability resulting in some participants not getting all the attention needed to be properly prepared.

Talent

Don't have one? Who cares! You can put a routine together with any theme. I have put all types of routines together for Ms. Fitness, Ms. Figure and Bodybuilding that utilize all types of talents from Salsa to Martial Arts. Take what you like and enhance it. Even some ethnic backgrounds can translate into a cool routine, so be creative because that always gives you points! Here are some theme ideas used in past fitness, figure and bodybuilding routines:

avoid injury


work on different aspects of training/diet progressively


avoid overtraining or too many plateaus


insure success

Suits, Posing and Tanning

Costumes and posing suits are also going to be judged. Even if they're not part of the formal scoring, your outfits can make you look better or worse so keep that in mind. The color of your suit is a big factor. With Ms. Figure you have to stick with a solid color for pre-judging so you want to pick a complimentary color that will enhance your physique but not take away or distract from it. Black seems to be very popular. Now it has been okay to use a dazzled up suit for night shows in Ms. Figure and Bodybuilding. Like the Ms. Fitness women, the Ms. Figure ladies want to have 2 suits to highlight the morning and night show. Most of the judging is normally done in the morning show but there are times when ties occur and those are the occasions when you will be judged at night.

Skin tone is also normally judged and affects your look. The appearance of looking 'tight' is enhanced by tanning and coloring. I normally suggest tanning well in advance so that by the last few weeks prior to competing you don't have to tan which can make some people feel drained and considering you're already dieting and depleted you don't need added stresses. Then you can start coloring up a few days prior to contest. For those of you not familiar, there are products sold for that extreme tanned look which is needed on stage to keep from being washed out by the stage lights. The products vary but are made especially for competition and can be found online at some bodybuilding sites. I find being tanned then using the coloring product is your best bet.

Skills

Now you have to assess your skills. For Ms. Figure most women are required to do the routine in a regulation suit and heels although some organizations have a figure that is close to Ms. Fitness in the way that they can wear a costume and do a high energy routine but without inverted movements and adding poses into the routine. Ms. Fitness uses heels for the physique and gown round so here is a skill that is needed -- practice walking in 4-5 inch heals (I always suggest platform, you may think they are ugly but they look the best on stage)! Of course, open hand posing (similar to the mandatory bodybuilding poses) must be practiced for the comparison rounds in Ms. Figure. Both classes need to practice posing for the quarter turns. There is a variation of ways to pose but you don't want to be to stiff. You want to get a balance with your arms to avoid over exaggeration but the line is fine because you do need to strain a little. You want to angle slightly but keep heels together, head high, shoulders level and back, chest out, exhale to show abs. On the side pose some judges like you to look at them and others like you to look straight ahead so keep your ears open for the cues. The side pose is when you want to hike up the hip that faces the judges and even lift your heel a tad to give a nice defined leg and glute.

Lastly on your back pose you need to bring the lats out more for Ms. Figure than Ms. Fitness but in both cases the shape has to show, and tuck up the tush for a nice tight back end.

Skills for the fitness routine are a variety of holds, push ups, splits and dance. With a minimum of these you can put together a winning routine. When girls perform 'lacking' routines but still win fitness contest the audience can still see for themselves who the REAL fitness girls are regardless of the placings - likewise if you see a great routine but the girl has cellulite on her rear the audience can see it! Unfortunately I have seen Champions who have won contests without so much as a push up and no flexibility whatsoever but they had unbelievable stage presence, a clean and polished routine, or a higher point grade in other rounds. I still to this day believe you should go into a contest with strength and flexibility components in your routine but you don't have to be a gymnast to win a Ms. Fitness contest.

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