Body Fitness

So you want to be fit? Are you fit? How do you know? Well to answer all these questions quickly, there are several types of fitness levels. So yes you are fit but to what extent?

Have you ever seen that one guy, usually called the lunk, walking around in a small shirt with a big jug of water and when he works out he screams. Well that is what you would call a bodybuilder fitness level. Many of us think of this picture when we say fitness. But the truth is the guy next to him who is 2x as small as him is still fit. Though someone may not be big and bulky but rather slim and small that does not mean that their fitness level is not as great as the next guys.

Now for many of us we don't really work out much and when we do we don't even know how to begin. From here we either look for help or just quit. Most of the time people end up quitting though. I'm here to try and motivate you to be that person who turns and looks for help. I have gone through that many of times and it took me a while but I got my act together and made fitness park of my everyday life. It has changed it in a way I could not have ever imagined. I use to go to the gym and feel so out of place, I would look around and try to figure out what to do. At the end of it all I just sat anywhere and did a workout I saw someone else do. I had no idea what to focus on how many times to do the workout or even what was a rep. I felt totally lost over and over. Eventually I looked for help among my friends and eventually I got on board and it is now a second nature to me. I think I might have just described exactly what you have gone through a couple of times when wanting to start working out.

SO HOW DO I GET STARTED?

It's very easy. I will try my best to lay it down as easy as possible

FOR A BEGINNER

I would recommend working out 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
Monday focus on your upper body
Wednesday focus on your lower body
Friday focus on cardio (running, swimming, and jogging) at least 30 minutes

INTERMEDIATE

I would recommend working out 4 times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)
Monday focus on chest and triceps
Tuesday focus on back and biceps
Thursday focus on shoulders and core
Friday focus on legs and calves
Before each workout do at least 15 min of cardio (running, swimming, and jogging)

EXPERT

At this point you know what you're doing and I suggest you research and figure out just what kind of body you are interested in achieving. From here there are many routes you can take that will definitely change your body. Just don't forget to always fall back to the basics if you ever get confused.

Please visit my site at MyFitnessRush to get a couple more ideas on how to start as well as some great motivation I personally have gone through. Also if your interested in either a slim fit style or bulk fit style please read my article Body Fit to get an idea on what you are going to be doing. Thank you for your time

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sergio_Vargas/2183450

How Functional Fitness Benefits Seniors

Functional fitness is all about teaching your body to handle real-life activities. It is a way of exercising that helps your body be strong in those areas that the body needs to be strong in your everyday life. This type of fitness can benefit anyone but can benefit seniors perhaps more than others.

The Idea Of Functional Fitness For Seniors

Functional fitness involves putting your body through the paces that are necessary for everyday life. As a senior, you can lift weights or use a weight lifting machine to strengthen certain muscles of your body to the exclusion of others and may find that you are strengthening certain muscles, which leaves a deficiency in others.

Without functional fitness, you can strengthen your arms in a biceps machine but still throw out your neck when reaching for something out of your reach or throw out your back while lifting your grandchild.

Seniors especially make the mistake of exercising their arms or legs in ways that may strengthen those muscles but avoid exercising their back, for example. This can lead to back trouble that could have been avoided if you had recognized that your arms and legs are intricately connected to your back and are useless without a strong core.

As a senior, you need to use all your muscles and joints in concert with one another and not just isolating out certain muscles to the exclusion of others.

Helping Your Muscles Work Together

Many seniors make the mistake of using weight machines or free weights while at the gym. They are isolating out certain muscle groups for strengthening, strengthening some muscles more than others. They may believe that to have a good biceps bulge is a sign of good health when their triceps muscles are not exercised at all. This means that the muscles cannot work together to do the everyday lifting and stretching that needs to be done as part of your regular day.

Everyday movement is not idealized. You don't lift or move things by isolating out your muscle groups and in fact, it takes a strong back, strong legs, and strong-arm muscles to move a box or carry groceries. If you isolate out a muscle group to the exclusion of all others, you can set yourself up for injury to those muscles you have neglected.

How To Make Functional Exercise Work For You

Functional exercise is all about integration of muscle parts. It is about showing the muscles how to work together to accomplish a task rather than isolating muscle groups that may be exercised out of proportion to the rest of your muscles.

If you like rowing machines, for example, think about the posture you are in when you do that exercise. Your back is stiff and your arms are bent repeatedly with your legs doing very little. This strengthens some muscles and not others.

A better activity is to use a free weight standing up. First, you bend over and strengthen your back in picking up the weight. Then you strengthen your legs by holding the weight with your entire body. Finally, put the weight in various motions around your body so that your latissimus dorsi muscles are activated, along with your biceps and triceps muscles. Even the small muscles of your hands are strengthened by holding the weight.

All your muscles are working in concert by that simple exercise. If you repeat it on the other side of your body, the muscles of your back, sides, legs, and arms are exercised for the other side of your body and you haven't missed any muscles in the process.

This type of exercise better mimics the regular activities you do every day and you will have fewer injuries because your muscles have learned to work in concert.

Balance And Control

Functional exercise is all about using your body to balance yourself while having control over your muscles. For seniors, it may mean skipping lifting weights completely and instead working on things like squats and lunges that use all your muscles and help your balance. You don't need bulging biceps to have good functional use of your body.

Can you stand on one foot for any amount of time without falling?

If you have questions about functional exercise, talk to a trainer about those exercises that will best mimic those things you are doing in everyday life. It is a different way to exercise that will keep you balanced, strong, and free of injury.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Moataz_Elzieny/321206

You Really Can Take Care of Your Child's Health and Here's How

One of the major issues that concerns a parent is the health of his/her child. Being the most important duty of a parent is to motivate a child to lead a healthy life, parents can have a positive impact on the health of their children simply by setting a beneficial example.

 Being a single person or in a relationship without children, it would probably be a tough task to sort out the difficulties other people of your age have when it comes to ensuring good health to a Child. But all we think about is how stressful it is and how to allocate quality time being around them. However, if you are a parent, it becomes even more stressful to look after them while you have to go to work!

But, the most wonderful experience one could get in a lifetime is just about being a parent.

 To watch your child prosper daily with good nutrition and self-independence is quite a thrill. On reading a couple of Child care literature material which provides you with tips on child care and parenthood, the role of being a parent can prove to be an amazing one. With some families, it could be more effective for one parent to stay home and look after the child.

Encouraging your child to take part in physical activities on a regular basis is very essential. Parents should also convince them to imbibe this activity as a part of their lives. It becomes even safer to accompany your children on a daily walk as it is an exercise that is considered to keep them in good shape.

 It is very important to consult a physician whenever a child is likely to have a problem related to the health. However minor the problem seems it is advisable to seek a physician's help since, they are delicate and require special attention.

A lot of planning and coordinating occurs no matter which phase your child is in. So, always make sure you are prepared to provide them the best of everything, watching them prosper healthy and fit.

 There is no mandatory rule as doing a lot of research when it comes to the wellbeing of your child. Take your own quality time researching, without failing to get an early start so as to feel fresh and healthy as they grow along with you for a lifetime. It is one of the important things to remember.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Aman_Tumukur_Khanna/1972047