Motivation is often a problem when people exercise, especially if you exercise alone. Find an audio version of a book that you really want to read and listen to it only when you exercise. Wanting to find out what happens next will motivate you to work out longer and more often.
To exercise your ab muscles, you should do crunches. Simply lay flat, backside down on the ground. Then raise your legs with your feet still on the ground and knees pointed upward. Place your hands behind your head and slightly raise your upper body off the ground, but don’t come all the way up. This strengthens your core muscles.
To get more muscle bulk, eat meat. Research shows that four to eight ounces of meat daily will help you add size to your muscles. A study followed two groups of men who performed the same exercise program. One group ate meat, and the other did not. While both groups grew stronger, the meat-eaters gained more bulk to their muscles. You can eat chicken, fish, turkey, beef, or pork to help add size to your muscles.
When strength training or working with weights, try to keep your daily workout under 60 minutes. After an hour, your body responds to strength-building exercises by producing excessive amounts of cortisol. This hormone can block the production of testosterone and may actually impair the body’s ability to build and maintain muscle.
If you are having a hard time getting motivated to map out a comprehensive workout program, try starting with baby steps. Try to incorporate two or three brief (30 minutes) strength-training or aerobic workout sessions every week. While you may not see instant results, studies show that even minor positive changes in a sedentary lifestyle can have long-term gains in terms of overall health.
If you are trying to incorporate a good cardiovascular activity into your fitness program, start by doing warm-up stretches followed by an aerobic activity, like running or walking. A good test to give yourself to know if you are working-out hard enough is to give yourself the “talk test.”� If you can talk easily while working out or can sing a song, you are probably not working hard enough on your cardio training.
Use caution if running is your preferred fitness technique because its health benefits can be offset by the bodily harm it can cause over time. Give your body a chance to heal from the regular wear and tear of running by cutting your mileage back significantly for one out of every six weeks. Not only will your body get a little much-needed rest, the reduced mileage will keep your running schedule varied and prevent you from hitting a plateau.
Hopefully, the following article has given you some helpful suggestions regarding fitness. So, if you are inclined to shape up or keep up with the fitness you have already reached — that’s great! Remember, this isn’t something that you can do overnight! Be patient. The results will be well worth it!