Building Better Bodies Fitness

As I laced up my tennis shoes the other morning to head out for a run, I asked my girlfriend if she wanted to come with me. She scoffed at me and said something to the effect of, “I don’t run. Running is bad for your knees and back and stuff.”

Contrary to my girlfriend’s beliefs, running is one of the best exercises you can do. If you’re not much of a runner, per se, then walking is right up there as being good for your health and your body. Running and walking are two exercises that give pretty much your entire body a workout.

Not only does it work on your leg muscles, thighs, butt and more of your exterior parts, running is also good for your internal organs like your heart and lungs.

While it’s certainly acceptable to jump on the treadmill, running or walking in the great outdoors can do wonders for you too. If you always walk or run at the gym, try something new and jog in a park near your home or go a couple rounds at the local high school track instead. Your trusted treadmill will be there for you when you return, but switching up the location where you run or walk can keep the exercise slightly more exciting – making you more apt to continue to do it.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic formula you can use to create the perfect body building routine. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to create the most effective body building routine for you – a routine that blends your body’s needs with your schedule.

Overall Health

The first item to consider when creating your routine is your overall health. Are you physically fit or do you have health problems you need to consider before starting your routine? Your health determines what your body is capable of doing so understanding this upfront helps you to cater your workout to fit your health. Whether you’re physically fit or not, most health experts agree scheduling rest days into your body building routine is imperative.

Concentrates on Body Parts

Another important aspect of an effective body building routine is that the routine concentrates on specific body parts. While one day the routine may work on your upper body, the next day focuses on your lower body. Cardiovascular workouts should also be included throughout your routine. At least two days of rest should also be included each week.

Clearly Defined Goals

Another important part of your bodybuilding routine is setting specific goals. By setting goals, you have something to strive for and have a way of measuring your success (or failure) in reaching your goals. Your goals also dictate how to create your routine because someone who is trying to lose weight is going to have a different workout routine than someone who is trying to build body mass.

In order to create an effective body building routine, make sure your routine contains these three important aspects. Creating the right routine for you and your body depends on it and helps you to achieve your body building goals.

Mom always told you to eat your fruits and veggies–that it would make you grow big and strong. Turns out she was right and there is a study to prove it. The Library of Science Medicine journal published study findings showing that those who don’t smoke, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and drink alcohol in moderation add an extra 14 years onto their life.

Fruits and vegetables are part of the four major food groups and essential to a healthy mind and body. Fruits and veggies are full of vitamins and minerals for healthier living and to create a balanced diet. The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the better your chances are of decreasing illness, boosting your immune system and fighting off major diseases such as cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, stroke and osteoporosis.

Plain and simply, eating fruits and vegetables makes you feel better, look better and improves your overall well-being. So, eat at least five portions of fruits and veggies each day.

When answering this question, I typically tell the person questioning me that yes, you do. It is similar to taking a car to a mechanic to fix something. You may be able to fix it yourself, but how long is it going to take you to figure what is wrong and then how to fix it?

You can read a book and get instructions, but until you get experience fixing your car, it ends up being a lot of trial and error. The same thing holds true with your workout routine and diet. You can read up on it, but a professional personal trainer can detect the problem and help you achieve your goals in the fastest and safest manner.

Personal trainers can also teach you how to perform exercises properly, modify the exercise to your level if it is too easy or too hard and keeps you motivated by making your workouts interesting and as much fun as possible. They help to keep you on track so you progress by helping you overcome obstacles that get in your way.

As a personal trainer, I regularly consult with my peers to stay up-to-date on new workouts and techniques. There is no better investment than investing in your health and well-being.

Exercise is good for your health. It’s that plain and that simple. The proof is in all the health benefits that exercise brings. When you consistently exercise, you can prevent heart disease, diabetes, strokes, obesity, high blood pressure and osteoporosis—to name a few. Exercise also has emotional benefits such as mood improvement, a better overall well being and higher wuality of life.

How to Reap the Benefits of Exercise

• Perform thirty minute sessions of aerobic exercise three to four times per week
• Mix in some strength training
• Start out slow and increase activity over time

Start-up Exercises

• Swimming
• Walking
• Biking

Advanced Exercises

• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Treadmill
• Exercise bike
• Elliptical machine

Find time to exercise at least 30 minutes a day for a couple of days a week. It’s better for your body, your health and your mood.

Even with a good diet, exercise program, 7-8 hours of sleep and motivation you are still missing one key ingredient to the perfect fitness and health regimen–supplements. While many supplements are a waste of your hard-earned money and have not been clinically tested by independent sources, there are some supplements that can be beneficial. These supplements give you the extra boost your body needs for nourishment and to help it recover faster when working out. Rather than experiment with supplements that end up being expensive and ineffective, the top four can’t go wrong supplements that should be part of your diet are creatine, whey protein, L-Glutamine and multivitamins.

Creatine is safe, has been used by millions of people worldwide and has been clinically tested for the last 20 years. When taken before a workout it will help you lift more and gain more muscle. Follow the directions on the creatine package for dosage amounts.

Whey protein is a quick and inexpensive way to replenish your muscles after a workout. By supplementing with whey protein 2-3 days a week, you can get between 100-150 grams of fast digesting protein. Take 2-3 scoops of whey protein first thing in the morning and after a workout. This is by far the best protein supplement on the market.

L-Glutamine is used mainly to recover faster from a grueling workout. By recovering faster your intensity for the next workout will be higher. Since L-Glutamine is an amino acid, it is 100% natural and safe to take. Follow the directions on the package for dosage amounts.

Finally, multivitamins are a smart and inexpensive way to get the vitamins and minerals that your body needs–especially if you are working out. Multivitamins help your body recuperate and rebuild after workouts. Take one multivitamin every morning with your breakfast.

Remember, what you put in your body is what you get out of it. So, don’t forget these four supplements, which will pay off in the end.

People have the misconception that one has to eat more protein than carbs if you want to lose fat, or eat more carbs to up weight. Even though you can accomplish these goals, it’s just not healthy for you. For example, eating too much red meat as a a source of protein can cause heart diseases, heart attacks, strokes, high cholesterol and death because of its high saturated fat content. The same goes for eating too much fish with its high amount of mercury, which can cause several health problems including mercury poisoning, damage to the central nervous system and heart disease.

The answer to eating when you’re on a diet is to manipulate the calories. If your goal is to lose weight, take off 500 calories from your daily consumption. If your goal is to gain weight, add 500 calories to your diet instead. For example, a 200 pound male wanting to lose fat and weight who is eating 2,500 calories a day would go down to 2,000 calories a day. If he wants to bulk up, he would go up tp 3,000 calories a day. After two weeks you can either take off an additional 150 calories or add 150 calories a day. Do not go under 1,200 calories for a male or 900 for a female.

The food choices you can choose for any diet include brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread, fruits, beans veggies and whole wheat pasta for carbs. Limit your intake of cakes, candies, sodas, sports drinks and white bread. For protein, consume tuna, salmon, chicken breast, beef, pork chops, turkey, egg whites and whey protein. Finally, for fats consume nuts, olive oil, fish and seeds. Remember to forget all of the crazy diets flying around out there. Eat healthy and manipulate your calories and you will be on your way to achieving your diet goals.

Before picking up that bagel for breakfast, you may want to reconsider and choose eggs instead. Eggs help stabilize blood sugar and produce food intake for up to 24 hours after you eat them. Once eggs are converted, glucose is slowly released to maintain steady levels of blood sugar in your body, which promotes and enhances learning. This is one reason why feeding eggs to school-aged children in the morning may be beneficial to their learning abilities.

For adults that consume eggs, studies have shown that they ate less in calories and felt less hungry throughout the day. Eggs promote weight loss without increasing cholesterol or chances for heart disease. They also contain 13 essential minerals and vitamins and are a great source of protein and antioxidants.

So when choosing what you’re going to eat for breakfast, include eggs as a staple food. Your body will thank you for it later.

In a study by Harvard Law School of Public Health on the effects of exercise and diet, it was found that people that exercise and eat healthy lose about 2.5 pounds more than dieting alone after two years. Those who successfully lost weight exercised consistently at least three times a week between  30 and 60 minutes each time. They also cut calories and made healthier choices when picking what to eat. Finally, receiving positive encouragement and feedback from professionals or a support group helped maintain weight loss. So eat healthy, exercise consistently and be ready to become a fat burning machine.

New information was released at the Experimental Biology 2009 meeting on sleep and obesity. Among the things discussed:

• Poor sleep habits cause obesity and disturb blood sugar regulation
• After only three days of disturbed sleep insulin resistance increased
• Lack of sleep increases the activity of nerves, which influence hunger and satiety
• High blood pressure increases in people with long-term sleep problems
• Lack of sleep leads to a steady progression toward type 2 diabetes
• Sleep deprived people consume more calories
• Stress related behaviors and stress hormones increase with sleep deprivation

It’s important to get between seven and eight hours of undisturbed sleep each night. It not only helps you to feel rested, but it also decreases your chance of being obese and getting diabetes.