Don’t let the cost of a gym membership or your fear of the gym deter you from getting fit. There are many ways to get fit in the comfort and convenience of your own home that are as effective as going to the gym. Check out these tips on how to make fitness possible, regardless of where you choose to go!
Space out your workouts. You don’t have to exercise all at once, if it’s difficult for you. If you break up your workouts into four 15 minute chunks, at the end of the day, you’ve got an hour in. Sometimes, that works better for people who can’t sit still for an hour and exercise.
A great way to get fit is to cut out regular soda from your diet. Drinking regular soda is pretty much the equivalent of drinking sugar. It definitely will not facilitate any kind of fitness goal. Instead, switch to diet soda or better yet, switch to water.
If you exercise, make sure that you hydrate your body as often as possible. Water is very important, as it will help to restore the liquids that you lost while exercising or lifting weights. Additionally, take a shower immediately when you return home to eliminate the excess bacteria on your skin.
To relieve pain from arthritis, do finger exercises. Finger exercises work the small muscles in your fingers and hand to relieve stiffness and pain. Although it may seem silly, doing finger exercises is an important part of any fitness workout plan if you are an elderly or young person with arthritis.
You can swim faster by working on developing your ankle flexibility. The more flexible your ankles are, the better you will be able to propel through the water. Flexible feet and ankles will work like flippers, helping you to glide through the water, thus helping you to swim much faster.
Pull those elbows down when you are doing chin-ups! Proper exercise technique can be tremendously enhanced with visualization. When you are completing chin-ups it helps to think in terms of pulling your elbows down rather than pulling your body up! You’ll be able to complete more pull ups using better form.
You can cut your workout time down by doing your exercises in less time. About 10% less time to be more specific. Doing this will cause your muscles to have to work much harder and it will also help improve your endurance. Start doing this by cutting down your workout sessions by about 3 minutes.
A really good fitness tip is to start performing exercises to build up your neck muscles. If you have ever seen football players or wrestlers you probably noticed that their neck muscles are huge. Neck bridges are a great exercise that can help build up your neck muscles.
Divide your total run into three equal segments. Begin with a reduced pace, and gradually increase it until you reach your normal pace. Finally, push yourself to sprint faster than usual. Doing this will help you to build up your endurance, and you’ll find that you can keep running longer every time you head out.
Use different methods when bench-pressing weights. To work-out your upper and lower arms, forcefully push the bench bar away from you, but to work your chest muscles, tightly pull it towards you. Get a complete workout – by using both of these methods – in the same session, and reap the benefits.
If you often use the excuse that you’re just too busy to exercise, one day try scheduling in a quick session of something you enjoy. Then look back at your day and see if your productivity really suffered. Usually the answer is no, and you will have just rid yourself of another excuse not to exercise!
Avoid using narrow grips on anything unless you absolutely have to. Narrow grips are one of the main causes of tendinitis in a gym setting. They can cause wrist and joint issues, as well as other major injuries. They can be difficult to use and cause painful problems, so steer clear!
After your workout, if you are in pain, do not take ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or any other pain reliever. Research has shown that these pills do not help to relieve muscle soreness. In fact, researchers believe that taking any kind of pain reliever after a workout can actually suppress any kind of muscle growth.
Walking 30 minutes a day can help increase bone mass. Many studies prove that individuals who do just 30 minutes of walking, a few times a week, have a higher bone mineral density than those who don’t. Experts often suggest it takes high impact activity to see an increase in bone mass, but with a little bit of walking, you can work to increase your bone mass.
When working out to try to get a better looking body, many people tend to overwork their abs. It is best not to work your abdominal area every day. You need to let them rest to get the full affect. Try to only do abdominal work every other day for a maximum of three days a week.
Use the Apps on your smartphone to help you workout. There are plenty of motivating and fun fitness applications that will let you get and stay in shape. There are Apps for running, cardio training, stretching, walking and more. Browse the App store for your smartphone to find the ones that interest you.
As you can see, there are many ways to get fit – whether at home or in a gym. You can spend nothing or as much as you want on equipment, but regardless, you can always get a great workout. Incorporate these tips into your fitness routine and enjoy the perks of just ‘rolling out of bed’ and getting right into your workout.