How To Bike Your Way To Fitness

When you were a child, you probably spent plenty of time getting around on
your trusty bicycle.

After you got your first car, your bike fell to the wayside. Now it's collecting dust in the back of the garage, if you still have it at all.

Now that the warmer weather is here, drag out your old bike or find yourself a new one so you can return to the fun outdoor activity that kept you fit as kid.

Benefits of bicycling for fitness include:

• A change of scenery rather than sitting on a stationery bike at home;
• Fresh air and sunshine with beneficial vitamin D;
• Aerobic activity for better heart health and circulation;
• Improved overall fitness including well-toned leg muscles; and
• Local transportation so you save on gas and protect the environment.

To get started, all you need is a stable bicycle, a helmet and sturdy sneakers. And do a few simple stretches before you ride to limber up your muscles.

Returning to one of your favorite childhood pastimes is an enjoyable way to achieve your fitness goals.

Find A Fitness Friend to Reach Your Goals

The reason many people join an overpriced gym or fitness class is to be around others who share their goals.

But you don't need to join an expensive gym or schedule your life around a class to find like-minded people looking to get fit. People everywhere want to get in shape, creating countless opportunities to find a fitness friend.

Talk to your neighbors, co-workers, friends and family members about getting in shape. Mention fitness to the local grocer, your hairdresser and the mail carrier. Participate in online fitness forums.

You are certain to find a fitness friend to keep you inspired, often in the most unlikely place.

The ideal fitness friend:

• Will have similar goals;
• Has a compatible schedule so you can touch base about your progress or workout together;
• Will be enthused about getting fit; and
• Wants to be your cheerleader and seeks inspiration from you.

When you share your fitness goals with someone else, you have another person to answer to about your progress. This type of friendship can mean a fitter, healthier future for the both of you.

Keeping Your Feet Fit

I am a firm believer that you don't need fancy equipment to stay fit, but wearing the right workout shoes can protect your feet from blisters, discomfort, swelling and prevent injury.

It's tough to get the most out of your workout if your shoes are uncomfortable and your feet hurt. A high-quality shoe that fits properly will support your fitness routine so you can get the most out of it.

Consider these tips to find the right workout shoe to support your fitness program:

• Choose shoes that are specific to the activity you are doing such as running, walking or cross training.
• If you are flat-footed, look for stable shoes with good support so your feet don't roll inward.
• If you have high-arches, get a flexible shoe to absorb shock caused when your feet roll outward.
• Your workout shoes should be replaced every six months or less, depending on how often you use them.
• When the outer sole is worn or the sides of the shoe lean to either side, it is time to get a new pair.
• Wear workout socks when you go to try on athletic footwear so you can a realistic idea of the fit.
• Your workout shoes should have a half-inch gap between the toe box and your longest toe to fit properly.

By following these simple tips for buying workout shoes, you can guard against injury and get the most out of your fitness routine.

Exercise Your Way To Better Sleep

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average American sleeps only 6.9 hours every night, with a third getting less sleep than that.

The good news is that a simple regimen of regular exercise can help you to sleep better...and you'll enjoy improved overall fitness at the same time.

Half the adults in America sleep less so they can work or play more. However, without the required 7 to 8 hours sleep, people are becoming sleep deprived and unable to enjoy these activities.

Also, sleep-deprived people have higher sugar concentrations in their blood that could contribute to pre-diabetes and a lack of deep sleep inhibits your body's ability to fight disease.

For most people, working out regularly reduces insomnia and improves sleep quality by producing smoother transitions between the cycles of sleep.

Getting moderate exercise for 20 to 30 minutes 3 to 4 times weekly will give you better sleep and increased energy. You will be able to fall asleep and stay asleep more easily and remain in the deep sleep phase for a longer period of time for maximum benefit.

Additional benefits of regular exercise and sleep include reduced stress, ease of muscular tension, sharper brain power and increased production of endorphins, the substance that gives you a feeling of well-being.

Having an ongoing exercise routine will help you sleep better and feel better everyday.

How To Make the Most of Your Workout

We spend so much time considering the best way to get fit that we sometimes overlook the relevance of what we do before and after the actual workout.

While choosing the right workout is important, you can make the most of your fitness routine by warming up and cooling down properly.

Before you workout, engage in five minutes of stretching exercises to warm up your muscles and get ready for action. Without warming up, you can strain your muscles or get injured.

Before, during and after your workout, you should drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. After you workout, you should take a few minutes to cool down by stretching your muscles again.

Make sure to drink two to three glasses of water within two hours after working out to remain properly hydrated.

You should also refuel after working out by eating something lean with protein and carbohydrates, such as a tuna or chicken sandwich on whole wheat bread.

Carbs help to boost your energy level while the protein repairs the muscles you used during your workout.

You can make the most of your workouts by taking time to warm up first and cool down afterwards.

Fitness is a Family Routine

The alarming facts about family fitness reveal that one in five American children between 12 and 17 years old are overweight with two-thirds unable to pass a basic test of physical fitness.

Further, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports reported that two in five children have signs of circulation or heart problems.

With these distressing facts in mind, clearly fitness needs to be a family routine.

Here are some tips to get your children and yourself in better shape:

• Children learn what they live. Work out yourself and your kids will follow your lead. Include your children in simple workout routines.
  
• Incorporate exercise into your everyday life. Whether you walk the dog together, romp in the park or take a stroll after dinner, include fitness in your family routine just like eating, sleeping and bathing.
  
• Minimize television and computer time. Keep the television and computer in the family room so you can monitor how long your children are using them. Do not put televisions or computers in your kids' rooms.
  
• Make fitness fun. Instead of spending family time at the movies or sitting around, plan hikes, bowling, camping, fishing and other activities that promote both fitness and fun.
  
• Get your children involved in physical activities. Dancing, karate and sports teams are great ways to encourage your children to get moving. If you are on a budget, consider budget-priced community activities through the YMCA or other local organization.
  

By adding fitness to your daily family routine, you can ensure a healthy future for your children and yourself.

Five Dieting Tips for the Fall

The crisp air, colorful trees and sending the kids back to school reminds us that fall has returned. Now that fall is back, you can resume your regular daily routine and make sure it includes exercise.

Consider the following tips to encourage you to fit fitness into your day:

1. Make time to exercise. Whether you go to the gym, take a long walk or work out at home, set a time for fitness and stick to it.
2. Make fitness a habit. Just like sleeping, eating meals and showering, you need to fit fitness into your daily routine because it is essential for good health.
3. Make up new fitness routines. If you spent the summer playing volleyball and swimming, add exciting new fitness routines to your day for the fall such as hiking, joining a yoga class or playing football.
4. Make a list. Just like your list of school supplies and daily to-do's, making a list of healthy fall foods can help you to maintain positive eating habits.
5. Make a fitness plan. Plan to walk with other people at work during lunch or in your neighborhood when you get home. Join a fitness club or schedule sessions with a personal trainer. Make a fitness plan that involves outsiders to encourage you to stick to the program.

You WILL feel great this fall when you make fitness a priority in your daily schedule.

Burn More Calories With Interval Training

Although interval training sounds like a complicated concept, it is really quite simple. When you participate in interval training, you are engaging in alternating bursts of intense physical activity with intervals of lighter physical activity.

For example, if you like to go walking you can incorporate short periods of jogging into your regular routine to experience interval training. Interval training helps you to improve your aerobic capacity, burn more calories with increased intensity and add interest to your regular workout routine without spending money on special equipment.

There are two basic approaches to interval training - the scientific approach and the casual (also known as fartlek, Swedish for "speed play") approach.

The scientific approach is when you enlist the assistance of a personal trainer or fitness professional to help you time the intensity of your intervals based on your target heart rate, the ability of your lungs and heart to deliver oxygen throughout your body and other relevant factors.

The fartlek approach is informal interval training where you determine the speed and length of each high intensity interval based on your feelings that day.

If you haven't exercised regularly or have a chronic health condition, discuss interval training with your doctor first. However, most people can achieve major fitness benefits and burn more calories by slowly incorporating interval training into their regular workout routine.

Athletic Shoes - How to Find The Right Pair

Although we realize the importance of working out regularly, wearing the right athletic shoes is essential to prevent injuries and enhance our performance. No matter what type of workout you choose, you need to wear shoes that fit correctly and are suited to your particular fitness program.

Consider the following guidelines when you purchase your next pair of athletic shoes:

• Try on shoes after a workout or at the end of the day when your feet are their largest for the best fit;
• When you try on athletic shoes, wear the socks you will be wearing when working out;
• Athletic shoes should be comfortable as soon as you put them on and should not require you to break them in;
• Walk, run and wiggle your toes in the shoes you try on to test their comfort in action;
• and Make sure your heel does not slip out of the shoe when you run or walk.

Also, if you participate in a sport three times weekly or more, you should wear athletic shoes designed for that particular physical activity. For example, wear running shoes for jogging, hiking shoes for trail running and field shoes for soccer.

Wearing the proper athletic shoes for your fitness program is the first step toward a successful workout and better health.

Strength Training is for Everyone

The modern face of weight training has dramatically changed since the days of Jack LaLanne and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Today health experts are urging an unusual group to participate in strength training - the elderly, sedentary and the frail.

Adding strength training (by working out with free weights, machines and bodyweight exercises) is good for everyone, young and old. According to the American Heart Association, even people with most heart conditions can benefit from a light weight training routine.

The association indicates that people who have uncontrolled hypertension, unstable heart disease, heart infections, arrhythmias and Marfan syndrome should NOT engage in weight training.

Physical therapist Marilyn Moffat reports about a client who is a 97 year old woman, "She lifts a 4-pound weight for her upper body strength regimen and 4 ½ pounds for her legs. She also rides a stationary bike for 15 minutes."

Moffat, an author and professor at New York University, further states that this is the major reason her client is "totally functionally independent."

The greatest benefit of strength training is the increased ability to perform everyday tasks such as lifting groceries or getting out of your chair.

Like any other fitness activity, you should check with your doctor before starting an fitness program, especially if you are over 40 years old and inactive.

How to Stay Fit Heading Into the Fall

During the summer, we enjoy increased physical activity...going swimming, taking long walks, bicycling and just having fun in the sun playing games such as volleyball. We feel better and our bodies are usually pounds lighter.

As summer ends and we face our fall routine, it seems inevitable that increased inactivity will bring on those extra pounds that we shed during the warmer weather.

Here are some tips to keep fit right into the fall:

• Replace your daily walk, swim or bicycle ride with a new activity that is quick and easy. You can choose to do a shorter walk and add some stretches at home or create your own workout routine to do at home.
  

• Why not select one of the many workout DVD's on the market to motivate you? Many routines are between 10 and 20 minutes so even the busiest people can find time to fit fitness into their schedules.
  

• Joining a gym is another super way to stay motivated and enjoy working out. You can attend classes, work with a personal trainer or create your own streamlined routine for fitness.

You don't have to pack on those extra pounds just because the summer is over. Incorporating a realistic exercise routine into every season relieves stress and helps you maintain your weight until summer returns.