Are you on track with your workouts but no matter how much you exercise you still feel like you are getting nowhere? It is unfortunate, but all too common. You can be training with weights, exercising daily or just working out a day or two a week; you're doing a lot of the right things trying to get fit and be healthy; but still not seeing the success and the results you expect. You've taken care of the big picture; you set your fitness goals, they are realistic and attainable, you are exercising consistently, you've made changes to your eating habits and you're working really hard... but you seem to be stuck. Keep up the hard work but start to focus on the small details of exercise and you'll be amazed at the improvement in your workouts!
Details can be frustrating, especially in exercise; and may seem trivial, but they can actually keep you safe from injury and provide the maximum benefit possible for each exercise you perform!
1. Start by focusing on the muscles you are working; be sure to know exactly what muscle(s) you are using during each exercise. That way you can use your mind to help focus on the muscle actually moving the weight. Make sure the movement is slow, deliberate & controlled and performed without the assistance of momentum or gravity. Finally during the extension keep your elbows and knees soft.
2. Breathing is so important. During most exercises inhale when you are lifting and exhale when you are lowering. An easy way to remember this is to exhale on the hard part or when you are moving against gravity and inhale on the easy part or when you are moving with gravity.
3. Keep your abdominals contracted. This is important for 2 reasons; first by keeping your abdominal muscles contacted you are protecting your lower back and secondly you are working your abdominal muscles with an isometric exercise.
4. Watch your grip, keep it loose! One of my favorite tips is to lift your first finger, that takes the pressure off your forearms and allows you to focus more on the muscle your are working.
5. The last exercise detail I want to discuss is posture and keeping a neutral position during exercise. The following are general guidelines for proper postures when performing exercises standing, lying down and seated. I always encourage my clients to do a quick body check, from their feet to their head, before they start an exercise.
Standing Exercises:
* Feet hips distance apart
* Soft Knees
* Abs tight
* Chest lifted
* Shoulders down
* Head neutral
Lying Exercises:
* Both feet flat on the floor
* Abs tight
* Low back, shoulders & head on the bench
Seated Exercises:
* Both feet flat on the floor
* Back flat
* Abs tight
* Chest lifted
* Shoulders Down
* Head neutral
Whether your strength training, just working out to stay in shape or weight loss is your goal, the "devil", as they say, is in the details. I am confident that the little extra time it takes to focus on the minutiae of your exercise routine, no matter what you are working to achieve, will pay off, and pay off big.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Why Morning is the Best Time to Exercise
Lots of different things can have an impact, whether big or small, on your weight loss and exercise program. Did you know that the time of day you decide to exercise can have a huge effect on how successful you are with following it? In fact, if I had to pick just one thing to be the most important in a successful exercise program, I'd have to say it is exercising first thing in the morning. It really doesn't matter what, or how much, exercise you can fit in. Some days it might be just a short 10 minute walk, but the important thing is that you try to do something every single morning.
I know what you're thinking. Why is exercising first thing in the morning better than any other time throughout the day? That's a great question. I came up with quite a few different reasons why mornings are best, and I'm going to share every one of them with you right now. First, it's been proven that more than 90% of the people that exercise on a regular basis exercise in the morning. That's an overwhelming majority, if you ask me. So if your goal is to get on a consistent exercise schedule, the odds of sticking with it would really be in your favor if you did your workouts first thing in the morning.
My next reason for you to exercise in the morning is that when you do this it kind of jump-starts your metabolism. The really cool thing about it is your metabolism will stay in that elevated state for many hours after your workout, sometimes even a full 24 hours after. What that means is you will be burning more calories all day long, just because you were smart enough to do your workout right after waking up. Also, you might notice that a morning workout helps to control your appetite throughout the day. You will find that you aren't as hungry as you usually are, and you will be able to make much smarter choices when it comes to the food that you eat.
Alright, it's time for me to get a little physiological with you. Waking up and exercising at roughly the same time every morning will cause your endocrine system and circadian rhythms to adjust to that routine. What does that mean? It means that a couple hours before you get up in the morning, your body will know that the exercise is coming soon, and it'll start getting itself prepared. This offers three main benefits for you. First, it will make it much easier for you to wake up. When you get up at different times every single day, your body will get confused, so it won't ever be "prepared" to wake up.
Second, your metabolism and all the hormones that are involved with physical activity will start to get elevated while you are sleeping. This means that when you do get up, you will feel more energized, more alert, ready to get out there and exercise. Third, these same hormones will get your body ready for your morning exercise routine by regulating your heart rate, your blood pressure, and the blood flow that your muscles receive.
I know what you're thinking. Why is exercising first thing in the morning better than any other time throughout the day? That's a great question. I came up with quite a few different reasons why mornings are best, and I'm going to share every one of them with you right now. First, it's been proven that more than 90% of the people that exercise on a regular basis exercise in the morning. That's an overwhelming majority, if you ask me. So if your goal is to get on a consistent exercise schedule, the odds of sticking with it would really be in your favor if you did your workouts first thing in the morning.
My next reason for you to exercise in the morning is that when you do this it kind of jump-starts your metabolism. The really cool thing about it is your metabolism will stay in that elevated state for many hours after your workout, sometimes even a full 24 hours after. What that means is you will be burning more calories all day long, just because you were smart enough to do your workout right after waking up. Also, you might notice that a morning workout helps to control your appetite throughout the day. You will find that you aren't as hungry as you usually are, and you will be able to make much smarter choices when it comes to the food that you eat.
Alright, it's time for me to get a little physiological with you. Waking up and exercising at roughly the same time every morning will cause your endocrine system and circadian rhythms to adjust to that routine. What does that mean? It means that a couple hours before you get up in the morning, your body will know that the exercise is coming soon, and it'll start getting itself prepared. This offers three main benefits for you. First, it will make it much easier for you to wake up. When you get up at different times every single day, your body will get confused, so it won't ever be "prepared" to wake up.
Second, your metabolism and all the hormones that are involved with physical activity will start to get elevated while you are sleeping. This means that when you do get up, you will feel more energized, more alert, ready to get out there and exercise. Third, these same hormones will get your body ready for your morning exercise routine by regulating your heart rate, your blood pressure, and the blood flow that your muscles receive.
Friday, 5 February 2010
Five Morning Exercises to Wake You Up
Most of us wake up early in the morning listless and lethargic. Few of us have the luxury to have a fulfilling sleep and wake up without the noise of an alarm clock. Even with a cold morning bath or a cup of aromatic coffee, the tiredness doesn't seem to go away.
To really get your body started and going, what you really need is a good workout to get your blood moving. But none of us really wants to break out into a big sweat before heading out for work. Luckily, a refreshing workout to wake you up doesn't need to be a sweaty event. All it takes is for your muscles to warm up and get well-stretched. Here are five exercises that won't cause you to break out in sweat, but will definitely clear up your mind.
Shoulder Stretch
Much like how you would normally stretch your arms overhead in a big yawn, this exercise is exactly just that. It shouldn't surprise you that your body naturally performs this exercise to shake off some of that weariness; the stretch pulls on your shoulder muscles, which are normally very tight after a night of sleep. Also move your fingers and clench your fists, blood from the hands through the finger tips get squeezed and flows to the other parts of the body; thus your arms and fingers wake up.
Calf Stretch
Before you even step out of your bed, simply move your feet such that your calf muscles get squeezed and this moves the slow flowing blood at both ends of the feet back to the heart. Squeeze at the calves a few times and feel your legs warming up. By now your legs should be feeling good enough to step out of bed.
Hip Stretch
Now sit up on your bed and turn your upper body from right to left and left to right without moving your entire body. Each time you reach the most extreme right or left, hold your stretch there for a few seconds. Now your mid torso is beginning to warm up as well.
Back Stretch
In the sitting position, place two hands on your waist and move your elbows backwards. Hold your stretch for a few seconds and do it a few times. This stretch the back muscles, especially you're the portion on your shoulder blades. Your body is almost fully warmed up by now and you aren't that sleepy anymore.
Tip-toe
Now stand up from your bed and tip-toe on your feet. Try to balance on tip-toe for a while before standing onto your feet. You can do this a few times as well. Tip-toeing requires your body to balance and balancing is a complex combination of muscles, body senses and brain coordination. This simple act calls for your brain to start functioning and cues your body to wake up fully.
Like a car left out in a cold winter night, you body needs to warm up and get primed to start working. The stretches move the blood in your body around all the areas and warm them up. Tip toeing at the end is like ignition of your car engine. It's not getting the car to run in 4th gear right away, but your car engine is now moving. Balancing calls for muscles, brain and body senses to all work together and your brain is thinking. Before you know it, you're fully awake, without even having washed your face yet.
To really get your body started and going, what you really need is a good workout to get your blood moving. But none of us really wants to break out into a big sweat before heading out for work. Luckily, a refreshing workout to wake you up doesn't need to be a sweaty event. All it takes is for your muscles to warm up and get well-stretched. Here are five exercises that won't cause you to break out in sweat, but will definitely clear up your mind.
Shoulder Stretch
Much like how you would normally stretch your arms overhead in a big yawn, this exercise is exactly just that. It shouldn't surprise you that your body naturally performs this exercise to shake off some of that weariness; the stretch pulls on your shoulder muscles, which are normally very tight after a night of sleep. Also move your fingers and clench your fists, blood from the hands through the finger tips get squeezed and flows to the other parts of the body; thus your arms and fingers wake up.
Calf Stretch
Before you even step out of your bed, simply move your feet such that your calf muscles get squeezed and this moves the slow flowing blood at both ends of the feet back to the heart. Squeeze at the calves a few times and feel your legs warming up. By now your legs should be feeling good enough to step out of bed.
Hip Stretch
Now sit up on your bed and turn your upper body from right to left and left to right without moving your entire body. Each time you reach the most extreme right or left, hold your stretch there for a few seconds. Now your mid torso is beginning to warm up as well.
Back Stretch
In the sitting position, place two hands on your waist and move your elbows backwards. Hold your stretch for a few seconds and do it a few times. This stretch the back muscles, especially you're the portion on your shoulder blades. Your body is almost fully warmed up by now and you aren't that sleepy anymore.
Tip-toe
Now stand up from your bed and tip-toe on your feet. Try to balance on tip-toe for a while before standing onto your feet. You can do this a few times as well. Tip-toeing requires your body to balance and balancing is a complex combination of muscles, body senses and brain coordination. This simple act calls for your brain to start functioning and cues your body to wake up fully.
Like a car left out in a cold winter night, you body needs to warm up and get primed to start working. The stretches move the blood in your body around all the areas and warm them up. Tip toeing at the end is like ignition of your car engine. It's not getting the car to run in 4th gear right away, but your car engine is now moving. Balancing calls for muscles, brain and body senses to all work together and your brain is thinking. Before you know it, you're fully awake, without even having washed your face yet.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Which is the best time physical activity.
1. Exercise to reduce weight.
If heated to. Slaughter weight morning Here ล่ะ best. It is time to bring the body carbohydrate. From yesterday's dinner is energy use. It crumble and burn fat calories better than exercise in the evening so much.
2. Lounge muscle to exercise.
The young suspect would prefer to do this more than any young. The best time for muscle Lounge is the time in the afternoon because. The research says. Our muscles are ready and use the best from noon onwards, the muscles in the morning will still not fully awake players.
3. Exercise to relax.
If you want to exert stress disappear. We recommend to take down up & Co. afternoon other. Or no time to be cool. Because the exercise period will allow. Sleep well at night, but if hard to exert any. This morning. Moment to the sleepy afternoon was boss with a hammer to remove unknown.
4. Exercise to get fresh air.
It is morning already knowing each other in that time period the air is crisp on the small little exercise will make all parts of the brain and body get more oxygen. It is very healthy.
If heated to. Slaughter weight morning Here ล่ะ best. It is time to bring the body carbohydrate. From yesterday's dinner is energy use. It crumble and burn fat calories better than exercise in the evening so much.
2. Lounge muscle to exercise.
The young suspect would prefer to do this more than any young. The best time for muscle Lounge is the time in the afternoon because. The research says. Our muscles are ready and use the best from noon onwards, the muscles in the morning will still not fully awake players.
3. Exercise to relax.
If you want to exert stress disappear. We recommend to take down up & Co. afternoon other. Or no time to be cool. Because the exercise period will allow. Sleep well at night, but if hard to exert any. This morning. Moment to the sleepy afternoon was boss with a hammer to remove unknown.
4. Exercise to get fresh air.
It is morning already knowing each other in that time period the air is crisp on the small little exercise will make all parts of the brain and body get more oxygen. It is very healthy.
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