Staying Motivated

A large majority of the population has tried exercising in the past but unfortunately, most give it up after a short while due to lack of motivation.
But those who are committed to the gym long after all their co-workers have given up on those New Year's resolutions say there are tricks to stay motivated and finally reach your fitness goals.
The main thing committed exercises have in common is that they do not exercise just to lose weight. They see exercise as a form of recreation or social connection. In other words, they actually enjoy going to the gym or for a jog.
That's not as ridiculous as it may sound to some. The gym can seem very boring if you go on your own, day in and day out. But if you try going with friends or join classes where you can meet new friends who share your health goals, all of a sudden you will be having fun and actually look forward to a regular sweat.
Many people quit working out because they get bored. Working out with friends, trying new exercises or classes or even new sports will keep you interested. Not only will you have more fun, but you will burn more calories because your muscles will be challenged in new and different ways.
Another trick to use to keep you going to the gym is repetition. Experts say for something to become a habit, a person has to do it for 21 days straight. This doesn't just apply to the gym but to all facets in life. So the next time you are thinking of joining the gym or beginning a new workout regimen, commit yourself to just 3 or 4 weeks. At the end of that period, you will find that you no longer have to force yourself to put your trainers in your gym bag. You'll actually want to go to the gym.
If you really don't like going to the gym, remember that physical activity comes in all forms. Put your joggers on and walk around the mall before you hit the sales, or get in the backyard and do some gardening. One trainer I spoke to suggested to his clients that they thoroughly clean one room in their house every week in place of a workout.
The point is not to think of exercise as something that is difficult and strenuous, but as something that should be added to your life in different, creative ways.

Lifting Past Your Plateau

If you’ve been lifting weights for a while you may notice that your gains have slowed down. That’s because you may not be challenging your muscles enough.

Muscles adapt using progressive overload. This means that as you overload your muscle, it will grow until the weight you are using is no longer a challenge for that muscle. You then have to overload it again, with a higher weight, to get it to grow more.

There are other ways to increase the intensity of your lifts to bring muscle gains even faster.

Forced reps – Forced reps help you lift past your point of failure. The next time you are doing a shoulder raise, have a spotter stand behind you. Once you can no longer lift the weight, have your spotter help you lift a couple of more reps. These extra reps will really work your muscles. An added bonus will be that your metabolism will work even harder because of the intensity of this method. If you are working out alone, try training one arm or one leg at a time. Then use your other arm or leg to help out with the last few lifts.

Obviously, with this method, safety should come first. Do not do extra lifts where the weight is above your head or chest without a spotter.

2. Drop sets – Drop sets help you squeeze out as much out of a muscle as possible. This method has you do your full set of lifts with a certain weight. Once you can no longer lift that weight, you put that dumbbell or barbell down and immediately pick up a lighter weight and continue lifting. This will really fatigue your muscle so that you get the best gains possible.

Again, be very careful when lifting above your head or chest without a spotter. You may not realize just how tired your muscles really are.

3. Partial Reps – A lifting rep usually requires that you move your joint through a full range of motion. For example, a bicep curl starts with your arm extended and ends with it fully contracted. You will find that as your muscle gets tired, it becomes harder for you to move the weight up through the lower part of the repetition. At that point, bend your arm to 90% and do a few more reps from that angle, so you are only doing part of the rep. You will find these will be easier for you. Continue making the movement smaller and smaller as you are able to move the weight through less and less range of motion until you can no longer move it at all. You have reached true failure.

4. Superset – While you may do two or three different types of exercises for one muscle group, you probably rest between those exercises. This method requires that you do all the exercises back-to-back, without rest, so that you are truly fatiguing your muscle and hitting all the different parts or heads of that muscle.

Once again, we have to stress the need for safety for these methods. These should never be tried by beginner lifters and even intermediate lifters should use spotters. Also, be aware of over-training. These methods should not be done more than once a week. Gradually work them in and know the difference between good pain and pain that can result in injury. If you do these exercises safely, you will see gains like never before.

US Government: Physical Activities Guidelines

Just in time for U.S. Thanksgiving, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have released exercise guidelines for the general public.

This is the first time the government has issued specific guidelines on how much exercise, intensities and types are appropriate for all ages and physical conditions.

Here are the guidelines for healthy adults, older adults and adults with disabilities:

At least 2.5 hours of weekly moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, water aerobics, ballroom dancing or general gardening. You should be able to talk comfortably during exercise.

If time is an issue, fit in several 10-minute bouts of aerobic exercise a day.

For more health benefits, exercise 5 hours a week at a moderate pace.

More fit individuals can opt for 75 minutes of weekly vigorous exercise, such as jogging, race walking, swimming laps, jumping rope or hiking uphill; and increase training to 2.5 hours a week for greater health benefits.

At least 2 times each week incorporate strength-training exercises such as weight-training, push-ups, sit-ups, carrying heavy loads or heavy gardening.

Sedentary adults and those with medical pre-conditions and chronic conditions should consult their physicians before embarking on an exercise program.

Water Your Way Thin

We’ve heard many times that we should be drinking more water when trying to lose weight.
It has long been believed that drinking water fills your stomach, making you actually feel fuller.

Now a US study has confirmed this belief. According to the study, people who drank a glass of water before their meal ate 13% less calories than those who didn’t drink the water. This was regardless of their age, weight or sex and whether or not they regularly drank water.

Scientists concluded that people should drink 2 cups (500ml) of chilled water before consuming their meal. This will slow the rate of the emptying of the stomach and promote fullness.

Stomach Fat is Deadly!

People with large waists are twice as likely to die prematurely as those who have slim waists.

That's according to a recent study by the Department of Public Health in London which concluded that the size of your waist is more important in determining your health than your weight.

People with waists that measure more than 120 cm (47.2 in) for men and 100 cm (39.4 in) for women were found to have 50 % more risk of dying prematurely than those with slim waists (less than 80 cm for men and 65 cm for women) regardless of the person's weight or BMI.

The extra weight around the stomach is more dangerous than that found on legs or hips. Each 5 cm increase in waist size raises the risk of premature death by 17% for men and 13% for women.

The problem is especially prevalent in men, who mainly have apple shapes, while most women tend to have pear shapes (more fat on the hips).

Exercise and clean dieting can go a long way in losing excess stomach fat and helping people return to good health.

Think You're Working Out Hard Enough?

Thinking about how hard you're working out will actually make you work out harder.
That's a no brainer, right?

According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, exercisers who rate their exertion level on a scale from 1 to 10, tended to work out harder than those who didn't pay attention to how hard they were training.

When you work out, you should keep a journal noting how many reps you're doing and how hard you are working. Rate your workout on a level from 1 to 10, with 1 meaning very little exertion and 10 meaning you're working so hard you're finding it hard to breathe and talk at the same time.

By focusing on this scale, you can ensure you are getting an intense workout every time you hit the gym and you aren't just wasting your time.

Fitness Trends for 2009

Educated and experienced fitness professionals. Certification and accreditation for health and fitness programs and professionals are becoming more common.

Children and obesity: Fitness programs to address childhood obesity are a top trend for the third year in a row in the ACSM survey.

Personal training: Personal trainers are becoming more accessible to more people, according to the survey.

Strength training: Men and women are lifting weights; staying strong while aging is increasingly part of their motivation.

Core training: This trend is about strengthening muscles in the abdomen and back to stabilize the spine.

Special fitness programs for older adults: This trend includes aging baby boomers, frail elders who want to get stronger for daily tasks, active older adults, and master athletes.

Pilates: Done on a mat or special equipment, Pilates trains the core muscles and improves flexibility and posture.

Stability ball: These big, inflatable balls (also called Swiss balls or balance balls) are used for crunches, push-ups, and other exercises. Staying stable on the ball is part of the challenge.

Sport-specific training: This trend is about athletes training in the off-season to build their strength and endurance.

Balance training: In balance training, you might stand on a wobble board or use a stability ball to hone your balance: It's a trend for all ages, Thompson notes.

Functional fitness: A functional fitness workout preps your body for daily activities such as running for the bus or lifting groceries -- not just gliding along on the elliptical machine.

Comprehensive health programming at work: This trend is about improving employees' health -- and lowering employers' health care costs.

Wellness coaching: Wellness coaches support clients in making behavior changes for better wellness.

Worker incentive programs: Some employers are giving their workers incentives to make healthy changes.

Outcome measurements: This trend is about accountability and measuring progress toward fitness goals.

Spinning (indoor cycling): Spinning classes, fast-paced group workouts on stationary bikes, have been around for a while, but they're still going strong.

Physician referrals: Doctors are increasingly referring patients to health and fitness facilities, according to the ACSM survey.

Exercise for weight loss: Sensible or "sensationalized," most diets now include an exercise component, Thompson notes.

Group personal training: Groups of two or three people can often get discounts from personal trainers.

Reaching new markets: Thompson estimates that 80% of the U.S. public doesn't have an exercise routine or a place to exercise, which amounts to a "huge market" for the health and fitness industry.