Staying Motivated To Exercise

If you made a resolution to get in shape, my hope for you is to stay motivated and reach for that goal. The benefits you get from  exercise may surprise you. Still too many people have the good intention to exercise, but begin to lose it at some point. Some sign up for a gym membership and others buy their own equipment. Both eventually start to gather dust.


Usually what happens is that you do too much from the start. You know you overdid it, if you are sore and no longer look forward to exercising. Fitness is a skill and it takes knowledge and motivation.


If you want my opinion, I'd say save your money, for the most part, until you are sure you can stay motivated. Gyms are hopping with people signing a contract for a 1-3 year membership, that will prove costly to get out of before the term. See about monthly contracts that may be a few dollars more, but will save you in the long run. Always make sure you can have at least one complimentary workout, before committing to anything.


Home equipment can be costly, but save you from a gym membership in the long run. The problem with home gyms is that they take away the motivation to the point that you start procrastinating and end up not using the equipment.


If you haven't thought about it, think kettlebells for strength and core. A pull up bar will tone the arms and the back. Both are inexpensive and very effective. Climb stairs, buy or rent a bike, walk, run, jog, do yoga, pushups, etc., any activity counts as long as you stay motivated. Start slow and take one baby step at a time. 


Make sure you consult your doctor before starting any new exercise program.


In closing, don't stop trying even if you lose your motivation for whatever reason.

The Workout Manual

It's time to fine tune your workouts. Here are 3 tips to get better results from your workouts. Changing your routine every two weeks will definitely give you the best results.


Get the most from your cardio workout. I would recommend one form of cardio daily, even if it is a brief run.


Still having trouble getting motivated to go to the gym or exercise? Perhaps you should develop these habits.


You need to get at least 120 minutes of exercise a week to reap a lifetime of benefits. The key to exercise is movement. Strive for 10000 steps a day at the very least.


We all have been in an exercise rut from time to time. The important thing is to climb out of that rut and get back into an exercise routine.


Pressed for time? Workout in 15 minutes.


There comes a time to categorize your workouts. Let me explain what I am talking about. Are you targeting weight loss, muscle building, endurance, strength, etc.? At my age it is all about maintenance. I've arrived as far as I'll go. I'm at maintaining what I got. My routine is mostly strength and core strength.


If you want to lose weight quickly, try these exercises, that can also work the strength, endurance and core.


To be continued...

Workout Smarts

Do you want to cut out wasted time on getting fit? Then learn 8 moves to keep you fit. For women there are workouts for specific body types. For men there are training guides.


Most of us can use all the tips on fitness that we can get.


There are no more excuses to working out no matter where we find ourselves. The trick is to take the 'short-cuts' and 'lazy' out of it. Working out at work, for instance, just got easier.


No matter what our age, strength training is an essential regiment to our wellbeing. Learn about the benefits and  equipment in a strength training user guide.


When it comes to working out, safety should be a given. The proper execution of beneficial exercises and knowing the exercises that do more harm or are useless will help you reap the rewards. I've had to eliminate exercises, and also change my execution because I was doing it wrong. Here are exercises that can do more harm than good.

Gyms and Workouts

I went from a 30 minute to a close to 60 minute workout at the gym. At this point I am evolving and have added more exercises while eliminating a few. Since I have more time, due to my schedule, to spend in the gym, I tend to take my time. I hope to eventually spend no more than 45 minutes on my entire workout.


Most people have limited time at the gym, so it pays to know the ways to save time. I always workout in the morning, but maybe I should workout at night after work. Learn ways to supercharge your gym workout. Number 23 is what I was talking about.


The experts weigh in on getting the most from your exercise routines. The important thing is to develop a routine that works for you. Here's how to build your own exercise routine.


A good fitness resource site can be found here. It can generate a workout based on your workout level(beginner or advance) and time you want to spend exercising.


If you like learning and watching ways to do different workouts, here are free workout sites.

Getting The Most From Workouts

I try to talk to the common man in a way they can relate to. I talk to the couch potato, the weekend warrior, the gym fly, the many people from the unhealthiest to the healthiest. I give you a sort of bottom line to health from research, personal experience and the knowledge of my years.


The verb factor of health is exercise. We all need an active verb in our lives because we can not become sedentary or our health takes a nose-dive.


At the very minimum one's activity must include 10000 steps a day which equals approximately 5 miles. Remember people's height and length can vary the distance of their steps. Overall the 10000 steps, whether a giant or a little person, is the minimum you can possibly do for your health.


Regardless of your exercise level, whether you're a beginner or a veteran, you can never know everything about fitness and exercise. Times are a changing" in everything from technology to cooking. You can never know it all and nobody is an island.


At the gym, I would do exercises that I would later find were ineffective and possibly dangerous, especially on machines. I wrote about these before in this blog, and today I am still being enlightened.


Here are ways to get the most of your workouts.