With thousands of different fitness videos/DVDs available, you can choose a different activity for every day of the week — and then some — and never have to worry about braving the elements. Whether you’re interested in aerobics, ballet, strength training, yoga, Pilates — you name it; there’s a workout video for you.Videos are good to use not only when you want to stay cozy inside, but also if you’re too self-conscious to go to a gym,
Top 14 reasons to get physical
During aerobic activity, you repeatedly move large muscles in your arms, legs and hips. You’ll notice your body’s responses quickly.You’ll breathe faster and more deeply. This maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood. Your heart will beat faster, which increases blood flow to your muscles and back to your lungs. Your small blood vessels (capillaries) will widen to deliver more oxygen to your muscles and carry away waste products, such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid. Your body will even release endorphins, natural painkillers that promote an increased sense of well-being.
Regardless of age, weight or athletic ability, aerobic activity is good for you. As your body adapts to regular aerobic exercise, you’ll get stronger and fitter. Consider the following 10 ways that aerobic activity can help you feel better and enjoy life to the fullest.
Aerobic activity can help you:
1. Keep excess pounds at bay
Combined with a healthy diet, aerobic exercise helps you lose weight — and keep it off.
2. Increase your stamina
Aerobic exercise may make you tired in the short term. But over the long term, you’ll enjoy increased stamina and reduced fatigue.
3. Ward off viral illnesses
Aerobic exercise activates your immune system. This leaves you less susceptible to minor viral illnesses, such as colds and flu.
4. Reduce your health risks
Aerobic exercise reduces the risk of many conditions, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer. Weight-bearing aerobic exercises, such as walking, reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
5. Manage chronic conditions
Aerobic exercise helps lower high blood pressure and control blood sugar. If you’ve had a heart attack, aerobic exercise helps prevent subsequent attacks.
6. Strengthen your heart
A stronger heart doesn’t need to beat as fast. A stronger heart also pumps blood more efficiently, which improves blood flow to all parts of your body.
7. Keep your arteries clear
Aerobic exercise boosts your high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good”) cholesterol and lowers your low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol. The potential result? Less buildup of plaques in your arteries.
8. Boost your mood
Aerobic exercise can ease the gloominess of depression, reduce the tension associated with anxiety and promote relaxation.
9. Stay active and independent as you age
Aerobic exercise keeps your muscles strong, which can help you maintain mobility as you get older. Aerobic exercise also keeps your mind sharp. At least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three days a week seems to reduce cognitive decline in older adults.
10. Live longer
Studies show that people who participate in regular aerobic exercise live longer than those who don’t exercise regularly.
Strength training: Get stronger, leaner, healthier
Strength training is an important part of an overall fitness program. Here’s what strength training can do for you — and how to get started.
You know exercise is good for you. Ideally, you’re looking for ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. If your aerobic workouts aren’t balanced by a proper dose of strength training, though, you’re missing out on a key component of overall health and fitness. Despite its reputation as a “guy” or “jock” thing, strength training is important for everyone. With a regular strength training program, you can reduce your body fat, increase your lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.
11. Use it or lose it
Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. “If you don’t do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, you’ll increase the percentage of fat in your body,” says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. “But strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle mass — at any age.”
12. Strength training also helps you:
Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Control your weight. As you gain muscle, your body gains a bigger “engine” to burn calories more efficiently — which can result in weight loss. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to control your weight.
13. Reduce your risk of injury. Building muscle helps protect your joints from injury. It also contributes to better balance, which can help you maintain independence as you age.
Boost your stamina. As you get stronger, you won’t fatigue as easily.
14. Manage chronic conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.
Sharpen your focus. Some research suggests that regular strength training helps improve attention for older adults.
Strength training can be done at home or in the gym.
Consider the options:
1. Body weight. You can do many exercises with little or no equipment. Try push-ups, pull-ups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.
2. Resistance tubing. Resistance tubing is inexpensive, lightweight tubing that provides resistance when stretched. You can choose from many types of resistance tubes in nearly any sporting goods store.
3. Free weights. Barbells and dumbbells are classic strength training tools.
4. Weight machines. Most fitness centers offer various resistance machines. You can also invest in weight machines for use at home.
Getting started
When you have your doctor’s OK to begin a strength training program, start slowly. Warm up with five to 10 minutes of stretching or gentle aerobic activity.
Remember to stop if you feel pain. Although mild muscle soreness is normal, sharp pain and sore or swollen joints are signs that you’ve overdone it.
When to expect results
You don’t need to spend hours a day lifting weights to benefit from strength training. You may enjoy noticeable improvements in your strength and stamina in just a few weeks. With regular strength training, you’ll continue to increase your strength — even if you’re not in shape when you begin.
Strength training can do wonders for your physical and emotional well-being. Make it part of your quest for better health.
When you are searching for the right weight loss aids to help you to look and feel better, The Flex Belt may be one of the best purchases that you can make. These belts work by working the muscles in your core and can provide you with an added workout to supplement your existing exercise routine. This incredible machine provides you with the opportunity to get two workouts instead of one, providing you with faster results. The Flex Belt is a popular choice because they offer natural and safe benefits. While many supplements and dietary aids may have a negative impact on your heart and digestive system, the muscle stimulation provided by these belts is entirely risk free. The belts will help you develop stronger, firmer ab muscles with out requiring you to double your workout routine. You do need to realize that the belt is not meant to replace exercising or a healthy diet as a method of fat loss.When checking out a toning belt, you will discover that there are many options. The best toning belts provide comfort in addition to being able to stimulate your muscles. Toning belts are an effective and successful slimming aid. You will discover that you can find different belts made for both men and women that will offer you the shape, strength, and features needed to achieve your desired goals. All bodies are not made equally, and it critical to find slimming products that recognize that different people have different needs.
The Flex Belt is the first Ab Belt Toning system cleared by the FDA for Toning, Firming and Strengthening the stomach muscles. With The Flex Belt, you can train your abs even if you’re too busy or too tired for a traditional workout. Just slip on the comfortable toning ab belt and the clinically demonstrated, patented medical-grade technology stimulates the nerves that make your muscles contract and relax. As a result, you get an effective abdominal workout that targets all the muscles in your abdomen – all in just 30 minutes a day.
For those looking for a convenient way to tone, strengthen and flatten the abdominal area, you couldn’t make a more solid choice than The Flex Belt. No matter what else you are doing to work on your stomach area – The Flex Belt will enhance it. Ab workouts are usually the type of exercise that take a lot of time, dedication, and effort. The Flex Belt is ideal for everyone who feels he or she doesn’t have the time to fit enough ab exercises into their routine. It is also great for fitness enthusiasts who want to take their workouts to the next level.
The Flex Belt is a device which will provide electronic muscle stimulation. It stimulates the muscles through electronic signals. The main aim of this Flex belt is to reduce the extra fat that is present in the abs. The advantage of using this flex belt in fat burning is that the individual need not do any strenuous activity for reducing the abs muscles. Wearing this flex belt will automatically contracts the abs muscles and burns those extra fats.
There are many advantages of THE FLEX BELT which include
Convenience of using anywhere and everywhere. It can be used in the relaxed mode while watching TV, working etc and does not require any special working environment to use it.
Anybody can use it. Even older people and people having any sort of disabilities can also use it. The results will be the same for everyone.
Ease of use is another important feature of this flex belt. Just wear it and turning it on, it will start contracting the muscles in your Abdomen and stomach .
Works abdominal muscles conveniently and perfectly without the struggle of typical ab exercises.
• Clinical trial results are overwhelmingly positive.
• It is the first of its kind Cleared by the FDA.
• Supported by doctors, therapists, celebrities, athletes, and major publications.
• Medical-grade technology.
• Great for anyone – from fitness nuts to beginners and back again.
• 60-day money back guarantee.
• 2-year extended replacement warranty.
Read User Testimonials & Press Coverage of The Flex Belt
