Leave the gym behind! Are you one of those people who will only workout if they can get to a very specific gym, at a very specific time of day, and do a very specific type of training? If you are, then this tip is for you!

Although the gym is a great place to train, and the workouts that you do may be effective, you are setting yourself up for failure if you can only workout given a very specific set of circumstances.

What happens if you can't get to the gym for some reason? What if your picture-perfect workout program is disrupted because of a crowd, or because part of the gym is being remodeled? What if your favorite aerobics class gets cancelled? What if you are simply late, and your entire workout schedule is thrown off track?

These are just a few examples of how relying on an iron-clad workout program will set you up to fail if things don't go exactly like they are supposed to. In addition, your body will get used to your "perfect" program, and you'll be back at square 1 before you know it. Leave the gym behind and find other ways to get some exercise!

Fitness Destinations recommends http://www.recreation.gov to find the best places in your area to get outside and play!

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Got Cancer?

Today's Fitness Tip isn't so much a tip as it is a fact that should motivate you to get off your butt and go exercise!

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Got Cancer?

Today's Fitness Tip isn't so much a tip as it is a fact that should motivate you to get off your butt and go exercise!

From an article in the November 2005 edition of Personal Fitness Professional magazine:

"The American Cancer Society estimates that about 30% of cancer deaths are due to poor nutrition, excess weight and lack of exercise."

30 PERCENT!!

Why are you still sitting here reading this??

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Always practice perfect form! Whenever you are exercising, there is a very specific way to do each and every exercise. Do things right to maximize results, and minimize injury!

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Always practice perfect form!

Whenever you are exercising, there is a very specific way to do each and every exercise. Doing the exercise in the prescribed manner ensures 2 things:

1) That you get the most possible benefit from the activity. If you are going to take the time and expend the energy to exercise, then do it right. Using sloppy form just robs the targeted muscles of the stimulus that you are trying to deliver to them, and can ultimately waste your valuable exercise time.

2) That you don't get injured while you workout. Even seasoned exercise veterans are still subject to a muscle pull or strain, a torn ligament, a torn rotator cuff, etc. One of the best reasons for exercise is to prevent these type of injuries, but by spending a lot of time working out, some of us forget that we are still susceptible, and we allow our form or exercise speed to suffer. This results in exactly the kind of injury that we are trying to avoid!

Always practice picture-perfect form whenever you exercise, and do all exercises with a full range of motion, and at the proper speed. Don't waste your time, or get hurt in the process!

For the most complete (to date) database of exercises, complete with animated graphics that show the movements, and text instructions on how to do them, become a member or a client of Fitness Generator. Whether you are a personal trainer or if you are just trying to exercise in a proper and effective manner, Fitness Generator has categorized exercises to keep you or your clients on track. Additionally, Fitness Destinations maintains a list of Online Personal Trainers who utilize this software.

Practice "HIIT", the acronym for High Intensity Interval Training to get more out of your cardiovascular training, but in less time!


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"HIIT"

Practice "HIIT", the acronym for High Intensity Interval Training. The basic idea is to do your cardiovascular training in 2 different zones. Zone #1 is your "cruising speed", which is the speed and/or resistance that keeps you inside your Target Heart Rate Zone. Zone #2 is significantly more intense, cranking your heart rate to well above the THR, approaching or surpassing 80% of your Maximum Heart Rate.

The concept is pretty simple. No matter what form of cardiovascular training you are doing, you spend the first 5 minutes or so cranking up the intensity so that you are at your cruising speed of approximately 70% of your maximum heart rate. Once there, every 1 to 4 minutes, crank the speed or resistance up to a much higher level, to at least 80% to 85% of your max.

When cruising at the higher level of intensity, this is known as the "interval", hence the name High Intensity Interval Training. Perform your interval for 1 to 2 minutes, after which you should be VERY ready to slow things back down to your cruising speed. Once you are back to cruising speed, go another 1 to 4 minutes, then repeat the whole process.

This type of training confuses your body about how to keep up with the energy demand, which keeps it from slipping into a comfortable rythym. You will burn more calories this way, burn through more bodyfat in a shorter amount of time, crank your metabolism up significantly higher, and improve the maximum cardiac output of your heart, all at the same time! If you are looking for a way to shorten your workouts, but lose weight more quickly, HIIT is the way to go!

Make sure you are staying in the 70% to 85% target heart rate zone with a low-cost, easy to use Polar Heart Rate Monitor.

Breathe hard! Or, get your heart rate up - however you want to phrase it! The point is that no serious, long-term fitness progress ever came out of "taking a stroll" on the treadmill, or by meandering around your neighborhood after dinner.

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Breathe hard!

Or, get your heart rate up - however you want to phrase it! The point is that no serious, long-term fitness progress ever came out of "taking a stroll" on the treadmill, or by meandering around your neighborhood after dinner.

Although it is true that ANY exercise is better than NO exercise, if you truly want to melt off excess bodyweight and bodyfat, you are going to have to crank that heart rate up to about 70% of your maximum level several times each week, and consider taking it even further than that once you are conditioned for it.

To figure out your max heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, if you are 40, your maximum heart rate is 180 (220-40).

Monitor your heart rate with a low-cost, easy to use Polar Heart Rate Monitor.

Get out and PLAY! People are so hung up on the "latest exercise programs" that they forget that the mission is to simply expend energy. No one ever said that you had to expend energy in the gym, or by pounding the pavement in your neighborhood!


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Get out and PLAY!

People are so hung up on the "latest exercise programs" that they forget that the mission is to simply expend energy. No one ever said that you had to expend energy in the gym, or by pounding the pavement in your neighborhood!

Structured sports such as football, volleyball, tennis and similar activities are all great ways to burn off some extra calories. Or, to make it even more interesting, put together a little outdoor fitness session for you and some of your friends. Using nothing but bodyweight and a little bit of imagination, there is no end to the fun that you can have running, jumping, catching, pushing, pulling, hopping, sprinting, lunging, squatting, etc. The list is endless!

If you want to add a little bit of resistance, grab a 6 or 8 pound Medicine Ball and toss that thing around for awhile. If your arms don't get a good workout doing that, then you are doing it wrong!

A picture speaks a thousand words, and that is a very true statement when it comes to fitness! Having a motivating picture of yourself can literally mean the difference between success and failure in your weight loss endeavors.


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A picture speaks a thousand words!

A picture speaks a thousand words, and that is a very true statement when it comes to fitness! Having a motivating picture of yourself can literally mean the difference between success and failure in your weight loss endeavors.

Here is a quick tip on using a photo to keep you highly motivated. Don't use a picture of the way that you USED to look, or even a mental picture of what you WANT to look like. Get a picture of you that you hate because it shows you when you were seriously out of shape, or at a point in your life when you had very little energy, or self esteem.

Take that bad picture of yourself and post it where you will see it on a daily basis! Don't strive to be someone in a 10-year old high school picture, or in the "perfect" picture that you have of yourself in your head. Strive to NOT be the person in your "bad" picture!

Set and measure your goals! If you don't know specifically where you want to go, how can you possibly know if you are on the right track to get there?

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Set and measure your goals!

If you don't know specifically where you want to go, how can you possibly know if you are on the right track to get there?

Everyone wants to "lose weight" or "feel better". What does that MEAN? Does it mean that you want to drop 4 dress sizes? Does it mean you want to shed 30 pounds? Does it mean that you want to lose a certain percentage of bodyfat? Does it mean that you want to run the 100-yard dash in a certain period of time?

The moral to this story is that if you don't know SPECIFICALLY what you want out of your fitness program and SPECIFICALLY when you want to have it, you are going to have a hard time even knowing if you are on the right track. You need to set and measure your goals on a frequent basis. Get on a scale once a week, have your bodyfat checked, run the 100-yard dash to see if your time is improving.

When you measure your progress, it allows you to modify your program if necessary to stay on track for your goals. If you need to lose 1 pound a week to get to your goal, but you are only losing half a pound each week, then you need to make some changes to get on a faster track to success.

Set and measure your goals, and you will be amazed at how motivating it can be!

To track bodyfat with an easy to use and portable method, check out the Omron BodyFat Analyzer

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Would you believe that Watching TV is today's sound fitness advice?? Don't get too comfy on that couch, though! The type of TV that we are talking about is the interactive version now available through several different video game and software development companies.


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Would you believe that Watching TV is today's sound fitness advice??

Don't get too comfy on that couch, though! The type of TV that we are talking about is the interactive version now available through several different video game and software development companies. In realizing that video games and time in front of the TV were habits that were not going to go away easily, the powers that be in the home entertainment industry have turned their talents to creating interactive environments that cause the average couch potato or video game junkie to have to get up off the couch and get involved!

These interactive situations involve some sort of sensor that translates your movements to your "video" counterpart on the TV screen, a pad of some kind that you walk, run, dance, or jump on, or an actual mini-video camera that puts YOU right in the middle of the action!

Get up off the couch and get moving! You may be surprised how many options you have for dropping bodyfat right there in your own living room!

Check out PlayStation 2's Eye Toy: Kinetic for an entertaining workout that gets harder as you get better at it!

RUN! As many people will agree, running is one of the most effective forms of cardiovascular training. Although the intensity of cardiovascular training can be improved no matter which form of training you choose, the effectiveness of an activity begs two
questions: 1) Is the activity safe? 2) Does the activity help you in your weight loss or fitness goals?


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RUN!

As many people will agree, running is one of the most effective forms of cardiovascular training. Although the intensity of cardiovascular training can be improved no matter which form of training you choose, the effectiveness of an activity begs two questions: 1) Is the activity safe? 2) Does the activity help you in your weight loss or fitness goals?

When one asks "Is running safe?", the answer is pretty basic. It's a normal human movement and activity. Like any normal human movement, as long as common sense is applied to the training program, then yes, running is perfectly safe. "Is it effective?" Many people report more intensity and fitness or weight loss related improvements when running than when engaging in any other form of cardio.

Some people will answer these statements by saying things like "I am too overweight to run", or "I have never been a good runner". It is true that running or not running needs to be considered based on each invidividual's body type and exercise history.

However, consider this: Running requires you to pick your legs up higher than when you are walking, and to bring your heel down, followed by your toe. Who ever said you had to do that at a high rate of speed? Try picking your knees up nice and high the next time you go for a walk or get on the treadmill, and see if you don't notice the completely safe and effective difference between that and just going for a stroll!

For maximum intensity when engaging in endurance exercise activities, try Tahitian Noni Concentrated Fruit Extract Endurance, and for maximum joint protection and health, Tahitian Noni Concentrated Fruit Extract Healthy Joint.

Snack Time! Although "having a snack" is something that most of us equate with our early years of school, it turns out that after all this time, having a snack was and still is a GREAT idea!


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Snack Time!

Although "having a snack" is something that most of us equate with our early years of school, it turns out that after all this time, having a snack was and still is a GREAT idea!

Our bodies operate on a very basic principle of Energy In vs. Energy Out. If we don't practice the "Energy In" part of the equation every 2 to 3 hours, our bodies will slow down, caloric expenditure will come to a standstill, and as soon as we eat the next meal, our bodies will store the calories as bodyfat instead of using them for energy!

Think of your body like a steam engine on an old train. If just enough coal was put into the fire at regular intervals, the train would run fast, hard, and clean. If not enough coal was added, the train would stop completely. If TOO much coal was added, the fire would just go out altogether! Feed YOUR steam engine with small, nutritious meals every 2 to 3 hours every single day!

For a tasty, portable, nutritious and low calorie snack, try Tahiti Trim Plan 40 Chocolate Success Bars.

Read! In today's world of Information Overload, it is often easy to forget that one of the easiest and most effective ways to learn is to simply read a book!


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Read!

Read! In today's world of Information Overload, it is often easy to forget that one of the easiest and most effective ways to learn is to simply read a book! Why listen to paid advertisers on the radio, get talked into useless products by watching infommercials, or listen to the advice of your friends, family and coworkers?

Why not just pick up a book and find out the TRUTH for yourself?

A simple trip to Amazon.com will not only allow you to find pretty much any book you can imagine, but you can also read reviews by real people - just like yourself - who have read the book you are considering. Don't believe the publishers, the authors, or the paid endorsers of any information source - read testimonials and reviews by people who have actually read the book, and then decide for YOURSELF if the book is worth your time and money!

For a good selection of health and fitness related books, check out the Health and Fitness Books section!

Stress causes us to store bodyfat - Vent your frustrations! Learn about how stress effects your health, and get 2 great resources for helping you deal with it.


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Here is a surprise tip for you - Become Unstable! It is hardly what we are advised to do in day to day life, but when it comes to exercise, being unstable is exactly what the doctor ordered.


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Become Unstable!

Here is a surprise tip for you - Become Unstable! It is hardly what we are advised to do in day to day life, but when it comes to exercise, being unstable is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Doing exercises while on an unstable surface such as an exercise ball, a wobble board, a foam pad, or even just by standing on one leg takes each movement to the next higher level of intensity and effectiveness. You must exercise your CORE if you want to be strong, lean, and healthy.

If you are just doing standard bench presses, lunges, squats, and overhead presses, you are missing out on an entire level of fitness, and you are also setting yourself up for injury!

-- Aaron

The long-lost secret to losing weight and being healthy is about to be revealed - it may surprise you!


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Keep it Simple!

Keep it simple! Get ready, you are about to be given the LONG LOST SECRET to weight loss!

Exercise at least 30 minutes each day - preferably 45-60 minutes - and take in fewer calories than you expend each day.

There, don't you feel enlightened now? The irony of the situation is that it really IS just that simple! Skip the latest diet, turn off the infommercials, and change your radio dial when the "best new product" spot comes on.

If you really want to lose weight, keep it simple. Get enough exercise, and stop eating excess amounts of unhealthy calories!

For a down to earth and easy to understand guide on eating properly, check out the Idiot Proof Diet Handbook!

Site Updates!

There have been MANY changes to the site lately, and although most people are keeping up to date by tuning in to the Fitness Tips Podcast, for anyone who hasn't seen the latest, here is a brief rundown:

 

1) Brand New Shopping Center - The Fitness Destinations online shopping portal is finally up and running. We have replaced several affiliate providers with one all-encompassing shopping mall that houses some 23,000 pages of content! There is no end to what you will find there, and you can either login as a Client to shop, or you can even get a private version of your own store, and get cash back on your purchases. All of the details can be found at this URL, and don't forget to use "fitness" as your guest password: http://www.fitnessdestinations.com/shop.html

 

2) The Fitness Destinations Daily Fitness Tips Podcast - This is the easiest way ever to stay up to date with the latest information about the site, and get 100% FREE Fitness Tips as well! Simply go to the Fitness Tips page to find out several free and easy ways that you can subscribe to the Fitness Podcast.

 

3) Wholesale Supplement Promotion - Fitness Destinations 100% endorses the myriad different weight loss and fitness supplements and food additives provided by Tahitian Noni International, and we believe in their products so much that we are going to give you the chance to get wholesale prices on them for FREE. Simply check out our Tahitian Noni International wholesale supplement promotion for more info!

 

That's it for now! Happy New Year, and Best Wishes for a Prosperous and Healthy 2006!

 

-- Aaron

 

Aaron's Weight Loss Blog, Week 7

Wow, I feel like I've been rode hard, and put away wet! It has been a roller coaster 2 weeks since my last post, and things are going to start to get interesting now!

I took 3 scheduled days off from the program to celebrate Christmas. We ate crap, drank too much, and generally abused our bodies. That was in the plan. What WASN'T in the plan was waking up after the holiday weekend with a cold that has kept me out of the gym SINCE then!

I ran this morning before breakfast for an hour, but other than that, I haven't gotten any real exercise since Thursday, December 22nd! Although I did clean up my nutrition most of last week after the holiday weekend, and although I did work my butt off at work, I didn't step foot into a gym all week.

So, all of that being said, the damage wasn't as bad as I expected. My bodyfat only crept up 2/10 of a percent, to 14.3%. That means that I still get to wear my 25% pin. I would have been MOST irate if I had to take that off!!

Now, though, it is crunch time. The final weigh in/bodyfat check is Saturday, January 14th - my birthday. We are planning a big birthday/house warming party for that night, and I have to be the consumate picture of perfection by the time that evening rolls around.

I have already started the crunch time workout program, beginning with my run this morning. I will also be running again this afternoon with one of my clients, and I will be doing cardio again tonight after dinner.

Carbohydrates will be on an "as needed" basis between now and Saturday the 14th, and resistance and cardio training will both be at intense levels. Although I have seen this type of program in action before, I have personally never done it.

I will either lose a bunch of bodyfat, or I will die trying! Either way, Saturday night at the party, I am burying my head in a bowl full of pasta, washing it down with some Jack Daniels, and will then proceed to try and get a full-on game of Spin the Bottle going with the party guests.... ;)

Wish me luck, all - although I intend to create my own anyway!

-- AP <~~~~ Thinks that I subconciously put my back against a wall so I would HAVE to do this. I'm just a self-defeating person that way.... :)