8 Fitness Christmas Present Ideas

Now that Christmas is just around the corner you would hope to have all your presents bought, wrapped and placed under the tree.  However, every year it always seems that there are a few people who you just cannot find the right gift for.  So this year why not tackle the problem by introducing them to the world of fitness with one of the eight Christmas present ideas listed below.

1) FOOTBALL:- Christmas is traditionally a time where exercise takes a back seat.  So why not mix it up this year by getting someone a football?  Not only is it a perfect present for most boys but it can also be used to give the whole family some exercise over the festive period.  Simply drag everyone away from the TV for a few hours and suggest a Christmas kick around in your local park.

2) GRIPMASTER:- Whilst I have not yet personally tried the Gripmaster product I have read numerous positive reviews and it looks like a fantastic product.  Unlike most other grip strengthening products, the Gripmaster allows you to exercise each finger individually which means you can work on any weak fingers and bring them all up to equal strength.  Since it is portable and unique the Gripmaster is a great, fun way to gently initiate a friend or family member into the world of fitness.

3) GYM MEMBERSHIP:- Most gyms run offer trial memberships and a lot of them offer special festive deals on these.  So if you cannot think of any tangible Christmas gifts that would be suitable for a certain person this year, get them a gym membership.  If the person in question does not need too much motivation to start exercising then a standard gym membership should do.  However, if they need a little extra push you may want to get them a few introductory sessions with a personal trainer.

4) IPOD:- The iPod is not specifically a fitness product.  However, music is a great motivational tool to get people exercising.  It can make jogging more fun, help you power through a tough gym workout or give you the push you need to do some exercise when you really do not feel like it.  So if there is someone on your gift list who needs a little inspiration to get them exercising perhaps the iPod is a perfect present for them.  If they already have an iPod you could try “borrowing” it, purchasing some motivational tunes, loading them on to the iPod and then giving it back to them in time for Christmas.

5) NINTENDO WII:- If there is a gamer in your circle of family and friends who you want to make a little more active then the Nintendo Wii is the perfect present to combine your interests.  They will love it because they get a brand new games console and you will succeed in getting them more active because they will have to move around every time they play on the Wii.  If they already have a Wii then go one step further and get them Wii Fit – a videogame that is specifically focussed on improving your fitness.

6) POWERBALL:- The Powerball is another potential Christmas present that is both fun and promotes exercise.  The technique takes a while to get used to but once you master it the Powerball becomes very addictive and you will find yourself competing against friends and family members to get the highest score.

7) ROCKY BLU RAYS AND DVDS:- With the Christmas weather getting colder and colder it becomes increasingly difficult to find the motivation to exercise.  It can be very tempting to just sit on the couch in front of a warm fire and catch up on the festive films.  So why not give that special someone the motivation they need to exercise over Christmas by getting them one or more of the Rocky films?  After watching one of these films the recipient will be raring to go and start training like Mr Balboa himself.

TRAINERS:- Do you know anyone who you keep trying to get to train with you only for them to say they do not have the right equipment?  Well this year you can cut the excuses and get them a gift by giving them some trainers for Christmas.  Then next time you go ask them to come training it will be the perfect opportunity to test out their new present.

If you are looking for that last minute Christmas present then I hope this article has given you some ideas.  Whoever you are buying for the list above should contain a suitable gift.

5 Christmas Party Survival Tips

Over the festive period parties are as much of a certainty as mince pies and Christmas trees.  Everyone likes to let their hair down and party after a long, hard year.  However, too much partying can have negative implications on your fitness goals.  It can leave you feeling tired and run down which consequently means that exercise and healthy eating take a back seat.  That is why today I am going to provide you with five Christmas party survival tips.

1) MODERATE YOUR ALCOHOL INTAKE:- This may be one of the biggest clichés in Christmas party articles.  However, my advice is slightly different to the normal advice on offer.  I understand that it is difficult to moderate your alcohol intake at every party you attend.  Furthermore, the occasional heavy night is not going to have long term implications on your fitness goals.  So instead of moderating your alcohol consumption on a party by party basis, why not instead try and moderate your alcohol consumption over the entire festive period?

You probably have a good idea of how many festive events you will be attending where alcohol is on offer.  Your office Christmas party, Christmas dinner, the traditional nights out you have with your friends over the festive period and New Years Eve are all days that you can earmark in advance as potential heavy drinking sessions.  Once you have identified all these days, map them out on a calendar.  Then try and split them 50/50 between days where you will be drinking and days where you will be avoiding or seriously moderating your alcohol intake.  For example, you may want to drink at your office Christmas party, on the traditional Christmas Eve night out with your friends and on New Years Eve.  If this is the case then avoid the alcohol on Christmas Day, volunteer as the designated driver when you go out for a few Boxing Day drinks and just have a couple at your neighbour’s Christmas party.  By moderating your alcohol intake in this way you can ensure that you do not have a constant Christmas hangover whilst still enjoying a selection of the festive parties.

2) HAVE A GOOD MEAL BEFORE YOU PARTY:- This is another popular cliché but also excellent advice.  Christmas parties are often loaded with high calorie treats and if you go to the party on an empty stomach then you are much more likely to get hungry and indulge.  By eating a good meal before you start partying you can ensure that you get some good, nutritious food in your body and minimise any snacking you do at the party.

3) EAT SELECTIVELY AT THE PARTY:- If you do decide to eat at the party then make sure you eat selectively.  Certain party snacks are a lot healthier than others.  Avoid the sausage rolls, pork pies and Chocolate cakes.  Instead go for the fresh, natural slices of meat, fruit portions and salad bowls.  Not only are these lower in calories but they also provide your body with high levels of fibre, protein and vitamins.

If you think it will be too difficult to avoid the unhealthy food at every party you attend then take the same approach that I have recommended with alcohol.  Map out the parties where you know food will be on offer in advance.  Then split them 50/50 between parties where you will be avoiding the processed foods and parties where you will let yourself indulge.

4) EXERCISE AFTER A HEAVY PARTY:- Exercise is probably the last thing you feel like doing if you have a particularly heavy party session.  Drinking lots of alcohol or eating lots of junk food does not leave you feeling very fresh the next day.  Whilst it is true you cannot compensate for a poor diet with exercise, a post party workout can partially offset the negative effects and at the very least help you burn off some of those excess calories.  So if you know it is going to be a big party, set your alarm to get yourself up nice and early the next day.  When it goes off, face the hangover head on and do some exercise.  If you are stuck for ideas hitting the gym, going for a jog or going for a bike ride are all good ways to combat a particularly heavy party.

5) MAKE SURE YOU CATCH UP ON YOUR SLEEP:- Just because it is party season does not mean everything else stops.  You still have to go to work (unless you are one of the lucky people who gets an extensive Christmas break) and keep up with all your other duties.  This means that something has to give.  Very often it is your sleep that starts to suffer over the festive period.  If you have a mid-week party to attend but still have to be at work first thing in the morning then a lack of sleep is unavoidable.  However, you can minimise the impact of these late nights by catching up on your sleep elsewhere.  If you have a Thursday night party but know that your Wednesday evening is going to be quiet, make the effort to get in bed extra early on the Wednesday night.  By catching up on your sleep in this way you will feel much less fatigued as the festive period goes on and be much more refreshed when the new year comes around.

Whilst it is extremely difficult to stay as focussed on your fitness over Christmas as you do during the rest of the year, you can maintain some momentum whilst also enjoying the traditional Christmas get togethers.  Hitting the gym everyday, avoiding all alcohol and not eating any Christmas treats is unrealistic.  However, the tips above should give you the balance you need to party whilst not completely derailing your fitness regime.

10 Reasons You Should Walk 10 Miles A Week

Hey everyone.  Today I have a guest post for you from Mary Ward.  Mary operates in the field of nursing and has a website dedicated to helping you get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).  If you want to start a career in nursing I highly recommend you check out Mary’s website after reading her informative article.

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Walking is one of the gentlest workouts, yet so very approachable. That’s what makes so many people turn to this form of exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and here are some excellent additional benefits.

1) GENTLE ON THE BODY:- Though walking can burn some serious calories, it is also pretty gentle on the body.  So for those wishing to engage in some form of cardio or working through an injury, walking is an excellent activity.

2) ANYBODY CAN DO IT:- It doesn’t matter if you’re an avid workout worshipper or if you’re just starting out.  If you have a lot of weight to lose or just want to keep in shape—walking is great for everyone!  It helps to tone you up, burn some calories and it’s so approachable that anybody can do it.

3) EXCELLENT CARDIO:- If you need to get in your cardio throughout the course of a week but aren’t sure how to do it, turn to walking.  You just don’t realize how much cardio walking can offer, and if you shoot for a goal such as 10 miles a week, you are sure to fill in your cardio requirement.

4) HELPS TO CLEAR YOUR HEAD:- If you maintain a cardio activity such as walking each and every week, it can help not only with your physical health but your mental as well.  Getting out and walking, particularly on a regular basis such as 10 miles a week, can help you to clear your head and focus on your health.  That’s always good for every aspect of well being!

5) GREATLY BENEFITS WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS:- Many people turn to power walking for big weight loss results—and it really works!  If you make your goal reachable yet something to work for, then you are sure to burn some major calories in the process.  Walking is a great exercise to turn to if you want to burn some major calories, and aiming for 10 miles per week is an excellent way to accomplish your weight loss goals.

6) PREVENT HEALTH CONDITIONS:- Exercise combined with proper diet as part of a healthy lifestyle can help to prevent certain health conditions.  If you turn to walking as part of your healthy regimen, you can help in the prevention of high cholesterol and even cancer.  So walk to your health!

7) BUILDS UP THE ENERGY:- We all know that if you exercise, you will get instant energy.  If you work towards the goal of walking 10 miles per week, you will be amazed at the amount of energy it provides.  You will feel a natural energy that keeps you going all day long!

GOOD FOR GOAL BUILDING:- If you’ve always wanted to be better about exercise but were intimidated, use a regular walking regimen to help you create goals.  Working towards the goal of 10 miles of walking each week ensures that you have a realistic and very reachable goal for a solid week, and you may just build upon that as time goes on.

9) YOU CAN DO IT ANYWHERE:- Walking doesn’t require fancy equipment or a gym membership, because you can do it anywhere!  If it’s nice out, you can take your walks outside.  If the weather isn’t cooperating you can hit the mall.  There is always a way to walk it out!

10) KEEPS YOU HEALTHY:- If you want to look good, feel good, and stay healthy, then walking is an excellent way to do so.  Walking keeps you feeling good, helps to prevent you from getting sick, and ensures that you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

If you needed a good reason to start a regular walking regimen, pick from any on the list.  Walking is an excellent form of exercise, and anybody can do it!  So try it out, keep with your goal, and see how regular walking can change your life.

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M. Ward writes about how to get a BSN online.

The Key To A Successful Workout

Hey everyone.  Today I have a guest post for you from Rafi Bar-Lev.  Rafi previously wrote articles for his blog The Fitness Adviser – http://thefitnessadviser.com/ but has now expanded his online presence and created the online fitness community Passionate Fitness – http://www.passionatefitness.com/.  At Passionate Fitness you can upload picutres, make friends, submit and read articles use the forums and more.  It’s a really great place to meet like minded people and I recommend you check it out after reading his article.

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Do you ever wonder what really makes your workout successful? Why sometimes you hit the gym for 20 minutes and feel like you accomplished more than when you spend two hours there? In this article you’ll find out out how to make every workout a successful one.

The Importance of Getting Your Heartbeat Up

Have you ever seen people at the pool who are overweight despite swimming for an hour a few times a week? Do you ever notice that they tend to be very good swimmers and never really exert themselves too much? The only way to really get your metabolism going and to really make your workout work is to get your heartbeat going during the exercise. If you’re not breathing hard at least during part of your workout, then you’re doing something wrong.

Using Interval Training to Enhance Your Workout

A great way to ensure you get your heartbeat going and maximize your workout is to use interval training, which studies have shown to be extremely effective. Interval training is essentially doing short bursts of intense exercise, taking a rest, and repeating in sets. It can be applied to pretty much any kind of workout, whether sprinting, swimming, or even body weight exercises. Here’s an example of how you might apply interval training to body weight exercises:

With no rest in between the exercises, do:

- 20 push ups
- 1 minute plank
- 4 pull ups

After that set of those exercises done quickly, rest for 1 minute, and while your still tired continue to the next set. Repeat for a total of 3 sets.

The example that I gave you is actually a variation of one of the workouts recommended to do before trying out for the navy seals. It works so well by applying interval training and combining physical strength with cardiovascular strength and stamina. Essentially…it gets your heart beat up which is the key.

Putting Your All Into Your Workouts

When it comes down to it, you get the most out of your workouts when you put the most into your workouts (seems logical, right?). To make sure that your workout is a successful one, put your all into it and push yourself to do that one extra repetition.

So what are you waiting for? Go out there and give it your all!

Did I Manage To Get My Body Vacation Ready?

Hello everyone.  In one of my recent posts I plugged Rusty Moore’s latest free report – The Vacation Body Blueprint.  In this post I mentioned that I was travelling to Brazil in the next three weeks and was going to be using the techniques in Rusty’s report to try and tone up before I went.  Well those three weeks have now passed so this is just a quick post to let you know how I got on before I jet off to Brazil.

HOW DID I GET ON WITH MY DIET AND EXERCISE ROUTINE?

1) DIET:- The plan for my diet was to make three main changes:
- Cut down my carbohydrate intake by replacing my lunchtime sandwiches with a pot of natural yoghurt mixed with protein powder and some fruit.
- Introduce a daytime fast twice a week.
- Eliminate all junk food and alcohol.

So how did I do on the diet front?  I believe I did quite well.  I managed to completely stick to the yoghurt and fruit combination for lunch.  In fact this part was not as difficult as I thought it would be.  I also managed to avoid junk food and alcohol completely.  I did not do as well as planned with the fasting but I still managed one daytime fast during the three weeks.

2) EXERCISE:-:- My exercise plan was simply to hit the gym hard every day until I went away to Brazil.  I planned to start each workout with a resistance training routine and then finish off with high intensity sprint intervals on the treadmill.

So did I manage to maintain this exercise routine?  Pretty much yes.  I had two rest days but every other day I was in the gym.  Since I had not been to the gym for a few months prior to this (I have been using jogging as my main form of exercise) my strength was not up to where I wanted it to be.  Overall though I feel each workout was an effective one that worked my muscles and burned some fat.

SUMMARY

Surprisingly it was not as difficult as I thought to follow this stricter diet and exercise regime.  I thought cutting down my carbohydrate intake would make me feel hungry and that I would start to crave junk food.  However, I did not experience any of these feelings.  Exercising almost every day was tiring but it was not as exhausting as I first thought it would be.

Admittedly this routine has not had a massive impact on my body composition.  I have dropped some body fat and got a bit leaner.  However, because I have been away from the gym so long my body has quite simply not had the time to adapt and there has been no big change.  Nonetheless it has still been an interesting experiment.

I’M OFF…I WILL BE BACK IN THREE WEEKS

So that’s it from me for three weeks now.  I am off to Brazil for a much needed holiday.  I have a few guest posts scheduled to go live whilst I am away so the blog won’t be completely empty.  Hope you enjoy them .

Be Healthily Ripped and Buff: Five Nutrition Tips for Getting those Six Pack Abs

Hello everyone.  Today’s article is a guest post from Nick Clipton who manages and writes for the weight gain blog: http://www.buildingbodymuscles.com/.  Nick’s blog contains lots of fantastic muscle building information and also reviews many of the top body building programs so feel free to check it out after you have finished reading.

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If there’s one area in the body which is considered to be a chore in any workout routine, that is none other than the abdominal area. Nobody welcomes the thought of having to spend endless hours doing crunches, sit-ups and other stomach-targeting exercises just so that you can have ripped, six pack abs.

Fortunately, abdominal developing exercises can easily be combined with watching your food intake to make sure that you are getting the best nutrition possible. This way, it will be easier for you to achieve your goal of getting rid of that beer belly and developing the six pack abs that you’ve always wanted to have.

Five Nutrition Tips for Getting Six Pack Abs

To start right off, here’s the cardinal rule in getting six pack abs. Aside from the regular abdominal developing exercises that you have, you should have a healthy, nutritious diet to go along with it.

There’s no sense in wearing your self off doing hundreds of crunches a day if you will just eat your heart out right after a strenuous workout.  Remember that the only way to uncover those rippled, chiseled muscles on your abdominal area is to get rid of the underlying fat – and this can only be done with proper diet.

Here are the five nutrition tips that you need to remember so that you can be on your way towards getting those six pack abs:

1. Have a detoxifying diet.
It’s good to start off your six pack abs program by undergoing a detoxifying diet which will help rid your body of the potentially harmful toxins. Fill up your grocery cart with food items like fruits, veggies, rice, healthy grains, beans, nuts and seed, olive oil and green tea. You should also drink plenty of water to up the ante in your detoxification diet.

2. Watch your intake of carbohydrates.
As a general rule, the energy being used up by your body comes from the calories in carbohydrates.  Once the carbs are already used up, the body utilizes fat and then the muscles as a source of energy.  As such, when you reduce your carbs intake, the only thing that will be left for your body to use is fat.

3. Pump up the protein content of your diet.
If the usual way that people describe you is that ’skinny guy’ and you want to develop six pack abs, then you do need to amp up the protein content of your diet. Protein is the primary component of gaining muscle mass, boosting your metabolism and eventually displaying those ripped, six pack abs.

4. Eat smaller meals more frequently within the day.
You may have already heard about this tip many times in the past, and it is with good reason. By eating smaller meals throughout the day, your metabolism will increase and more fat will be burned in the process.

Eating more frequently throughout the day will also result to a reduction in the hormone called cortisol which causes an increase in belly fat.

5. Drink plenty of water.
To cap off your six pack abs nutrition program, make sure to drink lots of water. This will benefit both your exercise program and nutrition program by allowing your kidneys to function at optimal level.  It also leads your liver to metabolize fat at a more efficient level. So if you want to have a really effective six pack abs nutritional program, drink up!

Learn How To Get Your Body Vacation Ready

Hey everyone.  Today I wanted to let you know that Rusty Moore of The Fitness Black Book has released a fantastic new, free report called “The Vacation Body Blueprint”.  Although Rusty stays in good shape all year round when he goes on vacation (holiday to people in the UK) he likes to get his body in extraordinary shape.  In this report Rusty discusses the strategies he follows in the three to five weeks leading up to a vacation to go from “good” shape to “great” shape.  Some of the strategies are pretty aggressive but according to Rusty they can get you as ripped as Cam Gigandet in Never Back Down or Brad Pitt in Fight Club.

This report has come at a particularly good time for me as I am going on holiday to Brazil in three weeks time and would love to tone up a bit before I get there.  I have always had a skinny frame and whilst going to the gym has allowed me to put on a little size I have never managed to get ultra ripped.  Therefore, for the next three weeks I am going to be following the advice Rusty gives in “The Vacation Body Blueprint” by tightening up my diet and hitting the gym hard.  It should be an interesting experiment as I have never tried something this intense (especially from a diet perspective) before.  So now you are probably wondering exactly what changes I am going to make?

1) DIET:- I personally feel my diet is pretty good.  Not great but pretty good.  Most of the time I try to eat real foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and fish.  However, I think there are a number of areas where I could improve my diet.

First, my lunch usually consists of four wholemeal sandwiches which contain cream cheese, spinach and then a filling of either beef, chicken or smoked salmon.  This is quite a high calorie lunch and probably results in me eating too much bread and cheese.  Secondly, I probably eat “junk food” two or three times per week.  Every two or three Fridays I go for a pub lunch with work which usually consists of a burger and chips.  On top of this most Saturdays I go round to my parents house for tea which is traditionally pizza night.  I also let myself have a canned carbonated drink once a week.  Finally, I do drink alcohol quite regularly and could do with cutting down.

So how am I going to improve my diet?  Well first I am going to be cutting down on my intake of bread significantly.  My lunch is going to become much simpler and involve a small pot of natural yoghurt mixed with protein powder and some fruit (either a banana or some berries).  This should allow me to significantly cut down my lunchtime carbohydrates and calories whilst maintaining the level of protein I get.    Secondly, I am going to introduce a daytime fast twice a week per week.  This will involve not eating anything during the day until my evening meal which will further reduce my weekly calorie intake and also promote increased fat burning.  Finally, I am going to try and completely eliminate junk food from my diet for the next three weeks.  That means no carbonated drinks, no Friday pub lunches, no Saturday pizza nights and no alcohol.  I imagine this will be the toughest part but hopefully the results will be worth the short term sacrifice.

2) EXERCISE:- As regular readers will know for the last couple of months I have ditched the gym in favour of jogging.  Whilst jogging is a fantastic exercise with multiple health benefits, it does not have the same muscle building properties that resistance training can provide.

Therefore, over the next three weeks I plan to return to the gym and train hard.  I plan to do a combination of resistance training and HIIT (high intensity interval training).  On top of this I am going to make sure I exercise everyday of the week.  This should allow me to build stronger, more toned muscles before I get to Brazil and also promote further fat burning.  Again I imagine this to be a tough, tiring exercise regime but I think I can manage it for three weeks.

As I said at the beginning of this post I imagine the next three weeks will be very interesting.  It probably will not be that much fun sticking to the diet and exercise plan.  Although I only eat junk food in moderation I still think it will be very tough staying away from it completely for three weeks (particularly alcohol as I do have a birthday night out coming up just before I go to Brazil).  I also imagine that exercising at a reasonably high tempo everyday will be exhausting.  However, it will be very interesting to see how much of a change this routine makes to my body composition.

I am not expecting to get as ripped as Cam Gigandet or Brad Pitt in the roles discussed above as I think I have been away from the gym too long to build the required muscle.  However, I think this routine will allow me to get my body fat levels to the lowest they have ever been and hopefully give me some impressive abs for my holiday.  Whatever the end result it will be a good challenge and as I said before it will be a very interesting three weeks.

You can download your very own copy of “The Vacation Body Blueprint” by clicking here.  Once you have read the report I would love to hear how it worked for you by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post.  It would also be good if you could leave Rusty a comment at his blog too so that he knows how his report is working for you.  I will follow up on this post in three weeks and let you know how “The Vacation Body Blueprint” has worked for me.  Wish me luck .

The Free Fitness Tips Bank Holiday Action Plan

“If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.” – Brain Candy Website

If only the above quote were true it would be a lot easier to stay fit and healthy when the holidays come around.  If you live in the UK then you will know that today is a bank holiday which means many people will be off for days out to see their families, visit the zoo or go to a theme park.  Whilst there is nothing wrong with taking time to relax and enjoy the day off work, bank holidays do often cause people to stray from their normally very good eating and exercise habits.  One bad day is not going to destroy your fitness regime but on the flip side it is helpful to minimise the impact a bank holiday might have.  That is why today I have come up with ‘The Free Fitness Tips Bank Holiday Action Plan’.

1) TRY AND FIT IN SOME EXERCISE DURING THE DAY:- If you are going for a day at the zoo or a theme park then this will not be a big issue.  On these sorts of trips you generally do a lot of walking which will allow you to enjoy a number of cardiovascular benefits and burn a decent number of calories.  In fact you will probably do more walking than you would on a regular work day in the office.

However, if you are visiting your relatives it is often a different story.  Most family visits involve lots of sitting around and talking which is great for catching up with family members who you have not spoken to for a while but not so great for your fitness plan.  There are two main ways to squeeze in some physical activity on days like these.  First, you can get up early and go for a jog or hit the gym before you make your trip.  Alternatively, you can suggest a physical activity that the whole family can enjoy.  This could include a family walk, a team game such as soccer or even a multi-player game of Wii fit.

2) PREPARE HEALTHY FOOD WHERE POSSIBLE:- If you are making a long trip this bank holiday then you will probably be snacking on the way or maybe even stopping for lunch.  Packing a selection of healthy foods such as vitamin rich fruits and vegetables will ensure that you eat healthy foods on your travels.  Plus, it will help you avoid unhealthy, high calorie foods such as chocolate, crisps, chips and burgers that are found in the majority of service stations.

3) RESIST TEMPTING FOODS:- If you go to the zoo or a theme park this bank holiday then tempting foods are all around.  No matter where you look there will always be candy floss, chips, burgers, hot dogs or other tempting foods on sale.  If you visit your relatives then this creates similar problems as in most cases you will be constantly offered cakes, cookies and chocolates by your host.

So how do you resist these tempting foods?  Well if you are on a trip away following tip number two and preparing your food can play a big part.  If you already have your lunch with you and ready to eat there is no reason to purchase extra food from these vendors.  However, if you are visiting relatives it is going to be a bit tougher.  It is not very polite to bring your own food and eat that instead of what your family has prepared.  Instead you will need to exercise some willpower and learn to say no to tempting treats.  By all means allow yourself to have a slice of cake or a piece of chocolate but just make sure that the one treat does not turn into an all out binging session.

4) DON’T WORRY IF IT DOESN’T GO TO PLAN:- Ultimately, bank holidays are a one off and in fitness terms at least do not represent a normal day.  Whilst it is nice to be able to do some exercise and eat reasonably healthy on these days, it is not a disaster if this does not happen.  No matter how well you plan, sometimes these plans fail.  For example, you could get up early to go jogging and find the roads are too icy to jog safely.  You might find that despite your best intentions you end up overindulging on unhealthy foods.  You could try and organise a family game of soccer only for everyone to insist that you stay indoors and watch a film.

Whatever happens it is not going to spell the end of your fitness regime.  One off day is a minor obstacle at the most.  Ultimately, the bank holiday is a time for you to relax and enjoy your day off work.  If your fitness plan suffers in the process simply write it off as a bad day and prepare to get back into your regime of healthy eating and regular exercise tomorrow.

I hope you found the above bank holiday action plan useful.  Days like today are usually a difficult time for exercising or eating healthy but hopefully the above tips make it a little easier for you.

What do you guys think about this bank holiday action plan?  Have you got any additional tips you would like to add to the list?  Do you agree with making bank holiday plans or do you prefer to treat them as a day off from your fitness plan?  Let me know by commenting at the bottom of this post.

Sources:
Brain Candy Website

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If you enjoyed this article you might also like my ebook Lose Weight for the Holidays.  In this ebook I discuss how a three pronged attack can be used to help you stay healthy and keep excess body fat at bay during the various holiday periods that arise throughout the year:

It’s All About Building Strength: Six Strength Training Exercises That Everybody Must Do!

Hello everyone.  Today’s article is a guest post from Nick Clipton who manages and writes for the weight gain blog: http://www.buildingbodymuscles.com/.  Nick’s blog contains lots of fantastic muscle building information and also reviews many of the top body building programs so feel free to check it out after you have finished reading.

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Warm up, cardio, strength training, oblique, targeted, full body – these are just some of the types of exercises that you can do if you want to have a lean and fit body.  These days, more and more individuals are falling into the trap of leading a sedentary lifestyle. Amidst the furious pace of balancing your work and home life, there is usually very little time left to spend on exercise.

However, if you want to reach your fitness goals and have the type of body that you’ve always wanted to have, you do need to allot time out of your busy schedule to exercise.  And one of the best types of exercise to start with is strength training.  Read on to find out what strength training exercises can do for you and what the top 6 strength training exercises are.

Why It Pays to Do Strength Training Exercises

First up, let us try to define what the goal of strength training exercises are.  As the name implies, the goal of this type of exercise is to build up your strength through physically strenuous activities.

Strength training exercises include weight lifting, using resistance bands, exercise balls and hand weights.  If you’ve never performed strength training exercises ever before, here are the reasons why you should start now:

- As your muscles grow stronger, the easier it is for you to deal with daily activities like climbing up a flight of stairs, doing heavy household chores or even something which is as simple as lifting a grocery bag.
- Strength training helps make your muscles more resilient and reduces the risks of falls or age-related accidents.
- Builds muscle strength, reduces blood pressure, lowers the incidence of back pain and minimizes the risks of osteoporosis.

The Top 6 Strength Training Exercises for You

Now that you have an idea about the benefits of doing strength training exercises, what are the types of exercises that you can do?  Basically, the definition of a strength training exercise is any exercise which uses resistance to contract your muscles.

Here is a list of the top six strength training exercises that everyone must do be fit, lean and healthy:

1. Squats
Squat is considered to be one of the best strength training exercises because it utilizes almost every individual joint and muscle in the body.

2. Crunch
The basic crunch is a strength training exercise which focuses on the abdominal muscles.

3. Dumbbell press
Similar to a bench press, this exercise using dumbbells help work on the frontal part of your body.

4. Leg curl
Another strength boosting exercise which helps build and shape the hamstrings is the leg curl.

5. Pull ups
This type of strength training exercise works on the back muscles and it is done with the help of a horizontal bar.

6. Shoulder rotation
Another easy to do strength building exercise is the shoulder rotation which involves just that: rotating your shoulders in a circular motion while holding a dumbbell with your arms straight down.

As you can see, these six exercises target the different areas in the body – so performing them should be part of your daily exercise routine if you want to enjoy the health benefits of strength training.

5 Ways To Make Jogging More Fun

“I don’t think jogging is healthy, especially morning jogging.  If morning joggers knew how tempting they looked to morning motorists, they would stay home and do sit-ups.” – Rita Rudner

As you can see from the above quote jogging is not everyone’s cup of tea.  For some people jogging provides a great mental and physical release.  However, other people find jogging boring and unnecessary.  If you are one of the people who does not like jogging then this article is for you.  Today I am going to discuss five ways that you can make jogging more fun.

1) MIX UP THE PACE:- Jogging along for long periods of time at the same pace can get boring.  So why not mix it up by throwing in some sprints?  Perhaps you could jog for two minutes then sprint for one minute.  If you are listening to music why not jog during the verses and then sprint during the chorus?  By mixing up the pace at which you jog it suddenly becomes a lot more interesting as you rapidly change speed at regular intervals.

2) ADD SOME RESISTANCE:- One way to make jogging a lot more challenging is to add some resistance.  Adding resistance does make you slower but allows you to build strength as you jog.  On top of this adding resistance can be a good way to improve your overall jogging speed.  If you add resistance slowly and try to maintain your jogging speed then you should be able to jog faster once the resistance is removed.

There are many ways that you can add resistance as you jog.  One of my favourites is to wear a rucksack which contains a few bottles of water.  Another method is to wear ankle or wrist weights whilst you jog.

3) MAKE IT MORE PRACTICAL:- One of the reasons people find jogging boring is that they see no purpose to it.  They jog from point A to point B and then back to point A again and see this as a pointless exercise.  However, if you are jogging to get somewhere you need to be it becomes a lot more fun.

There are a number of ways you can make jogging more practical.  One of my personal favourites is to make it part of your weekly shop.  If the local supermarket is within jogging distance then take a large rucksack, jog down, do your shopping and jog back.  Not only will this save you a little petrol money but it will also add some resistance to your jog on the way back.  Whilst this idea is not feasible for everyone (if you are shopping for a full family you probably cannot carry it all in a rucksack) there are plenty of similar methods you can employ to make jogging more practical.  For example, if you are meeting family or friends locally why not jog instead of taking the car?

4) DON’T JUST JOG:- If you find jogging boring but really enjoy other exercises why not do both?  When jogging outdoors there is plenty of opportunity to do pull ups (just find a sturdy tree branch or use the climbing frame in your local park), press ups, sit ups, crunches, planks, leg raises, squats, stretches and more.  So if you really cannot stand long jogs why not jog for five minutes then do a few press ups?  After this jog for a few more minutes then do a few squats.  Alternatively why not try bodyweight soccer sprints.  By adding the above exercises to your jog you will not only make it more fun but you will also get a fuller workout and exercise more of your muscles.

5) MAKE A PLAYLIST:- For me music can really make or break a workout.  One of the best ways to add some excitement to jogging (if you do not particularly enjoy it) is to make a playlist of your favourite tunes.  You can then listen to these tunes as you jog.  I find the time really flies by if you jog along to your favourite songs and it becomes a lot more fun as you jog to the music.

If you are not a fan of jogging then I hope this article appeals to you.  All the above are techniques I have used in the past to make my jogging more versatile and fun.  So if you find yourself avoiding jogging on a regular basis try one of my ideas.  You never know…you might even surprise yourself and enjoy it.

What do you guys think?  Are the above good ways to make jogging more fun?  Do you have any more ideas for making jogging more exciting.  Let me know by commenting on this post.

Sources:
Running Quotes (Quote Garden)

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