Get Back on Track with your Fitness Training

Recently I’ve been doing quite a few posts on fibre.  My plan was to continue writing about diet and nutrition but because of what has happened to me over the last week I decided to write about something different for this post.

Let me explain a little further.  I took this week as a holiday from work.  Since I live with students in a student area, I imagined that there would be quite a bit of partying happening during my week off.  However, I thought that although I might be consuming a little (or even a lot) more alcohol my diet and exercise regime would not suffer.  Sure, maybe I would have a lie in and miss one of my mini meals in order to sleep off any hangover but I thought overall I would still be able to eat reasonably well and get myself to the gym at least four times per week.

That was the plan.  The reality was that I got myself into the gym on Monday and managed to eat reasonably well.  Then from Tuesday onwards my diet and exercise regime started to suffer big time.  As a result of partying hard and drinking far too much I really didn’t feel like eating or exercising.  I didn’t go to the gym or do any exercise with the exception of a few short walks to the shops and when I did eat it was in the form of low quality, processed, junk food.

So why am I telling you this?  Well as regular readers may recall, I previously made a light hearted post about it being OK to have an off day so long as “you do not let these off days get you down and have them turn into a full weekend or a full week where you do not train properly and you do not eat right”.  But isn’t that exactly what I have done?  The answer is quite simply…YES.

When I wrote that post I never envisioned that I would have a week where my fitness regime fell apart in the way it has this week.  However, given the circumstances there was a certain inevitability about it.  I train alone most of the time and so would have to rely on myself for motivation.  On top of this being around the party atmosphere and other temptations such as junk food and alcohol, made it much more difficult to exercise than if I were at work and walking past the gym every day on my way home.  Overall, the lack of structure to my week off coupled with the temptation means I probably should have planned my weeks a bit better.  I should have made plans to prepare all my days food the night before, I should have made plans to go to the gym at a certain time on certain days and I probably should have exercised greater willpower BUT I didn’t.  It’s all in the past now and short of finding Bernard’s Watch I can’t change what happened last week.  That is what I want to talk to you about more in this post.

Ideally, my original message that we shouldn’t let off days turn into off weekends and off weeks is a valid one.  However, with hindsight I have discovered that life isn’t that predictable.  Although in this situation the circumstances were within my control, a lot of the time our fitness regimes may collapse for a few days or even a few weeks, despite our best intentions.  Whilst I still believe it is OK to have an off day and we should do our best to make sure these off days don’t affect our future fitness efforts, I now realise this is not always possible.  What is possible is to make sure that when we do slide we get back on track.

So how am I going to be making sure that I get back on track this week?  Quite simply by replicating my diet and exercise from before my weeks holiday and also making some additional improvements which are discussed below:

1) PREPARING MY FOOD:- I still strongly believe that preparation is the key when it comes to diet.  If I had prepared wholemeal sandwiches for my week’s holiday in the same way I do when I am at work then I would have been much more likely to reject offers of junk food during the week.  The main reason I went for the junk food was convenience and if I had something healthy prepared, the junk food would not have been any more convenient.

So quite simply I will be planning and preparing everything I eat next week.  For breakfast I will either be eating a bowl of Fruit and Fibre, a banana, a slice of wholemeal toast with peanut butter or a protein shake with milk.  For my mini meals at work I have prepared my wholemeal sandwiches for tomorrow and will continue to do so every evening this week.  For my evening meals I have a number of meals that I have cooked previously in the freezer and I will also be cooking a lasagne later this week.  Doing this will ensure that I have much more control over the foods that I eat.

2) GOING TO THE GYM AT A SPECIFIC TIME:- Like with diet I believe planning and preparation are very important when maintaining an exercise routine.  Although I cannot guarantee it, I am quite sure that I would have got to the gym more frequently last week if I had said to myself “today I am going to the gym at this time and it is a priority”.

Therefore, I will be going to the gym at 6.30pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday plus at 10am on Saturday.  On the week nights mentioned above I know that I will be getting off my train home from work at this time and therefore will be in the gym shortly after 6.30pm.  For the Saturday morning session I am partially relying on myself getting out of bed early.  Whilst getting up when I don’t have to be up is not one of my strong points, it is something I am working on.  Hopefully, by putting it on this blog in writing and getting to bed by 11pm on week nights (see below) I will be much more likely to achieve it.

3) GETTING TO BED FOR 11PM ON WEEKNIGHTS:- This is not so much an action that will help me get back on track because even before my week off I very rarely managed to get into bed before 11pm.  Really it is more of an action that will help me improve my existing fitness regime.  Whilst I never feel overly tired during the week I do believe that part of the reason I struggle to get up when I don’t need to be up (i.e. on the weekends) is that I’m not getting enough sleep on week nights.

So to improve on this I will try to make sure that I am in bed for 11pm on most week nights.  To be honest there is no reason that I cannot achieve this.  Most of the time I don’t get to bed early enough I am just watching a DVD or browsing the Internet.  In the future I will try to make sure I switch off the computer or DVD player and get myself in bed for 11pm.  I am also planning to write more on the topic of getting enough sleep so keep your eyes peeled for future posts.

4) GOING JOGGING IN THE MORNINGS:- Jogging in the morning is something that I have tried to do in the past.  When I do manage to get myself out of bed early enough to go for a jog before work (which as I already mentioned I do struggle with) I find it fantastic.  The first few minutes are a real struggle but then after that I feel much more awake and alert and this feeling carries on for the full day.  However, I’ve never managed to keep it up consistently so again it is really an action to improve my current fitness regime.

By getting early nights more frequently I hope that I will be able to get myself up and go jogging before work.  This in turn will allow me to focus on resistance training during my time at the gym and do my cardiovascular training in the mornings.  Jogging is another area I plan to do more reading and writing on as stamina is one of my strengths and I would really like to test myself further in this area so look out for future posts on this topic too.

5) STRETCHING DAILY:- Another fitness area that I have been neglecting for quite some time is stretching to improve my flexibility.  I used to be quite flexible but have really let my flexibility slip over the last few months.  Therefore, this is yet another action to improve my current fitness regime.  The best time for me to do this will be after my early morning jog.  So once I get back from my jogs I will also try to incorporate some stretching in there too.  Like with the above topics I also plan to do a few posts on the topic of stretching once I get back into it because I believe it is a particularly important aspect of fitness since we lose a lot of flexibility as we age.

So to conclude, next time your fitness regime starts to suffer, make plans to get back on track as soon as possible.  Life often throws obstacles in our paths and our fitness may suffer because of these.  However, by making plans similar to the ones I have discussed above you can ensure that you get your fitness regime back on track and perhaps even improve upon where you left off.

What do you guys think?  Have you ever let your fitness regime slide?  How did you get back on track?  Do you have any additional suggestions?  If so I would love to hear your thoughts.

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75 Exciting Exercise Tips

Hello Everyone. I’ve now finished my article series on diabetes and thought this would be a good time to give away another free ebook before I jump into my next topic. The free ebook is 75 Exciting Exercise Tips which unsuprisingly contains 75 exercise related tips. Below are just a few of the tips contained inside 75 Exciting Exercise Tips:

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1) GO TO THE ZOO:- Going to the zoo provides you with a fun day out and lots of walking to get some exercise.

2) CONSTRUCTION:- Putting together buildings and bridges is a great form of exercise. If you choose the right project it can also be great fun too.

3) VOLUNTEERING:- Volunteering very rarely involves sitting down doing desk work. It is usually quite a physical task such as walking a dog, moving boxes etc. It’s therefore another opportunity to exercise and can also allow you to meet new friends.

4) BABY SIT:- Young children are usually hard work. If you baby sit and play games with them you will burn some additional calories.

5) DECORATE:- If your house needs decorating, doing it yourself is a great opportunity to do it yourself and burn some calories. Alternatively, you can use special occasions as an opportunity to decorate your house. If you are throwing a party, or if it’s Christmas, Easter etc, get the decorations out and spruce the place up. The moving about will help you burn some calories.

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Some interesting tips I’m sure you will agree. If you want to download all 75 tips then use the link below. Also don’t forget that the ebook comes with full giveaway rights so if you want to pass it on to your friends, family or website visitors please do so.

Click Here to Download 75 Exciting Exercise Tips!

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Manage Diabetes with Exercise

In my previous article I discussed how important diet can be when controlling your diabetes. However, exercise can also be a very important factor when treating diabetes. In this article I will discuss how exercise can help control your diabetes, the precautions you should take when exercising and finally which exercises are the most effective at fighting diabetes.

So how does exercise help control your diabetes? Well it actually helps in multiple ways. I have outlined three of the most important below:

1) BETTER BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL:- When you exercise you need more energy. Your muscles burn glucose to get this energy and as a result your blood sugar levels are reduced. Therefore, exercise can act as an effective substitute for insulin. In fact in certain cases involving type 2 diabetics, exercise has removed the need for insulin injections and medication completely.

2) IMPROVED INSULIN SENSITIVITY:- According to this article, exercise can improve insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetics. Since one of the primary problems amongst diabetics is the body not getting enough insulin, this is another fantastic way in which exercise can help control your diabetes.

3) IMPROVED WEIGHT CONTROL:- Exercise helps you to lose weight in two ways. Firstly, cardiovascular exercise burns extra calories both during and after your workout. According to this article you can burn up to 15% more calories in the 48 hours following a cardiovascular workout. That means by doing a cardiovascular training session every other day you can be constantly burning up to 15% more calories, plus you will burn even more calories when you are actually doing the exercise.

Secondly, resistance training can help you lose weight because muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat. By increasing your muscle mass through resistance training you can increase the total amount of calories your body burns each day. The actual amount of calories muscle burns has been heavily exaggerated in the past but according to this article a pound of muscle can burn around 6 calories per day compared with a pound of fat which burns 2 calories per day.

Combining cardiovascular training with resistance training can therefore be a very effective way to burn excess calories and control your body weight. But why is this important for your diabetes? Well according to this article from Dlife excess body fat makes your body more resistant to insulin so keeping your body fat levels under control is essential if you want to stay on top of your diabetes.

As you can see exercise can be a really effective form of diabetes treatment. Not only does it help lower your blood sugar levels but it also improves your body’s resistance to insulin and helps keep your body weight under control. However, there are a number of precautions that you need to take before starting your exercise program:

1) MONITOR YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS:- As I have already stated, exercise can help reduce your blood sugar levels which is generally a good thing for diabetics. However, this is not always the case. If you have not eaten enough or you have taken insulin or medication prior to exercising, your blood sugar levels may be low already. In this instance, exercise could lower your blood sugar to hypoglycaemic levels. Furthermore, intense exercise can actually have the opposite effect by causing your body to release stress hormones which increase blood sugar levels. Therefore, it is highly important that you monitor your blood sugar levels before, during and after exercise.

2) CARRY GLUCOSE AND INSULIN:- You should carry glucose and insulin at all times when exercising because (as outlined above) your blood sugar levels can fluctuate massively. Intense exercise can cause your blood sugar levels to rise rapidly meaning you may require insulin or medication. Contrastingly, prolonged exercise can cause your blood sugar levels to fall meaning that you may need a quick fix of glucose during or after exercise.

3) STAY HYDRATED:- Dehydration can cause your blood sugar levels to rise and affect your performance whilst exercising. Therefore, it is highly important that you drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated throughout your workout.

4) CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR:- It is recommended that you talk to your doctor before embarking on any exercise program BUT it is even more important when you are suffering from diabetes because the consequences of not exercising properly can be much more severe. Make sure that you inform your doctor of the type of exercise program you wish to participate in and ask them if there are any additional precautions that you should take. They will then be able to tell you if you need to combine any foods and/or medication with your exercise plan and provide further recommendations to allow you to exercise safely.

So now that you know the benefits of exercise and the precautions to take you should be ready to get started. But how much exercise should you be doing and what types of exercise are best? Ideally you should try and do at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. If this is not possible try and make sure you are doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every other day. The actual exercise (as I have mentioned above) should be a combination of cardiovascular exercise and resistance training:

1) CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE:- This type of exercise focuses on improving your aerobic fitness which increases the amount of oxygen that is delivered to your muscles and allows them to work for longer. Cardiovascular exercise is also a great way to stimulate the burning of glucose (which lowers your blood sugar levels) and control your weight (which makes your body more receptive to insulin). When it comes to cardiovascular exercise you have many choices including; jogging, walking, swimming, cycling and team sports.

2) RESISTANCE TRAINING:- This type of exercise focuses on strengthening the muscles, either through bodyweight training or through the use of weights (in the form of free weights or machine weights). Apart from increasing your muscle mass and helping you control body fat levels, resistance training has also been linked with the treatment of diabetes. According to the study in this article 16 weeks of resistance training produced improvements in glucose control amongst Hispanic men and women, that were so significant they could be compared with taking diabetes medication.

Along with diet, regular exercise is a great way to treat diabetes naturally. By doing a combination of cardiovascular training and resistance training you can really keep your condition under control and maybe even remove the need for insulin injections or medication completely. As long as you stick to your program, exercise regularly, stay sensible and take the necessary precautions, exercise can be a great weapon in your fight against diabetes.

Whilst every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative, it is intended for general information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner. Before making any lifestyle changes you should always seek your doctors advice. If you have any concerns regarding any form of diabetes then you should speak to your doctor right away.

Sources:
Blood Sugar/Glucose Information
Diabetes and Exercise Information
Does Exercise without Weight Loss Improve Insulin Sensitivity?
Exercise for Diabetics Information
How Many Calories Does Muscle Really Burn?
Hypoglycaemia Information
Insulin Information
Type 2 Diabetes and Exercise Information

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My Top 5 Gym Annoyances

Hi there everyone. Sorry that I haven’t posted for a while. I have exams coming up so my main focus is on them. My last exam is next Friday so after that more regular posting should resume. Anyway, today’s post is on annoyances at the gym.

Regular gym goers will know that in the gym there are little things that can really get on your nerves. When I was doing my workout today there were a number of things that really distracted me. This got me thinking and the more I thought about it, the more I realised just how annoying certain things at the gym can be. Now don’t get me wrong – going to the gym doesn’t make my blood boil so much that I go home angry. This post is just meant to be a slightly humorous look at the little distractions and annoyances that I encounter in this part of my life. So without further ado I present to you, in chronological order, from least annoying to most annoying…My 5 Top Gym Annoyances.

5) GRUNTERS:- Grunters is the term I use to refer to those people who let out a grunt, shout, shriek or other random noise whilst lifting weights. Granted, grunters do usually lift heavy weights, work themselves to their limit and generally perform a good bodybuilding workout. However, that’s no excuse for some of the strange noises that come out of their mouths. Not only is it distracting but some of the sounds are just downright disturbing. Besides in some gyms grunters even run the serious risk of setting off the “lunk alarm”.

(Note: This is taking the issue way too far but it does make a point about how annoying grunters can be.)

4) CELL PHONERS:- Cell phoners refers to the people who chat away on their phones mid-workout. It is not specifically people chatting on the phone that gets on my nerves here. The problem comes when the gym is busy and all the benches, machines and weights are taken. You would expect most people in this busy gym to complete their exercises quickly, allowing the people who are waiting to use the limited resources. However, as I stand around waiting for a free bench or some free weights, I regularly see some people sitting on a bench with the weights at their feet, chatting away on their phone. What’s worse is that when I have been waiting for some time and go over to ask whether I can use the weights for one set or quickly use the bench whilst they chat, I am dismissed with comments such as “Excuse me, I’m on the phone”. This can get rather annoying because people are compromising my workout time by chatting on their phone. If they want to chat fine, but why not do it on their own time or go talk somewhere in the gym where they are not disrupting other people’s workouts?

3) STARERS:- Starers are the people who glare at you whilst you work out in the hope that you will abandon your equipment and leave it free for them. I understand that at busy times people will want to use the equipment I am using. However, it can get really distracting when you feel their eyes burning a hole in the back of your head. In fact if I am exercising in front of a mirror and see someone doing this I find it almost impossible to continue. I would much rather the person staring at me would come over and ask whether we can share the equipment and do alternate sets.

2) BANGERS:- Bangers are the people who bang, clang and drop their weights regularly whilst working out. I am not so bothered about people banging weights whilst they are performing the exercise as this is sometimes difficult to avoid. It becomes a problem when people finish their set and then drop their weights with an almighty crash. The noise this makes is not pleasant and very distracting. Plus, there is absolutely no need for it. If these people can control their weights for multiple sets then surely they can control them for a few more seconds whilst placing them on the floor?

1) ANNOYING MUSIC:- This is the one that really grates at me in. I understand everyone has different tastes in music so I am not going to cause an argument by listing the music my gym plays here. However, the music played is constant, repetitive and loud so if you are not a fan of this genre there is no escape unless you bring your own portable music player. Thankfully, I recently got myself an IPOD so this is no longer a regular problem for me but on the days I forget my IPOD it is a disaster. Unlike the other distractions listed this music is there all the time. I would much rather the gym played no music. This would then give people the choice to listen to their own music without disturbing other people in the gym.

So there you have it. My top five pet hates at the gym. Still, it could be worse. I could have this guy disrupting my workouts.

(Note: I’m not associated with Hagadone Directories. Just thought the video was funny and relevant to this post.)

As I said at the beginning of this post I’m busy with my exams till next Friday (May 9th). After that normal Free Fitness Tips service shall be resumed meaning a post every two or three days. In the meantime, why not reflect on this article and think about what annoys you at the gym? If it’s not on this list leave me a comment and let me know what winds you up while you work out.

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5 Hilarious Excuses for Not Exercising

Hey everyone. Friday is here again. As I mentioned last Friday I was having a bit of an off day. This Friday was different and I managed to get to the gym and complete my workout with no motivation problems whatsoever. However, it got me thinking about the excuses some people use to avoid exercise. There are literally so many that I could probably use what I have heard to start a new ‘Exercise Excuses Blog’. A lot of the excuses people use are pretty standard e.g. “I am too tired to exercise” or “I am too busy to workout” but some of the excuses are much more unique. Since it is a Friday and everyone enjoys a giggle after a long, hard week I have for you today five of the most ridiculous exercise excuses I have ever heard plus a bonus exercise excuses video above.

1) I AM ALREADY THIN SO IF I EXERCISE I WILL WASTE AWAY:- Yes just like alien abduction there are also some people who claim that they have wasted away as a result of exercising. Quite how they managed to make these claims after wasting away is beyond me but apparently they have.

2) I DO NOT NEED TO EXERCISE BECAUSE MY FAVOURITE TV SHOW IS CELEBRITY FIT CLUB:- Just seeing all those celebrities exercising is enough to make anyone break into a sweat. If you combine this with lifting up the remote and making regular trips to the kitchen and bathroom during the commercial break you have the ultimate workout plan.

3) I ALREADY GET MY DAILY EXERCISE BY WALKING TO THE DONUT SHOP:- Yes, ladies and gentleman new research has suggested that you will burn away those 1000+ calories contained in a pack of donuts in 10 simple minutes just by walking to your donut shop. Plus, the more sugar you get on the donuts the more calories you can burn.

4) I EXERCISE IN THE OFFICE BY SWIVELLING ON MY COMPUTER CHAIR, TYPING AND CLICKING MY MOUSE:- If this is you then there is no need to exercise at all. This highly intense office workout must be burning at least 5 additional calories per day. Combine it with the workout discussed in point number two and you are on your way to becoming a perfect fitness specimen.

5) I CANNOT EXERCISE BECAUSE THE NIKE AIR TRAINERS I NEED COST £150:- Very good point. I have difficulty walking without having a pair of expensive trainers strapped to my feet. It is far, far too risky to attempt any physical activity until you can afford the adequate gear.

If you have not gathered already this article has been sprinkled with a heavy dose of humour and sarcasm. You can read even more funny exercise excuses by clicking here.

However, there is a serious point behind this article. If you want to become fitter and healthier or lose weight, you will need to ditch the excuses and start exercising. Diet is one half of the equation but exercise is essential too. Do whatever it takes to avoid the excuses and start exercising whether that be making a dedicated exercise plan, finding a workout partner or even budgeting for a gym membership. Have a great weekend everyone.

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2.5

It’s OK to have an Off Day

Well Friday is finally here which for many means the end of the week and time to enjoy the weekend. Unfortunately today was not my best day in terms of fitness goals. I did not eat very well today, felt tired for most of the day and in the gym I just seemed to have no motivation and ended up cutting my workout short. I was not feeling very good about myself as I had been so good all week and then let the ball drop today. However, then I came across an interesting article which made me feel a lot better. It included eight excellent fitness tips including the following gems;

Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass, green leafy vegetables). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable slop.

Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

You’re not listening. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

You can read the full article by clicking here.

If you haven’t already figured it out this article is a joke and not meant to be taken seriously. Since it’s Friday I decided to make my post a little more light hearted and humourous. However, the point I am trying to get across is that all of us will have off days where we feel unmotivated, don’t train very well and eat the wrong foods. And this is OK. You are not a machine and cannot operate at 100% all the time.

What is important is that you do not let these off days get you down and have them turn into a full weekend or a full week where you do not train properly and you do not eat right. Becoming healthier and fitter is a long term process and the occassional slip up is not going to affect your efforts BUT if you let the off day get you down it will affect your long term motivation and this in turn will affect your long term fitness. Simply accept that you have had an off day and look to get back into your proper fitness routine the following day.

I’ve made this post short and sweet because it’s a Friday and also because I’m a little pressed for time. However, I hope you’ve still enjoyed it and absorbed the message behind it. In the future I plan to make my Friday posts a little more humourous because we all like to have a good chuckle at the end of a hard working week. I hope you all have a good weekend. What did you think of my post? Do any of you have any stories you would like to share about your own personal off days?

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2.5

High Intensity Interval Training for Fat Loss

Hi Everyone. Today I found this great video on burning fat using high intensity interval training and thought I would share it with you guys. The video’s by Craig Ballantyne, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). I found it particularly useful because I realised I had not been dropping the intensity enough during the rest periods of my fat burning cardio workouts. According to this video you need to be dropping down to a walking pace after doing a high intensity interval. Anyway, have a watch and see what you think.

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5 Steps to Feeling Good and Staying Fit

Hi Everyone. I hope you are enjoying all the articles on the Free Fitness Tips Blog so far. Over the next few days I’ve got some great fitness videos for you. Today we have a short, fun video outlining how you can feel good and get fit in five easy steps. Enjoy!!

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2.5

4 Great Reasons to Exercise and Boost Metabolism

As I have already discussed in previous articles there are a number of ways to increase your metabolic rate, with exercise arguably being the most effective. In this article I discuss a few more reasons why you should consider exercising as part of your metabolism boosting routine.

1) EXERCISE BURNS CALORIES:- Sounds simple but the more exercise you do the greater the number of calories you will burn. By exercising regularly you can force your metabolism to operate more efficiently.

2) MUSCLE BURNS CALORIES:- Muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat. Therefore, increasing your body’s muscle mass will increase the amount of calories your body burns. However, you need to be aware that the effects of this have been exaggerated greatly in the past. Having an increased muscle mass will burn additional calories but not to a significant degree.

3) IMPROVED OVERALL HEALTH:- Exercise has many positive impacts on your body. A mixture of cardiovascular exercise and weight training can really help your body function better. Cardiovascular exercise improves your circulation, strengthens your lungs and gets your heart working. Weight training helps you build strength and power.

4) IT’S FUN:- Some people may not agree with me here. However, if you really think about it there is likely to be some exercise out there which you find fun. There are so many options when you exercise which include playing ball, gardening, running and more. Surely, there is one which you enjoy.

As you can see exercising has many positive effects on your metabolism, your body and your mind. It really is one of the keys to improving your metabolic rate. With all these additional benefits there really is no excuse for neglecting exercise any longer.

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Exercising to improve your Metabolism

It is widely agreed that it is not possible to alter the metabolism you were born with. If you have a slow metabolism you cannot suddenly flick a switch and have your metabolism accelerate. Whilst this might not sound like good news to you there are a number of things you can do to compensate if you have a slower than average metabolism. In this article I will discuss how regular exercise can help boost your metabolism.

The act of exercising itself will burn additional calories. For example, if you go for a rigorous 30 minute run this will burn more calories than sitting watching TV for 30 minutes. However, exercise is also significant in boosting your body’s overall natural ability to burn fat. In the majority of cases, the best way to achieve this is through a combination of aerobic exercise and weight training.

The reason exercise is so effective in boosting your metabolism is it attacks the calories in two ways. First, regular aerobic exercise gets your body used to burning fat that is already present in the body. Secondly, weight training increases your body’s muscle mass. Muscles require calories to be maintained and so the more muscle you have, the more fat you can burn. However, you need to be aware that the calorie burning properties of increased muscle mass have been heavily exaggerated in the past. Increasing your muscle mass will increase the amount of calories that your body burns each day but the effects are not groundbreaking. You will need to combine your weight training with aerobic exercise to achieve optimal results.

So what are some good exercises to achieve the desired effects? For aerobic exercises anything that gets the heart pumping is useful. This can range from gentle walks to more rigorous physical activities such as running or football. The key to success with aerobic exercise is finding something that you enjoy and sticking with it.

With weight training you need to be a little more cautious. If you just go into the gym and start throwing the weights about you can quite easily cause yourself an injury. You need to start slowly and exercise with weights that you are comfortable with and then gradually increase them to build muscle mass. If you are unsure of where to start then seek the advice of a fitness trainer at the gym. They will be happy to help and should be able to create a weight training plan that is suitable for you.

As I have already explained it is impossible to change your metabolic rate completely. However, by incorporating aerobic exercise and weight training into your lifestyle you can increase the amount of calories you burn on a day to day basis.

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