I’ll admit something to you readers out there.  I’m “scurred.”  You probably are wondering what I mean.  Well, after a long hiatus of no exercise, where do you start?  I used to exercise almost daily, down to a couple times a week, and now, ZERO.  The most exercise I do is probably either walking around the mall or dancing to some music for a few minutes.

Why am I doing this? Personally, I’m tired of feeling out of shape and want to be able to feel good in my own skin.  I think the best thing is to go back and think about why you want to exercise – you want to feel good wearing a bathing suit, or fit into your favorite pair of jeans.  Or you think you look fat in your favorite t shirt.  Whatever it is, it is important to remind yourself why you want to  exercise and the benefits that will come with that.

Set some time a week to work out. For me, because I haven’t worked out for a long time, I really don’t want to push myself over the limits, because I know it’s just going to make me quit.  I know this because it’s happened to me so many times.  I know I used to run for 3 miles but because my body has been out of it for so long, I have to go back to basics.  It may sound wimpy, but an attainable goal is better than setting a goal that isn’t going to happen and feel discouraged.

Here are my weekly goals:

• Run for 15 minutes. – Monday and Wednesday
• Do 30 minutes of aerobics – Tuesday and Thursday

Wish me luck!

I always wondered about whether it’s better to eat before I work out or after.  I’ve done both before, and lately I’ve eaten dinner, waited for an hour, then did my workout.  Usually afterwards I do not really feel so hungry which is good, since I figured taking in more food meant consuming more calories.

Anyway today I worked out before I had my dinner, and I felt really hungry afterwards.  As I ate I wondered if my work out was worth it because I just burned calories. I did some research and I found out that within the first 45 minutes after you exercise, there is a “metabolic window.” Enzymes that replenish muscle carbs are at their highest levels.  Insulin is also at peak levels, which rebuilds protein stores. By consuming a mix of carbs and protein at this point will maintain muscle, replenish glycogen stores and reduce the amount of fat your body stores.

If you eat before working out its always best to eat something, especially if you’re a morning exerciser, since most likely the last time you ate was probably the night before since you’ve already burned a good amount of calories sleeping.  It also makes sense to fuel up your body on an empty stomach, otherwise you’ll definitely have no energy and feel sluggish during the workout.  You want to make the best out of your workout so make sure you have energy to do it!

What are your thoughts?  Do you eat before or after you work out?  Let me know in the comments!

I remember when I wanted to join a gym about a year and a half ago.  I remember calling gyms around the area and trying to see what each offered. There were the well known gyms like Gold’s Gym, Bally’s Total Fitness and LA Fitness, which all were really nice gyms. LA Fitness was a decent price and I was really considering joining there.  It was really close by, but like the other 2 gyms, you had to pay extra for things like classes and personal training. I then found this gym that was kind of hidden, but the membership came with everything I wanted – personal trainer and classes at no cost! Also, the gym was a good size and people of all fitness levels.  Although it wasn’t a well known gym, I ended up joining there because of what they offered.

If you’re considering joining a gym, there are things to keep in mind.

• The location of the gym want to join should be relatively nearby. You wouldn’t want to drive to a gym out of the way from where you live.
• The hours of the gym should be open early and late so you have options on when you want to workout.
• Cleanliness is very important. Is the equipment clean? Do they encourage members to wipe down the machines after using? Germs are everywhere, especially in the gym, so cleanliness is a big thing to look at closely.
• A good gym has enough equipment for their members and are in working order.
• If you’re interested in joining fitness classes, find out how much extra they will cost with the membership and if it’s something you’ll enjoy. Take a few trial classes to see if you’ll like them.

The gym is definitely a place that you should look forward to going to…besides, you’re paying for it so you better!

Looking for a gym? Check out this gym and health club finder. They even offer free guest passes, so you can try before you commit.

I’m pretty new to a stability ball as well as their exercises. I find the stability ball to actually be a pretty good and fun workout. I mean, you get to roll over, under and around a ball! Who would have thought that you can do so many different exercises. Since I got a new stability ball, which is actually my right size this time – I didn’t know that they had different sizes that are proportionate to your height (oops), I wanted to find some effective exercises to try out.

If you’re under 5’0” – 5’7” you should be using a 55cm stability ball, while a person who is 5’7” and up should be using a 65cm stability ball.

Here is a really good video I found by Exercise TV which teaches some pretty basic exercises on a stability ball.

I tried it out myself, and I must say, I definitely need to work on my balancing!  But it was still fun to do.  I’m definitely on the search for more exercises with this cool tool!

I’ve decided to create a series of posts explaining why certain exercises are important for getting in shape and working out effectively. Exercising not only makes you feel good about yourself, but doing something that will help your body change the way you want is also important. When a person makes a commitment to exercise and fitness, it should be done right.

Cardio is important!

We all know cardio is a must for getting in shape. Cardio is just one of the things a person that wants to get in shape has to do, and in my opinion, it’s beneficial for long term healthiness. If you’re just getting into exercising or getting bored of your exercise routine, you’ll definitely love cardio as much as I do.

So lets begin with the basics.
What is cardio? Cardio is short for cardiovascular which is a type of exercise that increases the work of the heart and lungs. Cardio is great for weight loss for one, but there are many other benefits. The benefits of cardio exercise also include stronger heart and lungs, reduced stress, reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer, temporary relief from depression and anxiety, better sleep, more energy and my favorite reason – more confidence in your appearance and how you feel physically and mentally. How could you say no to that? I know I couldn’t.

Cardio exercise may seem difficult for some people especially if they haven’t been exercising. Being active makes you feel good and it also increases blood flow to our muscles, thus strengthening our hearts and lungs. Cardio loosens tense muscles and makes you energized since your blood flow is pumping throughout your body.

Recommended Cardio Exercise Per Week

I do about 25-30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week. It is recommended to do cardio 3 or 4 times a week for about 30-60 minutes.

Types of Cardio Exercise

Most of us are familiar with cardio exercise and pair it with running. Running is not the only type of cardio exercise. That’s the best part of cardio exercise. You can change up your routine and do something different each time you do your cardio workout to avoid boredom. I know for myself I have to have variety because the same thing every day gets tired really fast.

You can ride a bicycle, whether stationary or cycling outdoors and burn up to 250-500 calories in 30 minutes granted you are not leisurely riding but at a faster pace.

For people with bad knees can’t avoid cardio because an elliptical trainer is a great form of cardio for knee hurting people, and even for people who need a break from the treadmill or the pavement. It’s like using a cross country ski machine. You can also burn a lot of calories in 30 minutes.

Swimming is another favorite of mine and a great cardio exercise. 30 minutes doing the breastroke can burn almost 400 calories.

Step Aerobics sounds so 90s but it is another great cardio exercise for those who like being indoors. It targets areas of your body such as your legs, butt and hips while burning 400 calories a session. Most gyms offer step aerobics classes and you can even do it at home with a step or your stairs (just be careful!)

Rowing is an exercise that surprised me in how effective it is although to me it doesn’t seem like much. If you row vigorously enough you can really get your heart rate up working your arms like crazy. You can burn up to 300 calories if you are really working it out.

Walking is a great form of cardio, but only if you’re power walking. You can burn up to 180 calories in 30 minutes. Walking up hill or incorporating some quick jogging or sprinting can even make you burn more calories. Swinging your arms also helps too.

There are also exercise videos that are cardio targeted. One that I use a lot is the Turbo Jam series by Beach Body. I’ve also used Denise Austin’s videos as well such as Personal Training System and Shrink Your Female Fat Zones, but the Turbo Jam has good upbeat music and that is a must for me!

Conclusion: Make sure you incorporate cardio into your weekly exercise routine. You’ll definitely see a difference in how you handle this type of exercise as you keep on doing it. I know for me it definitely has made me from a lazy lump who couldn’t even run for 2 minutes without giving up, to someone who actually looks forward to run, can run for 2 minutes without giving up and wants to try other types of cardio exercises out!