Fitness Techniques

Aerobic Exercises

Aerobic Excerises are a great way to stay healthy and get in shape. Many people want to have the perfect body – I know I do. But most of them start going about it all wrong. They will spend only enough time doing aerobic exercises to warm up, and then proceed to their “real workout,” lifting heavy weights. There are so many things that are wrong with this approach that it is hard to get into them all. Essentially, there is nothing more important than aerobic exercises for body health. Although heavy lifting can make your muscles bigger, if it is done by itself, they will not get the strength and tone offered by endurance lifting or regular exercise. Additionally, because lifting alone without regular aerobic exercise will actually hurt body flexibility, this approach is quite likely to result in physical harm. The bottom line is that, if you really want to look good, use aerobic exercises primarily, and only once you have a good program of those, should you do lifting.

I found out everything I know about aerobic exercises from my online training program, and its course on aerobics and fitness. Apparently, aerobic exercises, when properly done and set up to include strengthening and stretching, can build lean muscle mass without the dangerous lifting, and enhance your cardiovascular health in the process. I am living proof that this is the right approach, as I now am 180 lbs and fit as a fiddle, with six pack abs and a million dollar smile, all thanks to aerobic exercises.

If you are new to aerobic exercises, it is crucial that you get a trainer. A personal trainer, or a more experienced exercise partner, will help you to be motivated to do your aerobic exercises regularly and to push yourself. In addition, the personal trainer will make sure that you do not overdo the aerobic exercise, and that everything is done safely and correctly. Because hiring personal trainers at a fitness club is prohibitively expense for many people, I recommend enrolling in an online aerobic workout program. This will still teach you how to do the aerobic exercises, will give you a schedule and goals to meet, and best of all, give you the opportunity to get occasional feedback from your aerobics trainer. Some of them even have live web interviews, where you can ask any questions that you have about your aerobic exercises program, or health issues in general. Nothing will help you feel fit and thin quite as effectively. 

Abdominal Exercise
With our often sedentary lifestyles, it’s no wonder that many of us have just a tad too much fat in the abdominal area. Maybe you’ve just had a baby, and baby stretched that tummy out good! Perhaps you’ve recently lost a lot of weight, but find that stubborn belly fat just won’t go away. Don’t feel discouraged. Abdominal exercise will melt that fat away with just a half hour of effort on your part each day. You don’t need special equipment and all can be accomplished while listening to music or watching TV.

The first recommended abdominal exercise is the old-fashioned sit-up. You may remember doing this in school in gym class. Sit-ups work. If it’s been a while, you may want to start with the “sissy” sit-ups.

This easier sit-up starts with lying on your back on the floor, with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Clasp your hands together, behind your neck with elbows facing out. Keeping your feet flat on the floor, pull your upper body up, bringing your elbows forward in front of your face and touch your knees with your elbows. Return to the lying down position and repeat. When beginning your program, start with 25 sit-ups, increasing the number by 5 every other day. When you can do 50 easily, you’re ready for the harder style of sit-ups.

The harder type of sit-up goes like this: Lie down on the floor on your back, legs extended and heels touching the floor. Your arms should be extended behind you with the backs of your hands touching the floor. Placing your hands together, pull yourself up and extend your hands until they touch your toes. Yikes,that is hard! Persevere. Shoot for 25 of these sit-ups per session. Increase by 5 every other day, progressing to 50 as you get stronger. By this time, you’ll be seeing real results. The sit-up is the abdominal exercise without equal.

Another good abdominal exercise is the toe-touch. Stand with your feet together and arms at your sides. Bend from the waist and touch your toes, repeating 25 times. As you progress, try to touch the palms of your hands to the floor in front of your feet. You can eventually progress to 50 per session.

Yet another abdominal exercise to quickly trim belly fat is this: begin in a standing position with your arms at your sides and back straight. Raise your right arm over your head while sliding your left arm straight down your left leg. Reach with your right arm, extending your right hand over your head as though trying to touch your left shoulder. Use a bouncing motion, trying three times to touch your left shoulder, all the while keeping your back straight. Reverse arms and repeat. Begin with 15 repetitions and work up to 25.

If you do these abdominal exercises faithfully, you’ll be looking good in a month’s time.

Aerobic Exercise

We’ve all been hearing about the health benefits of regular aerobic exercise and eating properly. According to numerous online sources, aerobic exercise includes activity that makes the heart and lungs worker harder than they do at rest for a continuous period of time. There are many types of aerobic exercise to choose from including dancing, skating, skiing, running, walking, bicycling, stair climbing, and swimming. Aerobic exercise videos are another option that can be used in the privacy of one’s home, and provide a beneficial workout that gets the heart pumping. Going to the gym is not always an option, nor is it necessary. People can get aerobic exercise at home, at work, or at school. Many larger companies offer employees work out facilities and running tracks as well as walking paths around their campuses. In fact, many corporations encourage healthy aerobic exercise during the workday to increase energy and decrease fatigue as well as improve general well being.

Research has shown that regular aerobic exercise boosts the immune system, increases endorphins, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, decreases the risk for developing cardiac disease, diabetes, obesity, and various forms of cancer. Physical exercise promotes mental health, reduces anxiety and stress, and promotes unity of mind, body, and spirit. Different types of aerobic exercise can be performed for varying lengths of time depending on how strenuous the activity. For example, thirty minutes of walking at a moderate pace is comparative to jogging or running for fifteen to twenty minutes. The same physical benefit is gained from each. Ten minutes of strenuous stair climbing is also good aerobic exercise that can be done on a lunch break or at home, almost anywhere. Exercise programs can be tailored to fit anyone’s particular fitness needs, even if the previous level of activity was nothing more than moving from the bedroom to the couch to the kitchen and back. We all have to start somewhere!

The benefits of regular aerobic exercise are very apparent, and should be incorporated into everyone’s life. Great improvement in cardiac and lung function can be seen with as little as twenty to thirty minutes three times a week. As fitness level improves work out sessions can be increased to thirty minutes five times a week or more. If any particular health concerns are present, then a health care provider should be consulted before starting any exercise or strength training program. The benefits of moderate physical exercise are undisputed and can lead the way to a long healthy life, with less illness and chronic disease. So get those shoes on and get going!